JcLY 21, 1921 



The Rorists' Review 



19 



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HOW WE CAN IMPROVE 



BETTER SALESMANSHIP. 



Modern Methods Will Win. 



I believe I am safe in making the 

 statement that the average flower shop 

 has a poor sales policy. There are, of 

 course, some that are more modern and 

 up-to-date in their methods. These 

 concerns have built a big business on 

 their progressive methods, but the small 

 concerns which adopt the antiquated 

 methods and never attempt to improve 

 in any way will always be small. 



We have heard remarks from some of 

 our florists, wondering how certain con- 

 cerns have built such a big business, 

 and often they use the alibi that some 

 friend with money was pulling wires to 

 develop their business; they were not 

 willing to give credit to the individual 

 concern itself. There are a few cases, 

 of course, where this is true, but it is 

 the exception rather than the rule. 



I believe the time is coming when it 

 will be the case of "the survival of the 

 fittest." The old days, when a man 

 could put a refrigerator in his store, 

 with other fixtures, and open the doors 

 and say, "Here I am," are a thing of 

 the past. In the future the concerns 

 that adopt modern methods and equip- 

 ment are the ones that will survive. 

 The old type of florists must go. Many 

 times I have walked into a flower shop 

 and possibly gone as far back as the 

 workroom before anyone attempted to 

 find out who was in the front. Someone 

 tries to finish up a design or spray, be- 

 fore he can wait on a customer. I think 

 this is a serious mistake. We should 

 meet the customer halfway in the store 

 and lead him to believe that we stand 

 ready to wait upon him instantly. By 

 all means, greet him with a smile and 

 "Good morning," or "Good after- 

 noon," as the case might be. Get in- 

 terested in that particular customer's 

 wants, whether they be large or small. 

 One of the largest and most successful 

 merchants made a statement, in a talk 

 before one of our organizations, that 

 he would give anything in the world 

 if he could influence his employees to 

 "warm up" to the customers, and that 

 phrase has a wide meaning. I think 

 our flower shops need a thorough drill- 

 ing along this line. 



Attitude Towaxd the Public. 



Indifference on the part of the sales- 

 man, or saleslady, is one of the greatest 

 liabilities in connection with our busi- 

 ness. The customers should be made to 

 feel at home the minute they step into 

 our shop, and be made to feel that we 

 are anxious to serve them. And, as to 

 personality and personal contact, the 

 salesman with a pleasing disposition, 

 and with a smile in his or her voice, is 

 worth untold value to a store. All we 

 need to do is to put ourselves in the 

 customer 's place, or recall our own ex- 

 periences in other stores. Who are the 

 salesmen whom you prefer to have wait 

 on you in the different stores? It is 

 the salesmen who are pleasing, obliging 

 and anxious to serve, j know that sales- 

 men of this caliber are few and far 



Tlie address on "Salesmanship in the Flower 

 Shop," delivered by R. C. Kerr, of Houston, 

 Tex., at the seventh annual convention of the 

 Texas State Florlats' Association, at San An- 

 tonio, July 13. 



between in the vast majority of our 

 flower shops. As a usual thing, there is 

 an air of indifference about us. As I 

 stated before, the time has come when 

 this method must change. 



Possibly more orders are taken over 

 the telephone than in any other way, 

 and there are many more things that 

 enter into salesmanship over the tele- 

 phone than if the customer were in the 

 store: First, promptness in answering 

 the telephone; second, a smile in the 

 voice; third, showing a disposition to 

 give the customer full information and 

 doing it willingly. An attitude that 

 indicates that the salesman is in a 

 hurry, and short, snappy answers, leave 

 the impression that we are doing the 



In forwarding this helpful paper 

 for Review readers' perusal, Mr. Kerr 

 explains: "I have tried to handle this 

 subject from a negative point of view 

 and to point out our difficulties, rather 

 than to bring out the best methods of 

 salesmanship and policy. It is not 

 altogether pleasant to handle a sub- 

 ject this way, but I believe that occa- 

 sionally we should pick ourselves to 

 pieces and take stock of how we are 

 conducting our stores. This criticism 

 does not apply to all flower stores, but 

 it does apply to the very ones that 

 need improvement." 



customer a favor by keeping open our 

 front doors. This is one of the gravest 

 mistakes in salesmanship. 



Pricing Stock. 



Another great ovil which exists 

 among our craft in the retail business is 

 the pricing of our stock. I can remember 

 in the old days when we made a spray 

 for $1 and designs for $1.50. We thought 

 it always good policy, if we had a pol- 

 icy at that time, to quote our prices 

 from the lowest price up. For instance, 

 when a customer entered our store de- 

 siring a wreath and made inquiries as 

 to prices, we would say that our wreaths 

 were from $1.50 up in price, and sprays 

 from $1 up. The result was that the 

 majority of our orders ranged among 

 the lowest prices. We have found it 

 best to strike upon the medium price. 

 For illustration, our average-sized de- 

 sign ranges from $6 to $12 and our 

 average spray from $5 to $10. When a 

 customer makes an inquiry as to the 

 price of a design, we state to him that 

 our average sizes range in price from 

 $6 to $12 and more handsome designs 

 run from $16 to $25 and up. However, 



if he desires something smaller, we are 

 prepared to make the design as cheap as 

 $5. We recommend the average size if 

 they desire something along that line 

 and, of course, we recommend the larger 

 designs if they want something more 

 elaborate. This is only as an illustra- 

 tion. 



Now, there are a number of salesmen 

 who are good judges of human nature 

 and close students of salesmanship, who 

 can size up their customer from the in- 

 troductory conversation and understand 

 how to quote them prices. There are 

 also certain customers who have been 

 on our books for a number of years, and 

 we always know the size of their pocket- 

 book and, of course, have no trouble in 

 arriving at the proper charge. We 

 sometimes misjudge a customer, even 

 though we may be good salesmen. 

 For illustration, a wealthy man tele- 

 phoned us an order for a design. He 

 stated that he wanted a handsome 

 piece, but hesitated about giving us the 

 amount. We wired a $50 design. We 

 thought it covered his needs, but when 

 he received the bill he was much em- 

 barrassed that we sent such a shoddy 

 design for him. He then stated he felt 

 that anything from $150 to $250 should 

 have been the amount of the design. 

 Of course, this was an unusual case, and 

 I want to assure you that he was not 

 half so disappointed as we were, be- 

 cause we certainly would have liked to 

 order a $250 design for him. 



Stock as Salesmen. 



One of the biggest assets is to have 

 a complete stock at all times in our 

 store. When a customer enters the store 

 and sees an empty icebox, he immedi- 

 ately comes to the conclusion that we 

 cannot fill his needs satisfactorily. 

 When we have a large assortment to se- 

 lect from, it certainly inspires more 

 confidence in our customer. 



Another important item which pos- 

 sibly comes under the head of "sales- 

 manship" is that of our show windows, 

 our silent salesmen. How many up-to- 

 date dry goods and other merchandising 

 concerns allow their front show win- 

 dows to get unsightly? How many 

 florists make it their business to see that 

 their windows are attractive? It is true 

 our stock is perishable and requires con- 

 siderable attention, but that is all the 

 more reason why we should give our 

 windows special and careful attention. 

 What is more attractive to the public 

 than a well arranged florist's show 

 window? The same applies to the in- 

 terior of the florist's store. In our line 

 of business it is necessary to be con- 

 stantly changing stock xu the front of 

 the store. When filling orders, the 

 stock used should be replaced imme- 

 diately by something else that will add 

 to the attractiveness of the store. The 

 flowers in the icebox should be at- 

 tractively arranged at all times, irre- 

 spective of whether the business is 

 rushing or quiet. I have noticed, more 

 particularly during the big rushes, that 

 employees will rush to the icebox, grab 

 out some flowers and not take time to 

 rearrange them. The customer takes 



