New Jersey florist blooms with commitment to customer service

Growing up around his family’s flower shop in Montclair, NJ, convinced Chad Smith that he wanted a future in the industry. He added a degree in marketing to his love of flowers and joined the business alongside his father and sister at Montclair Flowers and Gifts. Eventually, Smith became a Certified Floral Designer and head of the company.

As the new owner, he put his imprint on the business by expanding into gourmet gift baskets and in-shop events. What hasn’t changed since his parents founded the company in 1972 is a commitment to customer service.

“Nothing we do is cookie cutter, everything is custom,” he says. “We spend time talking to customers about their favorite flowers, plants, coffee, fruit, and other items so that we can deliver a product that will make the recipient happy.”

Montclair Flowers and Gifts is being honored by Jersey Shops, a program co-sponsored by Citizens and the New Jersey Devils to spotlight New Jersey-based businesses making an impact on their community.

Smith recently shared how he maps out his plans for the company and the community while staying agile to meet evolving customer needs.

Tip: Use creative problem-solving

Finding the exact flowers to meet customer preferences can be challenging for florists because of supply chain and inventory issues. “Some flowers you could easily get in 2019 we still can’t obtain,” Smith says. “Growers sometimes simply can’t provide us the stock our clients want.”

This means that Smith must work closely with local vendors to make sure the shop gets the best available blooms. At the height of the shortages, the company’s creative problem-solving skills were put to the test.

“We had one wholesaler who also provided flowers to supermarkets who could still get us stock,” he says. “I fulfilled online orders myself and made the most of whatever flowers we could get to help our clients get something of beauty even though the flowers weren’t what we were used to getting.”

Smith has two part-time, in-store employees and a delivery driver, and he instills in them the importance of always providing exemplary customer service.

“Our mantra is that we always need to go above and beyond what people expect,” he says. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re creating one bud vase or a lavish centerpiece.”

For instance, when a recent customer was unhappy that the exact flowers she requested were not available for an event’s arrangements, Smith provided her with a credit toward a future purchase. “She acknowledged that the arrangements were beautiful but was disappointed and I wanted to demonstrate that we care,” he says. “Our caring is genuine. This type of service is also the way to get repeat business and referrals.”

Smith hopes to expand Montclair Flowers and Gifts to a second location and acknowledges that financing may be an important part of his roll out. “It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in — financing such as a line of credit or a business loan can help you weather hard times and grab opportunities.”

Bottom line

Keep your eye on the goal of making customers happy and work toward solutions that work for them and your company. As challenges from economic conditions, inventory availability, staffing and other factors arise, demonstrate your willingness to continue to work with customers to solve problems. Having financing in place can help you build momentum and be flexible to address unanticipated challenges and keep customers happy.

Tip: Share your expertise

Passing on knowledge is important to Smith and he shares his innate talents and what he has learned with kids, college students and adults.

For example, he recently ran a hands-on floral design workshop at his son’s elementary school to teach kids to express their creativity with flowers. In a version of this tutorial for adults in the community, Smith hosts “Design and Sip” nights at which groups of four to 12 people can sign up for a two-hour session to learn the basics of floral arranging. Each participant creates their own bouquet that they can bring home at the end of the event. Smith promoted the highly visual gatherings on the shop’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

“It’s our take on the popular ‘paint and sip’ parties,” says Smith. “People can bring in their own drinks and snacks and find a new outlet for their creativity.”

To help aspiring entrepreneurs, Smith regularly presents to other members of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity at New York University. “I speak candidly about my successes and about the mistakes I made along the way and what I’ve learned from those experiences,” he says. “I also talk about the importance of small businesses to communities.”

All of these initiatives are part of Smith’s commitment to share his knowledge, time and money with the community that supports his business. “We want to be out there and have a real presence in Montclair, particularly in the African American community,” he says. “This includes sponsoring the Montclair Jazz Festival and participating in the city’s annual Juneteenth celebrations.”

Bottom line

Giving back by sharing your expertise is a great way to enrich your community and bring others along with you as you succeed. These initiatives can also raise your business’s profile and increase awareness with current and potential customers. To get started, identify community activities in which you can share what you know. And, find groups you can give back to in other ways that are meaningful to you.

Tip: Plan ahead and stay flexible

Planning is critical for any small business to serve customers, be ready for market changes and stay profitable. For Montclair Flowers and Gifts to offer the best product at the right price, Smith analyzes customer buying patterns, economic trends, and inventory forecasts.

“We get stock in on Mondays and Wednesdays and have learned how to order just want we need, so we don’t run out or have stock that goes to waste,” says Smith.

The store also plans well in advance for seasonal fluctuations in business. The busiest times are holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. During slower times of the year, orders for weddings and graduations keep the store busy. Planning starts months in advance for all these occasions. For example, in March, Smith begins to think ahead to next year’s Valentine’s Day, considering what the state of the industry might be like then, and brainstorming what the shop could offer to be competitive.

“We want to make sure we have the right flowers on hand to offer our customers creative suggestions for their events, and even offer discounts where we can,” he says.

Planning ahead to provide the right type and amount of inventory at the right time, helps the company stay on track financially. “We buy flowers that will last two or even three weeks, so customers feel they get their money’s worth,” he notes. “In the flower business, spoilage is always a concern, and we want to keep our purchase costs down, which in turn will help us keep our prices down for our customers.”

Bottom line

Advanced planning contributes to business success by helping you offer the best possible product or service to your customers at the right price. Complement your planning with a willingness to be agile and pivot to support changing customer needs, industry trends, financial challenges and other developments. This approach can position your business to take advantage of unexpected growth opportunities.

Do you need guidance on your small business journey? Schedule an appointment with Citizens to receive assistance for your business.