Helping your Florist Make the Most of Prom Sales
Tom Figueroa, Nordlie, Inc.
One of the most important tasks to help your florist build on Prom Sales is to strategize with them early. Prom season used to be end of May and early June but now prom can take place as early as April in some areas. The problem: it falls right around Mother’s Day - our busiest time of the year. Here are some tips to assist your florist with the bustling Prom season.
Make Contact Early
Right after Valentine’s Day is a good time to send out some tips and sales sheets. Show off your latest ribbon choices and corsage enhancements, whether colored leaves, wire, jewels or wrist bands; help your Florist differentiate their corsage selection. Send out a preorder sheet for stem wrap, pins, glue and the other basic items utilized during Prom season. The week after a successful holiday is a great time to get your customers buying!
Offer Marketing Tips
Offer your customers some tips on marketing to their local schools: Step one – Florists should contact schools in their general area and write down the dates for prom.” They should use their personal contacts to connect directly with groups at the school such as band, sports and chorus. Perhaps they can turn corsage and boutonniere orders into a fundraising event. Three weeks before prom have a “band night” where $1 from each flower order goes to the school group leading the event.
Provide Pre-Order & Upsell List
Send a preorder sheet to your florist and list the basic fresh corsage items they will need. Add a section of unique flowers to upsell that corsage, such as, orchid spray, garden roses, and other flowers to encourage different designs.
Hold a Class
Do you have design staff or a customer who would like to do a class? Body flower classes are great ways to help your florists start thinking ahead or to “keep their eye on the ball”. You could have two classes: an advanced classes for those looking to improve their fine techniques, and a basic class to show beginners how to make boutonnieres.
Share, Share, Share!
Social media is perfect to attract this new generation of flower buyer. Help your retailer populate their social media accounts with new ideas. Reach out to our vendors for photos to pass along to the retail customer.
If you are bogged down with holiday preparation, outsource this task to someone at your wholesale house. Let your junior managers or rising stars show you what they can do. Energize your employees and florists to make this a successful Prom season.