Clear from the beginning
Claire, Plantpassion
A definition of Assertiveness is
“A form of behaviour which demonstrates your self respect and your respect for others, it’s about dealing with your own feelings”
Synonyms are
Confident
Self-confident
Positive
Bold
Decisive
Assured
Believing in oneself
Authoritative
Strong-willed
Insistent
Firm
Determined
Honesty
Although not related solely to flower farming, this section has been included to ensure that you realise that if you are assertive with your customers and suppliers, you will all be happier in the relationship, and clearer with what is expected.
I love most of the synonyms that describe Assertiveness. It isn't about being aggressive, or forceful in itself, or always saying no. In fact, if you have worked hard on your Terms and Conditions then you will be able to say yes most of the time, and be keen to work with people.
Assertiveness in managing your suppliers and customers starts with you being clear and knowing the key things that define you, your company and the way that you work.
What you need to be able to instantly know is
What are your key values?
Do you expect your customers to hold similar or the same values?
What are you selling?
When and where do you want to sell it?
How much will it cost?
When will payment need to be made?
When all of these questions are clear to you, and to your customers, then there is no need for forceful behaviours, because you can "believe in yourself and your company" and know that this is what your ideal customers will want from you.
I’ve attached a worksheet, - write your answers to the questions, and then say yes or no to if you'd work with the customers.
What are you good at?
It's always easier to sell what you are good at, and if you know what that is, you can highlight it all the time. It's also key to know what you're not good at, so that you can give your customers realistic expectations, and turn your downsides into a positive.
What do I mean by that?
Well if you know that you are always pushed for time when making wedding bouquets, then you need to let your customers know not to turn up early.
"OMG, i'm always pushed for time!" can turn into
"We work until the last minute to make sure your bouquets are just perfect for you".
We'll be talking more about Assessing your skills in Module 6, but for now, make sure that you are clear about what are your best features
Which of these are your forte?
Propagation - I've got green fingers and everything grows well for me
Organisation - I can manage to take on lots of orders and organise everything to go out at the right time
Salesmanship - I've managed to encourage my customers to buy all of my flowers
Creativity and flair - My designs and flowers will always stand out from the everyday
Something else?
Are they reflected in how you introduce yourself, or what you say when people ask about your products and services?
Remember synonyms for Assertive are confident and self confident.
I truly believe in the mantra. "Whether you think you can or you can't - you're right!"
When you know who the customers are that you want to work with, you need to make sure that ALL of them want to work with you. By being clear what you're good at and how you can promote those attributes and values, you are being Assertive and making sure you work with the ideal customers.
When should you pass jobs on to others?
Sometimes, being assertive is about knowing when you are the wrong person for the job.
The trouble is that if you just say
"No I can't help you" then you are likely to have the same questions again. However if you know others that are good at what is needed, you can assert that you are not the best person from the job but "xxxx" would be just right for that.
I have a list of all my contacts that I have worked with, so that I can pass on customers who aren't right for me.
This includes
Local retail florists for those that want short notice bouquets
Event florists that specialise in larger events or decorating churches
Cake makers
Venues
Hair stylists
Tree Surgeons and Garden designers
Wholesale flower markets / Garden centres that supply flowers
Which of these might you need to know?
Write yourself a handy reference card with contact details for each of these, - that way you might not get the business this time, but the customer will remember you for the future.
Dealing with brides
Why is dealing with Brides any different than dealing with any other customer?
Well for many brides, and their mothers, this is a day that they have been planning for and thinking about for a very long time. It is a stressful period of change when a couple go from being two separate entities to a married couple. Plus it is a very expensive business getting married.
All of this makes for Brides and Mothers/ Mothers in law that can be highly charged, and exacting.
And they have every right to be.
What you need to do is ensure that you know EXACTLY what you are offering them. Often this is not just the contractral obligations, but also the communication methods and timings.
The main differences between Brides and other customers is that because they are dealing with a special day, and they’ve generally never done it before, they will have more questions and need more information.
How much time do your services require you to be in contact with your brides?
Will that be on the phone, by email, at a face to face meeting?
Will those contacts be - Whenever they want? during business hours?
at set times, e.g open days or appointments.?
How quickly will you get back to them? Only in office hours? How will you tell them that?
How many changes will you make to their initial specification sheets? Have you covered all of these in your terms and conditions in our previous session’s checklist? - Maybe not as they aren't official conditions, so now you need to work out when and how you will tell your brides and their families the answer to all the above questions.