I am a forward thinker for the most part, long long post

[lori042499]

I am going to post this note asking all of you wire service members a BIG question!!!

WAS IT WORTH IT????

now that the holiday is done and you have spent your money or better yet bought flowers on credit and filled umteen low priced arrangements for 73c on the dollar. Haven't even realized yet how many foolish complaints you will have to deal with and are now waiting for your money for the next 40 days and pulled your hair out trying to source the product needed for the arrangements you did'nt know would sell, weren't even aware they were available or otherwise out of season etc...was it worth what you will get out of it..

Realistically how many of you will have the money to market to the recipient, the time to research who the sender is and market to them or market to anyone really...

How many of those recipients will really become customers 1-2 maybe 4 out of the 40-50-200 orders you filled for the wires...

How much did all of this cost you, how many extra drivers does 40-50 200 arrangements take to deliver, How many extra designers..how many extrat sales people did it take to take the orders, deal with getting more money, rejecting, checking addresses, fixing orders, etc...How many extra hours didi you and your people work to fill these already unprofitable orders...

Take today to sit down with your numbers and figure these questions out...even if they are some what made up numbers...you will be amazed at what you did not make on these orders and it won't even take into consideration the fees...

Now is the time to really sit down and figure it out just for one holiday, because the rest of the year you just pay them, if you can't make anything or very little at the big holidays, you can't make anything year round....Please for your businesses do the math figure the overtime, figure the suck on your 100% loyal customers on good product, service and functionallity...Your local customers are the ones whoo keep you in business year round, why punish them at the holidays, with less than perfect product, phones on hold, late into the night deliveries, moody and tired sales people beaten up by foolishness, etc....and then ask yourself if the number you arise to was WORTH it!!! I think you will be enlightened...I will then ask you to come here and post your findings and let others convince you even more with their insight it will be eyeopening, trust me, this is one project that your future business might rely on...

The wire services are doing what florists for years have tried to avoid, over booking our resources, each and every one of us knows what our capacity is...we are all very responsible to only promise what we can deliver and have for all the years we have been in business. It is one of the unwritten golden rules of our lives....do not promise it if your can't deliver it....the wire services have gotten so greedy that more and more each holiday they are promising boat loads of people stuff far longer than they know they can get it out...and still take them, they market far beyond their capacity to deliver a good product on time and on budget, if this continues we will all be in trouble...They offer unsound deals, unsound promises, and unsound products and then when we they drop the ball or a florist drops the ball they blame the very peole who they are pushing beyond their limits all in the name of money and saving our industry, they are not saving our industry they are ruining it, we are not making money but they are hand over fist on our hard work and ethics all the while killing our reputation in large swaths called holidays, the once shining days in our industry that allowed us to stay in business comfortabley during the slow months...now we suffer through those months because the holidays aren't quite what we needed although we worked our tails off....please read this, absorb it and listen to it, then figure out really how much you are getting and how much you are giving and ask yourself the hard question....

Was it worth it????

 

[BOSS]

Yes, it was worth not being able to walk yesterday or today... it was a good holiday~!

Oh and, flower recipients are not flower buyers for the most part... that's a wire service MYTH....

 

[lori042499]

But Boss you only do 100% your own business...If you read my post it is a question for wire service members a call to action for them to figure out once and for all if it was worth their effort to fill those rediculous orders...My holiday was a breeze, I was down for the holiday, but up for march and april by a huge amount...I was able to focus on my customers, not their customers and what they promised, my holiday was worth every minute to ME!!!! That is who matters ME and MY customers, not THEM and THEIRS...they want to offer unreasonably low margins, and unreasonably difficult delivery and sky miles and all of that let them fill their own gosh darn orders...maybe then they would see why we don't offer huge deals and give away the farm, because it isn't financially feasible...but they are getting double revenue from members in membership, then keeping the profit plus alittle bit for their marketing efforts 27%...They are so awesome..

 

[BOSS]

I did read it Lori, and I understand... I don't mind knocking myself out for 100%, but I'll be @@@@ed if I'll do anything for a discount. If all florists felt like we do, there would be no wires, many fewer disappointed CONsumers, and I'd be willing to bet, more flower sales.

 

[Rhonda]

I started a post on the FB closed pages but deleted it because there some there I really don't know about but here is what it basically was:
I am an FTD member.. I have mercury direct, but it continues to interfere with my POS so I took it off - suspended my merc at the beginning of the week -
Over 65% of my orders came through my website and another 25 - 30% called saying "I'm looking at your website and wanted to make sure you still have this".
Due to our mills being completely down (800 people out of work), our "local orderers" were probably at 10%. The rest of the small percentage were "wire orders", those being 5 florist to florist orders, NO CALLS from FTD Headquarters (even though the suspend message stated "technical problems"), that did not mean I was closed, just couldn't take merc orders - the rest of the orders 100% through Bloomnet on credit card. Teleflora called here repeatedly asking for the Faith Hill Container, to which I would tell them, "I'm not Teleflora, why would you try to send me a codified item order? Get a second choice and we'll see". Needless to say they continued to try to place the stupid order(s) and never placed one!
It was a very, very successful Mother's Day here. I ignored the phone much of the day on Saturday until I was sure of product and took a few more orders telling them designer's choice or plants. We did sell out of all our hangers and patio pots (which I thought I had bought too much of).
I am very, very pleased.... And yes, FTD is almost gone from here (even at @29.99/mo)

 

[bootcampguy]

I am going to post this note asking all of you wire service members a BIG question!!!

Realistically how many of you will have the money to market to the recipient, the time to research who the sender is and market to them or market to anyone really.......................

How many of those recipients will really become customers 1-2 maybe 4 out of the 40-50-200 orders you filled for the wires...
Your 100% loyal customers on good product, service and functionallity...Your local customers are the ones whoo keep you in business year round, why punish them at the holidays....[/SIZE]


Was it worth it????

Yes it was.......and here's why.

Lori, I understand and feel your passion in your post and agree with some points, however owners have to manage thier stores and vendors. We don't let wholesalers just dump whatever product they want you to buy in your lap, you tell them, keep your crap. Owners have to know how to make a dollar and have funnells in place that will help them grow. It's only Monday and I've got several great ws stories, one account alone signed up for our weekly service. $50 a week for 52 weeks a year, for me sending a $44.95 "Zen Artistry" to her new salon/spa from her daughter. I couldn't get my foot past the rec. for several months.........Now I'm her bbb "best business buddy". Several months ago I posted that 35% of our accounts last year we're from people who we marketed to who had recieved wire orders from us. So out of 535 new accounts that means over 150 came to us from doing wire service deliveries. That's a few more than 3, 4 or 10. And I'm not the shapest knife in the drawer, but I'm not a spoon either. ANYONE can do this. The vendor that you use, must benefit you.

We filled just under 100 orders for ws (23%) our delivery volume, but 90% we're orders we choose to fill. One designer in charge of the 100 orders alone with one driver (who knows how to market them at delivery). Note: TF orders averaged $20 per. order over from last year ($71) and FTD was down to $63 from last year (almost a $15 drop per. ticket).....I think I know why, but not for this post. You can market those people and pull them over to your side for about $3 each.

I am one of the shops that the WS hate, one supervisor from TF called on Friday was near to tears, why won't you fill our orders, you are a "cheery picker". Yes, I am and proud of it and always will be........I told her that I'm not going to let you or any other discounted order paint me into a corner. If you want orders filled (and I would love to fill them) it must be able to be plugged into one of our design blocks and at the price "we dictate". One p/t clerk (highschool) was trained and managed the whole system, she picked the orders to fill and had the fastest reject finger in the industry for orders that didn't meet our requirements. Both of the major wires are lokking at "cheery pickers" and porbably will have new rules in place by next holiday to prevent stores like mine who believe in beinhg "wire service light"......................all the same taste, but less headaches.

None of our current "year long" customers suffered at all, but those customers did and do recieve a "priority code" for production and then delivery based on what they've spent. This is not rocket science here, you spend money to keep customers and money to get customers. I know of several stores either out or on their way out because they spent so much money tyring to find a new customers. Our "A" block customers gets a personal "hand wiping" from me or someone on the staff. My job is to make more "year long" customers and we all need a pool to pull from. Every flowershop in America will lose 25% or so of their customers this year. Your customers move, die, get fired from their jobs, don't like you price or product, etc. Customer retention needs to be IMO the "highest priority", but many florists don't put value in it. Thier is no "customer fairy" who will bring you all the customers that you need, WOM only won't keep you "sustained' as a viable business in today's marketshare.................while it brought us also 35% new customers last year.

If all of us quit filling ws orders tomorrow, it would kill them for a few months, but trust when I tell you this there are several companies and individuals out there right now all looking at the "flowers by wire" business model and have millions to dump into it and make a run at it. Within 3 - 6 months a new system would be inplace to accomodate them and the drop ship rate would triple. We would once again be on the outside looking in.

Lastly, 2 florists in this area we're delivering all day yesterday into the night, because they did not know how to manage thier resources and they let the ws push them to limits of no return.

Remember, if we continue to do as we have always done, then we will always be where we've always been (in the back of the line). Piror, proper, planning, prevents, piss poor performance.

Forgot the most important thing, holiday was great up 10% (web orders up 50%)..........uhmmmm

 

[lori042499]

Rick, you obviously do a very good job at managing the flow of orders to suit you...The reality for most shops don't, they up chasing their tail and following the holiday don't know the foggiest of how to use the info they have gathered for their benefit...They have fallen into the routine of being the whipping boy for the ws and don't know what to do to change it and in reality won't...The reality is that many know that they should be doing something with the info, but fall short on money, knowledge, time or all three to actually do it, thus putting good hard earned money after bad continually every single month...

 

[bootcampguy]

Rick, you obviously do a very good job at managing the flow of orders to suit you...The reality for most shops don't, they up chasing their tail and following the holiday don't know the foggiest of how to use the info they have gathered for their benefit...They have fallen into the routine of being the whipping boy for the ws and don't know what to do to change it and in reality won't...The reality is that many know that they should be doing something with the info, but fall short on money, knowledge, time or all three to actually do it, thus putting good hard earned money after bad continually every single month...

But I'm learning everyday in this changing economy, so they can too. The most important word is "planning".......I've made so much money by just reading some posts on here................but I put what I read into action. Florists don't have to be painted with that brush, unless they want too..........Proifts and sales are all CHOICES.

 

[Simon Says]

We left our only WS (TF) line on as I wanted to see how they performed. We were not coded for any of their 2011 MD rip-offs. Their send-in wire performance to us was down over 50% vs 2010 (when we also had no 2010 TF MD rip-offs). Approx. half of what they sent for MD 2011 was rejected as below our posted mins -which strikes me as they are having trouble filling for whatever reason) or were un-realistic - such as a 30 mile round-trip journey for approx $5.00, after their cut. Going by TF's Dove numbering system, a comparison 2011 vs 2010 looks like an approx. 10% drop in transactions -orders, inquiries, confirms et cetera- for this year when they also had the delivery confirmation requirement in place.

Whatever the pros and cons - and many here would say "What pros?" - of TF, it comes to a stage where it becomes increasingly harder to justify keeping them.

 

[steve]

This same old wire service argument is getting way to old those that belong have their reasons and thou it does not make sense to you it does to them and those that don't have there reason and that should simply be the end of this because it the Wrong Dam Argument. The wires are going away on there own the battle and the only battle that matters is on the internet plain and simple. The consumer is more and more buying from the web not just in flowers but in electronice , office supplies, clothes you name it the phone and the phone book are becoming less and less used . Many national chains are looking at smaller foot prints and shifting more to web sales. Rhonda up above said her web sales were 65 percent of her mothers day business she is winning this battle in her market that should be all our goals. Stop wasteing your time griping about the wire services do something to improve your internet sales. And yes we are going to have to compete having AFID after your name is not going to allow you to charge far more for a product. We need to produce products that the consumer wants and at prices they are willing to pay.

 

[lori042499]

Who ever said having AIFD after your name allows you to charge more...I hope the heck you don't think I think that...I gripe because there are so many florists filling and griping allowing it to linger on and on...I just want awareness to people to look at the numbers do the work and ask themselves those questions...I know there are many people who benefit from the wires, I know many people who play the game and profit some...I know it works for a small some, most if they really sat down and looked it wouldn't..I have left them, I am done with them...I am mad because of the many CS rules they break because it hurts us all in the name of their greed and on the backs of so many florists hard work...that is all..It angers me to see so many people so unhappy with thier vendors and competition yet still filling their orders, just doesn't make any sense..and probably will never and will go on for a long long time..

 

[anytimeflowers]

Lori, I think Steve is referring to my re-branding thread, don't be offended, it wasn't aimed at you in any way. I posted two pictures of designs, both with the same cost with the same product. One was for $15, one was $25. I believe that is what he's talking about with the up-charge. By the way, I had a man come in the store on Saturday looking for that upcharged design, somebody in his office bought it, he noticed, so came to my store to order one for his mom.

Steve, I get what you are saying, but I don't think the internet is the only barn door we have to worry about. I think you are just focused on that part right now because you've been so steeped in your efforts toward legislation against deceptive order gathering. Ours became law last August so it isn't as fresh in my mind anymore, I'm onto the next obsession but all of these and many more issues need addressing to be helpful in rebuilding a robust industry.

Absolutely people are using the internet for their shopping, and hopefully at some point all the legislation in individual states will come into federal play. At that point, perhaps our efforts will amount to more than David plinking pea gravel at Goliath.

Make no mistake, almost every one of the deceivers are still actively snatching people who are searching for me, the local florist, and ending up on any number of sites claiming to be right here in my town. It's grueling and tiresome work to keep finding them and turning them in and that is only just the beginning. Bureaucracy moves at a very slow pace.

But I'm learning everyday in this changing economy, so they can too. The most important word is "planning".......I've made so much money by just reading some posts on here................but I put what I read into action. Florists don't have to be painted with that brush, unless they want too..........Proifts and sales are all CHOICES.

​

Rick. Yep.

To those who think this is just another tired old subject that is over-done.

There are new members here every day, and part of why they are here is BECAUSE they have questions that need answering. Issues that may be tired to us are new fodder for them. I CLEARLY do not have all of the answers yet. If I did, I would be sitting in my mansion somewhere trying to decide how I want to divvy up my millions, how much I will donate to each charity and lifting my feet for the upstairs maid.

 

[BOSS]

perhaps our efforts will amount to more than David plinking pea gravel at Goliath.

Keep in mind.... David beat Goliath~!

 

[steve]

No I ment what I said the wire services will die by their own sword there is no going back for them. The floral world and how people order has changed thru technology and now with smart phone the internet is at their finger tips full time. Yes I been involved in the internet legistlation and its a start but not the cure. But it is were the majority of floral sales is going to orginate from going forward. If each shop does not see strong growth in this area and it does not become 50% or more of their sales in my opion they will not make it going forward long term. And yes we are going to have to compete and we are going to have to give the consumer what they are looking for at what they deem a fair price. The biggest market is is the middle class market and they will look for value yes there will always be some shops that can corner a niche in the higher end but that is a small sliver of the pie. toto use to love to tell stories of how it was but fact is how it was is never going to be again. All the rules have changed forever.

 

[anytimeflowers]

No I ment what I said the wire services will die by their own sword there is no going back for them. The floral world and how people order has changed thru technology and now with smart phone the internet is at their finger tips full time. Yes I been involved in the internet legistlation and its a start but not the cure. But it is were the majority of floral sales is going to orginate from going forward. If each shop does not see strong growth in this area and it does not become 50% or more of their sales in my opion they will not make it going forward long term. And yes we are going to have to compete and we are going to have to give the consumer what they are looking for at what they deem a fair price. The biggest market is is the middle class market and they will look for value yes there will always be some shops that can corner a niche in the higher end but that is a small sliver of the pie. toto use to love to tell stories of how it was but fact is how it was is never going to be again. All the rules have changed forever.

I totally agree, Steve. Well, with most of it anyway.

We DO have to fight where the battle is, and that truly is the internet. The part about a fair price is something the consumer will decide, and as things like FTD's latest scam on consumers plays out in the next few days, people will become ever more wary.

The problem is, that hurts us, too. People DO want to shop on the internet but if they cannot decipher who is real and who is not, they may just go another way. I only hope we don't ALL die on the same sword. That's why I so vigorously build my local business.

 

[secretgarden]

Lori it was posts like this that gave me the confidence to get out of the wire service. In my town it just was not worth it to me anymore. Linda is right, new folks join this site everyday. Your post may help someone sit down and take a look at their numbers and truly see that they can survive without. I could not be happier with the decision I made, I know it's not right for everyone. I think if some people sat down and looked at the cold hard truth they would not be able to fool themselves any longer.

 

[lori042499]

Lori, 5 years ago I sat here and told everyone here how the wire services were getting my name out and they were moving my flowers and they were providing my technology...I was convinced that I heeded them at any price...I believe I suffered from stockholm syndrome and the support and messages just like mine made it possible for my to make the hard decisions and go with my own calculations and trust in my very own decisions instead of do things as they have always been done..so I 100% believe that these posts help people new or old to see the world different and possibly help someone really look at their business, I think that many of todays florists are in less need of wire services than those that are in need so I think this post is very relevant..thank you for agreeing with me..