Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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How To Stop Losing Weddings

Everyone has to start somewhere in their business, but what do you do when you’re really ready to level-up your brand and attract better clients?

My business started organically and it was ALL DIY!–from business cards I printed on my home computer to the “flyers” and occasional print ads I ran in the local papers.

I only booked 1 wedding my first year in business–it was ALL sunflowers–and I felt lucky to book the work! The next year I grew my bookings to 5 weddings (thanks to some friends, and friends of friends, getting married, of course!) and then, I slowly began to build from there….10 weddings, 25 weddings, 34 weddings!….but my business still wasn’t growing the way I wanted it to.

 

You see, even after 7 or 8 years in business, I kept losing the “better events” to another florist. (Like the same florist every time.)

Was this other florist more established than me? YES.

Did they have a team that did 20+ weddings per month? YES.

Was I capable of designing flowers as beautiful as their team? YES!

So why was I losing out over and over again?

 

Simple. They Had Better Brand Position.

 

I had to face the fact that even though I’d been in business for a little while and I had a lot to be proud of already, my business simply didn’t have the appearance on the outside that reflected how professional and capable I was in real life (on the inside)! Choosing me wasn’t a “no brainer”…yet!

 

And frankly, this was really maddening! Because time and time again I’d get the same basic reply, “We really enjoyed talking to you and we’re sure you’d do a wonderful job, but we went with another florist.”

So I decided I had to take action to figure out how to level-up to become the CLEAR choice from now on.

 

The action I took was to invest in a higher-level marketing and branding course (it was about $3,000 at the time, which was 20x more than I’d ever invested before!) and I committed to following the program and completing the course assignments.

 

It took me about 6 weeks of training (oh, and I had a tiny little newborn baby to contend with as well!), but I slowly started to put the pieces of my own marketing and branding puzzle together and you know what?….I started to feel a little differently about my business.

 

Now I won’t lie and tell you that I saw an immediate turnaround in my booking rate or my brand position–building a better brand doesn’t happen overnight! 

 

BUT what I did begin to understand right away was how much OPPORTUNITY I had to actually reach those “better clients” (my ideal clients) with some strategic messaging and a more functional website!

 

And that opportunity began to give me a lot of useful information (as well as a little bit of optimism) that I had the power to turn this thing around!

 

So I continued the work and continued to get OBSESSED with my ideal clients and to find out who they really were and what they really needed to hear from me to get to a YES!

 

Now, when clients inquire with me, they are interested in working with ME, not just any florist.

Now, when clients go to my website they tell me how much they LOVE it.

Now, when I send a proposal, they book me quickly, instead of shopping around.

Now, when clients DON’T book with me, I am not worried that it’s because I didn’t put my best foot forward!

And now, that “other florist” still has a good brand position, but clients choose ME OVER THEM lots of times!

 

And after years and years of doing this work to attract the right clients and build an integrity brand, it’s a genuine passion of mine to help florists do the same thing by tapping into your own unique branding potential!

 

The floral designers and flower farmers who’ve already enrolled in my program, The Art of Good Business, know that you have to leverage your own inner potential so you can make a great first impression that looks as awesome on the outside as you KNOW you are on the inside!

You can CLICK HERE for all the details on this January Training and Enroll today if it’s a good fit for you!

 

If any of my business journey sounds relatable and you want to unlock your earning potential by attracting more clients who can afford to pay you to create work that also lights you up and fills your creative bucket, I would be delighted to have you join me in January for The Art of Good Business.

 

You can get started for only $129!

 

More income, more creativity, more freedom…it all starts to fall into place more easily with a better brand position!

 

I won’t just throw a bunch of strategies at you and teach you how to build a business exactly like my own. This course will walk you step-by-step towards creating your own, unique, special, floral business.

 

I don’t teach florists how to “be like me” in order to succeed. The goal of this course is to get to the heart of what makes your business special. My hope is that by signing up for this course, you can position yourself better in your local market, that you can find the courage to try new things in your business, and that you can be happier in business and in life.

In short in this 4 Week Course we’re going to:

*Get to the heart of who your ideal clients are so you can create a magnetic marketing message that attracts more of the best customers to you

*Improve your website so it converts to more sales with qualified customers

*Lead clients through your sales process to help them get to a YES more quickly

*Establish your own unique brand strategy that stands out above the competition without posting on social media every day

 

I see each of my students as individuals with their own hopes, dreams, and talents, so I put my personal time into teaching this course…

 

* I answer all questions personally and promptly.

* I teach the course live every January so you can continue to get support year after year.

* If you have questions after the live sessions, you can still reach out–you’re not alone.

 

I want you to know that you will get special attention when you enroll in this course, and you will be supported in building a business that is perfect for you.

I am happy to answer questions about my program prior to enrolling if you have them! Registration Closes Jan. 4th.

If you don’t want to be in the same place you were last year, I would love to help you level-up in 2024.

-Alison

 

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Luxury Weddings And Marketing Tips

Does your social media attract your ideal customers or are you repelling great clients accidentally?

Click to watch for some practical advice to help you course correct if your marketing has gotten a little off track!

FYI The Marketing Workshop for Florists starts on Monday, Dec. 4th! If you haven’t registered yet, Now’s the time to sign up so you can start attracting more of the BEST clients to your business.

>> Click Here for all the details!

As I mentioned in my live chat above, here are a few things to think about when marketing to “luxury” event!

Have you noticed that there are a lot of people who throw around the word “luxury” when it comes to weddings and events? Well, it turns out that “luxury” events may not be what you think.

To borrow a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time, The Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

That’s because every single wedding you design is a luxury!

 

Just think about it: You can get married without a single stem of flowers, which means when clients choose to hire you as their florists it IS a luxury. (Yup, you’re already in a luxury market!)

It’s easy to lose sight of this in the social media world where “luxury” seems to be described as $100,000 weddings and above.

 

But as a florist who’s done her fair share of $100K weddings, they aren’t necessarily “luxury” in the way that social media wants you to believe!

Because that $100K budget actually gets spent quickly!

 

And while there may be $10,000 (or even $15,000) for flowers, that might “just barely cover” what they’re asking for–it’s not “ample” or “over the top”, it’s adequate (depending on the guest count!) and you can make it a beautiful event!…

However, you’re probably NOT creating that grand entrance to the reception tent, lining the entire aisle with flowers, or hanging a floral installation over the dance floor…which is what we tend to think of when the word “luxury” is invoked.

So when we’re really talking about “luxury events” you’re working with MUCH BIGGER BUDGETS–maybe even 3x higher, for example.

 

What does it take to do a $30,000-$45,000 floral installation? Well, in short, it’s soooooo much!

From a team of 8-10 floral designers you can trust (at $20-$50 per hour!), to multiple vehicles that need to be rented and loaded, to long design days (and nights!) to get the job done, to the VERY high expectations that your clients and their planner communicate to you every step of the way for 6-12 months!

(The stress level, in other words, is probably more than 3x!)

This is why it’s important to be careful what you wish for in your own “luxury goals”. 

➤ How do YOU define luxury as it pertains to your customers and your own brand identity?

➤ What sorts of events do you want to attract?

➤ Do you want to do full-service weddings and events that are manageable, yet profitable, and don’t require a huge team?

➤ Are flowers for the wedding party your specialty, so you’ll happily design boutonnieres, bouquets and corsages, but leave the rest of the event to the DIY client?

➤ Or do you prefer the higher-ticket, higher-stress events because you thrive in that CEO position overseeing a team?

 

So before buying into the idea that you should be striving for “luxury”, recognize that you’re already doing it! 

Define for yourself what your brand of luxury looks like so that you know EXACTLY what it means to your customers.

 

In short, when it comes to folks trying to convince you to break into a “luxury market”, don’t believe the hype.

Whether it’s personal flowers only or the biggest wedding of your career, the artistry you provide matters.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

 

REMINDER: The Marketing Workshop for Florists starts on Monday, Dec. 4th!

If you haven’t already registered, Now’s the time to sign up so you can start attracting more of the BEST clients to your business. Click Here for all the details!

  • We’ll meet for 3 Days, Mon, Tues and Weds for about 45 minutes each day.
  • Recordings will be available if you can’t join me live!
  • VIP sessions will take place each day at 1:30pm Eastern to answer YOUR specific questions and provide additional support!

Questions for me? Get in touch. I’m here to support you along the way!

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When To Talk Budget: A Tip for Florists

A floral designer in my Patreon Community who joined me for my live training, 5 Steps To Book Weddings More Quickly, asked a follow-up question today regarding budgets and minimums:

When do you present a minimum to a client if they don’t tell you their budget?

This is a BIG question that doesn’t have just 1 right answer, so click below to hear my reply and let me know if you have any questions for me after listening!

FYI after listening, if you want to dive deeper into the booking and sales process with me, you can find a link to learn more about my 5 Steps To Book Weddings More Quickly and get the replay HERE for just $37!

 

Writing proposals and talking about budget is all part of your own personal brand strategy! That’s why there isn’t just 1 way to do things.

I’ve figured out 5 reliable steps over the years to help me weed out clients with budgets that won’t work AND if you want to get the full rundown of all 5 Steps in an easy-to-follow 90-minute training, Click Here To Get Them!

 

You can watch a few short highlights from the 5 Steps Here!

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5 Steps To Book More Weddings

How Can Florists Book Weddings In Less Time With Less Stress?

I taught a live training last week on the 5 Steps To Book Weddings More Quickly to help wedding florists streamline their current sales process so you can save yourself time (and sanity) when you’re investing energy in writing a proposal for a client!

I got some great feedback on the training and I want to share a few really important takeaways with you today!

Click below to watch a few of the tips I want to highlight for you.

Want To Get Access To All 5 Steps To Booking In The Replay?

Click To Learn More!

The first step to booking a wedding starts here! Click to watch this 1 minute clip now!

Learn 2 of the biggest mistakes florists make BEFORE even booking a client when you click to watch below!

Click below to watch the MOST important step to stop clients from ghosting!

One important thing to know is that none of what I teach is fluff or theory.

Everything I share with you is tested and proven–it’s not a magic trick to book great clients, but after 22 seasons of booking weddings, there is a clear sales process to follow to make sure you’re leading clients from initial inquiry all the way through to deposit! And if you need practical tips that work, I’m here to help!

Want to get the full 90-minute training plus the Q&A? Grab it now!

Yes, I want the 5 Steps!

 

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Pricing Weddings For Profit

The Mayesh Fall Flower Festival took place on Aug. 22, 2023 and Alison was invited to talk about Pricing Weddings for Profit! Watch below or listen wherever you get your podcasts! And THEN, join me for the Pricing Chat for Florists on Sept. 12! (Click Here to Sign Up!)

Catch a 1-hour Replay of the conversation between Yvonne and Alison on how to price for profit and how to handle substitutions.

Questions included:

  • How do you ensure a profitable wedding?
  • How do we make sure we aren’t overbuying?
  • Do you recommend padding the order to cover possible flower issues?
  • Should florists set a minimum?

Pricing for profit should not be a mystery in your floral design business!

If you have additional pricing questions for me, make sure to CLICK HERE to sign up for the Free Pricing Chat for Florists on Sept. 12th!

I’ll see you there!

xo. -Alison Ellis

Here’s a quick recap of the all day lineup from the Virtual Festival:

  • They kicked off the day with an autumnal design demo & discussion with Gilberto Espinoza of Dogwood & Fir to answer your design questions.
  • Next, David Dahlson has pulled together a great bounty of fall blooms to share with you, followed with a mayesh.com PreBook demo from Jaimie Cosgrove.
  • To wrap up the day, Alison Ellis of Real Flower Business shared tips for pricing for profit to ensure a successful wedding season! Catch that replay right now above!

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