Now that the Valentine’s Day rush is over, the Society of American Florists has compiled six stellar holiday ideas from the association’s members and volunteer leaders. Tweak them and put them to use for a successful Mother’s Day this spring.
Call Them, Maybe. SAF Next-Gen Task Force Member Eileen Weber, AAF, of Lake Forest Flowers in Lake Forest, Illinois, said part of the key to her successful Valentine’s Day this year was advanced prep, including reminder calls to customers. “We continue to provide reminder calls to our customers who ordered in years past,” she explained. “We begin the calls for Valentine’s Day on February 1 and go through every order. This helps generate sales early and anticipate our volume and avoid all the last-minute calls from our regular clients.” Plus, she added, personal calls are “greatly appreciated by our customers and they allow us to up-sell and make a personal connection.”
Stein Your Florist hosted a CBS news team on Valentine’s Day
Think Outside Your (Standard) Operating Procedures. SAF Retailers Council Member Brad Levy and the team at Allen’s Flowers & Plants in San Diego made some strategic changes to how they operated for Valentine’s Day — and found solutions that made them more efficient. “We did not strip one rose this year, which reduced labor,” Levy said. “Besides that, we are constantly evaluating the processes we used the previous year and making minor tweaks.” (Ahem — if you haven’t made or compiled holiday notes from Valentine’s Day yet, now is the time to do so! You’ll thank yourself next year for the effort when you are prepping for Valentine’s Day 2021.)
Skinny Down Your Offerings. At City Line Florist in Trumbull, Connecticut, SAF Next-Gen Task Force Member Nicole Palazzo made sure to offer a smaller collection online for Valentine’s Day. The decision to offer a narrowed selection “helped with buying and production and made it easier for clients to make choices,” she said. “We will definitely continue to do that in the future.”
Bagoy’s Florist fielded interview teams from three local stations.
Don’t Skimp on Seasonal Training Help. SAF Next-Gen Task Force Member Carly Anechiarico of Blossom Flower Shops in Yonkers and White Plains, New York, said her business benefited from a strong set of seasonal drivers this year. (The business brought in 25 extra drivers for its two locations.) A “secret” to their success? Training, training, training. “This year we brought each into the shop within the week or two leading up to the holiday,” Anechiarico explained. “Each one had one on one time with us to install the delivery app on their phone, a run-through on how to use it as well as our delivery process, procedures and values.”
In Bloom Florist used Facebook to personalize the business and recognize team members.
Get Camera Ready. Reporters LOVE to reach out during a holiday week — and, while hosting a TV crew or answering interview questions may be the very last thing you want to do the day before a major holiday, the positive PR and exposure can do wonders. Take time ahead of the holiday to think through talking points and assign a spokesperson for your business.
At Stein Your Florist, with locations in Philadelphia and New Jersey, owner Patrick Kelly expertly wove in facts about the family business’s 133-year history and tips on Valentine’s Day flower care when a reporter from the local CBS shop visited ahead of that holiday.
Chanda Mines of Bagoy’s Florist in Anchorage was a gracious host to three different news team visits — and managed to look calm, cool and excited as she gave an on-camera tour of her bustling design room and sales floor. “Game on, here we go!” she said, with a big smile that broadcast her expertise and competence to all the viewers and would-be customers watching.
Feeling camera-shy? SAF has tips on how to prep for interviews and engage with the media.
Get Personal. In Orlando, Florida, the team at In Bloom Florist used social media to underscore their professionalism with an upbeat, post-holiday post that detailed their impressive volume (1,600 deliveries and 900 walk-in customers). “We had a great Valentine’s Day,” said co-owner Sally Kobylinski, adding that the wrap-up post helped personalize the business and acknowledge the efforts of staff members.
Jeanne Ha, AIFD, of Park Florist took a similar approach in Takoma Park, Maryland, with social media posts that showed pictures of her staff along with cheerful verbiage that underlined the “real people” behind the beautiful designs. “We try to introduce our team members to the community more often, so that we all make connections,” she explained. “We post their names, pictures and profiles on our website “about us” page as well. And we wear our name tags on our aprons all the time.”
Weber and team used a similar approach with a short Instagram video that showed a small group of employees celebrating the holiday with a rose petal toss. “It’s a fun stress reliever,” Weber said, noting that video is also a great tool on social.
Eileen Weber, AAF, of Lake Forest Flowers in Lake Forest, Illinois, and team posted a lighthearted video to Instagram to celebrate their successful holiday.
Look for more holiday results and ideas in upcoming SAF publication.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management.