The headline sounds harsh, but that’s still the gist of many “secret shopper” conversations sales expert Tim Huckabee with FloralStrategies, LLC, has with florist shops around the country.

Sales expert Tim Huckabee with FloralStrategies, LLC, is one of five speakers on the schedule at SAF Retail Growth Solutions.

Underselling floral design remains commonplace, and simple changes can make a huge difference in the bottom line.

• Be descriptive. Why say “pretty arrangement” when “lush garden bouquet” is so much more evocative of a floral design’s true worth?
• Don’t make assumptions about the size of the customer’s wallet. Shoppers usually pick an arrangement in the middle of the price range — so bump up the starting point and you’ll start making bigger sales.

“It’s amazing how just a phrase or two increases how much a customer spends,” said Debbie Crawford of Pugh’s Flowers. The Memphis-based florist loved listening to and analyzing Huckabee’s secret shopper calls at the last Retail Growth Solutions. “We use a lot of the language and sales tactics I learned at RGS, and it really has increased the size of orders.”

No two secret shopper calls are ever the same at CSI: Flower Shop — Live! So there’ll be new sales insight waiting for florists during Huckabee’s 90-minute session — one of five powerful programs waiting for florists at Retail Growth Solutions, June 7-8 in Hartford, Connecticut.

Register for Retail Growth Solutions now.  

Special thanks to SAF’s Retail Growth Solutions underwriting partner: