What Constitutes the "ideal buyer"?
By Julie Anderson Last month we discussed what the Ideal Vendor" was in the "eyes" of the retail buyer. This month we will discuss the "Ideal Buyer" from the vendor community's viewpoint. COMMUNICATIONS Buyers need to leave the lines of communication open. Returning e-mails and phone calls on a timely basis, especially in an urgent
situation, is critical in maintaining a working partnership. They need to be accessible! An ideal buyer respects the vendor and his or her time. Too often time constraints on the buy side cause neglect of the partnership. Buyers need to view vendors as a partner instead of an obstacle to overcome. Let your vendor partners know exactly what you're looking for. Be clear and specific about those needs, and give the vendor time to fulfill them. An ideal buyer is a person of
their Word. They follow through on all deals and commitments that they have made. The best relationship is a working relationship that not only sees information and feedback flowing from buyer to the supplier, but vise versa as well. If buyers and vendors are able to facilitate the communication that flows both ways at a very early stage then it will allow for less work in the future, while providing the best growers have to offer in terms of the buyers needs. UNDERSTANDING THE
GROWING/SHIPPING SIDE OF THE FLORAL INDUSTRY Flowers and potted plants are perishable, and there are things that happen beyond anyone's control. Be willing to work through any challenges that arise, so you can achieve a positive result for the buyer and the vendor. Be fair in all your dealings. Understand the cycle of the product, and use it to your program advantage. Be aware of the growing, manufacturing and distributing systems of fresh floral product.
MARKETING Realize that price is not the only issue in procuring product. Remember the old saying "You get what you pay for." The ideal buyer needs to be sensitive and supportive of their stores needs. Never letting the program go stale by always understanding trends, and taking advantage of them. Being able to respond to flushes in product in order to increase sales and profit. They need to use the data available to them to procure product that the customer wants. They
must direct their stores, and stick with commitments. Always making new products available to their store. As you can see there are many similarities between the Ideal Buyer and the Ideal Vendor. Everyone deserves respect, and understanding. After all we are all in this together. Our goals are both the same and that is to increase sales in the floral category. We are very fortunate that what we buy and sell is such wonderful product. It brings smiles to our customer's
faces and joy to their spirit. Let's hope that these articles have opened up some topics for discussion, and given some insight into each groups concerns, needs, and considerations. 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 | 
