Some very basic questions?

[RDagg]

I live in British Columbia, Canada and I pick a wild plant called Salal for a living. It is used in the floral industry as a green filler for bouquets.

ATM I am selling to a local buyer who then sells it to the florists.

I want to start selling directly to local florists, but I have never done any kind of sales. I have a number of questions about some of the basics.

I think the best way is to just go from shop to shop showing them samples, but all the advice online seems to talk about phoning first to set up an appointment. Which is better in this case?

Also, how can I get a good directory of local florists? I try googling for Vancouver florists but hardly come up with any results.

Thanks for any help.

[Betty]

IANAF (I am not a florist) but I bet that they get most of their flowers and other supplies from some sort of wholesale flower market. Or they place an order with a wholesaler who delivers directly to them. Try searching for "florist supply" or "wholesale florist" for your area. (And other search terms: I'm just guessing here.)

It would also be worth calling a local florist or two and setting up an appointment to show them your product, find out if they are interested in buying direct from you, and to ask them some questions about the business. Call ahead so that you don't show up when the owner/buyer is out or when the shop is busy. While you are there, you can ask where they get their flowers and supplies.

[Patrysha]

Welcome to the forum...from another Canadian. No idea about the floral questions specifically but when I've wanted anything from a locally owned shop, I've found it best to keep going in until I catch them in person and then make an appointment from there (they tend to dodge phone calls when they can) - for a chain - it's usually better to start at the district manager level and either call or email for when they are in a location near you. Have a presentation planned and spend only the amount of time you say you will unless they tell you to carry on. Hope this helps!

[RDagg]

Thanks. That's exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for.

Yes, they do typically buy from wholesalers. And currently I am selling to those wholesalers. But it's very common also for greens pickers like me to approach the florists directly with a better price and apparently they do often end up buying.

I just want to make sure I do things right and don't burn any bridges. I don't have a lot of confidence about sales I guess.

[Patrysha]

Oh there are tons of other places you could find them too...trade shows (especially if there are any bridal ones coming up)...facebook pages for locally owned ones...recommends from people in and around town...wedding websites...lots of places to find prospects really...

[Iconiplex]

For most businesses, at least locally, it is best to meet with them in person where you could even have product ready to show, versus making a call, trying to get past the gatekeeper, making a sales pitch, and not even having any product to convince them with (since they can't see it over the phone of course).

[LeadMaster]

I agree with the recommendations made on this thread. Give various communication and selling methods a try and see what brings in ideal results for you. Also try to gather as much information as you can from regional managers and other personnel when you have the chance rather than walking straight away when being told "I'm not interested". If you cannot find florist shops on Google then you can ask florist shops themselves about other locations and they may be able to direct you.

[RDagg]

Awesome stuff guys!! Thank you.

[marrick]

One of the basics when it comes to negotiating to your local prospects is to make a list of them and then get the information that you can use in offering them a good deal such as, their current flower provider, prices, how often they deliver, the quality of the flowers, and the approximate number of their customers. From their, you can set up a good deal to them. Though it can be a time consuming activities, but mostly this works. This is when you can start a good strategy on how you can get their attention.