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Are you ready to grow your floral business not only in profits but in creativity and fulfillment? Listen as Jeni Becht a wedding and event designer of over 25 years shares all the juicy details of growing and evolving her floral business into one of passion, purpose, and financial freedom. She shares all the secrets with actionable tips and strategies so you can wake up inspired and on a path to profitability while feeling lighter and more aligned in work and life. Join Jeni in building your business while ditching the overwhelm, avoiding burnout, and feeling fulfilled in work and life.
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Introduction and Overview
Hello, flower friends. This is Jen from the Floral Hustle Podcast. And on this week's mini episode, we are going to talk about overcoming pricing objections.
The Struggle with Pricing
Pricing is something that so many florists struggle with. So if that is you, this is completely normal. But one thing that we often do is instead of Really feeling like solid in our pricing and really feeling confident in the pricing we're putting out there.
We often feel like we're defending our pricing. We're trying to justify the value to our customers. And frankly, like, we Put and dictate our own prices. We don't let, or Target doesn't let us go in and say, I know you want 19. 99 from that, but that doesn't make any sense. So we're completely on the defensive end, often because we feel like there is this like, Tying to how we're performing, how we're doing, the success of our business by what people think about our pricing, if they're agreeing to it, or maybe we even get taken aback a little bit because somebody beat our, our quote.
So I want to talk about a few key things. That I see often in especially newer florists, but even if you are a seasoned floral vet, these are some things that you can put in your toolbox to really help guard against the feeling or the urge to drop your prices to get the business. So first thing is, we often will have people who have no clue what budget they should realistically be at.
For wedding floral or for a funeral for, um, flowers or whatever. People don't know because it is, it is not like buying a car or going to buy something at target where the price is just like clearly marked. Obviously with purchasing a car, there's like, you think that there's negotiation room, obviously that would be built in unless they are a best price dealer, but there is no place.
Just that people can go and search in a marketplace and go, okay, this bridal bouquet is this much with this person. This bridal bouquet is this much with that person. There just isn't that ability because our product is perishable. It can be drastically different by designer. Um, bloom choices could be different and drastically affect the prices.
So there's all these variables that make it hard. For that transparency to be there.
The Importance of Pricing Transparency
So I choose to have pricing transparency in my business because I don't want to, A, get ghosted, B, I want to save time and give people a starting at number so they have some clue. So I often, because I'm doing that process, I'm having transparency in my prices, I have my a la carte flower pricing online.
I am getting less pricing objections. other than when somebody's budget is just completely unrealistic. So a lot of those things, if you have processes in place, it can help you not have to be constantly on the defense of what my pricing is at. So one way, obviously the transparency and pricing, like I have pricing in my brochure, I have my a la carte pricing.
But what do you do when you have that person come to you that just has no clue? And this is often going to happen because of how I was just mentioning there is no pricing transparency out there. So people don't know.
Dealing with Unrealistic Budgets
And so an example, last week I met with a client, um, they are getting married at, I would say a nicer venue.
So, I know that their venue is likely costing 10, 000 to rent. They have a 2, 000 flower budget for centerpieces, bouquets, a ceremony thing, everything. And so, it was my job not to be on the defense. My job is to educate, so one way that you can fight pricing objections is just Hey, I completely understand that, you know, there's no guidebook to what these things should cost.
So it's really hard to pick a budget when you have no idea. So was there a formula behind or like some back story behind the 2, 000 budget you chose? And she was just like, we really looked at it as Um, this is kind of a chunk that we had left that we were just hoping that we could get it within. Okay, I totally get that.
She's like, oh, this venue is being so expensive. The food is costing another 15, 000. So we have 25, 000 in. Okay, I completely understand that, especially recently, wedding prices have gone up because of the economy, because of just so many different factors. And so I totally get that. Often, the leftovers is what your floral budget is.
And, I just want to bring up, like, I know that it doesn't sound like they're super important to you, like having beautiful flowers, but flowers are what is in all of your photos. So, they are, even though they are perishable, they are timeless because they are going to be in your photos. They are what guests are enjoying at their table.
It's part of the experience of your wedding. And, I know that, You know, experiences add up all the different things that you're doing for your wedding. But at your venue, I think that there's a certain level of elegance that is required. And normally, before we got into doing like installations and doing like all these floral features kind of around people's weddings, most budgets were in a 10 15 percent range at a minimum.
So if you're telling me you're spending 25, 000 Just on two components. At 10%, I'm guessing at a minimum your wedding is going to be around 40, 000. Probably closer to 50, 000. By the time you hire a photographer, by the time Because we're 25, 000 granted on two components. So with that logic of 15 percent and that is not like us putting any fancy things on your stairs or anything.
This is at a minimum. If we back into your budget, it would mean a 4, 000 to 6, 000. Thousand dollars budget, and I know like $2,000 is under 5%. So to me, that's just not going to speak to your venue, which I'm guessing you love because you booked it because it has a certain elegance. And all those beautiful photos that you see on Instagram have a certain elegance because people have probably invested 20 to 25% of their overall budget to wedding flowers.
And that, she kind of, you know, kind of stepped back. I wasn't calling her baby ugly. I wasn't telling her, you're dumb.
Educating the Client on Budgeting
I wasn't doing anything other than just like, just so you know, like this is the basic math that people use in formulas. And so she can choose to believe that or not, but I am helping educate her.
I am helping educate her also if, if she's like, well that just is not possible. Okay, well, what are your must haves? Okay, I need a bride bouquet. Alright, let's just do some really plain math. So let's just say your bride bouquet, let's just say 250. I don't know what you want in it yet, but I'm just throwing numbers out so I, we can have a baseline.
You have seven bridesmaid bouquets. Let's just say 125, 140, if we do something simple. Okay, so then, we are close to And this is before we've even gone to boutonnieres, making something floral for your, um, backdrop of your ceremony that you've mentioned, doing table centerpieces. Without me delivering, setting up, tearing down anything, we're almost at 1, 200.
So we've used up 60 percent of your budget, and we're, we're nowhere. So with that, it's just making it really hard to squeeze in all of these must haves. And then let's just say that 800 you want to get something for your ceremony. We maybe could do two of ace arrangements and pretty simple. You're going to have to rent stands to put them on.
I have some stands, but they, they don't really match your decor that you're trying to. Um, you know, achieve, um, because they're gold and it looks like you really want white. And so then we could say 250, but me delivering and setting up, because your venue is not a super easy venue to load in, there's going to be additional costs here.
So, I don't want to waste your time by doing a full consult if this is like, not possible at all. I'm, I'm sure happy to give you pricing, my brochure had pricing. And. But I just want to be realistic and make sure that we're maximizing both of our time. So I wasn't defending, I wasn't lowering my prices. I was educating them.
So overcoming objections, educate. Another one of my kind of favorite phrases is when somebody's telling me that they have a 3, 000 budget, but they've shown me things that are probably going to be closer to a 6, 000 to 7, 000 thing. I then go, okay, um, you know, in just doing some fast, quick math in my head of, you know, seven bridesmaids, that ceremony feature, all these things.
Like, before we even get to your centerpieces, I'm already at the budget you've dictated when I just do some plain math. And so, is your budget more important? Or is your floral vision more important? Sometimes, normally they're going to say, especially if they have a very specific Pinterest board that they've shared with you.
But if that is not the case, I just ask them. And if, if they're like, well, both are important, I completely understand that both of them, so I'm saying I see you. I totally hear where you're coming from. But, I, I understand that that's where you're coming from, but the basic math isn't adding up. So, I want to help make this make sense for both of us.
And, with what you have left over, without a ceremony feature, that would mean that we have 45 a table. And especially, I think it is my job and your job, if their venue has special circumstances, To point that out, this venue that this bride was getting married at has oval tables that fit eight. These tables are huge and have a very big footprint.
So I can't pop some little roundy moundy floral arrangement in the middle and make it look good. It's just, your tables are different. If something with their ceremony is weird, your ceremony, um, is just going to be different. Whatever it is, I'm pointing that out. Because they might not have known. They might just get quotes from other people and nobody educated them that your venue is different and it is going to cost different.
Addressing the Issue of Comparing Quotes
Then, when they get a quote back, and they have, Uh, another florist that is doing it for cheaper. We have all ran into this. I do not get into this. I'm going to drop my pants to help match this other person who isn't charging their worth. So things that I say, I completely understand that you shopped around.
One of the things that I often experience is that no two florists are created equally. And therefore, no two quotes are ever created equal. We both have a different design aesthetic. Mine is very full, lush, and garden. Um, some florists are very minimalist, so they use minimal amount of blooms and have it be more artistic and airy.
Uh, or They could be not providing the number of items. The size of the item could be drastically different. The bloom choices, they could be picking non premium blooms. And then I'm circling back to, but you have mentioned you want these flowers and those are premium blooms. So I'm breaking down, but I'm not telling them that I am going to lower my price.
If you want me to re look at trying to make things smaller or not as lush and full or airier, however you want to phrase it, if you want me to change the aesthetic of the items, um, that we discussed to be different than what we originally discussed, I'm happy to do that and send you an updated proposal.
If I get the numbers comparable to this other florist, is this something you would like to move forward with? And that's it. You don't have to go, I'm not dropping my prices. That person doesn't know what they're doing. That's not helpful. I'm going to be professional.
Standing Your Ground and Maintaining Professionalism
I'm going to explain the differences and educate them.
And I'm going to stand my ground because my product is worth that. I will, in a consult at the end, tell them, You know what? I'm so excited to put your bloom board together and send you the estimate. Just to let you know, if you are looking at other florists, I'm not probably going to be the cheapest florist out.
I've been doing this a long time. I have a very lush garden style, um, design aesthetic, and I do a great job. Like nothing is going to surprise me on your wedding day. I'm completely confident. You are gonna love your flowers I am going to find you and source the most beautiful blooms for your wedding and It it is gonna be something you do not have to worry one bit about on wedding day And so I'm speaking to position I'm positioning myself as an expert.
I'm positioning myself as someone who knows what they're doing, that this person can feel completely confident and that I would love to work with them. If they would like to work with me with how the parameters are currently laid out. So I am trying to close them because we do need to try to close. We do need to ask for the sale.
And so I'm asking them, Hey, I would love to work with you, and I'd love to, you know, earn your business, whatever it is, but I might need to change things to not be exactly what we discussed, and that's totally okay.
Closing Remarks and Encouragement
I hope these few little phrases and tricks help, um, when you are coming up with a pricing objection, because I know how that feels, and sometimes it is very frustrating, so.
Thank you so much for listening flower friend π and you have an amazing flower filled week