Teens attending the prom open house at Shirley’s Flowers enjoy the corsage “bar,” where they can customize their corsage with feathers, bling and add-ons to suit their own personal style.
Having a hard time growing your wedding business — or your corporate sales? (Or, insert just about any other segment in the above sentence…)
It might be time to ask for help, from the very customers you want to see more of in your store.
“There are few products and services that make it straight from concept to sale without some shaping by the buyer they’re supposed to serve,” explained Robin Camarote, author of “Flock: Getting Leaders to Follow” in a recent story for Inc. “You can embrace this fact or fight it and rationalize why their input isn’t valid — while losing time.”
Camarote said part of the trouble is that business owners tend to “dumb down” ideas or assume clients won’t understand a product, service or vision. (In this, they are not alone: Camarote cites new research that shows 55 percent of Americans think they are smarter than the average American, “meaning the average American thinks she is smarter than the average American.”)
That mindset can lead to meetings where clients don’t feel “heard” or worry that they’re being presented with cookie-cutter solutions to a problem. The answer: engage, engage, engage.
“The alternative is to create a process that engages target buyers from the very beginning, even before you’ve come up with an idea,” Camarote said. “It’s your secret weapon not because know one else knows to do this, but because so few actually do.”
Why not?
- Host an open house for newly engaged brides. Instead of presenting your services to them in the form of look books or samples, ask the gals to share their favorite Pinterest boards, or weigh in an “exclusive” new bouquet design.
- Use social media to ask teens for input on prom designs. (“Which corsage is your favorite?” “What do you think about our new floral rings?”) Or follow the lead of shops such as Shirley’s Flowers in Rogers, Arkansas, and actively encourage teens creativity and sense of empowerment with a corsage bar that allows them to custom design their floral accessories.
- Ask a potential corporate client out for coffee, or invite them for a tour of your design space. Ask them about their business and how they might use design services. Then, really listen (and take notes). When you send over a proposal, be sure to include verbiage they used. (“I know you said you’ve had some trouble with employee turnover, and I think we can help you improve morale with floral designs for key milestones…”
