Florabundance News

Success comes in many ways. One way to help ensure success with a task is to establish goals and write them down where they can be seen, evaluated and re-evaluated to make sure everyone is working on the same plan. This is especially true during any event or holiday season. It is important for all the staff to unite in strength and man-power to move as one stronger force. This strength comes from being focused. Even smaller operations will find more success when the goals are defined and focus is achieved.
Imagine that you are going on vacation. Very few of us would head out on a trip without making some kind of plans such as, where am I going? How am I going to get there? Am I driving, flying, taking the train, bus, or boat? What kind of clothes should I pack? What am I going to do once I arrive? How much money should I take? Do I need a passport? Am I staying in one location or traveling to multiple destinations? You get the idea. The most important question is where am I going and how am I going to get there. This is the same question you should be asking yourself when it comes to your business plan or holiday sales. By asking yourself about your business plan whether it is for a year or as focused as a holiday, you will begin the process to help ensure success.
Once you have the plan defined (where am I going), now it is time to set some goals for achieving the plan (how am I going to get there). Let’s make having a successful Valentine’s Day as your goal. Sounds like a pretty big goal, but the best way to eat an elephant is a bite at a time, so let’s figure out what will help make a successful goal happen for you. A few goal ideas might include; I want to have enough products on hand for my customers. I want to have a fresh supply of inventory all through the holiday. I want to increase my sales by 10% over last year. I want to reduce my payroll expenses. These are just a few ideas to get you started, but you get the idea. Now that you have them written down, it is time to figure out how you are going to make them happen. This is where you involve everyone on staff to gather all the creative ways of thinking and to help make everyone feel as though they were a part of the solution.
Taking your goal of having enough inventory is a goal, some solutions might be to start with analyzing your past history of sales to determine your best selling items and what price points were the most successful. Since you already have your prototypes designed, photographed, and posted to your web site, now figure how many of each design you want to produce and pre-book the product from your Florabundance Account Manager. This will ensure you will have an adequate supply of inventory for your customers needs. BTW, you will want to do this ASAP as the pre-booking date closes January 25th.
Another goal of having a steady supply of fresh product throughout the holiday season might be achieved simply by having multiple delivery dates for your Florabundance product to arrive. You will for sure want your longer to open flowers such as Lilies, Alstroemeria, Carnations & miniature Carnations to come in early so they will have sufficient time to hydrate, while shorter shelf life flowers such as Roses, Peonies, and Tulips to arrive closer to the production dates. Do your homework to know what type of post harvest care each of your products will need. This is a large investment and your customers will remember how well your flowers preformed, so you want to make sure they are treated well while in your care.
Increasing your overall sales income can be achieved in several ways. Stressing the importance of add-on sales is extremely important! This can mean offering candy, cards, balloons, plush or any other additional offerings you might have. This could also include secondary sales- something for the wife or husband another for a daughter or mother. Another way to increase sales is to offer slightly higher priced offerings or upgrade stylings instead of starting with the lowest priced bouquets you offer. Remember you are selling an emotion, so don’t skimp on the love!
Reducing payroll expenses can be tough, but here again, think creatively. Perhaps you could stagger your staff start and ending times to allow the shop to be open longer hours without costing you more payroll dollars. Have some staff focus on production designs while others are filling daily orders. Try to always have the following day’s orders completed the day before if at all possible so you are only focusing on the orders that are placed that day. Have lots of selections made up and in the cooler for walk in traffic. Limit the number of offerings so you can really focus on streamlined production. Sell what you have made versus each arrangement being a signature styling. Monitor your man-power so you know if you need to shift people to keep the operation running smoothly and not fall behind.
Now you have the ideas to help get you started. Take a few minutes to invest in the success of having a successful Valentine’s Day. Nothing feels as good as knowing you did everything you could to contribute to the success and being a part of a winning team! Make Florabundance a part of your winning team too.

As you move forward in the year 2012, it is time to take a few minutes before all the holidays are upon you and ask some serious questions about your business and set yourself and co-workers on a path for success for the year to come. We often hear the catch phrase ‘Branding Your Store’, but how do you take the action to make this happen. Well, it is time to gather all the staff that work at the flower shop and take some time for some soul searching.

Here are a few questions that will help get the think tank primed and ready to move in whatever direction you want to go.
Why does your business exist?
What are your business core values?
What are you passionate about?
What words do you want people to associate with your business?
What is your envisioned future?
How do you qualify success?
What is your promise to your customers?
Who is your ideal client?
What does your target audience care about?
How do people find your business?
Who is your toughest competitor?
These are some pretty tough questions for consideration, but necessary to find your way to success and know when and how you got there. Business as usual is no longer an acceptable business model. There has to be a plan, goals and solutions to make it happen. And, it has to be in the heads and heart of all the staff so everyone is working for a common goal!

Opportunities happen in many ways and forms. Sometimes they happen by chance, but more often they happen because of hard work and focused vision. We do know that great things happen when everyone is working to accomplish a common goal. It’s time to rally the troops and set your business on a path for a successful year! Florabundance is one of the keys to your success. Take advantage of the entire fantastic product and staff’s wealth of knowledge to help you along the way.

Just about the time when you think if I have to look at one more red arrangement, I am going to go crazy! Well, you may not want to look at another red arrangement, but many of your customers do because Valentine’s Day is in the air and out in the stores already! We too need to be getting geared up to make this holiday a success!
Many retailers of past always had the mindset that it was not necessary to do any advertising because their customers were loyal and they would come to them no matter what the other retailers advertised. They were also of the mindset that it was ok to take the phones off the hook days in advance because their customers would stop by and purchase their products no matter what. They also believed it was better to wait to place their order for fresh flowers the week of the holiday because was always plenty of product no matter what was being forecasted. By the way, those traditional retailers are probably no longer in business as the market has changed both in the way the customer buys and the availability of flowers currently.
Savvy retailers recognize the importance of advertising in a many formats. Your website is one of the most cost effective ways to reach your current customers and those who are browsing for creative ideas, levels of service such as delivery and business hours, and of course pricing information. Imagine the frustration you would experience if you were trying to gather information about a product, level of service and pricing in an area you are not familiar with. The frustration many websites create drive potential customers away by being too vague and uninformative. While the mindset may be that if you put your prices out for your competition to see they will know what you are charging and will under price you. You have to know what your prices need to be and assess the correct costs to maintain a profitable business no matter what your competition does. Your business is just that; it is YOUR business! Know what you do well and what your prices need to be to make it profitable. Believe it or not, not every customer price shops. Many customers value their time more than spending hours on the internet to save a couple of dollars. It is important to offer pricing at all levels so everyone from kids, to young people, to adults have options of price points and choices within those price points.
Being prepared for the busiest single day holiday is a huge undertaking! It just doesn’t happen by chance. It takes weeks and weeks of preparedness to make it a success. Like any major event such as a large party or wedding, the success comes prior to the event because of accurate planning. This year with Valentine’s Day being on a Tuesday, it will be far busier as there are less options such as weekend getaways, late night dinners and hotel packages to compete with. The flip side is that many people will want their deliveries early to places of employment, so it adds pressure to have early morning delivery service available. Preparing means having prototypes designed, recipes in place, sufficient product ordered to produce the forecasted numbers needed, adequate sales, design and delivery help in place to handle the high demand of customer requests. You work hard all year long to entice, and keep your customer base intact. Having the phones off the hook or being off line is the best way to send your customers to your competition or worse, away from the floral industry for good! Not being prepared to handle the volume is not something to brag about, but rather a wake-up call for the lack of customer service available. Whether extenuating circumstances prevent you from offering all the services you might normally offer, at least maintain customer contact and offer same day pick up or next day delivery options. Learn from last year’s history. Expand on the good points and make a plan not to repeat the shortcomings of prior holidays. Customer loyalty is as good as your last opportunity of performance.
In years past, there was often a glut of product that made its way to market at the last minute. Unfortunately, this product was often inferior quality and not something you would want to send out to your best customer. All your customers are “your best customers’ so treat them all fairly. Quality floral product is spoken for by the wholesalers early, so you want to make sure you are covered and supplied with the best product available. By committing early, you know you will be covered and not have to worry about if the product is going to be available and what price you might end up paying for it because of high demand. Get in early, make your commitment to your Account Manager and move on to other areas that need your attention. Use your past sales history to make intelligent buying decisions for this holiday.
With all the attention in all the areas of your operation, interface with staff persons from all departments to make the best plan of attack. Make your plan and then work your plan. Then when those unexpected surprises that Mother Nature may send your way arise, you will have time to deal with them in a calm and logical way. Check with your Wholesale Floral Consultant today to get your game plan set.

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is coming to a close and we are starting at New Year! But as you are sweeping up the final remain of the pine needles, wiping the glitter from the shelves and collecting the remain of the artificial snow, take a few minutes to review and record this holiday season before it becomes a blur in your memory. Post holiday inventory is one of the most valuable pieces of information you can have along with your buying and selling history for next year’s planning. Having this record of history allows you to prepare for all aspects of your holiday planning for the following year. When we talk about all aspects, it becomes a thorough examination of every level of contribution. Here are a few things to help get you started. You will want to add to and supplement the list with areas of consideration that are specific to your shop operation.
Fresh Inventory: Were there enough fresh materials ordered in a timely fashion to cover all the orders or do you need to add to some areas and reduce others? Did the product maintain a steady turnover so help reduce or eliminate loss which translates to lost profits? Were the orders placed with Florabundance in a timely fashion to allow for the best pricing or were the orders more reactionary to the orders being placed by customers?

Featured Designs: Were the in-house arrangements planned well in advance to allow them to be posted to my website and allow a sufficient amount of time to place the order with your Florabundance sales person? Did I train the sales staff to sell from a ‘menu’ of featured bouquets or was each sale a custom order that took more time, effort and energy to sell and create? Did I choose wisely from the offerings available from the wire services? Could I have added another one or two items from them to potentially expand my incoming order base because of codified items or did we have the right amount and have successful sell through?

Staffing: Were all areas of staffing ( sales, design, delivery, support, office, floral processors, etc.) given equal levels of consideration or where there noticeable gaps and areas that could have used additional staffing? Were there enough hours dedicated to the right areas? IE: Did flowers and plant materials get processed in a timely fashion or did they receive the left over attention at the end of the day? Were flowers and plants rotated accurately to ensure first in, first out rotation? Did the sales floor maintain a fresh abundant look or after the first week of the holiday did it look like it was totally shopped over and the remains were all that was left? Was there someone dedicated to web-site maintenance ensuring that out of stock items were taken down and fast moving items were being promoted? Were there enough hands to package and deliver in a reasonable amount of time? Were the added holiday helpers well trained to assist in whatever departments they were to be in or was it more of a baptism by fire; learn as you go?

Customer Service: You work very hard all year long to attract and maintain your customers. Did every customer receive the high level of customer service you are known for or were there a few black eyes along the holiday road? How many thank you cards were written to let both your established customers and your new customers know how much you appreciated the opportunity to be a part of their holiday experience and that you look forward to serving them in the New Year? Hand written thank you cards make a huge impression on customers! Take the opportunity to make a lasting impression!

These are but a few ideas to get your post holiday actions started. Take the time to make next year even better by using this year’s history to plan next year’s success!

It’s hard to believe this is the last week before Christmas! What an exciting time for everyone as the clock ticks away. Children are counting the days until Santa arrives while retailers count the days until the last candled centerpiece is delivered! Oh to be a child again! But as the clock continues to tick, hurried shoppers are on the last week of choosing those special gifts for family and friends. As the malls become more and more of a frustrating experience be ready for all those last minute shoppers to make sending flowers the best choice for the season. Some people are just a little slow to catch on and could have avoided the traffic jams, disappointed selection and poor customer service often found in retail stores right before the holiday.
Here are a couple of things to do to get ready. First, look at your web site. You will want to eliminate those sold out items, those that are labor intensive and only show your best selections. Don’t be afraid to show your best premium bouquets and upscale flowers. People who shop last minute are willing and able to spend for that WOW floral styling.
Second, make sure you have plenty of inventory on hand for those last minute shoppers. They have had enough disappointments already and you want to be remembered as the hero not the one more retailer who added to their holiday stress. Vases and foam based stylings are good to have for those hurried shoppers who are on their way to parties and other celebrations. Have plenty of hostess gifts on hand that are easy to transport and priced appropriately. No one has time to wait while you have to make and arrangement from scratch.
Thirdly, take a look around at your show room. No one wants to shop in a picked over, messy shop. Grab Santa’s elves (aka the staff) and do a power clean. A quick dusting, remove any tired arrangements and plants and move those slower moving items closer to your high traffic areas. Sometimes just a different location will make a slower mover into a cash cow. It is so worth the time and energy to keep the shop looking brand new and arrangements fresh. Sweeping up the pine needles, glitter and artificial snow will help spruce up the first impression! And, don’t forget to wipe down the cooler doors and counter area often. Remember the KISS theory…Keep It Simply Sparkling!
And lastly, at some point during this hurried week, take time to remember all those friends and family who make your life special and say thank you to them. We are truly blessed in many ways and it is important to take a moment and reflect on just how blessed you are.
Happy holidays to all of you and wish you all the best for a season of happiness, joy and blessings to share.

Customers are all about having choices. If you are not quite sure, just stand and listen at your local Starbucks and listen to the number of choices the customer makes. It takes ordering a cup of coffee to a whole new level! It now becomes an experience. Flower shops can also have the ability to provide this customization for the customer to make their buying an experience.
In the buying world mental of one size fits all, it becomes a pleasant experience for the customer when you take the time to stop, listen to their needs and execute a beautiful floral styling that reflects their personal choices. While many of your customers may be satisfied with a standard presentation, there are those customers that enjoy the added attention and the option of making personal choices. Customization is not a new concept in the retail world. It actually dates back for many decades, however, it has become a lost business model as less and less customer service is available due to budget and operating expenses being reduced. Again, remember it is a service that you do provide and this is one area that you can separate yourself from your competition and the big box stores. You can probably name a few stores such as Nordstrom’s, Starbucks and others that are well known for their high level of customer service. Your goal might be to have your name in that list as well.
Along with customer service is the ability to offer your customers upgrades or add on sales. Upgrades are suggestions to allow the customer to make a stronger or more wow impression. It can be accomplished in several ways. Allowing customers a choice of better containers is one easy way to upgrade the floral presentation. Change from a disposable container to a keepsake contain is an easy way to do so. Adding more blooms to the bouquet is another way of adding to the choices for your customer as well as raising your average ticket price. When adding additional flowers, the customer wants to be able to see a noticeable difference in the presentation so think about what flowers are going to capture the most visual attention. Another consideration when considering upgrades is to be sure to give yourself enough of a budget to make the visual impact. Adding $5.00 to $10.00 dollars does not give you much to work with. Make the upgrade $20.00 to 25.00 to allow you to make it worth the added investment.
Examine the type or mix of foliages being used presently. While pedestrian are acceptable, think about what premium foliages are seasonally available. Check out the options on the Florabundance web site or check with your Account Manager to choose some additional selections to add the wow factor in your presentations. The same holds true for fillers. The more common filler materials might work for a majority of the floral stylings, but having a special selection for those customers with more distinctive taste and budget never hurts to have on hand.
An easy way to let your customers see the impact of upgraded floral stylings is to display 3 different price points using similar flowers next to each other in the cooler. You will be surprised how many customers choose the middle price point. You will want o do the same presentation on your web site so whether people are shopping in person or on your web page, it will work to your advantage.
Allowing customers to choose their options shows that you are willing and able to make their floral gift giving into a more personal experience and keeps them coming back for that special touch called personal service. After all, who doesn’t like to be made to feel more special in this hurry up world we live in.

During most prime time floral buying seasons, offers seem to pop up all over from suppliers, growers, importers and farm direct for shipping products to you. And of course, they do look so tempting, but ask yourself this very important question. Would I gamble my reputation and risk trying a new supplier at such a critical time of the year for the sake of saving a few cents? The answer should be an emphatic NO!

While everyone these days needs to be watching their COG’S (Cost Of Goods Sold), would you be willing to gamble and take a chance with a company whose product you and reputation you are totally unfamiliar with in order to save a few dollars and cents? We all know how expensive it is to gain a new client. Research says the average in 2011 acquiring a new customer costs a small business anywhere from 26.10 to 38.56 to attract a new customer to do business with you. That is a large investment to be possibly wasted because of a poor choice of suppliers.

Here are some excellent reasons to buy from quality wholesalers like Florabundance.

1) Overall Satisfaction – Florists significantly rated wholesale suppliers higher in overall satisfaction that from other suppliers.

2) Reliability – Wholesale florists perform best. They are dependable, they care about you and your business, and stand behind their promises. Your success is their success.

3) Accuracy – Wholesale florists consistently outperform other sources for fresh flowers both in order fulfillment and on-time delivery.

4) Responsiveness – When you need help, your wholesaler is there to assist.

5) Expert Knowledge – Wholesalers have knowledge and expertise about the products they sell. They are not just an order taker selling off a computer screen.

6) Cut Flower Quality – Wholesalers consistently deliver higher quality of flowers and foliages.

7) Relationship – Most retailers have a long-term business relationship with their wholesaler. Your Account Manager knows who you are and what types of products work best for you.

Easy to Order – Whether by phone or by web site, Florabundance makes it easy and convenient to place your order day or night.

9) Selection – Florabundance offers a wide selection of product from which to choose. Both traditional products to the most unusual, Florabundance has you well covered.

10) Cost Effective – Florists are not required to ‘buy in bulk’ as with some suppliers. Useable quantities are available for every size operation.

‘Tis the season for flowers to be a major part of your projected sales. Why chance your hard earned reputation with a supplier whose quality is unknown. With products and service from Florabundance, you know it’s going to be right and that is well worth it!

Take a quick look around your store…all the displays are fresh, well stocked and ready to greet your customers – check. All the lights are in working order – check. All the sales staff has been properly trained to handle the customer’s needs –check. All the delivery vehicles have been properly serviced; have been cleaned both inside and out – check. Hard goods have been delivered, unpacked and ready to be used – check. It sounds like everything is in good order and ready for your busy holiday season of business. It is good to make your list and check it twice for many reasons, but the best reason is to maintain efficiency during the busy times. Being disorganized makes the experience frustrating for both the customer and the staff. It is important that your customer’s are efficiently guided through the purchasing process and feel that their time was honored and respected during the season when time is our most valuable commodity. The same can be said in regards to the staff persons at the flowers shop. No one wants to spend needless hours working in circles when there is so much to do outside the work environment. Also, shop owners need to be cognizant that inefficiencies cause additional costs and quickly siphon profits.
Since the design room is the heart of your production, let’s start with a quick examination to see if it is beating efficiently. It’s a quick 3 step examination that requires a minimal amount of time to establish 3 points of interest.
First goal is to have design work produced faster. A production line or assembly line is your best business model to increase the shop’s output. During the holiday season, up to 75% of orders can be produced in this efficient manner. Think about how many centerpieces will be sold this season – some with candles, some without, but most have similar characteristics. They can vary in price, small, medium, and large, but still be produced in a design line and by predetermined recipe. Vase work, floral stylings designed in foam, preparing blank backgrounds of greens and dressing blooming potted plants can all be executed in this fashion. It is important to make sure everyone understands their contribution and they have all the components and tools necessary to execute their part of the design. A good quality control person is important to have at the end to evaluate the design work to make sure it is A+ and reflects the integrity of the shops reputation.
Goal #2 is to work smarter. This translates into working from recipes. Recipe designs can be stylish and best made in multiple price points. Small, medium and large with upgraded materials as the price point increases. There should be a distinctive look between the price points, not just more of the same variety of flowers and foliages. Keep in mind all the component selections; container, foliages, flowers and any trims or accents. All need to be cost efficient and time efficient for maximum output. While Bear Grass woven with colored wire may look attractive, it probably would not be the best choice for production work. Save those bells and whistles for your custom designs where you can charge more for your time and creativity. Check to see what the national wire services are featuring as well. Designing a compliment is a good way to use the national advertising dollars they spend to help feature your in house stylings.
Goal #3 is to make more money. Keep an eye on your cost of goods sold (COGS) to make sure they are not over 33%. If you can get them lower; somewhere between 28% and 30%, you will make even more profit. This is another reason to work from recipes. Double check what goes into each styling and make sure that is all that is being put in. When you overstuff an arrangement, you lose valuable profit dollars. Now do that times the amount of production during the holiday and it can really add up to some serious dollar losses for everyone! No guessing allowed when it comes to pricing. Whether product is sold by the stem, bunch or weight, everyone should know exactly how much to charge for the product.
With a smart check up, this season of selling stands to be your most time and cost efficient ever. Now your biggest challenge just may be what to do with the extra free time and extra profits made by being efficient!

During this ‘Trans-Seasonal’ time of year, where it is not quite full blown Christmas but Autumn is but a memory, it can be a challenge for what look you should be making available to your customers. While it may be a bit too early for Christmas evergreens, and a little past time for all fall components, what is the best solution? Why not give your customers a little of both!
Evergreens tend to be associated with Christmas décor even though Evergreens are with us all year long and stay green all year long, ergo the name Evergreen. Many years ago people would decorate their homes with evergreens to remind them of the spring season that was to come. We now have a definite association with the celebration of Christmas, so the time to use them is a bit more confined and restricted. However, using them in proportion and mixing them with other foliages gives us a longer season to enjoy the textures and fragrances.
Several other foliages combine well with traditional evergreens to create a visually pleasing presentation. Some winter foliages such as Salal, Huckleberry, and Boxwood all have rich dark green foliage that adds depth in your design work because of the deep green color that is contrasted by lighter green evergreen foliage. Oregonia is an excellent choice because of its variance in color. Anytime you choose variegated foliage, it too gives dimension to the design work and appears to be more abundant in presence.
While some foliage has the deep green quality to its leaves, others have more gray and blue influences that work well with winter spruces and firs. Rosemary, Eucalyptus and Silver Tree all have the gray influence that combines so well for the trans-seasonal time of year. Gray as we know is a melding color that blends surrounding colors together to make them more harmonious. Like any amount of color, we want to use it in correct proportion. This is especially true when using a neutral color such as gray. We don’t want the floral styling to become too sleepy.
Rosemary has small leaves that appear to resemble needles so therefore mimics many evergreens. It has a delicate fragrance that has a very fall or earthy fragrance to it. Since it grows in a vertical pattern, it makes for a good choice to reinforce line in a design. Scotch Broom also is linear foliage that is quite malleable and can be molded or shaped using your hand or fingers to take on different shaped lines. It is delicate in appearance but gives a great amount of strength to a composition.
Whether you need strength in line, fullness in volume or fragrance added to your floral styling, there are many excellent choices to help make this ‘Trans-Seasonal’ time of year easy to design through. Take advantage of all the wonderful selections available to you during this time of year. Your customers will love you for all the interest and fragrance you are sharing. After all, this is the season for sharing and caring.

Designing for holiday occasions can be somewhat of a challenge. Often the objection is that the flowers take up too much room on the table leaving little room for dishes, glasses, and the food. One great solution is to design in smaller containers and make them in multiple to allow for space considerations.
One of the hottest looks right now is the vintage bottle ‘collections’. These old bottles are an assemblage of different sizes and shapes that are grouped together to make an impact. While it does take the client some time to assemble their collection, they are the perfect find at tag sales, flea markets and yard sales from around the country. Since the bottles have odd shapes and sizes, the mismatched look works very well for holiday and everyday table decor. Vintage décor has been in and out of vogue for many years. Most people associate the word vintage with ‘Victorian’ so it might be a good idea to rename the collection to ‘Gatherings’. Whatever way you choose to market the concept, be sure to show lots of ideas that have the same concept.
If your customer is more contemporary, try using small 4” cubes on the table in a runner fashion. Small cubes filled with seasonal flowers can be placed on the table and then connected with pieces of Bear Grass, Lily Grass, or even decorative wire. Interface a few votive candles and you have the impact of a centerpiece without taking too much room on the table. This concept can also be staged in a circular fashion for those who have round tables.
The advantage of designing in multiple containers is that the client is not limited to where the flowers must go and only being able to afford to decorate a single location. Small Garden Collection vases sold in multiples allow the client to use some on the table, some in the powder room, maybe a couple on the kitchen window sill, and wherever else is appropriate for decorating. The idea of keeping them low cost allows for multiple sales. Consider offering 3 @ and reasonable price and then 6 at an attractive price that is less than double of the first 3 and don’t forget that some guests can and will purchase 12 if it priced in a cost effective price point.
Consider offering a holiday workshop that teaches table decorating for the holidays. You might even consider doing a DIY workshop to allow the students to make and take the designs they have created. A good idea is to let them make 3 for a fixed price and then purchase the additional products to complete as many stylings as needed. You can offer several choices in vases, sizes, and number of components to complete the projects. Be sure to sign them up while they are excited and successful about repeating the workshop for the Christmas holidays while at your flower shop. It is also a great time to create special buys and discounts for only the class participants. This gives the class added value and makes them feel special.
Think about the possibilities of stores in your area that carry furniture that you could team up with for the holidays to go to them and do ‘how to’s’ for their customers. How to Set a Holiday Table, How to Entertain With Flowers, or How to Decorate With Flowers, are just a few ideas that might catch on. Larger chain department stores often bring in outside resources to share their expertise with their customers. Also, don’t overlook the independent stores that may be smaller, but still have a good customer base to get your shop new exposure and customers. Be ready to share the features and benefits of your shop and have business cards or a special card with your shop information printed on it to pass out during your demonstrations.
Just think of the impact of selling in multiples could have on sales for the next 45 days in your store! It’s the time of year for home entertaining, so make the most out of Multiplicity!