Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Why Florists Need to Set A Minimum

When you own your own business, you’re “the decider”. It’s up to us, as floralpreneurs, to set the rules and boundaries for our small businesses; we say who, we say when, we say how much.

I didn’t have a minimum when I started out….I was new! I couldn’t turn any business away.

As time went on and I had more wedding inquiries than I had dates available, well, I had to set some minimum standards to ensure my profit margins.

 

We are the choreographers of customer service in our small business!

 Communicating your minimum can feel like customer service. Clients need to know “how this works” and by explaining the steps to our potential clients, we’re teaching them what it’s like to dance with us.

Here’s why florists need to set a minimum and how I approach the “minimum spend” at this point in my biz:

What if a client’s budget isn’t realistic? Click HERE to read more.

The Takeaway

This is your business and you set the rules.

At a certain point we need to implement standards so we can continue to grow.

Florists can’t be afraid to talk about budget with our customers.

When’s the last time you bought something and had absolutely no idea what you were going to spend?

Your customers aren’t coming to you with zero idea about what they’re willing to spend or what feels do-able for them.

Show them the steps so they can dance with you!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and watch.

xo. -A

Do you update your own website? (me, too!)

Click HERE to get my FREE Website Tips for Florists.

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How should florists charge for rentals?

When I asked florists what they most wanted to learn in the upcoming year, the #1 answer was “pricing”. One of the most frequent pricing questions I’ve received over the years is on rentals; precisely, “How do you charge for rentals?”…..

You’ll find multiple methods for charging for rentals, but here’s how I do it and why! Click to watch:

Rentals can be a smart income stream for your business. If you find that your clients are most-interested in renting vs. buying centerpiece vessels, then offering items for rent is one way to fill a need for your clients.

If you tend to work with clients who want to “own everything” and feel free to give flowers away at the end of the evening or re-use them for brunch, etc., then perhaps you don’t rent as many centerpiece containers, but you have some “other feature pieces” that you can rent over and over again.

It can be difficult to speculate on “what people will want” (for years and years to come….), which is why you want to start with practical rental items. (see below!)

You must consider your storage space as well. For example, if you have to rent a storage unit, do you *really* need the expense involved in storing those rental items?

Start with a few practical rental items:

2 Large fiberglass urns for ceremony/altar,

65-100 Mercury glass votives,

10-12 Lanterns (for centerpieces or to light a pathway),

Signage, table numbers, place card holders,

3-4′ columns or pillars for ceremony arrangements,

Various centerpiece vessels,

Chuppah or arbor structure(s).

Remember: Styles come and go. Don’t go “all-in” with something that’s not particularly versatile!

Pro-tip: Sometimes rentals “walk away”. Make sure you have a clear rental agreement that covers a deposit for damage, loss, etc. Every contract requires a meeting of the minds; make sure your client knows how you will bill for lost or damaged items.

Thanks for taking the time to tune in and watch.

 

With love from me to you,

Alison

More FREE Resources:

Do you need a pricing guide on your website? Click HERE to find out.

Do customers think your prices are too low? Click HERE for more.

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Should Florists Charge Less If They Work From Home?

Are you a Home-Studio designer? 

Get 10 Tips for Home-Studio Florists HERE.

As a home-studio florist who trained in 5 different flower shops before branching out on my own 16 years ago, (ie opening a business from the kitchen of my 2nd story apartment!), I’ve come to realize that I was pretty lucky in my training.

As I’ve connected with super talented floral designers around the world, I’ve learned that even super talented florists sometimes struggle with pricing; including home-studio, boutique or appointment only designers, as well as brick & mortar flower shop owners!

The reason I say I was “lucky” in my training is because I was trained by different experienced florists, all with varying styles, income goals, overhead costs, employee retention rates and creativity & quality standards, etc…

BUT THE ONE THING THAT EVERY FLOWER SHOP HAD IN COMMON WAS THEIR PRICING.

No matter which shop I went to, I was taught the same pricing structure each and every time. (We even had cheat sheets at our design benches.)

So by ‘lucky” I mean, I’m lucky to have never questioned my pricing model or my value because I knew without a doubt that I was following the flower shop model.

If you work from home and you’re wondering if you should charge less because you “don’t have a shop”, click to watch! This video was made for you.

And if you need more details on pricing like a flower shop, check out my FREE pricing course, Flower Boss 2: Industry Standards on Pricing,& Markups CLICK HERE to get it.

Thanks for tuning in!

Keep doing beautiful work.

xo. -A

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Should you set an expiration date on your proposals?

Once upon a time I used to send out proposals and then wait and wonder for days, (or weeks!), whether a client was ever going to book with me! Then, one day, a business savvy friend told me to put an expiration date on my proposals and voila, I was a changed woman.

Setting an expiration date on my proposals and was the single best move I ever made in my business. Period.

The expiration date is designed to set the parameters of your offer to honor this quote or “hold their date”…it’s a prompt for you to check in and see if they’ve made a decision or if they have any questions you can answer.

Checking in on or before the expiration date is to be expected when you’re trying to close this sale.

It’s not an ultimatum (most of the time), but it IS a clear signal that there’s a time limit on this offer because you don’t just “hold dates” indefinitely. Most offers are not open-ended. Neither is yours!

Click below to watch “Should you set an expiration date?”

Here’s what a real florist said about trying an expiration date…

“A couple of weeks ago I bought a bundle of Alison Ellis templates after all the talk of expiration dates. Reading through the templates gave us a fresh pair of eyes and ideas over what we were already doing. BUT what I really want to say is – we decided to try the expiration date approach and we have a record breaker! Our ideal bride just booked with an 8 day turn around from quote to deposit! Wooohooo try it.”
-Danijela FitzGibbon (from the Facebook group)

Oftentimes florists ask, “How does this expiration date work? Does the price go up after it expires?”

Well, that’s up to you. Do you need to increase the price for some reason?

I don’t increase the price after the expiration date. I just want to make my offer clear; here’s what I can do, here’s what it costs, here’s when I’d appreciate an answer…

If the client needs “more time” (for whatever reason), then that’s up to you, too. Can you extend the expiration date? Or will the clock truly run out because you have another inquiry for that date? Or is their hesitation a sign that they aren’t really serious about committing to you? What is the reason for the hold-up?

An expiration date serves as a prompt to both you, the business owner, and the client.

  1. Clients know that they should look it over sooner rather than later because you gave them the expiration date!
  2. As a business owner you now have a bonafide reason to follow-up, check-in, invite questions and close the sale.

I want to be an easy choice for my clients. I want to be an easy “yes”.

Thanks for taking the time to read and watch!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Click for more: O.P.P. Other People’s Proposals

And if you want to shortcut your proposal process and present an expiration date with confidence, click here to read more about my course, How To Write Proposals That Sell. It’s $99 and you can get it HERE today!

 

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3 Pricing Tips for Florists

Hey, Floralpreneurs!

It’s officially December, end of the year, a time to plan ahead for a successful 2018 season…..but when you’re a floralpreneur who “does it all”, it can be overwhelming to try to make the time to “think forward”.

You’re not alone! Take a few minutes to appreciate yo’self and don’t let the end of year hustle and bustle blog you down.

Before the year is through I have 3 Pricing Tips for you…I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch ’em.

Make this the year you finally master your pricing!

Click to watch! Price Talk…with Alison Ellis Live on Dec. 8th.

Remember: A lack of confidence in your pricing can permeate into other aspects of your business.

Having your pricing on lock is your responsibility as a business owner. You owe it to yourself to be paid for your time and expertise.

The good news is you can make money and provide value to your clients. (Pricing is not a mystery.)

Check out my FREE course, Flower Boss 2, Click here.

And if you’re ready to dive into Flower Math and finally master your pricing, Click here for details.

Thanks for reading! Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison