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Jim McCann President 1-800-FLOWERS And his new book: Stop and Sell the Roses

After he started working at the St. John's Home for Boys in Queens, New York, Jim McCann realized he wasn't very good at being a social worker. How could he keep his boys out of trouble if they wouldn't even listen to him?

Using his mother's spare tomato plants as an opener, he caught the attention of Norman, one of the home's toughest residents. Day after day, the social worker and the troubled boy worked in the home's side yard. They weeded, watered, staked, and talked-about everything. Now McCann had Norman's ear, and his trust. They had made contact, and forged an enduring connection. From those tomato plants emerged McCann's first commandment for success: First make a relationship, then do business.

Flash forward to 10 years later. McCann, was looking for a way to supplement his social worker's salary. In his words, he had a wife and children that "wanted to do strange things-like eat and wear clothes."On a tip from a friend, he sunk everything he had into a Manhattan flower shop-which soon grew into a successful string of stores. One early November morning, he heard a radio announcer advertising a company called 1-800-FLOWERS, and soon McCann was interested. But the company, as it turns out, was near bankruptcy. Taking it over, and spending the millions needed for its global phone number, McCann again faced tremendous risk-and tremendous opportunity as well. "I always knew I would build something," McCann says. "I didn't know it would be in this industry, but with a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, things turned out OK."

Did they ever. That once-failing company is now, merely a decade later, a thriving $300 million business. How did McCann succeed in turning a floundering company into the world's largest florist, with a successful 800 number, a vast retail network, and a top-rated Internet presence? He remembered the tomato plants. When using a new technology in business, be it 800 numbers in the 80s or the Internet today, the rules are the same. People want contact. The closer it is to face to face, the better. Make that happen, says McCann, and you'll be able to exceed all expectations.

This simple but unforgettable lesson forms the bedrock of McCann's book, STOP AND SELL THE ROSES (Ballantine Books; $25.00 hardcover; April 27, 1998). Part personal odyssey, part sage advice, the book gets to the heart of doing business in the digital age, emphasizing the human element above all. "Building relationships," says McCann, "are everything."

Connect, grow your business, have fun.
From making contact with troubled boys to dealing with a million customers, McCann's creed of good relationships, and the tactics based on it work across the board. Some of these tactics may be unusual, but all reflect the belief that while making the connections, work should also be fun.

The power of praise.
McCann learned when working with his truant young charges that a little praise went a long way. He's found that strategy energizes his employees as well. A refrigerator door mounted on the wall of the 1-800-FLOWERS' telecenter displays letters of commendation whenever an employee does something noteworthy during a customer call. The result: Employees flock to the door each day to see if their names are on it.

The Web isn't interactive, people are.
McCann's smiling face (complete with bouquet) frequently stars on popular ads for AT&T and Apple. But how has his no-tech flower business connected with such technological giants? Easy, McCann asserts. For a company to get ahead in this digital age, tapping into the prevailing currents is crucial. The trick is to treat technology as a human link, requiring the same good heart and personal contact.

Ten percent of the 1-800-FLOWERS business is now done online, and the percentage is constantly growing. This expanding retail frontier complements the 800 number and is a natural next step for a company known for embracing technology. But McCann suggests it is not enough simply to be there. Your website must capture your customers-by entertaining them and responding to their needs. Finally, McCann asserts that you should use technology to free up your people to connect with your customers.

This is the age of Commerce as Entertainment.
McCann makes it clear just how far commerce has come since his days as a social worker and fledgling florist. Back in the early 60s, the retail business and the workplace in general were still ruled by dinosaurs. Products were simpler. There were fewer choices. Fun, shopping for fun, products that were fun...wasn't part of the general game plan yet. But today, he writes, "We want to spend our money on goods that indicate a certain lifestyle, and we want to be entertained."

How does that translate into the flower market? McCann carefully engineered the company's culture to be a true workplace for the millennium. He supports customer service par excellence-right down to the supervisor, Gloria, who spent three hours one Valentine's Day trying to get a delivery to a customer's sick aunt who lived in a remote area; Gloria succeeded by calling the local policeman who knew the woman and happily brought the flowers to her. Always going that extra mile to build a brand, 1-800-FLOWERS is much more than a basic service, "here's your order," company.

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Based on long years of experience, from mistakes to success, STOP AND SELL THE ROSES will help speed up everyone's learning curve. Readers will come away feeling as if they have just completed that single MBA course they never got to take: How A Business Grows. For, as the book shows, McCann's career happened organically, growing, as the author puts it, "the way flowers do. If it worked, we did it. Sure, we made our share of mistakes along the way, but we've tried to recover quickly and learn from every one. That's the difference between a successful entrepreneur and a failed one."

Jim McCann is the president of 1-800-FLOWERS, the world's largest florist. Recently named Toastmasters International's top business speaker, he is active in numerous business and community organizations, including the boards of directors of Gateway 2000, OfficeMax, the National Retail Foundation, PETCO and Very Special Arts. He lives on Long Island with his wife and three children.

STOP AND SELL THE ROSES: Lessons from Business & Life By Jim McCann Ballantine Books Price: $25.00 hardcover, U.S./$35.00 Canada Pub: April 27, 1998 Pages: 240 ISBN: 345-41675-9