Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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How To Book A Wedding In 10 Days

A floralpreneur® asked: “Do you offer any courses or advice on how you do your consultations and process? I have seen you post that you have a phone conversation with a client for weddings and then you usually don’t really have much contact until delivery/setup day of wedding. Just wondering how you go about doing this, so that you are not in constant back and forth with the client? Thanks!”

I offer a ton of resources for florists to help book weddings and write proposals quickly, inside my Wedding Templates AND I’m going to dive into this question in more depth inside Patreon member training on May 18th,

but questions on “the steps to actually book weddings” keep coming up–so I put together 5 Steps to Book A Wedding in 10 Days, and I’ll walk you though them here!

I’m going to lay out the timeline for how I book a wedding in 10 days below…

And when you scroll down, I’ll add more detail to each step with links to all the resources I have available that take you behind-the-scenes to show you EXACTLY how I do each step!

Because I have resources to help florists book clients more quickly, but if you don’t know which tools are available, you may be missing out on these proven strategies.

Here’s the timeline for How To Book A Wedding In 10 Days:

  • Day 1: New client inquires via website inquiry form (or phone).
  • Day 1 or 2: Reply promptly and invite the client to book a call.
  • Days 2-5: Ideally the consultation call happens ASAP.
  • Days 6-8: After the call, I send out the initial quote ASAP.
  • Day 9-10: Follow up to close the sale!

Want me to walk through the steps of the sales process in more detail?

Here’s a break down of all 5 Steps along with additional tips & resources:

Step 1. New client inquires via website inquiry form (or phone).

Pro Tips:

  • Your inquiry form should help to pre-qualify clients for style and budget by gathering data you need.
  • This helps you save time by weeding out clients who cannot afford you.

Resources:

  • You can find my tips on how to create a contact form that helps you pre-qualify clients inside my 3 Keys To Booking Great Clients Video Series on Patreon Here (access starts at just $3).

Step 2. Reply and invite the client to book a call.

Pro Tips:

  • This is where my Wedding Workflow kicks in. It starts with the 4 C’s of booking: Congratulate, Confirm, Compliment and Consultation.
  • I also establish a starting budget if it’s unclear that we’re a budget match.

Resources:

Step 3. Consultation call happens ASAP while the client has your company at the top of their mind.

Pro Tips:

  • The call is a mutual interview and an opportunity to listen to the client’s needs/concerns to make sure their expectations are understood.
  • This is also an opportunity to establish trust and authority with potential clients.

Resources:

  • You can get a Transcript of a Real Wedding Consultation when you join me on Patreon (access starts at $29).
  • I’ll also be walking through the phone consultation process in more depth with Patreon members on May 18th!

Step 4. Write up the initial quote ASAP.

Pro Tips:

  • I write this up quickly without a ton of detail, establish a minimum spend for the clients, and put an expiration date on the proposal.
  • This is usually sent to the client within a few days, but it may take up to a week.

Resources:

Step 5. Follow up to close the sale.

Pro Tips:

  • I’ve mentioned the expiration date a few times in the steps above and that expiration date serves as a cue or a prompt to check in and follow up to close the sale with clients.
  • If you want to book the client, it’s your job to follow up!

Resources:

After 20 years of booking weddings, I’ve found that a phone consultation and a prompt quote, combined with the follow-up email to close the sale creates a smooth process to consistently lead clients through the booking process to get to a “yes”.

 

For example: Client sends an inquiry on a Sunday (Step 1), I reply on Monday afternoon (Step 2), we arrange a call for Wednesday morning (Step 3), I send a quote by the end of the day on Friday (Step 4) , which means I could have this event booked by Monday (that’s less than 1 week)!

Though the quote would probably have an expiration date of Wednesday (or 5 days after I sent it). And in this scenario, Wednesday would be Day 10.

On Tuesday (Day 9), if I hadn’t heard from them yet, I’d check in to try to close the sale (Step 5): “I have a note on my calendar that your quote expires tomorrow and I wanted to follow-up to see if you have any questions for me or if you’d like to move forward.”

 

From my proposal template to the emails I send when a client inquires, to my Wedding Workflow (where I walk through the 16 Steps in my Client Management Process), to “up close and personal” lessons on how to pre-qualify clients, how to write quotes more quickly (and with more confidence), to a transcript of a real consultation so you can be like a fly on the wall in a real client meeting–I have resources available to help florists book more easily and I’m happy to help you create your own shortcuts to make a seamless sales process in your business as well!

In short, you’ll find all of my resources for booking clients quickly inside my Wedding Templates for Florists (found here) AND on Patreon where I share the 3 Keys To Booking Great Clients along with additional access to behind-the-scenes training that is usually only available to private coaching students. Patreon is a member-only creator page which can be found here.

If you have questions for me, get in touch. I’m a real person behind these courses and I’m here to help.

xo. -Alison

Learn More About Alison Ellis Here.

Read Real Student Testimonials Here.

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Do Florists Have To Go To Floristry School?

If you want to be a florist, do you have to go to Floristry School? It’s a question I see a lot and I know there can be some strong opinions on the subject. Click to see my answer to the question and let me know what you think!

The truth is, there isn’t just 1 right way to become a florist!

There are so many things to learn that you can’t learn “everything you need to know in just one place”. Whether you go to floristry school, or take an accredited floral design certification program, or you teach yourself through trial and error, there will always be something more for you to learn.

For example, I’ve heard from floristry students in Australia and England who enrolled in my Flower Math course and say that they got a much more thorough and clear explanation from my online course than they did in school! Even longtime florists have told me that they understand the design aspect of their work, but they’ve been kept mostly in the dark on the business-stuff.

And still, some floral designers manage to build a “busy” floral design business, but they struggle with attracting higher paying clients or creating systems to close sales (without a dozen meetings that drain their time and energy).

Let’s face it, there’s so much more to know as a florist than “just flowers”!

The secret to success in the floral industry is to keep learning and growing. Just going to floristry school isn’t enough.

And just learning from YouTube videos isn’t enough.

And letting 20 years pass between your last in-person learning experience isn’t enough either.

Never stop learning in your business and your life–and keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Ready to learn proven strategies to streamline your workflow and create more freedom in your floral business?

See  A Full Course List

*Get my FREE eBook*

*Meet Alison Ellis*

On The Flower Podcast

See Coaching Options

Flower Math Save $100

$20 Easy Business Plan

Get Wedding Templates

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National Floral Design Day

February 28th is National Floral Design Day so it feels serendipitous that I’m a guest on The Flower Podcast today! You can listen below or Click Here to find it on The Flower Podcast blog. You can also find it wherever you get your podcasts.

  • Scott and I talked about pricing, setting boundaries and some of the most frequent questions I’m getting lately around “educating clients” and the sales process.
  • I also shared one of the biggest “messaging mistakes” florists are making around pricing.
I am a huge fan of The Flower Podcast. Not only have I been a guest a few times now, but I have probably listened to almost every episode. As a true flower aficionado, Scott asks interesting questions through a flower lover’s lens that always feel enlightened, educational and inspired. The floral industry gets so much value from The Flower Podcast, that Real Flower Business will be a sponsor this season to show my support.
I hope you’ll make some time to tune in today and I’d love to hear your feedback or takeaways from the episode.

How do florists celebrate National Floral Design Day?

In honor of National Floral Design Day you could…
  • Make something beautiful in your shop that’s slightly out of the ordinary and put it in the cooler to see if it sells. Emphasize design principles in your piece such as line, color, pattern, repetition, balance, and scale.
  • Ask for (or offer) a critique of a recent design. Only engage in critiques with trained florists who can offer helpful insight–not just anyone should criticize your design work.
  • Order a copy of Black Flora by Teresa J. Speight to celebrate these talented florists and farmers.
  • Share a post on social media about what you love about floral design and the work you do to acknowledge the day.
  • And, listen to my newest episode with Scott on The Flower Podcast, of course!

Thanks for making time to stop by my website and listen this new episode.
If you ever want to say hi or ask a question I’d love to hear from you.
Keep doing beautiful work, Floralpreneur®!
xo. -Alison

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How Do You Set Boundaries In Your Business?

I spent the last 4 Tuesdays teaching my live group coaching program, The Art of Good Business–as I do every January–and of ALL the tips and strategies I’ve shared this month, the most important action my students can take is to set healthy boundaries. This is such an important part of running your business that I decided to add an extra Bonus Session on Setting Boundaries that Actually Work for Your Life & Business, and I’m inviting ALL of my Patreon Members to join us on Tuesday, February 1st, for this live bonus Zoom.

Click Here to become a Patreon Member for just $3 to get an invitation to the 1-hour session.

If you need to get better at saying “no”, or you’re so busy that you need to raise your prices, or your clients’ expectations are depleting your energy–not filling your creative bucket–then this session is designed for you!

We’re going to spend 1 hour mapping out a plan to help you create boundaries that actually work for your life and your business–and you’ll walk away with a strategy to hold yourself accountable as well.

Grab a pen, a notebook, your favorite beverage, and block out 1 hour to tune in for this session. You’ll be glad you did.

FYI: This is not a “set bigger goals” kinda pep talk. This will be fun, easy, actionable and I hope you’ll feel stronger and more focused at the end of our hour together. A replay will be available on Patreon after the live session.

Note: As soon as you become a Patron, you’ll get instant access to all the existing lessons in the Patreon Vault–and new lessons are posted every month. As a Patron, you can ask me anything! I’ll answer your question in a lesson and you can message me privately if you’d like. (You also get invited to bonus sessions like this one!) Members in the Marketing Maven Tier get 5 Social Media Prompts on the first Monday of every month.

 

Not sure what Patreon is?

It’s an easy to use app that allows teachers and creatives to share original content with their Patrons. This is exclusive content that you cannot get anywhere else–and I add new updates monthly so there’s always something new. There’s no commitment–you can cancel anytime. Florists have been supporting my Patreon Creator Page since 2019.

As a supporter, when Real Flower Business shares a new post on Patreon, you’ll get an email letting you know there’s a new lesson on Patreon. You can click the link right from your email to access that specific post/lesson. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Click Here to become a Patreon Member for as little as $3.

 

Learn more about Alison Here

 

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Top 10 Florist Tips of 2021

As a general rule I find it’s best to look forward in my business, however, as 2021 comes to a close there’s a lot of hubbub about “top moments” and “best of” lists so it seems only fitting to reflect on some of the conversations and topics from the Real Flower Business community:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • In November, I hosted a Vision & Goal Setting Session and taught 3 days of live trainings to students inside my Marketing Minicourse (all replays are available now inside the course)

 

  • And it was so much fun to talk marketing with floral designers and flower farmers that I hosted a 3 day free Branding & Marketing Training for Florists in December, in preparation for enrollment in, The Art of Good Business, my online course and group coaching program, which begins January 4th, 2022!

While everyone is recapping the year, I just want to remind you of 1 thing:

Nothing’s ending–

it’s not over,

you didn’t miss it,

it’s OK if it isn’t “that special”,

all your efforts are part of what you’re building towards

and the “end of a year”, doesn’t mean anything is actually over…

 

Keep moving forward in your business.

I’m honored to be on your floral business journey with you.

Keep doing beautiful work and I’ll see you in the new year with MORE tips and trainings to help you move your business ahead.

With love from me to you,

Alison Ellis

(click here to learn more about Alison)

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