BloomNet Newsletter Vol 3 No.1

C O N N E C T I O N SAn Information Source For BloomNet® Professional Florists Volume 3 No. 1

Your Business, Our Resources– Together, we can make a change

BloomNet’s Wedding Book – Hottest trends, great sales opportunities

In This Edition...

• Out & About• Marketing Corner• Refer a Florist, Earn $100• BloomNet Technologies• Martha Stewart Selection Guide• Back to Basics• Florist Appreciation Week • New from BloomNet Products• Upcoming Floral Events• Did You Know?• Short Stems/Quick Notes• Florists for Forests• Dates to Remember

It’s been said that adversity breeds strength. Of course, our industry and the country in general are dealing with economic adversities right now. And understandably, many BloomNet Florists have

expressed apprehension about the difficult challenges they’re facing. Yet, I believe that by working together, your business and ours can become stronger and ultimately thrive.

As Florists ourselves, we understand your concerns and your business. We share your passion. And we realize the difficulties of finding new customers, providing value to existing customers and generating new revenues in a

tough economy. However, we feel that BloomNet, 1-800-Flow-ers.com and our network of BloomNet Professional Florists make a highly formidable team...a team that can help ensure the success of your business today and in the years to come.

BloomNet, backed by the extensive resources of 1-800-Flowers.com, is uniquely positioned in the flowers-by-wire industry. While our competi-tors have remained stagnant, we’ve expanded, underscoring the support and strong profit potential we can bring to your business. Examples of how we’re working hard to support retail Florists include our aggressive marketing campaigns, advertising, public relations and product place-ment...all designed to grow the floral category while creating demand for our newest products and programs and generating more profit opportunities for BloomNet Florists. We’re also visiting your businesses through Florist Appreciation Week (see photo gallery, page 6).

Other examples of how we’re making a difference for Florists throughout our network are: innovative new products such as Cupcake in BloomTM and the “Martha Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com Boutique”; the industry’s first Directory Online; the “Florists for ForestsTM” environmental program; best-in-class technology; and our comprehensive Floral Selection Guides.

Now, more than ever, BloomNet is committed to providing you with quality, value, service and just important, stability. Together, we can make a change, working to assure a prosperous future.

Mark Nance, AAFPresident

BloomNet has a terrific way to complement your talents and your artistry in creating beautiful wedding memories for your custom-ers and their families. Our incredible and versatile Wedding Book, “expressions of flowers – weddings,” is filled to the brim with an amazing assort-ment of ideas that can bring more wedding sales and profits into your retail store location. And, if you order your Wedding Book before February 28, 2009 using the promotion code BRIDE, you’ll save $30 off the retail price!

Providing the most extensive compilation of the latest trends in wed-ding floral arrangements, BloomNet’s Wedding Book contains more than 45 breathtaking approaches in color palettes to suit the tastes of every bride...from Traditional, to Chic and just about everything in between. And, there’s much much more.

Our Wedding Book also offers selections for bridal and bridesmaids bouquets, boutonnieres, clutches and corsages, flowers for the cer-emony and reception as well as for the flower girl and ring bearer, along with unique ideas for place settings and sign-in book tables, cocktail hours, table decor and many other possibilities.

There’s also a Floral Color Layout to help the bride choose the perfect floral varieties to match her wedding colors. In addition, BloomNet offers fabulous ideas for bridal showers, bachelorette parties, re-hearsal dinners and thank you’s from the bride and groom. What’s more, you can take advantage of “Wed-ding Express,” our simple yet elegant wedding flower bouquets and ceremony ar-rangements to merchandise and sell on your website. To order your Wedding Book, visit www.mybloomnet.net.

Out & About: BloomNet Takes To The Road

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At the New Mexico Florists Association Conference, BloomNet sponsored a Wedding Design Program featuring gifted Designer Terre Carr (left), posing alongside her wedding creations with a conference attendee.

Lending Support in a Time of Need

A devastating fire occurred recently at Art Flower & Gift Shoppe

in Rockville Centre, New York, causing severe damage. Of

course, the circumstances surrounding this tragic event have

been very difficult for the owners of the business, Keith and

Debbie Linsalata. “Words cannot express our sincere gratitude

to both you and Jim McCann for reaching out to us in our time

of need,” said Keith in thanking BloomNet for donating fresh

floral items, a refrigerator and a computer printer to Art Flower

& Gift Shoppe. “It is heartwarming to know that there are still

people in our industry that work off the old-time values we

were brought up with. We cannot thank you enough for your

support,” said Keith. Shown in the photo are Keith (left) along

with Art Flower & Gift Shoppe Manager Debbie Whitfield and

BloomNet Market Area Consultant Tony Tantillo.

Visit us at www.MyBloomNet.netCall us at 1-866-BloomNet (1-866-256-6663)Email us at [email protected]

BloomNet Market Area Consultant Jon Cochran (left) at the Ozark Florist Association Conference with incoming President David Thompson.

During the BloomNet-sponsored Hands On Wedding Design Program at WUMFA, AIFD Designer Mary Linda Horn displays her many talents.

Designer Terre Carr created a number of truly imaginative wedding arrangements during the New Mexico Florists Asso-ciation Conference, giving show attendees many ideas to ponder. In the photo on the right, models show-off some of Terre’s floral visions for the perfect wedding. BloomNet is proud to present a series of national Floral Industry Tradeshow Wedding Design Programs, giving BloomNet Flo-rists the opportunity to see our remarkable new flower designs come alive and to gain valuable design techniques. For more in-formation about our Tradeshow Wedding Design Programs, visit www.mybloomnet.net.

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C O N N E C T I O N S Volume 3 No. 1

A new year is underway, and it’s time to start fresh. Here are some suggestions for increasing your sales opportunities in 2009.

Marketing Corner: Smart Ideas to Keep Your Business Growing

Key words and links are essential in directing traffic to your website With rapidly growing numbers of consumers shopping online, direct-

ing people to your site is crucial. Key to increasing website traffic is

search engine optimization. As you may know, search engines recog-

nize key words and enable Internet visitors to click and be automati-

cally forwarded to sites relating to those key words. Essential in this

equation is the actual content of your site. You want that content

to contain references to specific terms describing your business and

what it offers (i.e., “florists in Lexington” or “floral arrangements and

gifts Indianapolis”). Another vital element in search engine opti-

mization are links that enable Web visitors to connect to your site

from other sites. Link architecture has become very advanced and

taking full advantage of it requires extensive knowledge. BloomNet

offers a comprehensive range of expert Website Hosting solutions.

And we can assist you in not only developing a compelling Internet

presence but also in maximizing the power of key words and links

as a way of turning people who are browsing the Web into buyers

who can increase your sales both online and in-store.

Got a Referral? Get $100 Regular readers of this newsletter have heard us say it before, but

we’ll say it again: “Pass It On!” BloomNet is looking for Professional

Retail Florists just like you to join our Florist network. If you know

a fellow Florist who would be interested in joining BloomNet, just

pass their contact information along to us by sending an email

to: [email protected]. If your referral becomes a BloomNet

Professional Florist, we’ll send you $100 cash. It’s that easy. But

there’s more. You’ll also increase your networking capabilities and

your opportunities for all-important reciprocal business!

Happy 20th Anniversary!

Congratulations to Black-Eyed Susan’s Florist of Barnegat, New Jersey

on celebrating their 20th year as a retail Florist. “We’re part of the

roots of Barnegat,” said owner Susan Lockner. “We opened before

Barnegat High School was built...the high school had its first gradu-

ation this year and it doesn’t seem that long ago we were delivering

new baby arrangements to the parents of those graduates.” Shown

in the photo above, left to right, are: Carol R., Mary, Josie, “Black-Eyed”

Susan, Marilyn, Carol S. and Karen.

Facebook can create a highly visible presence for you, ramping up your sales potential Online networking sites, Facebook most notably, are gaining growing

popularity...enabling people to share information about themselves

and their lives, post photos and videos and more. Of special note

is that sites like Facebook are very popular with younger people.

For you, this can mean a new and effective marketing strategy that

includes ads reaching millions of youthful, ready-to-spend Facebook

visitors. Log onto www.facebook.com/ads/ for directions about

creating your Facebook ad, or BloomNet can assist you.To read

more about how social networking sites are rapidly becoming sales-

increasing tools for smart retail marketers, see the “Short Stems”

section on the back page of this issue.

Lynda Tambling, owner of Mercantile & Floral in Grand Island, Nebraska, with BloomNet Market Area Consultant Tom Weddel. Lynda received $100 for referring a new BloomNet Professional Florist.

BloomNet’s Directory Online: The First and Best Is Now Even Better!

For more information about BloomNet Technologies, call us at 1-866-BloomNet (1-866-256-6663) or send us an email: [email protected]

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Fitz Design, powered by BloomNet, offers a wide range of styl-

ish and colorful high quality floral accessories. The product

line features unique flower bracelets, boutonnieres and floral

jewelry designed to enable

Florists to create memo-

rable, wearable designs

with extended possibilities

for after use. See Bloom-

Net’s Wedding Book, expressions of flowers – weddings

to see many of these fabulous designs with floral recipes

and visit www.BloomNet.net to place your orders today!

Fitz Design Flower Bracelets are Now Available at BloomNet.net!

With many new enhancements to our Directory Online, we’re setting

the benchmark, again. That’s right, the industry’s first and only digital

directory just got better ! For you, it means a faster and more conve-

nient way to search, select and send...with the confidence in knowing

you’re selecting the best qualified Florist to fulfill your orders.

Here are some of the diverse and exciting

“what’s new” highlights that BloomNet

Technologies is now bringing to your business

with the latest version of the Directory Online:

Dynamic Search. Using cutting-edge dynamic search technology,

we’ve made the Directory Online up to 10 times faster than our

current Directory Online. Now, when you conduct a search, you’re

provided with only the pages you’re looking for. Speed, efficiency,

time savings...our new faster design delivers it all.

Advanced Search. You’re busy, and you need to fulfill your orders

quickly. With our new Advanced Search Tool, you’ll find exactly what

you need, in literally moments. Among the options are:

Facilities (Search by City and State from one of the facility types:

Hospitals, Funeral Homes, Nursing Homes, Churches);

Open Sundays; Minimum Pricing; Product Codification.

Save Your Favorite Florists. As you well know, reciprocation is an

all-important aspect of keeping those cash registers ringing. Our new

“Add to Favorites” feature lets you add or quickly find those fellow

BloomNet Florists to send your outbound orders to.

See Recently Viewed Florists. This great new feature allows you to

view the list of Florists that you’ve sent orders to during the past

90 days! We’re sure you’ll find this highly useful in cases where

you’ve sent an order to a fellow BloomNet Florist who

did a fantastic job of satisfying your customer’s order,

however you can’t remember the Florist’s name.

Interactive Advertising. Make a memo-

rable impression on your fellow BloomNet Florists. Sign up for our

new Interactive Advertising features to add photos and even video to

your Directory Online listing. Then, when a fellow BloomNet Florist

clicks on your listing, they’ll instantly see all your business offers:

images from your portfolio; consumer testimonials; they can even

take a virtual tour

of your store! The

options are nearly

as limitless as your

imagination. And,

the exposure you’ll

gain will enable you

to market and “sell”

your services in a

very effective way that can

result in stronger profits.

And Much, Much More. The

newly enhanced BloomNet

Directory Online can be more

valuable to your business than

ever before...particularly when

you consider that BloomNet’s

order volume is increasing each month. What’s more, when you

send your orders via BloomNet, not only do you have access to the

best sending tools, you’ll also receive the industry’s highest published

rebate! In addition, BloomNet Directory Advertising provides you

with twice the advertising exposure by placing your ads and listing

in both the printed and online versions of the directory all at one

low cost. Now that’s a win-win situation.


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Back to Basics with Jerry Rosalia

Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, which is traditionally

one of the three lowest-volume sales days of the week, the others

being Monday and Sunday. The current economy coupled with

February 14th being on a weekend, could pres-

ent some challenges. However, that doesn’t

necessarily have to be the case, especially if you

take an energetic and proactive approach to

capture sales early. It’s important to remember

that a successful Valentine’s Day doesn’t hap-

pen by itself. It has to be promoted and that

means getting a jump on marketing and sales.

To follow is a list of some things you can do to help increase sales

and get the cash register ringing this Valentine’s Day:

• Call last year’s customers to offer them a discount and

encourage them to order early with free delivery on

Thursday and Friday.

• Use Direct Mail to remind customers of the day and

the professional services you provide.

• Prominently display your best-selling arrangement in the

cooler with the arrangement’s name and price shown.

• Discount cash and carry.

About Jerry Rosalia... Raised in New York, Jerry is a 3rd generation Florist. He has more than 55 years of experience in the retail floral business and has served on many advisory boards...including FTD’s Board of Directors from 1972 to 1975. Jerry has been a member of the BloomNet team since 1983 and he currently holds the position of Florist Operations Consultant for 1-800-Flowers.com. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Jerry Rosalia at the email address or phone number above.

New Selection Guide for “Martha Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com Boutique”

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at: [email protected] or 516-237-6199.

We’re pleased to announce the introduction of an all-new Floral

Selection Guide to support your retail sales of our exclusive line

of captivating Martha Stewart-inspired floral arrangements.

The new Guide is part of a recently launched and multi-tiered

retail sales and marketing program we’ve put behind the Martha

Stewart line of products.

As most of you already know, we have teamed with Martha to cre-

ate a stunning collection of products, including dozens of unique

arrangements and wonderful containers, reflecting her unparalleled

design talents. The new Martha Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com Flo-

ral Selection Guide is an outstanding marketing tool you can use

in your retail location. The Guide contains sections for seasonal

products (Christmas, Winter, Valentine’s Day, Early Spring) as well

• Have Single Cello pre-wrapped tubed roses.

• Put signage on your window weeks before the holiday,

offering special kids’ bouquets.

• Check what your local supermarket is offering to make sure

you compete with their products, but most important, to

make sure you are offering superior value.

• Keep good records...it’s imperative; if you’re not already a

good recordkeeper, start now! (i.e., Day of the week; weather;

what sold best; number of drivers; how much extra sales help,

if any; number of arrangements; bouquets; roses; dish garden

and green plants sold.)

In summary, Valentine’s Day is your chance to really shine, so start

planning now!

as everyday occasions. Each sea-

son we’ll provide new pages for

the Guide featuring new product

introductions. We’ll also provide

in-store posters.

The Guide is self-standing for

countertops to have both high

impact and for you to offer an

impressive portfolio of Martha

Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com

Florist Designed products to your customers. Furthermore, the new

Selection Guide has a specially designed spine allowing pages to be

easily added and removed in a snap.

Plan to Make this Valentine’s Day a Strong One

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Florist Appreciation WeekSPECIAL EDITION

Face to Face, Florist to Florist

In total, we visited approximately 700 retail Florist locations where

we shared insights, listened to your feedback, and offered ideas

to increase sales and profits for BloomNet Professional Florists.

Among our people who “hit the road” and stopped by many of

those 700 locations were Jim McCann, CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com,

Chris McCann, President of 1-800-Flowers.com and BloomNet

President Mark Nance. It was all part of our first-ever and highly

successful “Florist Appreciation Week.”

Besides Jim, Chris and Mark, more than 100 combined resources

from both BloomNet and 1-800-Flowers.com were involved in the

event and we want to express our gratitude to BloomNet Florists

for giving us the opportunity to meet

face to face with so many of you. Kind

letters we received from Florists are

telling us the feeling is mutual. For

example, Terri Giordano from Violet’s

Florist in Hauppauge, New York wrote:

“I hope Jim was as impressed with us

as we were with him. I truly appreciate

the fact that BloomNet and 1-800-

Flowers.com were thanking us. I have never been thanked by FTD

or Teleflora. I’ve been speaking with other Florists across the country

and they also felt truly appreciated.”

During Florist Appreciation Week, we passed out hats, buttons,

Cheryl&Co. cupcakes, floral knives, and other gifts to Florists as to-

kens of our thanks and appreciation. We also offered discounts on

BloomNet products and on several 1-800-Flowers.com gift brands.

The discounts were offered both to the Florists we visited and also

via email to those we didn’t get a chance to see in person. Plus,

we extended codification periods to expand sales opportunities

for BloomNet Florists. We even established a Florist Appreciation

Week “Command Center” to address Florists’ questions, issues and

concerns. Furthermore, we will add images of BloomNet Professional

Florists’ businesses to their Florist Detail Page in the new BloomNet

Directory Online, at no additional cost.

Again, we thank you for participating in an extraordinary Florist

Appreciation Week. We hope it inspired you as much as it did us.

Many more such weeks are planned for the future and we look

forward to those events with great anticipation!

BloomNet and 1-800-Flowers.com travel around the country visiting BloomNet Professional Florists

We are delighted to present just a few of the photos from BloomNet’s Florist

Appreciation Week. To view our entire photo gallery, visit

www.mybloomnet.net.

Auroras Florist Country Owl Aurora, Ohio E440000

Artistic Creations Centennial, Colorado U3110000

McShan Florist Dallas, Texas D6630000

A Sisters Touch Commack, New York H6280000

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Every Bloomin Thing Colorado Springs, Colorado S1870000

The Secret Garden Florence, Kentucky H5160000

The Flower Barn of Hillsborough Hillsborough, New Jersey U1560000

A Flower Cottage Port Orange, Florida S8650000

Alfies Attic Petoskey, Michigan R6350000

Drumright Floral Drumright, Oklahoma D2830000

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Westside Florist and Gifts Fort Worth, Texas W3380000

Oakland in Bloom Oakland, New Jersey X8850000

Petals and Blooms USAF Academy, Colorado Y7010000

Say It With Flowers Bayonne, New Jersey W7230000

Creative Expressions Port Huron, Michigan T8610000

Grayson Flowers and Events Grayson, Georgia Y9040000

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Bittersweet Florist Barberton, Ohio Y4570000

Paynes Florist and GiftsFort Worth, Texas W3830000

Countryside Florist Richfield, Ohio Y2930000

Starbright Floral Design New York, New York S5010000

Christophers Flowers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania X4320000

Boyne Avenue GreenhouseBoyne City, Michigan X9170000

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The Flower Puff Elizabeth, New Jersey P9930000

Flowers by Cheryl Riverdale, Georgia R3060000

Belens Flowers Lansing, Michigan T4410000

Oregon Corners Florist Cuyahoga Falls Parks, Ohio Q3080000

Betty Evans Floral Grove City, Ohio T9330000

Palo Flowers Sharpsville, Pennsylvania R3550000

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City Gardener and Florist Ravenna, Ohio G4460000

Bennardos Floral McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania G6990000

Poseys N Partys Duncanville, Texas K4740000

City Florist Tyler, Texas G5520000

Hollywood Floral Dallas, Texas J3250000

Flowers Unlimited Albuquerque, New Mexico H2020000

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Springs in Bloom Florist Colorado Springs, Colorado E2520000

Cappelletti Florist Union City, New Jersey E4680000

Petolino Florist Newark, New Jersey E5960000

Flowers by Ramon Lawton, Oklahoma E4590000

Flowers by Addalia Toms River, New Jersey E5450000

Furst the Florist and Garden CenterDayton, Ohio K7270000

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ABC Florist Morrow, Ohio K7920000

White Swan Flower Shop Uniontown, Pennsylvania B7960000

Dallas Flower Mart Dallas, Texas D8530000

Rutherford Florist Rutherford, New Jersey B1580000

Orchids and Ivy The Flower Post Canal Winchester, Ohio D9560000

Philip Haas Florist College Point, New York Q5180000

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Visit us at www.MyBloomNet.netCall us at 1-866-BloomNet (1-866-256-6663)Email us at [email protected]

BloomNet Products and Your Imagination...A Perfect MatchBloomNet products are the ideal complement to your design talents and creative

vision. We offer a wonderful selection of choices for all seasons and for every gifting

occasion! For more information and to place your order, see the latest BloomNet Prod-

ucts catalog or visit us online at www.BloomNet.net and benefit from the convenience

of applying product purchases to your clearinghouse account!

In addition to the great products you see on this page, BloomNet also offers your

business a myriad of other possibilities. For example, through the recent acquisition

by 1-800-Flowers.com of Napco Marketing Corp., we’ve expanded our offering of

innovative floral, decorative and gift accessories. Another recent acquisition was

DesignPac Gifts, a leading designer and assembler of gourmet gift baskets, gourmet

food gift towers and gift sets. Plus, as you may have read on page 4 of this newsletter,

we’re also partnering with Fitz Design, creators of corsages with useful and imaginative

afterlives such as being transformed into bracelets and many other ideas. 1-800-Flowers® Mother’s EmbraceTM

Make Yourself Some Very Easy Money Everyone could use a little extra cash right now. How about you? BloomNet

will give you $100 when you refer a fellow Florist to us. If that Florist joins our

network, you get the money. All you need to do is send us an email containing

their contact information. Send your referral info to: [email protected].

David Shelton, owner of Flower Time in Ellenton, Florida, displays his $100 referral check. Do you know someone who would like to become a BloomNet Professional Florist? Please let us know!

1-800-Flowers® Mother’s DevotionTM

1-800-Flowers® Mother’s NatureTM Garden Tote

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Upcoming Events

Please join BloomNet at a floral trade event near you.• Florida State Florists Association Mid-Season Event January 23-25, 2009, Ocala, Florida• Kentucky State Florists Association January 31-February 1, 2009, Frankfort, Kentucky• Georgia State Florists Association February 27-March 1, 2009, Augusta, Georgia• Northeast Floral Expo February 28-March 1, 2009, Cromwell, Connecticut• Oklahoma State Florists Association Design Show February 28-March 1, 2009, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma• Great Lakes Floral Expo March 6-8, 2009, Grand Rapids, Michigan• Illinois State Florists Association March 12-15, 2009, Springfield, Illinois• WUMFA Spring Show March 14-15, 2009, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin• South Dakota State Florists Association March 20-22, 2009, Pierre, South Dakota• Niagara International Assoc. of Florists Design Show March 29, 2009, Niagara Falls, New York

Sweet Success StoryJoe Stambaugh, owner of Flowers by Mel in Columbus, Ohio, is an

entrepreneur. As such, he saw a great opportunity when 5 years ago

he purchased a kiosk named “The Sweet Spot” located in the Easton

Towne Center Mall and he began selling Harry London brand pre-

mium chocolates. Joe has worked closely with BloomNet in making

The Sweet Spot a success and we even arranged for product pick-up

at the Harry London plant in Canton, Ohio. “It is worth the effort to

try different retail approaches with limited risks and see what works

and does best,” said Joe. “It was also extremely beneficial to be a

member of BloomNet and have the Harry London relationship so I

could manage that inventory to maximize profitability.”

Making Their Prime-Time DebutBloomin’ Dales, a BloomNet Professional Florist located in Lansing,

Michigan, recently “went Hollywood” by providing flowers for an

episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The episode was broad-

cast November 30, 2008 on the ABC network. “We were invited by

our client, Karen Schroeder of Mayberry Homes, to donate floral

arrangements for the show,” explained David Gregware, owner of

Bloomin’ Dales. The popular television show focuses on the renova-

tion of an entire house within a 7-day period. In this case, the home

was renovated for a family that had lost their father.

Did You Know?According to DMSRetail, an online information source for the retail industry, gaining new customers is approximately 5 times more difficult (and potentially expensive) than maintaining existing customers. Translation? Go the extra mile for customers you already have, rewarding them with outstanding service. In return, they will pay you back with repeat business.

Also an important piece of information from DMSRetail are what are considered to be the top 2 traits of retail salespeople. First, quite obviously, is the ability of a salesperson to relate to others on a personal level. Selling, whether retail-based or any other kind, has a lot to do with building a rapport and understanding needs. Second on the “top traits” list, perhaps surprisingly, is the willingness of retail salespeople to talk as little as possible. Listening, and letting the customer talk as much as 80% of the time can work wonders with the customer’s comfort level...and, it can be very valuable to the sales person in identify-ing specific needs and desires of the customer.

For further information about BloomNet and the many diverse resources we can bring to your business to enhance your growth and profits, call us at 1-866-BloomNet (1-866-256-6663)

C O N N E C T I O N SMark Nance, AAF, President, BloomNet

Lisa Carmichael, Editor in [email protected]

Michael Pucci Advertising &Public Relations, Contributing Editor

Send Us Your News for Connections! Have any news to share about your business, or some interesting facts and information for our next issue? Send us an email: [email protected]

Save Trees, Save MoneyBy participating in the BloomNet “Florists for ForestsTM” program, you’ll be making an important contribution toward the effort to preserve the en-vironment. As an added bonus, you’ll save time and money by no longer using the printed Bloom-Net Directory. Here’s how it works: Just send us an email to [email protected] indicating you no longer want to receive the printed ver-sion of the Directory. We’ll provide you with a credit, and, plant a tree on your behalf. And remember, you can utilize the Direc-tory Online, providing the same information as the printed directory and making the information accessible with the click of a mouse. BloomNet is working with American Forests® and its Global ReLeaf® initiative to fulfill the Florists for Forests program. To date, more than 500 BloomNet Flo-rists have participated.

Dates to Remember

• February 14, 2009: Valentine’s Day• February 16, 2009: Presidents’ Day• March 17, 2009: St. Patrick’s Day• April 8, 2009: Passover begins• April 12, 2009: Easter• April 20, 2009: Administrative Professionals Week begins• April 22, 2009: Administrative Professionals Day Earth Day• 15th of Each Month: Download your clearing house statements from BloomLink

Here’s A Reminder!BloomNet Mother’s Day Fresh Floral Pre-Book Calendar

Watch your bottom line and lock in guaranteed pricing and inventory for Mother’s Day and other holidays with BloomNet Products Fresh Floral Pre-Books!

Fresh Floral Pre-Book Order Dates

Mother’s Day – 2009 3/30/09 - 4/17/09

Choose from a wide selection of fresh floral varieties, mixed boxes and greens, at prices that meet or beat 1-800-Flowers.com Design Resource Guide recipe costs.

Social networking sites mean businessFacebook, MySpace and other online social destinations are fast

becoming sales-generating sources for savvy marketers. A recent

study by Internet Retailer found that nearly 33% of U.S. online

retailers who responded to the study had a Facebook page, 27%

had a MySpace page and just over 25% had a page on YouTube.

A study by interactive agency Rosetta also showed that 59 of the

top 100 online retailers in the U.S. had a fan page on Facebook.

Retailers across America are going greenThe New York Times has reported that many leading retailers are

taking extensive steps to make their businesses more environmen-

tally friendly. Wal-Mart, for instance, has installed baseboards and

moulding made of plastic left over from diaper manufacturing.

Target, Office Depot and Staples have all constructed “green”

stores featuring many ecological building materials. And Chipotle,

a burrito chain, has even installed a wind turbine outside its new

store in Chicago. You may not be able to go to these lengths, but

you can make your retail business greener in

simple ways such as using energy-efficient

light bulbs, reducing water usage, and

lowering thermostats.

Short Stems: Notes of Interest

Documents

BloomNet Newsletter Vol 3 No.1