[Hua11.com Original] Hey, have you ever gone down a slide? I'm sure you have.

If not, perhaps you should find a slide and give it a try. I've conveniently provided a photo for you:

(The picture is from the Internet)

What does it feel like to slide down a slide? It's quite enjoyable. You glide effortlessly from the top to the bottom without any obstructions. Cool! It makes you want to slide again, doesn't it? :)

But what if this slide isn't so smooth, with ups and downs, various irregular twists, or even damage? Would you still slide down easily? Or would you still be willing to slide at all?

(The picture is from the Internet)

Well, I suspect your answer mirrors mine: Turn around and leave.

So, what does sliding down a slide have to do with us, the operators of flower shops?

Consider this: The people sliding down the slide represent our customers; the act of sliding down is akin to the process of customer transactions. Whether a transaction is successful hinges on your ability to let customers smoothly glide to the "payment" stage.

The smoother this process, the higher your transaction rate will be.

Now, let's simulate the entire process from the moment a customer enters your shop to the transaction, and then analyze how to facilitate a smooth transition to the transaction link:

1. Customer Enters the Door

Generally, if it's a new customer, she will continually evaluate your shop from a distance, forming a preliminary judgment about its style, product quality, and popularity.

Particularly if she's drawn by your promotional materials, she'll compare what she sees with those materials to assess the credibility of your "advertisement."

All of these form her "first impression" (For a detailed discussion, see here: [Hua11.com · Marketing Advanced Series 5] How to design a promotional page? How to enhance a flower shop's first impression on customers?)

As proponents of the concept "service is marketing" (refer to: [Hua11.com · Marketing First Step Series 4] Boost flower sales with strategic services), when a customer enters, you should greet her warmly: "Hello!" or "Welcome!" or "Hello~"

A friendly greeting, including tone and intonation, can enhance the customer's first impression and encourage her to proceed to the next step.

2. Observe the Environment

Upon entering this unfamiliar space, the customer will typically survey her surroundings to ensure she's in a "safe" environment.

For us, running a flower shop, the storefront is usually not very large, allowing the customer to quickly focus on potential purchases.

If your store is spacious, however, considerate guidance is essential.

Typically, we display fresh flowers and some arrangements, such as bouquets and flower boxes.

- If the customer's gaze lingers on the fresh flowers, politely inquire: "Excuse me, are you looking for fresh flowers?"

- If she's focused on finished products, gently ask: "Excuse me, are you interested in a bouquet?"

Then, you can smoothly transition to the next step based on her response.

What could hinder this step? The customer might have doubts about the variety, quantity, or freshness of your flowers.

For example, if your store is untidy, with fallen petals scattered and wilted flowers unattended, or if the flower display lacks aesthetic appeal, it could be too divergent from her expectations, prompting her to leave.

Therefore, maintaining the store environment is crucial to not letting the customer's understanding of us end at this step.

3. Raise Requirements 1..N

If all goes well, the customer will state her detailed requirements at this stage.

Responding to the customer's needs is paramount, but first, learn to listen. Allow the customer to speak first; this is always the correct approach. Only then can you truly understand her requirements and respond effectively, making her feel respected.

This step has a higher failure rate than others, for instance:

- You don't have the specific category she needs.

- You don't have enough quantity for her request.

- You can't meet her need for immediacy (e.g., buying and taking away right away).

- You can't demonstrate the style she desires.

- You can't meet her quality expectations.

All of these could cause the customer to leave.

How to increase the success rate of this step and move to the next? The answer is: Let the customer tell you.

The customer's communication with you is a process of gathering requirements.

Realize that the customer is helping you improve your flower shop; she's your free consultant. Don't be annoyed by her inquiries. Collect each requirement as she states them.

You can categorize and record them, periodically make statistics, rank the priority of requirements, and then enhance your shop step by step according to these priorities.

However, note that meeting requirements should align with your positioning. If you're positioned in the mid-to-high end, you shouldn't accommodate a request like "Wrap a bouquet of 9 roses for 100 yuan, and I'll buy from you next time."

So, when encountering such customers next time, will you simply and politely say goodbye or let her state more of her requirements? I believe you naturally have the answer.

Here are several common methods to continuously increase the success rate:

- Update bouquet and flower box samples according to demand statistics to meet timeliness requirements.

- Prepare various types of portfolio albums (preferably your own works) in advance for the customer's style selection, such as bouquets, flower boxes, opening flower baskets, green plants, podium flowers, etc. It's best to have a price tag, which can save a lot of time. (Hua11.com offers a free portfolio tool for students.) This not only improves service efficiency but also gives the customer a comprehensive view of your business scope.

- Also, prepare corresponding sample pictures in advance for the customer's flower-gifting purposes. For example, target recipients: girls, boys, leaders, elders, children, patients, etc. Or for events: birthdays, promotions, housewarmings, weddings, graduations, commemorations, etc.

- Continuously improve your craftsmanship.

- Continuously enhance your service and communication skills.

The more prepared you are, the smoother the communication with the customer, and the easier it will be for the customer to glide to the next step.

4. Negotiate the Price

Typically, when it comes to price negotiation, there's generally about an 80% success rate.

However, the approach to this step may vary for everyone.

Some operators prefer to set clear prices, while others enjoy bargaining with customers. The flower industry is still relatively primitive, with individual business methods varying greatly and lacking standards. There's no definitive answer to which method is better; the most suitable one for you is the best.

However, we prefer setting clear prices, allowing customers to consume transparently and improving communication efficiency. Higher efficiency leads to more output per unit time, and thus, increased profits.

Two points to note at this stage:

- Be quick and decisive. Stand firm on what should be insisted upon and concede where appropriate. Avoid turning it into a tug-of-war.

- If more than one clerk is in the store, only the same clerk should handle the same customer's price inquiries. Inconsistency could damage the store's reputation and decrease customer satisfaction.

It's recommended that the store manager conduct unified training for the clerks.

5. Determine to Purchase

Once the price negotiation is successful, the customer has essentially decided to purchase.

Focus on the transaction and avoid introducing additional topics.

Some operators are very hospitable, engaging in digressions to make the customer feel that "I care more about making friends than the transaction," trying to alleviate the customer's payment anxiety. These efforts are unnecessary.

Whether the customer will pay has already been determined by all previous interactions.

Skillfully and swiftly guide the customer: "We support all payment methods. Would you like to use Alipay?"

6. Payment

At this stage, the only requirement is a smooth payment process.

Ensure:

- Your payment QR code is ready and prominently displayed.

- Your card reader always has sufficient power.

- You have some change (cash) available.

We've lost several customers due to card reader issues; I hope this doesn't happen to you.

7. Value-Added Services

After the customer makes the payment, traditional sales wisdom would consider the process complete. However, in the new era of sales, this might be an excellent opportunity to enhance customer satisfaction.

Improved satisfaction increases the likelihood of customer referrals. Acquiring new customers through old ones is the most effortless and effective sales method. (For a deeper understanding of customer "fission," see: [Hua11.com · Marketing Pro Series 4] The core of community fission in flower selling)

To improve customer satisfaction, provide valuable, simple, and easy-to-implement value-added services. For example:

- Offer an extra pack of flower preservatives as a gift.

- Include a flower maintenance card.

- Invite the customer to join the store's flower exchange group.

- Provide store discount coupons or vouchers (use carefully to avoid making the customer feel taken advantage of).

Returning to the image above, the incorrect slide on the right fails to facilitate a smooth transition to the transaction link due to the lack of smooth connectivity between each step.

Any rough patch in the above steps could cause the customer to leave.

If a customer is determined to leave, in addition to the customary "Welcome back anytime," offering a beautifully designed business card that aligns with your shop's image is also a good choice. If your judgment is accurate (and won't cause offense), try to get her to add your shop's WeChat immediately, expressing anticipation for serving her again.

The above analysis details the entire slide process.

If you've read the previous chapters, you might recall this article: [Hua11.com · Marketing First Step Series 2] 3 must-learn practical marketing tips for affordable flower sales

Remember? It mentioned that the improved "marketing funnel" resembles our "slide" in this article. Yes, this article's content deepens the "marketing funnel" concept from that article. Compare and contrast them to enhance your understanding.

The above is the practical application of the slide theory for physical flower shops.

Nowadays, with more customers placing orders online, can you design a transaction process slide for online customers following the above steps?

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This article is an original creation by Hua11.com and is included in the “How to Run a Flower Shop and Floral Studio” Ebook. The content of this article may be periodically updated and is initially published on the Hua11.com official website blog. You can find the article at this link: https://hua11.com/blog/4709.html.

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