Technology has made it simple for anyone, everywhere to become an order gatherer. Heck, all you need is enough money, some deceptive key words, a membership in a wire service and wa-la you'll get orders and WELCOME to ORDER GATHERING.
Our industry leaders are encouraging many to become order gatherers. Their words are not easily interperted, and I believe that is by design. Not necessarily because they think you'll be successful gathering orders, they just think we should do what everyone else is doing.
Does that even sit well with you? Didn't our Mom's tell us not to do something just because everyone else was? What the heck is wrong with this line of thinking?
This is why I think order gatherers DON'T get it, and for that matter our industry leaders don't get it either!
More important than gathering an order is GAINING a customer.
You can't do both the way they are mapping things out!
Why?
Because just gathering orders is too expensive and does not create loyalty on its own merit.
You attract SHOPPERS through what product you are offering that may interest them. You GAIN a CUSTOMER by proving to them YOUR business has VALUE over others.
Order gatherers can only EVER do one thing (attract shoppers), and NEVER does the most important (create loyalty through actually delivering the item as pictured and as promised) and YOU CAN'T deliver the item that they PROMISED every time either!!
Chasing somebody else's order is PROBLEMATIC from the starting gate. Since it's NOT your customer, NOT your picture and NOT your promise, your setting yourself up for disaster because most important the order you'll be delivering is NOT your identity!
Order gatherers have hundreds of pictures on their sites, heck the same gatherers may even have dozens of other sites under other business trade names.
They do this because they are burning through what they thought were customers. But they are NOT customers they were only shoppers!!!
They don't VALUE their identity, they'll simply change their name, but you CAN'T!! You'll just go out of business.
They don't operate with the same PRIDE of OWNERSHIP that you do! Their name isn't on enclosure cards, wrapping paper, business cards, store fronts and delivery vehicles.
Your name is on all of that stuff!!
If your name is all over their order, your the one that will suffer the most, and it is evident that it's a loosing battle because there isn't more flower shops today, there are LESS!
Order gatherers are DESTRUCTIVE because they promise things that are UN-PROMISABLE!
Consumers don't like it when they go into a store to buy a product that was advertised and the store says we're out of that, but we have this. That just PISSES people off!
Don't you think for one minute that things are finally catching up on all the over promising that has been taking place since the internet came to be.
Stay focused on what is most important to your business longevity and that is YOUR IDENTITY!
You'll never out spend them, but you certainly shouldn't be filling problematic orders. You see those orders aren't their problems, they are yours.
Create an identity of your own design. Worry about EACH customer one at a time. Show those prospective shoppers why they should become a customer.
There is one thing about the plus key on a calculator I like and that's watching the number grow. Be satisfied with single digits, because sooner than you think you'll see the doubles!!!
Order gatherers don't have to get it, YOU DO!!
Our industry leaders are encouraging many to become order gatherers. Their words are not easily interperted, and I believe that is by design. Not necessarily because they think you'll be successful gathering orders, they just think we should do what everyone else is doing.
Does that even sit well with you? Didn't our Mom's tell us not to do something just because everyone else was? What the heck is wrong with this line of thinking?
This is why I think order gatherers DON'T get it, and for that matter our industry leaders don't get it either!
More important than gathering an order is GAINING a customer.
You can't do both the way they are mapping things out!
Why?
Because just gathering orders is too expensive and does not create loyalty on its own merit.
You attract SHOPPERS through what product you are offering that may interest them. You GAIN a CUSTOMER by proving to them YOUR business has VALUE over others.
Order gatherers can only EVER do one thing (attract shoppers), and NEVER does the most important (create loyalty through actually delivering the item as pictured and as promised) and YOU CAN'T deliver the item that they PROMISED every time either!!
Chasing somebody else's order is PROBLEMATIC from the starting gate. Since it's NOT your customer, NOT your picture and NOT your promise, your setting yourself up for disaster because most important the order you'll be delivering is NOT your identity!
Order gatherers have hundreds of pictures on their sites, heck the same gatherers may even have dozens of other sites under other business trade names.
They do this because they are burning through what they thought were customers. But they are NOT customers they were only shoppers!!!
They don't VALUE their identity, they'll simply change their name, but you CAN'T!! You'll just go out of business.
They don't operate with the same PRIDE of OWNERSHIP that you do! Their name isn't on enclosure cards, wrapping paper, business cards, store fronts and delivery vehicles.
Your name is on all of that stuff!!
If your name is all over their order, your the one that will suffer the most, and it is evident that it's a loosing battle because there isn't more flower shops today, there are LESS!
Order gatherers are DESTRUCTIVE because they promise things that are UN-PROMISABLE!
Consumers don't like it when they go into a store to buy a product that was advertised and the store says we're out of that, but we have this. That just PISSES people off!
Don't you think for one minute that things are finally catching up on all the over promising that has been taking place since the internet came to be.
Stay focused on what is most important to your business longevity and that is YOUR IDENTITY!
You'll never out spend them, but you certainly shouldn't be filling problematic orders. You see those orders aren't their problems, they are yours.
Create an identity of your own design. Worry about EACH customer one at a time. Show those prospective shoppers why they should become a customer.
There is one thing about the plus key on a calculator I like and that's watching the number grow. Be satisfied with single digits, because sooner than you think you'll see the doubles!!!
Order gatherers don't have to get it, YOU DO!!
