During the month of June, the Society of American Florists’ Reignite Your Business webinar series, sponsored by Teleflora, focused on helping you drive sales and manage operations during these changing times. Here are a few tips from the series to help you navigate everything from keeping staff and customers safe to driving consumer demand online.
- Host a virtual design class. Heather Waits, AAF, of Bloomtastic Florist shared during Reignite Your Business: Virtual Events that hosting a virtual design class is a great way to bring in extra income for your shop with not so much work. The key is to market your virtual class with words like “create” and “design” to convey artistry and skill. Get more tips on hosting a virtual design class here.
- Keep staff and customers safe. The pandemic has made your employees’ and customers’ health your top priority. During Reignite Your Business: Keeping Staff and Customers Safe, Christopher Norwood, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of Tipton & Hurst, shared safety measures he’s taken to protect everyone who works or shops there. Listen to Christopher’s detailed safety tips here.
- Make the most of your lean team. After laying off her entire 30-person staff and only being able to bring back some employees, Wendy Rockcastle of Rockcastle Florist had to learn how to succeed with a lean team. During Reignite Your Business: Strategies for Rebuilding Lean Teams, Wendy shared that smart hiring was a key to having a lean team. Find more of Wendy’s lean team tips here.
- Make the most of new customers. Social distancing guidelines created a lot of first-time flower buyers this spring, as consumers sought contact-free ways to deliver a virtual hug to friends and family. Steve Ozment, of Flowerama and Emerald City Websites shared how to turn these new customers into lifelong clients during Reignite Your Business: Digital Tactics to Make the Most of New Customers. Listen to Steve’s tips here.
- Navigate the PPP loan forgiveness process. After the PPP Flexibility Act passed on June 5, Paul Goodman, MBA, PFCI, joined SAF during Reignite Your Business: PPP Forgiveness Procedures to explain the several modifications to the original PPP that are beneficial to most floral business participants. Hear more details on the PPP Flexibility Act here.
- Leverage LinkedIn. With in-person networking events on hold for the foreseeable future, it’s more important than ever to connect with current and prospective clients online. Jackie Levine of Central Square Florist shared tips on how to build relationships through the business site during Reignite Your Business: Leveraging LinkedIn. Listen to those tips here.
- Focus on marketing messages that sell. During Reignite Your Business: Marketing Messages that Sell, Jennifer Barnard of Tillie’s Flower shared how she’s been promoting her family business by focusing on key messages, emphasizing the power of flowers and stepping outside her comfort zone to deliver the content, products and services that resonate with customers and drive sales every day. Listen to that discussion here.
Continue your summer learning by joining our multi-day virtual Reinvention Summit from July 27-31. Registration is opening soon!
Stephanie Brady is the Project Coordinator for the Society of American Florists.
