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Upselling Flowers
Everyday at the shop means opportunities for upselling, but during the holidays, those opportunities increase tenfold. Make sure you’re primed and ready to maximize the sales potential of every customer. Did you know that you already have the most powerful tool to do so? Your voice! It’s not only what you say, but also how you say it that influences your sales-counter success.
Don’t Ask I often hear staff present price as a question, “That’s going to be $50, is that OK?” or “That’ll be $78.99 with delivery, is that OK?” Ouch! I don’t think I’ve ever had a Macy’s salesperson ring me up and ask, “If that’s OK?” The price is a statement, not a question — otherwise you’re subtly telling a customer she can negotiate the cost of an item. When training flower-shop employees, I hold up a piece of paper, point to someone in the group and ask her name. I show trainees (by drawing) that the name — “Sally Jo Salesperson” — registers as three flat lines, fol- lowed by a period because it’s a fact that it’s her name.
When I repeat her name while raising my voice — turning it into a question — I ask the group if they’d believe that was her name if she was just introducing herself to them. I joke that if I only heard “Sally Jo Salesperson?” I’d won- der if she were in the witness protection program — since she asked her name instead of stating it! This is a good visual sales exercise to demonstrate to staff during your next meeting/training session.
Powerful Phrases In addition to using your voice as a tool, two powerful phrases can enhance your sales presentation: “I’d recom- mend choosing” or “I’d suggest spending $XX.” For example, if a customer orders flowers for her parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, the salesperson might say, “Wow, 30 years — that’s great! I’d suggest sending our larger arrangement, perfect for the kitchen or dining room table, for $XX.” When you use these low-key, non-threatening lines, you position yourself as the educated expert, offering the appropriate item and price! The customer follows your lead — and if you sound confident and sure, the sales will be quicker and bigger — I know from 11 years of experience!
The Bottom Line: prepare your staff for the holiday rush by demonstrating that when they set the tone, cus- tomers will respond positively!
This article was provided by:
Tim Huckabee AIFSE, President of FloralStrategies
FloralStrategies is the only company in the entire floral industry dedicated to helping the INDEPENDENT florist to thrive and prosper.
