Floristry professionals have received top tips on how to make their businesses flourish from customer service and sales guru Tim Huckabee, founder and president of FloralStrategies.
Tim presented an insightful on-site training programme, offered through our floristry department, which featured techniques to help independent florists thrive and prosper through better sales and service.
Based in New York, Tim is famed throughout the industry for his effective business education and training and works with thousands of retail florists around the world. His presentation, to a packed audience of employers and students, showed how superior service and effective communication to customers could drive up sales and profits.
Techniques included how to guide customers through choices of size, container and colour scheme before discussing price, and completing the sale with the offer of a finishing touch such as a balloon, chocolates or a keepsake card.
Tim also made suggestions on how to bring in new sales and refresh current customers.
He emphasised: “You can be the most creative florist in the world but without business acumen you can’t run a successful business. Florists typically study design but overlook sales and services. But if you employ successful sales techniques you can move to more high end work which is both enjoyable and profitable.“
Head of Floristry Sue Poole invited Tim to speak after being impressed by his presentation last year. She said: “Tim uses simple but effective strategies which I know work from personal experience. When we run businesses we can get staid in what we do, so it’s very good to challenge ourselves.”
Level 4 Higher Diploma in Floristry student Marion Downes said: “This was a very dynamic and interesting presentation which was both intense and educational. The different approaches Tim suggested were mind changing.”
FloralStrategies is the floral industry’s only source of sales and customer service education and training. See more at www.floralstrategies.com
For more about our floristry courses visit here.
Caption: Tim Huckabee delivers his presentation to a packed audience of florists
