Asking customers for their card message streamlines the order process, giving you valuable information to guide the sale.
After making a couple thousand mystery shopper calls, Floral Strategies President Tim Huckabee has heard far too many florists inundate customers with questions, leading with one that immediately quashes their sales potential: “How much do you want to spend?”
A brighter approach, which cuts to the chase and lets you guide you the sale? Streamline your inquisition and simply ask for the card message.
“This instantly tells you the occasion, the relationship between the sender and the recipient, and how many people this gift represents,” said Huckabee in his latest Floral Management column.
Too many questions prolong the call and, “ironically, erode customers’ confidence in you,” Huckabee said.
Customers who call your shop, rather than order online, want professional guidance and don’t appreciate having to make decision after decision (Modern or traditional? Monobotanical or mixed flowers? Jewel tones or pastels?).
Furthermore, he said, it’s far more effective to upsell with a suggestion than with a question. Consider the following options:
- “I recommend adding a few red roses for a splash of color.”
- “Would you like to add some red roses to the arrangement?”
Option A conveys confidence and expertise, whereas Option B seems to sheepishly say, “want to spend more?”
Huckabee’s final nugget of advice of sales calls is to monitor the pitch of your voice. “I often hear even seasoned staff tiptoeing around prices, raising their voice by four octaves,” he said. “Tell a customer the price—even when it’s more than you would spend—in the same pace and tone as you would say your name. In other words, matter-of-factly.”
For more tips on selling over the phone, visit floralstrategies.com/SAF.
