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On The Level With Neville: January 2010
More Than Just Roses |
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Written by Neville MacKay
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I hear from so many florists about how tired they are on Valentine’s Day from all the red roses they have to schlep out. I know, I know, a red rose is the symbol of love, blah, blah, blah . . . but give me a break: there are other flowers to choose from, and it is up to us to educate and encourage our customers to try something a little different.
Let me tell you a story . . . many years ago, there was a lovely young man who would come into my store every other week and buy a red rose and baby’s breath. Every time he came in, I would suggest he try something different. Well, this went on for some time until he finally stopped coming in altogether. One night I saw him out at a club, and I asked him why we hadn’t seen him in the store, and he replied that he had split with his partner. I said, “You know, every time you got that rose, I suggested you try something different . . . well, I didn’t mean the flower.” Well, that corny line landed me a date, and 16 years ago this March, David and I are happily not giving each other a red rose every other week!!
Now, I’m not suggesting that you all go that far when training your customers, but there are ways to change a person’s mind. Teaching customers, especially young men, isn’t that hard, and all it takes is a little coaxing to sway them to try a different flower or colour. Ask them if they’ve ever tried something different such as a calla lily, a tulip or a lovely mix of flowers, to include a red rose. Suggest an assortment of colours of roses rather than just red, and tell them to make note of the favourite one. This will help them for future gifts, and will make for a loyal customer.
I had a fellow recently come into our store all shaky and excited because he was going to propose to his girlfriend – I saw the ring and I would marry him for that rock! Anyway, he had come into our store the year before to buy flowers for his girlfriend for Valentine’s Day and we had suggested he try a more unique approach and not be so predictable. Well, it worked, and the bouquet of callas he gave his lady had proven a winner! Apparently she didn’t like roses – something he hadn’t known before this.
We sell floral designs in our stores, don’t we? Well, this is a great time and opportunity to show off what we can do! As an alternative, offer your customer a stylized arrangement (to include roses if necessary) in a lovely vase. This is wonderful, especially if it is going to a workplace like an office, as all eyes will be on it, seeing how thoughtful and unique this gift is! Also, you can remind the shopper that the vase can be used for future bouquets and this may well make for a repeat and loyal customer. You can offer a (little) discount if you want on the next bouquet as an incentive too.
Another thing we’ve done for fellows who are not home for Valentine’s Day is to offer to send 11 roses instead of 12, with a note that they will bring the 12th personally. We’ve also been able to set up a monthly floral delivery for a year simply by suggesting this approach.
Valentine’s Day is a day of emotions, and we have to brace ourselves for when they all come flooding in. As busy as we are, it is so important to actually talk to our customers, in order to get an idea what we can do for them. Sometimes, all it takes is a few simple questions, or a positive reinforcement, to make the sale. I mean, really, there are so many things to choose from, and on Valentine’s Day there are many who are first-time flower buyers, and don’t know the exotic beauty of an orchid plant or the cheerfulness that a vase of tulips can bring.
The thing is, it’s up to us to change the world. We have to stop being the “what would you like to have” and “how much do you want to spend?” order-takers, and become the “let me show you some beautiful choices” and “for a beautiful bouquet, you should spend…” floral salespeople that I know we can, and must, be! Train your staff, even those who are “temporary help-to-answer-the-phones” people, that there are options. Keep smiling, even on the phone (it does make a difference) and please stop moaning and groaning out loud about those poor red roses. They still are the number one flower choice! Big kiss, everyone, for a flower-ful Valentine’s Day!
Neville owns and operates My Mother’s Bloomers in Halifax and lives close to Peggy’s Cove with his partner, David, three cats and an overgrown garden. For more info on Neville or to book him for a show or talk, check out www.mymothersbloomers.com .
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