How to Become a Good Decision Maker

Flower Boss Pro Tips: How to Become a Good Decision Maker

Looking for the inside scoop on how to become a good decision maker? You're in the right place!

More than 10 years ago, I remember hearing the story of Steve Jobs and his wardrobe routines. Every time he appeared on stage at an Apple launch, he'd always be wearing the same thing: black turtleneck, jeans + sneakers.

I'd imagine his closet is filled with all the same things – the most boring of boring closets.

Barak Obama did the same thing. When he was in the White House, he only wore blue or black suits.

I'm sure many on the planet might call it unfun and underwhelming...But my guess is those people don't run their business, right?

Decision Fatigue is a Real Thing

When it comes to learning how to become a good decision maker, here's one really helpful lesson to keep in mind.

Your human brain doesn't like making decisions.

It wants everything to be the same today as it was yesterday. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.

Why? Well, making decisions requires energy. You literally burn calories making decisions and that exhaustion you feel at the end of a big day, part of that is because you gotta make a lot of decisions all day.

If your primitive brain had its way, it would just tell you to do what you did yesterday. But as a business owner, you know that ain't gonna work.

When you run a business, you're in the hot seat. You're the one calling the shots, making decisions dozens, even hundreds of times a day.

The reason it feels doubly tiring is that you're actually making decisions for two (1) yourself and (2) your business.

So, anywhere you can lean into routines and habits, the better.

If you're totally overwhelmed with making decisions in your flower business, come join me inside Flower Boss Academy. Get access to all my templates, tools and weekly live coaching so you can show up with more confidence and get good at being the boss! Click here to learn more.

One of the biggest reasons I became a big believer in systems and processes (even if it's a super simple copy + paste template), is because it helps cut down on the decisions you gotta make every day.

There was a time in my business when every time I responded to an email, every time I picked up the phone, it felt like I was starting from scratch. It's exhausting.

And that was just in the daily tasks, the day-to-day of running a business.

We can spend so much time and energy just trying to cover the basics that when it comes to making the big decisions in our businesses, we just stay in analysis paralysis. Or just decide to not make a decision. (Which, ironically is still a decision.)

How to Become a Good Decision Maker – My 3 Tips

Learning to get good at making decisions is a skill.

And don't stress if you like to cast yourself as "an indecisive person". You'll get hundreds of opportunities every day to change that and yes, you too can decide you're good at making decisions (particularly after you learn my framework for making decisions).

Here's my three guiding principles for how to become a good decision maker:

  1. Anywhere you can get into a routine and not tax your brain power, do it. That might mean eating the same things for lunch 2-3 times a week, wearing the same clothes for a few days in a row or posting the same caption on Instagram every week. (Yes, I do all of these things!)
  2. Decide ahead of time. Quite literally, you can make decisions about travel, dinner plans, the gym or even your business, days and weeks in advance. It frees up so much energy and makes it way more likely you'll follow throw on your big goals.
  3. Let go of the concept of "right" and "wrong". We're all conditioned to believe there is a right and wrong way to do things. When you realise that's just something you've been thrown into from a social perspective and open your eyes to alternative points of view, you'll see just how much you've been holding yourself back. Your creativity and problem-solving skills will skyrocket when you get out of the 'right' and 'wrong' paradigm and realise there are literally 10,000 options to pick from (for just about anything!).

If you wanna dig into decision-making even more and get more practical, actionable flower business tips, check out this week's podcast episode – How to Make Decisions

Inside This Week's Podcast Episode You'll Learn:

✓ My super simple 3-step approach to making decisions

✓ Why we avoid making decisions and how to get good at decision making

✓ The value of making decisions ahead of time

✓ How to apply my 3-step approach works to decisions in your life and your business

Listen to the full episode here

 

Full Episode Transcript

 

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Instagram / Mindset / Money Management / Pricing / Sales / Systems + Operations - 08/17/2022
Wedding Florist Enquiry Process

Wedding Florist Enquiry Process – Our Exact Approach

Looking for an insider's guide to the wedding florist enquiry process? Here's our exact approach.

If you're a wedding florist, your enquiry process is one of the most valuable assets in your business.

Quite literally, that process is worth money.

As per my usual approach, I'm here to bust through the secrecy and give you a run down on our EXACT approach to navigating wedding enquiries. Yep! Yep and more yep!

How I Created Our Wedding Florist Enquiry Process

When I first started as a baby florist, I fell into the trap of thinking that I had to do fancy proposals, custom quotes and face-to-face consults.

I think with my very first wedding enquiry, it took me more than a week to get her a quote. That was after the hour-long consultation. I spent hours on that proposal, trying to make it look at fancy and legit.

Man oh man, I'm so surprised she stuck around but since that experience, I have learned SO much about how to effortlessly navigate wedding enquiries.

The key to figuring it out? I paid attention to what wasn't working.

In 2018, I remember looking back at my calendar and seeing how many hours I had spent on consults. My close rate was disastrous and I was wasting hours every single week meeting with prospective clients...which got me $0.

Talk about a waste of time (for me and the people who didn't book with me).

But that year was also revolutionary in my business.

I could see how much time I was wasting on these enquiries and in-depth consults.

I just knew there had to be a better way.

But, instead of trying to follow the traditions of our industry, I put my blinders on. I decided to create my own way. From scratch.

I literally threw out everything I thought I had to do and got focused on creating a system that was easy for me and super efficient for my clients.

Why? Cause I knew I had to shake things up. I couldn't afford to waste so much energy on non-money-making activities. It was, quite literally, the definition of inefficient.

So, I went through the process of completely overhauling our wedding florist enquiry process. And yeah, I kinda have broken every rule in the book.

Jumping right into the myth-busting bit...I don't use fancy proposals. I don't do custom quotes. I don't do consultations. And I don't use expensive software solutions.

I keep it bare bones.

Why? It allows me to focus on what matters most to my clients – being quick and being helpful. And, I can sort through new enquiries in a matter of minutes, rather than days (or weeks).

Wedding Florist Enquiry Process – Here's Our Exact Approach

Here you go. This is the step-by-step summary of our approach.

Inside Flower Boss Academy I go through this in itty bitty detail and I give you all of my templates + shortcuts. So, if you wanna get my exact approach and shortcut your progress, come join us today.

Let's start at the very very very beginning...well before the client even contacts you.

  1. Share helpful tips in your marketing. Yep. BEFORE the client even enquires, be open with your guidance and share your wisdom. Do this on social media, your website and anywhere where your clients might be on the lookout for a wedding florist.
  2. Be proactive about talking $$$. This is the fastest way to get rid of the budget clients. The first solution I created was a simple blog post that gave a breakdown of key price points (i.e. $2K, $5K, $10K, $20K). I later then discovered a free WordPress plugin that allowed me to create an online calculator. (That was an awesome innovation for us and our clients!)
  3. On your enquiry form, ask them two seemingly unexpected questions (1) what is your budget and (2) what are you looking for in a floral design team. This gets the money piece on the table early and it changes the dynamic of the relationship (less "master > servent" and more "partnership")
  4. After they respond, send them a template email with a few points of personalisation and point them to (a) the budget blog post or online calculator and (b) your top 10 tips for wedding flowers. Also, make it clear what the next step you want them to take if they're happy to continue.
  5. At the bottom of this email, point them to an online form (a Google Doc is good enough). In this form, ask them to give you all the info you'd traditionally get in a consultation (yes, this form will be long!)
  6. Based on what they have supplied in their Q&A, put together a very simple email with two pricing options (a) their wishlist and (b) your recommendation based on their budget. No matter what your client's budget is, their wish list will always cost them more (that's why it's called a wish list!). They will love that you're giving them both solutions. It gives them a helpful point of view and valuable insight to make an informed decision.
  7. After a little back and forth, (no doubt, they'll have questions) wait until they say the magic words "How do I go about booking you in?" That's when you jump into doing up the formal quote, getting the contract together and adding in your notes.
  8. The client pays 25% to secure your team for the date. And shazaam...another beautiful client booked!

My goal in sharing the above process is to give you an idea of what's possible when it comes to navigating new wedding enquiries. But know that it's not the only way to make it happen.

No matter what you end up doing with your wedding florist enquiry process, just know that you get to create a system that works for you. Lean into your strengths and create a system that is easy for you and helps you get to the goal of booking one in four enquiries (without wasting hours and hours of your time or your client's time).

If you wanna dig into this even more and get more juicy tips from me, I'm passing along more helpful insights in this week's podcast episode – Optimise Your Wedding Enquiry Process – 3 Quick Wins

Inside This Week's Podcast Episode You'll Learn:

✓ My best lessons learned from navigating more than 2,500 enquiries

✓ My best shortcuts for optimising your enquiry process

✓ Three common mistakes many florists make when they're navigating new enquiries

✓ Super simple solutions for dealing with price shoppers and budget brides

Listen to the full episode here

 

Full Episode Transcript

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Instagram / Marketing / Money Management / Pricing / Sales / Systems + Operations - 08/10/2022
10 Things I Did to Grow My Flower Business

10 Things I Did to Grow My Flower Business

Looking for the 10 things I did to grow my flower business? You're in the right place.

One of the most common questions I get asked is, "Kathleen how did you go from a newbie, fresh outta flower school designer to a 6-figure designer so fast?"

Well friends, if that's your question, you're in exactly the right place.

And I mean, let's be honest, even if you're already a six-figure florist, I really hope I'm able to drop a few knowledge goodies for you too.

I spent so long trying to piece together all the things and it took me years to figure out how to attract the right customers, feel confident with my pricing and finally run a business I actually liked.

My goal with this blog post is to pass along the exact things I did to grow my flower business and make it easier for you than it was for me. Cause ummm yeah, this industry is so secretive when it comes to getting customers and makin' money. But I'm here to bust through the silence and pass along as much wisdom and expertise as possible.

So, let's get into it, shall we?

Actually, Just Before We Begin...

Here's the thing: hindsight is 20/20.

I don't want you to think that I knew what I was doing – it's not like I had a list from another florist called "10 Things I Did to Grow My Flower Business". What I want to map out for you here is a very clear, step by step guide on what you need to do, having learned from the 1000s of mistakes I've made and blunders along the way.

Know that, yes, 100% I messed up. I made so many mistakes when I was trying to figure out how to grow my flower business. So know that I did not come out of the womb knowing these things and being able to pull together such a succinct list is because of the benefit of hindsight.

I just want you to skip over the 'I don't know WTF to do first' bit and jump to the 'making money + enjoying flowering' part waaaaayyyyy faster than I did.

For those of you who have been following my journey for a while now, you already know many of my failures – attempting to sell super cheap wedding packages, offering up table arrangements for $45, overstuffing designs every which way to Sunday and hesitating to even charge clients $15 for delivery.

On the other hand, if you're new here and you're thinking that Kathleen's business growth has been so easy, I'm happy to burst that bubble. Imagine the exact opposite of that...and that was what the first five years of my flowering journey looked like. #hotmess

Now, let's get into the list, shall we? If I could rewind the clock, start all over again, here's exactly what I would focus on to grow my flower business...

10 Things I Did to Grow My Flower Business

#1 – Branding

Let's start at the beginning (even if you've been in business a few years) when it comes to the 10 things I did to grow my flower business, branding is definitely at the top of that list.

Take the time to craft a premium brand. And no, I don't mean get a fancy designer to work on your logo and get business cards printed. I mean sit down and go through a very intentional, strategic planning process to land on a clear vibe (like the one I teach inside Flower Boss Bootcamp).

In the end, no one thing is going to make or break your brand but what I know now is that the collective power of all the pieces of the puzzle contributes to attracting better, more premium clients. So be intentional with every customer touch point, the packaging you use and the overall vibe of your website and Instagram feed.

And, yes, this is something to start sorting through on Day 1. Right after you land on your business name, lock in that URL and save your IG handle, I'd start mapping out your vibe and brand.

No, it doesn't need to be complicated or hard (or expensive). In fact, in my experience, you can get your brand sorted in an afternoon and then get to work on pulling together all the details as you build your business.

If you want to learn my exact approach, come join us inside Flower Boss Bootcamp. I break it down for you step by step and it's one of the best things you can do today to get your dream business sorted.

#2 – Define Your Offer

I used to believe that in order to grow a profitable flower business you had to cater to a broad array of customers. Kinda like you had to be all things to all people and have your clients dictate your designs.

I did that for three years. It was awful.

It was hard in so many ways and it's actually a super inefficient way to run a business. It's kinda like if you were to walk into a restaurant and the chef had to be ready to make any meal at any time. Imagine if the first customer who came in wanted a vegan lasagna, the second customer wanted chicken vindaloo and the third client wanted a triple-chocolate gluten-free donut tower.

Oi. That just feels hard.

But that's how so many of us are taught to run our flower businesses.

It's time to turn the whole thing on its head and put yourself in the driver's seat. Decide now who you want to cater to and who your ideal client is. Then spend time thinking about your design aesthetic and what you want to create.

#3 – Create Your Set Menu

By far, this is one of the best ideas I've ever landed on as a floral designer. The basic concept is that you get to sit down ahead of time and decide the formats you'll use, the ingredients you'll feature and the colour palettes you want to offer. Do the math to set up your prices and then get to work learning how to sell that work (again, not actually that hard).

The concept is exactly like that of a restaurant menu. And, in fact, it's one of the most helpful things you can do for your customers – too much choice, too many decisions always leads to overwhelm. Overwhelm and confusion leads to no sale.

Again, this is how so many florists run their businesses. We wait for the customer to tell us what to make. Take a really long time quoting it up and then get surprised when we're ghosted. Again.

It leads to disappointed customers. And disappointed florists.

So, do your future self a favour. Sitting down now and map out your core menu. Be super selfish and decide how abundant you want your designs to be, what kinds of ingredients you want to use and the formats you'll offer. Do the math.

And then, instead of scrambling to quote new designs or new work, pour your focus into learning about sales psychology and marketing tactics. (Fun fact: the problem is never the price. Your customers want more than just a cheap bunch of flowers...but you don't get to learn that until you move past the self-doubt and uncertainty around pricing.)

#4 – Focus On Your Website

One of the biggest changes to come from the pandemic is how customers are shopping for florists. no more looking for the local flower shop or physical retail space. More and more customers are confident shopping online – whether it's for flower delivery, signing up for a workshop or ordering wedding flowers.

These days no longer is having a physical shop the mark of a credible, well-established florist. Instead, the functionality, sophistication and ease of your website is the most important asset of a flower business. (Yes, it's way more important than that window display you wanna work on in your shop.)

In today's online shopping world, customers expect a great user experience, modern design and easy to navigate content. Plus, in today's "I can Google anything" world, they want to get answers to their questions quickly.

Having a website that aligns with your customer's needs makes a world of difference to your business growth and that's why it's #4 on my 10 things I did to grow my flower business list.

#5 – Sales Systems

Now, I know the word 'systems' makes you wanna barf. I get it. It's boring and unsexy. But even a set of email templates, a basic Google Doc you can copy + paste from will save you so much time.

But taking 20 minutes to map out your customer's path to purchase, the steps they go through from the minute they find out about you to the moment you deliver the flowers to the end recipient, the more you can put that on rinse and repeat and that's good for you, your customers and your bottom line.

Why? Well, two reasons (1) you'll save heaps of time, which is awesome. But (2) you'll also save heaps of energy and as you know, it takes a lot of energy to be a floral designer. So anything you can do to make your systems more 'rinse and repeat', the better off you'll be.

#6 – Share Your Knowledge with Your Customers

I know this sounds a little crazy, particularly in our industry where everyone wants to keep their knowledge to themselves, but all that expertise and know-how you have, use that in your marketing. Write blog posts sharing helpful tips + tricks for planning a wedding. Use your Instagram captions to educate your customers about what flowers are in season and how to get the best bang for their buck.

When I started to brave the waters of sharing more helpful content on our website and our Instagram feed, I saw a dramatic shift in our sales. The speed with which we were booking clients was so amazing! Even better, our clients started giving us more creative freedom – they trusted us more because we were so open with our expertise. It's so fun!

#7 – Instagram Hashtags + Helpful Content = More Wedding Enquiries

This combination is exactly how we landed on the preferred venue list of one of Australia's top wedding venues (with no local area contacts, no insider scoop and not all that much experience).

PRO TIP: Focus on hashtags specific to your ideal client and then create a content strategy that aligns with what matters most to your customers.

In reality, most florists are so focused on "out designing" their competition that they completely miss the opportunity that Instagram provides to us. This is where you can come in and scoop up the good customers.

And yes, even with the tise of Tiktok, Instagram is still one of the fastest ways to get found by your dream customers and get bookings at those big fancy venues.

#8 – Google Ads, Google Business Listing + Simple Online Catalogue

I wasted so much time, energy and money on sh*t that delivered $0 to our bottom line. But when it comes to increasing your order volumes and getting more customers, Google Ads is by far the best option (I'm sharing more on this in next week's blog post so stay tuned for that goodness).

Getting your Google Ads sorted, paired with the right online catalogue strategy and a basic Google Business listing and you'll start to see more online ordering coming in pretty quickly.

PRO TIP – you can have a Google Business Listing even if you don't have a physical retail space. When you set up your listing, there is a checkbox to tell Google "I don't serve clients at this location" so then you can work from home, maintain your privacy but still be listed in the places that matter most.

#9 – Build Your Flower Family

Being an entrepreneur is hard work. Having support is a must. And having the support of people who get the weird-ass flower world we operate in matters.

One of the best ways I've been able to connect with like-minded florists is to sign up for workshops. I've met some of my closest flower friends during these experiences and I know that coming together with a shared perspective, shared values and shared mission makes all the difference in the world.

Even if the other florists have travelled from far away and you don't see them in person very often, just having a network and community you can connect with, share your troubles with and ask lotsa questions, makes a world of difference for your long term growth.

#10 – Get Coaching

I landed in the world of coaching kinda late in my career. Honestly, I spent so long thinking "I should be able to do this on my own" that I know it held me back.

These days, I see such dramatic progress in my business because I find the experts who can help me and teach me. In truth, I've spent more than $100,000 on my own training and education and I have no inclination to ever stop.

But, investing in yourself is always a great investment – it's the only thing that keeps paying off year after year after year.

So, whether it's having a mentor, signing on with a business coach or joining us inside Flower Boss Bootcamp, you'll see bigger results so much faster with the help of a mentor or coach by your side.

Let's Go Deeper: How to Grow Your Flower Business Faster (FREE Resource)

In this week's podcast episode, I'm sharing one of my favourite shortcuts for creating bigger, better business results quickly. I know it all sounds a little too good to be true, but that's why I wanted to record this podcast episode.

In this episode, I share my favourite mindset hack for showing up when things aren't really going to plan (i.e. you're not making enough money). And I teach you how to get 'unstuck' when you feel like you're not making real, measurable progress in your business or you've reached a plateau in your growth.

Inside This Week's Podcast Episode You'll Learn:

✓ Why learning how to own your accomplishments matters and how it impacts your results

✓ Why most of us consistently feel frustrated with our progress and how to break that habit

✓ My super simple approach to learning how to own your accomplishments (even if you're convinced your goals are too big and too ambitious)

✓ The one daily practice I've created in order to support myself on this roller coaster ride. It's super helpful even if you are making progress in your business and making money

Listen to the full episode here

 

Full Episode Transcript

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Instagram / Marketing / Mindset / Money Management / Pricing / Sales / Systems + Operations / Website - 07/13/2022
Profitable Flower Business

Profitable Flower Business: 10 Steps to Setting Up Your Flower Shop

Looking for a step by step guide on how to set up a profitable flower business? Here's my 10-step guide to getting your flower shop set up and running.

Hitting Reset to Create a Profitable Flower Business

I'm not gonna lie, I've been thinking a lot about the idea of going back and having the ultimate 'do over'. The idea of being able to take all of my experience and expertise and go back to Day 1 of Little Bird Bloom. It's so fun to think about and I thought it might be helpful for you too.

Feel free to use this post as a guide, a roadmap and a blueprint for setting up a profitable flower business. And no doubt, it will be helpful if you're brand new. But it might also inspire those of you who are a few years (or decades) into slinging flowers for a living.

In this blog post, I'm going to map out my 10-step plan for setting up a flower shop from the very very beginning.

One caveat before I get into the details: I'm not going to talk about any of the accounting, legal or insurance details because that is 100% dependent on your state and country requirements.

Enlist the help of a professional to help you walk through all the details and don't be shy about Googling all your questions to familiarise yourself with business structures and terminology. (I found this bit really helpful cause it takes some of the intimidation and "I don't know anything" out of the equation.)

Profitable Flower Business: Basic Business Plan

Now, y'all know I'm all for keeping things simple.

It's so easy for us to get overwhelmed and inundated with details – but as helpful as some business plans are, I also find they miss the mark in their purpose. It's easy to get wrapped up in the details and miss the big picture.

Now, I ain't no mathematician but I do find a little bit of math in the early stages of business planning is super duper helpful to paint the picture of where we're going. It's my #1 way of setting the goalposts and bringing focus to our efforts.

If I'm honest, when we first started Little Bird Bloom, I wish I had done more math. I wish I had done this one equation to help me understand the scale and scope of what I was trying to create.

Also, this exercise is particularly helpful if your goal is to earn a full-time better-than-average income from this work.

Here's my super simple approach to basic business planning for florists:

  1. What do you want your after-tax personal income to be?
  2. Multiply that by five to get your business' revenue goal.

Yes. It can be that straightforward to map out a plan forward.

So, for example, let's say you want to bring home $100,000 in after-tax income. That means your business' revenue goal needs to be $500,000. If you want your after-tax personal income to be $50,000, then your business' revenue goal is $250,000.

From there, we can take that revenue goal, divide it by an average order value and that gives us a sense of how many orders we need to generate in a year to reach our sales target.

So, if we take that $250,000 and assume our average order will be $150. We need to generate 1667 orders a year or 139 orders per month (or 32 orders per week).

(Please remember, this isn't formal financial advice. This is just a simple bit of math to help us paint the scope of our task ahead. Talk to a financial planner or accountant for expert info specific to your needs.)

The thing about this one bit of math that I find so helpful is that it shows us how big we need to be thinking.

When we first set up Little Bird Bloom, I was excited when we got a handful of orders per week. But this one bit of math shows me just how small I was thinking. Showing up with the goal of creating 32 orders per week creates a totally different energy as compared to my "I'll just be grateful for my 2-3 orders per week" and trying to convince yourself day after day after day to be grateful for what you've got.

How to Set Up a Profitable Flower Business: 10 Steps to Success

OK, so with that bit of math under our belt, we can start to map out an action plan, go through 10 steps to getting those orders, getting customers and making it happen. In order, here's exactly what I would focus on first:

  1. Name Your Business – check out URLs, explore Instagram handles and do your research to see if your preferred name is available. Then, go in and claim all the social media handles, buy your domain name etc.
  2. Google Business Listing – as soon as you have your name sorted, go in and set up your listing on Google Maps. It takes a few weeks to have your listing verified by Google so jump on this one early (and yes, you can have a listing without a physical shop front).
  3. Define Your Vibe + Get Your Branding Sorted – if you're part of my Flower Boss Bootcamp, you know how powerful your brand is in attracting high-value clients. Your brand board sets the foundation for your visual identity, packaging, and overall vibe for your business so I like to start on this early in the process because it makes the rest of the decisions really simple.
  4. Visit Your Wholesalers Regularly – no doubt, they're not really going to pay much attention to you but I find getting in the habit of going every week is really helpful. It gets you more comfortable with the experience, gives you the opportunity to see what's in season and gets you in the routine of the commute there and back. The more often you go, the less intimidating the whole experience will feel.
  5. Set Up Your Website + Online Catalogue – inside Flower Boss Bootcamp we give you the exact framework to follow, SEO guidelines and talk you through the product strategy for your catalogue. (Yep!! It's all there waiting for you to join us). Or, you can follow this blog post as a place to start if you're looking for tips on getting your online catalogue sorted.
  6. Photograph Your Designs + Capture Content for Social Media – this is going to take you a long time in the beginning. Trying to figure out lighting, photo editing and all the things is another set of skills to master, but I promise you, it does get easier (and more enjoyable) the more you do it!! Give yourself lots of time and room to figure it out.
  7. Push Your Website Live + Set up Google Ads – Google Ads is how you're going to get the volume you need to reach that revenue goal. Along with the right online catalogue offering it's the best way to increase your order volume.
  8. Set up Instagram Shopping – most website platforms make this bit really simple but don't be shy about using YouTube to learn how to do this (that's how I've learned everything I know about building websites). I've learned so much from random strangers on YouTube when it comes to website stuff.
  9. Research Relevant Hashtags for Instagram – the magic with Instagram is that it's not your followers who are going to be your first customers. It's people who find you through relevant hashtags. And, because you've got your online catalogue set up on Instagram Shopping, you'll increase your conversion rates because you're making it really easy for your customers to buy from you.
  10. Post to Social Media Regularly – Make it your goal to stories 5-6 days per week and post to your Instagram feed 3-4 times per week. Be sure to include your hashtags in your posts as this is how you're going to get found by the right customers at the right time.

Need help getting started with your website? Check out this tutorial on YouTube: Getting Started with WordPress https://youtu.be/n_NuZsjJoHA

Another Note about Setting Up a Profitable Flower Business

I used to believe you had to have a physical shopfront to run a legitimate flower business. Turns out that's not true at all (particularly these days, given the last two years of changing customer behaviour).

If having a retail space is on your wish list, that's awesome! If it's not, that's awesome too.

Either way, I'd still suggest you go through these 10 steps before you get too far into the logistics of getting a short front sorted. (That's what I wish I had done so y'all can learn from my mistakes.)

These days, your online presence is how you're going to get the volume you need to reach your revenue goal and getting that sorted before your pour your heart into a shot fit out is really really helpful.

I know there is a lot to think through and that's why, on this week's podcast episode, I'm going through all of this in more detail, talking through the exact steps I'd follow if I could back to the beginning and start a profitable flower business from $0.

Inside This Week's Podcast Episode, You'll Learn:

✓ What to prioritise when it comes to setting up a profitable flower business

✓ The biggest mistakes we made early on in our business and what I would do if I could hit 'reset' to start over in 2022

✓ My exact approach to setting up a profitable flower shop – starting from $0

✓ The right order to navigate these 10 steps and how to make it easier to take action

Listen to the full episode here

Full Episode Transcript

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Google / Instagram / Marketing / Systems + Operations / Website - 06/01/2022
Florist Website Templates

Florist Website Templates – Avoid These 5 Mistakes

Confused by all the florist website templates? You're not alone.

In today's world of DIY website solutions like Shopify, WIX and Squarespace it's easy to get overwhelmed.

Particularly when you're just starting out and trying to do it all yourself.

No doubt, you've even asked yourself, is it worth it? Kathleen, do I really need a website? Is it that important?

YES!!!!!!

Your website is your single most important marketing and sales tool. In today's online shopping world, your website is more important than having a shop front or studio space.

But yes, sorting through all the options and trying to figure out florist website templates has a steep learning curve.

And I'll be the first to admit my journey to building a profitable flower business hasn't been easy. I didn't come out of the whom knowing all the things and I definitely didn't understand the world of websites.

I am a totally self-taught web person. I've learned everything I know from trial and error (and lots of random strangers who are great at teaching stuff on YouTube).

Florist Website Templates – Avoid These 5 Mistakes

Mistake #1: Picking a Portfolio or Photography Template

It's so tempting to pick one of those pretty, high impact websites, isn't it? This is exactly what I did on my first website. But then I got partway through the set-up and realised I was missing out on so much additional functionality.

What template should you look for? A restaurant template. The flower business + food business share so many similarities and using a restaurant, cafe or bakery template gives you access to so many shortcuts to make setting up your website heaps faster.

Mistake #2: Getting Sucked in By the Pretty Default Photos and Colours

The beauty of using a website template is that it shows you what the end product could look like. Except most of the images, content and colours supplied in the default templates still need to be updated by you.

I know exactly what it's like to feel uber frustrated when you find a pretty template and then try to go through the process of updating it with your own images...after what feels like hours of searching and editing you feel totally heartbroken and frustrated, hating all the images you have.

My favourite shortcut? Use stock photos to get you started. Then once you've got the first iteration up and running, invest in a brand photoshoot to really take your images to the next level.

When it comes to free stock photos, check out unsplash.com and pexel.com. But it's also worth checking out the paid version of canva.com. Alternatively, my go-to place for premium stock photos is creativemarket.com

Mistake #3: Overthinking the Words

At the end of the day, most of the words on your website are going to be dictated by the whole world of SEO.

This is particularly true for key headlines. So, instead of having 'Romantic, Hand-Crafted Flowers' as your H1 heading. You'll want to use something super functional like, 'Chicago Florist' – and then use your graphics, typefaces, and images to communicate the 'romantic, handcrafted' vibe.

Mistake #4: Too Many Image Galleries

I wish I had known this one from the beginning, but the whole project of creating big image galleries is a thing of the past.

Yes, your images can be a great way to get found on search but I found those big image galleries were a bit of a waste of time. It took me forever to format, upload, label and write in the descriptions. And my design aesthetic kept evolving so I find I always need to go back and remove old photos. All in all, it was all just too much fuss for me.

What did I do instead? I found linking in my Instagram feed was a better and easier solution. Set it up so your homepage, main service pages and your about page all have a snapshot of your latest 5-6 images from your Instagram feed. That way you can have a super simple page layout, but because the page brings in your IG content, it's constantly kept up to date and the images feel fresh. Yes, yes and more yes!

Mistake #5: Set It and Forget It

After you've searched through all the florist website templates, there is a big push at the beginning to get the first iteration of your website done and yeah, we all go through big overhauls any time we update our brand and level up our mindset.

But I also make it a regular habit to go in and make updates. And I do this almost every single week.

I'm constantly making tweaks and changes to my website. I truly believe there is no 'done' when it comes to our website and content.

For example, if you're offering daily deliveries and know you need to update your prices. Do it today. Right now. Don't delay!

Want more good stuff? Check out this blog post: How to Conquer the Google Game

Want more tips to help you sort through your website?

Getting your website is an epic task. There are 8,000 details to think through and the learning curve with the tech can feel like a lot. It's OK, we're here to help.

In my experience, getting your website sorted is an even bigger undertaking than fitting out a flower shop. But I promise the reward is 100% worth it!!! Your website can be your single most important sales and marketing resource and, for us, it's been one of the best investments we've made in our business.

Be sure to check out this podcast episode: How to Attract Bigger Budget Clients in Your Flower Business

Enjoy the Podcast?

Google / Instagram / Marketing / Sales / Website - 03/23/2022
Instagram Tips for Florists

15 Instagram Tips for Florists and Flower Farmers

Feeling totally confused by Instagram and all things social media? Not sure what to post or where to go for guidance and help?

You're in the right place. Here are 15 Instagram tips for florists and flower farmers.

Instagram Works

Yes, you read that right. Instagram is an amazing platform to help you reach new customers and grow your client list. But it's so easy to get off track and spend time on things that just don't matter when it comes to all things Instagram.

At the end of the day, the most important lesson to learn is that we floral designers get to approach Instagram very differently from other industries. In fact, we get to break all the rules. Literally.

When it comes to Instagram tips for florists and flower farmers, we don't need to worry about the algorithm or chasing engagement.

Why? Because your followers ≠ your customers.

I know it flies in the face of everything everyone else is spouting out about Instagram but when it comes to selling flowers, finding customers for your flower business, having more followers isn't a recipe for success.

At the end of the day, the reason marketing in our industry gets to be so different is because our service is limited to a specific footprint and our customers are buying flowers to fill a specific need.

This means we have to follow a smarter marketing plan. We need to drop all of our assumptions and 'supposed to' storylines and get in the minds of our customers. It's time to start thinking like your customer and approach Instagram marketing from a more strategic, informed point of view.

My 15 Instagram Tips for Florists

  1. Map Out Your Hashtags – this is THE secret to getting found and getting on your customer's radar when they need you. Avoid general and generic hashtags like #whitewedding or #floristsofinstagram and focus on the hashtags your clients are actually using in their search.
  2. Curate your feed – yes, having a pretty, fancy feed attracts prettier, fancier clients. Your customers use your feed as a placeholder for your ability to design. So, level up your feed, elevate your vibe and you'll see a higher quality level of customers coming your way.
  3. Use Stock Photos – Yep. Jump on Google and do a quick search for "Free flower photos" just to see what comes up. Or use Canva.com, my most favourite resource for this (yes, paying for the premium version is worth every penny!).
  4. Use a Mix of Graphics + Photos – a feed filled with a wall of flowers is overwhelming for your customers. It all just starts to look the same. Break it up and create a new rhythm that works for you. Those design principles you use in your floristry, put them to work in your Instagram feed too!
  5. Level Up Your Captions – the easiest answer to 'what should I write about?' is to simply answer the very last question a customer asked you. Yep. It can be that straightforward.
  6. Repeat Stuff. A Lot – Yes you can repeat photos and captions. Ain't no rule against that, is there?
  7. Make Your Bio Clear – confusion always leads to no sale. Very specifically, make sure your location and delivery area are clear in your bio. If your customers aren't clear on your location or where you operate, they're immediately going to move on to the next supplier.
  8. Post Consistently – and define 'consistently' in a way that works for you and your business. At a minimum, post at least once a week. (And no, you don't need to post more than once per day. Remember, we don't need to try to beat the algorithm. We're playing a smarter game.)
  9. Use Instagram Stories to Show You're 'Open for Business' – the beauty with Instagram is you can bring your customers into your studio or shop without them even having to set foot inside. It's magical. Use Stories to do this.
  10. Set Up Your Highlights – Highlights are where you can save your Stories. A lot of new clients and potential customers will flip through your Highlights to get a taste of what your business is up to. It's like a 'best of' summary that you can customise based on your customer's needs.
  11. Skip Reels – I know. I know. Tik Tok and Reels are all the rage these days. But you gots a lot on your plate. Give yourself permission to not have to do all the things. Remember, we don't care about engagement and you're not worried about exposure, yeah? (re-read Tip #1)
  12. Plan Ahead – I use Planoly to map out my feed and make it look pretty. There is a desktop and phone version so you can sit down for one hour and plan out a whole week's worth of content with much less fuss. It makes the whole "curate your feed" job way funner.
  13. Talk About Budgets + Process – I know it's boring and not as charming as a cute set of emojis or your favourite poem. But putting in the effort to proactively educate your customers and answer their 2 biggest, most burning questions builds trust. Trust grows sales. In the end, you breaking the secrecy and being the florist who talks about money will make you more money. Yeah!
  14. Link in Bio – Set up a new, stand-alone page on your website that includes 5-6 buttons and nothing much else. Those buttons will point to the next logical step in your client's purchase process. This makes it easy in your captions because you can simply say 'Visit the link in our bio @..... to [insert next step]". (Hot tip, repeat your IG handle in your post to make it super duper easy for your customers to go to your bio.)
  15. Set up Instagram Shopping – the easier you make it for your customers to order flowers, book in a workshop or plan out their a la carte wedding blooms, the more money you'll make. It's so fun!

Want more tips to help you conquer the Instagram game?

As a floral designer, it's easy to fall into the crowd and worry about getting followers or chasing engagement. It's a hard habit to break, trust me!

But the truth is, when it comes to getting found by your dream customers on Instagram, learning to play a smarter game is the key to success. For my business, we landed so many high-value customers by getting really smart with our hashtag and content strategy.

I love sharing the insights we learned in our flower business, particularly when it comes to Instagram, because it's so opposite to what I used to assume. No more chasing followers or worrying about engagement. It's time to get your hashtag strategy sorted!

And in a recent podcast, I'm walking you through the exact strategy I use, breaking it down for you, step by step.

Enjoy the Podcast?

Branding / Instagram / Marketing / Sales - 03/09/2022
Online Flower Business Tips

Online Flower Business Tips – 5 Steps to Success

Looking for online flower business tips? You're in the right place. If we've learned anything from 2020 + 2021, it's that if you want to have a successful flower business, being online is a must.

No longer is having a cute little brick and mortar shop the secret to success. In order to get customers and grow your flower business, we gotta level up our online marketing skills.

Even though we had a physical flower shop, we conquered the online game early on in our business. It's one of the reasons our business was so profitable.

So, I thought it might be useful for y'all if I put together five lessons, five online flower business tips to help you cut through all the confusion and see what matters most when it comes to growing your business.

Know this: the whole world of online flower business tips can be overwhelming.

There is a lot to learn. The learning curse is steep.

Setting up a successful online flower business requires a lot of Googling, trying stuff, stepping outside your comfort zone and embracing technology. But it's worth it. I promise!

The Most Important of All Online Flower Business Tips: The Same Pricing Models Apply

One of the biggest mistakes to avoid is not pricing correctly. It's really tempting to think all your customers want is cheap flowers and low-priced options but they really don't. (After all, that's what we as consumers are bombarded with every day, right?)

Now, just because you're not forking out for high street rents doesn't mean you don't need to follow the same pricing model.

I'll encourage you to keep things super simple and just decide that you too can follow the same pricing model as those who have a fancy shop.

As a business owner, you've got enough to think about and enough new things to learn that keeping pricing simple is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

Once you accept that pricing can be simple, then you can shift your energy to learning all the other things – the things that will help you get customers and grow your business. Things like, figuring how to set up a new website, sorting through your online catalogue and conquering SEO is complicated enough.

You don't need to compound that by second-guessing your approach to pricing.

The fact of the matter is, even if you did have a physical retail shop, in order to get the volume you need to run a profitable flower business, the majority of your customers are going to be ordering from out of town anyway.

So they aren't even going to set foot in your shop anyway. You working from your garage makes no difference to them.

Just decide today, right now, that the industry-standard approach to pricing applies to you too.

Tip #2: Your Website is Your Most Valuable Asset

This is true whether you have a shop or not. In today's world, more customers are shopping for florists online, which means your website is your single most important asset to your business.

Having a full functioning online ordering system is a must. Having a mobile-friendly, responsive website is also mandatory. Being able to go in and update your prices, adjust the content, announce closures and sort through your images is also important.

When it comes to learning online flower business tips, a Facebook page or Instagram profile is not the same as a fully functioning website. Yes, they can be helpful (see Tip 5 below) but in today's digital age, you gotta get your business online and fully transactional.

The truth is, humans are lazy. Your customers are lazy. They want to be able to place their order in as little as three clicks. If they need to send in a form or place an enquiry and wait for you to respond, they're just gonna pass and move on to your competition.

Tip #3: Set Your Sights Higher

When it comes to getting your website sorted, it's the perfect time to step out of your comfort zone and set your sights higher.

The first impression you make with your customer matters. A lot. How user-friendly your website is, how easy it is to navigate (on desktop, mobile and tablet), the overall vibe and level of professionalism all contribute to gaining trust with your next customer.

That trust is what instils your customers to finally buy, to put in their credit card info or send through that enquiry form. If your website isn't top-notch if it doesn't feel professional and high quality, you're going to miss out on a lot of money.

Now, that's not to say you need to spend 10s, or 100s of thousands of dollars on it. But having beautiful photos, easy-to-read typefaces and a great layout matters.

Better yet, set up your website for the business you want to have in the future. Don't limit yourself to what your business looks like today.

Tip #4: Win the Google Game

I know it's easy to get swept up in the Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Pinterest world. But when it comes to getting customers, attracting clients and getting found online, Google matters.

Set up your Google My Business listing, sort through the details of SEO and, if you're doing daily flower deliveries, get yourself set up on Google Ads.(Be sure to check out this recent blog post to learn a few insider secrets for Google Ads.)

It's not enough to have a website, but getting found, being accessible and getting on your customer's radar is just as important. Google makes that possible.

Tip #5: Use Social Media to Bring Your Customers Behind the Scenes

Love or hate it, social media is here to stay. And if you run a business, having a social media presence is a standard of entry.

Better yet, social media is a great way to build more trust and provide guidance and expertise to your future customers. It's a way to show your customers you're alive + ready to help them.

Use Facebook to build relationships with your local community. Use Instagram posts to showcase your work and provide expert advice.

Post to Instagram Stories to showcase what's in season, show your customers you're open for business, share what's new in-store and bring them behind the scenes.

Want more helpful tips? Check out this super helpful YouTube video we put together a few months ago: Easy Instagram Story Ideas for Flower Business Owners.

Want more tips to help you conquer digital marketing for florists?

Learning to navigate all things Google, sorting out your website and coming to terms with the fact that being a floral designer + business owner requires us to learn a lot is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to making more money in your flower business.

What no one tells you about being a human being and running a business is that your success comes down to your mindset, learning how to overcome limiting beliefs, navigating imposter syndrome and continuing to show up even when things get hard.

I stayed stuck for so long in my business because I was waiting for things outside of me to change. I signed up for all the workshops, did my formal certification and have invested a huge amount of money in learning the craft of floral design. I wish someone had told me sooner that learning the art of being a creative entrepreneur, learning how to step into the role of CEO and embracing the discomfort of personal growth...those are the real secrets to building a thriving business.

At the end of the day, no one really cares whether we're formally trained, have all the credentials in the world or if we can claim "expert status". Our customers just want to know we can help them solve a problem. But every florist I know has struggled with imposter syndrome at one time or another.

If that's you, you're in exactly the right place. Be sure to check out this recent podcast episode:

Enjoy the Podcast?

Branding / Google / Instagram / Marketing / Sales / Systems + Operations / Website - 02/23/2022
How to Promote Floral Business on Instagram

How to Promote Floral Business on Instagram – 3 Time-Saving Tips for Florists

Wondering how to promote floral business on Instagram? I'm here to help.

I used to be so intimidated and overwhelmed by all things Instagram. I used to look at the famous florists and think 'Wow, their work looks so effortless. They show up and make it look so easy.'

Meanwhile, I was struggling with finding halfway decent photos, knowing what to write in the caption and constantly second-guessing what I needed to do.

I spent so much time stuck, so much time wondering how to promote floral business on Instagram.

But then I started to look at things differently. I shifted my frame of reference.

Very specifically, I stopped focusing on what I thought I was supposed to do in comparison to my florist idols. I stopped worrying about what my competition was doing, I stopped dwelling in my own insecurities and self-doubt.

Change Your Perspective

When it comes to how to promote floral business on Instagram it's super important to remember that we're using Instagram as a way to attract customers. At the end of the day, Instagram is simply another way to market your flower business.

And when it comes to marketing, job #1 is to focus on your customers. It's time to get your self-doubt, your uncertainty and your fears out of the way. Hit pause for a few minutes and put yourself in your customer's shoes.

When you shift your perspective, stop focusing on yourself and start obsessing over your customers, it brings so much clarity.

It gives you guidance on what really matters when it comes to how to promote floral business on Instagram. No longer do you need to have the sexiest captions or worry about having the world best photos.

Instead, you can pour your heart into helping your clients, being helpful and making it easy for your customers to find the answers they're looking for.

You can play a totally different game.

Step Away From The Crowd

If you've ever spent any time deconstructing how most florists show up on Instagram, you'll see feeds filled with flower photos, pithy captions filled with a handful of emojis and, mostly, a lot of self-centred, look-at-how-good-a-designer-I-am posts.

This is how I thought we were all supposed to show up on Instagram.

But I realised that approach wasn't helping me get clients. It wasn't helping me streamline my systems and it definitely wasn't helping me show up consistently on Instagram.

All in all, that approach was just too hard.

So I came up with a totally different path. I decided to step away from the crowd, break with tradition and make my own rules for posting to Instagram.

Turns out, Instagram can be easy. When you shift your perspective and step away from the crowd, you can use your creativity to develop a better process – one that is (1) helpful to your customers (2) saves you time and (3) is actually fun (seriously!).

3 Time-Saving Tips: How to Promote Floral Business on Instagram

It's time to follow a new path, my friends! It's time to learn a better way to approach Instagram.

Here are my three favourite time-saving tips to help:

  1. Batch Your Posts + Plan Ahead – set aside 60 minutes in your schedule to sit down and plan your posts. I use Planoly to schedule and map out my feed. Decide ahead of time how often you want to post to your feed and then get to work making it happen. And remember, consistency is more important than frequency. Start with 1-2 times a week and go from there. It's better to post 1-2 per week x 52 weeks a year rather than 100 days in a row and then give up for 36 weeks.
  2. Use Stock Photos and Graphic Headlines as Images – Canva.com is one of the greatest shortcuts available to us and makes it so much easier to create a pretty feed and cohesive vibe on your feed. And, instead of posting a wall of your designs, switch it up. Be intentional with curating your feed and creating a sophisticated, cohesive vibe using a mix of stock photos and graphic headlines. (You also schedule your content using Canva.com, so if having it all in one place is helpful, this might be worth checking out.)
  3. Answer Your Customer's Questions – this is one of my favourite time-saving shortcuts when it comes to Instagram. Instead of wondering what to write or filling up that valuable real estate with a pithy, charming caption, use your Instagram captions to educate and inform your clients. It can be as simple as taking the very last question a customer asked and writing out the question + answer in the caption. Literally. (Yes, it really can be that simple my friends!)

Instagram is an incredible marketing tool to attract new customers and better clients to your flower business.

But one of the most important things to remember is we flower business owners get to play a totally different game. We can create a new set of rules because we don't need to worry about engagement or followers or cracking the algorithm.

If you're ever stuck wondering how to promote floral business on Instagram, come back to these three time-saving tips. They really do work!

Oh, and, if you want more Instagram tips for florists, check out this recent post on how to use Instagram Reels in Your Flower Business.

Instagram / Marketing / Sales / Systems + Operations / Website - 02/09/2022
Instagram Reels for Florists

Instagram Reels for Florists – 3 Things to Know

Feeling left out of the loop when it comes to Instagram Reels for florists? You're not the only one. Does the thought of adding yet another thing to your ever-growing to-do list feel impossible?

I've gotcha covered.

I'm here to give you the low-down on Instagram Reels for florists and share the three most important things you gotta know.

Instagram Reels for Florists

Instagram launched Reels in Brazil in late 2019. They then rolled it out internationally in 2020.

Now, as we are on the doorstep of 2021, it's become a fairly standard part of most businesses marketing repertoire on Instagram.

As is the case with most new features on Instagram, the algorithm is going to prioritise users who are using their newest features. You're bound to have heard the stories of new business launches in 2020/2021 and growing to 10,000, 100,000 +++ in just a matter of months simply because they jumped on the Instagram Reels bandwagon early.

And now you're wondering WTF you gotta do with Instagram Reels for Florists. If you're anything like me, you're barely comfortable showing your face on camera and now Instagram wants you to dance and point and lip-sync some silly lyrics?

Is this whole scenario just bringing up more anxiety and making you question all your life choices even more? You're not alone.

That's precisely why I wanted to put together this blog post, to help you short-cut your success and learn the right strategy to follow for Instagram Reels for florists.

Rule #1: Think Like Your Customer

Let's switch gears for a minute. Close your eyes and imagine you are your customer (...actually don't close your eyes, that'd make reading the rest of this read hard).

If you sell daily flower deliveries, where do you think your customer turns to when they're looking to order flowers?

One of two places:

  1. Google
  2. Instagram Search

Do you know what your customer doesn't do...they don't start following a random florist on Instagram in the hopes that one day they'll need to order flowers from them, remember they follow them, go in and explore their feed, check out their Instagram shopping and then send flowers.

Nope.

Most of your followers are following you because they like pictures of pretty flowers. Better yet, they like free pictures of pretty flowers.

You'll find thousands of business coaches, teachers and mentors spouting out the importance of increasing engagement and giving you tips to crack the algorithm. Because in most industries it's your followers that are going to translate into your paying clients.

But it's not the case in floristry. Our followers are fans of flowers, fans of free flower photos. If that follower doesn't know anyone in your delivery area, they are never going to buy from you.

If that follower is never going to host a wedding or event in your area, they are worth $0.

Stop Following the Crowd

Where florists get themselves into trouble is assuming marketing flowers is the same as marketing shoes, notebooks or even a cafe.

It's not.

Marketing your flower business requires you to question every assumption and step outside the square.

This includes how you approach Instagram Reels (and even TikTok for that matter).

Instead of wondering how to approach Instagram Reels for florists, stop for a second and ask yourself a different question:

If Instagram Reels are a shortcut to help you increase engagement, grow your following and crack the Instagram algorithm...but never leads to a paying customer, increased revenue or a new enquiry...is it a good use of your time?

Only you can answer that for yourself.

You can decide you love Instagram Reels for the creative expression, the challenge and discomfort of stepping out of your comfort zone or because you want to experiment with your messaging in a new medium.

If, on the other hand, you feel obligated to jump into Instagram Reels for Florists because you think it's going to help you grow your business, get customers and increase your revenue, I'll challenge that thinking.

At the end of the day, there are three things you gotta know about Instagram Reels:

  1. Yes, it will help you grow your following.
  2. If you feel awkward when you're doing it, you're doing it right
  3. Your Followers ≠ Your Customers

If you need help figuring out how to promote your flower business on Instagram, also be sure to check out this super helpful blog post: How to Promote Your Flower Business on Instagram

When it comes to getting more enquiries and growing your business, your #1 is to put yourself in your customer's shoes.

Map out their exact path to purchase. How will they find out about you? Where are they looking for a florist? What matters to them the most?

Get super specific, write it down and make it your only goal to be where your customers are actively searching for a florist.

And yes, if it feels like you're not following the crowd, not doing what everyone else is doing...you're probably doing it right.

The Easy Way to Get Found on Instagram (Podcast Episode)

Getting found by your dream customers isn't as hard as it seems. It just required a slightly different perspective, a better strategy (and going against the grain when it comes to worrying about exposure, stressing about the algorithm or increasing engagement).

This approach to Instagram is one of my most favourite lessons to share with florists because it helps cut through the confusion, overwhelm...and gives you permission to play with the big boys while being the new girl in town.

What you'll learn from this episode

✓ My super simple approach to getting found by your dream customers
✓ How to cut through the confusion and shortcut your success
✓ A better option than worrying about getting on a preferred vendor list
✓ My step by step guide to sorting through your flower business hashtag strategy

Listen to the Full Episode Here

Enjoy the show?

Branding / Instagram / Marketing / Sales - 12/29/2021
this is a blog Wedding Florists Getting Ghosted

Wedding Florists Getting Ghosted: Why It Happens + What To Do About It

Here's a quick story for all y'all wedding florists getting ghosted...

In 2017-2018 I must have broken some sort of record for the number of wedding consultations conducted to clients booked. And I don't mean some sort of positive, gold metal, on top of the world record...I mean I did hundreds of consultations and only booked dozens of clients. 💩

That was the year I realised my approach really wasn't working. I would have good-enough consultations, say yes to whatever the client wanted. And then it would take me DAYS to pull together the mood board and custom quote (which, by the way, was nowhere near "full price"). I would email it over to the couple. And then....(wait for it)....nothing.

N-O-T-H-I-N-G 🤐

No response. Not even a recognition of the time, energy and effort I had put into everything. Not even a "Thanks but no thanks."

This, my love, is what our industry refers to as "ghosting".

There are SO many things I wish I had learned earlier in my flower business career, so many things I wish someone had told me, particularly when it comes to the whole world of wedding enquiries.

Today, I am so grateful I've learned as much as I have because I can share my foibles and lessons learned with you, my dear stranger on the interwebs.

We've got it all backwards

Our industry teaches us to navigate client enquiries from a totally whackadoo, upsidedown point of view.

For me, I was taught something along these lines:

  1. The client sends the photos + the wishlist
  2. You say yes to whatever their demands are
  3. The client sets the budget
  4. You make the designs fit the budget
  5. You must conduct a formal, in-depth, awkward consultation
  6. Then, you take a tremendous amount of time to do a custom quote, detailed mood board
  7. A little back and forth, possibly a few questions of how they can get even more for even less
  8. Then...hopefully...the client finally pays their 25% initial payment

Following this exact process is WHY I got ghosted as often as I did.

Wanna know why doesn't this approach work? Because we, the service provider and expert in the area of flowering and designing, aren't actually looking after the client's needs. We're not answering their biggest questions and we're not making it easy for them to find answers to their questions.

The game changed for me when I learned this one fun fact:

50% of clients book with the vendor who responds first.

And yes, I'm going to challenge you to go one step further. I don't mean "respond first" = "autoresponder" or some generic, "thanks for getting in touch" template. I mean actually giving your clients concrete, helpful information they can make informed decisions with.

Of course, this requires you to break the silence, go against the grain and really blaze a new trail for your business.

Wedding Florists Getting Ghosted: 3 Reasons Why It Happens

Here are three reasons most wedding florists getting ghosted:

#1 You're taking too long to respond

Your clients want information about pricing first and clarity on timing + the process second. You could be losing out on a lot of revenue just because you're taking too long to get back to them with a quick quote and budget recommendation.

#2 Your clients don't see a difference between you and the other girl who is heaps cheaper

When you finally get the courage to price properly, this one feels like a dagger in the heart, doesn't it? All of sudden, you feel like everyone's response is "we found someone cheaper". Wanna know the real reason they're not booking you? They don't see a difference between you and the other girl who is heaps cheaper.

Your potential clients are comparing apples with apples. That's a sure sign it's time to level up your brand, set your sights higher and show the world you're a banana (or a kiwi or a pineapple...or maybe even a cute little lychee).

(Also, be sure to check out this YouTube video for more on Branding + Your Flower Business. And if you're struggling with your pricing, check out this blog post – How to Price Out an Event.)

#3 You're doing everything right and nothing has actually gone wrong

I know, you didn't expect that, did you? But the truth is, if you're booking one in four enquiries, you're on track. Booking one in four also means three of the four are going to say no.

Of course, they might not actually tell you 'no', which means it's possible 75% of the humans are gonna ghost you. That means you're doing it right. Seriously. Where we get ourselves into real trouble is spending hours and hours and hours on enquiries that go nowhere (psst. this is the real problem to solve).

Now, if you're getting ghosted a lot, what can you do about it?

You're here cause you want answers. You're frustrated and irritated and a wee bit disillusioned with the world of flowers + navigating enquiries, right?

My friend, you're in exactly the right place. Remember this one thing: at the end of the day, it's up to you to create a sales process (that's what your enquiry system is), that works for you and your business.

If I could wind back the clock and go back to the beginning, here's what I would tell anyone who feels like they're pushing shit uphill with wedding enquiries...

  1. You're not going to book every enquiry that comes your way. In fact, 3 out of 4 people are going to reject your offer. Yep, it's very possible that if you're one of the many wedding florists getting ghosted, you're doing it right. But, with that in mind, it means your priority is to create a system that makes the process easy, fairly effortless and ensures you're not spending heaps of time on stuff that's not bringing in the $$$.
  2. What works for your Flower BFF might not be the right solution for you. Seriously. Just because that person does it a certain way, remember, this is your business and you are creating a custom approach to fit your needs and your client's needs.
  3. At the end of the day, your clients only have two questions (1) What does my budget get me? (2) How the heck does this whole thing work? Now's the time to forget everything you've ever thought about navigating new enquiries, the song and dance you think you need to go through and get back to basics. Start talking about budgets on Instagram and write a set of helpful blog posts to give your client's guidance and expertise that they can find at a time that is convenient to them (like 11 pm on a Monday night, rather than waiting for you to wake up on Tuesday and email them something). Make your process seem super simple and share it on all your marketing materials (social media, website, create a phone script for you and your staff). And most importantly, take control of the conversation.
  4. Consultations aren't for everyone. Literally. Some clients don't want them and lots of florists don't do them. So don't assume they are a must. Many clients are happy to book in, pay their initial payment, without ever having met you. So set up a system that addresses your client's core needs and is easily scalable for your business. On the flip side, if consultations are your thing and they help you close the sale, keep going, baby!
  5. Make it your priority to simplify your process. Yes, you can systemise, streamline and template a huge amount of the process. But remember this: Job #1, get back to your clients with a quick quote and recommendation on how to allocate the budget. Ideally, something more helpful than a general pricelist (humans are so lazy they don't even want to do the math).
  6. Keep adjusting and refining. Every new enquiry is an opportunity to test out a new idea. The more you keep playing around with new ideas, paying attention to what's working, the less time you'll be wasting on enquiries that go nowhere.

In the end, wedding florists getting ghosted is normal. It's part of the process. Your job is to create a system that frees up your time and energy and makes it easy for your clients to say "Yes, I'd love to work with you, magic flower fairy!"

Make today the last day you stay stuck and start tweaking your approach. Put yourself in your client's shoes and get creative with your thinking. Then start tracking your data.

Your goal is to get to the point of booking one in four enquiries...and if 75% of the humans who enquire ghost you, that means you're doing it right. Keep up the good work!

Branding / Instagram / Marketing / Mindset / Pricing / Sales / Systems + Operations / Website - 12/09/2021

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