In the many years that she has worked in the USA, she is still surprised by the missed opportunities of many florists. Consumers can have an immediate response to the color, fragrance and sensational feeling of flowers. One needs to take maximum advantage of this, according to the woman who designed the floral decorations for visits of the Dutch Royal Family to the United States and Australia, for example, and who has also worked for the Academy Awards ceremony, the United Nations and the National Horse Show.   

$ 95.00 on gift
"Recently I was driving through a town in Illinois, along a street with two gift stores. In one store I spent $95.00 and, in another, not a penny. Why? One store had such an eye-catching display and illumination of items that I could view the entire store while sitting in my car. It worked like a magnate! The other store had a curtain in its display window, which blocked my view. Perhaps it had some fantastic items, but I couldn't see them!" 

Training sessions & workshops 
Els enjoys telling such stories -- especially during the training sessions and workshops that she gives to American florists. Ideally, she would prefer to take each of her students to her native country, the Netherlands, so she could show them a random shopping street, where there could be as many as three flower stores, each with something unique to offer. "You have to stand out. What better way to do so than with flowers. Colors, shapes, varieties – anyone can create something unique. Customers love it. 

If you want to sell something, you first have to get the customer's attention. That's why I always say, "look through the eyes of the customer." Go stand in front of your store, look at the impression it gives. Walk through the front door, look around and ask yourself a question, "Does it look good enough? Does it invite me to make a purchase?" I have never known a florist who, after this simple exercise, left things as they were!"