Mantra 3 of 4=Don't Be Afraid to Hear NO
When was the last time you offered a customer a £75 hand-tied (because you felt it was appropriate for their needs) and the reaction was, "How DARE you offer that to me. I am leaving here, never to return!" It does not happen. Well, it can happen, but maybe once or twice a year (usually some tightwad who thinks he shouldn't pay more than a tenner for Valentine roses!)
I have been waiting on customers in shops around the world for over 20 years and can still count on one hand how many times any have had a melodramatic meltdown. Sure, they may huff and puff or vocalize that they're not spending that much BUT they still end up buying something. My simple point is that we, the floral industry, have created this myth that NO means not just no to your offer but no to the sale and no to ever shopping here again. It's a myth, like the Loch Ness Monster (sorry, Scottish readers!)
When a customer says no, he or she is just saying, "I don't like that price or that option, give me another choice" When I offer a customer £75 hand-tied and get rejected I simply take it down a notch and offer a similar design at £60. What I don't do is immediately offer that hand-tieds start at £20, or worse still, ask how much the customer wants to pay!
Let go of your old-fashioned fear of NO and you'll be pleasantly surprised to see just how much more your customers are ready to spend – if you let just them.
Article written by Tim Huckerbee, FSC – FloralStrategies
