FYI re Teleflora's New Selection Guide

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Originally posted by jbarb

But I digress, my point was, for $80 here they would get a huge arrangement of fragrant flowers in a minimal cost vase unless the customer asked for a more expensive one.
Jim
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Jim,

You are the kind of Florist who deserves a pat on the back for doing what's right for consumers.
 
Re: Re: Re: Ah! do I need THE BOOK?

Originally posted by Peter1
There once was another little company that started with Zero and ended up with 25,000 members, you might have heard of AFS.
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Peter, I don't know of a single florist that could say "A customer called my shop and asked to send an AFS order."

AFS provided its customers the ability to send flowers to each other but they almost never, with the exception of a sponsorship of Paul Harvey, marketed flowers to the public. (They did do an exceptional job of marketing themselves to florist, however.) They also signed up many shops that couldn't meet the requirements of the higher profile WS'. (Us old-timers likely remember looking in an FTD or TF directory first to find a shop, then referring to the AFS book mainly because they had coverage of small towns.)

Had they never started the idea of rebates, I can't begin to guess how much money would have been available for marketing - for all the companies. Just prior to the merger with Teleflora, they raised their clearing house fee to 9% (from 7%) which must have had a negative affect on their membership levels.

When WS fees started increasing dramatically (after Perry's purchase of FTD) florists were forced to assess their benefits. Most were leery of giving up their largest 'service of choice' so the '2nd tier' memberships were jettisoned (Florafax, Carik, etc.)

Regardless of our own biases, a nationally recognized wire service affilliation does lend credibility to a retailer. And nationally recognized marketing and marketing materials do sell flowers.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Ah! do I need THE BOOK?

Originally posted by Rosiescenario
Peter, I don't know of a single florist that could say "A customer called my shop and asked to send an AFS order."

-- It goes back to my point about the Wire service should remain invisable to the consumer. When consumers use a credit card, do they worry about how the transaction is handled so as long as they are approved for the transaction? Build your local brand, and you will find it works. All you're really doing when you promote TF product is promote TF more than your own shop.

AFS provided its customers the ability to send flowers to each other but they almost never, then referring to the AFS book mainly because they had coverage of small towns.)

--That's right, I know all about AFS and how it worked, all they needed to do was market themselves to Florists that was who they wanted to do business with. I wouldn't say that AFS signed up many shops who didn't meet requirements of the other two, and compared to some of the shops now days, AFS standards were higher than TF's are today, at one time FTD's standards were high at least to get in, and then quite often FTD shops slipped once they were in, I seen a ton of FTD shops in the old days who couldn't even find some water to wash their windows and keep the shops tidy. (and yet today they still don't keep the shops tidy) If neccessary I can have some former AFS reps come here and tell you the same thing, not every shop got in the door who applied, it was more up to the Rep and the background check performed on the shop. In Canada, the AFS directory was twice the size of the FTD directory, and personally if I was sending an order, it went AFS over the other two. In many cases, I'd sooner have every small town Florist in North America, even if their orders are less in qty. Plus AFS started the commitment to coverage which TF uses their own today.

Had they never started the idea of rebates, I can't begin to guess how much money would have been

Yes the old rebate wars, it was an idea to gain more members and once shops were members to get them to send a AFS order, because you can have all kinds of members, but if they don't use the system it doesn't make a Wire service much money. As you know it's all about the orders. I also know about the 9% clearing house, not much difference some shops pay now to TF that are from 7-10% (read your rules and regs in TF's latest directory) Shops are PUNISHED for not being able to send orders because sometimes they are in some areas and simply don't have the numbers to send unless they become a weasel and do a OG operation. We don't believe in punishing Florists around here.

-- In alot of cases why the other two were dumped were because of stupid management at the other two, and not offering SERVICE Carik had some good ideas, but stupid people at the top.

Regardless of our own biases, a nationally recognized wire service affilliation does lend credibility to a retailer. And nationally recognized marketing and marketing materials do sell flowers.
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Depends on the area and the Florist. Personally if I was ordering flowers and not in this business, I wouldn't care who or how they went, as long as I got value for my money. I respect your choice for who you have for a Wire service, just feel bad for you considering how they have brain washed you into believing the nonsense and how much you pay for it.

Makes me truly wonder how many times they can hammer Florists out there before they start to wake up. Likely when it's too late.

Teleflora never stands for anything, one day they are promoting how they will never ever put a .com or a 800 number in ads, but less than two years later they changed that idea. What do they truly stand for? NOTHING. Ever see the Resnicks come out against Martha Stewart? No , in fact they work with her to promote other business interests they have. They ever come out against taxing florists in California? No, they promote the idiot Governor to keep him in power. Do they believe in destorying charities who help land mine victims? Yes! They only stand for making profits off the backs of hard working Florists, and frankly it makes me literally puke.
 
Originally posted by Peter1
I respect your choice for who you have for a Wire service, just feel bad for you considering how they have brain washed you into believing the nonsense and how much you pay for it.
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Please save your pity.

Neither I nor the other nearly 30,000 members of Teleflora have been 'brainwashed' - or do you just feel 3/4 of the professional florists in North America are fools?

Why don't you highlight the benefits of your company instead of constantly tearing down others. It seems no one can say anything nice about a wire service without you throwing in a negative shot.

Please let us all know when you offer a selection guide so this topic will apply to Your company.
 
I know one of the things FSI had to do to become viable, that was create a selection guide. They have done a good job at it.

I'm not saying anything bad about Peter's company, but I am also not a fool who has been brainwashed. I USE those images and those books to make sales, and they are perhaps THE biggest benefit of my belonging to the major 2. Lacking resources to shoot professional images like 800 flowers does, I simply couldn't do what I do without them.

I'm glad Teleflora is coming out with a new one, the other one is getting stale, and the FTD one currently looks best, IMHO.

I'm quite happy to have selection guides, and use them all the time. It also helps give understanding to what wire out customers are getting on the other end, which also helps to inspire confidence. I actually PREFER to have them get an idea, as opposed to a "mixed arrangement". I used to try to sell designer choice but no longer do. I now direct them to the books, and a side benefit of that is reduced sticker shock when they can directly see what things cost these days, so we don't have unrealistic expectations that you can get something "really nice" for $35.

just bloomz 2.5 cents worth
 
Originally posted by bloomz
I know one of the things FSI had to do to become viable, that was create a selection guide. They have done a good job at it.

I'm not saying anything bad about Peter's company, but I am also not a fool who has been brainwashed. I USE those images and those books to make sales, and they are perhaps THE biggest benefit of my belonging to the major 2. Lacking resources to shoot professional images like 800 flowers does, I simply couldn't do what I do without them.

just bloomz 2.5 cents worth
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In regard to FSI, they didn't have a guide out till they had something like what 1-2 thousand members? They have a decent price for their guide and my understanding it's a choice if a shop wants it, I believe it's $75.00? FSI's guide is quite nice from what I've seen of it. They also didn't have a "system" to transfer orders for quite some time,so I understand but did that stop shops from joining? Nope. Our system (fax servers) is as good if not better than what they are using) Seems some of the rest of us, have to be as big as Teleflora to get members without almost having to beg shops to join.

Being a member of TF and FTD has worked well for you Bloomz which really helps you grow business on your site, and you have a super site there at www.inbloom.com
 
Re: Ah! do I need THE BOOK?

Originally posted by Blue Oyster Cult
I'll just tell TF since they have made my day so easy on the DOVE with their TF selections thanks to Duck 7.0 that I will print off those pictures in COLOR no doubt and stick those printouts in MY OWN BOOK since "I'm a member and I pay for doing THAT"..
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Or Blue..take the CD, stick it in a PC for customers to look thru ;)
 
Originally posted by Rosiescenario
Please save your pity.

Neither I nor the other nearly 30,000 members of Teleflora have been 'brainwashed' - or do you just feel 3/4 of the professional florists in North America are fools?

Why don't you highlight the benefits of your company instead of constantly tearing down others. It seems no one can say anything nice about a wire service without you throwing in a negative shot.

Please let us all know when you offer a selection guide so this topic will apply to Your company.
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Yeah, 30,000.00 counted them have you? If you do, you'll find its not 30,000.00 World Wide it's 30,000.00 but they aren't all FULL Teleflora members, but simply Associated companies working with Teleflora. How do I know this? Because I work with many of the same companies.

I'm not a negative person, but if I wanted to go negative it wouldn't be a problem as I would hire one of the most negative pro's in North America to do the job. I'm simply telling it like it is, perhaps you havn't had it told you to before in that way. The facts speak for themselves. I'm also on record as saying the new TF selection guide is very nice (how is that negative?). I give credit where it's due and tell it like it is when it's not. Teleflora Canada has very good efficent staff, can the same be said for the US office? No.

I have said many times the postive benefits of my company, and without sounding like a commerical I'm not going to go over them again in this message.

Our selection guide: When we do nail down the source (either the publisher, or a wholesaler) and we won't be charging $400.00 for it. It will be given to members FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

I'm not saying shop owners are fools, however how many of them seriously get what's going on out there? 2000-3000 of them? Many Owners are Florists/designers first, business people second and they suddenly wake up to what's going on, it's quite the shock. Lady Biker (Patty) who's a member here, didn't realize some of the things going on till she stopped for a moment and found out and soon dropped FTD.
 
On AFS...We were members, our first wire service. When I got to the mind that one had to go, it was the one doing the least for us, and the choice to go (we had 3). After a few years I *thought* about joining again, until I saw we had a "florist" in our town that was a Futon shop, so I went out to investigate. They had a pop cooler that wasn't plugged in, and 3 bunches of local tulips sitting on the "design table" (futon construction table), with that AFS logo on the window.

I was so appaled that this shop could be signed that I put that idea to rest. I didn't want or need that logo on my door. I still think that I don't NEED any logo on my door, just a sign that says "Nationwide Delivery" would do it all. I dont' care to help in their long term branding efforts.

We have never done "FTD's Good Neighbor Day" Butt IF we did or ever do, it would be "Expressions In Bloom's Good Neighbor Day". Whiz on them getting the credit.

I sell Teleflora items because people WANT to buy them, and their everyday items, the Be Happy and Baby Wagons, we always have in stock. But I codify for none of them, including holiday items. One thing Teleflora does VERY well is create a demand for "dishware".
 
Originally posted by bloomz
On AFS...We were members, our first wire service. When I got to the mind that one had to go, it was the one doing the least for us, and the choice to go (we had 3). After a few years I *thought* about joining again, until I saw we had a "florist" in our town that was a Futon shop, so I went out to investigate. They had a pop cooler that wasn't plugged in, and 3 bunches of local tulips sitting on the "design table" (futon construction table), with that AFS logo on the window.

I can see why you would be angry at seeing a Futon shop with a logo, that was a bad bad call of a Marketing Rep, who was looking for a commission on the application fee, and a trophy for his volume, SAD! I hope you would have called down to OKC and complained and screamed, I know in the past when I was involved in retail and something happened I didn't like, I was on the phone till it was settled at OKC or in the Canadian office.


I was so appaled that this shop could be signed that I put that idea to rest. I didn't want or need that logo on my door. I still think that I don't NEED any logo on my door, just a sign that says "Nationwide Delivery" would do it all. I dont' care to help in their long term branding efforts.

That's all you need, Nationwide Delivery, nothing more, nothing less. You know I've been talking about building the local brand, and you are a expert at it.

We have never done "FTD's Good Neighbor Day" Butt IF we did or ever do, it would be "Expressions In Bloom's Good Neighbor Day". Whiz on them getting the credit.

Again I agree, perfect. You don't need to build a Wire service brand to consumers. Who ever thought of that should be shown the short end of the dock. :) Build your local brand and the rest will follow.

I sell Teleflora items because people WANT to buy them, and their everyday items, the Be Happy and Baby Wagons, we always have in stock. But I codify for none of them, including holiday items. One thing Teleflora does VERY well is create a demand for "dishware".
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Of course it's in TF's best interests to create demand for "dishware" :)
 
And they do an incredible job of it, that one item alone is worth my membership fees. Which makes in also in MY interest! Which makes it a copasetic relationship in bz bk. They make money, bloomz make money, saweet.
 
Bloomz, you tickle me.

I have been tossing around ideas of what to put out on our big sign since I had the FTD symbol removed. It's not going to cost very much they informed me when they were removing the symbol which only cost me $75.00 for both sides. Shockover on that one! I thought it was going to be much more than that. Since they are the people we had do our sign when we moved here five years ago, I guess they took that into consideration. Anyway your words
"Nationwide Delivery" [END QUOTE] above caught my attention. I think that just might be what we end up with.

Well, I also like some of the TF dishware (I do like that word so much better than containers) and the one problem I have is that they codify me even when I tell them not to. I guess I will just have to wait until the codification deadline is past.

:scooter: Still varooming along..... Varoom.....varoom.....

Patty
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That's what you do Patty, order after codification deadlines bueause it DOE NOT COMPUTE that you would want to sell things at 100%, and even when you tell them not to code you they usually do.
 
Yes And YES!

Don't let them tell you "they are sold out" after the deadline...tell them "What? me as a member cannot get the Product?"since I didn't order when your staff was calling in June?".

That BS never flew in My Shop!:fdevil:
 
Originally posted by Peter1
Yes, all the printing for the marketing material is done in Korea, nothing like supporting printers in North America these days.
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When your company prints ad slicks, postcards, statement stuffers and selection guides, please be sure to let us all know where they've been printed.
 
It's probably best to get things printed in your home country...at least that way a province and a territory won't go missing. ;)
 
Originally posted by Victoria
It's probably best to get things printed in your home country...at least that way a province and a territory won't go missing. ;)
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Heh, not to mention sound business for us. Especially given that the local paper plant produces the paper for said items. Me, I shop local because I like my job (having one that is).

Audra ;)
 
Me too Audra. You know what it's like living in a border community too. Remember when the dollar was healthier? It drove me nuts...people flying across the Bluewater to spend, spend spend...and complain complain complain when a service was no longer available in their own community...**** fools.
 
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