Chapter 1 Careers in Floriculture 11 A salesperson also knows that it is in the shop’s best interest to make the customer happy and maintain the relationship for possible future sales. Delivery Person Service is the nature of the fl oral business, and delivery personnel are a large component of that experience. Whether it is to deliver birthday designs to the home, bridal bouquets to a wedding site, sympathy arrangements to a funeral home, or cheery creations to the hospital, delivery personnel are a critical component. They are often the only representative of the business seen by the recipient of fl oral gifts. By driving carefully in clean, well-maintained vehicles and dressing in a professional manner, delivery personnel make a lasting impression. This is important for the business’s image and builds trust with consumers when they know the business will do a good job for them. Based on the delivery person’s professionalism, people may remember the name of the business and become customers in the future. A delivery person must also know how to handle delivery of perishable fl oral materials. For instance, fresh arrangements in water require more care when driving. Temperatures must be monitored in vehicles or exterior areas when transporting the materials to their destination. A good and well-informed delivery person is valuable for any type of fl oral business, Figure 1-10. Freelance Floral Designer Highly skilled fl oral designers who prefer a more fl exible schedule than a retail fl ower shop provides may prefer to work on a freelance basis. Freelance fl oral designers are another type of entrepreneur. Rather than work for one retail or wholesale business, these designers own their own business. They work for themselves and accept jobs or projects from several different companies and individual clients. To work on a freelance basis, a designer must have a strong understanding of the fundamentals in design, as well as good communication skills. Freelancing has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include being able to set your own hours and choose specifi c jobs that interest you, Figure 1-11. Disadvantages include a lack of usual company benefi ts, such as health insurance and paid time off. As a freelancer, you are responsible for making all of the business decisions. In addition, you take the risk that you will be able to generate enough business to make a profi t. wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com Figure 1-10. It is important that your delivery people make a good impression, because they are the face of the fl oral shop to the recipient. mangostock/Shutterstock.com Figure 1-11. Freelance fl oral designers have the option to set their own hours and can even work from home. Freelancers often put in long hours to meet customer demands, however. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.