Teleflora's counter attack?

[BOSS]

This just keeps getting F**King better and better

Read this HERE

Are you getting pissed now??

Good friend of mine, former florist, reads here daily made the comment to me, that florists are scared to speak their minds...

The above is the result of doing NOTHING!

 

[Hal Conklin]

just wait

This just keeps getting F**King better and better

Read this HERE

Are you getting pissed now??

Good friend of mine, former florist, reads here daily made the comment to me, that florists are scared to speak their minds...

The above is the result of doing NOTHING!

All they need to do is change there name to teleflora.com. have the florists pay for the advertising of it in SUNDAYS PAper.
Now how would you feel to open the paper and see TELEFLORA.COM with your tiny little name under it. Along with everyone else in your area. Its coming watch your local papers. Maybe by Mothers Day ?

 

[ROBSWF]

This just keeps getting F**King better and better

Read this HERE

Are you getting pissed now??

Good friend of mine, former florist, reads here daily made the comment to me, that florists are scared to speak their minds...

The above is the result of doing NOTHING!

Are you kidding me? Pissed? Beyond that!!
All of this is truly turning into the worlds largest circus!! We have got to get people to stop talking and start taking action!!! Get away from the big 2. No time like now!!

Valentines flowers from 29.99. I feel so sorry for all those that are paying the big 2 monies to come up with these new marketing ventures. The only one who stands to profit from all of this is THEM. Not the real florist.

Also Boss, see if in your creative mind you can come up with a TV spot on why consumers should avoid the gatherers and the big 2. I am working on some people including myself willing to bring this to life!!

 

[BOSS]

Also Boss, see if in your creative mind you can come up with a TV spot on why consumers should avoid the gatherers and the big 2. I am working on some people including myself willing to bring this to life!!

Got that one covered too!

 

[Darius]

If there able to give the consumer what was order

Then there really isn't a problem. I understand the problems but on the other hand I don't. Proflowers has over 60% return on there customer base, with the drop ship progam there only going to get stronger being un-contested. Perception in the consumer's mind is reality, because we as florist are mad because we are being used as an end point isn't no ones problem but our own. No local customer is never going to be obligated to use a local retail florist. Not in this day an age.


Boss i read your other post and I always thought you to be guilty of double speak. Just a few months back it seems you were on board with jaws bqt done all over to expand your end points. Told us florist were making this work for them and you would be running numbers to change/effect this concept to your store. What changed with that ?

I am also on the other side with alternate wire services such as IFA, I believe the only way for this concept to actually effect the big2 is to keep membership cost low and a 70/30 split on credit card with also a small fee ( like a quater ) charge to the sending florist on each order that would go in the kitty so IFA can back the filling florist incase of a charge back. Other then that I can send orders on a credit card without them. Even without the rebates larger senders might be interested in joining. And yes if you can provide volume in it there will be plenty of florist joining even at a 70/30 split they would make more money and make it same day with there delivery.

I am not looking to have a typing war wth anyone, I truly don't understand all the hostility, none of this is new.


- Darius

 

[BOSS]

Then there really isn't a problem.

I disagree, as long as there is one internet site advertising as a local florist, and as long as the BIG2 continue to in effect encourage this type of behavior there is a problem.

Boss i read your other post and I always thought you to be guilty of double speak. Just a few months back it seems you were on board with jaws bqt done all over to expand your end points. Told us florist were making this work for them and you would be running numbers to change/effect this concept to your store. What changed with that ? - Darius

Darius, thanks for your candor...it is true that at one point (a year or more ago now) that I did think it possible and perhaps a good idea to try to control this part of the biz, however it really only works in major metro markets, where you may have like 20-30 outlets that you can capitalize on... it will not work in a single outlet style...It did not work for my city...

As to the JAWS bqts for instore use they do work well, however the same product can be sourced from other suppliers without the attachment to the BIG2, and usually at a lower cost.

Thanks for holding me accountable Darius, really!

 

[steve]

I know I said this beofre but i say it one more time we do not need another wire service type model that is the old railroad and has no long term potential. The new railroad is alliance with our own branded products that uses a national internet site to market with and then the customer types in the zip code they want to send to and the site brings you into the web site of the florist in that zip code that is part of the alliance . No wire service in midddle no one handleing money but the florist that fills the order.

On another note how many florist here actually advertised for Valentines day? and if not why did you not advertise?

I have 30,000 inserts following out of our local paper tomorrow and on saturday I have a post it attach to the front page of another 30,000 newspapers advertisieng that they still have time to place that order with us.

 

[BOSS]

On another note how many florist here actually advertised for Valentines day?

Yep, sure did, and with a teaser regarding suprise, and free delivery on Sunday...

So far it is working well, orders for F-S-S are equal to the 14th...spreading it over 4 days instead of one...

Steve, regarding your other thoughts, I would like to touch base on the phone after Valentines... there are others out there that feel the same way you do...

 

[steve]

I look forward to talking to you Boss I let you know how our numbers come in at end of holiday my biggest problem could be a major winter storm on Monday we are watching it closely but not much we can do the product is bought and in route to us if it holds off till Tuesday then we will have a great holiday

 

[Darius]

How would that work Steve ?

We would have no reason to wire flowers, through this web site all customer can locate a florist to handle that order and deal with them directly ?

If what I read was correct, that is a fantasy world and by being in this small town wouldn't want it.

Could you imagine all the money you spent on advertising only to have 10% of those customers placing an order wanting it outside your delivery area.

If i was a retail florist that doesn't advertise I could be a member of this system and even do less advertising. I always told the wire service that they needed to stop the tax burden on the filling florist. Let them make some money doing it, lets face it there is going to be a market for it, the more money they make doing it, the more they will want it, the less time they will have to advertise, the more oppurtinity there is for a florist that would send out 30k inserts in the newpaper.

Sometimes I think this is more about what we think we are entitled, customers will decide that.

 

[steve]

Yes the customers will decide that and they are deciding it more and more everyday. What we have is a fadeing business going in one direction and an emerging business going in another direction. The tricK is to migrate away from one and onto the other. I am a top 300 sending florist but I see the numbers clearly my wire outs our dropping dbl digits yearly and were its a profit center for me now it will not be a profit center at some point in the very near future.

Both Teleflora and Ftd have have partner with businesses this week who are marketing there products via the web not brick and mortar.

Bottom line is I really do not think wire outs or ins will be much of a business 5 years from now. So what is your plan to replace that revenue stream? if you choose to stay the course I ask you how many black smiths shops do you see around these days?

 

[BOSS]

Both Teleflora and Ftd have have partner with businesses this week who are marketing there products via the web not brick and mortar.

Bottom line is

The real bottom line is that TFTD think that there will always be fillers, and that everyone is affraid to jump...hence their continued pushing florists into the corner...

Problem is, every school playground bully eventually gets his A** kicked at some point, and I think that point is growing very near...

 

[Darius]

I have no agenda Steve nor any answers

Just in the retail business, and we all don't think the same.

It funny, I see Griff post about wire in/wire out ratio and how if one florist drop there membership it changes that ratio and causes more of a loss. I understand what he is saying and I would guess about 20% ( just a pure random guess ) of the member of this board understand, while the other 80% may or may not but would still be glad that shop quit so they could get more incoming. It helps offset there membership and helps pay the rent.

We just open this shop but I own a shop before this one, we send out orders and I am still surprise about how many emails I get, Letters, Post cards whatever from shop even 30, 40, 50 years established wanting a relationship where I send them all my orders. Gone to FTD HQ with about 20 other florist probably 15 were outspoken about getting more incoming orders. Maybe even half of those bought more everyday codified product that day because they were told that would help them get more orders. Some signed up to deliver the 29.99 rose special. With all this talk on the chat for the last several years, they have gain more ground.


I wonder where those florist are, why don't they post. They make up a greater % or maybe there here and full of crap when they post. But either way everyone has a different way of doing things, i just think to bring along these florist to make the switch you have to produce some type of volume cause these floral shop owners will have the biggest impact on the ws income.

To educate the consumer is fantastic, I just think most of them don't care. I hope I am wrong, I just hope this educating the customer doesn't just drive them to use a national brand that they reconize because I really think it will and that is my concern.

 

[steve]

Sorry I did not mean to imply you had a agenda but clearly most seem to think the only way to survive is the way it has been done for years . And the old system sure did do a great job for a long time. Speaking for myself I am trying to find the solution that will carry me into the future vs something that might work today but is a short term fix with a very apparent dead end to it.

Many florist read here but few are vocal and frankly up to about 4 months ago I was one of them too. I was reading and digesting everything and trying to find a course I felt would work now I am becomeing more vocal as are others. If we all throw enough real ideas on the wall we will eventually put together a program that will work for most florist.

Steve

 

[BOSS]

Darius, a couple thoughts on yours...

First, in my opinion, it is no londer safe to believe anything either wire service tells you, me or anyone... everything they do and say is only an attempt to maintain control, and to maintain their "filling franchisees"...

The comment about getting more orders if you buy codified product is true and not at the same time... if you are in a smaller market, and you are the only shop (lets say out of 2-3) yes, you will get more orders, mostly because one or more of the others did not buy into the game. The unture part, is that they can not promise any number of orders, what are they going to do, pull them out of thin air?

Griff's numbers are right on, and sadly many florists "think" they are making money on incoming orders. They are not! I know one shop (I have seen their numbers) not to far from me, that runs on a 70% incoming 30% local and outgoing model... the guys busier than hell, but he wants me to figure out where he's losing money....pretty obvious, paying FTD, paying Teleflora, paying 800Flowers for Bloomlink...the guys nuts!

Like I said Griff's numbers are accurate, and my city is going to see this in action, only difference is, that I am going to warn my competition before I do it, let them know why, and hopefully gain a wire free zone out of the deal...heck one little email I sent out about the Walmart deal resulted in 32 phone calls yesterday and today... all local to my area...

I too worry about educating the consumer and driving them to the national brand... but since the national brand is falling apart, and partnering with the scourge of retail, I feel fairly confident that the consumer, once educated will embrace the local florist and continue to trust them as they have for decades...

Sorry for the rant...