Teleflora National Marketing Orders Received YTD

[Eric S]

Look at your year to date totals for your Tf national marketing orders you have received for 2010 and compare it to your 2009 totals.

Vote if your up or down using your total dollar amounts.

 

[lori042499]

I am down somewhere between 10-25% but that is by choice..I do not accept those orders anymore, I catagorize them as a og...and therefore do not accept business from them, a practice that I am quickly regretting as I do not want to get rid of TF and my pos system or website as of yet and still need funds to pay for said subscriptions.....I may have to eat crow and start back taking orders from some of the lesser offenders and just let them know what I need to do these orders and let them choose instead of me just rejecting off the bat...

 

[bootcampguy]

25% through Dec 01.......................

 

[CHR]

IMO the loss of the USAA account to FTD had a big impact on orders flowing through TF. My guess is it's the reason FTD posted YOY gains during the last 4 quarters (since the program moved in Sept. 2009.) Doubt TF will get that account back since FTD is discounting 25% to USAA members. The margins just aren't there for TF to go lower.

 

[bootcampguy]

IMO the loss of the USAA account to FTD had a big impact on orders flowing through TF. My guess is it's the reason FTD posted YOY gains during the last 4 quarters (since the program moved in Sept. 2009.) Doubt TF will get that account back since FTD is discounting 25% to USAA members. The margins just aren't there for TF to go lower.

Thanks for the Red Evelope info, you saved me $50 bucks. In this era of "economic malpractice" I don't think they really consider the economic side of the discount. I think they will keep discounting more and more until they "fold".........or wake up and realize that you can't absorb those type of discounts in economy like this. At some point and time you have to have "profited sales".

 

[Eric S]

Teleflora National Marketing Orders Received YTD

2010 $364.79
2009 $1480.00
2008 $1582.13

I'm not upset about this but i do have to question the continue fee increases to justify continuing to be a Teleflora Member.

There will be some new fees that amount to additional $30.00 a month starting in January and yet with my outgoing continuines to go down year after year. Don't get me wrong but my $20,000 in outgoing orders doesn't seem to worth it anymore.

 

[lori042499]

Thanks for the Red Evelope info, you saved me $50 bucks. In this era of "economic malpractice" I don't think they really consider the economic side of the discount. I think they will keep discounting more and more until they "fold".........or wake up and realize that you can't absorb those type of discounts in economy like this. At some point and time you have to have "profited sales".

There was a big article on just this subject about Walmart...They tried to deepen their discounts last year or so and found that in this economy they couldn't absorb the costs because people were only buying what they had to and what was a fab deal....the loss leaders were the only things selling at a loss....there is no way anyone can keep doing business like that...

 

[herndonflorist]

I have had a total of 3 orders from national Marketing. Does this sound right to anyone else....3 orders total for the whole year coming into a major suburb of Washington DC?

 

[lori042499]

I have had a total of 3 orders from national Marketing. Does this sound right to anyone else....3 orders total for the whole year coming into a major suburb of Washington DC?

there must be a prolific filler in your area, one that carries every tf product and has a fleet of vans...We have one here, clifford's they get the lion's share of orders, they want them so be it...
Either that or you reject a whole lot or request more money and they don't want to bother with you anymore...or you aren't listed in washington, dc because you pulled your listing because they were costing and arm and a leg...

 

[lori042499]

Just checked Anne, you are not listed in Washington DC, so you wouldn't get orders going there...I would imagine that the bulk of orders going there would go to DC...Just like the bulk of orders sent to this part of the world go to Boston...I am not listed there so i don't get a whole lot of traffic...

 

[BOSS]

Word I'm getting from florists is the numbers are way off.... hmmm...

I take that as a good thing

 

[ROBSWF]

Word I'm getting from florists is the numbers are way off.... hmmm...

I take that as a good thing

I'm with you Mark!

I see it as a good thing also.

We talk to people every day that aren't happy with orders sent through any wire service.

Ultimately, whatever the discount - if the consumer isn't happy with the delivered product they are NOT their customer.

Wire services just don't seem to get it, they only temporarily gain an order but overall the volume through those channels are shrinking.

You don't make someone happy with a discount alone, discounts only gain attention, only the final received product has the power to make them a happy customer!

Simply put there just aren't enough orders flowing through the system to keep every member florist happy.

It's not due to the battle of the discounts, it due to the lack of what has been delivered.

The lack the quantity and quality of flowers!


The only way to truly "Save the Florists" is to put your money where it has the power to do the best for your business.

Under your control, not somebody else's.

An outside company may promise to help you build your business, but they're always focused on what is in it for them, and of course their bottom line comes before yours.

Don't be fooled!

Let me ask you this....

How long would you be willing to hold onto employees that are producing 20, 30 or 40% less in productivity?

To me the solution is simple, but maybe it's just me......

Happy Holidays!
Rob

 

[lori042499]

I just had a woman in yesterday, that ordered through TF.com last year..I did one of the kinkade's..I had such problems with red spray roses last year and replaced the flowers on this order twice and because we had such problems I gave them a 4" pionsettia in a sleigh with an apology...When she got her 20% off coupon in the mail for TF.com, she decided that I gave such excellent service she would come directly to me...she saved the transfer fee, she is getting a custom designed kinkade that will last the whole week(they have two dinners a week apart) and I match TF's coupon...She is one happy camper....and now a customer for life...she was very impressed with my store and my actual flowers, she didn't realize that she could get the kinkade done custom or anything for that matter...and she said that the process was so much easier than explaining all this stuff to the phone operator at TF...and she saved quite a bit of money....now if we could just take the time to service the crap out of all the .com people and have them realize we are a real shop behind it and not TF doing the servicing...

 

[bootcampguy]

.........and she saved quite a bit of money....now if we could just take the time to service the crap out of all the .com people and have them realize we are a real shop behind it and not TF doing the servicing...

Great !! (Imagine a smiley face screaming great)

That is Marketing 101.......and the only reason I fill those orders. 1 out 3 will be yours and 50% will re-order if marketed to by you. We're selling Kincards (or we're) at 2 price points $79.95 and $99.95.

 

[Eric S]

There is only one thing that you have to remember.

Did she really think of your shop on her own or was the coupon helping her.

See this is the problem that we will all have to address when and if the wire service disappears.

How will we put into the consumers minds the thought of sending flowers as a gift.

 

[BOSS]

See this is the problem that we will all have to address when and if the wire service disappears.

How will we put into the consumers minds the thought of sending flowers as a gift.

In a perfect world, SAF.... you know... The Society of American FLORISTS, would step up to the plate as a NATIONAL organization and promote FLORISTS.

BUTT, since they have chosen to partner with the wire services over the florists already, they too WILL BE GONE with the wire services, since they are impotent already.

It'll be ok tho... with the demise of the wire services, so too will their stables of order gatherers disappear, and we will go back to the days of local florists, ruling both their local areas as well as the web, and all WILL be well!! Trust me, I'm a florist.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

IMO the loss of the USAA account to FTD had a big impact on orders flowing through TF. My guess is it's the reason FTD posted YOY gains during the last 4 quarters (since the program moved in Sept. 2009.) Doubt TF will get that account back since FTD is discounting 25% to USAA members. The margins just aren't there for TF to go lower.

Thank goodness we're not FTD- what a nightmare that would be.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

Well- We are doing really well. By Thursday night we had already exceeded last Decembers total sales.

The orders I'm getting from TF for the most part are good ones. Only had to reject 3 orders. Almost all of them are between $65 and $85.

I had only ordered 12 Kincades and had to re order 12 more and just got them on Thursday- They are already all gone. I wish I had ordered 12 more. This is the only keepsake I ordered for Christmas. I do think it's the best selling TF Christmas container of all time. Absolutely brilliant. I'm even sucked in to the collection. I have all of them and look forward to them every year. And I know a lot of other people do as well.

I used to get so pissed at TF, But then a few years ago a flower shop owner that I know up in Farmington NM, who has owned shops for a long long time told me this- (and this is the jist)
Regardless of how you got the order- sending a good quality product to a potential new customer can olny do you good.

So this is what I took away from the statement...If you get an order that you know you can't fill properly- reject it. Take the ones you know you can do well and will make that recipient happy.

Happy recipients means happy customers.

I'm not bragging (and I'm sure you guys get these calls too) But I get all the time people calling me telling me how awsome the flowers were. I had a guy from Texas call me the other day saying how wonderful what I sent was for Thanksgiving. After a long conversation and him telling me that he doesn't expect to ever be pleased with what is sent when he wire flowers (ouch!) I told him- well just call me directly!

The other thing I learned is don't accept orders that will just ultimately hurt your store reputation.
Like stupid 29.99 orders from bloomnet.

The straw that broke the camels back with Bloomnet for me was the week that we got 2 calls from 2 different recipients saying "THIS is not Flowers By Martha Lees work." And it wasn't- but by golly it looked just like bloomnets pic.

If your shop does have a "brand" or a signature look- don't send out things that totally don't look like that brand/signature.

Anyway- I can't complain about TF.

What I can complain about is flower shops calling or sending orders for products that I am NOT codified for. Does no one seriously know how to read a Directory or click to see what containers a shop has? OR real florists taking an order then calling me AFTER they take the order and then getting mad at me when I cannot fill an order for the price or they just have a dumb request that may or may not happen. I think a lot regular florists are so desperate that they will take any and all requests- get the money and worry about the rest later. sad but true. As far as I'm concerned that is not good customer service.
Over promising and under delivering is the WORST thing any business can do.

 

[bootcampguy]

There is only one thing that you have to remember.

Did she really think of your shop on her own or was the coupon helping her.

See this is the problem that we will all have to address when and if the wire service disappears.

How will we put into the consumers minds the thought of sending flowers as a gift.

Right on the money. What was in her hand made her think of Lori (possible), but when we "replace" that hand with something and they now have a personal relationship with her. If she continues to touch this lady (26 tiems per. year) then eventually she will eat right from Lori's hand and then break the "economic malpractice cycle".......................

 

[Carrieann]

Shannon, it is funny that you say you are having other florist call and ask you for a codified product. We have the opposite problem.... tele hq does that about 5 times a day with us. It is THEIR system, learn how to use it!

And what really bites me is you say the only Christmas container you bought was 12 kinkades? Tele wouldn't let us do that! We tried to order only 12 of the kinkades and nothing else, they told us we would have to take 48, no thanks. A few days later my mom called and tried again, thinking a different person would get a different result. She was told they were SOLD OUT of the kinkades. We knew it was bull and tried to argue but still didn't get them.

We don't usually order ANY holiday containers but we always have the kinkades, our customers love them. I think this has something to do with why they wouldn't sell them to us, they don't like the fact that we don't buy their crap