Another instance of customer thinking "They" are the Mother Ship
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lori042499
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- May 3, 2006
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I was listening to an ad from a bank this morning....As we all know banks right now are in turmoil, no one likes what they charge, no one likes how they do business, but people still need to use them....Some banks are better than others on fees and what not....its just daunting to read all the info and find one that works for you, some prefer a small local bank, some prefer the national banks with tones of atms, soe prefer on line banks, none are very loyal, they are all one rediculous charge away from anyone packing up their money and moving it to a new bank....sounds very similar to our industry.
Well this particular bank, TD bank north was advertising its new name change...they are dropping the north, They are a now national bank, I believe...in the 60 seconds they also advertised all the things they are now going to be better at than other banks...This got me to thinking about advertising and how we all do it or don't...
We all take out advertisements at the holidays for our specials and stuff that we are offering, just at the time when we need business the least but will have the most money to pay for it, this is a bit counter productive, mostly because our fans will be buying from us regardless of the ad or a billboard or screaming from the rooftops...the few customers we do get from those ads are looking at that time but will find someone because they are searching anyways...Is our money best spent this way? I say no...we are not spending our advertising dollars for what we need...we don't need to sell our specials at the holidays because there is already and increased need for those products and they will sell regardless..
What we need to be selling and advertising is why people whould be buying flowers all the time...why they should be buying from us, why we are the better flower choice...we should be advertising, our better floral selection, fresh daily hand picked flowers, dutch varieties, more human contact, more knowledge, better customer service, friendlier, etc etc...we should be advertising this year round...especially in the summer when consumtion is down and flowers are cheap and for all intents and purposes, nicer, fresher and better looking for a better price to the consumer...
It has taken me 3 1/2 years of listening to other ads on the radio to know why people advertise and what we are doing wrong...we aren't consistant with advertising, we advertise at the least opportune times for increasing biz and consumption, we advertise silly stuff not our shops and our industry, just stuff we sell...we have very little marketing plans for long term goals, it is all short term now deals, and most of us have abandoned it all together because we have found it to be a waste of time and money..and have given up...I think that 90% of us need to go to a marketing class and learn the psycology behind advertising if there is such a class...and we would all do so much better..It really isn't our fault, because until 10 years ago, florists had no competition and did not need to know all this stuff, now we do or we will surely die a slow and painful death..
Well this particular bank, TD bank north was advertising its new name change...they are dropping the north, They are a now national bank, I believe...in the 60 seconds they also advertised all the things they are now going to be better at than other banks...This got me to thinking about advertising and how we all do it or don't...
We all take out advertisements at the holidays for our specials and stuff that we are offering, just at the time when we need business the least but will have the most money to pay for it, this is a bit counter productive, mostly because our fans will be buying from us regardless of the ad or a billboard or screaming from the rooftops...the few customers we do get from those ads are looking at that time but will find someone because they are searching anyways...Is our money best spent this way? I say no...we are not spending our advertising dollars for what we need...we don't need to sell our specials at the holidays because there is already and increased need for those products and they will sell regardless..
What we need to be selling and advertising is why people whould be buying flowers all the time...why they should be buying from us, why we are the better flower choice...we should be advertising, our better floral selection, fresh daily hand picked flowers, dutch varieties, more human contact, more knowledge, better customer service, friendlier, etc etc...we should be advertising this year round...especially in the summer when consumtion is down and flowers are cheap and for all intents and purposes, nicer, fresher and better looking for a better price to the consumer...
It has taken me 3 1/2 years of listening to other ads on the radio to know why people advertise and what we are doing wrong...we aren't consistant with advertising, we advertise at the least opportune times for increasing biz and consumption, we advertise silly stuff not our shops and our industry, just stuff we sell...we have very little marketing plans for long term goals, it is all short term now deals, and most of us have abandoned it all together because we have found it to be a waste of time and money..and have given up...I think that 90% of us need to go to a marketing class and learn the psycology behind advertising if there is such a class...and we would all do so much better..It really isn't our fault, because until 10 years ago, florists had no competition and did not need to know all this stuff, now we do or we will surely die a slow and painful death..
Dollar Tree - Mark Anderson
New Member
Yes! That is exactly what I am talking about. Who or where would the average customer get this information but from you. I originally ordered from the 800 numbers because that was “Top of Mind” when I needed flowers and it was online which was quick / convenient. However a guy like me can still get “quick and convenient” with their local florist and get all the things that the 800 company can’t provide. I know that now
I think people given the choice would buy local if they just knew. Even big banks are still local. I bank with SunTrust which is down the street from where I work and live. If I had to send my money to some bank in another state I am sure I would find a different bank. Hope that makes sense???
In economics, it is always difficult to establish causality. But if you can find enough congruence, then you can make a strong case for causality.
Take a look at a chart of US market size by years. Notice that a few years after the OGs started to get rolling, the growth in the overall market slowed, and finally began to decline.
Proof? No.
Strong indication? I think so. At least one (unnamed) WS exec privately agrees.
Bill
We could also interpret other factors as being the cause, even the economy. The correlation between the OGs entering the market and the decline in market size is an interesting theory though. Fighting the OG and WS while beefing up our individual marketing to include education and integrity is a good start. The giant can fall. You, Bill, as an individual have done more for this industry through legislation than groups of us have here on FC or in our own areas. We all need to follow your lead.
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