Patience Pickner, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, owner and creative director of The Picket Fence in Chamberlain, South Dakota led an education session earlier this summer at SAF’s 1-Day Profit Blast in Boston.
Amber Morgan didn’t know what to expect from the Society of American Florists’ 1-Day Profit Blast in July. But she certainly didn’t expect what she learned — and immediately implemented — would increase the average order value at her Nashua, New Hampshire shop by 14 percent.
On the advice of a speaker, Morgan, owner of Fortin Gage Flowers & Gifts, added more expensive floral arrangements to her website and watched as her average sale increased.
“People are choosing to spend more money,” she says. “Our average order before was about $90, and right now, we’re already tracking at $103.”
Morgan, owner of Fortin Gage Flowers & Gifts, was also struck by how the content at Profit Blast resonated with her and exceeded her expectations.
“The speakers were very engaging and real — they were our peers,” she says. “It wasn’t some guru speaking from the stage that actually hasn’t done what you’ve done in 15 or 20 years. It was somebody that’s right there in the trenches with you and understands not only where you’ve been, but what your challenges are today.”
Florists in the Pacific Northwest will have the opportunity to experience that level of education Oct. 8, when SAF brings its 1-Day Profit Blast to Portland, Oregon.
The event, sponsored by Frank Adams Wholesale Florist, features Derek Woodruff, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of Floral Underground, who will discuss how flower shops and studios can create a strong brand for their business to bring customers through the door. Melanie Spilbeler of FreshPath Marketing will offer tips on how shops can automate email and social media marketing. And on the financial side, Paul Goodman, CPA, PFCI, of Floral Finance Business Services, will provide insights on controlling the cost of goods sold, forecasting sales, and managing cash flow. There is also time for networking and visiting with vendors at the Supplier Showcase. (Click here to see the full schedule.)
Morgan praises the event format, noting that attendees learned from not only the speakers, but each other. “I’ve been to conferences over the years in so many different industries,” she says. “This was different. It was a small, tight-knit group of people who are all in the same situation as you, and who are all eager to learn and move their businesses or skill sets forward. I loved the format.”
Vital Vendor Connections
For Judy Danielson of Danielson Flowers in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, learning about new products from vendors at the 1-Day Profit Blast was particularly helpful. There, she was introduced to a hydrating product for hydrangea.
“We go through hundreds of hydrangeas every week,” she says. “Every once in a while, we have a customer who says their hydrangea died too soon. Anything that we can do to prevent that from happening is something we would like to look at.”
Networking With Peers
Tracy Parke of House of Flora in Hartford, Connecticut was fresh off of SAF’s June Next Gen LIVE! conference in Miami event when she attended the Boston Profit Blast — and her enthusiasm about networking with other floral professionals hadn’t waned. She was excited to reconnect with people she met at Next Gen, and meet new people. That alone, she says, is worth the price of admission because those connections benefit everyone.
“People should go to meet other florists in their area to see what’s going on in the floral industry,” Parke says. “We need to celebrate each other and meet each other and make it successful for all of us.”
Click here for more information about the Portland 1-Day Profit Blast and to register for the event.
Kenya McCullum is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
