Thanksgiving is almost here and that means that, in the United States at least, the largest shopping season of the year is just starting.
For our international readers, Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) has traditionally marked the day where retailers' accounts move out of the red and into the black as consumers flock to the stores to begin shopping for Christmas and other holiday festivities. Over time, this has developed from a single day to a larger event that includes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday.
Florists in the weddings and events industry often miss out on being able to benefit from the shopping madness over this weekend but today we're sharing our top four tips for booking more clients this Black Friday weekend as you market your floral business.
Offer Value, Not Discounts
Black Friday weekend is all about finding the best deals. It's easy to decide to run a sale and offer 20% off if a client books over the weekend but, the reality is that wedding and event florists have a bit of a higher overhead than their retail-focused counterparts and so that 20% discount could have a HUGE impact on your bottom line--and not in a positive way. So offer a deal that gives value to the customer. Instead of giving a discount, offer a free bar arrangement or something similar that will make your client feel like they're getting a great deal without affecting your revenue but only IF they book with you in a certain time frame.
Emphasize You Are A Local Business
Even though they buy everything from Amazon, millennials love supporting local business. Play up Small Business Saturday and emphasize that you are a small, local business in your verbiage. If you are a
larger, corporate-sized florist, you can still emphasize the idea that you were grown locally and have a stake in the community. This can be a great selling point for both the clients whose contracts are pending and those who are still only inquiries in your sales pipeline.
Talk About Your Local Suppliers
Do you use a local grower for your flowers? Even sometimes? Share their story too! If a potential client can feel like they're doubly investing into the local economy, they will be more likely to book with you while their minds are intentionally focused on buying local on Small Business Saturday. If either you or your wholesaler support a local charity, it'd be worth mentioning that too as Giving Tuesday puts people in the mindset to think of others even as they purchase for themselves.
Create Your Proposals Quickly
If you have a consultation this week, finish your proposal quickly and offer a special arrangement if the client can match your turnaround time and get the proposal back to you by Small Business Saturday. Even if you're a
Curate user and create your proposals during the consultation, you may consider giving them twenty-four hours to sign or doubling up the bonus offer if they book on-the-spot.
Add a calendar task to email all of your potential clients the week before Black Friday. Be sure to emphasize the value you're giving them if they book by the weekend and how booking with you supports the local economy. If they're still in the inquiry stage, also tell them that if they book a consultation this week, they will receive a proposal that includes your Black Friday Weekend Deal.
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Looking for a software that can help you develop quick, accurate, and beautiful proposals on-the-spot, leading to increased booking rates? Check out Curate!
