The floral industry’s sales guru is bringing his brand of candid, constructive criticism to the wholesale market.
For nearly 20 years, Tim Huckabee, the founder of Floral Strategies, has traveled the globe, visiting thousands of independent flower shops where he’s helped tweak bad habits that turn off customers and cost businesses hundreds to thousands of dollars each year.
Recently, urged by wholesalers who listened to his presentations at Society of American Florists conventions, Huckabee launched a wholesale division of his program, spreading his message to a new segment that has the potential to circulate his advice to a much wider audience.
The two-day training session kicks off with a 90-minute session for the wholesaler’s retail customers. This includes Huckabee’s famous secret test calls and analysis, as well as general advice on upselling, making emotional connections with customers, and strategies to make order taking more efficient. This boosts retailers’ sales skills and gives wholesalers a better understanding of how their customers operate. Afterwards, Huckabee helps the wholesaler identify ways they can advance their business and their customers’ businesses.
“A similarity between wholesalers and retailers is a fear of rejection,” Huckabee said. “I hear in my test calls, over and over again, employees using the phrase, ‘prices start at …’ instead of pitching something high end because they think the customer will hang up. And with wholesalers calling retailers, the conversation’s usually, ‘Do you need anything?’ rather than, ‘Hey, let me tell you about this exciting new product we got in that I think you’d love…’ Wholesalers are sales people too, but often just take orders.”
If the floral industry is to get a bigger piece of the national economy, both segments must work together to wow customers so they’ll spend their discretionary income on flowers, he said. Wholesalers need their retail customers to be more assertive and persuasive with consumers and retailers need wholesalers with an eye for fresh, fashionable styles they can sell.
“Each side’s success is predicated on the other’s,” Huckabee said.
Harrison “Red” Kennicott, Chairman and CEO of Kennicott Brothers Co., Inc., in Chicago is among the wholesalers who’ve had Huckabee train his retail customers.
“Huckabee’s message was that many florists are leaving money on the table by not offering higher priced arrangements to their customers,” he said. The feedback he received was that it was a very valuable learning experience. He’s pleased to see Huckabee’s program expand in the wholesale segment.
“The success of our retail florist customers is crucial to the success and survival of us as a wholesale florist,” Kennicott said.
For more information, call 800.983.6184 or email [email protected]
For nearly 20 years, Tim Huckabee, the founder of Floral Strategies, has traveled the globe, visiting thousands of independent flower shops where he’s helped tweak bad habits that turn off customers and cost businesses hundreds to thousands of dollars each year.
Recently, urged by wholesalers who listened to his presentations at Society of American Florists conventions, Huckabee launched a wholesale division of his program, spreading his message to a new segment that has the potential to circulate his advice to a much wider audience.
The two-day training session kicks off with a 90-minute session for the wholesaler’s retail customers. This includes Huckabee’s famous secret test calls and analysis, as well as general advice on upselling, making emotional connections with customers, and strategies to make order taking more efficient. This boosts retailers’ sales skills and gives wholesalers a better understanding of how their customers operate. Afterwards, Huckabee helps the wholesaler identify ways they can advance their business and their customers’ businesses.
“A similarity between wholesalers and retailers is a fear of rejection,” Huckabee said. “I hear in my test calls, over and over again, employees using the phrase, ‘prices start at …’ instead of pitching something high end because they think the customer will hang up. And with wholesalers calling retailers, the conversation’s usually, ‘Do you need anything?’ rather than, ‘Hey, let me tell you about this exciting new product we got in that I think you’d love…’ Wholesalers are sales people too, but often just take orders.”
If the floral industry is to get a bigger piece of the national economy, both segments must work together to wow customers so they’ll spend their discretionary income on flowers, he said. Wholesalers need their retail customers to be more assertive and persuasive with consumers and retailers need wholesalers with an eye for fresh, fashionable styles they can sell.
“Each side’s success is predicated on the other’s,” Huckabee said.
Harrison “Red” Kennicott, Chairman and CEO of Kennicott Brothers Co., Inc., in Chicago is among the wholesalers who’ve had Huckabee train his retail customers.
“Huckabee’s message was that many florists are leaving money on the table by not offering higher priced arrangements to their customers,” he said. The feedback he received was that it was a very valuable learning experience. He’s pleased to see Huckabee’s program expand in the wholesale segment.
“The success of our retail florist customers is crucial to the success and survival of us as a wholesale florist,” Kennicott said.
For more information, call 800.983.6184 or email [email protected]