Growth BY TIM HUCKABEE LEARN FROM THESE SALES BLUNDERS > I think I do a great job when I wait on customers and I am sure you do, too. But none of us are perfect, and the retail environment is always changing, giving everyone a reason to polish their skills! Since starting to train retail florists in the art of sales and service back in 1997, I have seen and heard thousands of retail transactions in which the same mistakes and missteps always seem to happen. These hiccups might seem minor, but once corrected, I’ve seen a flower shop’s average sale go up by 25% or more and noted an increase in customer satisfaction. Here are the top five sales mistakes to avoid. Never ask for a customer’s budget. This is a horrible habit that’s endemic to our trade. Asking this question always results in a smaller sale, makes the customer feel uncomfortable and leads to a barrage of questions since they don’t know what they’re getting for their money. Instead, learn what motivated the customer to call or visit you and offer them appropriate choices. For example, a big event — like a birthday — justifies offering a large design, so why not start there? and know that costs for vehicles, gas, insurance, etc., are on the rise. No need to make your delivery fee a starting or focal point of the conversion. Tuck it in at the end when you tell them the total. MORE ONLINE Looking for more sales and cus-tomer service resources? The Society of American Florists’ Floral Education Hub has a collection of 15-Minute Florist Mystery Shopper videos, in which Tim Huckabee of The Profitable Florist calls real flower shops and then provides critiques of how the call could have been better. Always take the card message before talking about the design. Stop fearing rejection. Whether taking orders on paper or in a point-of-sale system, you can and should control the flow of the conversation by taking the card message early in the conversation to learn why the customer wants flowers, and by default, the best item to offer. Skip talking about flowers. The average customer doesn’t know the difference between a calla lily and a cro-ton so don’t ramble off names of flowers and plants. It’s much easier, smarter and quicker to simply talk about color pal-ettes. Obviously, you can still answer the question, “What will be in there?” but there is no need to front-load a customer with a list of botanical names. I have easily taken over a million orders in my career yet need only two hands to count the number of times someone has hung up on me or stormed out of the shop because they heard a price they didn’t like. Your sales will never, ever rise unless you avoid all the blun-ders outlined here and offer customers designs that are appropriately priced and sized for their needs. For the record, I am cheap and rarely spend more than $75 when sending flowers (even to my family), yet I don’t hesitate to offer a customer a $300 design if that is appro-priate for their needs. Why? Because that is my job as a professional service provider in a retail flower shop. It’s yours, too. Tim Huckabee is the founder of The Profitable Florist, an education provider that teaches best floral business practices remotely and on site. He has been training florists for over 27 years how to become more prosperous. Find him at www.theprofitableflorist.com. Don’t focus on delivery charges. Too many calls start with, “Well, there is a $X delivery to your area, is that ok?” Customers expect to pay for delivery 16 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/August 2024 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG SHUTTERSTOCK/KRAKENIMAGES.COM
Floral Management Magazine July/August 2024: Page 16
