Flower Horoscopes – October 2009

	Capricorn: Dec. 22-Jan. 20 / Flower: African violet Career is the main focus for Capricorn this month, placing you right in your element. Your drive is already intensified and you crave immediate success, but you may face a shortage of time or resources to pull off your ambitious schemes.
	Aquarius: Jan. 21-Feb. 19 / Flower: Orchid Your level of mental activity is heightened this month, giving you plenty of opportunities to share your love of ideas. Hopes for a more rewarding future that have been circulating inside your head will be more easily translated into positive action now.
	Pisces: Feb. 20-March 20 / Flower: Alstroemeria While you’re not the most materialistic person, money is on your mind this month. Beware spending sprees and panic about resources, and instead focus on fresh ideas to increase your income — a plan that’s been simmering below the surface can be put into action now.
	Aries: March 21-April 20 / Flower: Tulip Four planets in relationship-oriented Libra keep you focused on everyone but you this month. Now is the time to find some much-needed balance as you learn more about successful cooperation and reevaluate your relationship to the world.
	Taurus: April 21-May 21 / Flower: Lily The emphasis is on redefining and expanding your professional life this month. Nevertheless, it’s all for naught if you don’t take a break once in a while — rejuvenation is an essential factor in maintaining good health and productivity.
	Gemini: May 22-June 21 / Flower: Rose If you felt pushed to your limits last month, you now have time to catch your breath and integrate the recent changes. You’re now free to entertain new ideas and learn fresh ways to interact with others.
	Cancer: June 22-July 22 / Flower: Delphinium Insecurity and impulsiveness may threaten you this month; still, it’s important to push past the status quo and into new territory now.
	Leo: July 23- Aug. 22 / Flower: Sunflower If money is tight these days, October may prove to be a transition that lightens your worries. Where relationships are concerned, though, it’s important to remember that all that glitters is not gold.
	Virgo: Aug. 23-Sept. 23 / Flower: Daisy Money matters steal the spotlight this month, with investments and business partnerships at the forefront. It’s time to draw on the undeveloped gifts you have within you to upgrade your sense of self-worth and, in turn, your income.
	Libra: Sept. 24-Oct. 23 / Flower: Hydrangea Expect challenges this month as you work to complete old business, but remember that pruning back your tree of life now will encourage healthier growth ahead. October should find you blessed with grace and inspiration to push forward.
	Scorpio: Oct. 24-Nov. 22 / Flower: Peony This month you might feel like you’re lurking in the shadows and observing carefully before your next move. You probably won’t receive all the recognition you deserve, but should find yourself blessed with professional boldness and creativity that will carry you into next year.
	Sagittarius: Nov. 23-Dec. 21 / Flower: Carnation Opportunities for spontaneous creativity and play are everywhere this October. Your fiery personality gets punched up with even more sparkle than usual, letting you take the initiative to bring more love and fun into your life.

Horoscopes courtesy Tarot.com

Stay Out of the Bunker

Companies that adopt a bunker mentality—cutting marketing and public relations activities in an attempt to save money—will ultimately damage their position in the market. This will afford competitors an opportunity to seize market share. Don’t believe me? Google “Kellogg’s Vs. Post“–breakfast cereal was never the same after the Great Depression. Kellogg continued marketing during the great depression while Post pulled back.

Re-evaluate Your Marketing Strategy. Refusing to cut your marketing/PR activity doesn’t mean you continue business as usual. Make certain your advertising and overall marketing/PR strategies are effective. Are you reaching your target market through the channels you currently use? Should that newspaper dollar go to radio or TV? Are you using social marketing tools? Mass emailing with interesting content? Sales should not be all you use your email marketing for.

Tell Your Story! Public Relations is not a wholly reactive discipline—it’s not just there to serve as a buffer for bad news. A good public relations professional constantly works to identify the most compelling (interesting, sexy, exciting, timely) elements of your organization and packaging it for the news media. Through established relationships with the media gatekeepers and correctly-packaged (newsworthy) information, your Public Relations professional can potentially get your company that great feature on the front page of the business section or a sound bite on the 5 o’clock news. This brand-centric strategy improves visibility and credibility. There are local agencies that can assist you with this. However, you can do this yourself as well. Just send meaningful content about something you are doing that is special. Remember, it is all about the reader. It is not so much about what you want to announce, but more so what the reader is interested in learning about your story. How does it affect them?

A good example is Good Neighbor Day. If you are doing this, it is a story. This program is more about attracting news and media than giving away flowers. Take advantage and send press releases out. Start the morning with flowers at all the news and media stations announcing your big day. This is a story worth talking about. After all, who doesn’t want to talk about receiving flowers?

What separates your shop from your competition? Wire services sell containers, you have a numbered collectable with our Conforti Collection Fitz and Floyd Holly Berry Bowl. Numbered and hand painted it is a numbered collectible that completed a beautiful series of gifts. Wouldn’t you want a limited edition gift if you had a choice?

Marketing brochure. While our prices are the lowest in the industry, it is still costly to distribute. I will tell you this, it is not 30% of sales. That is what we give up on incoming orders. Filling a wire in order costs over 30%. We do this to be able to send out orders. They are break even at best and ok to do, as long as it is not more than 15% of your total business. So, where does the other 85% come from? This is up to you!

Designing flowers and waiting for the phone to ring simply isn’t enough. We need to make people look. We need to attract attention at our stores and on our websites. This last quarter of the year is the biggest in our industry. Will you be in the bunker? Will you take the conservative roll like Post did in the great depression? Or will you take your market share like Kellogg’s.

We have no intention at Beneva Flowers of leaving anything on the table. We not only want every transaction, we are watching to insure we protect our database with enough options to keep customers thinking Beneva when sending flowers or gifts. We do this by insuring we have as many choices and options for a consumer as any national competitor and we back those with exceptional service.

If you have not yet ordered marketing brochures for the holidays, call us, we can help you with creative ways to get these materials into the hands of your customers and your potential customers! Call us Today at 866.768.2420.

Happy Labor Day Weekend,

Arthur Conforti

Flower Horoscopes – September 2009

	Capricorn: Dec. 22-Jan. 20 / Flower: African violet The pressure to change the direction of your life is strong this month, and you could find it challenging to separate your fantasies from reality.
	Aquarius: Jan. 21-Feb. 19 / Flower: Orchid Money matters may arise this month, and you’re reminded to be more intuitive when developing your talents and managing your cash flow. Growth could come in business or personal partnerships, but beware feeling stifled by overly controlling relationships.
	Pisces: Feb. 20-March 20 / Flower: Alstroemeria Your ongoing struggle between personal freedom and committed partnership heats up this month, and you find motivation to take more control of your life. Expect changes in the way you connect with others and remember it’s healthier to make the first move than to sit back and react to what’s thrust upon you.
	Aries: March 21-April 20 / Flower: Tulip This transitional month reveals your options for the next few months — at a time when you might feel close to your breaking point. You may wish to act now, but some things aren’t very clear, making it difficult to distinguish your fantasies from what’s really going on.
	Taurus: April 21-May 21 / Flower: Lily Advancing your romantic skills and creative abilities is on the agenda this August, and the time is ideal for taking calculated risks that reveal your feelings and your talent. It’s time to focus on your playful side and refine your capacity to attract others with charm and grace.
	Gemini: May 22-June 21 / Flower: Rose This is not an easy month for you, but applying extra effort where it’s needed will allow you to look back at this month with pride and accomplishment. Be on the lookout for opportunities to turn the tide and respond to familiar pressures in a radically new ways.
	Cancer: June 22-July 22 / Flower: Delphinium You take yourself seriously this month, yet you may feel as if you’re pushing a boulder up a steep hill. It’s a time to keep an open mind and avoid serious commitments — what you hear is probably not what you get, so turn those information filters up a notch.
	Leo: July 23- Aug. 22 / Flower: Sunflower August brings tension to relationships, reminding you to pay close attention to what you own and what you want. You may feel a great sense of urgency to break out of a rut, but this is a long-term process where amazing epiphanies do little to liberate you.
	Virgo: Aug. 23-Sept. 23 / Flower: Daisy Examining relationships is a major theme for you this month, and you’re reminded that losing yourself in a co-dependent connection is not a recipe for long-term success. Your flaws may seem more serious than they are, so even minor changes will have greater impact than you imagine.
	Libra: Sept. 24-Oct. 23 / Flower: Hydrangea This month finds you pressed to choose between taking a risk and following a more conventional path. Ultimately, this is a turning point, a time to focus your attention on crucial issues and to push through these major changes.
	Scorpio: Oct. 24-Nov. 22 / Flower: Peony Your heart may be opening with love, joy and innocence this month, but the complexities of the world keep imposing themselves to pull you out of the little paradise you’re creating. A spirit of play stirs your imagination, even when it comes to turning the fire of disagreement into fuel for fun.
	Sagittarius: Nov. 23-Dec. 21 / Flower: Carnation Your struggle between freedom and responsibility is triggered this month, a time when fatigue or frustration can keep you from achieving your goals. Emotions are likely to sway you, so be sure to clarify your expectations in close relationships to keep them growing.

Horoscopes courtesy Tarot.com