The Qualities of a Good Florist

What makes a good florist, you ask? Beyond just loving the art of arranging flowers, florists need many additional skills to succeed in the floral business world. Florists need to be talented business people because they do many things, such as ordering wholesale to customer service. They are artists equipped with unique skills.

Top Qualities of a Good Florist

Here are some qualities of a good florist that are essential for any floral business owner to have:

  • Creativity. Having a quick eye for color, harmony, and balance is important for any florist looking to impress customers with beautiful arrangements. This means that creativity is essential. Being able to convey tone and emotion through cut flowers is the real deal, and a good florist knows how to bring their love of art to the table. Having a genuine love of flowers is helpful, but not the only way to attract attention. This also helps keep floral business owners in the game for a long time without exhausting themselves. Having love of the creative aspect of floristry helps to transform any job into a passion or hobby.
  • People skills. Even though the work deals with flowers and plants, most of the work deals with people. This means that florists should be able to advise and counsel customers on the flowers that will suit them best. Florists should also be able to follow up with them, and come up with different designs that they will love, which takes good manners and empathy.
  • Customer service. The end goal of being able to run a floral business is to make stunning arrangements that your clients will love. Part of that job consists of having excellent customer service. Being able to go the extra mile for your clients with a smile on your face is the best way to earn repeat business. It is important to follow up, address issues, and do right by your customers.
  • Business management skills. Floristry is a business, so you must bring the skills you would bring to any other business. This includes management of staff, accounting, packaging, and shipping orders, which all take managerial and administrative skills. You may get into this field because of a love of the craft, but having a good head for business will keep you profitable.
  • Relationship builders. A big part of floral work is entering into long-term agreements with hotels, businesses, and restaurants to deliver reoccurring arrangements. Whether these contracts are daily, weekly, or monthly, they are all relationships that you must maintain. A florist that has strong networking and relationship management skills will succeed.
  • Logistical know-how. A huge part of floristry is ordering and caring for the inventory you need to keep up with orders. This means that ordering flowers in bulk, arranging them, and caring for them is an essential part of the job. Additionally, you must track all plants’ health, juggle orders, and get your designs where they are needed. This takes a florist that has a good head for logistics.