Should Florists Use Artificial Intelligence In Marketing?

Everyone’s talking about using AI to automate, but what role should automation play in your floral design business?

It’s tempting to lean into automating your business–and I get it, it’s enticing to take the “thinking” out of your work and let someone else handle it!

But there’s truly no replacing the human-to-human interaction and connection that your brand can create with your customers!

(By the way, that’s why the intern that’s assigned to “handle your social media” may not be getting the results you’d hoped for!…because they don’t have the client-focus that’s required to really connect with your ideal customers.)

Click to watch this short take on using AI in your business.

The Moral Of The Story

People buy from people. And good brands aren’t built on auto-pilot.

It’s wise to streamline your business processes whenever possible–as long as you’re not missing the customer connection! There’s a risk of over-automating and losing the special touch (and trust!) your customers are looking for.

I follow templates to help lead clients through the sales process with my email replies and proposals (which you can find here!), but I still take the time to craft customized communication for each client so they get the best experience with my brand.

Because personalized service is part of what I promise. And a computer can’t deliver that for me!

Keep doing beautiful work and keep showing up for your customers as ONLY you can!

(Click Here For More: Should You Lose Your Auto-Reply?)

With love from me to you,

Alison Ellis

(Learn more about Alison Here)

By Alison Ellis 1 Comment

10 Things I Did To Grow My Floral Business

flower business, learn to be a florist, floral design, florist education, flower school

It feels amazing to reach a milestone where I’ve been running my floral design business for over 20 years! I’ve worked really hard over the years to build up my business and I can tell you that it’s all been completely worth it. I still love my job and my customers after all these years.

Part of why my hard work has paid off is due to the fact that I’ve been really focused on intentional planning in business so that I can create my business to fit into my life. (Having a successful business isn’t just about making money or “being busy”; it’s about creating happiness and fulfillment, too.)

I’ve done a lot of things to grow my business, and I thought it would be helpful to narrow down the top 10 things that had the biggest impact on my business success and my overall happiness factor, too.

Here are the top 10 things I’ve done to grow my home-studio floral design business the most: [Read more…]

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Is it time to lose your auto-reply?

What does an automatic reply actually say to your clients?

As commander-in-chief of my one-woman floral army, balancing time between my design bench and my office means my commitment to prompt e-mail replies can be a challenge.

One way businesses attempt to provide a prompt e-mail response is, of course, by setting up an auto-reply.

It starts out as an “away message” for a winter break…and then, it turns into a regular habit…24/7 auto-reply.

As prompt as it may be, an auto-response is not a personal reply…so while it’s prompt, it’s also impersonal.

The bottom line is this: An auto-reply does not feel like customer service.

Click to watch why I think it’s time to rethink the auto-reply (and what to do instead):

The Moral of the Story

There’s a time and a place for automation, but if you pride yourself on customer service, then, limit your reliance on auto-respond and lead clients through the booking and sales process with personalized service that’s unique to your brand–not straight out of the can!

I write my own email replies, but I follow some basic templates I’ve perfected after over 20 years in business! If you want to establish more authority and stop over-thinking your email replies, my Email Templates for Florists help you save time and close sales with customers in a clear, professional manner without sounding fake or phony!

Learn About E-mail Templates

Keep this in mind…

E-mail is a crucial part of your customer service experience.

Over the years, I’ve learned how to streamline my processes while establishing authority and trust in my e-mail communication. This allows me to pre-qualify and weed out price shoppers, book clients more quickly and gently guide customers through the sale.

That’s why I created my E-mail Templates for Florists to help navigate some of the most frequent (& sometimes difficult!) customer conversations so that you can spend less time worrying about how to say “no” and more time booking great clients.

Florists who use my templates….

Feel CONFIDENT when explaining terms to a client,
Forget FEARS about not being taken seriously,
Gain AUTHORITY and build trust with prompt, concise replies,
Make stronger CONNECTIONS so customers can actually understand your expectations,
Increase INCOME by stating minimums clearly so clients say YES to your next proposal, no questions asked!

You can spend HOURS trying to figure out how to say something “just right” or you can do something that will change your life…which is what florists tell me all the time about my templates! Try ’em. You’ll like ’em.

Click Here To Learn More

Melissa said:

“Just downloaded the 12 email templates, wedding workflow, and how to write proposals that sell………ALISON! You are the flower fairy god mother we all needed! Information overload! Do it guys 😉”

Best price=Buy a bundle (click for e-mail template bundle pricing!