I've been binge watching your videos as I'll be growing cut flowers for sale on a very small scale this year on our homestead. Your videos are easy to listen to and packed with information! Thank you so much! ❤
One big takeaway from my first year as a florist-farmer is that floristry is not a product, it's a service. People expect the florist to answer the phone when they call, to be able to fit their order in TODAY because they are last minute, they want to wow someone with the flowers, want them delivered at the recipient's door, want a nice packaging and a thoughtful handwritten little card in the bouquet. BUT what they judge the florist on is the flowers because it's the end product and what they perceive they paid for. That being said, customers don't count stems. They have a general idea of what their budget gets them in terms of bouquet size and they will sometimes ask about the focal flowers. It's easy to make a bouquet look more expensive and full with the right choice of fillers and greenery. And most of my phone order customers don't even ask to see the bouquet before we deliver it.
This is such a great observation. I too have realized that customers don't count stems and them having a general idea of what their budget gets them in terms of bouquet size is spot on. To add to what you said, vase life and presentation are all important considerations. Floristry is a skilled craft and one that is very service oriented as you said! (Aka why I don't want to be a florist LOL!). That being said, I think that alot of smaller growers who are putting together market bouquets (like myself last year) are still afraid to price higher. They may not be able to produce the end product like a florist could or offer that service, but there is still wiggle room to go higher!
@@bareflowerfarm Absolutely, there is a place for direct to customer market bouquets and I understand the struggle to price them properly to make it worth your time! In Quebec, the CSA subscription bouquets are the current solution for many growers, but the market is starting to saturate it seems.
Ah interesting! Do you use fresh books for invoicing or also as a point of service (POS)? For square I think you need to pay to access the emails from the receipt 😑
This was such an informative and thoughtful video. As someone who is playing with the idea of starting a backyard flower farm (and who is also a marketer by day) its so great that you are sharing these learning experiences with the rest of us. The labels offering vase life tips are a genius idea! I'll be following your journey and wishing you lots of luck in 2023!
Oh and a quick note about local SMS marketing, I had a massage therapist who did that and periodically (i.e. not regularly) would text out specials or if she had openings and it actually, surprisingly, did not bother me because I had a personal relationship with her. So maybe if, say, mothers day was coming up and you had a limited number of bouquets available, I'm willing to bet that most people would appreciate a heads up "text me to reserve your bouquet!" and wouldn't be annoyed by it. Just my 2 cents though!
This is what I'm hoping will happen with flowers! As long as businesses don't abuse my phone number, I don't mind hearing from them. So yes, I agree with your thoughts on this! :)
Thanks so much for this excellently insightful. Video. I’m so thrilled to have found your content and representation of a flower farmer. Female novice small flower farmer 🇨🇦 zone5
I have to admit There ia NOTHING in my life why i should love your videos .well except i grow flowers ing.retirement But .but i do love your videos.. It's so strange. But then i also have been OBSESSED with virology for about 20 years now Came.in.handy during the pandemic . There. Was so many out and out lies told to .people Made me.mad as a.wet.hen
I can definitely relate to this. Between the confidence in growing, to whether you harvested at the right time, to vase life, it’s hard to go out of the gate hot and price high!
Where do your "ideal avatar" customers shop? What do they value? Market to those values. You may be surprised how price registers for them in importance. Even in my small town the "locally owned, locally grown" aspect is the most important, not price.
Great points. The story behind local flowers is typically that they're "local" and I think there's alot more that we can add to that to further drive home the value proposition.
Another great video - thanks for sharing your experiences :) Could you possibly use marketplace to sell DIY stems (un-arranged)? I find the Marketplace is heavily populated by thrifty and DIY-minded people...
I have totally contemplated this! When I did have enough stems, I didnt have enough buckets to part with (LOL of all things, that held me off). And now I don't have enough stems/filler to do it in a profitable way lol! I may test this in 2023 though!
Yes, anxious to learn about the texting- I want to do this to let customers know their CSA is at the pickup spot & let them be the first to know about offers
If you have an iphone, there's a group chat message feature you can use without needing to pay for SMS program. But I will likely pay for a service because it's more organized that way :). I'll def share what I learn!
Another great video! You have me some great tips on selling. I have tulips in the ground and this helped a lot. Marketing is also not my strong area so I will need to really learn a lot
Glad to hear! Field grown tulips typically have more "competition" with other growers but that being said, alot of times we underprice especially if we're growing specialty types!!
Food for thought: Hair Salons never shut down during the 2008 financial crises. I know a stylist very well who makes over $100,000 a year. In ARKANSAS, so don’t say being rural is an excuse. People pay for what they like!
@@bareflowerfarm She struggled with it a lot at first too. But, after more and more education, she had her ah ha moment too. You’ve also encouraged me with these videos not to sell myself short this first season!
I swear I feel this is a gardening class. I value the information you share. Another great video. Btw I'm apart of a mom's group...they are very supportive.
"undercutting that local farmer who is trying to run a legitimate business". I don't understand why you don't think you are a a legitimate business? Sure you have another job, but you still put in the work. You are just as legitimate as someone who decides to do it full time.
Probably not the best choice of words but there is definitely a difference between a business that is a side hustle vs a full on business that involves employees, benefits, overhead and a next level of insurance. While the work put in could be similar and the legitimacy of the business is the same, I would argue that the cost considerations change significantly. That was really the point I was trying to make around not undercutting a flower farm business :)
The dilemma for me is that I'm a flower grower, not a trained florist. Therefore I don't think I can justify higher prices than I charge. at the farmers market I honestly do my best with the bouquets, but I'd say a professional florist wouldn't think much of them! Plus, it's not my main income, I don't have shopfront or employee overheads, so I'm happy with what I get for my bouquets.. As you say, there should be a spot for almost everyone in the market.. 🎉
I’m sure your bouquets are beautiful! At the market, I don’t think anyone is expecting a florist and even a fair price at the farmers market (15-25$) is commensurate to you not being a florist! I saw a florist bouquet which was like 7 lilies and an abysmal amount of filler for like 65$, another with a bunch of sunflowers and a few other things for around there as well. So I wouldn’t worry about not being a florist!
I think maybe another way to see it is you're selling flowers and they have a minimum value whether they are in market bouquets, formal arrangements, or just in bunches.
I went on you tube and looked up flower schools and design people so I could learn how and what they think , need, want....it really helped me and took many of the same issues you spoke about away.
Undercutting other floral farmers? I'm not ok with this one, especially presented as a class/presentation. It's weird and capitalist in a manipulative way, no? I'll have to think about that more. Anyone who sells low enough to "compete " strongly other farmers cannot do so at a volume that makes them a threat. I prefer the coffee market analogy. Loved the video! I'm looking forward to hearing your successes in 2023!!!
I think that the issue with undercutting other floral farmers, even if you're not doing it at high volume, is that you are setting the expectation with certain customers that there can be a lower threshold for locally grown flowers. If they're inferior flowers or have a shorter vase life, then that's a bit of a different story. For the coffee analogy, there is definitely a bean and harvesting difference between gas station coffee and the third wave coffee (and I'm sure that gas station coffee is unlikely to have fair trade certification too). I also think that if someone who is growing quality local stems prices low, they are helping drive commoditization of their product. Hope this makes sense!
Hey there, there’s a few sites out there that generate free QR codes. I googled and used the first one that popped up qr.io/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9dL74YDD_AIVB8DICh3dhwSKEAAYAiAAEgLtxvD_BwE
I am on a few email lists, because i have to because I have discount membership etc, i loose the membership if i unsubscribe. So i send them unread to the garbage can … i wouldnt have any marketing hopes on email newsletter, i most people I know just de,ete them unread. 😆
With email lists, you definitely won’t get a 100% open or engagement rate. But it becomes a game of volume and whether you have “quality email” addresses. If emails aren’t too salesy and help the customer connect to the brand, they can be a powerful tool. I could always rely on a certain amount of revenue whenever I sent out an email blast to my soap customers!
I've been binge watching your videos as I'll be growing cut flowers for sale on a very small scale this year on our homestead. Your videos are easy to listen to and packed with information! Thank you so much! ❤
One big takeaway from my first year as a florist-farmer is that floristry is not a product, it's a service.
People expect the florist to answer the phone when they call, to be able to fit their order in TODAY because they are last minute, they want to wow someone with the flowers, want them delivered at the recipient's door, want a nice packaging and a thoughtful handwritten little card in the bouquet.
BUT what they judge the florist on is the flowers because it's the end product and what they perceive they paid for.
That being said, customers don't count stems. They have a general idea of what their budget gets them in terms of bouquet size and they will sometimes ask about the focal flowers. It's easy to make a bouquet look more expensive and full with the right choice of fillers and greenery. And most of my phone order customers don't even ask to see the bouquet before we deliver it.
This is such a great observation. I too have realized that customers don't count stems and them having a general idea of what their budget gets them in terms of bouquet size is spot on. To add to what you said, vase life and presentation are all important considerations. Floristry is a skilled craft and one that is very service oriented as you said! (Aka why I don't want to be a florist LOL!).
That being said, I think that alot of smaller growers who are putting together market bouquets (like myself last year) are still afraid to price higher. They may not be able to produce the end product like a florist could or offer that service, but there is still wiggle room to go higher!
REALLY great observation!!!!
@@bareflowerfarm Absolutely, there is a place for direct to customer market bouquets and I understand the struggle to price them properly to make it worth your time!
In Quebec, the CSA subscription bouquets are the current solution for many growers, but the market is starting to saturate it seems.
Love that you share your learnings, your stumbles, your inspirations. Thank you!
I love that with fresh books ... each customer is asked for e-mail for a receipt. This is a huge help with having a list of e-mail too.
Ah interesting! Do you use fresh books for invoicing or also as a point of service (POS)? For square I think you need to pay to access the emails from the receipt 😑
This was such an informative and thoughtful video. As someone who is playing with the idea of starting a backyard flower farm (and who is also a marketer by day) its so great that you are sharing these learning experiences with the rest of us. The labels offering vase life tips are a genius idea! I'll be following your journey and wishing you lots of luck in 2023!
Oh and a quick note about local SMS marketing, I had a massage therapist who did that and periodically (i.e. not regularly) would text out specials or if she had openings and it actually, surprisingly, did not bother me because I had a personal relationship with her. So maybe if, say, mothers day was coming up and you had a limited number of bouquets available, I'm willing to bet that most people would appreciate a heads up "text me to reserve your bouquet!" and wouldn't be annoyed by it. Just my 2 cents though!
This is what I'm hoping will happen with flowers! As long as businesses don't abuse my phone number, I don't mind hearing from them. So yes, I agree with your thoughts on this! :)
Thank you so much for all your content. It has been so helpful!
I’m a new subscriber and just want you to know I seriously appreciate your content and I think the way you articulate is awesome!
Thank you so much!!
Well done! $20 is cheap when you compare to florist prices.
Haha yes! Except my arrangements aren't as artistic as a florist so part of the price of a floral arrangement is that artistry/skill!
Great advice..thank you!
Thanks so much for this excellently insightful. Video. I’m so thrilled to have found your content and representation of a flower farmer. Female novice small flower farmer 🇨🇦 zone5
Thank you so much for following!!
I have to admit
There ia NOTHING in my life why i should love your videos
.well except i grow flowers ing.retirement
But
.but i do love your videos..
It's so strange.
But then i also have been OBSESSED with virology for about 20 years now
Came.in.handy during the pandemic .
There. Was so many out and out lies told to .people
Made me.mad as a.wet.hen
I'm raising my prices next season as well. I think it's hard to have the confidence to charge those higher prices your first year.
I can definitely relate to this. Between the confidence in growing, to whether you harvested at the right time, to vase life, it’s hard to go out of the gate hot and price high!
Long time fan, might be the light, dude I like the grey, good for you, rock on you got this
Where do your "ideal avatar" customers shop? What do they value? Market to those values. You may be surprised how price registers for them in importance. Even in my small town the "locally owned, locally grown" aspect is the most important, not price.
Great points. The story behind local flowers is typically that they're "local" and I think there's alot more that we can add to that to further drive home the value proposition.
Great video!
Another great video - thanks for sharing your experiences :)
Could you possibly use marketplace to sell DIY stems (un-arranged)? I find the Marketplace is heavily populated by thrifty and DIY-minded people...
I have totally contemplated this! When I did have enough stems, I didnt have enough buckets to part with (LOL of all things, that held me off). And now I don't have enough stems/filler to do it in a profitable way lol! I may test this in 2023 though!
Yes, anxious to learn about the texting- I want to do this to let customers know their CSA is at the pickup spot & let them be the first to know about offers
If you have an iphone, there's a group chat message feature you can use without needing to pay for SMS program. But I will likely pay for a service because it's more organized that way :). I'll def share what I learn!
Absolutely love your videos and how you dig deep into the business end of things!
Thank you ☺️
Another great video! You have me some great tips on selling. I have tulips in the ground and this helped a lot. Marketing is also not my strong area so I will need to really learn a lot
Glad to hear! Field grown tulips typically have more "competition" with other growers but that being said, alot of times we underprice especially if we're growing specialty types!!
Food for thought:
Hair Salons never shut down during the 2008 financial crises. I know a stylist very well who makes over $100,000 a year. In ARKANSAS, so don’t say being rural is an excuse. People pay for what they like!
Haha absolutely to this! This is a true example of how we make up the story in our head about pricing!
@@bareflowerfarm She struggled with it a lot at first too. But, after more and more education, she had her ah ha moment too.
You’ve also encouraged me with these videos not to sell myself short this first season!
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
I swear I feel this is a gardening class. I value the information you share. Another great video. Btw I'm apart of a mom's group...they are very supportive.
Haha that is such a compliment! I wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, so this scratches the itch 🙂. And yes, mom’s groups are the best!
Oh wow I'm a school administrator. As a person that "teacher watch", you're doing phenomenal. Definitely a level 4.
☺️☺️☺️
"undercutting that local farmer who is trying to run a legitimate business". I don't understand why you don't think you are a a legitimate business? Sure you have another job, but you still put in the work. You are just as legitimate as someone who decides to do it full time.
Probably not the best choice of words but there is definitely a difference between a business that is a side hustle vs a full on business that involves employees, benefits, overhead and a next level of insurance. While the work put in could be similar and the legitimacy of the business is the same, I would argue that the cost considerations change significantly. That was really the point I was trying to make around not undercutting a flower farm business :)
Thanks. You always have good info. 😊
This video was so well done and really such a blessing. Have a great week.
The dilemma for me is that I'm a flower grower, not a trained florist. Therefore I don't think I can justify higher prices than I charge. at the farmers market I honestly do my best with the bouquets, but I'd say a professional florist wouldn't think much of them! Plus, it's not my main income, I don't have shopfront or employee overheads, so I'm happy with what I get for my bouquets.. As you say, there should be a spot for almost everyone in the market.. 🎉
I’m sure your bouquets are beautiful! At the market, I don’t think anyone is expecting a florist and even a fair price at the farmers market (15-25$) is commensurate to you not being a florist! I saw a florist bouquet which was like 7 lilies and an abysmal amount of filler for like 65$, another with a bunch of sunflowers and a few other things for around there as well. So I wouldn’t worry about not being a florist!
@@monicamaria2966 Oh thanks Monica - yep I can wangle a pretty bouquet together - they're like a garden bouquet I guess!
I think maybe another way to see it is you're selling flowers and they have a minimum value whether they are in market bouquets, formal arrangements, or just in bunches.
I went on you tube and looked up flower schools and design people so I could learn how and what they think , need, want....it really helped me and took many of the same issues you spoke about away.
@@shawnsg That's very true - thanks Shawn.
Undercutting other floral farmers?
I'm not ok with this one, especially presented as a class/presentation. It's weird and capitalist in a manipulative way, no? I'll have to think about that more.
Anyone who sells low enough to "compete " strongly other farmers cannot do so at a volume that makes them a threat. I prefer the coffee market analogy.
Loved the video! I'm looking forward to hearing your successes in 2023!!!
I think that the issue with undercutting other floral farmers, even if you're not doing it at high volume, is that you are setting the expectation with certain customers that there can be a lower threshold for locally grown flowers. If they're inferior flowers or have a shorter vase life, then that's a bit of a different story. For the coffee analogy, there is definitely a bean and harvesting difference between gas station coffee and the third wave coffee (and I'm sure that gas station coffee is unlikely to have fair trade certification too). I also think that if someone who is growing quality local stems prices low, they are helping drive commoditization of their product. Hope this makes sense!
"promo sm" 😬
A great video as always, could you let me know How and where you can do a free qr code ?
Hey there, there’s a few sites out there that generate free QR codes. I googled and used the first one that popped up qr.io/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9dL74YDD_AIVB8DICh3dhwSKEAAYAiAAEgLtxvD_BwE
I am on a few email lists, because i have to because I have discount membership etc, i loose the membership if i unsubscribe. So i send them unread to the garbage can … i wouldnt have any marketing hopes on email newsletter, i most people I know just de,ete them unread. 😆
With email lists, you definitely won’t get a 100% open or engagement rate. But it becomes a game of volume and whether you have “quality email” addresses. If emails aren’t too salesy and help the customer connect to the brand, they can be a powerful tool. I could always rely on a certain amount of revenue whenever I sent out an email blast to my soap customers!