Holiday Hustle: Three Expert Tips for Retail Florists

Episode 205: Lori and Vonda dive into the topic of setting up for a successful selling season in the floral business. With their expertise and experience, they share their top 3 tips for success during the holiday season.

In addition to their main tips, Lori and Vonda also provide some valuable bonus tips, including one that can make or break repeat sales going forward. Tune in to discover how to make the most of this bustling season and ensure your floral business flourishes during the festive period.

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

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:03

Here's what I'm gonna say, especially this time of year. Emails are huge. Everyone, again, are looking for promotions. Everybody is keeping an eye on their emails.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Welcome to the Business and Pleasure of Flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_03 0:23

And we believe that business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda. All right, Vonda. Are you still full from Thanksgiving?

SPEAKER_01 0:36

No, I've settled down a little bit. You know, trying to take it easy. Back off that heavy food. Yeah. Do you have a lot of leftovers? We still have leftovers right now as we speak. The turkey carcasses cooking. You know how you cook it down so you can make some soup. So that's been making today. Nice way to recycle the carcass. Use the whole thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

You waste not want not, as my grandma Odine always said.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

A good turkey rice soup is great. Sound good. Especially soup. Cold.

SPEAKER_03 1:11

Yes, yes, because it's really cold here in Houston and as it is in Florida. We just had that conversation. Speaking of soup, I made a yummy soup yesterday, broccoli cheddar. Ooh, ooh. It was quite delicious. And both the boys, no one complained, except when they realized I had no plain saltine crackers. Apparently, I needed those. I had bread, yummy, crusty bread in the oven. Yeah. My husband's like, Where's the crackers? What? Oh my gosh. What are you eight?

SPEAKER_02 1:56

I was so annoyed. They do revert sometimes. Exactly. He's like, I just want like those plain saltine crackers.

SPEAKER_03 2:02

I was like, well, we don't have those. Eat the crusty bread that came out of the oven.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Oh my gosh. So wow, you did it. You really did look good. I did.

SPEAKER_03 2:12

I was really proud of myself. I did that. And I got my tree up, but no, no decor. And here's something I want to say to all of our listeners who are florists slash designers tour flowershop owners. Next year, I think I say this every year. I'm going to run a contest. And the winner of said contest gets to come to my home and decorate my tree. I knew that was going to say. I knew you were going to say that. Gets to come to my house and decorate for me. I have such a love-hate feeling when it comes to decorating my tree. The hardest part is the top. All of the sticks and stuff now that have to be up on the top, you know, to make it pretty. I have redone my top four or five times Saturday and Sunday. And I still am not happy with it. And I know at times you and Ellie have done it for me when you guys were here. I think I overthink it. You overthink it, yeah, for sure. And I know one time during COVID, I was doing a Facebook Live on our members only site, and they were like, go to the left, go to the right.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

And they were chatting in what I was supposed to do.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

And so I just don't like it. I think if anyone else was to do it, I would love it. Right. You know what I mean? So that makes a huge difference. Yeah, that makes a huge difference. Yeah. I think I missed the days where you just put like a little angel on the top and you called it.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

You can still do that. You could still just do an angel or a star lory. So and then you could put those branches in the tree and not even worry about it. Yeah, maybe I'll do that. You know what's come back is tinsel. Have you seen that? I've seen that. How do you feel about it? Um, I didn't love it when it was out, so I'm not like a huge tinsel lover. I love it on other people's tree, but it's not I think it's beautiful. But here's my thing: how do you get it off the tree after Christmas?

SPEAKER_03 4:20

It's no fun. It is no fun. I do remember that.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

If you have a real tree, no big deal, right? You take your ornaments off, they throw the whole thing away. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:30

Here's my other thing about Christmas, and then we will move on because this is a good segue. We are seguing in. Yes, we are. Here's what I don't understand. Am I the only person on the planet that uses ornaments that I have had like for the past 30 years? I feel like every tree I see on the TikTok or on Instagram every year is a new theme. And I'm like, what the heck?

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Like, I love my ornaments. And you should. I think a lot of people have multiple trees. So they have one like traditional tree, and then they'll have a designer tree, which is what you're seeing. People change things out. So I think you need to tell Mark you need one more tree that could be a designer tree, and then you keep your traditional tree as well. Well, but then I would need a designer to come and do that tree.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

That's the problem.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

That's true. I cannot put your traditional one. I think it's beautiful. And you have all those kids' ornaments on it, and they're I put all my kids' ornaments, the homemade ones are in the back.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

But I have a lot of like Christopher Radco and I have gorgeous glass ornaments that were my mother's that have been passed down to me. And I love all of them. And every ornament that I put on my tree, I can remember where it came from, who gave it to me. And of course, I have just like you know, balls that you buy for filler. But I feel like every year people are doing new themes. I'm like, am I supposed to jump on that bandwagon? No, you shouldn't, Lori. Don't don't do it. I'm not, I'm not, because I would have to go to the store, and then that's a whole nother conversation and feeling of overwhelmed. And we don't need that. We don't need that. We don't need that. So speaking of Christmas, yes, speaking of Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Here's my segue.

SPEAKER_03 6:23

What do floral businesses need to be doing between now and Christmas?

SPEAKER_01 6:30

I think what we wanted to talk about was what do you need to be doing now to set yourself up for success by the end of the month that you're not going, oh crap, I worked all that for this. Right, right.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

So you texted me last night and you were like, okay, here's what we're gonna talk about. We're each gonna say our top three things of what we think floral businesses need to be doing. I just gave you the thumbs up emoji because I think I was watching a football game. I was watching my quarterback Jalen Hurts go Eagles. So anyway, yeah. Nothing like waiting till the last one. Yeah, and so okay, my question is what were your three things?

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Price, price, and price.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

Okay, so you told me this earlier, and I giggled because you know what mine are? No, what are yours? I legit, and I'm gonna share my document with you because I didn't share it earlier. I wrote down three things to focus on marketing, marketing, marketing.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

Oh boy, boy, does that say uh business and pleasure? Like nothing else. I love that. Oh my gosh. Isn't that funny?

SPEAKER_02 7:47

Like we're we're we're very simple-minded, we're very focused, hyper focused on what we believe.

SPEAKER_03 7:54

So, okay, so let's start with yours. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

I did write down a bunch of stuff under marketing, but I have three different things under what's your first thing. So my first one on pricing is make sure you check those invoices when they're coming in. I know you probably pre-book some stuff and there's certain prices coming in, or if you're ordering flowers in direct and you're paying shipping costs on those, make sure you're putting those on the cost of the flowers and make adjustments as necessary. I mean, this week they might cost a certain price, next week they might cost more because of the shipping that's costing, you know, for either the wholesaler or yourself to get them into the door. You need to be able to adjust those prices accordingly. You can't say, oh, but I said so-and-so. It was going to be, you know, X amount for the rows. If you're paying more for the rows, you need to charge more for the rows. So that's mine. Price. Price. And that's something to do weekly. Almost every day when those invoices are coming in. So you have to have your eye on the ball. Okay. Just take a look at those, make sure you're getting your proper markup on the flowers as they're coming in the door. Okay. Very good. That's my pricing. So what's yours? Give me a moment.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

Well, know what your promo promos are going to be for the month of December. We're coming off of small business Saturday, which, you know, in Flower Click, we have an email marketing program. And so it's very interesting because the shops that are in our email marketing program, it's kind of 50-50 on the businesses that really push it and the other businesses that are like, yeah, we really are focusing more on our December 1st open house or our this or that. What I find is the shops that are in a high traffic area, small business Saturday is great. And they are pushing promotions. Coming off of that, what promotions are you gonna have? Be mindful. Everyone is looking for a deal. That doesn't mean you have to have like rock bottom price, but they want a deal. So what is you know, a bundle? Put a couple of things together, have a cute basket, have a cute little vignette in your store. Make sure whatever promotions you have, everyone on your staff is knowledgeable.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

I love that. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, Lori.

SPEAKER_03 10:32

All right, what was your other one?

SPEAKER_01 10:34

My next one is pricing on your website. Make sure that if a customer is coming to your website to order flowers for mom or a special occasion, we're getting a lot of orders coming in for the holidays. And if those aren't priced correctly, then not only is that order coming in, not with the right price, but as Cammy, who's our web director, always says, that's a menu. So when people are looking at your website and they see something that's like, oh, this is a great big looking arrangement for $49.95. And I think I can get that, and I'm gonna call your store. And you know, they're not gonna get a lot for $49.95, right? And probably shouldn't be on your website at that price. So it's that thing that if it's not priced correctly on your website, it probably not gonna set up that expectations for you in your store. Come back down to that pricing, right? As we gear up, we're gonna sell more. And the more you sell at the wrong price, the more you're gonna lose. Yeah. I mean, the whole idea is you sell more, you make more. I mean, right profit's not a bad word, guys. So be sure, start with that website, take the time to go through that. If you're not a Flower Click member, you're gonna have to do that. We have that taken care of for our members. But if you're not, please, please take the time to make sure things are priced correctly.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

Yeah. And I'm gonna stay on the website, your promotions. Make sure, because not everybody's gonna come in your store. Most of us sit behind a computer all day long, right? And we shop from our computer. Yes. Um, make sure your promotions are on your computer. But here's what I want to say, because I am fully aware that promotions might change daily, weekly, and you don't want to go into your website or you don't want to be emailing Cammy. Cammy doesn't want you to email every day. Hey, change this, change this, change this. I get that. Here's what you can do, and what a lot of our members do, at least in emails, because I'm adding this to emails all the time. Have a little part on your website or send out in the emails, always encouraging them to follow you on your social media accounts. That's where you make those daily changes. That's where you're posting those daily promotional pictures, that's where you're showing them the inside of your store, like the behind the scenes, right? You think of the website. Yes, it's gonna, you're gonna change the pretty pictures and you're gonna change stuff. And then on the about us page, you're gonna have some more little personal get-to-know stuff. But the social media is you opened the door. It's kind of like I always think of the open house. You get to go in and see what's in there, right? Without actually having to physically go in. So think of it, that's where you're gonna have those daily promotions.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

And a lot of the daily promotions people are putting on their Facebook page is for like them to come in, right? To come in and purchase this or call now.

SPEAKER_03 14:02

This is what we have going on today. Here's our special. One of our shops in Toledo right now, she's running a special. This they have this super cute, very simple, just a little tote bag, just something for their downtown. And for every, I don't know, like hundred dollar purchase in their store. Their downtown chamber of commerce was offering this little tote bag for any of the downtown boutiques. I mean, little things like that, you know, whatever your promotion is. And they're featuring that. And she actually I put it in their email and I put the link that goes to their social media, not on their website, because that's a little more difficult to change, but their social media is where all the fast-paced actions happening.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Yeah, yeah. Okay, that makes a lot of sense. Great marketing idea. All right, okay, more price. Price, price in store, price every day equals profit. So that's that's basically it. I do think that the busier we get, the harder it is to really keep in mind that it does make a difference for pricing them. And then the productivity, another P word. Here we have price and profit, productivity. My my favorites, yep, right line. Yep, yep. And you have to be super productive because that makes a difference in the pricing that you have. If you have a designer who's very slow, very articulate in what they're doing, but very slow, then the price of that labor goes up. So you have to really focus on okay, how can we go faster, but still put out a really great product? Yeah. And keeping in mind the prices, use recipes, don't just like wing it. You know, it's like what goes into this arrangement for $99. And don't put those extra stems in there because again, we want to make a profit at the end of the month after all the hard work and dedication you've put into this. Yeah, yeah, I agree. That's good.

SPEAKER_03 16:05

Okay, so the next thing I'm gonna talk about email marketing. A lot of people don't love email marketing. Here's what I'm gonna say, especially this time of year, emails are huge. Everyone, again, are looking for promotions. Everybody is keeping an eye on their emails because of sales and they're everyone's shopping right now because it's Christmas. So if you've never done emails, right now's the time. You can get free email accounts. Look at things like MailChimp, constant contact. I know certain POS systems offer, I think Florinext, teleflora, they have certain things. Look for things, try it, just try it. Start gathering those email accounts for your customers. Text promotions. This we talked a lot about this at SAF in some of the classes that I attended and or that we attended about marketing. There are shops that have great success for this. Don't get offended when people opt out after the holidays. That's normal. I opt out all the time. And then there's times I'll opt back in because you don't always want them. Take advantage of the people that opt into them and start sending out those promos. It's worth a shot, even if it's just for this month. Then you might be surprised. And then do it again, you know, around Valentine's Day. So there's always ways to promote your business during this time. People are looking to buy one other thing when it comes to marketing, promote your subscription services. I was just scrolling the other day, and a girl I went to high school with mother. So follow that line. Follow that down the road in my hometown. She posted a picture. It was like nine different pictures of bouquets. And she said, The best gift my daughters have ever given me was a subscription, a floral subscription. And she posted nine because she's had nine months, I guess, for whatever. Must have been a birthday or something, right? Yeah, yeah, for her birthday. And she has taken a picture of her dining room table every month at the same thing. She wrote this whole thing because she lives alone. And I mean, it was so beautiful. And I thought it truly is such a magical gift that keeps on giving, especially for someone that maybe lives alone, you know, or an older couple that doesn't get out much, like something to look forward to every month. Don't forget to promote those subscriptions, especially from siblings that can go in together. What a great group gift. Yeah. Exactly. So that is my that is my last marketing tip. I do have two quick tips. Do we have time or oh sure, Lori? Another thing you have to be doing right now. And as you know, Vonda, because you mentioned it to me earlier, I've been doing it the last two weeks and even over the weekend, getting people signed up for our sales training. Make sure your staff is trained.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:30

I've been talking about all of these marketing things. Uh, Vonda's been talking about all making sure the prices, the people answering your phone need to know what's up. They need to know everything that we're talking about. If you have promos, they need to know exactly what the promos are. If you have price changes, they need to know what the price changes are. They are your frontline people. They are the experts. For all your customers know they are the owners of the store. So when they answer that phone, they need to be confident, they need to be excited, they need to be ready to sell the most popular thing in your store.

SPEAKER_01 20:14

Well, you talk about in sales prep school, how important it is for that daily communication for the person who's on the phone and in the front room to communicate with the designers to see, okay, what is it that we need to promote today? What is our best product that we should sell? And even in the front room, the designers in the back room who might be answering the phone need to know what are the promotions in the front room. Exactly. So right, you you really hit that in scene. We need to be communicating.

SPEAKER_03 20:42

What do we need to be moving out the door today? And not in a bad way, not like it's junk, not like it's bad stuff, but what do we want to be moving today? And I wrote down here's my exact words when I was typing out. And keep in mind, I think I told you earlier, everything on my Google Doc here that I wrote down, I Googled in my own brain. Like I didn't look anything up. I regurgitated everything from my own brain that I've been talking to florists in the last two weeks, just stuff. I have also ordered flowers, I think three times in the last month for certain occasions, two funerals and one group for birthday. Nothing makes me more frustrated than when I calling a flower shop when I get an employee on the phone and they make me do all the work. And I don't know how else to say that. So tell me what that means. Okay. If I'm calling what I would assume a high end quality flower shop, which I would think most flower shops, that would be what they want to be known for, right?

SPEAKER_00 21:54

Correct.

SPEAKER_03 21:55

Yeah. And the person it is taking my order. And I'm sending a okay, me and two of my girlfriends were sending it to another friend who just moved, let's say, to North Carolina. She just turned 55. Our budget's I don't know, let's say 150 bucks. And her favorite color is purple. And so this is information I give her. And there and she's like, okay. What do you want? And so that just brings me personally. It just brings me down. And so what I think an employee, when you're given that information, maybe start going, oh, 55, that's big numbers, double digit. I mean, like, whatever. Just try to ham it up a little bit. I don't know. And think purple. Oh my gosh, we've got some blah blah blah. What do you think? Do you? I'm thinking you're wanting fresh flowers to plant plants out of the question, right? Or act like you care. Act like you're thinking through the process with me. Maybe that's it. That's what I mean, Vonda. Just act like you're thinking through this with me to help me solve it.

SPEAKER_01 23:10

So what you had on the phone, Lori, was an order taker.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

Yeah. Yeah. And I did it. And I felt like I should have just done this online. Yeah. I don't know. I just didn't I don't know. I just don't like it. It makes me not feel happy. And it just brings me down.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

That makes so much sense because sending flowers is such a special occasion.

SPEAKER_03 23:38

And let's be honest, it's expensive. It's not it's a luxury, right? Right. So f ordering flowers, calling a flower shop, a high-end flower shop, when I would think I do all my research and for the experience, and I assume it's going to be a beautiful thing. I want to know the person on the other end is experienced also.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

So let me ask you, why did you not just say, you know what? I'm just going to call someone else.

SPEAKER_03 24:11

Because I would honestly put it right because I'm an obliger, because it's my my plight, because I'm I kept thinking I'm going to give them a second chance. And I I would try again and try again, and it's just who they were. And I probably should have because I thought this is gonna not end well.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 24:36

It's gonna be an ugly design, even though the person on the phone probably had nothing to do with what the design was.

SPEAKER_01 24:45

Hmm.

SPEAKER_03 24:46

And wasn't an ugly design? I sent you the picture, you remember? And I said, Does this look like what oh that was the one?

SPEAKER_01 24:57

Yeah. Oh my gosh, and there was hardly any purple in it. Yeah, yeah. So I'm gonna trust it, my gut.

SPEAKER_03 25:04

Anyway, I'm telling you, nothing is worse. If you want your flower shop to be high-end quality flowers, which I believe every flower shop, regardless if it is just you and one part-time delivery driver, you should be quality. That should be your standard. High-end, you're the expert.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

You don't have to be high-end, right? Because a lot of shops will go, oh, I don't want to be a high-end shop. You want to be a quality and high service, like right the best service, best quality around. Right. And and value, right? Right. You don't want to be like super expensive, and people go, I'm not gonna call there because I it's not a good value. Right. No, you want to be felt like it is just the best place to call. Right. All around. Right. And number one influence on that is that person who's on the phone. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 25:57

Exactly. I want them to tell me what I would be stupid not to order. Like that's what I needed. Right. Based on the information I gave them, the purple, and she's 55, and there's three of us going in on it, around 150. She could have swayed me up to 200 had she gone in to like, oh my gosh, I have the perfect thing. I have the perfect thing.

unknown 26:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:22

But anyway, okay. My last thing is a little different.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Okay. I'm leaning in.

SPEAKER_03 26:30

Leaning in. My last thing is this, and this is for the owners, managers. Do you remember when we were talking at Profit Blast and I was talking about having a floater? We were talking about check-ins and having a floater. And basically, what we're calling a floater, what you and I named a floater, is somebody that is a little bit intuitive, maybe has a lot of empathy in them, and that can walk around and make sure everyone on your staff is doing okay, hasn't reached like their tipping point, right? Because this is a busy season. So make sure you have someone. If you're not that person, make sure you have someone on staff that is. Because the person I just described on the phone, maybe they were at their tipping point. I don't know. Or maybe that's just their personality. I also know for me, because I am high energy and I would answer the phone doing my very best every single time. If I came to work at 9 a.m. by three o'clock, I might be at my tipping point because that's a lot of energy. I might be completely drained. So I might need a floater coming by going, Do you need a break? Do you need a candy bar? Do you need what do you need? Right. So be mindful, checking in on everyone, or just maybe putting your hand on their shoulder, saying, You are doing a great job.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

That is so funny, Lori, because you're right, just that check-in. It doesn't have to be anybody who can take your place or no, uh-uh. Because Bud used to come out of the office and check in on people, and he couldn't do anything for them, but he would just go like, Hey, Rachel, you're doing okay. You know, and then it's just a different smile. It's just somebody really, like you're saying, checking in and and having a voice of concern and empathy. Yes. I think just knowing that the people around you really care. Yes. And want to make sure you're okay.

SPEAKER_03 28:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:48

And that we're all in this together.

SPEAKER_03 28:49

We're all in it. I'm in it with you. I can't help you design, but I can commiserate with you. I'm gonna stay here until the very last hour with you. Yeah, but yeah, but I can't help you design. But man, you're amazing.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

So find a floater, somebody who can be encouraging, yeah, and just that voice of yeah, encouragement and comfort, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 29:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:16

So there we go. There's some great tips to get you through December. And so the end of the month, you might still be exhausted. But again, you'll be in together, and hopefully at the end of the month, you won't be going, Oh crap, I didn't make any money.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

If you if you feel that way, give Vonda a call.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:37

All right. See you next week. All right. 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.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

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