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THEY ARE COMING

November marks the time when the holiday busy season begins. It seems that for the next 6 months, the days turn into weeks and months go by in a flurry of activity. You look up and it is back to summer again! While that can be a good thing because of business being strong and meeting or exceeding sales goals, the potential is also there to lose a great deal by not watching the bottom line and controlling costs.
It is easy to assume that being busy equates to making money when in fact the opposite is more often true. During the lean season, many florists reduce costs by combining jobs or eliminating extra staffing. Then when the orders start coming back, the first reaction is to hire additional staffing and make it a little easier on everyone. While it is important to have adequate staffing to ensure excellent customer service, just one additional staff person means that you will need to have an additional 20,000.00 in business to cover the expenses. WOW! That equates to a lot of additional sales just for one full time staff person. Look to see how close you are running to your sales goals to determine just how many hours you can afford to add to payroll before saying yes, we need more staff. Perhaps you might consider adding several part time staff that could work during the busy part of the day or for special events and holidays. Many older people like to have a little pocket cash and an opportunity to make a positive contribution to a cause, but do not want to work every day or 8 hour shifts. Ask your friends and family if they know of any such persons and bring them on board now before the busy season begins. It is very frustrating trying to teach and learn during the busy times. Imagine trying to jump on a moving train and hold on. Make the experience a positive one for everyone involved.
Another potential challenge for lost profits is in the buying process. Check last year’s sales history to find when the most sales happened. Will there be repeat business such a s commercial installations, wedding and parties again this year or where there increases due to onetime events or spikes in sympathy work. Working closely with your Florabundance Account Manager will help on this road to profit. Remember the earlier you can make the commitment to your product, the more time they will have to find the best product at the best price. Also by combining longer lasting products such as carnations, chrysanthemums, and alstroemeria, you can potentially save on packing and shipping charges. Hydrate some of the product and keep additional product in cold storage. Fresh product rotation is essential especially during the busy holidays.
Having your seasonal in house feature bouquets will help you control the buying process as well. It is important to know what you are going to sell and at what price in order for everyone to perform to their best ability. Sales staff can sell what is available, designers can make up what the sales staff is going to sell and the buyer can buy the product that is needed to make the process happen much more smoothly.
During the summer, the cries of “I wish we had more business” can be heard around the country. Be ready for the holidays because they are coming! Be prepared for a successful holiday season with a little pre-planning now.

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