Orders will be shipped in 2 business days.

We sell B2B only. In most states, a signed sales tax exemption form is required to purchase.

Our appointment-only Sample Room is now open! Click here to book an appointment.

INSPIRATION & EDUCATION

Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan

A great lesson that many business people have shared is to “Plan your work and work your plan”. This sounds easy, but the hardest part is to create the timeline that goes along with the plan. Business plans are the most important thing that you can do. Taking the reigns are key. Not only should you set goals, but also break down ALL the steps in each goal, down to the smallest detail. Although you may be the manager or owner and think that you have to do everything, this is not always the case. By breaking down all the goals to their individual steps, you can identify the skill levels of each step and easily get help from your employees for things that you know they can handle. Here are key points that you will want to do for a successful Prom season.

Check the dates for your Proms

Do it today. Call your local high schools and ask for the dates, Prom committee members and teachers in charge of Prom. Locally it is the Junior class counsel and advisers, but this may be different in your schools.  

Send letters to all the members of the Prom committee

This makes sure your message is seen. The letters are on our website in the marketing area. By sending them to all the members, you are less likely to be dismissed from the fun.  

Know who is in charge of the decision making

Make sure that you know who will be your key contact person for all their Prom needs. You can gather this information when you call for the Prom dates. 

Insist on Fitz Design products

Make sure you service your customers with the best products available to them, and Fitz Design is one of them. We are the leaders in the Prom Floral Accessory market. We spend hours and hours going over all the newest styles and dress designs, logging color trends and fashion ideas, to come up with our line of products. Rather than doing all that work over yourself, simply following us will make your decisions easier.

Train your sales staff

Make sure they have a working knowledge of the products available in both hard goods and fresh. I am a huge fan of role playing as a way to plan ahead and handle objections. Also, have an actual meeting about the Prom season in your shop. That’s right, Prom season. Share with them the importance of Prom to your business and of course to the girl. Make sure everyone knows the emotional connection that the girl has with Prom, and how that will impact your business.

Know your pricing

Make sure all your sales team is able to have a detailed conversation with all their customers. Having a sales team that understands the fundamentals gives them the knowledge to handle more situations on their own.

Know what you will carry

Research the “Local scene” for what will be popular this year. Make sure you are not carrying last years look for this year’s customer. Go out to your malls and dress shops to see the colors and styles that are available locally. This will make it easier to decide what you will carry. Shop the stores and pay attention to prices, colors, dress length, and style. If the shops all carry expensive dresses, price your corsage and boutonniere options accordingly. If everything is on clearance discount locally, be sure to have choices that are stylish and affordable. One thing that I have noticed this year is that the people who have money are spending it, just quietly. Make sure to have the unique designer items in your store if that fits your market.

Contact last year’s customers

By doing so, not only will you make sure you do not lose the order, but you will also show them that they matter to you and your business. These are the customers that you already have an emotional bond with. Contacting them early can cause them to become a “walking billboard” for your shop. You can also create an ambassador program for them. Tell them that since they are valued customers they could get their flowers at a discounted rate, or even free. All they need to do is get all their friends to come in and get their flowers. This should be easy once they remember how beautiful their flowers were the year before.  

Plan your events

Schedule an open house, design show, or other event to promote your business. Make sure you give your customers enough time to order what they will need. Many successful companies make sure they are well ahead of the timeline, some even start Prom events in November. Don’t let this timeline worry you, start when you can. The first hurdle to a successful Prom season is to plan your direction.