New OG Marketing Tactic

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CHR

CHR

Design matters
Nov 28, 2002
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I got a call from a florist who said he was approached by an OG to 'allow' the OG to use his store address in YP banner ads. (The phone number displayed will remote-call-forward to the OG.) The OG promised that the store would get all incomings going to that city and he would refer any customers wanting pick-ups to order direct from the shop.

It appears the OG has had a couple shops take him up on it, so far.

This begs a few questions:

- If the OG uses a physical address in a city, aren't they required to have a business license there?

- Are they not also responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax to that jurisdiction?

What are the florists that say 'yes' thinking? *Might as well get these orders or someone else, will?* *Let the OG bear the ad cost and and I have less risk?* *Any order is better than no order?*

Is this the same thinking that kept shops filling Meola's orders for so long?
 
CHR said:
I got a call from a florist who said he was approached by an OG to 'allow' the OG to us his store address in YP banner ads. (The phone number displayed will remote-call-forward to the OG.) The OG promised that the store would get all incomings going to that city and he would refer any customers wanting pick-ups to order direct from the shop.
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Are you kidding me? So some florists are enabling a dOG to appear as a B&M florist by giving them their physical location to use?! I sincerely hope that this florist declined their offer, SWEET as it may be ;)

Lol, Oh PLEASE, Oh PLEASE send me all of your skimmed orders Mr./Mrs. dOG.

When I think I've heard it all....
 
CHR said:
...
What are the florists that say 'yes' thinking? *Might as well get these orders or someone else, will?* *Let the OG bear the ad cost and and I have less risk?* *Any order is better than no order?*
...
Click to expand...
These are obviously the thoughts that go through 95% of the filling zombies out there, and as TOTO and Griff like to say, they have been thinking these same thoughts for the past 100 years when it comes to OOA incoming. Its so ingrained in the mom n pop DNA of the flower business that perhaps they are genetically unable to think outside the box.

The OOA OGs will never stop coming up with new, creative ways to assure themselves that they will be able to fill discounted orders in areas where they are getting a lot of orders sent to.
 
The orders aren't 'skimmed' in the classic sense, but consumers will be charged a service fee. Doubt the OG will make that clear, but few do anyway.

The florist I spoke with declined the offer.

Is it all about the rebates on the OG side? Once these guys hit the magic number, don't they need to find 'creative' ways to keep volume up?

If this scheme flies, what's next? Your favorite OG calls you and says 'We're using your address in our advertising and on our website. If you don't like it, someone else will get the orders?'
 
That is so absurd. I am a filling florist, but this just steps way over the line of absurdity. Evan as a filling shop, I would not allow these people to ever use my address. Imagine the people streaming in with complaints, how do you ever explain that the florist they called just uses your address to rip them off.....
 
One more thought on this...Could this mean that the OGs are starting to see a drop in business and need to be creative to get that business back or are they seeing more and more places defending against the likes of them and need to "partner up" with existing florists. (the partner up in this is totally sarcastic)
 
CHR said:
I got a call from a florist who said he was approached by an OG to 'allow' the OG to use his store address in YP banner ads. (The phone number displayed will remote-call-forward to the OG.) The OG promised that the store would get all incomings going to that city and he would refer any customers wanting pick-ups to order direct from the shop.

It appears the OG has had a couple shops take him up on it, so far.

This begs a few questions:

- If the OG uses a physical address in a city, aren't they required to have a business license there?

- Are they not also responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax to that jurisdiction?

What are the florists that say 'yes' thinking? *Might as well get these orders or someone else, will?* *Let the OG bear the ad cost and and I have less risk?* *Any order is better than no order?*

Is this the same thinking that kept shops filling Meola's orders for so long?
Click to expand...
Well... as far as I can tell it's not a new tactic. This is simply what TF and FTD have been doing for years. They sign you up, skim a little off the top and send you the order.
 
Buzz -

TF, FTD & 1-800 are recognized brands. To my knowledge, none have ever run ads that promoted their own names while using local numbers for remote call forwarding and florists' addresses without the names of the actual stores.

If they did, I'd think florists would raise h*ll but there doesn't seem much florists can do to stop anything these days. :(
 
I'm guessing that they don't need (or won't get) a business license or pay local taxes. They aren't really doing business in that location. They just want to fool the search engines--and the public.

The public is wising up. I know of one really big OG that bought a small, flower shop just to have a physical location. AND, the OG bought one in Las Vegas, so there is no sales tax.
 
Well..not so fast CHR.....

CHR said:
Buzz -

TF, FTD & 1-800 are recognized brands. To my knowledge, none have ever run ads that promoted their own names while using local numbers for remote call forwarding and florists' addresses without the names of the actual stores.

If they did, I'd think florists would raise h*ll but there doesn't seem much florists can do to stop anything these days. :(
Click to expand...

Teleflora sets up a "storefront" for virtually every member which has the member's info on it....if you click it you are taken directly to TF National web site / phone bank. This is done through TF's Findaflorist.com business. In my opinion - is very close to using local ads to promote the national business.

In this case, TF not only uses the addresses...but the member's name as well to draw business to themselves And you're right, I raised H*LL with them and was off of this list in 2 days.

This practice is darn close to fraud, it is clearly misrepresentation. Believe it or not ...most of the florists in our area who are members of Teleflora....are not aware of this....and as a result any clicks go straight to the Mothership. Oh well.
 
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12BucksFor2Dozon said:
These are obviously the thoughts that go through 95% of the filling zombies out there, and as TOTO and Griff like to say, they have been thinking these same thoughts for the past 100 years when it comes to OOA incoming. Its so ingrained in the mom n pop DNA of the flower business that perhaps they are genetically unable to think outside the box.
Click to expand...


Before I read this string, another florist was telling me about this. I responded by offering to bet him that at least 90% or more of wire service filling florists would jump all over this offer if it came to them. And that probably 75% or more would be willing to pay the OG for this deal.

The unfortunate reality is that this is a Mom and Pop industry which is largely staring its own doom in the face because it's made up largely of people who are clueless, stupid, or otherwise unprepared to be in business. The wire services and other leaches who prey on this industry know this to be a fact and even brag and laugh about it in private. It's what's kept them in business and continues to enrichen them despite the seemingly futile efforts of some of us to educate florists and hopefully save a portion of them from themselves.
 
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