The Wonders of Being Different Than Everyone Else!

Written by Rebecca Jordan
So if you have read any of my other blogs, you know our shop is all about going that extra 100 miles. Since last I wrote, we have added some character to our shop, expanded to a second location, increased our Wedding business and are the most well known florist on our area...FOR GOOD REASONS!! WOW!!! We are so proud of being a part of our community. It's a small town with 4 other florists serving our area, so it's tough to get business. So our family banded together and let Ramie (Mom) our fearless leader take us to new heights! Ramie, being overly outgoing with a brain than never seems to stop ( she even keeps a note pad next to her pillow for middle of the night ideas), has begun a whole new idea of what it means to be a well known florist bent on the best customer service ever!! Our customers now come to us willing to pay just about anything because they know not only is the product quality there, but our customer service can't be beat.So how does this help you? Well let me share some of the successful things we have done. If you're not a florist, this is good for you also...expect the most of your florist, they can handle it.Acting and Flowers?First off, you may remember Mr. Valentine one of our Character Couriers...for a long time our only one. He being the amazing Casanova he is swooped in and boosted sales! With a few extra touches he is now Tony Valentine the Italian lover of all lovers ready to woo you. We also added The Queen of Hearts, yep the one from the story,Jingle the Elf, and the Grim Reaper. Jingle is only at Christmas time but does it go over well. Jingle delivers flowers, balloons, gifts, and most of the time a hand written Santa Letter!! Really popular, and we found it was the older crowd with friends who want to bring out the kid in them. Grim Reaper is by far our most popular for birthdays as you could guess. One of the most popular arrangement he delivers is a half dozen black baccarra roses with a half dozen "wilted" roses( actually prunes on stems) mixed in. All characters thoroughly get the job done with as much fun and excitement as possible!!Wonders of NetworkingI would have to say one of the best investments we could ever have made is in networking groups. The Chamber of Commerce, Leads, BNI, and a few others. These can seem really pricey and some tend to meet very early morning...we're not morning people... but we make more money off of these networking groups than any else. You make friends and you're always at the front of their mind when they need flowers. These more than pay for themselves.STAND OUT!!Just what I said. We are normally friendly and you hardly ever see us with out a smile. One of the best ways we found which is one of the simplest ways is some brightly colored tropical shirts. They are a simple pattern have our company name and we all match. Hey If the casinos here in Nevada can get away with it so can we right? Also we found a company that does wooden roses. Attach a business card, a flyer, or a coupon to it and give that to everyone you meet. It shows you're capable of doing more than anyone else. Plus it's easier to set a card down and forget about it, or loose it. People like the idea of the roses and want to keep them. We also have a bargain day once a week on all floral. This draws in more and more customers each week. And one of the better advertising things we have done is find where your local broadcaster is (you know the small one, that only does community events and news.) and see what they charge for a commercial or interview. We did it and found it was only about $300 for 6 months of commercial and interview! The newspaper ad costs us way more than that each month! Be involved in your community. Go to events, find out who does the flowers for that concert or play. Show pride that your shop is a part of your community and your community will be proud to have you as a shop in their city. This struggling economy is pushing that you keep your money in the community...so a happy customers in your community means they will tell who they know about you.Watch Your BudgetDon't deviate from the plan. If you're anything like us it becomes easy to move away from the budget you set for convenience...this is hazardous to your shop's economic stance. One thing you need to leave room in your budget for is donations. One of the best things you can do is donate to different things as they come along. We usually donate a gift certificate or two and that not only makes those wanting the donation happy with you...it brings the recipient of that certificate into your shop! Can't beat that right?I don't know if these help...hopefully they at least inspire! In these times flowers are more important than ever! They make you happy when you are sad, give that message that words can't, and even brighten the moods of those around you!! Who could ask for a better cure-all!! Have fun..enjoy your work...you get to work with nature itself and take the beautiful and make it gorgeous! Good luck!