Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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How to get more testimonials

Testimonials are a powerful tool in your small business.

Great testimonials help do the work of establishing trust and building brand authority with potential clients, but before you can put your testimonials to work for you, you must gather rave reviews.

What’s the best way to get more reviews from clients?

Whether you send a survey from your company, or ask clients to review your work online on a service like Wedding Wire or The Knot or Google, it’s worth taking the time to request the feedback you seek!

Today, I’m sharing a free e-mail template with an example of how you can approach your clients about writing a “rave review” for your business. (This template is free and there’s no e-mail opt-in required! Grab it below…)

Click to download: How To Ask For A Testimonial

If your clients had a good experience with your company, you want to know about it!

And if for any reason they had a “less than awesome” experience, well, you should want to know about that, too….

Because your client’s feedback reflects the truth about what you’re actually delivering….

And if you’re especially good at what you do, there’s no better way to say it, than in your own customers’ words.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone! If you’re not in the habit of asking for feedback, make it a part of your workflow process asap!

Want some more insight on how to create a survey to put your client feedback to work in your business? Check out my tips for creating a client questionnaire on my Patreon Creator Page here! I’ll show you my quick tips to create a questionnaire that gathers market research for your small biz!

real flower business courses, education for florists

Want some more insight on how I build trust and authority? Check out my E-mail Templates for Florists here!

xo. -Alison

P.S. You can read some of my customer testimonials HERE.

 

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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. 

 

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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!

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Welcome to Real Flower Business Blog

Hello, floralpreneur!

Thanks for noticing me! I’m truly happy that you’re here.

Welcome to my brand new blog.

I’ve been sharing free business education with floral designers for over 6 years now, first on FlirtyFleurs.com and via my YouTube channel, and now on my very own blog.

People often ask me why I share so much for free? The answer is easy:

I am passionate about the art of good business.

In October 2015 I invited florists to join my e-mail list and in November I released my very first online course, Flower Math, The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability.

I didn’t really have a plan when I created my first course. I knew there were florists who struggle to turn a profit and I knew I could show them exactly how I price my work & create recipes to ensure my profit margins. It felt like a big risk to share such an intimate behind-the-scenes look at my process, but it was all very organic (aka genuinely from my heart!) so I had to move through any worries or doubts about whether this was a good idea and just do it!

I didn’t have any intentions to create more courses. I thought Flower Math would be “my only course” because I hadn’t considered teaching any other topics.

Pricing is my wheelhouse.

Profitability is my jam.

Over the past year my e-mail list has grown to nearly 900 subscribers and a few months ago, I started a Facebook group just for floral pro’s (which has been pretty awesome and includes almost 900 members…and counting!) and now, here I am, blogging on my newly re-named website: realflowerbusiness.com.

This has been a major year of growth and production for me. 

I’ve never worked quite so hard…and it’s been really rewarding.

After I released Flower Math a florist-friend (half jokingly) suggested I make e-mail templates to help other floral pros with tricky or difficult conversations. I thought it sounded brilliant. I love to turn a phrase.

At the time I was already about half-way done with a proposal template I’d been working on, so I hopped right on it and about 2 months after releasing my “one and only course idea”, I suddenly had 2 new downloadable courses; 12 E-Mail Templates and How To Write Proposals That Sell.

A few weeks ago I released my third downloadable course, Wedding Workflow, which shares 16 Steps To Client Management. This course gives designers a look behind the curtain at my own personal approach to customer service from the initial inquiry to the post-wedding day follow-up and I’m really proud of the value it provides.

When florists tell me they used one of my templates and booked a gig or refused to reduce their price I celebrate that victory with them. What you say and how you say it tells your clients so much about who you are and what you’re willing to accept. Honing the voice of your business (and hence, our brand) is no small detail. I’ve been mining this area of branding and customer service for a long time…

And now I have my biggest course yet! The Art Of Good Business.

Business courses for florists, floralpreneur

This week I’m so excited to announce my newest and biggest course: The Art of Good Business.

Floralpreneurs will leave the course with a deeper understanding of who your ideal customers are and how to attract more customers that love you.

You’ll develop skills to identify your own unique blend of talents that make up your one-of-a-kind brand by looking inwards and practicing talking directly to ideal customers.

Florists will also learn how to better improve website engagement to increase inquiries and improve the overall first impression/first point of contact with potential customers.

In regards to customer service, florists will gain valuable strategies around client management, prequalifying customers and creating an outstanding customer service experience.

You can read the full details on my sales page here. I call my new course “a digital experience” because I will be walking through the course with you virtually from start to finish.

I’ll be hosting a private Facebook group to correspond with the course with monthly livestreams and live office hours so I can answer your questions in real time. I will vary the times a bit to allow designers in other time zones/hemispheres to hop on for some live discussions. (I know some of my favorite Aussie’s are usually sleeping when I host live events! I don’t want you to miss out!)

So that’s the word. My “big reveal”. I have a newer, bigger, “more online than ever before” online course and it is awesome!

Click here to read what florists say about The Art of Good Business!

And…I’m blogging now! So you’ll be able to hop on over here to find the free content you’ve come to know (and hopefully love) from me.

If you have questions for me or want to drop me a line any time you can reach me at info@floralartvt.com

Thanks so much for stopping by my new blog!

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. If you’re a floralpreneur who’s digging my content please share the love with a floral designer you know and love!

Have you tried my free courses?

Save on Bunch Pricing…


Find a full list of course offerings HERE!

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