“Why are your prices so high?” “Why do you charge more than the florist down the street?” “You guys did it for me last time I was here. Why not this time?”
Let’s face it, in a retail floral business, you are bombarded with tough questions every day. When put on the spot, it can be difficult to answer gracefully and confidently without becoming defensive; but never fear, there are strategies.
One of the first steps sales and customer service experts suggest is to rephrase or paraphrase the question without using the loaded words. Take for example, if the question is “Why do you charge more than XX?” You could reframe the question as, “What’s so different about our product? I’m glad you asked.”
Of course, after reframing the question, you still need to answer it. That’s when it’s time to demonstrate your expertise and professionalism.
Customer service and sales expert Tim Huckabee, FSC, founder and president of FloralStrategies and a longtime Floral Management columnist, implores you to never apologize to customers when they ask a loaded question.
“As soon as you apologize, you have given up and perpetuated the myth that a flower shop is a rip-off,” he said. “I teach six sales mantras, and the fifth is, ‘never apologize to customers — only educate them.’ To that end, it’s very easy to respond to even a snippy question.”
For example, if the customer asks why prices are “so high,” Huckabee suggested responding with, “We only use florist quality flowers, which are professionally-designed and hand-delivered. We can work with any budget.”
Huckabee also stresses that it’s important to remain calm and unflustered. “The true hallmark of a professional is the ability to maintain composure regardless of what the customer says or asks, within reason,” Huckabee said. “I revert to mantra five — educate the customer. Perhaps the flowers are out of season or scarce. Then, be prepared to offer alternatives.”
Mark your calendar for July 24 when Huckabee leads a free webinar for SAF members centered on his popular Floral Management column. You’ll get the chance to hear the call, Huckabee’s take on what went wrong and right, and you’ll have time to ask questions directly of Huckabee.
Renee Houston Zemanski is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
