HonestFlorist.com - one to keep an eye on
- Thread starter hyfidel
- Start date
- Status
Rhonda
Well-Known Member
BOSS
FlowerChat Administrator
Sorry dude, what you're saying is just not true. Good order gatherers are clearly better than bad OGs but not better than no order gatherers.
And I say this admitting that I also "gather" as many orders as possible.
I have never tried yellow pages ads ever. A rep walked into our office in Irvine, CA and asked if we wanted to run an ad. I told her I have been thinking about running yellow page ads so we sat down and talked. When we got to the part about the local phone number I told her that local florists would not like that, and she said since my office is in that area it was alright to have the local phone number. Plus, I liked the fact that they can track how many calls we are getting since that is their number.
I always have said I am a national seller of flowers. I will be doing more yellow pages ads in areas where I feel it can be beneficial to more overall strategy for success.
For sure some of you are not going to like someone else selling flowers in your own backyard, but in order for me to compete against the larger National Flower sellers it just makes sense to get my feet wet. I think you can tell by the size of the ad, that we are not trying to overtake anyone's town to outsell flowers.
In ads outside our area we will be having our 800 posted.
I would be willing to hear ideas of what should be in an ad when it's a national seller? I know your used to saying just don't put it in our city. But what If I'm going to do that anyway, so here is a chance to offer ideas on how maybe I should put something about being national or something. I would like to hear some suggestions, everything is considered at honest florist.
Aron
I always have said I am a national seller of flowers. I will be doing more yellow pages ads in areas where I feel it can be beneficial to more overall strategy for success.
For sure some of you are not going to like someone else selling flowers in your own backyard, but in order for me to compete against the larger National Flower sellers it just makes sense to get my feet wet. I think you can tell by the size of the ad, that we are not trying to overtake anyone's town to outsell flowers.
In ads outside our area we will be having our 800 posted.
I would be willing to hear ideas of what should be in an ad when it's a national seller? I know your used to saying just don't put it in our city. But what If I'm going to do that anyway, so here is a chance to offer ideas on how maybe I should put something about being national or something. I would like to hear some suggestions, everything is considered at honest florist.
Aron
Alright with AT&T, of course. They want your money.
What about the florists you're pitching honest to? How really honest is it to portray a call center as a local brick & mortar store?That can certainly be done with a toll-free number.
Your local ad here would have been an excellent opportunity to say just that.
Then Honest Florist is different than FTD, Blooms Today, and 1-800-Flowers in its marketing approach how? I don't see any mention in that ad about connecting consumers with local florists.
The ad does not appear to comport with the pitch being made to local florists here. It's not about the size, it's about the content - what's there and what's not.
Not that my .02 matters.
Added: Aron, I get to look local florists in the eyes weekly - from all over the US. I see them hone their skills, improve their quality and seek out the very best resources possible. They're very honest about what they provide consumers. Maybe too honest to compete in today's parsing-of-the-English- language environment.
So what's the deal with the BOGO? What are you giving away free? Service charges?
It sounds to me like you've gone from a partner of florists to just another OG. Not much honesty in misrepresenting yourself. There is a small feeling of betrayal due to the difference between what Honest Florist was originally pitched as, and what it has become.
See, here we go. You're separating the sale from fulfillment in your mind, but in the minds of floral consumers, they are one in the same. There is an expectation that the shop they're talking to is the one that will make and deliver the order. There is not one single thing you can add to the sales process, other than answering the phone at 3am, that makes you of any benefit to the consumer looking for us (and I realize we're a bit of an exception, but you get the point).
Oh, I have some idea where you can put those ads. And I'm not talking geography, either.
How about this:
1. Despite our misleading name, we're not a florist. (That would at least be honest!)
2. We're not actually going to make or deliver the flowers, and we probably won't be able to convey to the florist who will the emotions you want us to.
3. We have no idea what's in the florist's cooler. We don't know what additional cool flowers they might have, or what designs the specialize in, so we're going to sell you a cookie cutter of the lowest common denominator.
4. The florist isn't going to get paid the full value for this order. Matter of fact, most florists don't have a service charge, so you're really going to overpay for your order here.
That's a start. Admittedly, that would be a long ad.
It sounds to me like you've gone from a partner of florists to just another OG. Not much honesty in misrepresenting yourself. There is a small feeling of betrayal due to the difference between what Honest Florist was originally pitched as, and what it has become.
See, here we go. You're separating the sale from fulfillment in your mind, but in the minds of floral consumers, they are one in the same. There is an expectation that the shop they're talking to is the one that will make and deliver the order. There is not one single thing you can add to the sales process, other than answering the phone at 3am, that makes you of any benefit to the consumer looking for us (and I realize we're a bit of an exception, but you get the point).
Oh, I have some idea where you can put those ads. And I'm not talking geography, either.
How about this:
1. Despite our misleading name, we're not a florist. (That would at least be honest!)
2. We're not actually going to make or deliver the flowers, and we probably won't be able to convey to the florist who will the emotions you want us to.
3. We have no idea what's in the florist's cooler. We don't know what additional cool flowers they might have, or what designs the specialize in, so we're going to sell you a cookie cutter of the lowest common denominator.
4. The florist isn't going to get paid the full value for this order. Matter of fact, most florists don't have a service charge, so you're really going to overpay for your order here.
That's a start. Admittedly, that would be a long ad.
master J
Well-Known Member
Sher
New Member
Awww ARONb...not what I wanted to hear..but at least your are being honest about not being honest.CHR's comments and Rjd are right on...nooone says don't make money, and we all gather to an extent from our brick and mortar shops but it does not appear that you are setting yourself above the rest with the consumer and us in mind..it seem like the same-o same-o just from a friend and that does not make it more acceptable...You are an OG...call yourself what you are...no harm no foul...but "Honest Florist" seems a bit of an oxymoron....Wish your plan was really diff...ya had me hopeful there for a minute.
Sher
Sher
We are located in Huntington NY (Long Island).
As long as you don't use "Huntington" "Long Island" or any other local-sounding words in your ads, I have no problem. If you choose to use one of those words in your ads, you will be listed in our Hall of Shame list.
As to filling your orders, I have two requests that no other OG's have honored. I'm wondering if you can do that.
1) Please do not send us the orders that we can't/won't fill. Dealing with rejects drains our precious sales time, driving up the cost of operation. We will tell you exactly what products we won't/can't fill. Can you put that info into your database?
2) Is there any way that we can dictate the percentage of commission we are giving up? Right now, it's 20% fixed. I always thought it's too rigid.
For example, during busy seasons (such as Christmas), I want a much lower commission, like 5-10%, if you want us to fill your orders. It makes no economic sense for us to pay 20% commission when we have no excess production capacity. Since FTD doesn't do that, we simply shut off merc during holidays.
In exchange, I am willing to pay a higher commission when we are slow, like summer.
As long as you don't use "Huntington" "Long Island" or any other local-sounding words in your ads, I have no problem. If you choose to use one of those words in your ads, you will be listed in our Hall of Shame list.
As to filling your orders, I have two requests that no other OG's have honored. I'm wondering if you can do that.
1) Please do not send us the orders that we can't/won't fill. Dealing with rejects drains our precious sales time, driving up the cost of operation. We will tell you exactly what products we won't/can't fill. Can you put that info into your database?
2) Is there any way that we can dictate the percentage of commission we are giving up? Right now, it's 20% fixed. I always thought it's too rigid.
For example, during busy seasons (such as Christmas), I want a much lower commission, like 5-10%, if you want us to fill your orders. It makes no economic sense for us to pay 20% commission when we have no excess production capacity. Since FTD doesn't do that, we simply shut off merc during holidays.
In exchange, I am willing to pay a higher commission when we are slow, like summer.
alisonm1215
New Member
I think "honest florist" should be changed to 'Honest Order Gatherers national sellers.com.'
I like that you are trying to be a better OG, but call a spade a spade and don't blow smoke up my arse either. Advertising as a local florist when you're not is dishonest. period. I know that you are using a 1-800, but consumers still haven't wrapped their heads around the OG scam yet.
It was a sad day for me when I realized there was more money for an OG than a seller, but I'll stay my course WS-free.
I like that you are trying to be a better OG, but call a spade a spade and don't blow smoke up my arse either. Advertising as a local florist when you're not is dishonest. period. I know that you are using a 1-800, but consumers still haven't wrapped their heads around the OG scam yet.
It was a sad day for me when I realized there was more money for an OG than a seller, but I'll stay my course WS-free.
Hello Aron...
This one is pretty simple.
Use whatever text you would like to describe why you will do a GREAT job.
Then...
In letters that are larger than the smallest letters in your ad, and in a font that is consistent with the other fonts in the ad, simply put your Street Address, City, State and Zip Code.
BTW... Please be aware that placing an ad in LOCAL Yellow Pages is being closely scrutinized by Tax Authorities all around the country to determine if you have a NEXUS in that location. If you are determined to have a NEXUS, you WILL be liable for in-that-locale sales tax. And that tax WILL be retroactive, whether you collected it or not.
Caveat Vendor, as they said in Pompeii.
Cheers,
Bill
Sorry dude but you saying it isn't true isn't true.:rofl:
Now I know how and from who to get best value in Anaheim - but how many other florists or the general public do?
And if they don't have prior experience, how will they know who to choose?
Search engine? Online yellow pages? Wire service directory card ads (often indicating the dumbest florists in town)?
It's a crap shoot for them - it isn't for me.
There was a time when we chose strictly based on closest zip codes. We got more experience and that turned out to be a quite bad criteria.....
And since I'm convinced that what I say is true - a consumer has a better chance of quality and value from a good order gatherer than from a crap shoot.
You do have some crappy florists in Anaheim don't you? EDIT BAD WORDING - Given that you're NOT one of them - what would you say the odds of getting better value service and freshness elsewhere than one of my two preferred florists there?
Just to clarify - Are you saying that Ted is one of the crappy or the preferred? I think you mean preferred, but it at first read it sounds like crappy.
Just checking
dhamil6490
Active Member
Tracy D'Amico
Well-Known Member
Whew, thought that was just my interpretation! Though I do love a back handed compliment/insult, I'm sure it wasn't intended as such.Just to clarify - Are you saying that Ted is one of the crappy or the preferred? I think you mean preferred, but it at first read it sounds like crappy.
Just checking
Just to clarify - Are you saying that Ted is one of the crappy or the preferred? I think you mean preferred, but it at first read it sounds like crappy.
Just checking
Since he sends orders to us, I'm guessing preferred.
That's what I figured ... but I didn't want your good name to be tarnished in the eyes of any readers who don't know you & JB
- Status