Kristen Brown, Rutland Beard Floral Group, Catonsville, Maryland; Joy Lai, Teleflora, Inc., Los Angeles; Michelle Bolchune, Lion Ribbon...
How to Click With Brides to Be on Social Media
Social media is an enticing tool to court brides-to-be. (After all, it's free!) But with 1.5 billion Facebook users, 316 million Twitter users, 300...
3 Simple Rules For Better Phone Calls
In the duration of a phone call, there's ample room for error, such as starting the conversation with price instead of the card message or placing a...
Retailers Up Average Order Values with New Products
If you want to take your arrangements to the next level (read: a higher price point), the same old containers and accessories simply won't cut it....
Twenty-Seven and Counting: New Discount Drives Van Purchases
Reduced gas prices aren't the only things making SAF members smile this summer. Between the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram lineup and the FIAT 500L,...
Who Will Be Crowned Best in Show?
For growers entering SAF's 2015 Outstanding Varieties Competition, Sept. 9, the next few days will entail a whole lot of packing, prepping and...
Retailers Work on Comprehensive Holiday Business Plan
The Society of American Florists is tackling one of the potentially most lucrative — or disastrous — aspects of running a flower business, with...
Industry Champion Tom Butler’s Legacy Honored
In honor of Tom Butler’s dedication and passion to the floral industry, Teleflora has established the “Tom Butler Floral Retailer of the Year”...
Be Careful How You Classify Workers
What exactly is an independent contractor? The government's new interpretation has several ramifications for floral business owners. The U.S....
Out of Stock? How to Suggest Substitutions With Ease
We've all been there. A customer calls requesting an arrangement she saw online, but you don't have the exact flowers or containers pictured in your...
A Simple Trick to Make Brides to Pay Up
It's a scenario straight out of florists' nightmares: You spend hours and hundreds of dollars designing a client's wedding. And then she stiffs...
California Growers, Shippers Host Buyers at Fun ‘N Sun
Leaders of CalFlowers (the California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers) are thanking an improved economy and a growing appreciation for...
Michael V. Geary Resigns as AmericanHort President & CEO
The AmericanHort Board of Directors today announced that Michael V. Geary, CAE tendered his resignation as President & CEO. Geary is leaving to...
Ecuadorean Flower Farmers Eye Volcano
A volcano, which last erupted in 1877, has the attention of Ecuadorean flower growers. Employees of farms located southwest of Cotopaxi volcano were...
Let Customers Linger a Little Before You Say Hello
How do you greet your customers? "How may I help you?" is friendly, but direct — a good choice for people who order over the phone and appreciate...