What is the value of the Sales Representative that you employ? "What's this all about", you will probably say, or "I don't employ a rep" or "who can afford another member of staff ?"
So sorry to alarm you again with some startling news, but every floristshop is employing and paying a rep or in some cases a number of reps? A very very very expensive rep, one who is being paid more than you or your staff. In fact, you do not actually pay them, they pay themselves whatever they wish and give you the balance of the customers spend. The business does not ever get an introduction to the customer who paid for a product,which the rep could not ever supply for the value paid.
A definition of a rep is a person who has the knowledge of the product being produced and is truthful in the presentation. A person who is contracted to the business who is employing them and who introduces and sells that product on behalf of the company. No money changes hands between the customer and the rep. The customer is billed by the Business and the rep is paid by the business with the agreed fee in the contract. The customer gets the product and the business has another satisfied customer on their database. A customer who is satisfied with the service will return.
Does the rep you employ measure up?
Do you know the original customer personally?
Do you know how much the original customer spent?
Does the customer know who the florist making the arrangement is?
Does the rep know what flowers and designs you a capable of supplying?
Does the rep know your delivery areas?
Does the florist know how many reps (ordergatherers) your received order has changed hands?
Does the florist know the feelings and emotions of the sender?
Is the receiving florist always the closest to the point of deliver?
Or do you take the extra delivery out of the flowers?
Do you know the florist has a percentage removed from the delivery fees before payment is made?
Do you know how many other florists have rejected the order as impossible to do?
Do you have any concern to the mis-representation of "your Florist Name" and the Florist Industry in general.?
Do you give a 60 day credit and 25% plus discount to your local customers?
Or do you make your local customer order through an "order-gatherer" who takes the 60days and 25+%?
Do you believe in giving your hard earned profits to the opposition to advertise their name in your area in Competition to you?
Why do the florist pay for a $25,000 advert placed in directories with not a mention of their name?
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS TRUTHFULLY AND YOU WILL KNOW WHY CUSTOMERS DO NOT GO INTO FLORIST SHOPS
Up to the 90's the RELAY ORGANISATIONS were genuine and were Great Reps for the Florist Then they turned on the florist and invited ORDERGATHERERS and "CALL CENTERS" to join the throng, Before this, all orders were handled entirely by the LOCAL INDEPENDENT FLORIST AND WHAT A JOY IT WAS TO GAIN ANOTHER FRIEND AND CUSTOMER and to be able to share their feelings and emotions with them and their friends. This is practically now non-existent in some shops.
Did these organisations answer the above questions truthfully when they enticed the local florist to give up their own customers and profits and they test order as well.?
We think not and we have test orders on these self assumed, self elected reps with facts and figures to prove it. Do we have any suggestions on how to fix something that is sorely broke, WE SURE DO. CAN WE HAVE SOME SENSIBLE DISCUSSION ON THESE MATTERS (INDUSTRY WISE ONLY PLEASE) IT INVOLVES EVERY LOCAL REAL LIVE INDEPENDENT FLORIST including those who are doing and want to do better and those who are struggling. The more the better to promote flowers..
The best REPS are always yourself and STAFF who realise that they are responsible for their own wages (NOT THE BOSS)
CHEERS, we can get our customers back if we once again become a Unique Service Industry......SERVICE THE EMOTION< SUPPLY THE FLOWERS< SATISFY THE SOUL. So from the wise old owl at EFlowersAlive (NOT AN ORDERGATHERER, or RELAY ORGANISATION< or CALL CENTER (heaven forbid)but just a little 40 year old Florist shop trying to save the FLORIST SHOP ENVIROMENT for THE NEW GENERATION FLORIST.
Of the three people in our florist, Helen (25years loyal staff), Joyce (my wife ) and myself there are over 100years of dedication and experiences of the benefits of flowers to the world and our loyal customers, and we will not allow big corporations and their greed and deceit to over-run the independent florist. We have developed the resources and the tools, but they will surely go rusty like our cutters and knives if they are not used.
Think along these lines, FLOWERS DIRECT.....THE ORIGINAL WAY.......CUSTOMER DIRECT TO FLORIST DIRECT TO RECIPIENT......
If you are not up to using this forum in case of a reprisal, but would be interested in getting new customers and retaining your old then please email EFlowersalive on flowers800@optusnet.com.au with your details and we will forward futhur information for your perusal on how to obtain 100% payment with every order being a local order (under no obligation its your decision).
Listen to the Flowers and their Symbolic Nature of Love Peace and Friendship.............................Ron
