Huntsville Florist Reveals Secret To Fresh Flowers

Bishop’s Flowers has been touted as one of the top florist in Huntsville for over 65 years. Highly known for their unique floral designs, they have also gained high recognition throughout the community for having the “freshest flowers in town.” The owners of Bishop’s Flowers attribute their high quality of flowers primarily to the fact that they do not buy flowers in bulk. “Many  florists have large walk-in coolers,” says Jerry Williamson, co-owner of Bishop’s Flowers. “This allows them to buy flowers in bulk from their wholesalers so that they can get a price reduction for buying in high quantities.”

Williamson points out that while this is a common practice with florist, the downside to this is that sometimes florist will hold on to flowers for several days…..even weeks before they diminish their stock. “When you put flowers in a walk in cooler, you hold the tempe

“Even though the flowers may have been slowed in maturing, they are still buying older flowers,” said Williamson. “Here at Bishop’s Flowers, we choose to not have a walk-in cooler so we actually purchase our flowers from the growers in California and South America and from our local wholesalers 3 or 4 times a week.” This ordering process ensures that the flowers that are delivered from Bishop’s Flowers are actually very fresh and have only been in the shop for 2 or 3 days prior to the sale……ensuring top quality for the Huntsville Florist customers.

Grandson Serves As Company Spokesman For Auto Repair Tips in Huntsville

Established in 1983, Marcel Corlett is the owner and operator of this bodyshop, repair and paint facility. His wife Nancy joined the business in 1987 and serves as office and business manager.

But probably the smartest business decision they ever made was featuring their grandson as a spokesperson for their Huntsville auto repair business. Featured in the video in this blog, he points out all some of the top reasons Corlett Collision Repair ranks tops in their industry for the Huntsville and Tennessee Valley areas.

In addition to providing collision repair and paint services for damaged automobiles, Corlett Auto Restoration, Inc. also does full restorations and customizing, as well as non-mechanical custom upgrades to the interiors and exteriors of cars. A total of 10,000 sq ft of shop space with modern state-of-the-art equipment is a reflection of their commitment to customers, ensuring a quality repair on today’s — and yesterday’s — automobiles.

Nancy Corlett is a member of BNI, Business Network International, where she networks with area business owners and representatives to help build her Huntsville Auto Repair business as well as helps other local businesses increase their businesses through referrals.

Bishop’s Flowers, Huntsville’s second oldest florist, has recently relocated to 502 Andrew Jackson Way in the heart of Five Points in Huntsville.

Celebrated for it’s unique floral design and known for having the “freshest flowers in town,” Bishop’s Flowers offers same day delivery throughout the Huntsville area. Located on the corner of Beirne Avenue and Andrew Jackson Way, this Huntsville florist is owned and operated by John Pope, Jerry Williamson, Roger Thomas and Bobby Black. 

Bishop’s Flowers is the perfect choice for fresh flowers and flower arrangements for weddings, birthdays, corporate events, anniversaries or funerals. Their 65+ years of service makes a strong statement about their dedication and reputable service to the Huntsville area.

Bishop’s Flowers is a member of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce and BNI, Business Network International, the world’s largest networking organization.

YouTube Shuts Down Accounts

Internet Marketing Guru Jeff Johnson was recently notified by YouTube that they have closed his account of over 90 videos (3 years of videos) due to violation of terms of service……problem is, YouTube doesn’t tell him what that actual violation was.

Recently, ProBlogger Darren Rowse received the same message from YouTube. Account Closed!

Violation Of Terms Of Service

Also just recently, the video distributing service TubeMogul closed my account for the exact reason: Violation of Terms of Service. Unfortunately, no one will tell me what that terms of service I violated.

So what are the common denominators with all of these closings? if you search Google, you can find where many gurus of the internet marketing industry are having their accounts closed. But, the question is……why?

Jeff Johnson, for example, has been creating marketing videos teaching you how to build your business on line and utilizing the free services of YouTube for over 3 years now. Why, all of a sudden, without warning, is he in violation of Terms Of Service?

The purpose of this video is not to bash any of the free services out there. After all they own the sites and have the rights to do as they please with their sites. It would be nice, however, to still have a good explanation as to why you are having your account closed other than, “violation of terms of service.”

But, I guess the thing here is, this is all basically an automated system and there is no human being punching that button to close the account. It is merely a roll of the dice that we used a word, or a url, or God knows what to activate the buzz word that caused them to think we were in violation.

Consider Amazon s3 Services For Commercial Use

My point is…..don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. There are plenty of free services out there, no matter what your industry is. But, if you rely on that one service, they too can one day flip that switch and you can be out of business literally in seconds. So, that being said, play fair, play by the rules (as you understand them), but understand that the rules change minute by minute in the online world today. Make sure you utilize all of the services you can (check out Amazon s3 services) and spread your messages out amongst several sites to ensure that your online messages can still keep going even if you do fall prey to one of the online giants one day.

And, if you really want to play it safe, check out their pro versions or commercial memberships to ensure that you are not stepping on an online landmine.

Janie Day, LMT, owner DayDreams Therapeutic Massage, Huntsville, Alabama, offers tips and short exercises to relieve shoulder pain, neck pain and back pain. Janie is also a member of BNI The Huntsville Chapter, where she offers advice weekly for her fellow members on how to live a better life with better body wellness through the use of exercise and massage therapy. You can contact Janie at the DayDreams website for more information.

Are you feeling the pain of the holidays yet? Rush, Rush, Rush.

Mary Melissa Smith, Mary Kay Independent Sales Director, Madison, Alabama, can help you with your last minute gift giving ideas. With hundreds of women’s and men’s products, Mary Melissa can give you all the information you need to purchase the right gift for that special person.

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

As a member of the BNI Madison Chapter, Mary Melissa knows the meaning of networking and building business relationships. Her business works almost 100% on referrals. What a great way to build your customer base:  satisfied clients that enjoy helping you grow your business.

In this photograph, Mary Melissa shows off some of her gift items, wrapped to perfection, during her keynote presentation last week at her BNI meeting. If your time is running out, visit her website for some fantastic last minute gifts or visit her at The Pink Zone in Madison, Alabama.

Your Voice Counts…Help Spread The Message And Stop Stalkers Today

Thanksgiving weekend is a holiday weekend filled with food, family, shopping, travels, sports, and fond memories.

But, giving thanks for all of the blessings you have received is the focus of this holiday weekend and for this reason I have chosen this time to introduce you to a project that I feel deserves high merit and recognition…Tracy’s Law.

Brian Morris, Just B Creative Marketing & Advertising, is now highly focused on bringing attention to his venture that may help stop stalkers before it’s too late.

On January 2, 1999, Brian’s sister, Tracy Lynn Morris, age 33, was killed by a 22 year old man who had been stalking her for more than 2 years. Unfortunately there were no laws in place to assist her in stopping this man..

Brian is diligently working to make sure that this type of horrendous act never happens to you or someone in your family. He has created a website Stop My Stalker where you can get more information about stalkers and ways to stop them. And, you can tell your story if you feel it can help others in the same situation, or just get some advice.

As a fellow member of BNI, Brian has reached out to his network of friends and business associates and asked us to help him spread the word about a new law he will be introducing to the Alabama State Legislature in 2011. And, that’s what we do in BNI…we support our collegues. Please watch the attached video and share it with everyone you can to help gain interest for Brian’s special project.

In January, Brian will be presenting documentation and statistics to the legislature that will hopefully give the legislators the information they need to pass “Tracy’s Law.” If passed, this law will give those of you who are being stalked legal rights to get those people off of the streets before it’s too late.

Please join us in helping bring more visibility to this issue by visiting Brian’s website Stop My Stalker and by making him a friend on Facebook (make sure you hit the like button and help spread the word about his project). This will give Brian more statistics to show the Alabama Legislators that a law to protect your family and friends MUST be passed now.

I had the pleasure this week to attend an almost 2-hour free webinar hosted by Keith Ferrazzi on his “Networking Secrets for Thriving in Totally Screwed-Up Times!”

As always, Keith over delivered. So much in fact….that his over 5,000 attendees were literally crashing his servers (so much actually that he offered a few special “deals” to make up for the crashing).

When Keith Ferrazzi starts giving out networking secrets, people from around the world sit up and listen. Keith is well-known for his books “Never Eat Alone” and “Who’s Got Your Back.” And, he’s known for hosting his networking dinners where participants share intimate stories about their lives and careers and their journey to better business success.

This week, Keith unveiled his Business Relationship Mastery Program where he discussed 7 missions in the program. Some of the topics he touched on really hit a chord…..especially when he started out his webinar by quoting an IBM study that found that basically for every contact you had on LinkedIn should add an additional $948 in income to your business. Without getting into the details of the study, the basis of this study is to show you the importance of social media to your business.

Keith’s 7 Missions:

1. Write down one professional goal and then 3 people that can help you attain that goal.
2. Manage your targets: Prioritize those three people above and focus attention where it counts. Measure the intimacy strength of each relationship.
3. Expand your currency: Do your homework  on the three people and prepare a way you can help them.
4. Accelerate every interaction. Find a way to care. “A good networker does research on companies…a great networker does research on people.”
5. Build lifetime relationships: build lifelong relationships from these people. Find yourself mentors and ambassadors.
6. Build your personal brand: use social media to market your brand.
7. Reach out and Ping someone: Make contact with people, have coffee, lunch, dinner, call them, write them a letter.

I know some of my readers now think I have completely lost my mind: how is business networking even similar to growing and picking cotton. And, then there are those of you who REALLY think I’ve lost my mind because you have no concept about process of picking cotton…you’ve probably never even seen a cotton field!

Time To Harvest the Cotton In Alabama

I live in southern Tennessee and my businesses are all located in northern Alabama…the heart of cotton land. And, it’s cotton picking time. When I drive throughout the region visiting various networking groups, much of the territory I am travelling through is now radiant with  acres and acres of beautiful white cotton. A true sight to behold in case you’ve never experienced this. And now is the time for the harvest of the fields.

So exactly how is business networking even similar to picking cotton?

Successful Business Networking Traits

When you join a networking organization like the Chamber of Commerce, The Rotary Club, or BNI you will notice that successful members focus their efforts on getting to know a few select people. These successful members understand that the referral business is all about relationships. And, it takes time to gain the trust of others so they feel comfortable referring business to you. Remember, every time you give a referral to someone you are actually giving a piece of YOU away. That’s right…every time you give someone a referral YOUR reputation goes on the line. And, that’s why the successful networkers are selective with whom they network and spend their time with. They are spending he majority of their time at networking events getting to know people instead of hopping from one networking attendee to another passing out their business cards.

So, the question remains…how does networking compare to growing cotton?

Cultivating Fields of Cotton or Relationships…It’s All The Same

Farmers understand that raising successful crops requires patience and hard work–the two most important attributes of a successful farmer.

Courtland Alabama Cotton Field

Early in the year, the cotton fields are plowed, the dirt is cleared of any weeds, and then the seeds are planted. Throughout the year, as the seedlings begin to grow into tiny cotton plants, the farmers become caretakers for the fields. They will fertilize the fields and keep them properly hydrated so that each plant can grow strong. And, throughout the spring and summer, they will have to constantly weed the fields…removing the weeds is essential because they zap the energy from the healthy plants and will overtake the field. In the late fall, if the farmer has done his job correctly (and with a little help from the heavens), all of the hard work the farmer has put into his fields will begin to pay off. It’s now time to harvest the cotton. It’s cotton pickin’ time. And, now the farmer reaps the rewards from his year long attention to his fields of cotton. He takes the cotton to the cotton gin and has the cotton cleaned and processed and then, and only then,  he gets to take home his payoff for his year long efforts–his paycheck.

Ivan Misner, founder of BNI, the world’s largest referral organization, talks about how networking is like farming. He points out that networking is all about taking the time to build relationships with the correct people and fostering those relationships so that you can have mutual trust with each other. Then, and only then, will networkers begin to pass each other quality referrals.

Building trust takes time…much like growing cotton. But, if you are willing to invest the time and energy to build and gain each other’s trust, you will be able to harvest your referrals each and every year from high quality referral partners.

As a business trainer, one of the greatest parts of my job is when I see those around me begin to grow in their careers and in their personal lives. To actually be able to be a part of their growth process and see a person begin to bloom like a beautiful rose, almost effortlessly, is one of life’s greatest joys.

Tara Schmakel

Today, one of my great friends, Tara Schmakel, will launch a new business venture–Entrepreneurial Excellence Business Forums. Tara and Frank De Raffele Jr., founder of the organization, are working together to bring the Entrepreneurial Excellence Business Forums to Minneapolis, Minnesota as an outlet for business owners to build quality relationships, gain applicable knowledge, and have a like-minded community of support.

Tara, is also the owner of the Workroom at Tara’s.  She has been sewing since a little girl with her Mother and Grandmother. After doing various needle arts for business and pleasure, she settled on sewing for the home. Her creative sewing abilities have gained her work the honor of being  displayed in ASID showcase homes, on HGTV and published in Better Homes and Gardens magazines and books, Midwest Home and Mpls./St. Paul Magazine.

As if she doesn’t have enough to do, Tara is also a BNI Director in Minneapolis. She has been working with small business owners since 2007 helping them learn to grow their business through a structured word-of-mouth marketing and referral process. In BNI, Tara is also being mentored by the organization’s founder, Dr. Ivan Misner, in The Author’s Mentoring Program where Tara is learning to better promote her business with her writing skills. The Once Timid Networker is a blog Tara has created which talks about how she was at one time a very timid networker, afraid to approach, squeemish at the thought of meeting new people. And, now she has blossomed like a rose and become one of the leaders of networking, not only in Minneapolis, but throughout the United States. Tara, has contacts around the world that she works with, consults, and helps as they work to take their businesses to new levels.

During the last three years Tara realized how much she loves helping others to achieve their goals.  The training she has done for BNI along with the one-to-one coaching she has done for small business owners in the Minneapolis area, allowed her to see not just what she enjoyed, but had a true talent for. So now, The Once Timid Networker, takes one more step forward in her business career by joining forces with Frank De Raffele, Jr., an international speaker and founder of Entrepreneurial Excellence, a weekly syndicated radio show that focuses on helping business owners by  giving them the information and educational tools they need to grow and run a more successful business.

“Tara is now taking her small business coaching and training to a different level.  As a Licensed Associate with Entrepreneurial Excellence and an Executive Chair of the Entrepreneurial Excellence Business Forums – Minneapolis, she will be able to bring world class personal and professional development to the small business  owner,” De Raffele said.

This blog post is my way of sending my best wishes to Tara in her new business venture. I am happy to call her a business associate and friend. You can view my YouTube Video “The Once Timid Networker Is A Rock Star” I created for her and then feel free to leave your congratulations notes to her in the comments section. And please feel free to share this posting, retweet the posting and share the YouTube video so we can help her promote her new business…..that’s what we networkers do best, right?

Cheers Tara. Wishing only the best for you!