Year-Round Income for Seasonal Florists
Our friends at Accent Decor have launched two new seasonal collections to support you in your work with flowers—Harvest and Halloween.
It got me thinking about the ways event florists engage with their clients pre- and post-event. Many have email or social communications in place, but not many actively offer a product or service that can enrich their client’s lives before or after the event.
This pre- and post-event window is an amazing opportunity to build trust, increase sales, bolster event referrals and meet a felt need for clients.
Seasonal Offerings Are a Strategic Win-Win Business Move
I hosted a series of seasonal workshops with West Elm when I first got started in flowers. One of my upcoming wedding clients attended and brought a friend along. Before the workshop she was planning on mason jar arrangements, and she approached other design ideas with a bit of caution. She had such a magical experience at the workshop that she left giving me creative freedom as a designer.
Her wedding was unique, amazing, and so different than the planned mason jars she had envisioned in the beginning. It was even featured on the cover of a wedding magazine! She came back that winter post-event for a wreath workshop and we reminisced about the beauty of that day and her wedding feature!
It’s not uncommon for people to become more interested in including flowers in their everyday and annual celebrations after they have experienced them in an amazing way at their wedding or event. And by offering something seasonal, you fulfill a desire to carry the beauty of their wedding day into everyday life!
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day are all great opportunities to engage your growing list of wedding and event clients throughout the year and foster an ongoing relationship.
Here Are 3 Ideas for Engaging with Your Event Clients (And Their Families and Friends) This Fall
IDEA #1: Unleash Your Client’s Inner Creative by Hosting a Terrarium or Cobweb Wreath Workshop.
The Pear Terrarium and the Cobweb Hanger are great products to offer in a workshop setting! Use the dried products you’ve saved over the summer to create some really adorable items with your clients.
Accent Decor also carries high quality moss and dried materials like these mushrooms if you need to supplement or don’t dry product yourself.
Pear Terrarium
PRICING TIP: How much should you charge for a workshop? Cover your expenses (materials and time) and build in a profit that will allow you to get your next holiday off the ground.
As your experience grows, tweak your process. The real profit aspect of this comes as you sell other offerings in tandem. For example, offer the gift hero option at the workshop.
Cobweb Hanger
Idea #2: Make It Easy to Be a Gift Hero!
SPRUCE PLANTER
One for Aunt Kathy, one for the neighbor, one for the mailman. Make gifting a breeze for your clients by creating a festive easy-to-gift item.
The Spruce Planter is a white, lined basket with transitional superpowers! As a designer I love that I can offer this filled with plants. Or, alternatively, I can fill it with a mini arrangement or plant that is placed its own container and nested down inside the basket with other decorative goodies!
The Harvest Pot, the Portabello Bowl, and the Agro Pot would all be lovely filled with fresh flowers or a potted plant—and tucked down inside the Spruce Planter with some gift items like this Enchanted Forest Candle and Thanksgiving Pumpkins, that has some serious stying power.
SUSTAINABILITY TIP: Since the basket is lined, its the perfect way to transport a foam-free arrangement with style and without the need for additional packaging. It can also be used in so many ways by the end consumer!
Enchanted Forest Candle
Thanksgiving Pumpkins
Idea #3: Help Your Clients Create Magical Memories Around the Table with a Table Decor Kit
Alder vase
The Alder Vase comes in two sizes, both of which are suitable for creating a lush low centerpiece for a dinner table. Offer the Stripped Birchwood Chargers and Chippy Candle Holder with a pair of tapers as an add on option.
PLANNING TIP: With all of these offerings, you can do a preorder option. Over time, you will develop metrics you can use to project how many items you can expect to sell based on the number of preorders you receive.
stripped birch chargers
Chippy Candleholder
