As Tim Huckabee celebrates 20 years in business, he’s helping florists deal with the “seismic shift” in how consumers buy flowers.
When Tim Huckabee started his sales and customer service training company in June 1997, flower shops with web sites were considered tech-savvy and florists had a major advantage over other gift outlets for spontaneous purchases and same-day delivery.
Flash forward to 2017 and — “the Internet has turned things upside down,” said Huckabee, who wrote the popular “CSI: Flower Shop” and then “Dear Tim” column in Floral Management magazine for six years and is a frequent speaker at Society of American Florists education events. Huckabee trains some 200 shops a year in Australia, North America and Europe. “People still buy flowers, but there’s been a seismic shift in how they buy them.”
As Huckabee marks the 20th anniversary of his business, FloralStrategies, EBrief editors asked him to share some of his thoughts on what’s changed in the industry over the last two decades, what hasn’t, along with advice any business owner can put into practice today to improve sales and service immediately.
What’s different:
The Internet — and the effect of the web on florists has only accelerated in the last decade, Huckabee said.
“Starting about 10 years ago there was a noticeable increase in people who wanted to finish their shopping online, full stop,” without interacting with a “real” person.
A challenge for retailers, Huckabee said, has been adapting to this new terrain and finding ways to ensure that customers don’t feel overwhelmed by the buying process.
“Consumers across the board essentially want to be told what to do, but the floral industry doesn’t realize this,” he said. “Ironically, the industry bombards customers with a million questions” or dozens of options online and in-store.
For his part, Huckabee advocates selling customers on a feeling or a color palette, versus a specific design with a set variety.
Adapting also includes embracing new tech. In the last two to three years, for instance, Huckabee has seen “increasing demand from customers to see an actual picture of what they’re sending.”
Florists who meet those kinds of expectations — and, better yet, find ways to exceed them — stand to benefit most.
What’s the same:
Don’t get Huckabee started on bad sales habits that remain pervasive across the industry —from wire service sites to local florist showrooms.
“Whether you are shopping in Paris, Texas, or Paris, France, a person selling you a watch or a car won’t say, ‘How much do you want to spend?’ They won’t put the least expensive item high on their website, but a flower shop will.”
Huckabee sees this approach as a kind of race to the bottom. Instead of apologizing for selling to the customer, Huckabee advocates recognizing the true service florists are providing when they listen to customers, understand the occasion and offer an appropriately priced design.
Here’s an exercise he suggests. Offer a customer a design that’s priced 25 percent higher than the most expensive item in your cooler.
“She may go for it or she may say that’s too much, but she’s not going to walk out of your store,” he said. Plus, the next time that customer has a higher-end need, she’ll remember what your store has to offer.
“Regardless of where you are , people coming into your store are the consumers who will spend $6 on Starbucks,” Huckabee said. “They will spend $500 on a smartphone. They will take their grandchildren to the mall to drop $100 on sneakers. They come into the flower shop prepared to spend much more than we ask them to spend. I’m teaching to let the customer spend the money they want to spend.”
A final tip from Huckabee: Don’t confuse a friendly staff with an effective one.
“There is a huge misconception that because you are friendly you are doing a good sales job,” he said. “People will say to me, ‘We don’t need training! Customers like our staff.’ Just because your staff is friendly doesn’t mean they’re selling well.”
In honor of Huckabee’s anniversary, we’ve compiled some of his best Floral Management columns online. Check out a few of our favorites.
