Florists we all understand the importance of selling sympathy floral work.
Establishing a good rapport with your local funeral homes is an essential part of the floral business and can double your funeral flower sales or more.
Lately florist express the concern that funeral homes are unsupportive of their flower business. Here are some simple ways to establish a partnership with your local funeral directors.
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Visit Your Local Funeral Home
Stop and visit your local funeral homes and ask to speak to the director briefly. Make sure you have your floral business cards and leave them at the funeral homes.
Ask to see the “Flower Room” and take a glance around the funeral home. This will help familiarize yourself with the placement of the flower arrangements.
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Floral Look & Feel
Funeral home directors have flower standards and policies. Assuring them that you will meet their exact guidelines assures them confidence in referring your flower shop.
Funeral homes sometimes prefer presentation casket sprays, as they are smaller and show off the casket more. This may seem outlandish, however funeral directors do have preferences and may not share unless you ask.
Tip: Be sure to ask about pins, staples, pics and so on – some funeral directors do not like certain supplies.
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Percentage Of Sympathy Flower Arrangement
Offer funeral directors a percentage of all customer referrals. Funeral homes generally receive 10% to 20% cash back on all floral arrangements filled. This has proven very successful for many florists.
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Simple Florist Thank You
Send a Postcard or note reminding the funeral director just how serious you are of establishing a partnership with his funeral home.
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Request A Backlink
Some funeral directors may not directly refer customers to you, however they may be willing to add your url to their funeral home website under services. Request they add your url to their website and emphasis to them you will do the same for them. This will help with increasing your SEO and theirs.
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Send A Floral Thank You
Send the funeral director flowers, this will show determination and also show off your design style.
Tip: Never be defensive or upset with the funeral director – these tactics never work and will impede any future collaborations. Be patient, friendly, accommodating, and persistent this works!
Florists what kind of relationship do you have with your local funeral homes? Let us know any successful tips you have in obtaining a steady flow of referrals from your funeral directors.
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what do you do when all of your local funeral homes
own their on florist shops…….13 funeral home have one florist owned by the group
and there is a national chain in central florida that does nothing but sympathy work out
of a warehouse and sell funeral pieces wholesale to funeral homes?????
Hi Harry-
Unfortunately in this insistent there really is nothing you can do to persuade the funeral director to recommend services to your floral business.
That being said there are always customers that do not rely on the funeral homes recommendations and seek out local florist in the area. In order to gain theses customers make your sympathy arrangements pristine and eye catching.
One important tip is that guests do over analyze the floral work at a funeral home. Make sure yours stand out to receive word of month referrals . Have a clear card message with your shop name , address and phone number.
Hope this helps!
Great ideas that are easy implement. Thanks for the great article!
Hello!
Just want to say that your advice on florists and funeral homes were very helpful!
Thank you very much,
Nelia
Carnations are the best flowers for expressing all the feelings. Each colour of the flower represents a different feeling and emotion.
Hello! As a relatively new florist I am wondering about books. Do you have books of your work you leave at a funeral home? Do you have trade books that you leave? Are there prices on the books? If you leave books of your own work how did you get them made?