The Floral CEO

  So flower friends, this is Jen, and on this week's podcast I want to dive into what if you are more expensive than another quote. I actually weirdly had a client that I met with and they. Like the price that they were telling me and the things that they said they were getting, I just like knew there was no way I knew that they were not understanding something.

And I think that that really speaks to that it is our job to help educate customers because you guys, we do this all the time. They have no clue. They might have heard something completely different than what was said, or their understanding of something that was said can just be completely different.

And I don't think that anything, you know, I mean you really can't do anything about other than trying to be really clear with your communication in particular. But in this case, this person had told me that they were having lush centerpieces fricking everywhere, that they had this like killer backdrop of pedestals and all this shit, and they were having candles everywhere and like for $3,000.

And I was like, there's no way that that is happening because I knew there's no way that that is happening. It doesn't make any sense to me that a florist would lose money. 'cause in that case, like mentally, I'm going through everything and I felt like they were losing money to do what she had said.

So, 'cause another part of that is that if this person is stuck on this number, and if this person is telling me and is adamant. That this is a number that they're stuck on, like they've now seeded this as their budget and all these things. Like I am not going to, unless I feel like there's a very good probability, I'm not gonna go through and do an estimate.

'cause like why would I waste my time? I, so I said, you know what, I'm really having a hard time. Putting in my mind together that all of those items would add up to that. And this is a person who also does day of coordination. And in my experience, when I run into a, planner that does floral.

They often do not charge any additional setup, delivery or anything, which honestly, I feel like they're doing a disservice to themself because it is going to cost more resources for them to bring that component. And then on top of it. They often even discount their floral services to make it even more enticing to that person for them to do the whole thing.

And you guys, like, I get that. I get like wanting to make this so sexy that they're, you know, like it's a total no brainer, but not at the detriment of you doing business and not to the detriment of. Losing money. And so I'm talking to her and she is in the midst of our sentence says I just sent over the quote because I had actually worked on an estimate for one of her friends and it was interesting 'cause that friend said the one thing that they truly regretted was not hiring me for their wedding.

And I think it was because I was more expensive. At the time, and I was like, okay, let me look at it. So she sent over the estimate and I opened it. And like there was Bud VAEs everywhere. You guys like very minimal, low and lush. They were reusing some things, so like this client basically misunderstood and then I got an email afterwards and she's like, I re-looked at everything and I really did.

Must understand there looks like there is Bud VAs everywhere and, but in looking at this quote. I don't know if this florist has electric candles or what, but like they said, pillar candles and it was everywhere and what they were charging for those pillar candles. To me was absolutely crazy because I won't do a pillar candle for under $13 because I'm gonna have to clean up that and I'm going to have to buy that, and I'm going to have to have it shipped and just all the things.

So in looking at this I'm like, holy shit. Like this is, she is absolutely giving her services away. She is. Go way cheaper than I am going to be. But I went and did the estimate anyways because I replied to the bride and I was like, in looking at this, like one major difference that that is going to happen is I have to charge setup and delivery and tear down because I am not already at your wedding.

And so if you are comfortable with. Knowing that that charge is going to be there in in a is going to be a difference between the two quotes. I would be happy to quote this out. And she replied right away and said, ES absolutely. And I was like, this is so weird because that alone is going to be a good chunk of money.

So then I quoted this out, I hit send and within 30 minutes. And I knew I was, I think I was $2,800 more. So I was almost double. And I knew like that. I probably had a, it was a long shot, but she sent right away, back a reply and said, okay, looks great. What are the next steps? I absolutely loved everything that you came up with.

I loved the pictures because this other florist slash planner. Use the software like curate or details and had little line items for all the things that they were trying to sell. And in my opinion, it is really hard to sell a thousand dollars item, a $500 item when you're giving it two linear inches on a page.

I, I want somebody to look at the page of that I'm asking for a thousand dollars for and be like, whoa. And there's tons of educators that. Totally disagree with me. They feel like you shouldn't even do fucking proposals. I can't In good conscience, and if you are tired of proposals, I totally get you. I am totally on the same page.

But think of the decision making that it takes for you when you go on Amazon to buy a $25 item. We are going and asking for a lot more. And we expect to do no work. And that might be completely backwards thinking, especially if you are, in some of the other memberships out there right now, they just like don't believe in proposals.

They think it's a waste of time. I have a very, very high close rate. I only get to the point of doing a proposal if I know that I have a very good shot at getting this wedding. So. I feel like people who are burnt out or feel like, I mean anybody can feel salty about any situation and that's totally fine, but if you're like burned out because of proposals, you might have not been pre-qualifying the people enough before you got to a proposal.

Like I have seen it in people's e email signatures that they are like. Hey, meet with me. Absolutely not. I will not meet with anybody unless I have talked with them via email and have clarified their shit enough that I feel confident that it is a good investment of my time to go and meet with them. And that might be backwards thinking to you, but I know that if I do the right steps in pre-qualifying this person.

I am going to likely have a very good shot at closing this wedding. I don't meet with everybody, so I close more weddings because I am more selective on who I'm actually meeting with. Then I'm also making sure that I am building value throughout the whole process. You guys, I am. I am worth more money.

I have 30 years of experience. I have 1700 weddings of an experience that might not matter, and I actually have more than that now, but I just say 1700 because it's a big enough number that might not matter to somebody that might not matter. That is absolutely fine if it doesn't, but I have done my due diligence in every consultation near the end of positioning myself as an expert, and when you position yourself as an expert, you are building value.

I am building value that I even will say like, I joke and you guys have list. If you're a long time listeners to the podcasts, you might have heard me say I have over 1700 weddings of experience. I've been doing this for over 30 years. I feel so confident that I will, if the zombie apocalypse happens, you will still have wedding flowers.

Because I do feel that confident that I would figure it out no matter what happens, I would figure it out. And that is, that is confidence. That is worth money. My ability to figure shit out is worth money and. I am not somebody who has just sprung up their business and is seeing how it goes. Like I am telling them they are making a good decision if they choose me because my experience is there's not that many florists out there that have my experience and care as much.

And I, then I say I also have a family farm and I grow flowers here and I learn the hard way to not talk about being, having some sustainable business practices in your business. So I also say. You know, a lot of times we try to use locally grown flowers whenever possible, as well as blooms from our own garden.

And then in addition to that, we try to compost and recycle anything that we can whenever possible because you're just showing that you're like making an effort and caring because you never know that you're in front of a hippie that really cares about that. Then. In my discussion, I'm also I don't like to spend people's money, not strategically, like that isn't an alignment with the person I am.

So I'm always looking at a wedding as what is the best way to execute something that isn't crazy expensive? And sometimes you like, you just need crazy expensive and that's okay, but what's the best way that I can pull this off? Without being bougie and helping to keep their budget in mind. I have a lot of discussions, like if somebody's telling me a very unrealistic budget, I also am just telling them why.

I'm really getting into the weeds and explaining why that is not a viable budget. And a lot of times what happens is people don't have the conversation in the moment. Then it's awkward crickets. It's apologetic, it's shame, it's all of these things afterwards and having frank conversations. And actually this is about last week's podcast episode I was talking about, like really speaking in the moment.

This is one of those things that I feel is, will be hugely impactful if something smells like shit, like their budget, we need to talk about it. With them in the moment because they might not have a clue. And then if you don't, then they're gonna think. You went through a whole conversation with them, you guys, about this budget and never said anything.

So they ne they have now further seeded in their mind that their budget wasn't crap. So all of these like micro decisions and conversations along the way help position you as the person who they should say yes to. Every single way you can position yourself as an expert. You can really allude to that you are going to deliver this superior experience and product.

These are all like check marks in the Yes. Department. And if you can keep getting checks Yes. Like then you are going to get the contract in the end. So we need to solidify and especially if we have okay, they've met with three floors. Florist number one, didn't have great communication. Wa took a week to respond and then sent a quote back and it was 300, 500, maybe even a thousand dollars cheaper.

But when they met with them and then did their quote there wasn't any pictures really in it. It was a Word document that they typed up and sent back. That should be a pretty easy one, even at a thousand dollars difference to overcome. Florist B that they met with was maybe super attentive, their estimate made no sense to the people.

Once they received it or potentially there were a bunch of grammar errors in it, or the pictures like maybe they didn't nail their vision. I often, because I ask especially so many questions. I often get I feel like you really understood my vision. I don't care if I need to ask a million different colors about the peach that they have.

I have never, and I will say this, if I feel like I'm getting God, I'm asking a lot of questions about color, I will tell them. 'cause I'm positioning myself as an expert. Again, you guys, 90% of the weddings that I do are color you guys, 90%. So I will say, you know what, 90% of the weddings that I do are color.

And so I'm really a color expert, and so that's why I'm asking so many questions because I don't want to show up with your coral, sunset dream wedding flowers, and you all of a sudden not like one of the colors. So I really, I wanna really understand and then I'm going to give you examples so that you can see if I'm really grasping what's in your head because I can't pull out of your head what's in your head, but I can, really try to ask questions.

To build value as me, again as an expert. So when I am using my ARS arsenal of expertise, because expertise is more expensive, you guys, I have expertise in color, I have expertise in venues like especially like Essence event event center. There's a ton of venues that I am an expert at. I am an expert in cultural weddings.

I am an expert in out of the box wearable flowers, like if somebody wants, and I've actually booked a wedding because I did a cuff bridal bouquet in a styled shoot and it got published in Minnesota Bride and one Editor's Choice Floral that. That year, I had someone hire me to create that exact, because I could make that kind of thing, and they really wanted that.

So that expertise got me that wedding. In the end, it was weird because they really wanted this cool cuff, and then they had deer antlers on their tables. So there was that moment in that wedding that made me go, what? How am I here? Because being a vegetarian deer antlers on tables are frankly fucking weird to me.

But wasn't my wedding, not my monkeys, not my circus. But you never know when something that you have done. Another florist may have absolute zero expertise in. And also, once you do, you know it a couple times, a lot of times you can take that and twist it into you know what, if I have made those trending purses, the flower purses I'm actually, I'm doing a style shoot on Tuesday.

And I'm making one again because they're so cool and so trendy and I'm so in love with them that it is something that I want to showcase, that I can do these trending cool things you guys. So if you are an expert in something that adds value, even if you are more expensive, hopefully you are compensating with your expertise.

Okay? Other ways to overcome. You are more expensive because I have had people in a consultation say that they have met with other florists and they've gotten their estimate back, just like the client that I was discussing, and they really can't spend any more than $3,000. Or they can't spend any more than 5,000 or 8,000, and I have gotten pretty good at, after I hear the basics of what somebody's looking, being able to, in my head, estimate what that wedding is going to cost.

I. And I will right then and say, you know what? That sounds like a really tough budget. I completely understand that. You are trying to get a certain look and vision accomplished in your budget, but. With how I do flowers and the flowers that I usually source and all of the different variables, that seems like a really tough, because often those pictures will have fucking peonies or oculus or all these like dreamy pre flowers.

And if I haven't weeded that out before a consultation, I will weed it out there. And if they tell me. That they have a florist that is drastically going to be cheaper than me. I will I'm gonna take it away from them and remove myself from the equation right there in that conversation. I will just say, you know what, that sounds like an absolutely phenomenal deal, and I would go with that.

So I have removed myself, I have taken myself as an option out of the equation, and they could be stewing on one thing in their arsenal. They could be stewing about, they're not timely. They didn't like some of the flower choices. Something could be off. But they're just trying to see what else is out there.

As long as it's feeling, nice and cozy in the regards to this. And so I'll just remove myself and they'll be like, no, no. We really wanna understand well. Uh, do you really, because I know that I'm not going to be close to $5,000 because in, a basic gut shot, I think we're at least, we're probably around like $8,500.

I have a feeling that, that florist, because we're, of course, florists have different pricing models, different labor models, different design styles, different ways to source flowers, but. I don't think we're gonna be $3,500 different 'cause that seems like we're really missing a variable if that is the case.

So I'm a little worried that you're gonna have one peony in your beautiful lush bouquet of peonies. Or I'm worried you're gonna have like maybe two or three Oculus in this beautiful Oculus bouquet you're showing me. I am, I'm just trying to be honest and make sure that I'm optimizing both of our time.

Not only the time right now, but the time in me preparing a proposal and you reviewing it. And if we're gonna be way off I wanna make sure that I'm spending my time wisely and yours, and there'll be like, sometimes they are so convinced that this. Was amazeballs, and if they are great, go do that, because I'm not going to be that price.

But I can often say, you know what it seems really weird to me that we, we would be that far apart as someone who's been doing this for, a long time has. Over 1700 of weddings of experience. Usually when something's different, there's something really different. And I don't know because I don't understand the conversations that you've had.

I don't know which florist it is. Honestly, you guys, I know almost every florist around here, the majority of florists in my market, and if. If there's a difference, there's a difference for a reason and you know I am, I'm just wondering if what that reason is, because it just doesn't make any sense to me that we'd be that far apart.

But it sounds like a great deal and seems like something that you better grab just in case they get booked up. I'm not trying to be douchey. I'm not trying, I'm trying to be honest that what they have been presented probably isn't true. Without saying that, I think that there's been a major misunderstanding in what has happened.

This is just. A way for you to also save your time in preparing proposals. if they want, and they keep saying, you know what, A proposal takes me about 45 minutes to prepare. Why don't I do this? Why don't I send you a email and I'll break down just in an email, some of the prices, and after reviewing and having some further discussions with the other floors, do you feel like you still really want an estimate?

I'm happy to invest the time. If you feel like with the estimate, with the prices that I've given you, it's something that you feel like you would want to move forward with, I would be happy to do it at that time, just so you have some visual representation. So I'm not saying, Hey, dink, I'm not doing your estimate.

I'm just saying I'm not really gonna do your estimate unless I feel like we're gonna be moving forward with a yes. And I'm not trying to be difficult. I'm just trying to be really optimal about my time and theirs. So the moral of the story is really you need to build value. You need to have really frank conversations because I have had tons of experience with being more expensive and people saying yes.

Because I have built better ideas, I have built better communication. I've better grasped their vision. I have really just. Nailed what they thought their special day was going to be. Maybe I've nailed the colors, maybe I've nailed like they've been dreaming about this one thing and I've really delivered in my proposal on that.

Maybe they like my candid, frank approach. Maybe they like that I live on a farm filled with farm animals and that being a mother is a priority and. That I love flowers down to my like bones, and it's something that is my purpose. Like whatever it is, I've sold that person on me and you are the biggest equation in being more expensive and getting the job.

So if you've been struggling. With, I'm just getting my butt kicked on proposals. I want you to sit down and do some reflection on why should someone pay you more? What about you is more expensive, and do you really believe you are worth more? I can, with utter conviction, say I am worth more money. Then many of the florists in my market, because I have the experience, the knowledge, the salesmanship, the drive and understanding, like there are other people in my market that are totally kick ass and like if we go head to head and I'm like, you know what?

Like we are both deserving, but I probably guess that they'll be the same price. Or they'll be more expensive potentially, and may the best person win. And that's also okay. I'm not gonna be heartbroken if somebody who I know that does a killer job in so many ways gets a wedding. Because I know that we've both had, we both have value.

It's more disheartening when I know that. I've done everything I can and they chose somebody and I feel like, just like this client that said their biggest regret with their friend was not booking me, I know that that person didn't deliver. They were getting, so they were getting sold snake oil. And didn't get sold their PE, andies and all the other things that they thought.

I actually went back to look at that person's estimate, and I can totally imagine what went wrong with why that client was in the end disappointed. And then this also is a great opportunity if somebody does go a different direction and says that they went into a different direction with another florist.

You guys ask why. Like we speculate. We speculate the shit outta things. We need data asking, and, and as long as you ask in a very specific way. Like you are going to be able to get a response. You know what? As a small business owner, it's really important to me that I do the best job I can with my clients and that I'm always improving.

Would you mind sharing with me why you ended up going in a different direction? It's really important to me to make sure that I am providing an amazing client. Experience and your experience matters to me, and your feedback of why you went a different direction matters to me. Something along that lines, I have a cut and paste script that's in the email playbook in the floral CEO Mastermind.

This is something that you should not be afraid to ask. If you are afraid to ask and you're afraid of that feedback, we need to talk about your confidence because we're in a business. People have rights and choices and they can do whatever they want. And they are not like we get to this point where we're like, they owed me because I did all this work.

Well, if, if you didn't get a deposit and get them locked in at some point before you got to this point of feeling like they owed you, they don't owe you shit. You owed yourself some boundaries in not doing things for people who weren't at a committal point, that you feel resentful that you've done all this work and they are not choosing you in the end.

But again, circling back, I'd love for you to grab a piece of paper and write down why you were worth more money. What about you, your biggest commodity and asset in your business? Commands more money because I'm sure there's a ton, and I would love for you to really start soaking that up because I know what makes me worth more money and I can deliver that with conviction, and I want you to be able to deliver it with that same conviction too.

Thank you so much for listening, flower Friends, and you have an amazing flower filled day.