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Struggling to turn your floral design talent into a profitable, scalable, and stress-free business? Welcome to The Floral CEO® Podcast—the ultimate audio destination for wedding and event florists, flower-shop owners, and creative entrepreneurs who want to book bigger budgets, price with confidence, and lead like a true CEO.
Hosted by Jeni Becht, award-winning wedding florist, event designer, and floral business coach with 25 + years in the industry, each weekly episode dives into:
Profitable pricing strategies: markup formulas and minimums fine-tuned for weddings & events
Magnetic marketing & local-SEO hacks: social posts, blogs, and Google tricks that attract high-budget couples and planners
High-converting sales funnels: inquiry replies, proposals, and follow-up scripts that turn curious leads into dream clients
Streamlined systems & smart outsourcing: workflows, templates, and hiring tips that free you from the design bench
CEO mindset & sustainable growth: leadership habits and eco-friendly practices that keep both you and your business flourishing
Jeni pairs real-world success stories with actionable strategies you can implement today, so you’ll spend less time hustling and more time designing breathtaking bouquets, installations, and arrangements.
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Turn your passion for flowers into the six-figure floral business you deserve—one episode at a time.
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This is Jen, and on this week's podcast I had gone through and I actually had heard this from some of my coaching clients. I just went through a slump of clients that when I met with them like. I dunno if I wasn't like, excited about them or maybe I just wasn't like, excited about anything.
'cause I just have felt the world has been feeling like a lot and I had, the kids home from school break for weeks and, there were a lot of things going on with my local Wipa chapter that were not feeling great. There was just so many things and I also had been putting together our amazing workshops coming up and finalizing a lot of details.
And so I met with a couple I think it was three. I met with three clients and I got nos. After, I asked the right questions, went through the process, and did the proposal, all the things, and then followed up. And so when one happens. But when three happened, I stepped back and when any, anything, even two at two, I was starting to wonder what happened.
So I stepped back and went, okay. I went and looked at my timestamps. How responsive was I? And honestly, I wasn't the most responsive. Because I was in the midst because this was right over like New Year's time. And I, went through my normal process. Two of 'em I wasn't super excited about.
I was okay excited about, but I wasn't like, who? Damn girl that. Sexy mood board, a sexy Pinterest, I'm excited to talk to you. There was none of that. I was like, yeah, looks like a wedding I could do, but I wasn't like going, oh my God, I want this wedding. Then I also looked at from when they, I did their, consultation call to when I got their proposal back and I took.
I think two days longer than I normally do. So also slower. And I looked at the proposal and the proposal was like, I use a template. But I didn't futz with it a lot. I didn't mess with it and tweak things a lot. I like copy and pasted a lot of things and because I wasn't overly excited about their concept.
And honestly two of the brides, I was like, God, I felt like dead. After talking to them, 'cause they're such bore asses on top of it. So like also after meeting with them, one of them was really young, blonde, ditzy frat girl thing and was just like so excited about her wedding. And I asked lots of questions and just there wasn't like a good banter back and forth.
And not everybody is my client, and I totally get that. But because I, there weren't a ton of inquiries at that time. I was still going through the motions, and so when I stepped back, I really analyzed what went wrong. I wasn't as responsive, honestly, their demeanor, and after talking to them and their concept, I probably didn't have the greatest energy going into that consult.
I maybe didn't have that energy that I needed going into their proposals, going into their follow-up communication, because honestly, I was like, eh, whatever. But that isn't going to book me clients that, eh, whatever, isn't going to I, I was almost like real kind of professional and just I didn't use chat GPT to craft anything.
So it didn't sound like a robot or ai, but it just wasn't me. And then I met with a lot of the mastermind girls. I do a longer session with them around year end planning because I want to help them build a so solid foundation. And they had been getting some nos and we just dug into what their emails.
I'm like, forward me your emails, your exact emails that you sent, and it didn't sound like her. Because I know her, I love her. Like I have talked about her on the podcast before. I am a, I just think that this woman is such a sweet woman, so talented, so much experience has so much to offer. But I knew, 'cause I know her I really get to know my mastermind girls and I knew that wasn't her.
Like how she, she was being really formal and wasn't being like how sweet and caring and loving and. Like all the good intentions she has. I didn't feel that in her emails. So in going through several of her emails, like I, we just tweaked like a few sentences and tweaked them to be. Of course more her personality, but also more excitement because when I read back and I used templated emails, but I go and customize a few lines of those and it was just okay.
Like I wasn't like that fire because I love being a florist. I love weddings. I love so much about. My job and what I do, but I couldn't see that in my emails. In my, like even in my consultation I'm just like, okay, yeah. Yellow and white. I gotcha. Yep. I've done that a million times. Gotcha. I should have been so fucking excited about her yellow and white wedding and would've been like, you know what?
You're getting married in September. It is Dahlia season. I actually ordered these perfect buttercup, yellow dahlias that I think would look so stunning. And there's this thing called daisy fever view, and I just love it with this butter yellow. And I'm absolutely in love with this creme de la creme rose.
Like just like candlelight rose, like just whatever it is, like selling my excitement. And that was honestly missing a little bit and. I feel like because I missed the mo mark on those things, even though I'm not crying, I'm not lamenting that I lost those opportunities because it was an opportunity for me to step back and go, what's going on?
And then I checked in with myself like it. It was a lot with school break. It was, it has been a lot with Bella. Bella has been a lot lately. Bodie has been wanting to play and just be a kid and do all these things and hang out with his friends, and I've been running up to the cities and getting his best friend.
I've been running around like a crazy person. Then on top of it, I, pottery class started up again and the world is really weird right now, you guys. I'm in Minnesota and there are parts of Minnesota. Definitely not all you couldn't even tell like a, there's not even a blimp on the radar out here in the country where I am.
But I know that people, like in Minneapolis, I know some of my friends like. They're going it's just a lot. Right now is a lot. And I don't like to get political 'cause I think like everybody has his opinion and nobody's opinion is right. And half the time both people are equally probably wrong, just on different points and, but I just, I felt heavy.
I had to explain what ICE is to my children. Like I was just weird. You guys. So weird. And so I just step back and I go I want the summer to be filled with weddings that I love and I want the summer to be filled with clients that I love. And so I. Actually, I had an inquiry come in and I looked at it and it was like, oh, this is not that interesting to me.
And their budget and everything was like, this is a la carville. So I then just sent them back, Hey, you know what it looks like you would be a perfect fit for my a la carte. You're below my full service minimum. But if that is of interest to you, like it's a really easy process, blah, blah, blah.
So I didn't dive into chasing after this really inexpensive wedding, but then I got an inquiry for my, one of my favorite venues that were having the Installation Rockstar Workshop at coming up on March 10th and 11th. It's Essence Event Center. It's absolutely stunning. And the woman seemed very analytical.
I could tell in her thing, but I think she. She wants somebody who cares that really mattered to her. Like somebody who really was into her design. I think she even chat GPT, like, her ideal vendor would be in alignment with this person, which I thought was a little crazy, but. After meeting her in the consultation I got it.
Like I, I got her and I could put the pieces together that she just wants somebody who really is excited about her wedding, excited about her colors. And then she also started talking about I know that you've designed a lot of things at Essence and we're really looking for help putting a lot of these pieces together and, we'd be interested in understanding.
If you could do that and what that would look like, and I'm like, I can absolutely design parts of your wedding. I think that me just really putting like my heart into it really resonated with her and. She of course, emailed me back. The world feels really heavy right now, and I'm just like, we're they moved as well?
And we're just digging into your proposal and everything and we'll get back to you soon. And so I'm like, I totally understand that. So three days later. Hey, I just wanna make sure that you if you had any questions, please let me know. I completely understand if if you guys are busy, but I just wanna make sure that you know that I'm here for you and to answer any questions.
So I always do a three day follow-up. This wasn't anything crazy, so then. She sent me an email back and said, you know what? I'd actually, I think we're going in a little bit different direction with our vision and we'd love to meet with you again but we're just wondering what your contract and everything looks like.
And I said, oh, no problem. I sent it back to her and I said, this is my contract. I'm happy to schedule. I sent a short call appointment, like a, I have a. Like a get to know you 15 minute call that I'd be happy to, go over any, vision changes. But just let me know if you have any other questions.
And I didn't hear back for another four days and usually it's seven days. I do follow up. Anyway, I put in my calendar and so I followed up and I said. Hey I know that you guys are still probably looking over my contract and my proposal, and I know you just moved and I know the world is weird, but I just wanted to let you know that I was just at Essence and I did open doors and I just thought of you and thought of how beautiful your wedding's going to be in that venue.
So I really like, sold home that I really cared and. So I got an email back today and I sent that email two days ago. I am so sorry. We have been unpacking whatever we would love to book you for our wedding. We'll book a another call at some point, but we just wanna know that we have you locked in as our vendor.
Yay win, and I think it's gonna be an $8,500 wedding, then had a very, not the same. But I had another bride that I met with, did the estimate for, and it was way over their budget. It was like $3,500, which is about 40%, over their budget. And I, just said, Hey, here are some suggestions that if we need to be more, if your floral budget is more important than your vision and the items that we talked to I totally have some suggestions to make that pliable.
And she's oh, I found this on Pinterest. What do you think of this idea? And it was honestly, Cal Lilly's in a vase replacing a tall centerpiece. I was just like, what are you even talking about? And so I emailed her back. I'd really love to understand where you would think that would fit and how we, we were gonna repurpose these talls from their ceremony to the reception.
I just wanna make sure that you're really going to have the wedding that, you've been dreaming about because you have such a beautiful venue, such a beautiful color palette, and such beautiful flowers that we picked out. I don't wanna make a really rash decision in your vision if you're not going to be happy in the end.
So I'm happy to make suggestions. And, I'd really love to be a part of your specialty. I think I could make, some suggestions to help save with budget. But inevitably I think the direction that you're wanting to go is going to require a higher investment. And so she, email back, okay, what would it be for, late night tear down?
And she asked a few questions and I answered her back. And within a day I get an email back. We would love for you to be our florist. We would ideally like to end up around $6,000 plus tax delivery set up and a tear down. You guys, we were at five inclusive of all those things before, so I think I just had to prove with her to her for one.
Understanding of how much things cost and for two, like I just needed to show her that I'm willing to help her try to figure this out. I think that one, often in a reactive response we're just like, I can't believe they think that they're gonna get this beautiful wedding for $5,000. She doesn't know.
There is no directory of how much wedding flowers cost that's readily available out there that like is a competitive marketplace, that they know that if I go to florist A, B, or C, it's going to cost me this. That does not exist. Oh, we have to educate them. This is how much wedding flowers are. This is what services and I also made sure I sold home.
Their venue is not easy to get in. And when we started, I started explaining that to her. I said, I just want you to be prepared. Ask someone who has done dozens of weddings at this venue. It is not the easiest to get in. And she was like, I know we live there. It's horrible. And I was like, it actually is horrible.
And I was like, and your wedding date is literally when it's 'cause it's also an apartment complex is literally when people are going to be potentially moving out and those people use the loading dock. So it is like a complete shit show. For loading in. And she's yeah, I know. It's it's so bad.
I was like, so then I was like, as we discussed, there's so many things that are tricky about loading into your venue that, I just, I have to be able to cover those costs. And she was totally understanding. Then I had another referral from one of my favorite wedding planners who was my wedding planner.
I went through the motions, did her estimate. I had really good energy 'cause I felt good about her. It's white and blue. I could do it in my sleep and. The venue. Not my favorite venue, but I like the wedding planner and she usually returns the shit to me so I don't even have to come and tear it down.
Amazing. And so I put together a proposal. Honestly, I already had a couple white and blue proposals, you guys, so I copied one and just deleted a few things and changed a few things really easy. And I sent it to her. I was thinking it was like no big deal. And she emailed to me back within 24 hours. Oh my God.
When I saw your proposal, like tears came to my eyes because you got my vision. I felt you were so excited about my ideas and my wedding planner and just working with me in general. I would love to book you tell me what I need to do that. Then I had another situation, almost identical. So I got three no's and I stepped back and looked at what had happened and got four yeses.
So if you are getting no's, if something isn't going right in your business, I want you to step back and I want you to analyze how was my energy, how was my communication? How was the tone of my communication? Did it feel personal or did I feel like I was AI or a robot? Did I act excited? Was I actually genuinely excited about their event?
Was I personable? Was I human and did I communicate in a timely manner? Sometimes like that is hard for me with everything. I have a very full life and sometimes it's hard for me to be super, like super quick turnaround on proposals, super quick turnaround on emails because my family and honestly like my coaching clients and doing this podcast or sometimes like I haven't missed a podcast in.
Two and a half years, three, whatever it is, 316 episodes. I haven't missed one. So that is something that I would rather make sure that this is done than responding to an email sometimes, and maybe that's not the right priorities, but it's helped me do 316 episodes, so I need to make sure that I'm communicating in.
A timely fashion because I can tell that makes a difference in my closing ratio. So if you are struggling it, I go back and like just look at your tone. Ask somebody to read this and say, what would you think after you read this? It could be your partner, it could be your floral, bestie, whatever. How did you feel after you read this?
If it felt like professional and very short, or I felt like it was very endearing, like whatever it is, like what was that feeling? Because that's what your bride ist feeling. And then, or your client or whoever it could be for an event. It could be for a funeral, these emotions and this, your communication, your timeliness, your tone, your like even your excitement.
That could be on anything. Like I've even had somebody reach out to me, Hey, I'm looking for flowers for something, and. And I'm like, and they're explaining it to me and I'm like, that sounds horrible in my head. Like they think that they're being super amazing with all of their ideas and I'm just like, this shit is ridiculous.
Who? What are you talking about? They're like just this, like sometimes the stupidest shit people come up with. And I'm not the greatest with poker faces, so I just try to work with clients that I actually like their ideas. I try to attract people who like what I do, and because I've worked, like my feed for my floral business is filled with color.
I would rather do a color wedding than a white and, green wedding. Any day of the week, like I love color. I would say 90% of my weddings are color, and that is by design because that's what's inspiring. And honestly, I probably don't act super inspired when the green and white wedding comes a knocking and I'm like that again, groundbreaking.
Sometimes it is what it is, but. Sometimes we don't also have the choice to be selective, and sometimes we just have to put our bright and shining face on and go, you know what? This is gonna be the best fucking green and white wedding ever. I am going to make some epic shit and I can get excited about a green and white wedding in like September or late August.
Because of Dahlias and because I love them. Like I love dahlias like so much. And I have ordered so many of you guys, it's gonna be amazing. I'm not gonna enjoy planting them 'cause that's not gonna be super amazing. But I'm just excited about like a flower sometimes I am, I'm excited about mock orange.
The two weeks that it's blooming, maybe week, it's blooming. I get excited for locally grown amaranthus. I get excited for, Ooh, Jules Lo, locally grown jewels of oar. I've actually never seen Jules of o. Shipped in, so that's another problem. I get so excited for love and a puff, like I grow up myself.
I absolutely love it. It's my, it's like my favorite vine and like it is when you're excited. You like I've been a florist for so long. I know all the times, I know all the things when they're gonna happen. And especially since I've started growing flowers. When I took the Flott Farms flower Farm course I think it was almost six years ago now, like I, I've just, I've gotten so much more into being inspired by the flowers themself and.
And then design started getting more architectural and I started, doing cooler, bigger things in my business and bigger budgets and like everything just felt like funner because they're bigger. It's hard to be excited about a $2,500 wedding, 10 times over. But it's easier to get excited when you really love the venue, when you know it's during Dahlia season when you get to do something fun like a cake meadow.
Like I, I try to just make something fun and something to be inspired about with any wedding, because if it's fun and you are inspired in some way. That energy is going to leak into all of that communication, all of that delivery and like what couple, honestly wouldn't be excited that I am so excited about your wedding.
I am so excited. Like I, when I get a color bride, which is all a lot I have like literally told them I am the queen of color of 90% of the weddings that I do. Our color and I curate color especially during locally grown season here in Minnesota. Like I, I will order from five different places 'cause I wanna get them the best things with the best color that are the best product.
And like I can say that with confidence because that is what I do and that person is being like, oh my God, they're gonna go all over and source these things for me. I never in this process, of course promise anything. I never promise they're going to get any flour in any process because if you have been a long time podcast listener after the Amnesia Rose debacle of.
Probably seven, eight years ago, just not happening anymore. I'm not promising anything because of hurricane could literally happen and roses couldn't get in the country. So I always make sure that I tell them I will try my hardest and with those weird things or things that are more particular to up our chances, I will order from two wholesalers and.
I hope out of two wholesalers that I would be able to get some of that product. But they are a natural product that is affected by weather. Transport bugs, a million things that are out of my control, but it's in my control to try and I even joke sometimes, like I've been a florist for so long and I've been navigating different.
Flower related issues for so long that the zombie apocalypse could happen and you would still have flowers at your wedding. And people laugh and they chuckle, but I'm serious because I'm that confident that I would figure it out. It might not be amnesia roses. But they would have flowers and I will try my hardest, and I sell that, like I sell that I am going to try so hard for you to make that happen, but I can't tell you a hundred percent because I don't want you disappointed.
But as a florist of 1700 weddings in 30 years, I feel like I have the skills and the resources. To probably be the most equipped in my area to figure that exact problem out for you. So I'm selling with confidence that I am the right choice. All of these tips and tactics that I'm talking about are really articulating I'm the best choice.
Each little check mark is I'm the right choice. And if you can keep checking this checkbox of. Was excited about my concept. I'm that she's the right choice, I'm the right choice for them. Expert at my color palette, expert at my venue, expert at what she does. Really confident, really excited. Like all of these little things are just like inching you towards the finish line of getting a contract, which is inevitably what we want.
Because that's how we get paid. And when you have somebody that's just let's go. How do I book you? You know you did something right? You know that, that enthusiasm, that excitement, that passion. You need to have passion in this because this is a very emotion based decision. Weddings in general are emotion feeling based.
Actions and they want somebody that's gonna be there on game day, that is excited, that is passionate, that is gonna deliver with care and love and excitement and confidence. So step back, look at your processes. If you are getting nos, are you delivering or. What also happened, I was running around with a chicken with my head cut off because I had I was overwhelmed, you guys.
I literally was overwhelmed. Kids were home from school. Nanny issues, world issues. All my relatives over here, me having to clean. Cows getting out, petunias running around, like literally at Thanksgiving dinner I looked out in petunias, tramps it around the yard. Like it was just, and it was super cold.
And so then that just caused me worry about the animals all the time. We had saved another cat. I mean like the list goes on, you guys, there was another animal sick. We had the vets out, like I. Probably had no business. I should have just shut my fucking email off because like I wasn't in a space. And if you are in that space, you need to make sure when you are responding to that communication, that you are not responding from that place, because that's not gonna sell you weddings.
And then you're gonna perpetuate the cycle of you're stressed out because you're not booking weddings. And then it's just like this. The shit spiral of feeling like shit about not booking weddings, but feeling so stressed out that it's hard to actually have the energy to book the wedding because you're running thin and we just, we wanna stop operating like that.
That can be situational. And you know what is, it was a little situational 'cause I had literally all the family over here. And I think I had 16 people here for Christmas and my first Christmas on the farm and that's a lot. Like we need a bigger fucking oven, you guys. It's crazy. And then, I am the primary caregiver of the children. I am the primary caretaker of our house, and all those things. It's like you got kids, there's stuff everywhere. There's more laundry, there's just more crazy. So are you operating in the capacity that has space to say, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna win, and I am going to.
Change my state because I want this. And that's what I had to do. After I did my check-in, I was like who cares if the kids are running amok? Who cares? Like I can't directly fix anything in the world right now except what I control and what I influence. And so I, I need to worry about like how I can feel better inside.
So that I can feel better in my business, and that's why I did that episode. I was like literally going through this when I did the episode, how to basically, push through when the world feels hard and I pushed through and got four bookings. You guys, it is, you can always turn the game around.
I hope you are well. I hope you are safe, and I hope that you know that I am rooting for you and I am. I am rooting for the world to be a better place. I am rooting for big, beautiful weddings. I am. Rooting for flowers, hanging from chandeliers and growing and walking in my Dahlia patch, and so much happiness is coming our way.
You guys, I just, I can feel it and we deserve it. And you deserve your business to be successful. You deserve e everything you want in your business. It's possible. And don't let anybody tell you it isn't, because it totally is. So I am rooting for you, friend. Thank you so much for listening, and you have an amazing flower filled day.
I.