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TOP STORY: September 25, 2008 |
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SAF Palm Beach Packed With Take Aways to Take On Tough Times
"I have worked my pencil down to the nub," Sherilyn Tannozzini of Flowers From The Rainflorist, Sunrise, Fla., said after exhausting her old-school communications tool to write down all the forward-thinking ideas for blogging during one SAF Palm Beach seminar worth scribbling home about.
Attendees got the lead out, drained pens of their ink and scribbled furiously in the margins of their handouts to capture all the good ideas coming from the podium and their fellow convention-goers during practical business-building sessions at SAF Palm Beach 2008. While Wall Street may be reaching for a $700 billion bailout, Main Street florists, wholesalers and growers reached out to one another to offer best practices, creative sales builders and must-slash cost cutters.
Here are just a few of the savvy souvenirs picked up from various education sessions:
Stop (just) taking orders! Turn your order-takers into salespeople, says Brad Parker, owner of My Florist. The McLean, Va., retailer and panelist for the "Thriving in Today's Economy, Part 2: Survival Tactics" seminar said retraining all his employees to educate customers and promote the product is the "single greatest thing we've ever done to increase our bottom line." The retrofitted sales staff increased sales 20 percent — and shared in the largess. "You have to give them a real monetary incentive, so they have a stake in it," Parker says. After wasting time and money on generic sales training programs, Parker tapped Tim Huckabee of Floral Strategies to do the training. That choice was seconded by audience member Linda Zoerb, AAF, president of LaCrosse Floral in LaCrosse, Wis., who said the approximately $1,500 she spent for a daylong training with Huckabee "was worth every penny."
Stop shoppers in their tracks, searches: Everyone talks about being a destination, but florist Shirley Lyons makes sure her shop gets on the map when local schools plan field trips. When the kids come into Dandelions Flowers and Gifts in Eugene, Ore., Lyons equips them with crayons and paper, promising to display their artwork on her walls. That artwork is the magnet that pulls the paying customer, the parent, back into the shop. Lyons (a former school teacher) shared her lesson plans during the first Idea Swap, a creative potluck she and florist Tom Hamilton led with energy to rival their bright-yellow "Idea Generator" t-shirts. Powerful (but not proud-parent creating) images also lure visitors to the online home of Beavercreek Florist, where Hamilton hosts his annual "Ugliest Plant Contest," a traffic driver, e-mail address gatherer, conversation starter and publicity getter that costs zilch. With ideas zinging back and forth among the more than 100 swappers, one hour couldn't contain the brain power wattage. So to keep the current flowing, go to the Idea Swap forum.
Share knowledge. When new products come into Baisch and Skinner, all salespeople meet to get a look-see. Those vital product meetings are taped and shared with all locations of the St. Louis-based wholesaler. "Our salespeople are the eyes for our retail customers," says John Baisch, another survival tactics panelist. "The best thing for a wholesaler to hear is when a retailer trusts their salesperson enough to call and say, 'Send me 10 of your choice.'"
Share money, stuff. Incentives, incentives, incentives. Carrots (not sticks) were on the menu at every session this E-Brief editor attended, as successful florists and wholesalers emphasized the need for real rewards, either in cash or in tangible benefits.
At the all-industry Idea Swap one retailer said she gives a dollar for every e-mail address employees capture. If the address is not viable, the buck comes back. Other businesses challenged their employees to outsell themselves, with bonuses offered to those who increased their average order sale month to month.
Katy Miller says she bent to the demands of her male employees who wanted to give away a large-screen plasma TV as a door prize for a recent show at Dillon Floral Corporation in Bloomsburg, Pa. The must-see TV was just part of a full arsenal of e-mails, on-hold messages, box-stuffers and other marketing the Dillon staff deploys to make its shows a must-attend. Miller, a panelist on the "How to Get the Most out of Wholesale Shows" seminar, said that although shiny toys do get attention — the real star and attendance driver was Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD, a world renowned floral designer. While not as flashy as plasma TVs or as inspirational as breathtaking designs, gasoline is definitely a hot commodity, and one several audience members use as an incentive to increase attendance and invitation response rates.
Deliver more than flowers. Delivery drivers should expect a longer to-do list, if their employers follow the directions of convention attendees. As a frequent point of contact, drivers can apply "soft touch" nudging for past-due accounts and be a steady reminder of upcoming shows and events, Idea Swappers said. Back at the wholesaler house, they can offer insight into how retail customers are doing (renovations, new employees, slower walk-in traffic.)
Don't be ruled by fear. When major investment banks crash, insurance companies go belly up and The Federal Reserve rivals the Red Cross for rescue missions in one week, there's no shortage of panic or hucksters trying to capitalize on that fear. "The safest, smartest longtime investment you can make right now is in your brain," Bill Gouldin, Jr., told audience members. "Read everything — Business Week, Harvard Business Review, every single industry publication, so you know what's propaganda and what's not," said the president and CEO of Strange's Florists, Greenhouses & Garden Centers in Richmond, Va.
Don't just read — write. During a hands-on session on blogging, Renato Sogueco gave a few bonus tips for better search engine optimization: Make sure the key words, included at the bottom of your Web site's home page, include your shop's address, zip code and location, as well as all delivery areas. "And be sure to include your store address right at the top of the page," says Sogueco, SAF's chief information officer. "Consumers are getting more savvy about buying flowers and know to look for a street address" before ordering, to make sure it's a local florist. To spark attendees' creativity — or just kick in their competitive drive — Sogueco featured a few, who blog like they breathe — naturally. Stay tuned to upcoming Floral Management columns for highlights from this session.
Get a second opinion, and a third. For family businesses, outside boards of directors and councils are a crucial reality check that provide emotion-free guidance. Zoerb operates under the governance of an outside board that not only advises her on strategy but also sets her salary and has voting control on major decisions. "As the fourth generation running a family business, I think the board builds credibility with my employees," she said. "It's not like I just waltzed in and took it over because I was born into it, I have to answer to outside spheres of influence."
Florists who want the guidance but not the control of a board were encouraged to widen their circles to include other florists and meet with them regularly. If no networking group exists in your region, ask your wholesaler to play matchmaker and meeting host, Baisch said of what his business does for retail customers. "Or, just buy from us and you can belong to our group."
That not-so-subtle sales pitch was the perfect reminder to constantly promote your business. You never know when a new customer is in your audience.
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