Ideal Customers - Real Flower Business

What does great customer service feel like?

The most important thing I’ve done for my floral design business is work towards perfecting a customer service experience that reflects the values of my brand and speaks directly to the heart of my ideal clients.

Want to find better clients?

Create a better customer experience.

What does great customer service feel like?

Do you remember the best customer service experience you ever had? A time when YOU were the customer and something stellar happened that made you feel great?

Maybe it was an unexpected refund you didn’t even have to ask for, or a hotel staff member who went above and beyond for you….maybe it was the super comfy leather chair in a waiting room that made your wait time a little more enjoyable…or the free refills…or the personal touch…a time when you experienced a better-than-average “result”.

How can you make you customers feel special?

1. Think of a real life customer service experience where you were wowed. [Even better, think of a brand that continually wows you with their service.]

2. Write down all the details….what did you expect to happen? How was this experience with this company or brand different/better?

3. Now consider how YOU can translate what was special about your experience into a customer experience for your ideal clients?

Tapping into what makes you one-of-a-kind propels your business.

Now…to expand on that…

Tapping into what your customers need is another meaningful way to speak to your ideal customers.

My downloadable pdf, Wedding Workflow, gives you a behind-the-scenes look at my 16 Steps to Client Management from the initial e-mail inquiry to a post-wedding followup.

Create a better customer service experience.

You can read the details on this downloadable course here including the table of contents with a list of all 16 steps!

It’s priced at just $19 and you can CLICK HERE TO GET IT.

DOES YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER READ YOUR BLOG?

I challenged floralpreneurs to blog every week in November…HOW’D YOU DO?

I hope you’ll consider taking this challenge and show your blog some love with 4 fresh posts!

If this is the first time you’re hearing of the challenge, can you blog 4 times over the next 4 weeks, then?…

WHY DO YOU NEED TO BLOG?

Your website is where you really want to talk to your ideal customers.

Your website is the only thing you own.

JOIN ME LIVE ON FACEBOOK!

I’ve been livestreaming on Facebook.

Real Flower Business is the name of the group and it’s a great group of floral pros.

Join us in the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFlowersBusiness

Thanks to everyone who’s already joined me!

As always…

Keep doing beautiful work.”

With love from me to you,

Alison

Find a list of my course offerings HERE.

P.S. If you’re a floral designer who’s digging my content and/or my courses, please share the real flower business love via e-mail, Facebook, Instagram, sky writing, what-have-you with a florist you know and love. (I truly appreciate your support in cultivating other floral pros.)

P.P.S. Are you still on the fence about Flower Math? Buy it today for 10% off HERE. (Get it before the end of the year and it’s a business expense for 2016.) Keep more of the money you’re already making in 2017!

By Alison Ellis

Who is your Ideal Customer?

What is an Ideal Customer?

I see people referring to “ideal customers” or “ideal clients” all the time, yet I rarely see it the term clearly defined.

Before updating your website or rebranding your biz, the #1 question to answer is “Who is your ideal customer?”

But how can you find your ideal customers if you don’t know what you’re looking for?

Here’s one way to think of it:

Your ideal customers don’t need convincing…

they love what you do,

appreciate your work/artistry, and

all they need are a few details on how to officially book with you.

If you’re ever unsure about who your ideal customer really is, take a look at the customers that already love you–ideally, the ones that you love right back!–and try to identify the important qualities they have in common.

Click below to watch my video: Who is your ideal customer?

Qualities of an Ideal Customer:

Ideal customers are more interested in finding out what it takes to book with you than how much you charge for a centerpiece.
Ideal customers are quick to accept your proposal & sign a contract because they want what you’re selling!
Ideal customers feel like you’re the right choice for them; they trust you!

Every floralpreneur has her/his own ideal customer depending on where you are in your business. The ideal client for a home-based florist who’s just starting out is different from the ideal client for an established florist with a full-time staff and 25 years of experience. It’s only natural that your ideal clients might change as your business matures.

Click for more: How do you prequalify customers?

More from Alison:

When I started my business, Floral Artistry, in 2002 I’d never heard the term “ideal customer”. As I often recount, “it was a simpler time“… back in the early 2000’s, without the power of Google and social media to help you hone your branding and reach your ideal customers (aka the clients who LOVE what you do).

You can gain a lot of clarity when you focus on the people you really want to work with; you’re not looking for just “anyone”.

The Takeaway

It’s not always easy to define who your ideal customers are and it can be particularly tricky when you have a wedding business where cultivating repeat business isn’t always in the cards.

Though the working relationship with a wedding client has a finite end, I strive to exceed expectations and choreograph a customer service experience that thrills and delights. Excellent service provides value and eliminates your competition.

Before you’ve built your brand to the point of attracting ideal clients, the concept of “customers that love you” may seem like a pie in the sky dream…just keep this in mind:

As you build an integrity brand with a website that represents who you are as a company/brand/designer you’ll find that ideal clients start finding you! (And they’re so happy that they found you.)

Identifying your ideal customers is a critical piece of your branding puzzle.

xo. -Alison

To find a full list of my course offerings click here.

By Alison Ellis

Building a brand: A look at my most recent attempt at Branding My Biz.

Business owners can’t avoid the demands of the day….bookkeeping, employees, product sourcing, insurance, taxes….the list is long. And on top of all the things we “must” do, social media, branding and ideal clients are top of mind for most creative entrepreneurs.

Real flower business is what I care about.

I’m less concerned with appearing busy and more focused on creating business for myself.

Today’s video shares my most recent attempt at branding for my biz. If you’re looking for “more than a business card” you will want to see this branding tip.

I am by no means a branding expert. In fact, my lack of expertise in branding may be precisely why I’m well suited to share today’s video with you….because branding is complicated, but it could be simpler than you think.

I appreciate you taking a few minutes to watch.

YOUR BRAND IS HOW THE WORLD SEES YOU.
What are you doing to up-your-game around your brand or branding? Do you ask yourself, “Why do I keep getting clients with unrealistic expectations?”

It may be something you’re doing or saying on your website copy…or through your e-mail correspondence…or via your social media shares…or it may just be that you have too many inquiries to keep up with. If you’re attracting too many potential customers and you need to narrow your field.

Thanks as always for reading,watching and now, joining me on Facebook.

Keep
doing
beautiful
work.

With love from me to you,
Alison

Find a full list of course offerings HERE!

Above is a pic I snapped on my phone before delivering the bride’s bouquet on Saturday. It was worth arriving 30 minutes early to be able to take the time to find a few different spots!