Have you ever stopped to consider the value you bring to your flower customers?
I never did until I started to see how much I was missing the mark on obsessing over pricing...and completely ignoring the fact that we florists bring a huge amount of value to the world.
But, truth be told, we all downplay the value we bring to our clients. Although we all feel that intrinsic, real, emotional tie to flowers...the same connection humans have had with flowers for 5000 years...we "feel bad" for charging a premium.
The underlying reasons for this typically stem from one of two storylines:
- The starving artist persona – a.k.a. making money is bad and rich people are evil
- Our customers don't want to pay a premium – a.k.a. I'm going to project my scarcity money beliefs onto my customers
I've navigated both of these experiences and battled my own demons when it comes to untangling my self-worth and scarcity money beliefs. For me, shifting the narrative and reframing the value equation is one of the best opportunities for personal growth (and revenue growth).
The concept of "value" is probably one of the most commonly misunderstood concepts in our industry because (a) nobody openly shares the expertise and attention required to create a flower arrangement and (b) the industry-proven approach to pricing is focused on stem counts and wholesale inputs.
It's time to park those two things and step into a new way of thinking.
Value Versus Price
When it comes to deconstructing the value you bring to your flower customers, it's helpful to distinguish between the value and the price.
(Yes, they are two different things.)
Here's a quick definition that I love:
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
– Warren Buffet
When it comes to understanding the value v/ price concept, I find it super helpful to look to the big wig multinational companies for inspiration, education and a quick reframe.
Let's talk about that fancy pants phone you have. Have you ever stopped to wonder how much the company paid for the inputs to make that phone?
Apparently, it costs Apple about $600 to make an iPhone. They sell it for at least twice that amount. But the real question is, what is the value you place on that phone – the benefits it provides you and the convenience factor of having it all in one place?
That's the real shift in perspective required. Nobody cares that it costs Apply $600 to make their iPhone. What we really want to know is, what can it help us do? And how much would you be willing to pay for those benefits?
This, my friend, is the difference between value and price.
I'm also going to interject here and point out for all of you that look at Apple's wholesale inputs and go 'That's only a 100% markup – the floral industry markup is way more than that.'
You're right! It's super helpful to remember that phones don't have as short a shelf life as flowers and that particular phone can get sent in the mail pretty easily...plus very few people will be disappointed if the phone arrives on a random Tuesday or Friday in March.
Floral design, on the other hand, has way more layers and complexities to it. PLUS the layers of meaning and emotion tied into our work.
The Value You Bring to Your Flower Customers
One exercise that was really helpful for me as a struggling florist was to sit down and write down what needed to go into the process of making a super simple bouquet.
Even if you take a pretty standard 12-rose arrangement...grab a pen + paper and write down every single step that needs to happen in order for that perfectly crafted arrangement to reach your customer.
Here's a great place to begin:
- Order flowers from the wholesaler
- Pick up flowers from the wholesaler
- Process the flowers
- Keep them cool and out of sunlight until the order date
- Make the arrangement
- Wet wrap + gift pack the bouquet
- Write the card
- Deliver the bouquet
- Make sure the recipient is at home
Now, all of that depends on also being able to make sure you get found by the customer (i.e. website, Google Ads, Instagram hashtags, Google Business listing), make it easy for them to place their order and you have a facility to take payment, gather the delivery info and know what date the flowers need to be delivered on.
Once you get into all the details, it's easy to see the steps involved in making what seems like a super simple arrangement, right?
But here's where the magic lies in this experiment...what is it worth to the customer? What is the value they place on having a beautiful bouquet of roses delivered to their loved one on the right day, crafted with care and professionally designed?
The penny dropped once I realised that the industry-proven approach to pricing was just a starting point. Once I decided to value the care, expertise and attention that go into making this work happen (and reminding your customers that every time out) it become super easy to command a premium for our work.
If you wanna dig into this even further, shift your perspective and feel more confident in your sales process, jump into this week's podcast episode – The Value Chain (What are you actually selling as a floral designer?)
Inside This Week's Podcast Episode You'll Learn:
✓ How to sell yourself on the value of your offer
✓ My super simple solution to overcoming self-doubt and uncertainty so you can raise your prices and make more money
✓ The real secret to getting out of your own way and pricing with confidence as a Flower Boss
✓ Easy ways to win your customer's trust and pro-actively demonstrate the value you provide
Listen to the full episode here
Full Episode Transcript
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