Canadian Florist - July 2016 by Strider Media

Are Your Employees Stressed Out? Learn The Warning Signs and Easy Ways to Show Support

How Recycled Bouquets Bring Joy to Montreal Seniors Windows of Wonder How to Create Displays That Turn Heads

Inside: 3 Tips to Boost Your SEO Hiring 101 Care & Handling Tips for Sizzling Summer Days

the web host with the most.

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2 CANADIANFlorist | July/August 2016

ÂŠ2015 Teleflora EF4216M

To find out more ways we can grow your business, visit us at eFlorist4me.com or call 800.668.5770.

Vol. 111 No. 4 • July/August 2016

10 COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF UBLOOM.COM

As a florist, there is so much more to the job than making floral arrangements. You have to be prepared for emotions to run high. After all, we’re talking about tight deadlines, unpredictable product (due to weather and other factors out of your control), and the pressure to maintain a good reputation with vendors within the industry—all while being there for your clients and employees, not only on a professional level but also emotionally, as they too have to navigate stressful life events.

08 departments

features 14

Florist Spotlight

Learn the warning signs of burnout and simple ways to raise your staﬀ ’s spirit.

The Social Florist

More Than Window Dressing

By Design

Tech Tips

Rising to the Occasion

Care and Handling

Ask the SEO

On the Level with Neville

Nurturing Your Shop’s Most Valuable Assets: Your People

Visual merchandising experts dish about what makes a great display.

Flower Power

A Montreal nonprofit delivers smiles to lonely seniors.

-Cavelle Martin

Visit the Florist 2.0 Community to talk shop with other florists from Canada and around the world. Ask questions, share tips, and find a sympathetic ear!

July/August 2016 | CANADIANFlorist 3

www.canadianfloristmag.com

mag.co

WWW. EDITOR

Show Some Team Spirit by Katie Hendrick

No man is an island. Running a flower shop (or a magazine) requires many people sharing their time and talents. On the heels of a long and hectic winter and spring, we decided to dedicate this issue to employee appreciation. Job burnout is a pervasive and expensive problem. More than 42 independent Gallup studies indicate that 75 percent of employees in most companies are disengaged, be it from boredom, dysfunctional workplace dynamics, unclear expectations, or exhaustion. More than one million people every day miss work due to stress-related disorders. Between absenteeism and diminished work performance, employee stress costs businesses $300 billion per year. Let those numbers sink in for a moment. Then, make a point today to compliment your employees and inquire how they’re doing. Let me lead by example by introducing the people who pull together Canadian Florist every other month. Michelle Brisebois is our star feature writer with an insatiable curiosity to discover consumer trends. She’s a pro at interviewing experts and organizing their information into clear, concise categories. Cavelle Martin brings interesting perspectives to the magazine, both from her background as a wholesale CSR and as a bipolar person. She has a good pulse on mental health and work-life balance issues, which she relays in a warm and conversational writing tone. Christy O’Farrell is one of the most thorough interviewers I’ve ever known. With her disarming personality and inquisitive nature, she discovers details and anecdotes that lead to really compelling profiles of your peers. Rachel Levy Sarfin fearlessly navigates the confusing waters of social media, which seem to change by the day, to share new and inexpensive ways for florists to interact with their customers. Abby Driver tackles a task I know to be quite painful: learning how digital stuff works and dumbing it down so laypeople can understand too. Thank you, Abby, for simplifying complicated gadgets, systems, and practices for us. Brian Fray, the brilliant creator of Flora the Florist, has been a cartoonist for more than 40 years. He has also illustrated children’s books and greeting cards, worked as a graphic designer, and taught thousands of adults and children the art of cartooning. His humour never ceases to amaze me, especially when given daunting requests, like “So can you make a funeral-themed comic?” I could totally see Tim Huckabee, author of Rising to the Occasion, as a personal trainer in another life. His no-nonsense advice is the kick in the pants we all need to do our jobs better. He abounds with common sense and makes everything (especially upselling) seem easy. We’re ecstatic to have “the flower expert” (aka J Schwanke) helping with Canadian Florist. For six years, he’s been my go-to guy whenever I have a question about flower seasonality or need a grower contact. In addition to knowing the industry inside and out, he’s also an extraordinary designer and his company, uBloom.com, maintains some of the best floral photography around. Gay Smith teaches us how to keep flowers looking their freshest—an absolute must for customer satisfaction. She adeptly puts herself in a florist’s shoes, walking through the care and handling process step by step with very specific advice. How do I love Neville MacKay? Let me count the ways. 1) He has an arsenal of quirky anecdotes and he’s not afraid to share them. 2) He’s hilarious and keeps readers engaged to the very end of each issue. 3) He’s lightning fast, turning in his column 24 hours after I assign it. (Neville, please share the secret of your speediness.) A huge thanks goes to Lynn Freeman, whose eagle eyes catch typos and grammatical errors before we go to print.

Vol. 111 No. 4 Editor Katie Hendrick khendrick@CanadianFloristMag. com 800-314-8895 ext 106 Advertising Manager advertising@CanadianFloristMag. com Publisher Ryan Freeman ryan@CanadianFloristMag.com Media Designer Martin Whelan Publication Mail Agreement #42919543 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO Strider Media, 6-6150 Highway 7, Suite 400, Woodbridge, ON L4H 0R6 distribution@CanadianFloristMag.com Printed in Canada ISSN 1700-5043

Circulation

e-mail: distribution@CanadianFloristMag.com Tel: 800-314-8895 ext 2 Fax: 800-755-7032 Mail: 6-6150 Highway 7, Suite 400 Woodbridge, ON L4H 0R6

Subscription Rates Canada - 1 Year $25.20 (includes GST) $27.12 (includes HST/QST) (HST - #840509202 RT0001) U.S.A. - 1 Year $ 40.00 Cdn Occasionally, Canadian Florist will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2015 Strider Media. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication.

FROM THE

Dedicated to the memory of Bill Martin, and all those who gave of their time and resources to build up our industry.

www.canadianfloristmag.com

And last, but certainly not least, I owe so much to our publisher, Ryan Freeman, who maps out each issue with me. Furthermore, he does the really heavy lifting: securing advertising and paying the bills. Without him, Canadian Florist would not exist. @CanadianFlorist 4 CANADIANFlorist | July/August 2016

14SM

I tell stories of love with color and volume.

Each couple has a beautiful story, and each anniversary arrangement is a chance to tell it. In this design, I’ve paired pale pinks and whites with deep burgundies to symbolize how the couple has matured. The compact styling creates rich volume in honor of the full life they have built together. Celebrate your own love story of passion and creativity, and get inspired with fresh design ideas at oasisfloralproducts.com/inspire.

Inspire florists worldwide! Clearly Michaela Gosar from Alexandria, VA, who inspired this design, has made a lifelong commitment to creativity. Enter our Inspire Design Showcase on Facebook for the chance to have your design featured! July/August 2016 | CANADIANFlorist 5

14SMO001_CanadianFlorist_Anniversary.indd 1

4/15/16 12:54 PM

bloomin’

biz

Industry Professionals Share Strategies To Increase Profits Canadian Florist hosted its annual business forum Monday, May 30, at Universal Event Space in Vaughan, Ontario, where a quartet of experts enlightened attendees on simple ways to run a more profitable flower shop. Meagan Tanner, of Google Canada, kicked off the event by speaking about consumers’ search habits and how small business owners can reach them. “Advertising is no longer about who has the deepest pockets,” Tanner said, referring to the time when commercials run during primetime television were king. “The days of media scarcity are over.” Tanner advised florists to invest in Google AdWords to improve their search engine optimization and named a mobile-ready website as a top priority. Two years ago, mobile searches officially overtook searches on a desktop or laptop. “This doesn’t just represent people on the go,” Tanner said. “Eight out of 10 mobile searches occur at work or home, meaning people choose to use their devices even when a computer is available.” The average person interacts with his or her mobile device 150 times a day, she added. If your website doesn’t function well on a smartphone or tablet, customers will abandon it and never return. Rick Rivers, of A Floral Boutique in Ormond Beach, Florida, shared simple and

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inexpensive ways he markets to customers, such as having his delivery drivers drop off magnetic business cards and tri-folds daily, donning a tutu in a photo for recital flowers and distributing it to dance studios, and adopting the tagline, “Ormond’s premier florist.” Rivers also discussed the importance of making every customer feel special, regardless of their budget, as this develops customer loyalty. “Always have something available for $20-29 for the auto mechanic who wants something for his girlfriend,” Rivers said. “I guarantee you, he will be utterly appreciative and will never forget what you did for him.” Similarly, don’t dismiss DIY brides. “Easy money,” he said, sharing the story of a recent $1,100 sale. “I bought $400 from my wholesaler, ripped off their labels, put on ours, gave her a care and handling sheet and said, ‘Have a nice day!’” Tim Huckabee demonstrated how to speak to customers with confidence to earn bigger, better sales. “The floral industry is notorious for torturing customers with questions,” he said. “You don’t need to ask them what they want. You can offer your expertise.” Rather than asking customers what they want upfront, Huckabee starts with the card message. This spells out the occasion and indicates the

relationship of the sender and also if it’s a gift from several people—“which signals you should suggest something grand.” Huckabee challenged attendees to think like a waiter. “The flower business and restaurant industry have a lot of shared DNA,” he said. “They both deal with perishable product. Holidays are a nightmare. And the customers are demanding.” Unlike florists, however, waiters never apologize for prices (“doing so would imply they’re a ripoff,” Huckabee said), they’re not shy about recommending a high-end special, and they use sensory adjectives to depict an amazing experience eating it. “We need to sell flowers like food,” Huckabee said. “Customers are prepared to spend more than you think and they want to hear about what’s new and different.” Patricia Patrick, of the Canadian Academy of Floral Art, led a presentation on how to elevate floral design to another level, increasing the customer’s appreciation for flowers, while sticking to a budget— “a steep challenge, indeed,” she said. Carolyn Nicholson and Joe Delarge demonstrated modern takes on corporate and sympathy work and shared their tips for attracting high-end clients, such as hiring a professional photographer to shoot designs for the website and creating unusual and exciting window displays to draw in shoppers.

COMING

Wildfire’s Economic coast to Impact Will Likely Be COAST Felt Near And Far On May 1, an unusually hot day with low humidity, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Two days later, it roared through the community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings and forcing the largest evacuation in the province’s history. It spread across northern Alberta and into Saskatchewan, consuming forested areas and impacting Athabasca oil sands operations. The Conference Board of Canada estimates that the fire in Alberta resulted in a loss of 1.2 million barrels of oil per day for two weeks, translating into $985 million in lost gross domestic product. The economic fallout of the oil-production shutdowns in northern Alberta will likely be felt across the country, according to chief ATB Financial economist Todd Hirsch. “I think a lot of people outside of Alberta don’t always recognize the size and scope of Canada’s oil industry,” he said in an interview on CTV. “When it is not operating, and when its players are being hit this severely, this is a national issue.” In addition to the oil companies, local businesses in Fort McMurray will also struggle to get back on their feet as the city rebuilds.

EVENTS JULY 3-7: AIFD Symposium Orange County, California

Aifd.org 9-12: Cultivate 16 Columbus, Ohio

http://cultivate16.org 13: FloralStrategies Webinar: Profitable Gift Basket Design floralstrategies.com AUGUST 7-10: Toronto Gift Fair Toronto, Ontario

cangift.org/toronto-gift-fair/en/home/ 14-17: Alberta Gift Fair Edmonton, Alberta

cangift.org/alberta-gift-fair/en/home/ SEPTEMBER 18: Florists Supply Winnipeg Design Show with Neville MacKay, CAFA, PFCI, WFC floristssupply.com 18: Florists Supply Edmonton Design Show with Donald Yim, AIFD, CPFD floristssupply.com

“With every additional day of lost revenue, those businesses are going to see enormous challenges,” Hirsch said, citing a similar situation after severe flooding hit Calgary and parts of southern Alberta in 2013.

19: Florists Supply Winnipeg Hands on Seminar with Neville MacKay, CAFA, PFCI, WFC floristssupply.com

Many businesses in the city also suffered severe destruction in the fire and will have to bear the cost of rebuilding. And until damaged parts of the city are rebuilt, many of Fort McMurray’s 90,000 residents will be out of work.

19: Florists Supply Edmonton Hands on Seminar with Donald Yim, AIFD, CPFD floristssupply.com 21: Florists Supply Calgary Hands on Seminar with Neville MacKay, CAFA, PFCI, WFC floristssupply.com 25: Florists Supply Saskatoon Design Show with Neville MacKay, CAFA, PFCI, WFC floristssupply.com 25: Florists Supply Kelowna Design Show with Tracy Bell, CPFDA floristssupply.com 26: Florists Supply Saskatoon Hands on Seminar with Neville MacKay, CAFA, PFCI, WFC floristssupply.com 26: Florists Supply Kelowna Hands on Seminar with Tracy Bell, CPFDA floristssupply.com

A FULL EVENTS LISTING IS UPDATED REGULARLY AT www.canadianfloristmag.com.

July/August 2016 | CANADIANFlorist 7

F O R YO U R

CONSIDERATION

By J Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, PFCI Photos courtesy of uBloom.com

There is no other time of year that brings about more diversity or uniqueness than summer! As the temperature rises, so does the quantity of beautiful flowers. Zinnias, marigolds and sunflowers are just the tip of the iceberg! Not only does summer provide an amazing assortment of flower types, but colours and textures abound too. Let’s take a look at some fresh examples and see how easily current trends translate into flower arrangements that sizzle with summer flower goodness. The key to all these arrangements: gorgeous flowers. We bring the creative genius to create stunning designs, but it’s important to remember that quality product is essential. Beautiful flowers require less contrived manipulation. Displaying the best of the best flowers in your store communicates to your customers that summer time is flower time—and that your store is the best resource!

HEIRLOOM FAIRYTALE This trend is based on the craze caused by television shows like “Once Upon a Time” and “Game of Thrones,” and even some comic book series. This opulent design pairs exotic flowers with vivid colour and texture. The delphinium, mink protea and touches of gold (represented by both the container and the yarrow) lend a royal palette. Grasses, millet and unusual foliage add fairytalelike romance. It is an arrangement fit for a king, queen, prince or princess.

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The shabby chic trend begs us to bring together muted, antique colours that evoke memories from days gone by. The flowers in this arrangement appear to have just been picked from Grandma’s garden. Vintage lace ribbon adds a generational quality to the design. The usual suspects—Queen Anne’s lace and tissue-like larkspur—make customers reminisce about the good ol’ days. Peach stock, with its heady fragrance, will jog memories. Feminine flowers, such as orlaya and lisianthus (aka “the poor man’s rose”), provide even more garden appeal.

FLEUR LA TABLE The farm-to-table trend is represented in this Provençal design that calls to mind French flower markets. Materials like ornamental kale and artichoke lend an organic vibe. Explosion grass, echinacea, sedum and scabiosa are true summer flowers that add a bit of “heat” to this farm fresh look. There is an amazing community of local flower farms that grow flowers that do best in any region. Contact them to coordinate locally grown specials that will bring people into your shop, particularly those keen on supporting their community.

TROPICAL TEXTURE This brightly coloured arrangement transports customers to the tropics. It takes its cue from a bold palette that includes a ton of texture with flowers like Gerrando gerberas, craspedia, yarrow, hypericum and pincushion protea. The cylinder vase is filled with beach sand, which disguises a liner of flower foam. I like to call this one “Takin’ it to the Beach.” This is a fun way to bring summer into your flower offerings. Sunny days, warm sand, and bright flowers is what summer is all about!

J Schwanke is the host of “Fun with Flowers and J” on uBloom.com and the author of two books. He is regarded as an industry expert and speaks at dozens of events a year, including the Dallas Market Center and the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. To learn more about J, visit www. JSchwanke.com, or check out his complete line of professional video resources on www.uBloom.com July/August 2016 | CANADIANFlorist 9