on the back end. Many of these customers

turn to other product lines later on down the road, such as teddy bears, if they were

dissatisfied with the skimpy arrangement that they may have received.

Bonnie urged all in attendance to join FFC, and pay a $120 annual membership fee. This

will allow the organization to begin the march towards 5,000 members. 5,000 it is

universally felt, would be a number that will make wire services sit up and take notice.

Membership applications were handed out, and it is hoped the evening will be a success

recruiting wise. Hillcrest Garden will follow up with attendees to urge them to join.

Other topics discussed:

• The possibility of Hillcrest Garden hosting a phone-a-thon, whereby a cadre of

current FFC members could spend an hour or two make phone calls to florists

urging them to join, and then at the end of the phone-a-thon having a roundtable

discussion about industry issues and sharing best practices.

• Attendees were encouraged to attend the next major FFC event, in Michigan,

March 4-5, 2012.

• Hillcrest Garden offered a mechanism to help fund FFC by funneling one dollar

from each new steady orders taken from FFC members. It was suggested to

attendees that they can easily shift the steady order to Hillcrest from another

wholesaler. $52 per year per new standing order. Three steadies would mean

$156 per year into the coffers of FFC, and it would cost the florist nothing.

Maximum allowed on this program would be $1,000 per year.

• Attendees were encouraged to look at POS systems of associate members of FFC.

• Although Bloomnet had two uninvited guests attend this meeting, they did not

speak, and created no disruption in the meeting whatsoever. It was also noted, the

presence of Bloomnet at the meeting did not deter people from speaking out about

wire services in a frank manner.

• Wire services are entrenched in many shops due to financial tie-ins with websites

and POS systems, and it was noted, that the first priority of FFC would be to

negotiate better fee structures with the wire services.

• Ideas and strategies about how you can ask for money on the wire order and ways

to reject orders.

• One attendee urged all florists to watch the progress of FFC on the FFC facebook

page. Floral detective was also discussed, as were order gatherers.

• Hillcrest Garden will most likely host another FFC meeting in January of 2012.

Attendees from 28 stores gathered together on a mild November evening to hear about the revolutionary group that is sweeping the floral business, Florists For Change. This group is trying to change the way that wire order fees are distributed, trying to give the receiving florist a bigger piece of the pie. Right now, florists get 73% of the order, with the sender and the wire service getting the other 27%. Florists can’t fill orders to value, and they end up with disgruntled consumers on the back end. Many of these customers turn to other product lines later on down the road, such as teddy bears, if they were dissatisfied with the skimpy arrangement that they may have received.  Bonnie urged all in attendance to join FFC, and pay a $120 annual membership fee. This will allow the organization to begin the march towards 5,000 members. 5,000 it is universally felt, would be a number that will make wire services sit up and take notice.  Membership applications were handed out, and it is hoped the evening will be a success recruiting wise. Hillcrest Garden will follow up with attendees to urge them to join.

Other topics discussed:

• The possibility of Hillcrest Garden hosting a phone-a-thon, whereby a cadre of current FFC members could spend an hour or two make phone calls to florists urging them to join, and then at the end of the phone-a-thon having a roundtable discussion about industry issues and sharing best practices.

• Attendees were encouraged to attend the next major FFC event, in Michigan, March 4-5, 2012.

• Hillcrest Garden offered a mechanism to help fund FFC by funneling one dollar from each new steady orders taken from FFC members. It was suggested to attendees that they can easily shift the steady order to Hillcrest from another wholesaler. $52 per year per new standing order. Three steadies would mean $156 per year into the coffers of FFC, and it would cost the florist nothing.  Maximum allowed on this program would be $1,000 per year.

• Attendees were encouraged to look at POS systems of associate members of FFC.

• Although Bloomnet had two uninvited guests attend this meeting, they did not speak, and created no disruption in the meeting whatsoever. It was also noted, the presence of Bloomnet at the meeting did not deter people from speaking out about wire services in a frank manner.

• Wire services are entrenched in many shops due to financial tie-ins with websites and POS systems, and it was noted, that the first priority of FFC would be to negotiate better fee structures with the wire services.

• Ideas and strategies about how you can ask for money on the wire order and ways to reject orders.

• One attendee urged all florists to watch the progress of FFC on the FFC facebook page. Floral detective was also discussed, as were order gatherers.

• Hillcrest Garden will most likely host another FFC meeting in January of 2012.