WS's and brand recognition nonsense..

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P.S

Mikey, you asked where it is that you said that FTD was cheaper per order than TF? go up seven posts and read the post from
Mikey the Flower guy posted at 9:29 am on 25-09-2003

Jim
 
OK...I "got" a grip...

I was sensing something in this thread that "might" create division of some sort...I think I'll go use that suppository now!
Mike:FTDme
 
Instead of "THE cost of a TF order was higher"...

I guess clarifying it to read "MY COST" per TF order is in order...hoping that is what you kinda were hinting at??
Hmmmm.....my SECOND oops today!
Mike
 
Every order that goes out the door is advertising for us. We get way more return customers from this than from any media advertising we can do in this little one goat town. I just did a $1000 worth of flowers to one event on Monday because we had delivered an order to this person. I would never have reached this person other wise. Two weeks ago we did a memorial for a woman to the tune of $600. This customer sent flowers to her mom through her local florist. The order came to us, we delivered the flowers and the sender was there to see them. She did not know us from any other shop but because she liked what she saw, she ordered the flowers from us.
Click to expand...

I few weeks ago I posted something about sending discount coupons to the recipients to try to get them to become customers and was told by a few here that advertising to recipients was a waste of money. Yet, you seem to prove what I thought was very logical. The recipients of your flowers are the best source of new customer you have.
Gary, which from what I've read runs the most professional flower shop I've ever heard of and seems to be very sucessful, seems to go out of his was to impress the recipients of his flowers. Drivers in uniform, nice vans, mouse pads, etc., etc.
So what is the scoop? Does it or does it not pay to market recipients?
 
George,
I can only go by my experience in my shop but I can tell you that we do no media advertising neither print nor tv/radio. Our business is up 36% YTD over last year. We ask every customer that comes in to our shop or calls on the phone how they found out about us and the majority tell us that we delivered flowers to them. That before receiving the flowers they did not even know we were here. We definetly get a return on our money by delivering incoming WS orders.

Jim
 
Jim,

Great numbers! The industry average (according to TOTO, I believe, so take the info for what you think it's worth) is about 1 in 10 recipients becoming customers.

Obviously, you're doing something right!

Ryan
(Who had his &*#$@ crib in the same area of the office his computer now occupies)
 
It just makes sense to me. People who receive flowers usually like to send flowers. If they see your nice work and on top of that they get some sort of discount for trying you the next time they have an occasion to send flowers, I think most will give you a try. It is up to you then to keep them as customers.
 
One of the things that we do, I'm sure that some of the COG's experts would cringe to hear me say this, we use our advertising dollars a little differently. Instead of writing a check to the local newspaper, or TV ad. we buy flowers. An arrangement that goes out of here is always a little bigger, a little nicer than what is requested. We do a lot of complimentary displays at the banks and beauty salons also but the kicker for us is what the customers are getting. It does not cost much more to up size the vase slightly and add a rose or two. Makes a huge difference in the presentation and costs me pennies in cogs. Now if I were spending money on other advertising venues it would be different, but like I say we have no worth while advertising around here. I wonder how many shops can say that they get people coming in to compliment them on the flowers that they saw at a luncheon, or a memorial etc. These are people off the street that walk in just to tell us and then pick up a business card. I'm not saying that it does'nt happen anywhere else, I'm just saying that it is probably not common, yet we get it all the time.
I go for the Wow! factor and it seems to be working ;)
 
Common sense thinking Jim. :) Selling your "brand" is the best advertising...

V
 
FTD does more "branding". Telaflora, by all accounts, sells more holiday specials. In the end, whos effort is more sucessful.

Today, the owners of the "brand" seem to derive a far greater benifit than those who pay for the right to use it.

When I droped on brand for the "other". there was no significent difference in generating sales. Only a decrease in the number of orders generated by the "breands" owner. Considering the problems and headaches associated with that "branded" work. There were no tears associated with its loss.

Did see a sharp add for ftd and hp combo. even mentioned ftd florists. But, when you check out the sourse to acquire an FTD florist, the consumer will be confronted with FTDs full page yellow page ads. for .con. Or some of their pop-ups on the internet. So much for branding partnerships.
 
Neither Teleflora, OR FTD.....

are the "friend" to the independent flower shop owner/operator anymore.
Each have agendas that more and more promote what THEY have to offer the consumer, and less what YOU have to offer the consumer, and each of the "Big Three" (1800 flowers too), would just as soon bypass you permanently....the catch phrase being "IF THEY COULD"
More and more independant shops are dropping WS's and their likes all the time, and have NO PROBLEMS, BUT, some still rely on that ever elusive "check", without realizing how much that "check" costs them.
I have experienced ALL the fortunes AND misgivings of almost ALL the WS's, and I can tell you FIRST HAND, that in it's day, AFS was the friendliest, and Carik was the most brutal.
I have a strange analogy...IF you were to get an order from the DOT CON of either TF or TFD, and asked for more money, chances are the order would be cancelled.
IF you got an order from 1800flowers, and needed more money, they often APPROVE the increase to get that order filled...is that BECAUSE they are having coverage isssues?? now that more shops are turning away their orders??...and IF that's the case, doesn't that PROVE TO YOU, that YOU, the independant florists, that works hard, and fast, and smart, STILL HAS some control over the "destiny" of the flower business??
Most of us that have chosen to drop ALL WS's but ONE, have STILL experienced growth within our business, and have become MORE profitable, and have less overhead, and have MORE time to service OUR OWN clients!
I guess we STILL need a wire service as a "pacifier"...what WOULD WE DO, if we DIDN'T have it??
I've experienced TREMENDOUS GROWTH, in my DIRECT shop to shop incoming, using credit cards, and a smaller discount, and NO DROP in incoming, by remaining FTD ONLY!!
So, it does NOT matter which, IF ANY wire service YOU belong to, I CAN, and WILL STILL take care of YOUR CLIENTS" ORDERS.
Mike:)
 
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