THE WEDDING FLORIST PODCAST

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Episode 18 | Wedding Florists: Don't Get Ghosted!
Do this before you respond to your next enquiry  

Whether you are just starting out in business or you have 2, 5 or 15  years of experience, one fact that we florists, as business owners, have to always take into account is that we will be ghosted by our clients at some point in our careers.

And, what I have been doing, and I know a lot of other florists are also doing is taking it personally and letting it affect us, our mindset and ultimately our business.    

And there are things that you can do to reduce the amount you are being ghosted by taking simple steps in your business and this is what I am going to be talking about today.  

Keep listening, grab a pen and paper and make notes so you can go away and apply this to your business.
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Welcome back to another episode of the Wedding Florist Podcast where I delve into all things floral and fabulous in the world of weddings.

Today I’m going to tackle a topic that many wedding florists face: dealing with enquiries and the dreaded possibility of being ghosted by potential clients.

Let me go through what I did when I first started my wedding business and the number of jobs I lost because I took too long to respond to the client because I was spending too much time trying to put together a beautiful proposal and quote together without understanding if my client was a good fit or not. I didn't realise but I had no sales process - I thought I had to talk to the client to build a rapport over 3-4 consultations before they would part with their money and place a deposit. And I wasn’t showing up as a leader and knowledgeable person in my industry and showing authenticity and building trust.

And it wasn’t until I started building a system for myself and the business which helped me to work smarter rather than harder that things began to change.  And so today i am going through 4 easy steps that I took in my business which helped me and you can do the same.

Step 1 - Time is of the Essence

So you’ve just received your first enquiry and there is one really important step you need to take to minimise the chances of getting ghosted. And this is setting a clear expectation right from the start!  

When you receive your enquiry it's a chance to showcase your expertise and lay the groundwork for a productive and respectful relationship and the first thing you need to do is respond promptly.  A lot of clients actually book the vendor who responds first.  

So the way I do this is create an automated reply once the enquiry comes in with an appointment for a consultation.  You can channel your enquiries to come in only via your web form.  By doing this automated reply you are making a great first impression by having a quick response time. Also this makes it really easy for your customer to book you.  You can use appointment booking software like Calendly or Appointy, Zoho, or Acuity Scheduling.    

In your first email you can say something like  

Dear {Customer Name],

Thanks so much for your enquiry! At your Company name we provide flowers for your wedding and event and transform your venue with flowers. And if this is what you are looking for then you are in the right place and I can't wait to work with you.   I invite you to click on the calendar link to book your consultation.   

By doing this you have immediately contacted them and asked them to take the next step without having to physically do anything yourself.  

Step 2 - Open & Transparent Communication 

The next lesson I learnt was that I needed to establish a  relationship with the client and have open communication with them. The idea here is to ask questions to understand their needs, preferences, and budget. And be transparent about your own process, timeline, and pricing. Because being transparent builds trust and sets realistic expectations from the get-go. Plus, it helps both parties determine if they're a good fit for each other.

What you can do here is that you can share information through your blog on your website and create a FAQ page to answer questions and eliminate objections. And then you can share them on your marketing platforms - social media - instagram tiktok pinterest etc. By doing this you are educating and informing your customers and building trust which helps them to book you. Then in future you can easily point your leads to these posts and pages to educate them and make the process more streamlined.

Step 3 - Lead the way 

Now then, during the consultation you need to make sure you lead the way and are in charge of the conversation. Because this is what you do and what you are passionate about,  you know that you have thought about wedding flowers, designs, logistics, ordering so much more than your client has done and this is your chance to, again, show off your creativity and expertise, your high energy levels and enthusiasm to get the client locked in with you. You can share examples of your past work or provide suggestions and ideas that align with the client's style and theme. This can help inspire and reassure potential clients of your capabilities. Plus, it gives them a glimpse of what they can expect if they choose to work with you.

Again prioritise and get back to the client quickly at each stage of the process. From the enquiry to the calendar booking and then the consultation to build trust and a quick and easy proposal and then signing a contract with the deposit. Once you have secured the booking then you can do the rest of the work, planning and designing and the nitty gritty 3-4 months before the event. This way you know better the situation with flower supplies, new products you may have in your inventory and so much more and can get more creative.  

The Fortune is in the Follow Up!  

And lastly you need to follow up! You need to schedule this into your calendar  if you don’t hear back from the initial message by sending through a polite followup.  We all know how life gets busy and a gentle nudge can help reignite the conversation. So when you follow up you are showing that you're genuinely interested in working with them and remind them of the value you can bring to their special day. A quick follow up can literally just say something like

Dear Customer name, Hope you're well. I wanted to reach out to follow up on the enquiry you sent regarding your wedding floristry needs and see if you needed any help or have any questions for me about your quote. If so just hit reply and let me know.  If you’ve booked another supplier then that's totally ok but if you can let me know either way. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you. 
 
It’s really this simple and helps with not leaving money on the table.      

If you need help with your business and getting the processes in place then you can join the Wedding Florist Academy - my signature program that walks you through from beginning to end and gives you the blueprint for growing your profitable wedding flower business and what you need to be doing together with all the templates for each step of the process.

So let's recap the 4 ways you can stop getting ghosted  
1 - prompt communication because your customers are more likely to book you if you respond quicker.  
2 - transparent and open communication because this is what builds trust  
3 - consultations - you lead the way and show that you are the expert  
4 - The fortune is in the follow up because life gets busy for us all


Now If you've enjoyed listening to my podcast please show me the love and give me a review on i-tunes. it would mean the world to me. Take a photo of this podcast and post it on your instagram stories tagging me in and I'll be sure to share some love back. If you think this podcast will help your biz bestie then be sure to share it with them too.

So, here are various ways you can work with me

I have free resources to help you in your business

Get your Complete Guide to Write Winning Proposals and The Ultimate Social Media Kit with a social media calendar, florist specific hashtags and strategies to grow your audience.

Watch the free training on how I went from hand ties to installations and grew my wedding flower business to a 6 figure profitable business.

I know how hard and time consuming it can be to have the right resources in your business and that's why I have created various digital templates and resources that you can use in your business and these are available for instant download in the Etsy Store

That’s it for now - if there's a topic you want covering in the future let me know and I'll get it sorted for you. So until next week, stay blooming and take careBuilding a strong network  Wherever you are in life it is really important to build a strong network and this is really important for wedding florists too. You can really get a lot of emotional support through the rollercoaster of your business journey but also open up opportunities for growth and collaborations. You can share ideas and learn from each other and help each other on projects.  So how can you do this? One of the ways I have done this is going to networking events and attending workshops and also connecting with like minded professionals on social media to get more of a global reach. I have a facebook group for wedding florists to connect with each other and the link is in the shownotes. The idea is to be part of a support and uplifting community.  

Hey there Wedding Florist

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