What You Say Is Important but How You Say It Is Critical

When training your staff for big floral holidays like Valentine’s Day or Mother’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 (where will it be delivered?)

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 may 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. This short video explains how you can plant the seeds for out-of-town delivery requests:

The most important aspect of training

If I had to change one thing in the video above, it is the use of the word “problem.” We prefer not to use the phrase “NOT A PROBLEM,” and instead replace it with, "It would be OUR PLEASURE." It may not seem like a big difference, but when you’re speaking to a client over the phone, you will be judged on HOW you speak to people.

Good luck with all your upcoming holiday 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 in the upcoming weeks and please remember that we’re always here to help out as you prepare for the 14th. Call us anytime at 941-806-1911 or drop us a line here and let us know what we can do.

Have an outstanding week!
-Art
 

Turn Green into Gold: 7 Lucky Ways to Market St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day is not (and has never been) recognized as a legal or federal holiday in the United States, but it’s recognition as a worldwide phenomenon is a direct result of American culture. Many of the traditions we associate with St. Patrick’s Day, contrary to popular belief, originated here in the U.S. and not in Ireland.

Parades, parties and the act of dying rivers green? American-made traditions, all the way. Corned beef and cabbage? Although staples of St. Patrick’s Day here in the United States, are rarely eaten in Ireland. Even the song “Irish Eyes are Smiling” is a U.S. creation!

Turning Green into Gold

St. Patrick’s Day in the United States is now so ubiquitous that corporate America consistently capitalizes on the marketing opportunities.

Since St. Patrick’s Day is so widely celebrated – and with everyone allowed to be “Irish for the day” – you can still capitalize on the fun even if your shop isn’t located in an area with a large Irish-American population. Here are some fun ways for you to promote St. Patrick’s Day:

Green flowers

Just because St. Patrick’s Day isn’t a major floral holiday doesn’t mean you can’t piggyback on the holiday spirit and promote it with flowers! It’s easy to find small, inexpensive St. Patrick’s Day ornaments and decorations that can transform any flower design into a St. Paddy’s Day treat! Green carnations are always a popular choice, so make sure to have them ready for walk-in customers who just want “something green.” Green plants, especially shamrock plants, are also easy to promote.

Offer a discount

“Customers wearing something green automatically receive 10% or 20% off” – This is easy to promote on social media, as well as via email and push notifications through floralapp. You could also do a promotion where everything green in the store (which is nearly everything you have) is on sale. There are many options here.

Contests

With much of the St. Patrick’s Day imagery associated with luck and prosperity, the theme ties in naturally with a contest. Participants can win a “pot of gold” or “lucky charm” that could be anything you choose, from a gift card to a free bouquet. Consider doing a floralapp contest where customers tell you why they feel lucky.

Let employees in on the action

Encourage co-workers and employees to get into the holiday spirit by dressing up. Have a contest for the best green outfit and take pictures for social media. Don’t forget to share behind-the-scenes pictures of green-clad employees to connect with your audience on a more fun and personal level.

Create a festive in-store atmosphere

Make sure employees aren’t the only ones having fun in your store on St. Patrick’s Day. Play some traditional Irish music and decorate for the occasion to get everyone into a festive mood. Hand out green balloons to the children along with St. Patrick’s Day-themed snacks and green-colored candies for all your customers.

Promote your Irish spirit on social media

Let customers know that you’re planning – special in-store events and promotions encourage them to participate. With so much imagery specific to St. Patrick’s day, it’s easy to create some eye-catching media to let customers know a celebration will be taking place and draw foot traffic to your store.

Remember to have fun!

How can you not have fun celebrating a holiday full of leprechauns, lucky clovers and pots of gold? Just like Halloween, St. Patrick’s day has a certain element of kitsch involved, so the sky’s the limit in terms of how much fun you can have with your customers. Good luck!

Are you seeing green with your marketing efforts? Bloomerang Solutions is here to help! From websites to social media, Google Pay Per Click, reputation management, and everything in between, we're your one-stop shop for effective marketing solutions. Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line here, any time, day or night. We're ready to help your business bloom!

Promoting International Women’s Day - Sunday, March 8

Now is the time when many in the industry take a moment to catch our breath before turning our attention to Mother's Day. But there are some other special days we can take advantage of before that super Sunday in May. In fact, one of the best opportunities is International Women's Day, which takes place this Sunday, March 8.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a worldwide celebration of social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women with events scheduled across the country and around the world. This year’s theme is #EachforEqual which promotes equality and a gender equal world.

The busiest times in our industry coincide with certain major holidays. We spend weeks – if not months – preparing for a handful of dates that are crucial to the success of our business, but how do we go about approaching the lesser-known holidays, and how can we capitalize on their increasing popularity in relationship to our business?

In the past, most of the holidays that were important to us were primarily traditional national and religious holidays, but times have changed, and technology has us connected us globally like never before.

Social media has boosted the popularity of International Women’s Day, and millions of people who were previously unaware of the holiday or the meaning behind it, are now joining the cause with celebrations or observances of their own. Its growing popularity is gaining a greater following every year.

So, what can you do to promote International Women’s Day and other lesser-known holidays to your customers?

One way is to send out an email with special offers or incentives. Social media posts are another option. There are already trending Twitter hashtags referencing the holiday, and the day even has its own color, purple, and annual slogan. This year’s slogan is Each for Equal.

Be sure to include these elements in your marketing efforts to tie in with the cause. You could also hold a contest and give away purple flowers to promote this holiday.

No matter how you decide to celebrate, it is important to keep up with globally-focus trends such as this. With the right amount of preparation and implementation, they can not only provide the opportunity to increase your bottom line and create additional revenue but can also help solidify your public image as a forward-thinking and progressive business.

If you would like some help with your marketing efforts, Bloomerang Solutions has you covered! We can help with coordinated campaigns to run across platforms to increase your reach and exposure. We can also help with Google Pay Per Click and reputation management to truly help your business bloom! Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line here.

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