Common Elements That Build 



SUCCESS 



Sue Goulet 



A few years ago, after working over fifteen years 

 in management positions in flower shops and 

 owning my own business, I decided to go on 

 tfie road as a sales representative for a wholesale florist 

 This gave me the opportunity to service well over a hun- 

 dred florists in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hamp- 

 shire During that time I learned a great deal about the 

 floral industry 1 found it interesting to see how different 

 florists operate and came to realize that common ele- 

 ments existed in the most successful of them. They di- 

 versify; they specialize; they promote their businesses 

 and maintain a professional image; they employ skilled 

 personnel; they manage their money wisely and are con- 

 stantly looking for ways to improve My intent here is to 

 offer a little advice on each of these elements 



Diversity not only makes your shop more appealing 

 to more people, but it also helps to even the level of 

 income throughout the year Add new areas or depart- 

 ments in your shop and offer more services Some ex- 

 amples are: add a gift corner; offer floral design classes 

 to the public; add a garden center if you have the 

 space; offer landscaping services and materials, create 

 water gardens inside your shop and offer supplies and 

 advice for your customers to create their own; offer inte- 

 rior plant maintenance to individuals and businesses 

 Where one area of the business may slow down during a 

 period, the level in another area may pick up during 

 that same time; or when a department suffers due to a 

 change in the local economy, another could expand In 

 the 1980s, some florists serviced commercial accounts 

 with profitable results. During the recession, many com- 

 mercial customers cut out the plant maintenance ser- 

 vices, leaving florists searching for different ways to 

 make up the loss in business Some ventured into areas 

 that serviced more individual customers One florist de- 

 cided to expand his garden center to provide more for 

 home gardeners because there seemed to be a growing 

 demand for that at the time if you're not able to create 

 new departments in your business, diversify within the 

 departments you do have 



Whether you have a small shop or a large one, be 



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different from the competition Offer that special item, 

 that special touch, that special look that only you can 

 provide if no other shop offers specialty plants, go out 

 and find some — offer bonsai, orchids, herbs, and other 

 interesting material If the other shop wraps their ordi- 

 nary cut flowers in ordinary paper, wrap your beautiful 

 and unusual flowers in cellophane and add a pretty 

 bow Keep up with the times Read trade magazines, at- 

 tend trade shows, and communicate with your suppliers. 

 They usually know what the future will bring in new 

 products months in advance. Don't be like all the other 

 shops in your community Find your niche — something 

 that will keep the customers coming back — and make 

 the most of it. 



Most successful shopkeepers will admit that informing 

 the public of what they offer, when they offer it, and 

 where they offer it gives positive results Most shops in 

 this state use direct mail, newspapers, and radio to draw 

 the attention of the consumer to the goods and services 

 they provide Whatever method you chose, advertise 

 even during lean periods 



There are many other ways to promote your business; 

 participate in school promotions and local fairs; join 

 business groups; get involved in fund-raisers If you do- 

 nate items for a fund-raiser, request that your business 

 be mentioned as a donor Be certain your delivery ve- 

 hicles are well-maintained and clearly display your busi- 

 ness name and other pertinent information, such as loca- 

 tion and telephone number 



Remember that advertising is not to be used to over- 

 come business mistakes such as inadequate service, in- 

 experienced personnel, inferior products, or exorbitantly 

 high prices. The advertising may get people into the 

 store, but it cannot coerce them into buying something 

 that they do not perceive as having value. 



Employ knowledgeable and enthusiastic workers. Cus- 

 tomers remember when they've been treated with spe- 

 cial care, but are turned off by employees who are of 

 little or no help or show no enthusiasm for their jobs. 

 The person who waits on customers or answers the 

 phone should be knowledgeable about the products and 



The Planlsman 



