Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

By Leave a Comment

Because You’re a Maker

It doesn’t matter if your favorite blog is closing because you are a maker.

And you will make more. You will keep on making until you’re done. Because that’s what makers do.

We design because we love this work.

We take classes and seek out inspiration from other florists we admire because we love to do this work really well.

Click to watch “What does it mean for your business now that Style Me Pretty is closing?”:

It cannot be the end of your marketing plan if your favorite blog closes its doors.

It’s OK to miss it….a lot of people who’ve been devoted fans for many years may miss it.

But you are a maker. You’re the one who makes the content that beautiful blogs want to share. You’ll make more. And more….and more.

Remember: The only thing you own online is your own website!

It’s the only thing you truly control. Instagram, Facebook, just like your favorite blog, can disappear, too, so what’s your plan for when that happens? Where will your best stuff be then?

On your own website, floralpreneurs. That’s where you want to shine.

What to do now: Instead of simply moving those ad-dollars to another online platform, re-invest back into your own business!

 

Put that ad budget into a website upgrade, take an online course….or attend a workshop….or take the funds and give yourself a raise.

You are your own best representative for your business. You have the power to get that SEO all on your own. The power is in your hands (and inside your computer….aka on your website!).

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Click for more:

 

By Leave a Comment

Overcome your fear of blogging

Have you blogged lately?

If you’ve been participating in my January Blog Challenge I want to say thank you for joining me! If you’ve taken some action I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an e-mail at floralartvt@gmail.com and let me know what you’re up to...

This is the final week of the live challenge!

If you haven’t had a chance to join yet Click HERE to get in my FREE Pop-Up Group on Facebook to participate!

I’ll be LIVE at 12pm EST on Tuesday, Jan. 30th for Week 4 of the Blog Challenge!
You don’t need to have a blog yet to sign up!

Remember:

Building an awesome website is an ongoing journey.
Our website is our online storefront.
It’s our first impression.
It tells our story.
(It’s a little piece of our heart.)
And it’s never “done”.
But sharing that piece of our heart can be intimidating.
In fact, it can be so intimidating that some people can’t push through the fear.
And the fear holds them back.
So they can’t shine;
they can’t truly “be their best brand”….because no one can actually see how good they are.
So these brands remain hidden. Their uniqueness is kept a secret.
But we cannot keep our awesome qualities hidden if we want to work with more awesome clients.
We have to show our ideal customers who we are so they can find us.

On Fear & Creativity…

Whether you push through fear on the daily, or sometimes you find that fear holds you back, Click HERE to watch “On Fear & Creativity”; a behind-the-scenes livestream from my private Facebook group for my course, The Art of Good Business.

Enrollment is open for The Art of Good Business.

If you like my website tips and enjoy this blog challenge, I’d be honored to have you to Join me!

Click here for details on the course (and even check out a free sample preview of the course).

A note from Jessica Ormond to the paid members of our private Facebook group:

“Hey everyone! I just have to say this course, Alison’s content works! If you are dragging your feet in applying the materials, just do it! Do whatever little piece you can fit in during wedding season…here’s my story …

I still have website tweaks to make but my ideal client is more clearly defined, I’ve mostly reworked my web copy, have been better about blogging, and more intentional about how I talk to my followers on social media posts.

…just booked as my biggest gig yet, by $3k….”

Read more of Jessica’s results from the course HERE.

how to build a better website

More from Alison…

I help florists create engaging websites, find ideal clients and build long-lasting brands.
If you’re not sure if one of my courses is right for you please feel free to e-mail me anytime.
I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
With love from me to you,
Alison
Get in touch: floralartvt@gmail.com

Try a free course! CLICK HERE.

By 1 Comment

Tips for Prequalifying Clients

How do you prequalify clients?

It took me several years of building my floral design business before I felt like I finally started to hone in on my pre-qualification process.

Not every customer can be my customer.

OK, I’d heard that before, but I really, really wanted more customers! How was I supposed to ignore perfectly decent customers in pursuit of only the right ones? (This felt risky.)

Well, it wasn’t “easy” and it did take some practice, but I spent the new few years zeroing-in on the clients that I really wanted to work with and soon, I had a calendar that was 90% filled with “my ideal customers”.

(OK, I totally made up that number….maybe it was 88%?….maybe 95%….I didn’t do the math, but my customers rocked. I was psyched with almost every single client.)

It took me years, but now I understand that attracting the right customers to my business is not about mass appeal; it’s about niche appeal.

So what’s unique about you?

That’s what’s marketable about you/your brand.

If we want to attract “better gigs”, we must show our ideal customers who we are.

Click to watch: Prequalifying Clients, Live from Facebook.

Prequalifying is a form of customer service.

Save yourself time and save clients time, too, by identifying early-on that you’re just not the right fit.

Make prequalifying part of your workflow.

Successful business owners don’t waste time in unnecessary meetings.

CEO’s say No to things that don’t fit the vision.

Prequalify.

We must be in love with our brand if we want customers to love it, too.

I know so much about my potential clients, even the ones who don’t book me, because their inquiry forms tell me a lot of important details about who they are….beyond just “we’re planning a wedding”.

My pre-qualification process feels like customer service.

It’s worth taking the time to get to know my ideal clients so I can more easily attract them AND more easily identify the clients who won’t be “ideal” for my company.

Remember: Ideal customers don’t need convincing. They already dig you.

Thanks for reading & watching!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Click for more:

What I’m obsessed with in my business right now.

By Leave a Comment

Can you be professional without a storefront?

It’s not always easy to work from home.

But it’s not unprofessional to “not have a shop”.

A shop doesn’t make you “more professional”. Your talent-level isn’t related to your workspace.

If you create beautiful work and provide excellent customer service….from home, a small studio, or your basement or garage….don’t feel inferior due to a lack of storefront.

Click to watch, Can you be professional without a storefront:

A few questions for you:

How many people do you allow in a consultation?

Do you prescreen clients with a phone consultation?

Consultations are an investment of time and I like to start with a phone consultation.

We can arrange an in-person meeting if we both feel we’re a good fit.

I can put together a quick proposal and quote after a consultation to get the ball rolling, make sure we’re on the same page; it’s essential to have a meeting of the minds.

Have you signed up for my FREE e-mail course, How To Book More Weddings More Quickly?

Check it out my FREE course HERE to get some of my best tips for booking more clients in less time.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out some of my Real Flower Business “stuff” today!

Keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneur.

With love from me to you,

Alison

Find a full list of my course offerings HERE.

By Leave a Comment

January Blog Challenge

best business courses for florists

Hey Floralpreneurs! You’re invited to join me in January for a FREE blog challenge.
I’m SO FOCUSED on “doing work” that I make it a point to share my best work on my blog.
Instagram can change its algorithm, Facebook can change it’s policies, but my website, well I OWN that which means my blog is the only thing that’s actually *mine* online.
​​​​​​​
Blogging is a tried and true way to build a solid business, but it does take practice.
If you’ve been hesitant to start a blog or you’re struggling with what to write or perhaps you simply fell away from your existing blog because you got busy with “other stuff” (like Instagram!), click here to join me in January in my Pop-Up Group on facebook.
It’s free, it will be fun!, and I expect it will help you tune into the voice of your business and your brand in the upcoming year. (Even if you’re still not quite ready to commit to blogging yet!)

Here’s the lineup:
Monday, Jan. 8th: Why a Blog still matters + What to blog about
Wednesday, Jan. 17th: 6 Tips to get you started
Thursday, Jan. 25th: Gaining Traction with SEO
Tuesday, Jan. 30th: Build a better blog

Time: 12-12:30pm EST each week.

This challenge is FREE.
And you don’t have to have a blog (yet) to join!

Can’t join me live?….No problem. Catch a replay in our Pop-Up group after the livestreams.
I’ve been planning ahead even more than usual for 2018 and I hope you are gearing up for what’s to come in the new year as well….
But I also hope you’ll hang your business owner hat by the door and just enjoy some time OFF this holiday season. 
You’ve earned it.
What’s the point of working so hard if we don’t make the space to enjoy ourselves outside of work!? Unplug. Tune into loved ones. Be merry.
In January, we’ll start off fresh! Blog challenge begins Monday, January 8th.
With love from me to you,
Alison
P.S. If you haven’t grabbed my FREE Website Tips for Florists, click HERE to get ’em.