TELEFLORA v.s. FTD

M

meritasflowers

Member
Dec 15, 2010
66
26
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WRENS
State / Prov
GA
I have currently ran my shop for only 1 year and
am looking for the sage advice of my fellow florist
designers. Originally I signed up with FTD because
I knew they had quality roses. {The roses last up
to 3 weeks in my cooler!} How does Stems & Bunches
Roses compare? In July I signed up with
Teleflora as they were promoting 6 months Free.
Now I'm not sure who to go with. The fees are
the same, customer service is about the same.
I dislike FTD drop shipping and notice all the gorgious
designs are the Vera Wang, Smithsonian, and other
drop ship items. I receive about the same amout of
orders from each. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
 
That would be my preference and hope to get there one day.
Right now wouldn't be possible as I can't go through my flowers
fast enough from local orders for a small town shop. But if I would
take my $100 a month & put it towards advertising? Maybe?
 
the worse of the two evils is Teleflora as they currently don't drop ship but if you don't have a website through them, make sure they take you off the findaflorist link as those orders will come through headquarters and they get their cut.... If you are the only shop in that town serving that town, request a "small town" discount and don't buy into their point of sale machines... look at independant POS such as Floristware and others. Use your own computer to host their "dove" sending system if you need to... I don't miss the computer printing out undervalued orders especially at times like this week... make them call you...
as for the flowers... certainly you can buy in smaller quantities if need be... check out flowerbuyer.com and their "buy the bunch" offers...
 
Sorry for the confusion. I don't receive enough local orders to be able to go through my flowers
in order to keep them fresh. I have to have some type of wire orders to move enough flowers.

I order my flowers & supplies from Ga. State floral distributors.
 
meritasflowers said:
Sorry for the confusion. I don't receive enough local orders to be able to go through my flowers
in order to keep them fresh. I have to have some type of wire orders to move enough flowers.

I order my flowers & supplies from Ga. State floral distributors.
Click to expand...
and those orders you are filling you get paid roughly .73/on the dollar and wait up to 60 days for payment.
Website, placement of your listing in local searches, claim your local listings in google, yahoo, bing, inform recipients of your website so sender can order direct from you.. market yourself to the senders (especially those who send regularly - you should be able to ascertain those)... send a message with wire in orders that when they thank the sender to pass along your website and/or phone numbers...

Need a bit more on how I did it?? PM me... my town is <5000 and total service area <8000 population..
 
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meritasflowers said:
That would be my preference and hope to get there one day.
Right now wouldn't be possible as I can't go through my flowers
fast enough from local orders for a small town shop. But if I would
take my $100 a month & put it towards advertising? Maybe?
Click to expand...
That's probably the best reason I have ever heard for a florist to stay with the wire services, especially a new one. I am assuming a few things in my own mind, like your level of total sales, but for some, bundle of roses is a BIG purchase. Been there done that.

There will come a time when you don't need them to clear out your cooler, but at this point, I think you are thinking just fine. You are definitely not the only florist whom I would suggest this to.
 
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I did the evry same thing for the first 3 years of my shop..I had bloomnet as their order volume I knew was more because I knew how to play their game...TF order volume sux for small towns, not to sure about FTD...You must be filling for ogs if you are relying on incoming to keep inventory moving...I would suggest you go with wither one or the other and strongly work on improving your web presence and customer base, and be gone as soon as you are able...
 
meritasflowers said:
That would be my preference and hope to get there one day.
Right now wouldn't be possible as I can't go through my flowers
fast enough from local orders for a small town shop. But if I would
take my $100 a month & put it towards advertising? Maybe?
Click to expand...

Whoa.... $100 dollars per month towards advertising. The fact is that amount of advertising money will have little if any impact on your business. On the other hand if you recieve just 2 incoming orders a week at an average value of say $50 (plus delivery) you will have recived $400 in business.

So here we go for the nay sayers, yes you will only receve 73% which in this case will translate to $292, however your cost should be somewhere around the $125-$150 mark leaving you with a gross profit of $142 - $167 (prior to mebership).

Is this the idea situation, of course not. The reality however is that you need to carry a selection of product or you will never build your business. In your case the wire orders allow you to move some of this product at a reduced return, sure beats throwing product in the garbage.

A better situation would be if your were recieving more incomings a day, as this would offset the membership fee a bit more. The reality is as a start up the one thing you have an abundance of is time, what you are probably short of is money. Its not like you will incur extra labour costs at this point in your business.
 
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Doug Munro said:
Is this the idea situation, of course not. The reality however is that you need to carry a selection of product or you will never build your business. In your case the wire orders allow you to move some of this product at a reduced return, sure beats throwing product in the garbage.......................................
Click to expand...

Let me jump in on Doug's post and say this, "If you call those wire service people one week after the order and introduce your self, then engage in idle chit chat, you will here that those orders are from Doctors, Attorneys, Retired teachers, etc. and then at the end you say, "I would love to serve you personally", you will add new customers to your store be the groves. In every ws order there's at least 2 (potentially new) accounts. I would make them (WS) operate in my "parameters".........it's not easy, but you can. Today alone, I held a few orders "hostage" until I got what I wanted. Make the vendor work for you or cut down the level of service that you want to provide for them. I agree with Doug, it's not a perfect world or situation, but it can work......................None is better than the other!!
 
Bootcampguy,
Explain "hold the orders hostage". Like do you get email addresses and info from the vendor or FTD direct orders? I didn't
think FTD would give them to me.
 
They're calling me wanting me to take more orders, so I hold the orders "hostage" until I get what I wnat. I make them re-send the order describing how I want it to read. Example, Tele HQ is sending Kincaid orders, we still have some at the $99.95 price, if they want to send one. I usally buy the main advertised special and do it up with a $20 upgrade.........................The rec. will give you all the emials addressed one week after the order after they see how "beautiful" your flowers and work is. Somebody will say "you can't do that", but you can !!
 
They are, are you ready for this? THE SAME!!!!

The wire services are as big a crook as the florist who called me directly this morning to accept a direct billing. Her order was for a TOTAL of $35.00. A traditional Christmas centerpiece, two red candles, carnations and mums with holiday bling. She said she would ask me to accept the 20% professional fee to her for calling me. Now the order is $28.00. Was going to use her credit card. That is another 2.45% credit charge fee .88. The order is now $27.12. She said it was ok for me to take my $9.95 delivery charge out of the order. The order is now $17.17. CAN YOU MAKE A TRADITIONAL CENTERPIECE FOR THAT? i ask her? She says well, no, not really. But that is all her customer wanted to pay. Thank you florist. But no thanks. She said she would call someone else who was more interested in business. The insult was when I called her shop back and asked her salesperson how much it would cost to send an order out of town, they have a $14.95 service charge, plus tax. Ya think a $14.95 rape charge would be enough, but not for her.

The point is this. You get that incoming wire order in for $65.00 and you start deducting all the discounts and hidden charges you pay, and you really are working for nothing. And working for nothing with the offsetting chance of...THE OLD WIRE SERVICE SCARE TACTIC OF "getting your product into a potential customers hands", I think doesn't make very good sense, especially in this economy. Now, before all you other wiser than wallstreeters jump all over me telling me to search for similar topics that were covered in 2002...i said i THINK, so you can't sue me! <G> EVERYONE!!! HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! YOU EARNED IT!!!
 
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this is where "negotiation" becomes a critical skillset.....approach each wire service, after carefully studying THEIR program costs, and THEN, submit a proposal upon which YOUR proposed costs SHOULD BE, and see who bites.
IF you are in an area, whereby there is little to NO coverages, you'd be surprised.
However, as Mark has indicated, don't be a fool, IF you think you MUST have a wire service...it's just NOT that way any more, and the heavy cost burdens of a wire service can EASILY be offset with a quick call to Ryan, as SEO MASTER genius, and webmaster, and I'll betcha, you WON'T "need" a wire service.
WS Network orders are on the decline, will continue to do so, and ANYBODY that is contemplating joining a wire service is for MORE incoming....you're ACTUALLY in for a RUDE awakening!
 
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Also how about the 5% surcharge starting in Jan. 2011 to be taxed by FTD if you don't have at least 1 outgoing order for every 5 incoming orders?! #1 People are using the internet more for sending flowers. #2 Alot of those people who check out FTD's website will end up ordering direct as those arrangements have brighter, nicer designs.
 
I wouldn't choose either, you can make it without a wire service. There is a really good supply of florist across the USA that are not wire service related, they are learning to be independent and the ones I have talked with will not go back. Educate the consumer on why they should order from their local florist.
 
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