16 



The Florists^ Review 



May 17, 1917. 



wed(iinf> ami are proiul of our handi- 

 work, koo]t tliom out of sight. 



Tliey do not tit in with the Memorial 

 day idea and, wliile they are sure to be 

 admired, are likely to draw attention 

 from the real matter at liand, buying 

 for Memorial day. 



This bit of advice is based on scien- 

 tific selling fact and is not only true in 

 theory, but has been proven in practice. 

 Nothing should be left undone that will 

 aid in focusing the prospective custom- 



a price that will bring buyers to the 

 store — this same leader many times will 

 be the means of making a larger sale. 

 Wlien a man or woman enters a store 

 ■witli the fixed intention of making a 

 purchase, he or she is a ready subject for 

 the real salesman. 



Accessories Are Sales Helps. 



The up-to-date store now has so many 

 attractive accessories that it is not dif- 

 ficult to find one of them which will 



Flags and Wreaths Are the Features of the Memorial Day Window. 



er's mind upo^i the significance and im- 

 portance of the day. This does not 

 mean that there should be anything de- 

 pressive about the display in the store, 

 but it should be impressive and not sug- 

 gestive of gaiety. . . 



Newspaper and circular advertising 

 are important factors in this Memorial 

 day campaign. We have used our best 

 judgment in selecting a leader and fixed 

 a price upon it. Now the plan of cam- 

 paign provides for letting people know 



about it. 



Newspaper space, when the numl)er ot 

 readers is taken into consideration, is 

 the least expensive of all forms of ad- 

 vertising. We can tell our story to a 

 greater number of people than with cir- 

 culars. But if these shots are to help 

 bring victory they must be made to 

 count. Thev must have the punch that 

 will make the right impression upon the 

 buying public. 



Preparing Advertising Copy. 



Wlien vou prepare your advertising 

 copy, forget that you' are talking to a 

 great numl)er of people. Imagine that 

 vou have a prospective customer m your 

 "store and vou want to sell him a wreath, 

 say, for Memorial day. In trying for 

 this sale, vou would undoubtedly first 

 call his attention to the noble senti- 

 ment of the day; next you would tell 

 him about the special wreaths you have 

 made up for the expression of this sen- 

 timent, thoir lasting qualities and 

 finallv how little one of them will cost. 



In "other words, you Avould try to 

 create in this man a desire to possess 

 one of those wreaths. Do the same thing 

 with the men and Avomen who read the 

 newspaper ad— try to create in them 

 a desire. Do not take it for granted 

 that the desire is there and that the 

 mission of vour announcement is merely 

 to tell where a wreath may be obtained. 



While there is a good profit in the sale 

 of leaders even at an attractive price- 



make an appeal that will bring a sale. 

 Baskets for pot plants might be cited 

 as an example. One manufacturer has 

 produced a novelty basket in red, white 

 and blue. 



The visit of a buyer, too, gives an op- 

 portunity to suggest a more permanent 

 cemetery lot decoration. There is the 

 possibility of a sale of a plant or two, or 

 an order for bedding out or the plant- 

 ing of shrubs, now or later. 



Special days are not so numerous that 

 the trade can afford to overlook any of 

 them. Consistent boosting has created 

 some of these days. Mothers ' day, for 

 instance. Each recent vear has seen 



these days better from a business stand- 

 point than the year before. They will 

 keep right on getting better, too, but 

 we each must do our own boosting in 

 our own town. What some florist ac- 

 complished in the next city or another 

 state does not help us at the moment, 

 although it will eventually have an ef- 

 fect on the business as a whole. 



Therefore the time for the next 

 "drive" is its own reason for that 

 ' ' drive. ' ' Roll up your sleeves and 

 go to it. 



Made-up Stock Sells Best. 



Experience of some of the leaders in 

 the trade shows that buyers want made- 

 up stock for Memorial day. Formerly, 

 that is before florists taught the people 

 that it is more satisfactory and just as 

 economical to deal with them on Memo- 

 rial day, the visit to the cemetery meant 

 carrying loose flowers, which were scat- 

 tered over the grave, or the sinking of 

 a glass vase into the soil as a water and 

 flower holder. In a few hours or a day 

 the flowers were dead and the grave 

 looked even more desolate than before. 



Tlien the trade began to see the pos- 

 sibilities of the day and went after 

 business. Magnolia, galax and cycas- 

 leaf wreaths, some decorated with fresh 

 and some with artificial flowers and 

 ferns, made their appearance and 

 through their lasting qualities have be- 

 come more and more popular. They also 

 gave the florist an opportunity to pre- 

 pare for the day, as he could make the 

 wreaths in advance and devote his time 

 the days before, and on the day itself, 

 to making sales and delivering the 

 orders already in. In this class of busi- 

 ness there is absolutely no loss. 



Sprays, however, present a different 

 problem. At the earliest, they cannot 

 be made up until the night before they 

 are to be used. 



Wreaths Are Most Popular. 



Those who do a big business in 

 wreaths for Memorial day started in a 

 small way and have worked up the 

 sales. They began by making up as 

 many wreaths as they believed they 

 could sell, fixed the quality and price at 



How They Decorate the Graves of Fallen Fighters in France. 



