Florida growers are praying for the beginning of the rainy season, after a drought caused severe wildfires throughout south and central regions of the state in the past month.
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Two leading suppliers of Dutch cut flowers, Duamex and Leo van der Weijden, recently announced plans to merge.
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Flowers and florists are among the "6 tips to having . . . . . . a guest-ready home 24/7," according to the Chicago Tribune. And in the south, Atlanta Journal-Constitution readers found out "How to avoid 'dash and stash' when the doorbell rings" using flowers.
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There are lots of ways to promote a new store opening -- but there is one effective a simple way to get press: put up a sign. It certainly worked for Four Seasons Floral and Events in Clearwater, Fla.
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Consumers are expected to spend $9.9 billion on Father's Day this year, with an average of $98.34 per person -- up from $88.80 last year, according to the National Retail Federation's Father's Day 2007 survey.
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A majority of small-business owners think the country's five-year economic expansion may be "winding down," according to the National Federation of Independent Business' (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index for April 2007.
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Do your twentysomething designers deflate if you don't gush over their work? Is your high school help clamoring for "feedback," "guidance" or "reinforcement"?
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Carl Schwab of Blooms and Bears Florist in Irvine, Calif., knows that SAF's posters inspire customers to buy more flowers -- which is why he put SAF's newest posters, from the 2007 Local Marketing Kit, up in his shop last week.
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If you've shied away from using Powerpoint as a sales tool for brides or commercial accounts, a training tool or a visual supplement your garden club and rotary talks, it might be time to expand your horizons.
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Ever wonder how some florists capture big volume customers? It's easier than
you think...you just have to think BIG.
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Last week we asked E-Brief readers to write us about easy or seemingly "mundane" ideas that have big payoffs for a business.
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This week on the forums, one member gives some good advice on collecting customers' e-mail addresses for marketing campaigns.
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Don't you ever wish there was once place you could find everything (and anything) you could ever need for your floral business?
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Fifty-four percent of readers responding to last week's e-poll said they had been a victim of credit card fraud.
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In our April Edition of Dateline we asked members "How has SAF helped your business?" Joyce Gubata of Leaf & Petal in Medfiel, Mass., answered, and won a prize in return. 
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Almost a third of retail florists hiked their delivery charges for Mother's Day due to increasing gasoline costs, according to SAF's online Zoomerang survey following the holiday.
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