Hand out cards “Your business card is one of the most valuable tools you have,” says Richardson. “Hand them out at every opportunity and make sure your employees have their own cards and tell them to hand them out too.” Once people realise they want you, they need to know where to find you.


Hold a party You’re paying rent and rates 24/7 so use the premises to the full by either holding parties (there’s ALWAYS an excuse for a party!) or running workshops where people can try floristry themselves and see that it isn’t as easy as they think! It’s all about building foot flow to the shop and that means inviting people in.


Keep them happy Once you’ve got customers to your shop, you have to keep them coming back because satisfied customers are the best advert you


24 F&wb Spring 2013


have. “The ideal person to talk about your business is the person who comes away from it so happy they want to tell others about their experience” says Richardson. “Remember the 10/10/10 rule. It costs $10,000 to bring 10 people into your store. It takes just 10 seconds for one person to turn them off your shop. It takes 10 years to get that customer back. You see, it’s the little things we say or do that can keep them coming back or totally turn them off our business.”


Be honest Constantly put yourself in the customer’s place to identify what may be turning them off. “The best way is to ask all your team to visit another retailer they like - although not a florist. Ask them to write down three things about the shop they really liked. Then tell them to go to another store they don’t like and write down three things they didn’t like.”


Get together and ask your team


to explain their findings and then… and this is the real test… walk through your own shop as if you were a customer to see if any of the likes or dislikes are present! “You have to be critical of


the shop” Richardson advises. “Look at things and ask yourself honestly, ‘How do my customers see our display?’ Are there fingerprints all over the glass doors? Is the floor dirty? Do the plants look fresh, or are they drooping? Be honest, and be picky, because it’s the little things that turn people off and that’s how you lose customers.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100