ask the expert


We get dozens of questions at the offices every month… some of them simple and straight forward, some of them more complex. Given a lot of them are about the same things we decided to pool them into a collective pot. If you have anything you’d like our team to answer drop us an email at hello@purplespotted.com and we’ll get on the case.


That said it’s worth keeping a


list of reliable dedicated drivers on hand for peak periods be- cause at busy times it makes no financial sense to have a skilled florist out and about doing lots of deliveries, and away from the workbench. The other alternative is to keep


The number of deliveries we do is so unpredictable these days so I’m not sure can I justify keeping a dedicated delivery driver on all the time. Have you any


suggestions? If the orders are going down then that implies the workload is too so why not do what a lot of other florists are doing and deliver them yourself or share them out among the staff? This can save money if you plan


carefully and work the drop-offs into a journey that someone would be making anyway – going home or to the wholesaler’s or the bank, for instance. Better still and from the


customer’s point of view, this can give an added bonus - being handed their bouquet by the florist who actually made it, or at least with expert advice on how to keep it looking fresh. We have noticed how grouchy some delivery peeps can be... with the jolly happy ones a notable excep- tion that make the whole delivery really special.


32 F&wb Autumn/Winter 2013


your driver on if he or she will agree to be trained in other skills such care and conditioning, cus- tomer service or telephone sales. This will give you an employee who can usefully slot in to other roles when the delivery schedule is light.


Account customers seem to be taking longer to pay their bills and some of our con- tract clients and wedding customers can take months to settle up. What’s the


best way to deal with this? It’s vital to keep on top of your billing – especially to contract customers. Let this slide, and you are effectively putting your own business at risk, because your own bills will still pile up and need to be paid. The first rule is to ensure your bills are issued as soon as possible, and make your payment policies clear to the customer at the time you first engage with them, so that everyone knows where they stand right from the off. Whether your payment terms


are 14 days, 28 days, 30 days or on delivery, it needs to be clearly flagged up both at the consulta- tion/order taking point, and then in a prominent place – preferably in bold red type - on the invoice.


Our local council won’t allow us to do outdoor displays – how else can we attract


passing trade? It’s a fact that one of the biggest barriers to trade is a shop’s front door. If it’s shut, customers will feel


they need a reason to push it open and come on in. If they just want to browse, that front door can be off-putting. An outdoor display of flowers


and plants is the ideal ‘safe ter- ritory’ for them to have a look at your products and prices, perhaps size up an impulse purchase, and THEN enter the shop. So if that isn’t allowed in your


As awkward as it might be,


it’s also vital to enforce these payment terms if the customer doesn’t pay, and, if necessary, put a stop on further orders. In most cases, it’s better to risk


missing a sale than not to be paid for work you’ve done.


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