Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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3 Pricing Tips for Florists

realflowerbusiness.com, florist pricing tips

Anytime is a good time of the year to plan ahead for a successful upcoming 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 non-stop hustle and bustle of balancing “all the things you have to do” bog you down.

Whether you run a brick & mortar shop or you’re operating from a home-based studio, I have 3 Pricing Tips for you today, including…

  • Follow industry standards on pricing….
  • Don’t price “based on need”….that’s a myth that can limit your income potential….
  • Trickle down economics is also a myth, BUT trickle down confidence is something I believe in….
  • PLUS charging for delivery & set-up…
  • AND why you shouldn’t have a “spending goal” on wholesale purchases!

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch my tips below and make this the year you finally master your pricing!

And if you want to learn how to price with confidence & stop over-buying so you can increase your income, I teach you everything I know about pricing in Flower Math! 

Sign up & SAVE $100!

Click to watch, Price Talk: Live on Dec. 8th in my Facebook group (click here to join my group!).

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.)

Additional Resources:

Thanks for reading! Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

floral design business courses, floristry, floral design, Alison Ellis

Flower Math review, online courses for florists

Flower Math review

Learn more about Flower Math HERE.

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The #1 Thing Florists Want to Learn

Real feedback from real people…there ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby. Real florists told me what they really think…and I am ever so grateful.

I asked floralpreneurs why they did not sign up for the October session of my course, The Art Of Good Business, and I got some genuinely valuable feedback from over 100 florists over the course of a few days.

The survey results were interesting, heartening and share-worthy. Thanks so much to all those who offered your feedback.

Y’all said some really nice things about my courses and my “free stuff” and my Facebook group; your opinions and encouragement are greatly appreciated.

I’m going to share some of the survey results with you in two posts including Thing #1 and Thing #2 that florists told me they want to learn or improve….stay tuned on Monday morning for Part 2, “The #2 Thing Florists Want To Learn”.

Before I share the #1 thing florists told me they want to improve or learn, I want to share some of the heartfelt struggles florists shared with me:

“I can put awesome stuff in the vase and book nearly all wedding proposals I write, but I don’t have enough clients coming at me. I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW TO HELP CLIENTS FIND ME.”

“I would like my brand to be truly my own…Not a template or just a series of pictures that look just like every other flower shop or wedding designer.”

“I don’t get a lot of inquiries! Also my quote process takes so long I dread it.”

“I’m overwhelmed by the sheer number of workshops being offered. Do I take a design course? A business course? A farming course (I’m a cut flower farmer and florist)? I sign up for these lists because I admire all of you, and it can be really difficult figuring out what to take and when.”

I know a lot of florists share these same sentiments, which is why I share these words from real florists with you today….you’re not alone.

The #1 Thing Florists Said They Want To Learn:

When I asked you what you’re most interested in learning or improving, the hands-down response was “Pricing and profitability”.  71% of florists said they’re most interested in learning more about pricing!

This does not surprise me. The very first course I created, Flower Math, The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability, shares everything I know about pricing & profitability. I designed this course for florists because I know that there are really talented designers out there who still don’t have a firm grasp on how to price their work.

Click here to read what’s included in Flower Math.

Transparency is what Flower Math is all about.

Nicole just signed up for Flower Math on Monday, and she wrote to me on Tuesday (Yes, just 1 day later!) to say this…

“…I’ve taken a handful of courses…I really felt like I needed to invest in everything marketed to me before I could be considered legitimate. I took [3 “other” online courses for florists]… Even after all of that, it all seemed muddy. I told myself I’d give Flower Math a try and then no more courses.

For the first time in nearly two years, I feel empowered ordering flowers. Flower Math made all the other courses I’ve taken completely irrelevant. It’s honest, practical and totally transparent. I can’t thank you enough. It feels amazing to have an actual plan about how I’m going to execute this wedding I just ordered and knowing exactly how much I will be making. With your examples, I sat down and wrote out actual recipes, which I’ve never done before (since learning from a few courses above that they’re not necessary).
Before I started my business, I did a six month stint at a studio…I somehow let my distaste from working there trick me into thinking there was some magical way I could price and not markup flowers and… still be profitable. I totally see now that the flower shop way is the way! But I can still design how I want to and create a healthy work environment for myself….
I listened to your recent podcast interview and you said something that really stuck with me. It was something along the lines of, just because someone is doing beautiful work and seems successful on Instagram doesn’t mean they are running a successful business in real life. You’re in this for the long-term. I loved that. It felt like permission for me to also stop caring what everyone else is doing and focus on growing my business for the long-term.
All the best,  Nicole”

Don’t listen to people who tell you that you “don’t need a recipe”. You most definitely do need a recipe to turn a profit in your floral design business. Recipes are an important part of your pricing and profits in your small business.

In Flower Math, I don’t tell you what I think you should do. I show you, step by step, exactly how I do it. Whether you’re pricing a wedding or a daily delivery from your shop, you’ll learn how to make a profit on every order you make.

I created this course for floral designers who have a talent and love for flowers, but do not have anywhere to turn for mentorship to learn the business-side of the craft.

From industry standard mark-ups and how to apply them to recipes and wholesale ordering, plus 3 real weddings worth of sales, orders, recipes & real profits—I’m taking you behind the scenes to show you how I run my floral design business.

I know you will take these formulas, recipes, tips and advice and run with them.

Save $100 Off Flower Math here.

New!  Since so many of you answered that Pricing & Profitability is what you’re most interested in learning or improving I’m introducing a 2-payment plan for Flower Math….you can start today if you’re ready.

Flower Math is an investment in your business. You have to ask yourself as a business owner, “how many weddings do I have to sell to make back this investment?”

So, how much work would you have to book to make it worth it? How many gigs do you have to book to make $499?

I’ve had florists tells me they’ve made back the price of the course in 1 wedding.

Larissa of Bridal Beginnings shared on Facebook, “Flower Math saved my business.”

Invest in your business, invest in your profitability. Click to get Flower Math here today!

More feedback from real florists…

Some floralpreneurs said they were interested in The Art of Good Business, but it just wasn’t the right time:

“I genuinely LOVE your courses and rave about them to literally everyone and anyone. The short courses on proposals and contracts has been invaluable and I know I would get a lot out of the art of good business, I whole heartedly trust your voice and know your advise is well worth the fee. I spent up on advertising this year and am still trying to recoup some gains from that investment so it was more a timing issue for me this time round. I have already earmarked for next year instead of collaborations and paid adverts I am investing in your course, I just hope that you will run it again in the new year (after Valentines).”

“I’ve got a client management system in place that I am always tweaking. I was actually thinking that flower math might be a better option for me at this point. You are an awesome resource, Alison, and I’m grateful for all of your assistance in the group. Thank you for your videos as well.”

“I should ask my husband to buy me your course for Christmas!“

Because many floral designers said “timing” was an issue…

Many florists said that November, January and March were ideal times to dive into a course so I am offering 3 upcoming sessions of The Art of Good Business and you can find details here! Registration will be open in November, January and March. You can sign up any time that works for you during the registration months and then join me for livestreams in our private Facebook group once a month for the entire year! You can do this course at your own pace and get live support from me once a month for the entire year. I don’t want you to just buy the course, I want you to get results!}

 

Again, many thanks to those who took the time to share your input with me. I have more survey results to share with you….tune in Monday for the #2 Thing florists told me they want to learn more about!

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Learn more about Flower Math here.

Want to book a one-on-one strategy session? Find the details here: Private lessons

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My first podcast interview

I am happy to share my first podcast interview on From The Ground Up Floral.

When Gina invited me on, I was an immediate yes….I love talking to florists about business so this was a fun opportunity for me.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check it out! You can listen here: fromthegroundupfloral.media/podcast/2019/6/14/flower-math-with-alison-ellis

Here are some of the topics we talk about in our chat:

  • How I got started in the floral industry;
  • How do you make money as a home-based floral business?;
  • Industry standards on pricing;
  • Lessons from my best-worst boss;
  • A misconception I used to have about “ideal clients”;
  • The Art of Good Business (my online branding and biz building course);
  • Gina mentions that one of her favorite videos about the consequences of “adding one extra rose” (see below);
  • Should a newer designer charge less?;
  • Quoting on the spot;
  • Why grocery stores are losing out by not using Flower Math Fomulas!

You can find the podcast on iTunes and subscribe to future episodes as well! I hope you’ll make some time to listen.

Here’s the video mentioned in our interview:

Thanks to Gina for inviting me to your podcast!

Floralpreneurs sometimes ask me if I’ll ever do a podcast and while I’d never say never, you can currently find me on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest!

xo. -Alison

 

Read more about The Art Of Good Business HERE.

 

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Other People’s Proposals. You down with O.P.P?

real flower business, how to write proposals that sell, online courses for florists, business courses for florists

A floralpreneur posed this question recently:

“Just wondering the group consensus on FLORISTS (not brides) who are asking brides to show them another florist’s quotes. I guess in order to come in lower to get the booking?”

The consensus from the group was clear; it’s unprofessional to ask to see another florist’s proposal.

(That is to say, we are not down with other people’s proposals!)

There are several reasons why it’s unimaginable to me, starting with this: How does one go about asking this question in the first place? Really. How do you ask a potential client to share a competitor’s proposal without sounding nosy, desperate or cutthroat?…or even worse, all three!

If there’s any gray area around this, let me state it plainly: Do not ask to see other florists’ proposals. It’s simply “not done”.

Not only is it “uncool” to try to undermine other people’s proposals, but you’re also putting a potential client in a really awkward position. The proposal was intended for them and shared with them by another professional who they’ve considered hiring. What if they feel sharing this information with you is unethical? What does it say about you? What if they tell other vendors (aka your peers!) what you asked of them?….and how uncomfortable it made them feel?

An integrity brand does not undermine competitors. Period. Share on X

It happened to me.

A few years ago a lovely couple accepted my proposal, signed a contract, sent a deposit and THEN…a few days later….they received a lower quote from another florist. The bride wrote to ask me why the other quote was so much lower than mine and I replied honestly, “I have no idea.”

Maybe their arrangements will be smaller? Maybe they will use different flowers than I plan to use? Maybe I’m more experienced? The bottom line is this: I don’t know why or how the other florist came in “so much cheaper”, but the clients chose me anyway….even after I offered to void the contract and rip up the check (I hadn’t been to the bank yet) so she could accept the lower quote if she’d like.

When I gave her the answer, “I have no idea”, the client immediately replied that she did not want to accept the lower quote, that I was her florist, and even said, “Your reply was perfect.”

I know I’m not the cheapest florist. (I don’t compete on price.)

Liene Stevens of Think Splendid wrote a blog post in March titled, Why Are You So Much More Expensive?

In it she says:

“When a potential client asks why you are priced so much higher (or so much lower) than a competitor, the initial impulse is to compare everything you offer to everything the competition offers.

While this may sometimes work, it is often a fool’s errand, as it immediately commoditizes the services you provide.

The simple fact is that you most likely don’t know why your competitors are priced the way they are.”

Liene goes onto drive it home with this final thought:

“If you know the ‘why’ behind your pricing, you can stand behind it.”

Read the full post on Liene’s blog here.

If you really want to look behind the curtain on pricing & proposals…

I bring you behind the scenes of my business in my courses, Flower Math and How To Write Proposals That Sell!

Both courses bring you behind the scenes to show you how to price for profit (Flower Math) as well as a behind the scenes look at my proposal and more importantly how I streamline my process to write proposals more quickly!…but that’s completely different from asking to view another florist’s proposal. Completely different. And much more informative.

In these courses I give you a step by step look my process. Florists are not being “sneaky” by checking out my proposal (or my pricing!).

Get my downloadable pdf How To Write Proposals That Sell here.

Find details on Flower Math, The Florist’s Guide To Pricing And Profitability here!

Not sure if one of my courses is right for you? Shoot me an e-mail any time floralartvt@gmail.com

I proudly stand behind every course I create. (And I created them just for floralpreneurs, like you!)

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

You can find a list of FREE courses as well as a full list of course offerings right here.

xo. -A

Save $175 Off a 5-Course-Bundle HERE.

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