2020
CHRISTMAS SUCCESS GUIDE
TREND REPORTS
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KEEPSAKES
COUNTRY CHRISTMAS X19
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TOP 10 BEST SELLERS
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BIG CUSTOMERS, BIG PROFITS
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CONTENTS 03
FIVE THINGS CUSTOMERS SHOULD NEVER HEAR Make sure customers never hear these words
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BIG CUSTOMERS, BIG PROFITS Why you should pursue the corporate account
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BEST SELLERS Petals predicted best sellers for the 2020 holiday season.
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CHRISTMAS MORALE FLOWERS AND PROFITS® Keeping spirits up during the holidays
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CHRISTMAS PLANNING Tips on how to get ready for the holiday season
FIVE THINGS CUSTOMERS SHOULD NEVER HEAR Thoughtless responses, questionable shop policies, and forgetting that the customer is right are the main reasons for bad customer service. Losing even one customer over something that could have easily been remedied is costly for a small business. Most acts of poor customer service are the result of lack of employee training. Even if you have only one employee, that person should be instructed on how to treat customers. Begin by making sure customers never hear these words: 01
"ALL SALES ARE FINAL."
Small businesses can't afford such an inflexible return policy. The message you should be sending to your customers is that you stand behind what you sell and that you want your customers to be satisfied, even if that means returning merchandise and getting their money back. 02
"WE DON'T OFFER THAT."
This is a statement that creates a dead end and no sale. Never turn away a customer. If you don't have something in stock, suggest something similar that you do have or, if possible, offer to order the item. If neither of these options works for your customer, make a recommendation about where the item or service can be obtained. 03
"THAT'S AGAINST SHOP POLICY."
This statement almost always results in a frustrated customer. No problem is ever solved by this response. Every shop has certain rules that are necessary to keep order and be uniform, but inflexible policies will ultimately distance you from your customers by creating a "you" versus "them" perception. Train your employees to use their common sense to know when shop policy is good for customer service and when it's bad. For example, if a customer lights up a cigarette, it's fine to mention that you have a smoke-free shop. However, if a person comes in with a Seeing Eye dog, it's simply unacceptable to point out that you don't allow pets in your shop. 04
"I DON'T KNOW AND THE PERSON WHO DOES IS AT LUNCH."
Whoever answers the phone at your shop should know enough about the business to answer customer questions. Develop a "frequently asked questions" list along with the answers and post it near the phone. Add to it, as needed. Brief every new employee on shop policies, products, and services. Be sure there is always someone on the premises who can answer a caller's questions. 05
"THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANYTHING WRONG TO ME."
When a customer lodges a complaint, don't argue or inadvertently question the person's integrity. If the customer thinks the product or service is substandard, offer a replacement or refund. Arguing or trying to convince the customer he/she is wrong is pointless and might cost you that customer's business.
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CHRISTMAS 2020 TRENDS RED & WHITE DELIGHT
Hugs at Christmas X21
MERCHANDISING TIP: Display products with red and white cookies, ornaments or even a red and white miniature tree!
CLASSIC CHRISTMAS
Christmas Glow X11
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2020 CHRISTMAS SUCCESS GUIDE
MERCHANDISING TIP: Set up a tablescape with Christmas Glow as the centrepiece. Use other ribbon holiday crafts to decorate the table.
LIVING LODGE
Country Christmas X19
MERCHANDISING TIP: Create faux presents wrapped in hessian and decorated with natural elements like evergreen sprigs.
CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR
Victorian Christmas X16V
MERCHANDISING TIP: Vintage Christmas is making a comeback. Complement this Victorian arrangement with illustrated antique Christmas cards display.
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BIG CUSTOMERS, BIG PROFITS? Every florist knows winning even a single new customer requires an investment of time and money. But there is a certain type of customer worth pursuing who can benefit you tenfold: the corporate account. Landing even one corporate account can translate into multiple sales stemming from that company's floral and gift orders for functions and clients. And when you factor in the potential business you could gain from that corporate account's employees; your customer base could grow rapidly.
PLANTING THE SEED
To produce an ultimately fruitful account, you must first plant the seed. Let businesses in your area know where you are, what products you offer and what services you provide. A direct mail campaign is one of the simplest and most logical ways to introduce yourself. Who should you contact? The names and addresses of businesses in your area are readily available from a variety of sources. You could turn to your Yellow Pages or the business-to-business phone book for phone numbers and addresses. However, a CD-ROM directory will give you more information and provide the names and addresses electronically. Once you have a good source of company names, create a computer file, including all the companies you want to contact, with their names, addresses, phone numbers and business hours (if you have them).
BROADCASTING THE MESSAGE
How can you reach them? There are several effective ways to make the initial contact. For best results, test several different approaches and carefully monitor the results. Then, roll out the highest scoring offer to the entire list. Or send 200 or more each month, depending on your budget and ability to follow up. Try these methods individually or in combination:
Cold call. Call prospects and introduce yourself. A personalized greeting is always more effective than a form letter, so it's worth the effort it takes to call some of the businesses in areas you serve. Cold calling can be challenging. If you react negatively to sales calls, this option probably isn't right for you. Referral. The best way to meet a prospect is by way of introduction. Once you've identified a list of prospective accounts, poll your friends, colleagues and best customers to see if someone can provide a reference. A letter and brochure. Use a high-quality brochure imprinted with your store's name. A postcard offering a complimentary gift. If the person calls to open an account (with approved credit) or visits the shop, greet them with a single rose. Enclose an incentive to encourage the person to place his or her first order. A certificate for complimentary delivery on the first three corporate orders or a coupon for 20 percent off selected items in your store is a good way to increase the odds they will visit your shop when in need of flowers or gifts.
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2020 CHRISTMAS SUCCESS GUIDE
A PRIVATE TOUCH
Including a personal message with your mailing will make your approach far more successful. Especially promising prospects (those companies with similar traits to your other commercial accounts), should get a more customized approach. This gives the impression you truly are interested and knowledgeable about the individual firm. Expect very few businesses to respond immediately to your initial mailing. Most have been purchasing flowers and gifts from another source. The first mailing is intended to provide a good introduction to your shop.
CONSISTENT CONTACT
If you follow up every letter with a phone call, you will see a dramatic increase in results. Your goal during the initial call is to get permission to drop by for a short visit. The chance of doing business with a prospective account again increases dramatically once you have made personal contact. Don't drop by without calling first for an appointment; an unannounced visit can damage your chances of landing the account. For those accounts that don't grant you an appointment, you should send a modest arrangement with a handwritten note and a business card. The note could say something like, "Please let us know if there is anything, we can do for you." Follow up again in one or two months. On average, it takes five attempts to establish contact with a new customer. It is to your great advantage to be persistent, since most salespeople 90 percent - give up after the second try. Once you have an appointment, keep your visit brief. Ask questions, focus on listening to the contact's comments about his or her needs and clearly outline how you can satisfy them. Be sure to emphasize the advantages you offer over other florists. Some examples might include a charge account, same-day delivery on special orders, and a single point of contact for account management or on-site visits as necessary.
BUILDING BUSINESS
How well you serve your corporate accounts will determine the loyalty of your new customers. Pay close attention not only to them, but also to your quality of inventory. Having a well-stocked gift section can be expensive, but it may be what sets you apart from your competitors. Fortunately, you can shop vendors' catalogues for items you know your customers need. Find vendors who can deliver overnight so there's no need to stock a large selection. Watch your gift inventory closely and you'll learn what to keep in stock and what should be special ordered. And when it comes to floral orders, make sure you know what types of designs your corporate customers prefer. Finally, make special ordering easy and efficient. Offer same-day delivery for orders placed before a certain time or that exceed a certain cost.
BIG CUSTOMERS, BIG PROFITS
Corporate customers can be high maintenance, but the rewards are well worth the efforts. These special accounts require constant tending. You must plant the seeds, weed your database and nurture your budding accounts. The result is a lucrative way to expand your customer base. And, like healthy fruitbearing trees, once your corporate rate accounts take root, they will multiply and yield nearly a constant supply of revenue. 7
PROJECTED CHRISTMAS 2020 BEST SELLERS
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Sweet Sparkle K48V
Christmas Riches X26
Christmas Poinsettia X18
Christmas Grandeur X14
Celebrate Christmas X20V
Christmas Glow X11
Country Christmas X19
Christmas Carols X23
Victorian Christmas X16V
Hugs At Christmas X21
Heart Of Christmas
Christmas Elegance X13
2020 CHRISTMAS SUCCESS GUIDE
X17
PETALS KEEPSAKES
SPARKLE Best Seller
ENCHANTED Best Seller
XOXO
Best Seller
Petals will be selling our Keepsake containers throughout the year, with big pushes at Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. We also provide Keepsake marketing materials including FSG pages and posters, to members to help promote the Keepsake range. Approximately 10% of Petals website orders are for a Keepsake arrangement. To be eligible for these orders, you must have a current stock of Petals Keepsakes (as substitution is not permitted on Keepsake containers).
HEARTFELT Best Seller
CHALK-IT
October/November/ December Keepsake Offer Buy 3 cartons of Petals Keepsakes, and receive an additional carton free (you choose the 4th carton)!
You can use the Keepsake containers for in-store orders and they will be a great way to increase margin with your local customers. They also make great promotional items! We have allowed $20 in the advertised price of the design for the Keepsake container. The Keepsake containers, wholesale to members at $66 (inc GST) per 6 pack carton plus freight.
NEED TO REPLENISH YOUR PETALS KEEPSAKES?
You can place your order by emailing keepsakes@petalsnetwork.com or order via the Petals Exchange.
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EFLORIST = ENDLESS WAYS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR WEBSITE
CHANGE YOUR WEBSITE DESIGN! There are 3 different eFlorist templates from which you can choose, and 5 different skins for each template. Personalize your store’s eFlorist site to fit your design aesthetic. View them on the Petals Exchange, under the eFlorist tools/templates. Choose a specialty banner to add some flair to your eFlorist site as well. View them on the Petals Exchange, under the eFlorist tools/homepage banners.
We at 7 Days Florist are very happy with our eFlorist website! It’s easy to read, process, and navigate. It keeps our buyers and visitors glued to our site, due to its many features: valuable and well-formatted content, attractive colour design, fast loading time, and effective navigation. It would be hard to imagine what the results would have been if we did this ourselves. Bottom line: we are reaping the benefits. Thank you Petals Network! Imelda and Sam | 7 Days Florist, Chermside, QLD
If you have any questions regarding your eFlorist website, please contact our eFlorist team: AUSTRALIA - Phone: 1800 802 035 and select option 5 NEW ZEALAND - Phone: 0800 565 200 and select option 5 10
2020 CHRISTMAS SUCCESS GUIDE
EMAIL: eflorist@petalsnetwork.com
CHRISTMAS MORALE FLOWERS AND PROFITSÂŽ
Keeping spirits up during the holidays for your customers might be easier than for your employees. After all, it's a lot of hard work creating a Christmas Wonderland in your shop. During this time of the year, tensions and stress are higher than usual. As the busy season is getting started, make it a point once a week to gather everyone for a quick meeting, or add this step to an existing meeting. Ask everybody to list two things that boost their morale and two things that bring it down. Listen and write down the comments but don't debate — you want to encourage a free flow of information. Once you've compiled the list, make a commitment to find ways to increase the positive and get rid of the negative. Often it will be small but powerful things that really make a difference. For example, you might find that arriving at a dirty shop in the morning, which requires the first 10 to 15 minutes to be spent cleaning, is a negative. Bringing in an outside crew during the holiday times to clean the shop at night might be an inexpensive way to boost morale. On the positive side, look for ways to increase activities that motivate. For example, you might find that interaction with you is a morale booster. In this case, be sure to spend time with each employee every day, complimenting something they've done or showing your appreciation. One great way to start a restful weekend is by feeling good about yourself. You can help employees do this by having a "Right Way" meeting just before the end of the day on Friday or Saturday. If the time is too busy, hold the meeting first thing Monday. During this quick session, ask each employee to describe one thing that went right that week. The meeting doesn't have to be formal or long. This process not only helps employees go home for the weekend with positive feelings, it also teaches other employees how to do things exceptionally well. Try it. Starting the meeting can be your first "Right Way" item to report.
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PETALS NETWORK QUALITY PROGRAM
WHATEVER THE SENTIMENT, SAY IT WITH FLOWERS. Quality is the heart and soul of the Petals difference. In order to continue to build consumer confidence and appreciation for the Petals brand, we are committed to evaluating how our member florists meet (and hopefully exceed!) consumer expectations. This is the overall objective of our Network Quality Program. As part of the Network Quality Program, on an on-going basis, member shop performance will be monitored and evaluated on the following criteria: Complaint rate Customer satisfaction Prompt delivery
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2020 CHRISTMAS SUCCESS GUIDE
START YOUR CHRISTMAS PLANNING TODAY Pre-Holiday:
SECURE ORDERS: Send your customers email reminders encouraging them to place their holiday orders at least two weeks prior to the holiday.
AUTOMATE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS: Remind them to schedule your posts in advance.
Holiday Rush:
REJECT ORDERS WITHIN 30 MINUTES: Petals doesn’t penalize you for rejecting an order; but please reject it within half an hour, so that we can ensure the order is transferred to another shop. Not responding to an order results in a ‘time out’ fee.
ONBOARD WITH COURIER FEATURE: One of the ongoing complaints we get from our customers and florists alike is that unlike many other businesses we are not able to provide real time delivery confirmations. Despite often having to explain that our florists mostly engage local courier services or do their own deliveries, it is still a common concern and something we felt we needed to address. To tackle this issue, we have created the on-board with courier functionality. You may have already seen this button appear on the exchange as it now replaces the marked delivered feature. Our expectation is that this button will be clicked at the time your courier leaves your shops with each Petals order as well as those orders from off your own e-florist site. It’s an opportunity, should the customer or sending florist enquire, to tell them that the item is in transit with precision and without the need to call your shop and waste valuable time. As we want this to be a “real time” function we ask that you only click it as being on-board with courier when the item leaves your shop and not upon accepting and printing the order. We need to be confident that we are providing accurate and up to date information to anyone enquiring after the order. We will be going ahead shortly and updating our terms and conditions of delivery to include this new commitment to our customers but if you have any questions in the meantime please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Membership Team.
Holiday Support: AT CAPACITY?
When you reach your order capacity, close yourself off via the Petals Exchange or email hq@petalsnetwork.com
NEED HELP?
Simply send Petals a message through the Petals Exchange or email hq@petalsnetwork.com, and we’ll have support contact you.
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SAVE TIME & MONEY EVERY DAY WITH OUR PETALS EXCHANGE
Spend less time on the phone and more time running your shop with the Petals Exchange next generation online order transfer system for our members. Bypass the fax and phone fees by using the Petals Exchange which is free for members. Accessing the Petals Exchange is easy and you will have loads of information at your fingertips. In the Dashboard on the Member Control Centre you, can quickly see a snapshot of: Total orders received for the month Total orders sold for the month Total orders generated from eFlorist for the month Most Importantly view any new incoming orders and messages. Simply accept and print the order or reject the incoming order. Â From the sidebar, you can send an order or a message relating to an order, look up your sent and received order history, set your shop open and close dates, download your monthly statements, print current international price list, and place an order for promotional materials and Keepsakes.
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Petals Exchange also has tools that can help you dive deeper into your eFlorist site or POS system. For more information about changing over to the Petals Exchange, please email membership@petalsnetwork.com. 2020 CHRISTMAS SUCCESS GUIDE
CALENDAR 05 OCTOBER
Labour Day ACT, NSW, QLD, SA
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26
OCTOBER
Labour Day NZ
OCTOBER
Friday before AFL Grand Final VIC and Hawkes Bay Anniversary Day NZ
02
NOVEMBER
03
NOVEMBER
25
DECEMBER
26
DECEMBER
Recreation Day TAS and Marlborough Anniversary Day NZ
Melbourne Cup VIC
Christmas Day
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NOVEMBER
30
NOVEMBER
28
DECEMBER
Canterbury Anniversary Day NZ
Westland Anniversary Day NZ and Chatham Island Anniversary Day NZ
Boxing Day p/h
Boxing Day
15
Christmas Sparkle K2
HELPFUL CONTACT NUMBERS Customer Service AU:
1800 802 035 hq@petalsnetwork.com
Customer Service NZ:
0800 565 200
Dial Options:
1 – Place an Order 2 – Existing Order Enquiry 3 – Membership team or email membership@petalsnetwork.com 4 – Accounts Team or email accounts@petalsnetwork.com 5 – eFlorist Website Team or email eflorist@petalsnetwork.com 6 – Keepsake Team or email keepsakes@petalsnetwork.com 7 – Petals Exchange Technical Team or email helpdesk@petalsnetwork.com 8 – Point of Sale Support Team or email possupport@petalsnetwork.com
2020 CHRISTMAS SUCCESS ForGUIDE Quality
Complaints Team, please email quality@petalsnetwork.com