AIFD August Marketing tip

Be Ready to Engage with a Prospective Client  By Amanda Strassburg AIFD, CFD As the owner, janitor, designer and delivery driver of my business, I have a somewhat unique opportunity to gain a wider perspective. I recently was delivering a sympathy design to a church and approached a woman near the entrance to ask where the flowers should be placed. It turns out that she didn't work at the church; she was touring the building because one of her family members had passed away and the service was also being planned at the church. She began commenting on the design I was delivering; asking questions about the floral content and availability as well as pricing. That afternoon, she called me and placed a large order of several designs for her loved one's memorial later that week. What a chance meeting that turned into a great order! For those of you who employ delivery drivers (or transportation engineers as I've heard them called), make sure that they are trained to have basic information when it comes to pricing for various types of designs. Chances are, if I had simply handed that woman a business card and told her to "call the shop and talk to one of the designers" I may not have ended up with the order, as she had plenty of other designs in front of her, displaying the shop's contact information, to choose from. In a broader sense, any time a person is out representing your business - even running an errand to the hardware store - they should be ready to engage with a prospective client and effectively market you and the services that your business can provide.