Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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There’s no such thing as a small wedding

After 16 years of running a solo-business venture I can say with certainty that there’s no such thing as a “small wedding”. Allow me elaborate….

Yes, there are “large weddings” and “crazy huge weddings” and “regular weddings” and there are weddings that are “not huge”, but small?…..now, “small” is something that’s hard to come by as a florist.

There’s a certain amount of work that goes into the planning process, even for a “small wedding”, which is virtually identical to the investment of time, creativity, mental space and administrative tasks as required for weddings 2-3x their size.

I hear floralpreneurs say “this is ‘just an order for bouquets’….why is this order turning into so much trouble?!…why does this client want to meet with me again?”….and believe me, I get it! If it’s a small-er order, florists sometimes feel that the client should just relax already!….because we do work that’s WAY more elaborate than this…..we’ve got you covered!

But there’s one very important flaw in this thinking; it requires that the client already trusts you.

It presumes that the client values you and your time and your art.

Even a very small wedding is a really big deal to the client…and as a florist it’s your job to give the same level of time and attention that you promise to all your customers if you’re going to build a consistent brand experience.

If a smaller gig gets a different service agreement, then define it. Let the client know the steps so they can work with you with ease. “If your wedding falls below our minimum we…..” (fill in the blank)

Do you require pick-up if they don’t meet your minimum? Do you only meet once? Meet twice? Include a mock-up? No mock-up, no delivery, no meeting? What are your rules? There’s no right answer. You choose the answer that jives with your brand.

What sort of customer service do you provide? What promises do you make to your customers? What’s not included?

If I promise personalized customer service (which I do), then I can’t offer sub-par service to clients who spend “only a small amount” on an event. I can’t say, “I provide outstanding customer service, unless you fall below X-amount in which case the service level decreases….” that’s not how I roll. That’s not what my brand is about.

As it turns out, even a “small wedding order” requires the same base-level of detail and professionalism as a larger one. If the clients were good enough to book, they’re good enough to wow.

Charge what you’re worth and even your smaller gigs can be worth your time & effort!

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Need some pricing tips?

Check out my FREE course, 4 Pricing Mistakes Florists Make (click here to get it!).

Can a girl get some feedback?

Have you tried one of my courses? I’d love to hear your feedback and possibly quote you for a testimonial on my website. Click here to share your experience with a Real Flower Business Course. Even if you’ve only tried a FREE course, I want to know what you think of the content. I appreciate your time and input.

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What to do if customers are ghosting

How do you book more weddings?

First, you have to attract the customer, then you have to close the sale.

I’ve seen an influx of florists asking about “ghosting” in my Facebook group. Particularly the question, “What can I do to fix this?”

If you, too, are experiencing customers who “disappear” without a word, check out today’s video where I talk about 2 reasons this may be happening plus 4 tips to help you correct this problem in my live chat on “Closing the sale”.

Click to watch if you’re getting ghosted:

Find pdfs HERE!

The slow fade.

Every florist can relate to your frustration when a customer just walks away! You’re not alone.

At this point in my business I have an excellent pre-qualification process. I think instead of just “weeding out” price shoppers, prequalification serves as a form of “customer service” by letting potential clients know some important details before we move forward:

#1. My requested minimum for THEIR event (if it’s further away, the minimum is more, for example, if there are 8 bridesmaids, it’s more than if you have 2 bridesmaids, etc.),

#2. That our first contact is via phone consultation,

#3. I will provide them some preliminary details and a quote and THEN THEY CAN BOOK OR NOT, but we’re not going further down this road (with multiple revisions, meetings, etc.) unless we’re on the same page at this point regarding price, style and trust….and a deposit.

Now, that said, I really do feel your pain; it’s not easy to “start from scratch” each season as we do in the wedding industry. No “repeat business” from last year’s couples makes what we do in the wedding biz very uniquely, stressful and we must be resilient when faced with rejection. Which is easier said than done sometimes.

But here’s how I see it, anyone who’s price shopping and doesn’t choose you, is a GOOD loss. You don’t want that customer….OK, maybe you just need “any customers” at some point, but in the long run, the price shopper isn’t a “type of customer” you can truly try to court and make loyal to you/your brand.

Your ideal customer (not necessarily “high-end” or “luxury customers”, but YOUR customers, the ones who want the work that you enjoy doing!) have to “find you” because you show up for them in a way that’s clear and obvious to them.

As I always say, we have to speak directly to their hearts so they can find us….and what happens on the flip-side is that these price shoppers start to realize that we are not talking to them.

They “weed themselves out” because they can feel your honesty, your quality, your vibe, and they want you. Not “just anyone”.

You’re not “the cheapest”; you have something more to give…and they feel that.

Your businesses depends upon understanding what your customers need, then, you serve it up on a silver platter, and if it’s “not for them”, they know it…..just as much as we do.

But for your ideal clients, the clients who LOVE you and are excited to work with you, THEY GET IT. They get you. They want what you do. They don’t need convincing because you’ve already shown them WHO YOU ARE.

This is the work I do on-the-daily….and what I teach in The Art of Good Business….and it IS a long game…..

But it was only a few years ago when I was “doing my art of good biz work” and I was just not booking as many weddings as I needed. And I was bummed. And kinda stunned. ‘Cause I was working SO HARD. And putting SO MUCH out there…..yet a friend of mine who wasn’t “doing all the things” and wasn’t trying so hard, well, she was booking GREAT gigs, easily…..her customers loved her. And I was at the same junction you seem to be now; “WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?”

“Oh nothing”, my friend assured me. “You’re great. You’re doing everything right”…..but I insisted, “No. You’re booking. I’m not. I’m working hard to express myself (blogging, revamped website, and doing some of my best design work), but I must be doing something wrong.”

So I used this “less than busy enough” time to “do even more work” and in the end, the season was “OK, not great”…..BUT THE NEXT YEAR was my BEST season yet. The season after that, even better, Last year, best so far…..

That season I was down, well, I lost my mojo or my vibe was not jiving with the clients I wanted or I was trying too hard….because despite my best efforts, and I mean really, deep rooted best efforts, people weren’t digging me.

All this is to say, you’re smart to ask “What can I do to fix this?” Because it is up to you to fix everything around here! This is your dream, your biz, your struggle….and your ideal customer to attract and wow and attract again, and again, and again.

Keep working. Keep looking for holes, clues, signs, signals, mis-communications that you can fix.

Keeping the faith in the off-season is hard when we’re not booking. Keep moving forward.

Keep doing beautiful work.

xo. -Alison

Definition of ‘Ghosted’ (via Huffington Post).

The term “ghosting“ (sometimes known as the “slow fade”) refers to the anecdotally pervasive act where one dater ends a relationship by simply disappearing. The ghost does not give an explanation of any sort, leaving the ghosted wondering where he or she went wrong.

Find a FULL LIST of course offerings HERE.

 

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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.

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Why Florists Need to Set A Minimum

realflowerbusiness.com, education for florists, online courses for florists, floral design

When you own your own business, you’re “the decider”. It’s up to you, as a floralpreneur®, to set the rules and boundaries for your small business. I often quote from Pretty Woman, “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.

You are the choreographer of customer service in your small business!

Communicating your minimum can actually feel like customer service. Clients need to know “how this works” and by explaining the steps to 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:

The Takeaway

This is your business and you set the rules.

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

And if you need some tips on how to communicate your minimum clearly (and kindly) check out my “Full Communication Package”….This 5-course Wedding Bundle includes my E-mail Templates, Proposal Template, Contract For Florists and 16 Step Workflow.

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

When’s the last time you bought something, but 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.

What if a client’s budget isn’t realistic? Click HERE to find out how I handle unrealistic budget requests.

Show them the steps so they can dance with you! And present your minimum with confidence….because you’re worth it!

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

xo. -Alison

Do you need help establishing your minimums?

Inside my course, Flower Math, you’ll find a list of all my starting prices (ie my minimums!) on wedding flowers over the past 16 years! Bouquets, centerpieces, ceremony arrangements, the whole sha-bang. (click here to see what else you get when you sign up.)

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How should florists charge for rentals?

realflowerbusiness.com, floral design, flower school

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:

And if you want to learn EXACTLY how to “price for profit” on every arrangement you make, my course Flower Math course will show you how!

SAVE $100 off Flower Math!

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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