The Yellow Pages Compared to Google Ads

It wasn’t long ago when searching for local businesses consisted of little more than picking up the phone book and looking through the Yellow Pages until you found what you wanted. Almost every business was listed but the ones who spent the big money on the big ads were the businesses who clearly stood apart from the rest.

But those days are long gone. Even as far back as 2014 it was reported that 70% of Americans didn’t even open their phone books and only 11% claimed to use the white pages. Surely those numbers are even more skewed today as marketers continue to uncover more effective ways of reaching customers.

Online advertising clearly dominates today with 90% of consumers using the internet to find a local business in the last year and a third of all consumers searching every single day. And the numbers are even more surprising than that: A recent survey found that the average consumer spends 13 minutes and 45 seconds reading reviews before making a decision and will read 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business.

eMarketer

Google is not a runaway train

Now that print advertising has taken a back seat to online advertising, the question is how to effectively utilize your marketing budget in order to reach the most potential customers for the least amount of money. For me, the answer is easy – Google – as long as you know what you’re doing.

Advertising on Google can be intimidating, and some people think Google is just a runaway train where they just take your credit card and it explodes before your very eyes.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Many companies that sell products that don’t require an immediate transaction online are using Google Ads like their old Yellow Pages where they have remarketing ads running so you can see a visual. But more importantly, they’re listed under services they provide with a cap or with controls set up to you don’t spend more than you budget.

eMarketer

The nice thing about Google is that it can be anything you want it to be and it can scale to accommodate any marketing budget. You can spend as much as you’d like, which is a good thing. But that can also be a bad thing if you fail to manage it properly.

You can set a budget and maintain the budget and realize that if someone is clicking then it is a real-life visitor that is coming to your site. When you approach it that way, then you understand and will get the most value out of Google.

Should you feel exceptionally comfortable as time goes on, you can increase your awareness to your products and get even more results – but don’t jump in with your eyes closed and let it take you wherever it’s going to go. Start with a budget – manage and measure your results and adjust accordingly.

Bloomerang Solutions is your one stop shop for online marketing. Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line below if you’d like advice on how to make that happen for your business.

When suggesting upgrades and add-ons: what you say is important, but how you say it will seal the deal!

Suggesting upgrades and add-ons are much more effective if you explain their purpose. Flowers by themselves are a terrific gift, but flowers with chocolates and rose petals are an unforgettable experience! Explain the difference to your customers and let them decide which option they prefer for their Valentine. Remember, it's all about how you ask!

The same idea is also true when training your staff for big floral holidays like Valentine’s Day, it's extremely important that they learn and understand the company culture. Just like any recognized corporation like the Ritz or even the Marriott corporation, training is paramount. They’re recognized as masters of customer service because they focus on the “HOW” not the “WHAT.”

We may never be able to reach their level of customer service, but we can certainly follow their model and implement it in our own shops. In fact, the premise is simple (it’s the implementation and consistency that matter) the “HOW” in this instance is how you explain something. Here’s an example:

When you tell someone a service “WILL COST YOU,” you make it sound like they are being punished. No one is inconveniencing us with their request - it's up to us to be ready to handle and address the needs of the consumer. After all, this is why we’re here.

Always remember, a consumer calls us because they need us. It's up to us to make them feel welcome and accommodated.

The “WHAT” is the item and the costs of what they ask for, but anyone can provide that. It’s the “HOW” that sets us apart.

4 points to a successful order taking experience

#1 Identify the price. “What price range were you considering?” Instead of "How much do you want to spend?" Once you understand the price range, you can advise accordingly.

#2 Location. Now that you know the price range the customer is anticipating, the next order of business is finding out the delivery location.

#3 Sell color and fill to value. “What is her (or his) favorite color?” “How about a beautiful custom-designed bouquet (to the value requested)?” Now, if you have enough, offer certain florals like roses, lilies, and assorted seasonal blooms to value - it will be beautiful.

Always try that first. The website and specific items are always available on the web, so try to sell color and price to afford flexibility of the design staff to use the available product for the best value - this is important to explain to your staff, don't assume your staff knows this.

#4 Close with confidence and a chance to sell more. What does that mean? Try this, "Was there any other shopping I can assist you with? We can provide hand-delivered flowers, plants, and gifts, anywhere across the USA." This reminds the sender that they can count on you for delivery ANYWHERE.

Good luck with your Valentine’s Day preparations! I know it’s a busy time, but I also know what an exciting time it is to be a florist! We will be providing more tips and advice this weeks and please remember that we’re always here to help out all week long. Call us anytime at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line below to let us know how we can help!

Have an outstanding week!
-Art

Want to Increase Your Rose Revenue this Valentine's Day? Explain and Offer!

If you would like to increase your rose revenue this Valentine's Day, be prepared to understand how to ‘explain and offer.’ The brief video below will explain how to do that and I have included an example below that you can print out and share with your sales staff.

Explain and Offer

Set up the name of your Premium or Premium Platinum roses. ASSUME this is what the caller is asking for by saying the following:


Customer: “I would like to order a dozen roses.”
Agent: “Were you referring to the long-stem Premium Platinum roses? Or the beautiful standard long-stem roses?”

In both cases you reference “long-stem” but it is clear and more interesting when you repeat in a shorter sentence without the “Platinum.”

Now, there are two different answers depending on the customer’s next question which brings us to step two – BE PREPARED TO EXPLAIN!

Customer: "Ugh, what's the difference?"

Agent: “Our Premium Platinum roses feature the largest petal count available in the industry today and they will outperform any rose on the market. I have to tell you that you’re ordering early enough right now that I’ll be able to reserve those for you. (Note: use words that compliment your business like “reserve” or “set aside,” they sound much better than “I can get them for you” or “I’ll see what I can do.” Remember – it’s all in HOW you ask so try to step-up the experience on the phone!)

Customer: "How much?"

Agent: "The Premium Platinum is just $40 more than the long-stem and arrives (not 'comes with') in an upgraded vase with silver lining (or whatever you created) and is the largest rose with the highest petal count available. It is sure to last the longest too.”

In closing, once you have identified or sold your Platinum or Premium, don't forget to offer upgrades such as finishing touches or stargazers or much more!

I GUARANTEE you will see a noticeable increase in revenue from just this effort. The wording I used was just an example, but I want to stress that you need an explanation that EVERYONE reads and uses. Don't expect even your designers to know who you want it explained. Write the scripts, you will be glad you did!

-Art

If you need some help with your script or some tips on employee training, please drop us a line below or give us a call at (941) 806-1911.

How Do You Measure Success on Valentine's Day?

Whenever you talk about success, people want to know your ‘secret.’ It’s a fair question because they probably see you succeeding in areas where they struggle, but it isn’t the question they should be asking.

The truth is, there is no ‘secret’ path to success. The only way to get there is through hard work, smart decisions, and sometimes, a little luck. So, instead of asking about your secret, what they should be asking is what formula you use to as a foundation for your business. Mine is simple, and certainly not a secret:

Passion + Perseverance + Quality…and SURVEYS!

It sounds so simple – and it is simple when you see it spelled out. The not-so-simple part, the thing that every business owner should strive for, is perfecting all four of those aspects. You can certainly achieve some level of success without all four, but your business will never truly run like a ‘well-oiled machine’ if you are deficient in any one of those areas.

Passion is easy, you either have it or you don’t. The more passionate you are about what you do, the more likely you are to persevere. Quality is something that everyone should want to be associated with and it includes every aspect of your business from the products you offer to the people you hire and the way you treat customers.

The final element to my formula is my favorite – surveys! Why do I love them so much? Because hearing the voice of my customer was one of the greatest tools I ever had. No matter how well I performed in the other three areas, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t what the customers wanted.

Valentine's Day is a holiday built on expectations, but how do we know what our customers expect from us unless we ask them? Wouldn’t it be incredible to be able to sit down and visit with each and every customer face-to-face to discuss their thoughts, feelings, and concerns about their shopping experience as well as their overall impression of our business?

Of course, that isn’t possible so in many circumstances our only real feedback comes from one of two places – upset customers who are extremely dissatisfied, or the opposite end of the spectrum where longtime loyal customers think we can do no wrong.

Both groups provide valuable input and deserve our attention. However, if we only listen to the fringe we’re missing out on a vast majority of our customers. It’s easy to sit back and think we have all our bases covered by making our most vocal customers happy, but our perception isn’t always as accurate as we imagine.

Now is the perfect time to start utilizing surveys

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and Mother’s Day on the horizon, now is the perfect time to reach out to your customers in order to gain valuable feedback about the experience they had with your shop. The information you gain will not only help you make improvements for the next big holiday but will also help shape the future of your business.

Business owners should not only value customer feedback but depend on it as an essential part of their day-to-day operations. However, trends change fast, and today’s hot seller may be an outdated fad in a month or two. Your impeccable sense of style and design doesn’t help your business if customers don’t share your vision.

The only way to get the most accurate pulse of your business is by listening to your customers and the more of them you listen to, the more knowledge you’ll gain. Surveys are a perfect way to find out how they’re feeling and an outstanding way to identify areas for improvement. Many people won’t offer feedback unless you ask, and those are often the customers with the most beneficial feedback.

As I said earlier, there are no secrets to guarantee success. But there was one simple thing that I did that set me apart from almost everyone else – that was surveying my customers. I can’t believe that so many businesses neglect to do this, even with all the resources available to help them. It truly is one of the best things you can do to improve your business and I’m here to help, every step of the way.

Call me anytime at (941) 806-1911 or leave us a note below for more information on our survey management program from Bloomerang Solutions and leave the guesswork out of your business strategy.

Turning Valentine's Day Customers into Year-Round Customers

As florists, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are the best time of year. Sales are strong, orders are up and the energy is high. It would be great to keep that pace consistent throughout the entire year, but many customers treat flower shops the same way they treat going to church - maybe once or twice a year, and only on holidays.

Some may think it's a lost cause to try to keep those customers coming back the rest of the year, but I see tremendous opportunity to convert them into regular customers! But how do you do that? The secret is customer engagement. In fact, I truly believe that the difference between a good retailer and a great retailer is the effort they put into engaging their customers because that's how you grow your business.

It does take some work, though, because shopping habits have changed and brand loyalty is harder to earn. Long gone are the days when a simple “thank you” and a coupon for the next order would guarantee a return. Now if you want to see repeat business, you really have to work for it.

With the average American exposed to around 3,000 advertisements a day, standing apart from the crowd isn’t easy, but we have found that these simple tools not only keep customers engaged, but will also lead to increase sales:

Social Media: The average American spends approximately two hours of each day on social media sites, with 51 of those minutes on Facebook alone. If your shop is not present where your customer spends their time, how do you expect them to find you let alone know who you are?

Remarketing: Like online billboards for your business, these customized banners follow your customer all over the web for 30-60 days and keep your shop’s message in the front of their mind.

Reminder cards: From holidays like Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas to birthdays and anniversaries, sending friendly reminders is a valuable relationship building tool. These cards remind customers not only of the specific event, but also let them know which product they ordered last year as well.

Feedback Forms/Surveys: Customers usually don’t provide much feedback unless they’re really happy, or really upset. In many cases, they’ll just shop elsewhere next time and you’ll never know why they left. Feedback forms and surveys let you know exactly what they think of your shop and provide you with valuable information to help you better run your business.

Engagement isn't always easy, but the effort it takes is well worth it in the long run. If you’re unsure where to start, or would like to enhance your customers’ shopping experience, give your Bloomerang Solutions team a call at (941) 806-1911 or email us here. We’re here to help you customize a marketing plan and figure out what will work for your customers.