Suggestions
1. Eliminate all wire services beyond 1.
2. List yourself only in your town. Eliminate all "also served by, etc" extra listings. (One florist we helped recently was incurring over $400.00/mo in also served by listings).
3. Advertise with the nationals on a very limited, if any, basis. Every ad in the Parade magazine costs approximately $150. per insertion. Are you getting at least 3 or 4 orders (locally) to cover the cost of the ad for the products they feature? (We have also not found it valuable to advertise in the Brides magazine or the coupon section of the paper. YOu can still accept all coupons & redeem them......but you do not have to advertise with FTD or TF to do so.
4. When the wire services offer 3 to 4 to 8 different holiday containers, resist the urge to stock up!! Most consumers (our experience, at least) want their money in flowers, not in over-priced fancy, keepsake containers.
Can you make the same arrangement for them in a similar container??
Can you split a case of containers with another shop if "it something you "must have"".
5. If you really must have a keepsake container, check out the Dollar Stores for last year's item.....they are often there & readily available, and bargain basement priced.
6. Check each order as it comes over to you from the wires. If it is not enough money, send a request for price change immediately, or "please cancel this order". If they cancel, confirm the cancellation. DO NOT REJECT THE ORDER, BECAUSE THIS COSTS YOU MONEY! (FTD & TF).
6a. As you check each order & the pricing, make sure to ask for additional delivery charges if what they have given you is not enough. Be aggressive in this area.....with the rising price of fuel, none of us can afford to deliver for free!
7. Pay your statement on time. If you are late in payment, you are charged a late fee, and you miss any sending rebates you may be entitled to.
8. If you buy codified containers (for one of the holidays) buy AFTER the codification deadline, so that you are have the container to use for your local customers, but are not wasting time filling discounted orders for HQTERS.
9. Report all phoned in orders promptly so that you get paid promptly. (you would be amazed how many shops fail to report orders each month). When it is FTD or TF HTQRS calling, we do NOT accept a phone order, it must be merc'd or doved to us. (Paper trail & all that stuff, you know!!).
10. Check your statement each month, and make sure that all orders sent outbound by your shop were actually your orders sent. With computers, and orders bouncing from shop to shop, we have found times that we have been double or triple charged for one order.....it can be fixed, you just have to catch it, and then report it.
11. Call about every line item charge that you do not understand. If you did not authorize it, get it removed.
12. If you have a wire service web site, consider moving it to an outside vendor that is not a wire service. There are many good ones out there.....and there are by far less expensive that the wire services!!
13. When filling wire service arrangements, be very diligent in filling to the content required -- and not a drop more, unless you have extra money given with the order. Some of the receipes given are very skimpy, and lots of designers have a desire to "stuff" in order to make it look better! cost of goods can go up very quickly, and all your money is eaten up!
14. Calendars, advertising materials, etc can be obtained from other sources other than a wire service. Search out other vendors!
Hope this helps!
Cheryl
