Roses - Are You Sending the Wrong Message?

Red, white, yellow, pink, mixed colours...so many choices!

But are you sending the right message when you send roses, especially with Valentine's Day on February 14th?

Here's a list of the meaning of roses, to make sure you're sending the right message!

• Red - love, respect, courage, beauty, prosperity
• White - humility, innocence, purity
• Pink - grace, gratitude, admiration
• Hot Pink - desire
• Yellow - joy, freedom, slighted love, friendship
• Red & White together - unity
• Red & Yellow together - happiness.

And it's not just roses.

Over the years we've also compiled a long list of flower meanings of all types, at www.simonsaysroses.com/flowermeaning.htm

3 Reasons Why Rose Prices Skyrocket at Valentine's Day

We all know it's going to happen.

After all, it's happened every year in the 20 years we've been in business.

Rose prices go through the roof at Valentine's Day.

There are 3 reasons for it:

1. The grower/farm increases the price of roses.
2. Which in turn causes the wholesaler to increase their prices.
3. In the end, the florist must up their price to the consumer.

 3 pink rose bud vase

The key is that it all starts with the farms. Throughout the year, farms barely cover their costs. But they see a chance to make money when virtually everybody wants roses. And that time is Valentine's Day.

That's when the prices from the farm double!

 
We hear all the excuses from the growers. There was a cold snap. There was a heat wave. There was a drought. There was a flood.

The list of excuses goes on and on...but they really never change.

The reality is that this is the one time of the year when growers can make a profit. It's that profit that sustains the farms throughout the rest of the year.

But imagine if the florist passed this increase onto their customer...doubling their prices! It's easy to see that the rose market would disappear pretty quickly.

Yes, florists increase their prices for roses in Canada somewhat at Valentine's Day. We have to. But we certainly can't double prices for two or three weeks in February.

We florists have to hope that the volume of roses being sold will make up for smaller margins.

But there's no guarantee.

At face value the reasons for increased rose prices is simple, but it's really hard to explain to our customers.

We get flack because the florist is the face of the industry, so we bear the wrath of increased prices.

This year on Valentine's Day, Thursday February 14th...please be gentle!

Would you Screw Your Neighbour?

Our customers aren't numbers. They're real people. They're neighbours, friends, people that like us...and we like them. It's called a relationship!

A relationship that is built by being part of our customers' lives from birth, celebration, sickness, and in passing.

So why would you screw your neighbour, when your business depends on trust, honesty, & integrity?

Why would you deliver less than your best? Why would you promise something, and then it doesn't happen? Why would you do this time after time after time....to hundreds & thousands of customers?

Would you be happy if these sympathy flowers were sent to a funeral service?

This product was NOT delivered by a florist, but by a huge company that ships overnight in a box...to the funeral home.

But unfortunately, the flower industry is dominated by huge public companies, that have millions of customers.

Every year, late orders are accepted by these companies at the very end of major flower holidays like Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day.

These huge companies know that florists are operating at their maximum. Towards the end of a flower holiday, there simply aren't the designers, the drivers, or even the flowers available.

Yet flower orders are still accepted, knowing there isn't a snowball's chance in hell of delivery happening.

So what if these orders are delivered a day or two, or three days late.

For some reason, these big companies find it acceptable. I call it screwing your neighbour.

But I don't think screwing your neighbour is a good business model in the long-term.

A good friend of mine named Fred Sarkari posted this quote on linkedin earlier today. I've received Fred's permission to re-print the quote, because it is SO true.

"Be kind to everyone you meet, it will strengthen bonds between friends and family and it will also drive your enemies crazy."

Given the above statement, hopefully Simon Says Roses is driving our enemies/competitors crazy (in a kind way)!

Christmas Shopping Nightmares!

I just received the following email from a customer, and it was like a lightbulb went off!

Now here was a way to avoid Christmas shopping nightmares (thanks Maria).

First though, here's the email:

"Frank, as per our conversation and according with the list that I am attaching, please quote for us the gourmet- Christmas baskets for our customers in South America. Thank you once again this year!!!

Maria J."

Attached was a list of corporations, the names of the individuals, addresses, phone numbers, greeting card messages, and the Product Order Codes for the gift baskets that Maria wanted to send.

What was neat was the destinations:

• Chile
• Argentina (2)
• Ecuador (2)
• Peru
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Costa Rica, and
• Mexico

Ten different recipients, in 8 different countries.

What was really efficient was in one simple email with an attached spreadsheet, Maria's Christmas shopping nightmares were avoided.

No long phone calls.

No cumbersome online order forms.

No searching for a florist in each and every city, hoping that they do quality work.

Just a simple email to simonsaysroses at shaw.ca

And once the prices are confirmed, all we have to do is phone Maria for her credit card details.

Sweet, simple, and very, very efficient.

And now her shopping was out of the way.

This is something that many of our customers might consider, for multiple destinations around town, Christmas flowers across Canada, or even in Maria's case...around the world!

 Now I just need to promote the service! ;)

Did We Forget to Ask?

Please, I really do want your business.

There, I said it!

Did I offend anyone?

We go to mixers, meetups, and network like crazy. We volunteer with the local Chamber of Commerce and with Rotary.

We share information with anyone that's interested in the flower business through Social Media.

But it seems with all the niceties in Social Media with "liking", "linking", and "following" we've forgotten the most important thing about being in business.

We've forgotten to simply ask "please, can we do business together"?

It's not that tough, but it's something we so often forget in trying not to offend.

So please, check out my Social Media platforms and website:

• Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/SimonSaysRoses
• Twitter:   https://twitter.com/SimonSaysRoses
• Blog:   http://www.flower-delivery-in-canada.blogspot.ca/
• LinkedIn:   http://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsaysrosesflorists
• Google+:   https://plus.google.com/104638910184933637960/posts
• YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/SimonSaysRoses/videos 
• And of course our website:   http://www.simonsaysroses.com/ 

"Ask, and Thou shalt receive". Conversely if we don't ask, we won't get any business.

So thanks in advance for doing business with Simon Says Roses Florists.

We sure do appreciate it!

Just Leave it at the Door!

We've heard it so many times.

Just leave the flowers at the door, somebody will be home.

Sure...O.K.

But I vividly remember the elderly gentleman calling from Whitehorse wanting something sent to Grand Forks.

We were told to simply leave it at the door. Don't call first. Somebody will surely be home.

Leaving something at the door is not something a florist wants to do. After all, we're dealing with flowers which are perishable. Out of water, they die.

It's not like Canada Post or UPS that simply drop off a package.

We like making arrangements with the recipient to find out when THEY want the flowers delivered.

It's the personal touch that florists are known for.

But sometimes the sender doesn't want to ruin the surprise, so we follow instructions.

In the case of the flowers in Grand Forks?

The recipient went on a holiday for two weeks, and came home to...

The sender had no idea that she was out of the country, and neither did we.

This was not good...not good at all.

And regardless of what the sender wanted, it's a really poor reflection on the florist, don't you think?

Even though in this case, it was no fault of our own...*sigh*...

Why Floral Holidays Suck!

So here's my rant.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day.

All major holidays.

Sure it's these special times when we florists make the most money.

But after 20 years of selling flowers in Canada, it's taking its toll.

These so-called "floral holidays" are a time when most people are surrounded by friends, family, & loved ones.

Not florists, and especially not me.

Outside of immediate family, most of my family lives either one or even two provinces away.

I never see them at Christmas or Thanksgiving, unless they come and see me. And that's rare.

Because these floral holidays are when we work the hardest.

Our customers want to celebrate, and we have to be there for them.

When everyone else is relaxing, having a great meal, and taking it easy, florists are running off their feet making flower arrangements, constructing fruit baskets, and getting delivery drivers organized.

No time off for us.

And when we're finished, we're so exhausted that we can't enjoy the holiday.

Yes, it's my choice to be a florist, but I still think floral holidays suck.

Now I can get off my soap box and get back to work...