APRIL, 2006  
     

 
There Really Is a Difference Between Floral Foams
By: Marla O’Dell
Director of Products and Purchasing

Why do you use the brand of floral foam that you do? When I posed this question to several retailers I often received the response "it’s what I’ve always used." With the competitive nature of today’s business world, that response just isn’t good enough. Rather, you need to be asking yourself, "Why do I use the foam I do? Am I getting the best foam on the market and at the best price?"

If Aquafoam ® is your brand of choice, you have chosen a floral foam that consistently (as proven in independent university studies) holds and provides more water for your flowers to drink thus extending their life, grips stems better, sheds less dust and COSTS LESS. It is a SUPERIOR quality foam, without the premium price.

Try it yourself!

1) Weigh a brick of Aquafoam and any other brand. Be sure to use like foams (i.e. both standard or both instant for example). Both bricks should be close to the same dry weight.

2) Soak the bricks in room temperature water. Remember, set the bricks on top of the water and let them absorb the water at their own speed. Tip#1: Did you know that the warmer the water, the faster the foam sinks!

3) Once the bricks have soaked completely, take one out, hold it at an angle and let all of the excess water run off. Weigh the soaked brick. Then, repeat this step for the second brick.

At this point, your weight results will show that Aquafoam is heavier, thus has more water available for your flowers to drink. You can take this test a step further, and weigh the bricks every day for a week. Because of the unique formulation of Aquafoam, the water evaporates at a slower rate, thus providing more water to your flowers for a longer period of time.

Once you’ve completed this test and have convinced yourself that Aquafoam truly is the SUPERIOR quality foam, ask your wholesaler for prices on Aquafoam versus other brands. Again, it is important that you compare like foams (i.e. superior and premium quality foams). If your wholesaler doesn’t carry Aquafoam, INSIST on it! Syndicate Sales’ Big Green Trucks deliver to every state in the continental USA and Canada on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Tip #2: Ask your wholesaler about our retailer drop ship program while you’re at it!

Finally, when using floral foam, be certain that you are using the proper density for your arrangement. This will ensure stability. Tip #3: Standard and Instant Standard foams can be used for most flowers. Some examples of specific varieties include roses, carnations and liatris. Deluxe and Instant Deluxe foams on the other hand, are generally suited for heavier stems such as tropicals or woody branch stems. Specific varieties best suited for Deluxe and Instant Deluxe foams are gladiolus, Birds of Paradise, holiday evergreens, ginger, heliconia, and protea to name a few.
     

HAND BLOWN ART GLASS IS A ONE OF A KIND LOOK

Kokomo, Ind. (February 1, 2006)– Hand blown glass offers a distinguished and contemporary feel to any floral arrangement. Syndicate Sales is excited to present a new look in a classic eight inch Gathering Vase (No. 3375-12-247) at a reasonable price.

The ocean vase color assortment is an aqua colored glass that has been melted and hand-blown with an opaque white base creating a contemporary look while maintaining a classic shape. Because the glass is colored before it is melted, there are no worries about chipping or scratching. Hand-blown glass is one of a kind, no two vases are identical, making each and every vase unique and personal.

All Syndicate Sales product can be viewed online at www.SyndicateSales.com and is available on a drop ship to your store basis. Call your wholesaler to order or for more information.

For more information on this product please contact Syndicate Sales at customerservice@SyndicateSales.com or (800) 428-0515.

     

RETAIL SPOTLIGHT

Syndicate Sales Wants to Hear from You!

Send us an article about what is going on in your store. Anything goes– how you market for special events, how customer service relations are handled, special promotions, or any other area you feel your shop excels at.

Syndicate Sales feels it is important to hear from floral industry users and intends to use this section as a way to share success stories and tips with the floral industry.

The winning shop will have their article printed and receive a free case of product courtesy of Syndicate Sales.
Send your stories to modell@syndicatesales.com.
     

 

Mother’s Day and Secretary’s Day Preparedness
By: Marla O’Dell
Director of Products and Purchasing

Given the headline of this article you may think I am a little behind the eight-ball. Of course, your product is ordered and ads secured for the upcoming holiday. After all, the combination of Mother’s Day and Secretary’s Day (or Administrative Professional’s Day) garners more than 25% of the year’s fresh floral sales. However, I am writing the column this month not as a floral industry participant but rather from the perspective of the consumer.

As a self-proclaimed consumer advocate, I would like to provide some last minute, detail-oriented tips that could potentially make or break the success of your holiday sales.

 

1) First and foremost, insist upon only the freshest product. More than once I (and other consumers have told me the same thing) have opted against a fresh floral purchase only because the product didn’t look fresh. I have also refrained from placing a reorder with a specific shop because the product they shipped didn’t look fresh or last more than a couple of days. Yes, recipients do talk about what they receive, how long it lasts and with today’s digital technology often send photos to the sender!  

2) To that note, be sure to treat your product upon arrival. Trim stems and perk your fresh floral up with a hydration product such as Hydraplus ® (recommended) or Hydraquick ® . Using a hydration product will do wonder to flowers that arrive looking a bit wilted and less than fresh.  

3) Make sure your work and customer receiving areas are clean. Use a product such as Fresh-n-Clean® on counter tops, cooler walls, cooler buckets, and utensils to keep bacteria at bay and promote flower freshness. Even the freshest looking product doesn’t appear fresh when water is dirty, coolers aren’t clean and debris is lying around.  

4) Make sure prices are prominently displayed. Consumers will hesitate to make a purchase if they are unsure of the price.  

5) Offer variety. Magazines featuring fresh floral are filled with wonderful varieties and colors but often consumers don’t have easy access to this wide selection of flowers.

Good luck this holiday season.
     
 
Syndicate Sales Participates in Putt Around Kokomo

 Kokomo, Ind. (March 17, 2006)— Syndicate Sales participated in the annual Bona Vista Putt Around Kokomo which raised nearly $21,000 for adult and children enrichment programs. Bona Vista is a community outreach agency that focuses on rehabilitative services and inclusion programs in Kokomo and other surrounding towns.

Local companies participated in the event by building and designing their own unique putt-putt holes. For the second year-in-a-row, Syndicate Sales was ranked as one of the top holes.

Syndicate Sales’ hole, designed and built by Mike Rose and Rodney Walker of Syndicate Sales, resembled the company’s “Big Green Truck”. The ramp of the semi was the putt-putt course. The goal was to get the ball up the ramp and through a revolving Syndicate Solutions logo. After a successful putt, electronic sensors triggered a motorized pulley that lifted the back trailer door where cases of product were revealed.

2,600 people played on the courses during the event. This year’s Putt Around Kokomo was an even bigger success than the previous year.
     

All the products shown in this newsletter and much, much more can be found in the Syndicate Sales online catalog. Click here to browse.
COPY EDITING Danielle Messersmith PHOTOGRAPHY Tony Frederick, CS Kern