Flower shops · Referral marketing
Get the wedding planner to put your name in front of the bride.
Referrals for a florist come from two places: the customer whose arrangement was admired, and the planner, venue or caterer whose client asks who did the flowers. GullySales builds the introduction those partners can forward, and works out what a fair fee looks like in this trade.
Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.
What referral marketing means
Referral marketing is asking an existing customer to recommend you to someone they know, usually with a reward for both sides. It differs from a loyalty scheme because it brings in a new customer rather than a repeat purchase. GullySales builds the ask and the reward into a point where a customer is already satisfied.
Last updated 8 Nov 2026.
For flower shops
Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.
“The planner gets asked at the venue, so the planner is the source”
A guest asks who did the flowers and the answer comes from the planner or the venue manager, not from the couple. That relationship is the one worth working on.
“The card in the bouquet is a referral if you let it be”
Your name is read by a recipient who had no part in choosing you. That is a warm introduction sitting on somebody's dining table.
“Trade commissions are normal here and belong in writing”
Planners and decorators expect a trade rate or a commission on flowers. Agree the number and how it is invoiced before the first job rather than after the wedding.
What we do
What we deliver for flower shops.
Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.
A partner list of planners, venues, caterers and decorators nearby
The people who get asked about flowers, listed with who to speak to, what they handle and which of your arrangements suits their clients.
Result: You know exactly who to visit instead of waiting to be found.
A portfolio a planner can forward without editing it
A short set of past arrangements by budget and style, with your delivery area and terms, in a file that opens properly on a phone.
Result: Your work reaches the bride through somebody the bride already trusts.
A written trade rate and commission agreement
The discount or fee offered to planners and decorators, how it is invoiced and when it applies, agreed in writing with each partner.
Result: Nobody argues about the number after the wedding.
Referral tracking by partner
Each enquiry marked with the planner, venue or customer who sent it, and followed through to the order and its value.
Result: You know which partner deserves the attention and which never sends anything.
A customer ask after the arrangement that was admired
A short message to the sender days after a large order, asking them to pass your number on, with a discount for both sides on the next order.
Result: A happy customer becomes an introduction instead of a memory.
A thank-you routine for partners who send work
An arrangement, a note or a settled commission going back to the planner within the same week, every time.
Result: The planner keeps saying your name because you noticed.
Referred orders read against the baseline
Referrals received, what share became orders, and what they were worth, set beside the baseline recorded before work started.
Result: You can see whether the partner round is paying for itself.
How the result is measured
- Referrals received
- Referral conversion rate
- Cost per referred customer
Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.
How referrals reach a florist
A florist is named at the venue, by the planner and by the guest who admired the flowers, and each needs a different ask.
- Wedding planners
- A planner wants one number to add to their own quote. Give the planner a trade rate card by event size and flower type, with a note on which blooms are in season.
- Venue managers and caterers
- A hall manager is asked about decoration every week. Leave a printed flower menu with photos of stage, entrance and table pieces taken in that hall, and agree when you can enter before guests.
- Decorators and photographers
- A photographer sees the bouquet in the frame and the decorator sees the stage. Send them photos of your own work, and credit their names where they sent the client.
- The customer who was asked who did the flowers
- When a customer says guests asked, hand the customer two cards to pass on. Put your WhatsApp number and the occasions you cover on the card.
- Partner on every order slip
- Record the partner on each order slip: planner, hall, caterer, decorator or customer. Compare partners by orders delivered, not enquiries, before deciding whom to visit.
- What never to do
- Never promise a planner a flower you cannot get at that price on the day, because the bride will blame the planner. Name the in-season substitute when you quote.
Who it is for
This is written for these flower shops.
- Neighbourhood flower shops
- Wedding and event florists
- Corporate and hotel flower suppliers
- Online flower delivery services
- Florists specialising in funeral and sympathy arrangements
- Florists inside malls and commercial complexes
Not for
It is not the right fit if.
- You have done no wedding work yet, so a planner has nothing to recommend.
- You cannot supply flowers reliably on busy dates, and a referral would put the planner's name at risk.
- You expect referrals without any written terms with the planners who send them.
How it works
How the referral marketing work runs
The work itself, in order. How an engagement starts, from your brief to a written scope, is set out on our method page.
- 1
Read the margin and the relationship
We work out what a new customer is worth and what you can pay to get one, then check whether customers know others like themselves.
- 2
Find the referrals you already get
Your invoices, call notes and WhatsApp threads show who already sends people to you, and who they are. That sets the starting point and the first people to ask.
- 3
Write the offer and the rules
The reward, the definition of a valid referral and the payout steps are agreed in writing before anything is shown to customers.
- 4
Build the share path and the record
The message, the link or code and the referral sheet are built. Your team tests a referral end to end, from forward to reward.
- 5
Start with your best customers, then widen
The first asks go to people who have already praised you. What they say about the offer decides what changes before it reaches the wider base.
Where this fits
Three pieces of sales work, in this order.
This work sits inside sales process design, at stage 7, after the sale. The audit comes before it, and sales management keeps it running.
Step 1
Sales audit
Find where deals are being lost and what to fix first.
Start here if you cannot say where orders are lost.
Step 2 · you are here
Sales process design
One written way to sell, from first enquiry to repeat order.
Start here if every salesperson sells differently.
Step 3
Sales management
A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.
Start here if the team has targets and no routine.
FAQ
Questions owners ask before they call.
Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.
Should we pay wedding planners a commission?
Our customers say lovely things but never refer anyone. Why?
A wedding planner wants us as the only florist on a venue. Should we agree?
A planner sent us a bride and then reopened the price. What now?
How long is the contract?
How soon will we see results?
Who will actually do the work?
What do you need from us?
What if we are not happy with the work?
From the blog
Further reading for flower shops.
More for flower shops
Everything else we would do for you.
Closest to this: customers after the sale
Also for flower shops
Or start from the overview: sales and marketing for flower shops.
Your next practical step
Tell us what you are trying to grow, and we will read it before we call.
Eight short steps, mostly taps. Skip anything you would rather answer on the call.