From Novice to Expert: A Conversation with Lottie McKinnon

Episode 193:  In this episode, we chat with Lottie McKinnon, Program Director, Industry Relations and Education at Teleflora.  Lottie shares her story about how she started in the industry over 15 years ago and how her passion for flowers has driven her success. 

Additionally, Lottie gives listeners a sneak peek into what to expect from the upcoming Teleflora Education programs in 4Q 2023 and beyond into 2024. Her knowledge, personality and uplifting attitude are an inspiration for everyone in the floral industry.

Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

The moment that you kind of go out of your comfort zone and be open to that new experience, you discover a lot of things about yourself.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Welcome to the business and pleasure of flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_02 0:23

And we believe that business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

So, Lori, did you get everything packed for SAF? Vonda, I think you know the answer to that.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

The answer would be no. The answer's not yet. My suitcase broke. So there's that answer. Mark took it on his last work trip, my bigger one, and came back, and the whole front was ripped. So the airlines, you know, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Well, I would have to say we probably have an easy packing venture to go on rather than our special guest, who we have, Lottie McKinnon, who is from Teleflora. She's in charge of industry relations and education. And you're going to be hopping all around, Lottie.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Hi, yes, I am. Again, packing challenge that we were just talking about. Yes, lots of trips coming up for September and October. Busy time, but also exciting.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Yes, by the time this airs, you will be in a completely other country. In fact, you're going to get on a plane right after we record this. So tell us real quick where you're getting ready to be going.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Yeah, so I am going to the UK, a couple of days visiting family and friends, and then I will be attending the Interflora World Cup, which is super exciting. It's kind of been a dream of mine. So yeah, well, I'm doing that. And then I fly to uh Canada to film the holiday commercial for Teleflora. So busy time and lots more to come.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Now, is that the commercial that always makes everybody cry?

SPEAKER_00 2:09

Yeah, that will be the but hopefully it won't be my designs that make everyone cry.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

No, good. They're just so good.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

They are good. They are good. So let's back up, right, Lori? Right. And ask Lottie, tell us how you started in the floral industry because you haven't been here as long as I have.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

So tell us how you got started. Well, it's a long story. I was in the events industry through the hotel industry. And I used to do a lot of the weddings and social events. And one day I had a bride who had booked her own florist. We know where this story is going. She booked her own florist, and then the day before her florist cancelled on her. And yeah, so she called me and I said, Look, it's kind of late, especially for what you want. But she said some of her girlfriends were going to go down to the flower market in downtown LA. And thankfully, we're very lucky here that there's lots of choice and a lot of availability. Um so she came to me the morning of her wedding with a huge bucket of flowers and said, Can you do something with this? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. And so, you know, I love flowers. I mean, my father's a gardener, you know, at Royal Horticultural Society used to go to all of those things. So but didn't really know what I was doing as far as the design aspect of it. So I just looked at some photographs that I had of of other work that other florists had done for some of my weddings. And I did my very best. She was happy, so it can't have been that bad. But that kind of stuck with me because I, you know, I really enjoyed it, even though it's like the craziness of the wedding and everyone's stressed out and running around and all of that stuff. But I just really found a kind of a sense of you know peace and like grounding during that time, even though I was trying to get, you know, 17 centerpieces done in an hour. But that kind of stuck with me. And then uh years later, I met this incredible man in an elevator at the teleflora building called Rich Salvaggio. And I know that that name will resonate with a lot of people, and so we got chit-chatting, and he said, basically, I like you, you seem like fun. And so and he's been saying that and he had an open position. So I went to work with Rich, and uh, that was 15 years ago that I'd been at Teleflora. Yeah, and now what were you doing in the Teleflora building at the time? Um, I was actually interviewing for a position at the um the agency, the advertising agency that's part of the wonderful company company. So yeah, I was interviewing there, and um it was just a chance meeting, and then 15 years later, here we are. And so he just took me under his wing, and uh I really, you know, I can't I get to work around people like Vonda and all the other education specialists on the team, and uh they would come in for uh photo shoots and I would stand behind them, and I'm sure I annoyed Vonda as well. But I would I would point at flowers and say, What's that called? Why are you doing that? Why does that be there? And so I kind of learnt uh at the beginning by osmosis, and then you know, so I've been doing some design work as well as running the education department. So it's all happening towards the latter part of my career, which is kind of cool.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

So speaking of the education department, which is what you run, what is on the calendar for the Teleflora Education Department for the rest of 2023 and winter 2024? What does it look like now? Is it different than it was pre-COVID?

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Yeah, a little bit. I think we're finding that people are more interested in doing some hands-on classes. So we're we're putting more of a focus on that towards these last couple of months of the year. We've got um lots of great opportunities across the country for both stage programs, some hands-on opportunities. And we have a couple more uh Design Academy classes, which are sort of multi-day, you know, uh intensive kind of classes. One of them, uh, which is in person, is in North Carolina with the amazing Jody McLeod, who, as some of you may know, is the mayor of uh Clayton, North Carolina. So a bunch of florists are gonna take over Clayton, North Carolina, and we we're gonna be doing some, you know, making some structures for weddings, and also he'll be hosting us at the mayor's mansion for a little cocktail party, which is like really exciting. Yes. But we have some virtual opportunities coming up, you know, there's just a lot going on, which is awesome.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

What's the goal of the teleflora education program and and who's it for? When I've mentioned the program to some of the Flower Click members and people that maybe aren't Teleflora members, they're like, what's that? And so for you being on here, having this platform for people that don't know what it is, explain it to them.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

So we have in-person and virtual hands-on classes and programs, and they are open to everybody. We want to embrace everybody in the flower industry, from fledgling designers, newbies to those who have been in the industry, you know, 30, 40 years. Everybody is welcome. I guarantee you that you will learn at least one thing. You'll walk away learning at least one thing from them. We just want to make sure that we include everybody. And so there is a misconception out there that it's only for telephone members, and it's most definitely not. So definitely come to one, and I promise you that you will learn something. You'll meet some new people. Um, you'll not only learn uh design tips and techniques, but you will also learn some business information, which is uh particularly top of mind now as we're talking about uh, you know, expenses rising and the end of the summer months, which I know are tough for a lot of areas. So really the the idea is just to help as many florists as we can to grow. I mean, that's essentially what it boils down to.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

Where can a person go to find a schedule?

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Yeah, the best place is our Facebook page. We have a lot of information on there. Um so it's Teleflora Industry Relations in Education. We also have a YouTube channel, so there are tons of videos on there from previous uh virtual programs that we've done. Uh we kind of started doing that during COVID and it became you know kind of popular. And and uh that's how that's another side of the industry that I had no idea about. And now and thanks to Vonda who has been been able to coach me through some of the little tips and tricks with that too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

And now you're an expert. I mean, you do better than anyone. It's like, oh, Lottie's got this. Yeah, let her take that.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

No, you have to be kind of like producer, director, you know, post, everything. It feels like uh your own little chat show.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

Yeah, yeah. I remember Vonda and I doing one for you guys that you had me at hello during COVID. Yes, and I was in Ohio, uh driven because we couldn't fly, driven from Texas to Ohio with my son to go visit our other son. And I was in a little apartment bedroom, remember? And I was trying to get like a background to not look like a 20-year-old boy's room to make it look some sort of professional. Oh my god, but we made it work, we made it all work, and it was the three of us, and that was one of the first ones that was a virtual teleflora webinar.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

And I was surprised there was a lot of people that came, yeah, and they they still do, they still do, and even if you look back on the videos, even from the beginning of COVID, a lot of the content in there is still really relevant. I mean, people are still, you know, have challenges with some of the same things, things have evolved, but but there is a lot of really great content on there that I'm I'm really proud of. I mean, we've learned a lot.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

We link your YouTube channel to a couple of our sales training. That's really good stuff on there. So and it's free. Go watch it, it's free stuff. Free stuff is always good stuff.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Okay, next question for you is back to your job. So, what is one thing about your job that your job has taught you that you feel like everyone at some point in their life should learn?

SPEAKER_00 11:45

I for me, it is be open to new experiences. Sometimes people see things in you that you don't necessarily see in yourself. And the moment that you kind of go out of your comfort zone and be open to that new experience, you discover a lot of things about yourself and about the world and about the people that you work with and about the product that you work with. So I would definitely say be open to new experiences. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 12:17

That's great. Do you see yourself as opened mindset or more of a fixed mindset when you came into the job?

SPEAKER_00 12:27

When I came into the job, I was very much of a fixed mindset. But you know, COVID has taught me a lot. I thought it's taught taught us a lot as an industry. I'm very much more open now. And yeah, I think I and I don't, I'll never go back.

SPEAKER_02 12:46

Yeah. Isn't it more freeing when we have our our minds are more open to hey, maybe I can learn something from this. Exactly. You know, I'm the same way in a lot of ways. I thought I was always more open-minded, but I look back and there were ways I had very fixed mindset and ways, and I'm like, ah, wow, that's crazy. Because I think you can all there's always opportunities to learn, right? You know, something new.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

I think your closed is probably has something to do with the subject too, and I think we're all like that. Some subjects were more closed minds than others, right?

SPEAKER_02 13:24

Right, exactly. What is your favorite productivity hack for Floris? And I'm asking you this because going back to these virtual webinars and every one of these classes that you have had to participate in, I mean, you've had to be there, right? You've sat through a lot of classes.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

She's heard it all.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

She's heard it all, whether it's a design hack or a productivity hack or a profit hack, like whatever, and you can give more than one. What are some like moments that you're that? Oh, I'm writing that one down. That's a good one.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Oh, there are so many, Lori. I mean, just you know, how again, how lucky am I that I get to work around these incredible people every day that I learn from constantly? So, you know, without being too like super practical, maybe I can be a little bit more ethereal. So, you know, definitely be prepared. There are so many ways to prep containers, hard goods, you know, your ribbons, all the things that you need. Obviously, communicate that to your staff. Make sure that you have regular meetings, uh, motivate them. You know, there are several uh videos that we've done and photographs that we've used of of ways to kind of do the design prep behind the scenes, and and um there's one that I'm thinking of in particular, and that's uh Ralph Giordano does an amazing job of posting his uh his pre-holiday prep. And I think that everybody can learn from that. And um, if you don't already uh definitely check out uh his social media because those are uh insanely practical and super simple but super effective. Um something I learned from Vonda is uh customer service, and um, you know, I think certainly since COVID, this is something that we've focused on or had to focus on a lot more customer service, not only um from your web sales, but also when somebody people still like to pick up the phone and talk to a human being and place that order. So make sure that your staff are all trained. And then lastly, I would say stay hydrated.

SPEAKER_02 15:51

Yeah, no, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 15:56

Love it.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

It's true.

SPEAKER_02 15:57

It's true.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

As we're all in here drinking our water.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

Well, it's fine when you're doing this, but when you're when you're in the shop or at the design bench and you've got like a million things going and people hollering, and I've got this, and what about this? It's so easy to get to you know, through the day and thinking, I haven't even had one sip of water. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

No, it's you went somewhere and worked for a holiday, didn't you, recently?

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Yeah, so there's a there's a a shop locally that yeah, I I try and work for at least one holiday a year. And so yeah, yeah, and I I learned the hard way about not staying hydrated.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

I love that. I love that because so many people in your position, right? They're at the desk, they're managing designers and the whole industry, but they really don't have a clue what goes on behind the scenes. And I love that when you told us, I'm gonna go work, wasn't it for Liz? Yes, yeah, I'm gonna go work for Liz. And I'm like, wow, that is so awesome, because now you're thrown into the middle of everything and you see it and you experience it, and there's no way to know the industry better than actually be in there, and then from there you can manage and observe and see everything that's going on so much better, right? With eyes wide open. And I just I I have to give you a lot of respect for that, Lottie, because so many don't do that, and I think that's pretty pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 17:22

What did you do there?

SPEAKER_00 17:23

Did you answer their phone or so yeah, in the past she's trusted me with making deliveries, but this year she trusted me doing doing sales, so I was kind of in the front of the store, and it's kind of cool, actually, especially on Valentine's Day. I uh wow, yeah, it just feels it feels really good. And at the end of the day, you're just exhausted, but you know that you know selling flowers in that way is just amazing.

SPEAKER_02 17:58

See, I would I've told Vonda this before, I would love to do that. Here's my biggest issue. I don't I wouldn't know how to use your POS system. You know how to use the dub POS system.

unknown 18:13

I do not.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

Well it would take me a month to get trained on this dang POS system before I could even do that. I just want to go, I want to answer the phone, I want to talk to the customers, and I want to pass it off to the POS person.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

Let them type it all in. Sure, you could, Lori. I mean, look at all this tech that you do for these cards and everything. It's not that difficult. And if you are the one selling and somebody else is is inputting, and that's fine too.

SPEAKER_02 18:42

I just wanted to do it. I just volunteer for the day just to go sell it. I think it would be really fun. I know. I gotta I need to find one of our members that would let me go do that because I think it would be an incredible experience, I think it'd be a humbling experience.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

It is humbling, and you learn, but you learn a lot.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Yeah, we do. Yeah, I I I would agree. So, okay. Next question. If you were not in that elevator and you never met Rich Salvaggio, okay, yeah, let's just pretend we're just gonna say the fate did not take place that day. What other occupation would you be doing right now? What would you be doing?

SPEAKER_00 19:31

Well, I would have to say probably something in the fashion or shoe industry.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

I would love shoes and fashion.

SPEAKER_00 19:44

So yeah, probably I would love to, you know, be fashion designer or shoe designer. Um for those of you who know me, I love my shoes and my clothes. Even though since COVID, they're not as easy to put on and wear every day.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Yeah, yeah. So the question is, are you taking an extra suitcase across the pond this time to shop and bring back? I think you know me too well, Victor. I would be doing that. That's just saying, just to say it.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

Well, especially as my mum called me last week and said that the sales are on. So she's already scoped out the shops in and in which order we're going.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

Love that.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

So you are you doing fall shoe shopping? I don't I don't know that I'm that focused. I I would like to say shoes in general, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 20:40

No, just general, Laura. Just general. I'm jealous. I would like for you to post on your social media with shoes because we could live vicariously through you. That's happening. I do love shoes too. We are all in about the shoes. That would be we support your hobby. Let's just call it a hobby.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

It's yeah, art collection, that's what I see it as. Our collection.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

I'll have to tell you my shoe story really quick, because I shopped a lot with Michelle Perry White. Yes, you know, Michelle. So we would go shopping and she would buy new shoes, like three pairs. And she would take the shoes and put them in a bag and throw the box away. Because she said, when I get home, and if I don't have a new shoe box, Henry doesn't think I bought new shoes. Very smart. And so I was like, Oh, now genius.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

Genius.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

I just thought that was crazy.

SPEAKER_02 21:35

Well, and after my own heart.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

I keep them in my car for you know a couple of weeks, and then then I take them to the dumpster at the office.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

There you go, see? Same thing. Same thing. We all you gotta do what you gotta do.

SPEAKER_02 21:54

All right, last question. What's your favorite movie? Or if you can't think of a movie. You could say your favorite book.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

I love movies, and I'm gonna say love actually, because I'm I'm a big old romantic at heart, and it's an English movie, and I watch it every year at Christmas.

SPEAKER_02 22:14

Yes, I do love that movie. I watch it a couple of times at Christmas, and even if it's randomly on and it's not a Christmas, but I do love, love that movie.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

And you just probably sit and cry, right?

SPEAKER_00 22:28

Yeah, and laugh, but it's so good. But I love the closing line when he says, because love actually is all around.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

That it is yes when he dances the whole season when he dances, and that was done in one take, and he said he didn't even practice it and he just had to do it because he hated doing it, he didn't want to do it, doing it, it's one of my favorites. Me too. It's so good. That and the holiday, those are my two Christmas movies, yeah, and they're both inning in the UK.

SPEAKER_01 23:05

So but what's really cool is what you just said. Tell me the closing line in that movie again. But love actually is all around, all around, and that's what you know what, Lottie, you you live that because when you're out in among people, the love, like you you can see it that you're looking for the love in the people around you, and the people love you too. You it's just you know, sometimes, gosh, that line just touches me because I'm thinking, gosh, that is so true. And and if you see the good in people and the the love that's all around you, it can change the world, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

We all have flowers in common that you know we can change little tiny parts of people's lives by, you know, just a little tiny gift. It doesn't have to be a big extravagant thing. We can create these amazing, you know, tablescapes, we can create these incredible photographs for people's weddings and these amazing events, but it it doesn't matter that you know the size or the the money is just about the gesture, and we have that in common, and I think that we have more in common than we have differences. So, you know, we we're a flower family and I love that.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Yeah, I agree, I absolutely agree. Thank you for coming on here, and thanks for taking time when you have so many things you need to do today, especially go look for that extra suitcase to put all those shoes in and ice. I wanted to ask, I've had some of our members ask me, how does one become a teleflora education specialist? And my answer has been, I don't know. I don't know, I have no idea. The cool thing, as far as I've ever known, you don't have a turnover rate in teleflora education specialists. I mean, those people, as long as I've been in this industry, I feel like it's been the same people. But what does it take to be one? And how does one become one?

SPEAKER_00 25:12

Well, for me, it's a combination of you know, knowledge about the industry, but it's about design skills, it's about speaking skills, because it's also important to engage with your audience. And so, you know, all of the education specialists, I'm so thankful that I get to work with them all the time. They're so supportive of me. They're amazing mentors, not just of me, but you know, anybody that asks them for their help, they're mentors. And and I see them as mentors and leaders in the industry. And so to become an education specialist, you have to have um an amazing balance of all of those things. And so it doesn't happen often the turnover, and I'm thankful for that because I I enjoy working with everybody, but I also enjoy seeing how things change and how we change as a team, but also how we work together as a team. Um, and certainly over the last couple of months, we've been doing more um shows and classes with more than one educator at a time. And so, you know, I love the way that people they bounce off of each other because they have every every single one of them has their own specific style, which you know, I see everybody as like pieces of a of a pie, and together we make this whole amazing, beautiful pie. And so I hope that nobody leaves me. But um yeah, I mean, we're you know, we're always open to talking to people who have all of those skills, and obviously being a member of AIFD um is very an important part of that because you know we teach the principles and elements, is is a very important part of what we teach. So it's kind of a big combination and it's kind of yeah, it's a lot of things. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:11

Well, and they have to be willing to travel, right? So they would have to do microbus. I mean, and they have so it's I I do tell them I know it's a commitment. I mean, it's not it is just to do virtual webinar, like you or there's travel involved. But so they could reach out to you, or I think I usually just push them over to Bond and let her have to explain it. But I do I have had people ask that because it's intriguing. And then I I want to say one more thing. I know I I didn't go to AIFD this year, but I was there last year, and I know I mentioned this to you again, but the program that the you and this education specialists did with your husband's band was still in my book, one of the most captivating, beautiful, and entertaining programs I have ever seen in my history of being in this industry. And I just loved it so, so, so much. And I still, though my favorite part was Renee Tucci and her partner dancing. I loved it. I absolutely loved it.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

Thank you, Lori. It was it was a it was so fun doing it as a team as well, because you know, the whole process of of doing a program at AIFD is definitely not for the faint of heart, and you know, as a team, everybody pulled together and it just was so much fun to do. And yeah, I've tried to persuade uh Renee and John to recreate that, but that was so good. There's no there's no amount of money in the world that will I don't do that yet.

SPEAKER_02 29:00

No, oil is good, but you could you could feel the love and friendship that everyone up there had, not only with their partner, because each one of you guys had a partner, but but when partners were talking, the rest of the people were leaning in, yeah, because I'm always looking, you know, I'm always reading people's body language. And um it was just a really cool moment because I could tell everyone has such respect for one another up there, and you don't there was nobody out for themselves, I guess is what I or but that I that I the audience could sense, right?

SPEAKER_01 29:44

Even even in the back room, there was nobody out for themselves.

SPEAKER_02 29:47

No, right, and and so I think that's rare in a team that size it's really hard to not have somebody that's like, oh well, I feel like I'm in probably a little better than the rest. There you didn't get no one gave the that off at all. So that's great. Kudos.

SPEAKER_00 30:05

Thank you. Yeah, and that definitely is is genuine. I mean, that's exactly how everybody is. So thank you for saying that.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

Yeah, it was it was good. So anyway, all right, good luck on your flight. I hope you have really good headphones, noise canceling headphones. I do, I do.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

Thank you. Thank you so much and have an amazing time at SAF. Yes, we'll miss you. Yeah, we'll miss you, but but not really.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

You'll be having so much. You'll have way more fun.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

We'll all be looking at there's tons of social media on both sides.

SPEAKER_02 30:37

So thank you so much for listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us because we enjoy spending time with you. If you did, make sure you hit that subscribe button or add the business and pleasure of flowers to your Google morning routine or your flash briefing on Alexa. We look forward to seeing you next week.

SPEAKER_01 31:02

So please come back and join us to discover how a bit of knowledge and one small change in your mindset can take you to new levels in your life and business.