Consultative Selling of Services: Smell the Roses

Across the country, customers are being asked to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on floral arrangements. Most of the time, they’re only allowed to look through a book of laminated photos before they’re expected to part with a large sum of money. What kind of consultation service is that? The florist’s consultation book might as well be a magazine. Besides, most of these books look the same no matter what florist you go to. For me, this takes all the emotion out of a purchase that should be rife with emotional appeal. And if you’re being asked to spend that kind of money, shouldn’t your consultation also feel personal?

Cal at Carl Allen Florists in Philadelphia thinks so. He turns the sales process on its head.

First, you speak to Cal or one of his staff to schedule a four-hour meeting at his florist shop. They’ll have you fill out documentation about your floral preferences (you’re encouraged to send as many pictures as you want to them weeks before your meeting) so that when you arrive at his florist shop — a business on the basement floor of an office building — you’ll be greeted by a staff of five to ten people arranging flowers that meet your stated preferences. You’ll instantly feel that subtle energy that living plants and flowers can give off when seen up close and personal. There are no laminated books here.

Each flower in any — or all — the colors you want have already been ordered for you, and each has its own vase. So after 30 minutes of discussing your particular vision and budget, your floral decor is assembled for you. You are intimately involved in the creation of your event’s floral decoration. Want more roses or peonies? You get to choose them then and there. Keeping the size and budget of your event in mind, the staff adds, subtracts, and suggests elements to include in your arrangement. And what you end up with is exactly what you choose to create given all the options in front of you.

In our case, Cal, the second generation owner of Carl Allen Florists, shouted out, “Yes!” when we’d finished our floral consultation. Why? Once everything had been added up, he’d come in under our stated budget. How often do merchants do that? Especially after giving you that kind of attention and personal service.

As a business owner myself, I asked Cal what his close rate was once people came in for his consultation service. He shared an impressive rate and said, “If people don’t choose us, it’s typically because they don’t like something about my personality. And that’s okay.” I love that attitude. First, it suggests they’re doing something right because it’s not the service customers are unhappy with. But I also love that Cal is content to be who he is. Because someone who’s passionate about what they do will draw other passionate people to them. And quality is always better than quantity.

How could other businesses that offer consultation services increase their close rate five or ten fold by using personal touches and professional tactics like Cal?