How to Prepare for Wedding Season

Alvaro Crespo, Lihmil, Inc.

As a wholesale house, wedding season is our “Kentucky Derby.” This is the busiest time of the year (after the two major holidays).

Most of us already know this, but here are some friendly reminders to keep in mind over the next couple of weeks.  As my father once told me, common sense is the least common of all senses. 

Buyers

Ensure your buyers have sufficient resources for the season.  Some of us have had our go-to reliable sources for years, but always remember to give consideration to new vendors before the season.  Some of these new vendors will do anything to have a piece of your business.  They will prove they can help you and at the end of the day they might be the ones to bail you out in this season.  This usually happens every time!

Go through the availability of all your suppliers, even if you don’t buy from them very often.  There are new farms in the market trying to push their product through a lot of new importers.  Be pro-active, know the varieties that are similar to one another especially with colors that are “hot and in demand” this season.  For example, most brides want a bouquet with Sahara roses.  There are not enough Sahara roses in the market to fulfill demand, but there are plenty of other varieties similar and with better bloom size and length.  Many new varieties have opened up in the market, varieties that used to go to the Russian market; learn about these new varieties of roses that are available.  Learn the most we can about them; how the roses perform, how they open, etc. 

Have a great relationship with your vendors.  You need to rely on the knowledge of your sales rep.  If you are not pleased with his/her service or knowledge, be honest and ask for another sales rep.  You may be losing a lot of opportunities if your source on the other side of phone/Skype is a person with little or lack of experience. 

Whether you buy from importers or domestic or offshore growers, make sure you have back up suppliers to ensure you can come through for your customers. Go to the WF&FSA member list, here you will find a vast list of resources.  Ask your colleagues in the industry - they will share more information than you would expect; as long as you don’t have a conflict of interest.  If you are on the East Coast, make friends with a wholesaler on the West Coast (this is why networking is so important).  

Sales Reps

Train, train, train.  Remember to retrain your sales staff before every holiday and throughout the seasons – even those that have been in the industry for a long period of time! We need to get re-educated on a consistent basis.  We need to educate our staff, too!  The more informed and savvy your sales reps are the better job they will do.  Do you ever wonder why customers fail to give us wedding orders when you know you have the best quality and best price?  Find out why, because it might not make sense to you but there is a reason.  Ask your customers why!

Complaints Department

The manager and/or owners must be involved in all issues.  They are the only ones that can go the extra mile to help the customer at the end of the day and have the best outcome.  Always be honest and upfront – tell the truth.  Honesty is better than having to rebuild a relationship with a customer if it goes bad.  This way the focus is kept on solving the problem rather than looking for excuses and blaming someone or something.  If you messed up, accept responsibility and move on.  Years ago, at a WF&FSA sales camp in St. Louis, I attended a seminar called “Telephone Doctor” with Nancy Friedman.  We learned how to handle the bad situations and gain something from the issue at hand.

Give options to your customers.  For example, perhaps they ask for white peonies instead of a garden rose.  Offer alternatives!  Maybe suggest White Ranunculus, or Mondial Roses or something as simple as a Mini Gerbera. Even if it sounds like common sense, offer it!  Sometimes we just say “we don’t have it” and we lose a sale and eventually a customer. Alternatives can create other opportunities for that request and repeat business from your valued customer.