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Meeting
Minutes:
Friday, October 15, 2004
Volume 11; Issue 37 |
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Table of Contents
Committee Reports
Membership
Report
(Click here
to go to the Membership page)
Roman Okonowski followed up with
members who had mentioned possible new member candidates last
week. Please remember to follow procedure and complete
part 1 of the membership application before inviting them
to a meeting.
Social Report
(Click here to go to the Social Event page)
No report.
Speaker Coordinator Report
(Click here to go to the Speaker Schedule)
We have one slot open on 12/03. Please contact Wayne
Unruh if you can speak on this date.
Treasurer Report
We have a few people that still owe dues for
the current quarter. Our fiscal years ends on October 31st.
We will male yearend financial statements available to members
after that date.
Leads Report
20-28, 20-10, 20-38, 17-23,
12-44, 18-26, 24-04, 45-32, 15-06, 15-10, 15-13, 15-41, 13-26,
38-41, 46-24, 04-21, 14-25, 14-34, 43-02, 25-07, 25-10, 25-23.
Notable Mentions
Today was the deadline for changes
to the brochure. We will now go to print.
Andy Jensen had surgery and will be
out for at least 3 weeks. Get well soon, Andy!
Mighty Minute - Ralph Cunningham had
his buddy lunch recently with Fred Vandervort. He was asked to
give a Mighty Minute report about Fred. "One thing everyone
can use in business is a sign. But I never thought about it
until I went into Fred's store. He has a great variety to
choose from. And he can help you with more than just your
business. For instance, my HOA bought signs from him
recently."
Question of the Day
Sandro Menasci wants to know...How do
you charge for labor when a job takes longer than usual? Do you
charge extra, your same flat rate or do you go somewhere in
between?
Mike Whalen - It isn't too difficult for
us. We get a good idea of how much time a job will take us
when we do a test run.
Chris Curran - I make it clear up front
with my clients that they are buying my time and my expertise.
Bob Busch - I run into this a lot with
showing people how to use their new contact lenses. It
depends on how fast the clients picks it up. I give them a
ball park range. But I still end up taking hits.
Roman Okonowski - As consumers, we need to
be prepared going in. I prefer dealing with small
businesses that I know because there is a comfort level.
As a business owner, I don't get paid unless I write the policy.
Much of my time is spent educating a customer who may end up
going elsewhere. If I think they are price shopping, I
have to be careful not to spend too much time educating them.
My biggest pet peeve is when someone will take a lengthy cell
phone call on my time.
Ralph Cunningham - I need time to diagnose
the problem before I can even decide how best to fix it. I
start with a range.
Denver Johnson - If a client doesn't like
your price, they may pay but they won't come back. It is
important that they guys in the field stick to my quote.
Unless it is a huge difference, we will take the hit. The
small hits are factored into overhead. It averages out
over time.
Randy Clark - I must pre-qualify a job
before I do it. I may not cover my costs on this job but I
might make up for it on the next one.
Guy Sawyer - I never want to bid too low
on my time or costs when giving estimates. I always go
into a job with a good idea of the maximum it will take to do
it. You have a happy customer when you come in under bid.
Joe Zingale - By the time we get on site
to work, the job usually ends up looking completely different
from when we bid it. My hope is that we average out.
We may come in high on one job and low on another. I
notice that clients always want credit when something is reduced
but they never want to pay extra for the additions.
Gus Dekavallas - We have to decipher
whether it is worth our time in research. Are these
potential clients just price shopping? Oftentimes I have
to absorb time consuming items.
Wayne Unruh - Most of my work is based on
bids. Unless it is major, I have to stick with my bids.
The losses and gains average out.
Dave Spiess - We live and die by our bids.
We stick by them regardless of the cost. You have to meet
the customer's expectations. It is more difficult on the
service-side of the business. You are often chasing
intermittent problems. People don't want to pay for
multiple service calls even when the problems are unrelated.
For this reason, I encourage my technicians to check to make
sure everything is working properly before they leave.
Main Speaker
Jana Greene
B&B Florist &
Design Center
Jana gets really frustrated as a
business owner when she reads about economic indicators saying sells
are up. Who's sells? Not hers. [VIEW
ARTICLE]
Jana was born in the San
Francisco Bay area of California. She attended school in the
Pacific Northwest. She earned her degree in journalism.
But, despite what many people think, she is not a pushy person.
She found she did not have the knack for this type of work.
Jana fell into the floral
industry by accident. She has stayed with it for over 20
years. She still owns a shop in Carson City. She doesn't
like having to travel there regularly to check on things. But
she is reluctant to sell because her mother does the books and it is
really the one thing that keeps her going. Fortunately,
between her mother and the person she has managing it, things run
very smoothly.
The flower business has been
going through a metamorphosis for some time. It used to be
that you could only find flowers in retail shops. Then grocery
stores started selling them. Then convenience stores.
And now they can be purchased online. There is tremendous
competition out there. For some reason, people want to buy
everything in their underwear at 3:00 in the morning.
Jana is supposed to be the expert
in her field. She can't understand why people would want to
buy something like flowers online instead of talking to someone
about the many options, availability, quality, etc. Especially
with a product like hers that involves so much creativity and items
that may not be in season. But, she is not one to fall behind
the times. She has put up a website of her own. The jury
is still out on whether or not she likes it. Time will tell.
So often, when people want to
send flowers to someone out of town, they call without having all
the necessary information and they end up miffed at her staff.
Please, when calling to do this, know the basic information...
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Who is it going to.
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Where does it need to go.
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When does it need to be
there.
If necessary, Jana's staff will
do everything they can to find the information for you. But
they need something to go on. The more information you
have the better (i.e., what shift does the recipient work or when
will they be home, etc).
How far in advance should you
order? It is never too soon. Yes, they can usually
provide same day service but keep in mind time zones and the fact
that same day service is rarely an option on major floral holidays.
Also, if you a requesting something specific, it may not be in
season which would require lead time to track down that product.
One very nice thing that Jana
offers is the Corporate Reminder Service. Simply fill out the
form, listing important dates, and Jana will send you a friendly
reminder that the occasion is coming up soon. There is no
obligation to buy. [VIEW
& PRINT FORM]
People say that when they retire
they want to open a flower shop. They smell so pretty!
It is not as easy as it looks. You are dealing with a product
that requires special care and handling. There are several
steps in the process to lengthen the product life. There is a
definite science to it. She is not just Suzie homemaker
playing with flowers!
Stop in and look at the
difference quality makes. Jana's arangments are more elegant
and they last. The many testimonials given today attest to
that fact. She is looking to provide more than just instant
gratification. She uses high quality vases and offers a wide
variety to choose from. When you stop in, make sure to ask
about the special arrangement she has available that benefits the
Desert Cancer Foundation.
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Jana Greene
10+ year member
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FLORIST & FLORAL DESIGN
B & B Florist & Design Center
West Side of Alma School in Goodyear Plaza
2160 North Alma School Road #118, Chandler, AZ 85224
Phone: (480) 732-0091 • FAX: (480) 222-3587
E-mail: jana@BandBflorist.com
• Website: www.BandBflorist.com
Full-service florist offering the highest quality of fresh flowers,
plants, giftware and custom silk design. Specializing in corporate
clients, corporate events and tasteful sympathy tributes. Balloons and
gift baskets also available. Daily specials. Jana has been a florist for
over 25 years.
Hours: M-F. 8:30-6 Sat. 10-4
Sunday By Appointment Only |
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