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services you're offering and show genuine interest in 

 assisting the customer in a courteous and professional 

 manner The designers you hire should be skilled in 

 different areas of designing such as funeral work and 

 wedding work and be able to create hi-style designs as 

 well as traditional ones If you have an employee who 

 shows strengths in a particular area, put that person in 

 charge of it, but also have that person delegate some 

 of that work to other employees, allowing and encour- 

 aging them to expand their skills. It is wise to cross- 

 train employees in different departments of your shop 

 Encourage them to learn as much information as pos- 

 sible about other areas of the business. A multi-skilled 

 employee is more valuable to you Scheduling is easier 

 if an employee from one department can temporarily 

 replace an employee from another If you choose to 

 hire someone who has limited skills, make the commit- 

 ment to train that person and follow up with evalua- 

 tions Employees can make or break your business 

 Tap the knowledge your employees bring to you and en- 

 courage them to enhance their 

 knowledge even further Be certain 

 that they're aware that your busi- 

 ness needs them in order to con- 

 tinue to exist and be profitable. 



Manage your money wisely 

 Keep accurate records and budget 

 your expenses. For many shop- 

 keepers whose field of expertise 

 is art. that may not be an easy 

 task. How and when you buy 

 goods affects your bottom line 

 Don't purchase supplies and per- 

 ishable goods without having a 

 plan on how you will sell these 

 items to the consumer Refrain 

 from buying in large quantities to 

 obtain a discount unless you know 

 that you will be able to turn over the stock within a 

 reasonable time. It is better to buy more often at 

 slightly higher prices than to clean out your account on 

 a "good deal ' If you do need to purchase in large 

 quantities, check with your suppliers to see who is will- 

 ing to offer you the best price and who might offer ex- 

 tended terms. If buying is the responsibility of some- 

 one other than the owner, that person should know 

 how to buy sensibly. No buyer should have unlimited 

 buying power This person should be aware of the 

 spending budget for the month or quarter and use 

 common sense in decision-making 



Retail florists must charge prices that reflect the 

 costs of offering full service and providing customers 

 with fresh and interesting product — all the while, re- 

 maining competitive Unlike the limited-ser^'ice retailer, 

 florists cannot always use pricing as their drawing 

 cards. They must promote their services and skills to 

 draw customers Cost, competition, and customer pro- 

 file are factors which influence pricing decisions and all 

 three have to be considered and analyzed before set- 

 ting prices Know your prices, especially on goods you 

 purchase frequently Get price quotes from more than 



limited-service retailer 



florists cannot always use pricing 



as their drawing cards 



They 



their services and skills 



to draw customers. ^ 



one source and buy from the supplier who gives you 

 the best price and service Know what your competi- 

 tion is doing. If they're offering a product for more or 

 less than you are, compare the quality of their product 

 to yours People are different — they all have different 

 amounts of money and they behave differently. Each 

 time you price an item, assess the makeup of your 

 market. You should be primarily interested in satisfying 

 your customers' wants — at a profit Meeting both objec- 

 tives is not always easy and must be constantly evalu- 

 ated Because something is selling well at a price you 

 set does not mean it will not sell better at another 

 price 1 have seen too often that florists fail to meet 

 the financial needs of their businesses in attempting to 

 satisfy the customer I can demonstrate here how money 

 is lost when proper accountability of goods is not fol- 

 lowed For example, if a designer creates twenty pieces 

 per day and works two hundred days per year, $2000. 

 will be lost if that designer is undercharging by only 

 50c on each piece created So be sure your employees 

 are aware how their errors can re- 

 sult in serious losses Set up pric- 

 ing charts that will aid them in 

 avoiding errors Have them itemize 

 the goods they incorporate in their 

 designs on the back of the order 

 sheets. This takes very little time 

 and can save lost revenue. 



Keep accurate business records 

 and review them to see where your 

 business is strong and where it is 

 weak Use this information when 

 deciding what to promote and 

 what to delete from the business. 



Keep your shop clean and or- 

 derly A big part of your busi- 

 ness involves creativity Show 

 your customers how creative you 

 are by setting up interesting and creative displays. 

 Make the shop a showcase of your work Make it 

 easy and safe for the customers to browse and allow 

 them to touch and smell the wonderful products you 

 sell Be sure the items you display for resale are 

 well tagged If your walk-in trade is heavy, change 

 your displays often to keep them interesting for 

 those who frequent your shop. Maintain a profes- 

 sional look. If you allow your staff to eat on the job, 

 make sure it is not in the presence of customers. 

 Employees who smoke should do so only in desig- 

 nated areas Many customers do not want to be ex- 

 posed to second-hand smoke, nor do they want to 

 purchase items that smell smoky If you have a tele- 

 vision set in your shop, tape the programs you want 

 to see and view them later at home 



There are other things you can deal with, but if 

 these common elements are in place, the foundations 

 for a successful shop are pretty much there 

 Sue Goulei is Floral Manager at Sludley Flower Gardens. 

 82 "Wakefield Street. Rochester. NH 03867 If you have 

 any questions or comments, she can be reached at 

 16031 332-4565. 



OCTOBER/ NOVEMBER 1994 



