WF&FSA netWORK, 6-9-09 Issue
WF&FSA's Free Electronic Newsletter
June 9, 2009Register Now for Management Institute August 20-22 Indianapolis
- Key Topics covered in this course: Sales Department Foundation and Structure; Documenting and Selling Company Value; Customer Relationship Management (CRM); Listing, Grouping and Prioritizing Accounts; Major Target Accounts; Pre-call Planning; Territory Management; Reporting and Activity Reports; Prospecting; and Forecasting. Register Now
- The deadline for getting letters in for the Mike Garcia and Laura Kantakas Scholarships is June 19th. It's an easy process.
- Make your travel plans now. There are bargains to be had. Miami members: you can fly out of Ft. Lauderdale to Indianapolis round trip for $200 on Southwest if you act now. For More Information
- Make your trip into a mini-vacation. Indianapolis has a lot to offer. Jeff Lanman, Executive Director of the International Floral Distributors, is a native of Indianapolis and has prepared a list of things to do, see and eat in his fair city. Access Jeff's List
Only WF&FSA Wholesalers Nominate Retail Florist of the Year
For the eighth consecutive year WF&FSA and Florists' Review are sponsoring the Retail Florist of the Year contest. Tell your best customers that you think they are Retail Florist of the Year material. Once a wholesaler nominates a florist, that florist will receive a letter congratulating them from Florists' Review along with the application. Simply complete a nomination form and return it to WF&FSA, and we will take it from there. Access Form It would be great if you could circulate a one-page flyer about the contest. Access Flyer
Direct2florist in 43 States and 8 Provinces
Direct2florist now has nearly 600 florists in the US and Canada. There are florists in 43 States in the US and eight Provinces in Canada.
WF&FSA is currently conducting a successful telemarketing effort to retail florist. You can be tremendously helpful to us by distributing a one-page flyer to your retail florist customers. Access Flyer
NEW SHOP TALK - Audio Conferences for Retail Florists
The Retail Florist of the Year contest, in addition to the overall winner, has awards in three special categories. The first SHOP TALK will feature the past three winners of the Outstanding Merchandising and Display Award. They will discuss the following: show-room/sales floor, in-store and window displays, cooler and checkout counter (point-of-purchase).
The first SHOP TALK will be held 3:00 p.m. EST July 21, 2009. Florist can connect from any phone. Give this to some of your customers as a gift or at minimum circulate the attached flyer to your customers. If you want to make it a gift, tell us who you are gifting. We will notify them of the gift and tell them how to hook up and we will bill you. The cost is $45 per hook up. Access Flyer . Staff contact Aimee Murphy amurphy@wffsa.org.
California Cut Flower Commission Names Brand As Chair
Hans Brand, owner of B&H Flowers, Carpinteria, CA has been appointed Chair of the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC), a state commission representing nearly 275 flower and foliage growers. Brand is also a member of the WF&FSA Board of Directors.
"Together, the Commission's leadership has worked hard to get the CCFC where is it today. I am very proud of the new focus and direction of the Commission and am honored to continue serving my industry through my new role as Chair," said Brand. "I hope to further the momentum of the Commission and help ensure my fellow growers thrive by doing for them what none of us can do alone." Read More
Bill Doran Company Open in Albany, NY
Bill Doran Company is opening their newest and fifteenth wholesale florist branch location in Albany, NY on June 10, 2009. The location was formerly Seagroatt Floral Company, Inc.
Many of the former Seagroatt Floral Company employees will be joining the Bill Doran team including Michael Bentley who has been hired as the Albany Branch Manager. Read More
Pete Garcia Company Represents SNK Enterprises
The Pete Garcia Company represents SNK Enterprises to wholesale florists throughout North America effective June 1, 2009. SNK Enterprises, Inc. is a St. Louis, MO based importer of decorative metal and glass catering to the event, floral and home décor industries. For More Information
Denver Wholesale Florist Celebrates 100 Years
Denver Wholesale Florists celebrated 100 years of being in business with a dinner for industry leaders. The Denver location held an open house for customers to celebrate the occasion. DWF has 15 locations from coast to coast. View Company History
Thank You to Recent President's Club Contributor
WF&FSA would like to thank the most recent contributor to the President's Club. We received a generous contribution of $1000 from Bayview Flowers adding them to our Platinum members. Thank you to all who contribute to the President's Club. Your contributions make our Wholesale Marketing Campaign possible. To contribute today, Click Here
Event Planners Optimistic About Recovery to Starting This Year
Some 41% of special event professionals polled by Special Events predict that the economy will start to recover this year. This is a sharp increase from a March Special Events poll. In the latest poll, 32% of respondents expect the recovery to begin in 2010, and 20% expect it to begin in 2011 or later. Read More
The Wholesalers Advantage - Drop-By-Visits
WF&FSA talked with retail florist in focus groups and they said they valued suppliers who demonstrated a keen interest in the success and welfare of their business. What better way than to visit your customers on site. One-on-one personal visits are one of the best ways to show your customers you have a vested interest in their success.
WF&FSA has prepared a one-page summary of the basics of a drop-by-visit based on the findings from the focus group. It will help make your visits more productive. Access Summary
FTD Targets Luxury Market
FTD tapped into the upscale market - a target the company's new leadership identified as under-served - launching its new luxury collection in advance of Mother's Day, according to SAF's Wednesday E-Brief.
The luxury collection features arrangements priced up to $245 for florist-delivered arrangements and up to $450 for drop-shipped flowers. At the same time, the company launched a super value collection that begins at $19.99 for drop-shipped flowers and gifts - to fill the needs of floral customers at the opposite end of the price spectrum.
Consumers Expected to Remain Frugal and Conscientious
The American consumer psychology has changed during this, the deepest recession in half a century, according to Advertising Age, and the tightening will remain when the downturn ends. America will eventually shake off recession but keep saving and spending more responsibly.
"There already was the coalescing of a trend to think about simplifying lifestyles," said Retail Forward senior VP Mary Beth Whitfield. "It was tied into more environmentally friendly consumption patterns, but they were already thinking about consuming less or becoming more conscious when they did consume." For More Information
Consumers Prefer Real-Life Recommendations to Online
Most people who bought a product or service based on a recommendation did so on a referral from a friend/relative or husband/wife/partner (34% and 25%, respectively), according to a survey conducted by the research firm Mintel. Only 5% of respondents bought based on the recommendation of a blogger, the same for a chat room. Read More
Dutch Exporters Cautioned About US Market
The Dutch minister of Economic Affairs is giving tips to the floriculture sector on how to minimize risks in the US, along with information about options if customers get into financial difficulties. This is mostly directed at the Dutch flower bulb sector.
Dutch flowers do especially well in the US in the higher market segment. The Dutch sector is looking for new ways to serve their American buyers and meet the competitive challenge coming from South America. Read More
Bad Check Laws
There are bad checks - and then, there are BAD checks. Remedies under the law differ for both. In the US, laws dealing with bad checks fall under the jurisdiction of its fifty states. Every state has its own statutes outlining potential remedies, civil and/or criminal, for sellers that have been issued bad checks. Although these statutes often differ from state to state, there are similarities among them. This article focuses on some similarities. Read More
Air Freight May Have Bottomed Out
The global air-freight market could be close to hitting bottom, according to economists with the International Air Transport Association. DC Velocity reported that air-freight traffic for January dropped 23.2% from January 2008 levels, but export activity traditionally picks up during the summer. The IATA predicts air freight will recover once manufacturing production rebounds. Read More
Truck Freight Might Recover in First Quarter of 2010
The freight industry will not recover until the first quarter of 2010, according to an analysis by FTR Associates. "The good news is we expect freight volumes to stabilize this summer as we reach the bottom of this recession," said Noel Perry, founder and principle of Transportation Fundamentals. View Article in Fleet Owner
Sam's Club Business Center Includes Floral
Sam's Club began a new concept last year. The first Sam's Club Business Center was dedicated on Aug. 27, 2008. The center is in Houston. The center is designed to be a full-service business-supply warehouse.
Some of the differences from a typical Sam's Club include delivery in refrigerated trucks. There is a floral department focused more on wholesale floral needs, and it includes dry-pack flowers for resale purposes and great value on fresh floral items for food-service and office professionals. Read More