Congratulations, you survived Valentine’s Day! Hopefully you took time to savor some solitude (and maybe some of that V-Day chocolate or a bottle of vino). But don’t rest on your laurels too long, because there’s more high-volume events coming down the pipeline, including prom and Mother’s Day.
Set yourself up for success later this spring (and in February 2020) by holding a post Valentine’s Day debriefing, where you and your staff review how the holiday went.
A few particular questions to ask:
- Were there a lot of unsold arrangements left in the cooler?
- What price point(s) were the most popular?
- Did sales people pitch pre-made products — or were designers inundated with special orders?
- How was the staffing level? Was the workload busy, but manageable? Or were workers overwhelmed — or bored?
- Were deliveries bunched up on February 14 or spread out amongst Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday?
- What add-ons were especially popular this year?
- What incentives were most effective in generating early orders?
- What freelance helpers meshed well with the team? Showed a knack for sales, customer service or design?
- What day(s) and hour(s) were the busiest?
- What was the general attitude of the store?
- Any common comments from customers?
Review this information as soon as possible, while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind. Consider discussing over a catered lunch or dinner, offered as a small “thank you” to your team for their hard work during crunch time.
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.
