Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Luxurious Spring Flower Designs From Schneider's Florist

Unique Gathering, Available for Delivery in Springfield, Ohio
Spring is very much in the air in Springfield, Ohio. We're starting to see beautiful spring flowers like tulips, daffodils, and hyacinth in the wholesale markets. At the shop, the warm weather has been energizing for us and we've been making some exciting changes that I'll share in a future post.

Today I wanted to look at some of our most fabulous springtime arrangements that we can deliver to your friends and loved ones.

Shown above is our flagship design for the Spring season. Unique Gathering is a lavish collection of snapdragons, lilies, hydrangea  and other flowers in beautiful pastel colors. This is a large arrangement that would be perfect for your spring celebration. 
Morning Glory in Springfield, Ohio
An explosion of bright yellow flowers will bring a smile to anyone's face. Morning Glory is an exquisite, tall design full of yellow lilies and daisies with premium foliage in a modern square vase. Say goodbye to winter and bring the sunshine in with this delightful creation.
Splendor Surprise in Springfield, Ohio
If you've visited our Facebook page, you've seen this one already. Bowl shaped vases are in vogue again and I love the way it's used here. Splendor Surprise is a beautiful design with a modern feel. Gerbera daisies, green hydrangea, and other flowers gathered together in a bowl with willow branches submerged in the water add an extra dimension of color, rhythm, and texture to this eye catching arrangement.

Spring is right around the corner and we're ready to help you make the most of it! Visit us on the web, or in person. Our shop is a stunning, historical destination located just north of downtown Springfield. We have lots of great gift items and delicious gourmet chocolate from Marie's Candy

Keep watching, I've got more for you next week. In the meantime, get outside and enjoy the weather!


Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Send flowers to say "I'm Sorry"


Flowers seem to enter our lives at pivotal moments. I've talked before about how flowers dramatically influenced the course of my relationship with my wife. What I didn't tell you was that I sent her flowers to say I'm sorry. Sometimes I'm not the best communicator. Sometimes things go wrong between me and the people I care about and I can't find the right words to apologize.

Sometimes saying "I'm sorry" is more effective when you send a gift.

I don't know what you need to apologize for. Maybe you forgot an important date like an anniversary or Valentine's Day. Maybe you had a dumb argument. Maybe you blew off cleaning the gutters to watch videos on YouTube all day. 

If you need to say "I'm sorry", consider sending a gift of flowers along with your apology. 

Remember, the vast majority of women would love to receive flowers as a gift. The vast majority of women have NEVER received flowers as a gift. 

I think that's a tragedy, but for you, it's an opportunity.

Because women so rarely receive flowers as a gift, especially in the form of an apology, you have an opportunity to blow her away with your sincerity and depth of feeling. Once she has the flowers, what you say almost becomes irrelevant. A simple handwritten "I'm sorry" will get your point across.

This advice will not work if you have serious problems. If you're cheating, if you lost your car at the casino, if you're running a multi billion dollar Ponzi scheme, flowers can't help you. Go call Dr. Phil and probably a lawyer. 

If she's mad at you, an apology will make her just be not mad at you. Flowers will make her like you MORE. Everybody wins!

If you've never sent flowers before, read my instructions for How To Send Flowers Like A Boss

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

"I want to send flowers. I have no idea what I'm doing." How To Send Flowers Like A Boss


Last time I talked about why you should send flowers. A lot of women have NEVER received flowers as a gift. That means that you have a huge opportunity to make an unforgettable impression and drastically escalate your romantic relationship.

To give you an example of how memorable flowers are, I recently helped a pair of daughters pick out flowers for their fathers funeral. We decided on red roses as our theme. One of these beautiful women said to me: "When I turned eighteen my dad bought me a dozen red roses. That was the only time a man ever bought flowers for me." This woman was in her 60's. How much of an impact did these flowers have on her? How many times in her life do you think she remembers those flowers? 

When you consider the fact that you're influencing someone's memories in a positive way for A LIFETIME, the cost starts to seem pretty trivial. How much is it worth to make a woman you love think you're awesome forever?

I speak from experience. I sent flowers to the woman who is now my wife at a pivotal time early on in our relationship. If you were to ask her, she would tell you the fact that I sent flowers set me far apart from her other suitors at the time. No man had ever bought her flowers before. She is way out of my league, guys. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

If you're not on board at this point, if your like "Uhhhh! Flowers DIE!" Please, just stop reading. I can't help you. Go buy your wife a bowling ball with your name on it and enjoy your alimony payments.

If you're ready to be that guy, the guy who's not like all the others, The guy who's confident and classy. The guy who understands her, read on. I have a foolproof system to help you send the perfect flowers the first time and every time.

Step One: Plan it out.

You're going to want to arrange delivery for a day when you know where she's going to be for a while. If you know she's going to be at work or at home all day, that's great. Florists usually can't guarantee a specific delivery time on holidays, so be prepared to be flexible.

Pro Tip: Find out her favorite colors. You can do this by just asking, or by noticing what colors she uses in her decorating. You can get clues from her favorite artwork, her favorite outfit or accessory, or the color of the products she buys. If her dish soap, fabric softener, and mouthwash are all purple, that's a good sign she likes purple. Favorite colors are easier than favorite flowers. Her favorite flower is probably some strange thing she saw on Pintrest that may or may not be available. If you tell a florist her favorite color, you will get something way cooler than you imagined.

This is going to sound obvious, but you should know her first and last name, her phone number, and the address of the place where she's going to be. Have this information ready.

Step Two: Find a florist

You want to call a real, local florist that is in the town where she lives. Use Yelp or Google to search for a florist. They should be able to verify that they are a real florist with a local address when you call them.

I'm going to say it. If you use one of the big online flower services, you're an idiot. National websites are not florists. They're referral services with a call center on the other side of the planet that charge you to talk to them on the phone, then they try to farm out your order to whatever local florist will fill it for less money than you paid. Guess what I do when these guys call me? I hang up. I'm not doing business with these jokers and you shouldn't either. 

Step Three: Know what you want to say.

The flower shop you call is going to ask you what message you'd like to send along with your flowers. It's best to keep it simple. If it's a holiday, something like "Happy Valentine's Day!" is perfect. Otherwise, the best messages are "Just Because" or "Thinking of You". Don't overthink it. The flowers will do the talking. 

Pro Tip: Don't send flowers anonymously.  If you're sending flowers to someone you're trying to woo, don't send them without signing your name. I hate to tell you this, but she's not going to think it's you. She's going to think "OMG, George Clooney/Justin Beiber/Kendrick Lamar sent me flowers!" You can't compete with her fantasy guy so don't try. You're good enough because you're the guy who's cool enough to send flowers. Give yourself the credit.

Step Four: Figure out what you want to send. 

You did step one, right? Tell the designer that takes your order what colors the object of your desire likes and anything about her personality that seems relevant. Trust the professionals, they do this every day. Everybody on my team has a minimum of thirty years experience. Half of them were born into this industry and have lived it their whole lives. How would you trust a carpenter with that much experience? You would defer to him for almost every decision. Such is the experience of your local florist.

Pro Tip: Most local florists can also deliver candy, cute stuffed animals, and colorful balloons to make your gift even more special. At Schneider's Florist, we partner with Marie's Candy in West Liberty, Ohio to provide our customers with the freshest, top quality, gourmet chocolates available. We also stock adorable stuffed animals that are far superior to the carnival quality plush you'll find at the local big box travesty. Be sure to ask about these upgrades when you call your local florist.

Step Five: Get your credit card out. 

Yup, flowers cost money. There's a vast global infrastructure set up to ship flowers across the planet under refrigeration the whole time, you have to pay for them. So how do you budget for flowers?

Be ready to spend the same amount of money on flowers that you would spend on a fancy meal for the two of you. Whether that's the taco truck around the corner or dinner at The French Laundry, that's what you want to spend. I don't want to talk specific prices, because they will vary widely depending on where you live. Obviously $100 will buy you a lot more flowers in Huntington, West Virginia, than it would buy in Manhattan.  Consider the cost of living in your area when you order.

If you feel like sending flowers isn't for you after reading this guide, that's ok. It's not for everyone. This post is for the guys in my audience that are ready to invest. The guys that are ready to double down and show the women in their lives that they're damn serious about creating a lifetime romance. Wherever you are, this guide is for you.

I will find you a local florist. Contact me at aaronardle@gmail.com or on Twitter @Aaron_Ardle and I will refer you to a local florist in your area for free. Tell me your thoughts about flowers, relationships, whatever. I read every single email. 

See you next week.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Why Send Flowers?

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"Rules to live by. Take a lady flowers. Or a flower even, if it's a great one." Dita Von Teese @ditavonteese
Guys, I know a lot of you are nervous about ordering flowers.  Maybe you're nervous about entering the unfamiliar territory of a flower shop.  Maybe you're worried about the cost. Maybe you're worried you won't choose the "right thing". It may be the case that you simply don't see the value in sending fresh flowers. Wouldn't something a little more practical be a better idea? Maybe, but let me tell why you should send flowers.

Because women like to get flowers. 

That's it guys! It's not a big secret, it's not complicated. Women like to receive flowers as a gift. They don't care that flowers aren't "useful". They don't care that the flowers won't last forever. The fact that flowers exist for their own sake and will eventually wilt actually makes it an even more meaningful gift. 

Think about it. Because they only last a short time, flowers are a pure luxury item, even beyond something like jewelry. When you give flowers, there's no expectation that you are going to personally experience the value of that gift. Flowers are for her and only her. Flowers give a tremendous positive emotional jolt that she will remember for a very long time. 

Take a minute to look at this article about flowers. "Men (who send flowers)...come across as more emotionally intelligent; they give the impression they can effectively express their feelings and take time to understand the feelings of others." That's a powerful message to send to your special someone.  

Look at what this guy says about his failed relationship. This woman was generous enough to give him a numbered list of the things he did wrong. Look at what she said for number three:

"I didn't pay enough attention, didn't give her flowers, didn't care enough about her." 

Do you see how sending flowers would have instantly solved all three of those problems? 

If he had sent flowers, do you think she would have felt like he was paying attention? If he had sent flowers, do you think she would have felt cared for? Flowers communicate all of those things by themselves.

I don't want to sound cynical, but I want to express this in a way that men will understand:

Flowers are an easy win. They're a no-brainer. You don't have to perform some amazing feat. You can express feelings you don't have the words for, just by sending flowers. 

I talk to a lot of women in the flower shop every day. The number of women that I talk to that wish their husbands would send them flowers is absolutely staggering. The number of women I talk to every single day that have NEVER received flowers blows my mind. 

Guys, do you realize that if you send a woman flowers it could very likely be the first time she's EVER gotten flowers? Do you realize how much of an impact your gift of flowers could have on her? 

You don't know. I know you don't know. That's why I'm telling you. 

Flowers don't pay in physical value. They pay, long term, with interest, in emotional value in a way that no other gift can, no matter how extravagant.

Next time I'm going to share a fool proof system designed to help guys who want to order flowers, but have no idea what they're doing. I hope you join me.

Continue to "I want to send flowers, I have no idea what I'm doing" How to Send Flowers Like A Boss