To present a truly fresh face to customers as the weather warms up, you’ll need to do more than sweep your store and update your online graphics, according to Colleen Francis, of the Eye On Sales blog.
In a recent post, Francis argued that many business owners overlook their own language when they update other aspects of the business seasonally, leaving the equivalent of a dust bunny in the middle of their showroom, and hurting their sales prospects in the process.
“We all need to regularly spring clean our sales approach in order to function at our best,” she said. “This means completing an inventory of how we interact with prospects and customers and getting rid of the strategies and selling tools that just aren’t working.”
A few areas to spruce up:
Ditch the (Outdated) Script. Many florists depend on phone orders, making a consistent but fresh voice important. Written guidelines can be a valuable resource for your team — but don’t be too rigid. “Be objective,” said Francis. “Are you using ‘salesy’ sounding language in your script? Do you resemble a radio ad or a telemarketer? Are you talking more than listening on your first call to a prospect? If you answered ‘yes’ to any one of these three questions, you need to spring clean your approach and start over.”
Hold Steady. On a related note, many business owners (still in a recession-era mindset) tend to cave when a customer balks at price, or to start offerings at a low point to begin with, said Francis. “Trash this approach,” she said. “Instead, emphasize the value of what you offer to your customer and provide options rather than discounts.” (Remember to make time to practice this pivot with customers, so they know how to deal with price-sensitive customers. Need help? Check out Floral Management magazine’s archive for dozens of columns on customer service and sales training by Tim Huckabee of FloralStrategies.)
Keep Testimonials Current. “Your testimonials must be current, compelling and credible,” Francis said. (In other words, so long rave review from a wedding in 2005.) “Prospects want to know if your products and services work in today’s marketplace — not the one from five or 10 years ago.”
