How to start selling to florists

The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers hosted a webinar recently focusing on flower growers interested in expanding their business by selling to florists. Ellen Frost, the owner of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore, has been sourcing flowers from local farmers for over 20 years.

Frost has had “lots of experience working hand-in-hand with local farmers,” and even mentors others on how to best source locally. She strongly believes that her business “would be nothing without flower farmers” and the key to a successful floral business is a good relationship between the florist and their growers.

If you’re considering selling to florists, you need to make sure you’re growing high-quality stems. Florists are commonly “the most demanding customer you’ll have,” as they are only looking for high-quality flowers – free of blemishes, bug bites and bugs, harvested at the proper stage, have proper and uniform stem lengths, are hydrated and are properly packaged.

It’s best to not reach out to a florist until you’ve perfected your flowers, even if that takes multiple seasons, as “you only get one shot with making a first impression.”

Once you’re satisfied with your flower quality, start considering what kind of florist you want to sell to. “Florists come in all different shapes and sizes,” Frost said, so you have to research and find the best match for you. Look through websites, social media accounts and even visit in person to see what services they offer, what flowers they use and don’t use and if they’re currently buying flowers locally.

Learning what a florist’s business model is can give you an idea of what flowers and standards they’re looking for. Retail florists may prioritize flowers with bright colors, long vase lives and high perceived value. Wedding/event florists need their flowers to look their absolute best on the event day, so timing of harvest and delivery is critical. Wedding/event florists also prioritize the vision of their customers, so the colors and varieties of flowers needed will constantly change. Funeral florists often prefer traditional varieties and need to have flowers delivered on short notice.

Determine what you and your business can provide and see what kind of florist you would work best with. When will you be able to deliver or offer order pick-ups? What flower varieties can you grow? Are you dedicating your whole business to florist sales or is it just a part of your overall business strategy?

Most florists buy from wholesale businesses, as they’re easy to order from, have reasonable prices, offer a wide variety of flowers and deliver reliable products. Although you probably can’t compete with wholesale prices and convenience, you have to show the florist what you can bring to the table that wholesale businesses can’t.

Local delivery increases freshness and vase life, because the time between harvest and delivery is much smaller than shipping across the country. As a local flower grower, you can meet your customers’ unique needs, provide excellent customer service, meet last-minute needs and speak face to face.

Before you can sell to florists, you need to make your availability list. Your list should showcase everything you have for sale and be updated and shared with your florists consistently. Be sure to include flower names (variety and common name), the number of bunches available, stems per bunch, price per bunch or stem, colors available, stem length and high-quality photos. Photos are essential and must look identical to what you are growing.

Now that you have your availability list, figure out logistics for ordering and delivery. How will people order? What is your delivery fee? Do you offer pick-up? Do you require payment up front or at delivery? Do you let your customers keep the flower buckets or return them? How should customers communicate with you?

Once you’ve chosen the type of florists you want to work with, your availability list is created and all the logistics are figured out, you can start to reach out to florists. Don’t send a generalized email – focus on what each florist would want and how you could help them. Offer to bring them quality samples of your flowers and encourage them to use them in their designs.

Be sure to follow up and always welcome feedback. Any feedback you receive will help you become more successful in the industry.

by Kelsi Devolve