HEADLINES

Web Site Helps Florists Become More Competitive Online

The Wholesale Florists and Florist Suppliers Association (WF&FSA) has partnered with a U.K.-based Internet start-up to bring more online orders to retail florists.

Direct2florist.com, launched early in 2007 by former British florist John Stirling and his son Simon, has been connecting consumers with florists in England for about a year — about 600 of the country's 8,000 florists have signed up with the online service. The company recently partnered with WF&FSA to create D2F North America, LLC, which has the exclusive licensing agreement for Direct2florist.com in the United States and Canada.

Florists pay $200 a year to be part of the network and will receive 100 percent of the retail price of the order. A florist who registers as a member of D2F will have its own page on Direct2florist.com, where customers can browse local florists by city or even ZIP code. The site showcases photos of participating area florists, including up to 40 products each. Network florists post their own products and control their delivery area.

"Direct2florist.com will have an impact on the profitability of retail florists," Dave Garcia, AAF, president of WF&FSA and president of the Pete Garcia Company in Atlanta.  "Florists will instantly be e-commerce capable, will receive 100 percent of the flower value, have complete control of the products they sell, prices and delivery areas, and they will get paid when the order is delivered. The risk to the retail florist is minimal and the potential gain is tremendous."

Once a customer places a Direct2florist order, florists are immediately notified via e-mail, fax or a pop-up on their computer. After the florist confirms delivery, Direct2florist.com processes payment directly to the florist.

Consumers pay a $6 transaction fee plus the florist's delivery price and sales tax. Direct2florist.com covers the credit card clearing cost and keeps the $6, which covers overhead costs and, eventually, online promotion, according to WF&FSA's executive vice president, Jim Wanko.
 
"Promotion is the most important thing we can do," Wanko says. "It's our intent to hook up with an ad agency that's focused on '(search engine optimization)' to help continue to improve online search engine results.

Wanko is not discouraged by the fact that "fewer than 100" florists have signed up for D2F North America, so far, since its official unveiling early in March. He says hundreds more have expressed interest and he suspects it's just a matter of time before they make the decision to sign up. "We've distributed about 30,000 brochures through our wholesalers, and everyone's been really positive," Wanko says.

--Morgan Schimminger
mshimminger@safnow.org
and Kate F. Penn
kpenn@safnow.org

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Teleflora Launches New Flower Blog

Floral trends, flower care, gardening, fashion and horoscopes can all be read and talked about by both consumers and florists on Teleflora's new blog.

Teleflora's Flower blog was recently launched to "create a dialogue with consumers and flower sellers about all the different ways flowers touch our lives," says Shawn Weidman, president of Teleflora.

The blog includes, among other features, a calendar listing the latest flower shows and exhibits all over the country; an "out-n-about" section, which provides snapshots of events where Teleflora arrangements can be seen; the latest in floral trends and design; flower facts; and even flower-related poems and horoscopes.

The blog is also a place where florists will have the opportunity to share their experiences and "behind-the-scenes" stories about life in their communities.

"The floral industry is a niche group of innovative and creative people, and this is Teleflora's way of bringing their voice to the forefront," Weidman says.

To learn more about how to start a blog at your business, check out "The Business of Blogging" from Floral Management's October 2007 issue.

--Kori Kamradt
kamradt@safnow.org

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The Upsides to a Down Economy?

Across the industry, professionals in all segments are working to understand how the current economic situation will affect business. And while the economy itself may be working against the floral industry, retailers, wholesalers and growers have not been left defenseless. "During hard economic times consumers might not want to buy a BMW or other luxury items, but there are still people getting married, babies born and funerals to service," says Wilja Happe of Brand Flowers in Carpinteria, Calif. "There is always a need for flowers." 

Lessons learned in the economic slowdowns of the '80s and '90s can be put to good use today.  Hear more about what Happe and other industry leaders have to say about the economic outlook for the floral industry in the spring issue of SAF's Floral Trend Tracker. All SAF members who receive E-Brief should have received it on Monday, March 22. If you didn't, please let us know. Meanwhile, you can still read it online here.

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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Economic Stimulus Checks to Mail in May

In a concerted effort to get the economy back on track, President Bush and Congress have approved the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. This act provides eligible taxpayers with a one-time payment designed to give the economy a much-needed shot in the arm. Curious about exactly how the economic stimulus payments will work? The Internal Revenue Service has set up a variety of helpful tools on its Web site to guide taxpayers through the somewhat-confusing process.

According to the IRS, "more than 130 million households will receive" the economic stimulus payment. The payment, also referred to as a tax rebate, will be based on your 2007 tax return. Once you file your return, the payment is automatic and will be dispersed beginning in early May. To qualify for the payment, you must have a valid Social Security Number and be able to show qualifying income on your federal tax return of at least $3,000. Expect to get an amount equal to your tax liability on the 2007 return. If you file as an individual, you may be eligible to receive up to $600. For taxpayers filing a joint return, a rebate of around $1,200 may be anticipated. The economic stimulus payment won't affect your 2007 or 2008 refund.

You can find other tax-related resources at the IRS Web site, including an online calculator to try and compute the estimated amount of your stimulus payment.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

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School Reverses Area Trend, Starts Floriculture Program

Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan., is hoping to fill the area's gap in floriculture training through a new floriculture certification program that will begin this August.

With the floriculture program at Kansas State University now defunct, and the only other local certification course at a local business ceasing its classes, Joseph Gadberry, assistant dean for science at JCC, says the wheels for a program at the school started to turn in Spring 2007. By November, the program had been approved.

To get a full understanding of what they'll face in the real-world floral industry, students enrolled in the one-year program will take classes ranging from Principles of Traditional Design and Plants for Interior Design to Small Business Accounting and Retail Floral Shop Operations.

"We have had a number of people, both prospective students and florists in the metropolitan community, express their excitement for the program," Gadberry says. "The certificate will provide students interested in floriculture, and those who wish to set up their own businesses, the training necessary to be successful in the field of floriculture."

Trained professionals are something that's sorely needed in the industry, says Joyce Mohr Abraham of Mohr/Mears Florist, Inc., which is why she volunteered to be on the board for the program.

"I think it's good for the industry and good for the future," Abraham says. "We need people who are instructed (trained) and excited to work."

A new certification program is good news all-around for others in the industry, because there aren't many industry-focused continuing education options left in the country, says Melinda Lynch, AIFD, floral design instructor for California Polytechnic State University.

Lynch says challenges exist because floriculture programs are expensive to maintain and, at the same time, some have fallen victim to budget cuts, including Lynch's own horticulture department. That's a shame, she says, because like Abraham, Lynch sees the programs as critical components of industry.

"I think it's crucial that if you go into business, you go into it with the proper training," she says. "You're not just going into the industry to play with flowers — you're here to make money."

Adrienne Summers, AIFD, program director of floral design at the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland, says all-around programs are key to bringing professionally-minded people into the industry. "In order to have a quality program you need to cover all facets of the industry," Summers explains. "You need these programs because the industry has a problem obtaining and maintaining quality employees. [The programs] give the employees a better foundation to work with."

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

 
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"First Lady of Flowers" Passes Away

SAF member, Sylvia Cup winner, member of the Floriculture Hall of Fame and lifelong florist, Frances J. Poetker, died on March 4, 2008.  Poetker was the former owner and operator of Jones the Florist in Ohio. She was fondly referred to in the greater Cincinnati area as "the first lady of flowers."

Poetker was born on April 16, 1913 in Cincinnati and graduated from Walnut Hills High School. She attended Vassar College where she earned her bachelor's degree in botany in 1933. She went on to receive her master's degree in plant ecology from the University of Cincinnati in 1934. The following year, Poetker bought Jones the Florist from her father, C.B. Jones.

Poetker joined the Florists' Transworld Delivery (FTD) Association, where she served as national spokeswoman for many years. The first woman director on the board of the Society of American Florists, Poetker also served as a board member of the American Horticultural Society for nine years. 

She co-wrote a book called "Wild Wealth" and even penned a syndicated column "Fun With Flowers," appearing in 68 newspapers. Always willing to share her knowledge of flowers, Poetker would appear on Cincinnati area television demonstrating how to use flowers for special occasions. She also gave botany lectures to local high school students. The American Horicultural Society named a special award after her. The AHS Frances Jones Poetker Award, initially presented in 1988, recognizes significant contributions to floral design in publications, on the platform and to the public.

A celebration of her life will be held this Sunday at 2 p.m. at Pilgrim Chapel, 1222 Ida St. in Mount Adams, Ohio.

Memorials may be sent to the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra, 1241 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202, or to the Mount Adams Pilgrim Chapel Flower Fund, 1222 Ida St., 45202.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 
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NEWSMAKERS

Style Network Highlights Floral Designers

Creating designs for any event on a strict deadline is tough. Now, imagine the stress if you were working on an event, being taped by a TV crew and being judged on your work — all at the same time. That's the exact situation three floral designers recently found themselves in when they participated in an episode of The Style Network's "Making It Big."

The show, which premiered March 5, featured three "up-and-coming" designers creating floral designs for a deluxe dinner party in just two hours. The prize for enduring the stress and creating the most beautiful designs? A chance to be mentored by celebrity floral designer Preston Bailey.

During the show, contestants designed a table centerpiece for a dinner party of 12; room décor for the dining room and entranceway; and a small gift for the six women at the party. As an extra challenge, they were tasked with creating a floral gift for a male guest.

During the process, contestants were monitored and judged by two industry experts, Rich Salvaggio, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, CAFA, publisher of Flowers& magazine, and Ruth Moyte, event planner for Extraordinary Events in Los Angeles. Floral Designer Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD, best known for combining art with flowers, also made a special appearance.

"Each of the designers had different strengths and weaknesses in their designs," Salvaggio says. "One of them had the best centerpiece because of its use of line and color.  Another one had the best entry and room décor — it was the most clever and accomplished very quickly. The third designer had their strength in the gift for the male guest as well as the a great concept for the small gifts for the women attending the dinner."

The winner was Cory Lonsert, AIFD, of Los Angeles, who's featured on the Web site's video of the show. 

Every week, "Making It Big" highlights professionals from a specific career, from costume designers to Broadway performers, and orchestrates a competition based on their skills. The show airs on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. EST.

 
--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

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LIFE AT WORK

Many Bosses Monitor Employee Activities

While it isn't exactly "big brother," a "big employer" is monitoring employees in offices around the country, according to Workforce Week, an e-newsletter published by Workforce Management.

The article reports that bosses are working hard to stay on top of what their employees talk about on the phone, read online and write in e-mails. And they aren't always happy with what they find. In fact, "nearly half of U.S. employers have fired employees for misusing corporate e-mail or Internet access," according to the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute, as reported by Workforce Week.

The article also highlights other statistics on employee privacy, taken from the AMA and ePolicy firms' annual electronic monitoring and surveillance survey:
• 40 percent of firms employ an individual who is responsible for "manually" reading and reviewing employee e-mail;
• 1 in 4 organizations "capture and review computer files," and 12 percent inspect blogs to see what's being published about their employers; and,
• 45 percent of companies listen to employees' phone conversations — 16 percent actually record those conversations.

Is it necessary to monitor what employees do at work? If you have an opinion on this question, don't forget to take this week's SAF e-poll.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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Customers 'Get Satisfaction' Online

Customers taking to the Internet to air their grievances may not be a new phenomenon, but a new Web site is adding a different element into the mix: Product manufacturers and company representatives.

The beta version of www.getsatisfaction.com gives "marketers behind those [discussed] products a chance to be explicitly involved" in the online conversations, according to Springwise, a trend-forecasting newsletter based out of the United Kingdom.

The mantra of the San Francisco-based Web site is simple: "Customer service is the new marketing." The idea is that, by allowing customers and company representatives to discuss product shortcomings (and user errors) openly, all parties win.

"Satisfaction lets consumers participate in conversations about customer service issues specific to particular companies or products," Springwise explains. "Discussions are controlled by the community, free of impersonal contact forms or company censorship. Marketers who choose to join in, meanwhile, are freed from repetitive support tasks and able to engage their customers in a more collaborative way."

Best of all, the site, for now, is free for all participants. And, in case you were wondering, at press time, no specific floral industry-related complaints had been logged on the site.

For more information on other sites facilitating online consumer venting, read E-Brief's past coverage of Yelp.com, and SheSpeaks.com.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

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TRENDS AND TIPS

Set Your Sights on Social Networking

The most important thing to consider before joining an online social networking community is whether your customers are active in social networking. That tip was one of many offered earlier this month by North Star Marketing during a teleconference on how business owners can tap into the marketing potential of various social networking sites.

The Lancaster, Pa.-based marketing company defined a social networking site as "a site that connects a community of people who have similar interests and wish to communicate and share information." Social Networking Web sites are great tools to market your floral business. The best part — most are free to join. Well-known sites include MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Flickr. The key benefits that these social networking sites offer a business include allowing business owners to set up a unique and customized profile, the ability to communicate with customers and other floral industry members via text, audio or video as well as the ability to search the network for others with similar interests.

"A brand can really be strengthened by giving back and by sharing information," said presenter Adam Chlan, North Star Marketing's director of interactive services.

When thinking about joining a social networking community, the most important thing to recognize is whether your customers are currently active in social networking. If your client base is not active, try to discern ways to engage them on these sites and get them to interact — through blogs, how-to videos or industry information. Just remember that once you set up a profile on a social networking site, you need to keep the site up-to-date with content because, as Chlan stated, "the community will just die off" if left to fend for itself. North Star also recommends that businesses provide a link back to their main Web site and check the networking site regularly to interact with clients.

By setting up a profile on any of these social networking sites, you have the potential to increase your client base and get your business into the Internet limelight. SAF members also can share knowledge and get information through the discussion forum on SAF's Web site. 

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

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Professional Secretaries Week Is Fast Approaching

Looking for way to market your floral business for Professional Secretaries Week (April 20-26)? Look no further than SAF's Business-to-Business materials, offering a large number of promotional tools to get you started. The materials promote the findings of SAF's Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity Study, which proves flowers and plants in the workplace increase productivity and inspire better business ideas. SAF provides members with valuable downloadable resources like a library of B2B sales tools, promotional ideas, a sample press release and radio scripts. It's all just a click away!

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

On the Horizon

• "Keys to Communication" by SAF's PFCI featuring Sharon McGukin, AAF, AIFD, PFCI: July 7, 2-3 p.m. in Chicago, in conjunction with the AIFD National Symposium.
• SAF Palm Beach 2008: Sept. 17-20, 2008, at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla.

REGULAR FEATURES

Product Spotlight: Magnet Mail E-Mail Marketing and Newsletters

Connect to consumers with the click of a mouse with Magnet Mail E-Mail Marketing and Newsletters! This easy-to-use online tool lets you create and send professional, vivid, branded e-mail promos and newsletters. Here's how it works: You just insert text into a customized e-newsletter or promotional template, upload your customers' e-mail addresses and click "Send." Messages are transmitted and can be tracked instantly. Special tools help you find and remove common "spam triggers," so your messages get through. There's even an online library of ready-to-use floral articles and photographs. SAF has negotiated discount member rates on this exclusive professional e-marketing tool.

 
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Discussion Forums

One member seems to be keeping the discussion forums pretty active this week. This discussion dynamo responded to a member's request mentioned in the previous week's E-Brief regarding the effectiveness of setting up a store front on various wedding Web sites. The helpful respondent admitted that she got a great response the first year she used a wedding Web site, but it tapered off after that. Her key piece of advice when it came to setting up shop on one of these sites is "you have to set yourself apart from the other florists on the same page." The original poster was very pleased with these words of wisdom, replying back "that is exactly the kind of feedback I am looking for! Thanks." Think you might have some feedback to share on this topic?

The same supportive member answered a question posted awhile back about the proper way for a home-based floral business to charge, "if a bride wants to see samples of a bouquet and centerpiece before the wedding." She explained how her retail store front provides pictures initially and then if an actual designed sample is requested, she does charge for it "the same price they would pay for it the day of." She also added that if her customers just want to see the flowers, she'll order them in as part of the cooler stock and allow them to purchase the flowers, stem by stem. Want to read more about her price points?

There was even a third dialogue our wonderfully motivated helper engaged in involving how to make money on weddings. The initial post relayed the trials and tribulations of trying to stay competitive in the wedding aspect of the floral industry while still pulling in a profit. In a very detailed response, the member went through her own strategic plan for pricing and serving weddings. Interested in learning about her tips for success in the wedding market?

This nuptial-minded member also posted a wedding-related question of her own. She wants to know if package deals are a good idea or if they might deter higher-end brides. Click here to share your experience with wedding packages.

Or start your own discussion.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 
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No Sleeping On the Job Here

According to the results of last week's e-poll, most people seem to be able to keep their eyes open at work (or they at least know to take a nap when no one's watching). Exactly 75 percent said that they have not discovered a staff person sleeping on the job. More than 17 percent have actually come across a snoozing co-worker, while almost 8 percent groggily replied: "What was that, you just woke me up."

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 
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What's in a Name?

What name do you use to promote the holiday that falls April 20 to 26 this year? (And we don't mean Passover, which this year, falls around the same time.) According to the results of last year's survey of retail florists, it was a virtual tie between Professional Secretaries Week (27 percent) and Administrative Professionals Week (26 percent). However, more florists hedged their bets by using both names in their promotions (31 percent). The remainder either didn't promote the holiday (12 percent) or used some other designation (4 percent).

Which Name Did Florists Promote?

Source: SAF Post-Holiday Survey of Retail Florists, 2007. Based on 307 responses (response rate 9 percent).

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