Great show - a must see!
Here's a sneak peak http://alliedfloristsofhouston.org/events/tf-live-2007.html
Here's a sneak peak http://alliedfloristsofhouston.org/events/tf-live-2007.html
Teleflora Live - Houston
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Eric S
Demoted Webmaster
Interesting.
Does teleflora do any shows to help create your own marketable products?
I mean these are all great ideas but does it really give you what you need to market to the consumer?
I'm all for showing of new techniques but to incorprate these things into your business seems to be more of a dream.
The boutineres are cool but could take those ideas and use them in your prom work or wedding work? Could you still sell these new ideas to your customers?
Whats your take flowerchat.
Does teleflora do any shows to help create your own marketable products?
I mean these are all great ideas but does it really give you what you need to market to the consumer?
I'm all for showing of new techniques but to incorprate these things into your business seems to be more of a dream.
The boutineres are cool but could take those ideas and use them in your prom work or wedding work? Could you still sell these new ideas to your customers?
Whats your take flowerchat.
Tracy D'Amico
Well-Known Member
The focus in these shows pretty much is always design. There are tidbits here and there, but hard core marketing advice? No way.
I have attended shows where the presenter really tries to give some valuable advice about customers, marketing, advertising - and the not so silent complaint is always that they are talking too much.
Every design show I attend, they give out a sheet for feedback, and every time, I ask for business type seminars to address marketing, competition, accounting - all the boring stuff that can make or break a shop.
The design shows are still very useful, even if they don't address all of the industry issues. I don't think necessarily that you are to take away exact design ideas from these shows, but rather take some inspiration .... to look at your designs a little differently.
I learn something from each show, I just wish it wasn't always design focused.
Time to bump the Gaylon Pyle thread!
tracy
lori042499
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In the NE unit, we have been trying to find designers who are more focused on pricing and marketing, because we have found that some of the designers make huge fairytale arrangements. The one arrangement that you might make for the one millionaire in 2 or 3 years type of design.
I have still found that many of them still focus more on design rather that selling, marketing and price. Lets face it we all know how to design and getting a few new ideas is great, but most of us need help on how to get our product sold, marketed and priced correctly.
One of the last shows we did, the gentleman showed us examples of how to correct stuffing by moving a few flowers around to fill up holes rather than putting a few more flowers in. He also showed that just because you have a recipe it needn't be all the same arrangement, he would make 3 different designs out of the same stems of flowers. He used a 4 time mark up which seemed high to me and a labor charge. Gave some selling tips, but half way through we lost all of that and just got crazy expensive designs with no prices because they were unrealistic to sell in an everyday type of shop.
Connie
New Member
Kevin Ylvisaker changed the way I view, pursue, and price weddings with this one statement, "You can never lose money on a wedding that you do not get. You can only lose money on a wedding that you price too low." He taught me (not me personally, but as a part of the show) how to glue corsages. He showed how to create centerpieces (for example) in parts so that if a bride balked at the price, you could simply move sections of the arrangement away to enable the bride to understand what she would be getting for her money. Etc. Etc. He did a wedding show for us several years ago, and he not only created wonderful designs, but he was continually giving out tidbits about pricing, marketing, etc.
Teleflora Live is a touring program that features Tom Butler, Hitomi Gilliam, Kevin Ylvisaker and other TF staffers. It's produced by the corporate office (rather than by the TF Units) and is geared to highlight TF services across the boards - POS, Stems & Bunches, etc...
Producing design programs is always a challenge. One segment of the audience will be inspired but say 'I can never sell that in my store' and another will dismiss everyday 'sellable' design work saying 'that designer's not impressive, I do that stuff in my store every day.' It's tough to cover all the bases in one program.
For local shows, the majority of attendees are usually newbies (less than 5 years in the biz) and interested primarily in design. Too much biz info, especially presented dryly, leads to glazed-over eyes. And, of course, frankly discussing WS math is verboten if a presenter wants to keep his/her job. :tongue
As far as marketing programs go, realize that most of the WS-sponsored designers/presenters on the circuit are free-lancers. I can only think of a few who actually work in flower shops full-time so many are well removed from the day-to-day, nuts and bolts side of the biz. The presenters will generally pepper their presentations with selling and pricing tips, but the focus will almost always be design since that's what attendees came to see.
It's kind of a chicken-egg thing.
Producing design programs is always a challenge. One segment of the audience will be inspired but say 'I can never sell that in my store' and another will dismiss everyday 'sellable' design work saying 'that designer's not impressive, I do that stuff in my store every day.' It's tough to cover all the bases in one program.
For local shows, the majority of attendees are usually newbies (less than 5 years in the biz) and interested primarily in design. Too much biz info, especially presented dryly, leads to glazed-over eyes. And, of course, frankly discussing WS math is verboten if a presenter wants to keep his/her job. :tongue
As far as marketing programs go, realize that most of the WS-sponsored designers/presenters on the circuit are free-lancers. I can only think of a few who actually work in flower shops full-time so many are well removed from the day-to-day, nuts and bolts side of the biz. The presenters will generally pepper their presentations with selling and pricing tips, but the focus will almost always be design since that's what attendees came to see.
It's kind of a chicken-egg thing.
Actually, Teleflora Live was heavily marketing based. As Kathy stated it was all of TFs departments coming together. Tom Butler's State of the Industry address discussed the changing maketplace as a whole as it relates to the floral industry, including other gift items competing for consumer dollars. Several tech guys talked about email, POS, web marketing, direct mail, etc. which most florists are now familiar with. They also discussed the future of marketing through avenues many of us are not familiar with like pod casts, web streaming, cell phone technology, virtual worlds, etc. Hitomi discussed marketing, in particularly in renting out props for her larger pieces. Kevin's program was almost entirely marketing based using floral design to demonstrate his ideas. He discussed GenY customers extensively. He stated as Baby Boomers are aging we need to do a better job reaching younger generations. Below is four arrangements using exactly the same flowers he used as an example for targeting age groups - 20's to 30's, 20s to 40s, 30s to 40s, 40+
Being involved with AFH, TF, and TSFA I know first hand florists beg for business based programs and classes. However, when they are offered, no one shows up. Most programs are design bases because that's what puts butts in the seats.
Being involved with AFH, TF, and TSFA I know first hand florists beg for business based programs and classes. However, when they are offered, no one shows up. Most programs are design bases because that's what puts butts in the seats.
About the Boutineres, my boss said the same thing, when I suggested the wires and etc. She bought some with the feeling that it would never ever sell in the small town we work in!! BOY was she surprised, I made a few samples and showed the different techniques I had picked up at different shows, those bouts and corsages not only sold but you market them as Floral Jewelry!! It works, get some of the supplies try them and make samples, you never know till you try it!!! plus since you market it as Floral jewelry you get to add to the price. Alot of the girls liked it because after the fresh flowers died they had a braclet, especially designed for them! Now we incorporate the colored wire and etc in bouquets, bouts and etc. It is amazing when you start working with the different things what you can make and people are coming in now and wanting it for weddings, anniversaries and etc. Good Luck!!
Eric S
Demoted Webmaster
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