It’s not news to the independent florist that the retail
industry is in a state of flux right now. However, changes and
challenges don’t necessarily mean the skies are threatening bad
weather. Those of us who make our living as florists need to take some
time and consider how we will respond to these variations in an
effective way.
We must take a thoughtful look at how we are making day-to-day decisions and what the long-term effects may bring.
One of the highlights of being your own boss in a small business is having the ability to implement change to a process or system easily and measure its effectiveness all within a reasonably short time. The floral business is not unlike any other business, which has short-term and long-range plans at various stages of development. In the early days of our business we were only able to provide a delivery service one time per day. However as the business grew and our customers requested ‘timed deliveries’ in our local area we knew we had to come up with a solution rather than say ‘no’ to a customer. We soon had our own truck, developed a delivery rate structure to cover our costs for special requests and a way to prioritize time sensitive orders. Our customers responded to our priority delivery program and it underscored the ‘priority’ their business was to us. This service not only built customer loyalty, it allowed us the additional benefit of being introduced to new customers who were the recipients of these orders. We needed and wanted to get our flowers into the hands of more people and, although it seems like this was a simple answer, it required a commitment to developing a process to execute it consistently.
Every owner/manager needs to have a vision for their business and a strategy to see how it will be developed. Employees need the assurance of seeing their employer engaged in reviewing policies and procedures, looking for new opportunities and methods of increasing revenue without taking unnecessary risk. One of the outcomes of a clearly articulated vision is a solid sense of direction and knowing what steps you will take to get ‘there.’ It identifies potential pitfalls and gaps before they happen. Developing a vision takes time and critical thinking. It’s about being very honest with yourself about the realities of your business practices. It is very beneficial to consider how you are performing in purchasing, customer service, creative merchandising and marketing. It’s even better to invite comments and suggestions from your customers. This exercise keeps you vigilant in anticipating any problem areas and is helpful in discovering niche opportunities.
The retail world has changed dramatically in the past five to ten years. The big box stores have moved in and have changed the shopping experience forever. Access to a range of products and materials has never been as vast as it is today.
Yet in the middle of all of this retail turmoil is the consumer – you, me, and our customers. In my area a DIY (do-it-yourself) box store recently opened. The common complaint I hear about any of these stores is that there are no staff to be found; when you do find one, they are not knowledgeable and there is an attitude of ‘care less’ about the customer. This particular store had all of those ‘features’ as well as the added bonus of ‘self-checkout.’ It would seem the message is pretty clear – just come in, get your stuff and leave your money, without speaking to a single employee.
What’s the lesson here? Our customers tend to be the people who still prefer to stand in line and have a real person process their sales. We’re all suffering from a continual decline in personal customer service. Building relationships with our customers requires us to have a desire to be connected with them. When we show ourselves to be genuinely interested in fulfilling their requests by listening to what they are saying and responding to them with respect we are valuing them. What a concept.
The floral business is unlike any other retail service industry. The very nature of our business speaks to the fact we are nurturers and caring people. Our floral bouquets speak where words fail. Therefore, it just makes sense that within this environment our customers will receive the careful and thoughtful service they are due.
Monica Schut has been actively involved in the floral industry for twenty years. She owned three successful flower shops, and now works as a design consultant and small business coach. She is also an instructor at the Canadian Institute of Floral Design, Inc.
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