A Painless Guide to Offering 24-Hour Delivery Without Missing A Wink of Sleep

In over 30 years of retailing, many people asked me how I grew Beneva Flowers from a tiny local flower shop to one of Teleflora’s Top 20 retail florists in the nation. Trust me when I tell you, I get far more credit than I deserve. I was not the smartest guy in the room, nor was I rich, nor a more talented floral designer. What I learned at a very young age from my father has kept me ahead of my competition to this day, remove the word NO as an option – it really is that simple. From that, I created my own slogan back in 2003, YES WE CAN. Telling a customer “no” is no longer an option.

Can I be a YES WE CAN florist?

The short answer is (of course) YES! It really is simple enough that anyone can do it. It certainly requires planning and possibly some extra work, but you didn’t get to be where you are as a business owner without rolling up your sleeves a few times – this is no different, and the benefits are well worth your extra efforts.

One of the most important steps you can take to becoming a YES WE CAN florist is by offering 24-hour delivery.

It’s important to note that this does not mean your shop has to be open 24-hours a day; it simply means that you’re willing to do what it takes to make your customer happy – as long as the customer is willing to pay for it.

Obviously it’s not practical – or even possible - to honor every request, but the key is to give the customer options and let them choose which solution they would like to pursue.

One person’s problem is another person’s opportunity

We still hear florists getting mad at after-hours delivery requests. We are repeatedly reminded the “shop closes early on Saturday,” or worse yet, we are scolded that “the delivery cut off is at 2 p.m.”! You know the tone, everyone knows the tone. Why on Earth would we treat a customer this way if they are willing to pay extra for the service? Don't forget, after-hours delivery requests are opportunities, don't punish your customers for asking!

A painless plan for offering 24-hour delivery

1. Set the rules and make sure they’re very clear

   • All orders must be placed during your normal business hours

   • After 4 p.m., charge an additional $10 to your normal fees

   • After 6 p.m., charge an additional $20 (item must already be designed and in the cooler)

   • After 8 p.m., charge an additional $20

   • After midnight, charge an additional $20

2. Consider offering your drivers 75% of the additional fees you collect after hours. I promise you will not have a problem getting the delivery accomplished!

3. Let the customer know you will be happy to make the delivery at the time they request as long as they are willing to pay the appropriate fees. If they’re willing to pay $80 for a late-night delivery that would only cost them $10 the next day, why say no? The customer gets what they want, while you and your driver earn a little extra money. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

4. You can now tell the world you offer 24-hour delivery and next thing you see, your afternoon deliveries will take off. People won't wonder if you can still deliver, they just know you will.

What about last-minute holiday requests?

I often get asked, “what am I supposed to do when I am fully committed for Valentine’s Day delivery and I am being asked for delivery on the 14th – or else?”

Since saying no isn’t an option to a YES WE CAN florist, the key is again, to offer options and let the customers choose. Here is how I handle this request:

"Yes, we can deliver your flowers for you. Considering the orders we must prepare that came in ahead of yours, the next available day for delivery is Feb 15. I can appreciate you need these flowers for Valentine's Day and would gladly have them ready for you to pick up by 5:00 p.m."

Although you know this is not what the customer wants, the customer knows they’re late. What you have done is repeat and educate the customer of the options now available due to the request they have made. Nowhere in that scenario did you tell the customer “no.”

Throw away the policies, just focus on procedures!

This all starts with you – the owner. There is no secret to success, but there are ways to achieve it if you’re willing to put in the work. Take a step back and look at your industry. That is called the playing field. If you’re ready to succeed, then remove the roadblocks! Yes We Can is a retailer's way of saying I LOVE YOU to their customers. People shop where they feel welcomed and accommodated.

-Art

9 Pro Tips to Help Make Your Phone Agents Shine

Phone answering skills are critical for florists - especially right now with Thanksgiving approaching soon and Christmas just around the corner. This becomes even more important if you're hiring temporary or new employees to answer the phones for the holidays, although we could all use a refresher now and then.

The telephone is still a primary point of contact for customers, and the way you answer your company’s phone will form your customer’s first impression of your business. Train your voice and vocabulary to be positive when phone answering, even on a “down” day. Keep your voice volume moderate, and speak slowly when answering the phone so your caller can understand you easily. The phone answering tips below will ensure that callers know they’re dealing with a winning business.

1. Three rings...max! – It is very important not to let the phone ring more than three times. Today’s consumers don’t have time to wait – what they do have are other options if you’re too busy.

2. The voice that smiles is the voice you trust – Believe it or not, the customer can see if you’re smiling, even over the phone.

3. Introduce yourself – Wouldn’t you like to know who you’re talking to? The call becomes more personal if the customer knows your name.

4. Recognize the mood swing – Every order has a different mood associated with it, pay attention and be aware of the occasion the customer is ordering flowers for. For example, you would naturally speak with a different tone on a sympathy order than on a new baby or birthday order.

5. Use preferred phrases and avoid Inappropriate slang – Avoid terms such as: ”okay,” or “no problem,” and replace them with “certainly,” or “very well.” Avoid the use of fillers such as “um,” and “uh-huh,” and train yourself carefully not to use these when you speak on the phone. Make a list for your agents of preferred phrases as well as phrases to avoid.

6. Repeat all orders s.l.o.w.l.y. – Never assume you know how to spell someone’s name, a street name, city etc. Always repeat the order –slowly- to ensure all spellings are correct, as well as the delivery date and time, card message, etc. One tiny error could lead to big problems.

7. “Brief” holds must be brief – Always ask the caller if you may place them on a brief hold when answering the phone, and don’t leave people on hold. Provide holding callers with progress reports every 30 to 45 seconds. Offer them choices if possible, such as: “that line is still busy. Would you like to continue to hold or can I take your phone number and call you right back?”

8. Be consistent and create a script – Train everyone else who answers the phone to answer the same way, including other family members if you’re running a home-based business. Check on how your phones are being answered by calling in and seeing if they are answered in a professional manner.

9. Enable and empower – Consider allowing your agents flexibility to solve a situation on the spot. Customers these days have a shorter fuse and want to speak to someone who can make a decision. The more you put them on hold, the more frustrated they get.

Do you need help training new employees on the proper sales techniques? Bloomerang Solutions is here to help! Give us a call, or leave us a comment below to let us know how we can help your Business bloom!

Do You Show up on Google Maps? Why Location Services Are So Important

Do you know how Google My Business works and why its so important for your business?

Google My Business allows business owners to supply information that can show up in a Google search, such as open hours, address, phone number, and photos. Google may combine the information provided by businesses with information from other sources, including a business's own website, user contributions, and third-party websites. It also allows business owners to respond to review and post updates about announcements, events, or sales.

When potential customers are conducting a search for a local shop they're typically provided with a list of likely matches based on their current location. For example, a search of "florists near me" will show results based not only on proximity, but also on their relevance to the query.

Why is this so important? Because the person searching for flowers may not even know your shop exists, but if your location information is accurate and consistent, the likelihood of them finding you increases substantially.

The local results favor the most relevant results for each search and businesses with complete and accurate information are easier to match with the right searches.

By making sure that you’ve accurately entered all of your business information in Google My Business, customers know more about what you do, where you are, and when they can visit you.

It sounds simple in theory, but unfortunately it goes way beyond Google and the sheer volume of platforms that feature your shop's information make consistency an uphill battle - even if you are vigilant about keeping your information up-to-date as your business changes. Monitoring and editing your business information regularly is one of the most important methods for staying on top of the search results, but many business owners lack the resources to keep on top of this task.

How Can Bloomerang Help?

At Bloomerang Solutions we specialize in driving customers to your door by increasing your visibility. Our Location Services offer the most effective way to properly manage your business data across websites, search engines, mobile apps, directories, social media, and more.

Google determines local ranking based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. These factors are combined to help find the best match for your search. For example, Google algorithms might decide that a business that's farther away from your location is more likely to have what you're looking for than a business that's closer, and therefore rank it higher in local results.

According to Google, prominence refers to how well-known your business is. Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and search results try to reflect this in local ranking. For example, famous museums, landmark hotels, or well-known store brands that are familiar to many people are also likely to be prominent in local search results.

Referring to established locations is also a strategy we suggest. Google review count and score are factored into local search ranking: more reviews and positive ratings will in most cases improve a business's local ranking. Your position in web results is also a factor, so SEO best practices also apply to local search optimization.

See For Yourself

You can check the health of your online business information here with the help of our free listings scan. This scan will help you see how your critical location data appears across dozens of listings and directories.

If things look good then you're on the right path, but if not - never fear - we're here to help out. Don't leave the last mile of your customer journey to chance - optimize it with Location Management from Bloomerang Solutions.

If you have any questions about managing your listings or would like to learn more about how Bloomerang can help your business grow, give us a call at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line here.

Make This Holiday Season Your Best Yet with Google Ads

Do you remember what advertising was like before Google and pay per click? Remember back when you took out an ad, crossed your fingers and hoped to get a few calls and orders? In those days, you never knew how well it was really working and when you tracked it, you found that you perhaps broke even at best – but at least you got a new customer, so it felt like a success!

Then Google changed everything!

One of the biggest problems in the floral industry is that everyone wants to stay in the past and talk doom and gloom. What do I mean? Even though you can see Google is one of the first advertisers and platforms where people can actually make money form an investment, it's still never enough. Now people complain that it may cost $20 to acquire a customer. Really?

Think about it, where did you ever see those kinds of results before Google? You didn’t see it with Yellow Pages, you didn’t see it with newspapers or any other form of advertising either. You never made money, you got exposure and with that you got a few orders.

Google trades for over $1,000 a share for a reason – it works! Those who understand how it works typically don't share much. I have taught many people how it works but very few understand the system or what is needed to be done in order to make it the best it can be.

Marketing with Google is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It takes some care and persistence and needs to be customized and refined for each and every client in order to be effective. Unfortunately, in today’s world of instant gratification where everything needs to be “plug and play,” most people simply won’t take the time to try to understand how it works – even if the results speak for themselves.

No more excuses!

If you are not making money on Google or creating the results you desire, then you probably didn't set your expectations correctly. In order to do that, you need to go back and define your goals. Some shop owners want more traffic, others want sales -everyone needs something - understanding that early on is extremely important.

If you’re not sure where to start – never fear! Bloomerang Solutions is here to provide custom Google Ads campaigns for your shop that will set you apart from your competition. Call us today or drop us a line here to set up a free consultation to get you ready for the best holiday season of your career!

Want to Increase Your Revenue This Holiday Season? Let's Get Started!

At Bloomerang Solutions, we specialize in marketing strategies for florists and other small business owners. We focus on what is current as well as what’s “up and coming.” For most retailers, and especially retail florists, these next few months are critical for success and profitability. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you with a smooth and successful holiday season.

Preparation for the holidays; why market when you’re busy?

One critical mistake many florists make is thinking they will have all the business they need during the holidays, so they don’t see the value of marketing. Unfortunately, that way of thinking does more harm than good.

You need to view this time of year as your time to shine! With at least three major holidays between now and Valentine’s Day, the world is sending flowers - so how will they find you? PPC (pay per click) marketing is your key to attracting new clients and increasing sales. The next three months provide some of the best retail opportunities of the year; make the most of them with these proven marketing tactics.

Statistically, only a small percentage of these customers will send flowers again in the summer and beyond, so the more orders you secure now, the better your chances are of organic home-grown business. The second order doesn't cost you and reduces the real value of the first order if you paid to secure it.

Offer what you have on hand

Now, more than ever, it’s critical to watch your offerings. The floral industry has changed drastically in the past decade. There are very few "fill to value" orders out there anymore because everyone is looking at a picture online somewhere. Hopefully we are inching closer to an honest industry where what you see will be close to what you get with the understanding you have a product of nature and minor substitutions and varieties may occur.

Use discipline in what you place on your home page because that is where you secure interest. Be sure you have products you can create and don’t make them so local that sending out of town may not be an option. Be neutral on most offerings so your customers call you for all their orders. You would be surprised how many customers call local shops for local deliveries and a 1-800 number for out of town requests.

Over-stuffing, a profit killer

Secure your profits. There is no question you believe in your designers to produce a quality product, the question is - are they adding a flower or two to make it "just a little nicer?" Double checkout is your answer and it’s as simple as this: When a design is completed, have someone else double check it for consistency and value.

Why is this so important? Just $5 of over-stuffing in a shop with 50 deliveries a day could cost you $250 every day, if not more - this adds up quick. This system also helps to eliminate other mistakes you may have missed. You work so hard to offer add –on’s, so you definitely don’t want to forget them on the delivery.

Hand-written cards and other exclusive offerings

All flowers are delivered with a card but the message on that card is usually printed on a plain piece of paper that will probably get lost or thrown away quickly. Why not offer a better option like a hand-written card? It’s an easy up-sell and many of your customers will be grateful that you took the time and care to go the extra mile. Best of all, they have something special to keep long after the flowers are gone. It really is as simple as finding an employee with excellent handwriting! Little touches like this one as well as other exclusive products you offer should be heavily promoted because those are the things that set your shop apart from everyone else in town.

Rewards

Always start your day with the question, "Why should anyone shop with me?" More than just to buy flowers, but what is the hook? Just about every company today offers some sort of rewards program. From Dominos to Saks and Neiman Marcus, they all have incentives. You are not too big or too small to get in the game. Companies like Profit Point have systems and cards in place you can have set up to reward your customers and keep them coming back.

Start promoting early

Plan ahead! The weekend after Thanksgiving is exhausting from the promotion angle. We have all our promos set for florists to be ready for, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and then Cyber Monday. Things move pretty fast after that, so the better you're prepared beforehand, the better off you'll be when your shop is packed with customers.

Turn 2

Last, but certainly not least, don't just take one order when you can TURN 2. Most customers that order for Thanksgiving will most likely order for the holidays at some point. While finishing up the order, just suggest an incentive if a second order is placed. Contact us if you would like the script or click below for in instructional video.

There’s more where that came from

Consider implementing some of these strategies to increase revenue in your shop this holiday season and you could be well on your way to your most successful season yet! And remember, for more tips and advice, call Art anytime at (941) 809-1911.