at what point do you ask for more $

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

While agree with most of the thinking concerning this issue....there are always two sides to every story.

We always checked the minimum before we sent an order, and if anyone rejected or asked for more money.....they automatically went into a "no send to list". We sent out huge numbers of orders every day and couldn't afford to deal with all the hassle. Those shops that maybe had been receiving 50 orders a month from us could lose all those orders by rejecting one. I know many big shops that use this premise.

The thinking behind this is " You win a few and you lose a few, but, hopefully, you will win more than you lose.".

I know one time I had a customer that was in dire straights and couldn't even afford to send what she did to a sister's funeral. I called a good shop and asked if they would take care of this, even though it was beneath their minimum. They did and I put them on the list to receive all my orders for years which were all good priced orders.

It is a different world out there today and I understand why you reject dot.com orders etc., but be careful of rejecting an order from a good flower shop.
Carol Bice

Carol's post is "witness" to how network order transmittal was once viewed, and averaging orders over time, would usually result in an even slate, on the wire service part of your business.
When you decided to "join" a wire, it was to gain territorial "rights" ,and expand your market reach, with the "help" of sending shops that trusted you, and filling shops that had the same "values" as your own shop.
The internet "infancy" foray of most shops was a scary time, and most shop's had to be held by the hand, to move into a global market, which many shops resisted by figuring that incoming orders would MORE than "offset" any "danger" to their order volumes, and shop's like Carol's became very careful about whom THEY sent their order to, because SUDDENLY, there was competition, for the world consumer, AND, no reason to continue servicing incoming orders as carefully as your own, and objecting to undervalued orders.
Consumers with tight pocketbooks turned to mass online vendors, that could AND WOULD, happily take their orders, promise the world, and often, got their orders filled by those very same shops, that WOULDN'T do it for Carol's shops.
Flower shops have NO RIGHTS, when it comes to business existence any more, and MUST fight for every penny, just to live another day, so, when it comes to asking for MORE money, on ANY order, be "prepared" to lose ALL orders from that sender.
Working hard, means weaning yourself from the NEED for incoming, and once done, YOU can control who can abuse YOUR shop's reputation, and it's bottom line.
ASK and EXPECT more money for ANY order that "endangers" YOUR shops existence, AND financial stability.

 

[Carol Bice]

Carol's post is "witness" to how network order transmittal was once viewed, and averaging orders over time, would usually result in an even slate, on the wire service part of your business.
When you decided to "join" a wire, it was to gain territorial "rights" ,and expand your market reach, with the "help" of sending shops that trusted you, and filling shops that had the same "values" as your own shop.
The internet "infancy" foray of most shops was a scary time, and most shop's had to be held by the hand, to move into a global market, which many shops resisted by figuring that incoming orders would MORE than "offset" any "danger" to their order volumes, and shop's like Carol's became very careful about whom THEY sent their order to, because SUDDENLY, there was competition, for the world consumer, AND, no reason to continue servicing incoming orders as carefully as your own, and objecting to undervalued orders.
Consumers with tight pocketbooks turned to mass online vendors, that could AND WOULD, happily take their orders, promise the world, and often, got their orders filled by those very same shops, that WOULDN'T do it for Carol's shops.
Flower shops have NO RIGHTS, when it comes to business existence any more, and MUST fight for every penny, just to live another day, so, when it comes to asking for MORE money, on ANY order, be "prepared" to lose ALL orders from that sender.
Working hard, means weaning yourself from the NEED for incoming, and once done, YOU can control who can abuse YOUR shop's reputation, and it's bottom line.
ASK and EXPECT more money for ANY order that "endangers" YOUR shops existence, AND financial stability.

Thanks for bringing my post up to 2008. It is different out there now.
Carol Bice

 

[TOTO]

Good Analysis from Mikey and Carol

As always, the opinions and analysis' of both Mikey and Carol always have serious weight.

The sad part in all of this, is in the fact that, the WSs, who we once thought of as our business partners who were once able to HELP GROW OUR BUSINESSES, eventually morphed into being JUST ANOTHER ONE of OUR COMPETITORS.

They made a BUSINESS DECISION to USURP the traditional 100% floral consumer sales out from under their very own florists.

As we've discussed before, and as Mikey pointed out, what used to be a FAIR and BALANCED mechanism of TRADE between TWO REAL FLORISTS, thus YOU DOO FOR MEE and I'LL DO FOR YOU, we were always able to COST SHIFT the losses incurred from the filling side of the WS order spectrum over to the profits we made from the sending side.

Once the DOT.CONS invaded our TERRITORIES, the old system of CHECKS and BALANCES went out the window and florists were left with only the LOOSING SIDE of the WS order FILLING process.

After which, the WSs went into the fore profit FLORAL ORDER GATHERERING BUSINESS as well. Their decision (to compete with their own florists) compounded the profitability problems for their very own florists, and same ones they depend upon, for their very existence.

And so, WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

Like any form of CANCER, and once diagnosed, the process of treating the disease is to IDENTIFY IT, IRRADIATE IT, IRRADICATE IT, and eventually, ELIMINATE IT, from your body.

Otherwise, it will continue to spread, and your body will eventually die, and due to simple starvation.

The only TRUE RELATIONSHIPS we should be having, is BETWEEN OURSELVES and EACH OTHER! We're the ones who count, not them!

TOTO reports! YOU DECIDE!

Footnote: And so, Barack was so scared of a STRONG WOMAN, he chose BIDEN. No problem! Come this November, I'll be choosing a STRONG WOMAN called PALIN. The LEFT wing media tries to put her down while describing her as a JUST A! Just a MAYOR of a small town and then, just a GOVENOR of a small state, and then, just a Mother of five children.

In my UMBLE OPINION, being a MOTHER is the TOUGHEST JOB in the world. When you can handle that, YOU CAN HANDLE ANYTHING!

Obama did WHAT? Oh, that's right, he operated two community groups, was only a State Senator, and spent 84 days in the US SENATE voting PRESENT when they had roll call, but HE GIVES GOOD SPEECH, provided the teleprompter is working. After that, he goes into the old Jackie Gleason trademark phrase of HUMINA, HUMINA, HUMINA.

Did I say that, TOTO LOVES STRONG WOMEN? Just ask the LOVELY LINDA, aka: TOTO's LEASH! She's been at my side for 38 years and never missed a beat. Without her, I would be NOTHING!
:squish: