> THE NEW RULES FOR SELLING FLOWERS


sales this year — with many, like Radebaugh, saying they could have sold more. The holiday was a bright spot in an extremely challenging spring — and an extraordinary event. With summer weddings on hold, corporate events canceled, and sympathy work dramatically different, florists face a summer and fall like no other. But the holiday also offered some


valuable lessons, and Floral Management writers and editors recently talked with industry members and dug into results from both SAF’s member survey and a separate consumer poll (see below) to highlight some of the major takeaways from Mother’s Day that could inform your future strategy as you move ahead and reimagine your operations.


Update your playbook. Floral industry professionals faced myriad challenges ahead of Mother’s Day week — including a patchwork of local, state and national regulations and labor and supply-side shortages.


In Chicago, Lenny Walker of


Kennicott Brothers said that Mother’s Day sales “exceeded expectations,” in part because the longtime wholesaler saw a surge of late-in-the-week orders. And no wonder: Many florists in the Midwest weren’t sure if they’d be able to operate even just 10 days before the holiday. Adapting to this new reality requires a significant shift in thinking — not to mention time and energy. “Our industry is based on patterns, and under- standing those patterns helps guide us in making good decisions,” Walker said. “Navigating the unknown is consuming.” But finding a new normal also means


unearthing new opportunities. Working with a third of her usual


SURVEY SAYS


In addition to SAF’s member survey, the association commissioned an Ipsos consumer poll in May to help benchmark holiday returns. That poll found only a slight decrease in the number of American adults buying Mother’s Day flowers and plants this year — and a slight increase in their median and average spending per gift.


“We’re really encouraged to see that Mother’s Day spending increased, de- spite the many p financial, l log driven florall s


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ward,” said K e P Read more a d Kate Penn,, S


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review full ml member survey r at safnow.org/moreonline.


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staff over Mother’s Day, for example, Radebaugh saw how much her reduced team could accomplish. “We did more with less,” she said. The pandemic has underscored the importance of cross training her team — a practice she was al- ready prioritizing before the crisis began. “Everyone on my team can take a sales call, because everyone is trained to be a sales associate,” she explained. Several members of her team now work remotely — the setup allowed the business to keep operating in compliance with COVID- related rules pertaining to crowd size — but now that the system and technology are in place, Radebaugh can see the utility of having remote workers manning the phones this winter, when snowstorms make commuting more hazardous. Radebaugh’s biggest holiday take- away? The power of no. For years, the shop trained its staff to please customers with lots of options and a can-do atti- tude. (Sound familiar?) This year, they shifted their approach out of necessity on Mother’s Day, turning down time-intensive custom work and limiting designs to the most profitable and efficient arrange- ments. They also made every single sale count with add-ons galore — chocolates, wine and gourmet goods customers were happy to include. The tactics worked and Radebaugh said she’ll be carrying the approach forward, beyond the holiday. “Mother’s Day showed me that


we have a much stronger ability to control the sale than I ever realized,” she explained. SAF President Chris Drummond,


AAF, PFCI, of Penny’s by Plaza Flowers 26 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | June 2020 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG


EVERYONE ON MY TEAM CAN TAKE A SALES CALL,


BECAUSE EVERYONE IS TRAINED TO BE A


“


SALES ASSOCIATE.” –KAITLIN RADEBAUGH, AAF


outside of Philadelphia, said the heady combination of a blockbuster sales event like Mother’s Day 2020 in the middle of a pandemic also clarified for him how much his team can do when they come together. “Many members of our staff have learned that they can be super-productive when they are pushed,” he said. “They have learned how to work smarter, be more efficient, and ramp up productivity.” Like Radebaugh, Drummond said the


strategic use of tech is helping. As soon as stay-at-home orders began, five of Drummond’s salespeople began working remotely via VoIP (voice over internet protocol), taking calls from the comfort and safety of their living rooms, kitchens and offices. “We’ve really leaned into technology to make this work,” said Drummond. From home, sales staff can respond to web chats, transfer calls between stores, handle the phones and answer delivery inquires. Because the


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