Communicating essential to compete in an ever-changing market
By Julie Anderson In my two previous columns, I explained how to get the right product to the right people at the right time. One of the more critical areas In competing in the grocery world is communication. How do we let everyone know about the floral department? There are two areas that are vital in
achieving good communications within the grocery floral arena. Communication from corporate to the stores The main way corporate communicates with its stores is via a weekly sales planner. If you are fortunate enough to have dedicated floral merchandisers, that is another way to get the message out to the stores. E-mail has made it extremely easy and cost efficient to communicate. The weekly sales planner should be a vehicle to communicate everything that
is happening in the floral area. Your sales planner should always have extra information about the items that are advertised for that week. Include samples of public address announcements so customers know that the store has a floral department. Write a script for some of the specials. An important element of your weekly sales planner is to give credit to outstanding stores. Praise stores that are performing well or have done something special. Encourage your stores to communicate
with you at the corporate level by phone, mail or e-mail. Make sure you are available and respond to their communication. A good way to find out what floral customers' needs are for each store is by offering surveys for customers. The stores can let you know what their clientele likes so it will improve buying-and selling-efforts. Be sure to keep the questions simple. Ask open-ended questions and get new ideas. Ask them what products and services they would like. Give
them something as a thank you for taking the time to do the survey. If you don't have an official survey, devise one of your own and share the results with the store director, merchandiser and corporate contact person. Another excellent way to communicate with your stores is through training programs. Successful training programs for store-level personnel is a guaranteed way to increase sales. Your program should cover more than just product knowledge or designing. It must address
effective ways to sell to customers, and how to give great customer service. Communicate from the store to its customers How do we let the customers know what is going on in the floral department? Signage is the most cost-effective way. This lets the customer know the product and the price. In floral especially, customers need to be educated on flower/plant names and care. Signage makes it fun to buy floral and easy for them to shop. Themed signs are good for
holidays and seasonal events. Signs can catch the customer's eye and attract them to the department. Care tags on the product give the customer information as to the care and handling of a specific item. "On-duty" signs let customers know when the "expert" is available to assist them and answer questions. Public address announcements will remind customers of the floral department and draw them in with specials. Make sure you talk with your advertising people to find
out ways that floral can be included in your store's advertising programs. Some vendors are open to helping you with co-op advertising, if you'll feature their items in the ads. This benefits all and makes the consumer aware that your stores sell floral. Opening up all lines of communication is the best way to convey messages. Communication is the key to increased sales and profits for your floral program. Julie Anderson is president and owner of Julie Anderson
Consulting. She has been in the supermarket floral industry for 20 years, and was a director and chairman of the Floral Marketing Association. She can be contacted at juliea@thuntek.net Back to Article Index | 
