Corporate Accounts
Gina Waters, The Flower Forrest, San Antonio, Texas

Located in the vicinity of several large office buildings, The Flower Forrest is in a perfect position to reap the benefits of corporate accounts. With that in mind, Gina took a few complimentary arrangements with her business cards attached to the nearby buildings and left them in the reception areas. Once people saw the quality of her products, noticed how fresh the arrangements were and how long they lasted, word quickly spread.

The Flower Forrest now has more than 100 corporate accounts, ranging from health spas to stock brokerages, the types of businesses that order arrangements for special occasions or just to add decoration to their offices.

Corporations that order weekly arrangements are given a price discount, and when accounts reach a certain dollar amount per month, they qualify for a free reception-area arrangement. Alongside this complimentary bouquet, Gina places an acrylic, stand-alone sign with her shop's name and phone number.

The complimentary arrangements might be a poinsettia arrangement for the holidays, or her shop's surplus plants and flowers.

"We receive numerous phone calls from people who see the arrangement and want to order something for a friend or relative," Gina said.

At The Flower Forrest, corporate accounts are a strong foundation for a growing customer base. And it all started by sharing her flowers with a few strategically located businesses.