What Is Flower Clique, Really?

Episode 302: One of the questions we hear most often when we're out at shows, conventions, and symposiums is: “So…what is Flower Clique?” In this episode, Vonda and Lori sit down with Ellie LaFever and Kami Martin to answer that question once and for all.

From the why behind Flower Clique’s creation, to the specific ways we help florists simplify inventory, increase profitability, and strengthen their digital presence, this conversation dives into what makes Flower Clique more than just a service—it’s a support system. You’ll also hear about the importance of quality product photography, how your website works like a menu, the role of education through our Prep Schools and online courses, and why consistency in branding and social media matters more than ever.

If you’ve ever wondered what Flower Clique is (or how we might lighten the load for your shop), this episode is your answer.

Flower Clique Discovery Call

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

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Good afternoon, Vondilla Fever. Welcome to our podcast.

SPEAKER_03 0:05

Welcome, Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Hey, you know what? We have two fabulous guests today. They both have been on multiple times, but we always love having them. They are two of our favorite people on the planet. And I would say two of our favorite coworkers. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

I mean, we have a lot of favorite co-workers, but you know, yes, these are close, close.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

They're your favorites of the day. Yes, they're our favorites of the moment of the hour. We have Ellie LaFever. Hello. And we have Miss Cammy Martin. Hi. Hi. How are you? I'm good. I'm really goofy. You are goofy. And you know what, Cammy? That's why we love you. Because here's the thing. We never know what we're gonna get with you. You really don't.

SPEAKER_03 0:58

Well, Lori, I never wouldn't know what I'm gonna get with you either. So you know it's all fair.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

True. You keep us on our toes. Yes. Yes. I will say with Cammy and I, we'd like to change it up.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

We just like to change it up. There's not a lot of consistency. And that's what makes part of Flower Click so much fun. It's true. And that's why this is called the business and pleasure. Pleasure of flowers. Of flowers. So anyway, we have called the two of you here today for a meeting. Yes, we did, because we're trying to figure out. Are we in trouble? Well, not trouble, but there is an issue among Flower Click. There is a call for clarity, if you will. But here's the thing every time we go to an event, a convention, a symposium, a show, anything. We get the question, what's flower click? What's flower click? Hey, what's flower click, right?

SPEAKER_03 2:04

We've all been there. We do, but can I start before we jump into what's flower click? What's flower click? Yes, I guess. I guess. Just let me jump in because the question is why flower click? Why did we even start FlowerClick? You know? Because there is a why, but we need the backstory. We need the backstory. You know, people like a backstory. Like, why does it even exist? And truly, it was born out of a need in the industry, right? I saw a need in the industry. I grew up in the flower shop, washing buckets, processing flowers, learning to design, earning accreditation, managing, and eventually ordered my own flower shop. Because of that journey, I know firsthand that it's hard. It's hard to run a shop, and I can relate to it. So it's not hard just to get everything done, but to give your best to every single area of the business, it's something hard to do. So over and over, I heard from shop owners about the same frustration. And really it came down to profitability. I heard so many people weren't taking up a check, you know. And oh my gosh, when you're not making money, how can you continue to have fun? And when I dug deeper, I realized it often came back to one thing: using stock images on their website without adjusting the prices. The solution seemed to be pretty simple. Create the designs that are a little trendy, easy to reproduce, and priced with profit and perceived value in mind. But I couldn't stop there. I saw that shop owners simply didn't not only have the time, but they didn't have the technical know-how to keep the website updated. So, really that and educating the new people who are getting into the industry, those two things really made a big difference. And we're like, oh, there's a need that we can fill here. FlowerClick exists to come alongside those shop owners, take some weight off the shoulders, and help them not just survive but thrive in the business. So that's my why. So Lori, I'm gonna say, now I walked into that convention and somebody says to you, What is FlowerClick anyway?

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Well, I told you, I told you last weekend that what I say when people ask me that, which is not a great answer, but it does make people laugh. Lately, when people say, What's what's flower click? My immediate answer is what do you want it to be? And I can make it so. And they kind of light up, and I'm like, no, seriously, what do you need? You know, because that's that's how I feel. Meaning, what are you struggling with as a flower shop owner? And that always starts our conversation because I truly believe whatever your pain point is, there probably is something we do that can help. Not always, because there are things I'm like, oh wow, that that's one I've never heard of. And then I'll pass them off to maybe a company can. So, in a nutshell, when I have to describe Flower Click, which let's be honest, it's really hard to describe. I like to say we're kind of like the behind the scenes employees that you hire. We not only put photos on your website, we merchandise your website seasonally, we don't host your website, we enhance your website. We also provide online customer service training for you and your staff that helps you sell with confidence. We have ready-to-go marketing, such as email marketing, social media marketing, so you don't have to start from scratch. We provide a great community of other flowershop owners and a safe space to vent and talk about this industry. And that's that's how I describe it. And then hopefully, something that I have shared sparks something that they're dealing with, and the conversation goes from there.

SPEAKER_03 6:12

But one thing you do is first before you go into any of that, is you listen to them, you listen to their story because then you know what to key in on because everyone has a story and a pain point, and that's what really makes a difference.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Right, right, exactly. So, Cammy, you are the director of the one click program. What exactly does it mean to manage a florist website?

SPEAKER_04 6:37

Yeah, so I do hear that a lot. What does FlowerClick do for my website, or what are you guys gonna do? And basically, it is a complicated answer because we do a lot of things. If I had to sum it up quickly, I would say three things. The first one is we simplify the inventory. That's a pain point that the florists have. They have too much product on their website, you know. And if anyone's listening right now and has a website not managed by us, they probably know that's an issue. Lots of different flowers, lots of containers, we try to simplify that and make there be crossover, make it be easier to manage and actually deliver same-day delivery, what someone just ordered, right? That's a big point that we so we simplify the inventory. And by the way, just an extra that I keep hearing is a pain point from florists is that their customers are used to being able to click and buy and have it delivered to them in two hours, right? That exact product. And it's like, oh, we have fresh flowers. We can't necessarily do that. But we as FlowerClick try to step in and make it manageable and easy to do that because what's in their cooler is what's on their website. And I think that is just the clearest way I can say we simplify inventory by having that crossover. So that's a big thing we do. Simplify the inventory second, and I get passionate about this, and so does Vonda. She's made me passionate about this, is that we increase the average order value. The way we merchandise the site, we increase the average order value instead of them just being busy and you know, the florist is busy and just making designs, you know, the $39 designs, $49 designs. We're going to put some designs on the site that are profitable. So they're actually making money on those designs. It's very important. So we're going to increase the average order value. And then third is we again make sure those designs are profitable. And that's where Vonda comes in, is making sure that they're not selling something that's underpriced, undervalue.

SPEAKER_03 8:41

I love that. And that's what they need, and they don't realize that. I think that's the problem. They have the endless scroll, right? Is what we we like to say. And there is not that crossover between what they have on the website, because they can't have everything in their store that they have on the website. Kami, those are just great points.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

And with that, I would say to your point of two-hour delivery, you know, from Amazon or same day or next day. Everybody is so used to that. But they're to your point, they are also used to getting exactly what they want. And so I think we really cut down on the amount of times or complaints that a customer says it doesn't look like the picture, right? We always want it to look like the picture and have that be a deliverable final product that our shops can can execute on.

SPEAKER_04 9:29

Flori mentioned how we're so many things because we've grown over the years and we've we do feel several solutions that florists have pain points on. But if I go back to when we first started as a company, that was one of our core, you know, values is we hear so often it didn't look like the picture or the customer wasn't happy with what they ordered. We want to fix that. I just remember that so clearly when we first started that that was our biggest goal. And I feel like we accomplished that.

SPEAKER_03 10:03

No, I agree. And the other part of that is you're just saying that sometimes you might not have that exact thing in your store. Then we have the training to know what to say when you pick up the phone and go, hey, you know, what can we do for a substitution? Because Lori is all over that. She has that training so that it's educating the staff so that they can educate the customer to make that right decision so they're happy if it's not exactly like that picture.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

And how to do it professionally, communicating professionally. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 10:34

So we'll switch gears to a few more detailed questions and kind of drill down. One question that I have for you, Ellie, and I've I hear this, is why is the product photography or the quality such a big deal for the website?

SPEAKER_00 10:51

So the photos are the product online. I know that's such a simple answer, but that's what you're selling. That's your salesperson. And so if they're looking dark or dated or it's unclear what the customer is getting, customers assume that your designs are unclear, dark, dated, all of those things. So it's really important to us at Flower Click in part of our membership is to provide those high quality, fresh, on-trend professional images for each season and holiday so that our members' websites look fresh and crisp and consistent and most importantly, ready to convert.

SPEAKER_04 11:33

Exactly. So another question I hear is what does it mean to have an online presence in today's world, like we talked about already?

SPEAKER_00 11:45

To me, it means that when someone searches flowers near me, you show up instantly with a website and with social platforms that look polished and trustworthy. And so that's where Flower Click also comes in, always keeping your website fresh, set apart from your competitors with those seasonal updates and a professional look that your customers can't ignore.

SPEAKER_04 12:10

Very good. So, Ellie, what is one thing a florist can do to strengthen their brand?

SPEAKER_00 12:20

One thing that you can do today, right now, and prioritize is to update your homepage. You only get seconds to make that first impression, right? We all have the attention of a goldfish. So the homepage is where your customers land first. We help with that by designing home pages that convert with professional banners for every sales holiday, every season, gorgeous seasonal designs and product photography that shows that you're a real local florist with beautiful options at every price point, every color palette, every size, so that there's something for everyone.

SPEAKER_03 12:57

I'm gonna jump in here a minute, Ellie, and tell you that one thing Cammy always says, and she talks to our members about this is the home page is like a menu at the restaurant. And that's why you have to make sure you have a high-end product and a low-end product and something for everyone and something that's like candy, right? It's like, oh, I want that, oh, I want that. But everyone can relate to what's on that homepage. So I think that's the menu. And and I love that what you're saying is that just the variety that's on that homepage.

SPEAKER_04 13:26

Well, anymore too. They treat the website like a menu, like you're saying, even when they call the shop so often they have the website pulled up and they order from that menu. They'll say, I really like postcard from Tuscany, something like that, you know. But can you do that? But maybe more in the $79 price range. And I hear our florists say that often. In particular, too, with the website, not just the home page, they'll talk about sympathy designs. This week I heard multiple people say, I rarely have someone add a casket spray to the cart and have it, you know, and check out, right? But they do go out to my website and look at these designs like a menu to know, okay, these are the color schemes. These are some of the pretty designs that this florist can do. And they use that as a menu as well. So I hear that a lot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

And I think that's also why it's so important to have everything buttoned up, right? You have your website looking crisp with accurate products that you want to sell and design and that are a depiction of the work that you can do, but also that you have the staff and or you and your team that know how to professionally sell, which is where things like sales prep school really buttons everybody up and keeps you professional. So you have to have both today because customers do expect that white glove service, you know, calling and and wanting that extra level of care on the phone. But like you said, using the website as that menu or that portfolio. And I gotta have it all.

SPEAKER_04 15:04

We talked a little bit about what we do with the website. I mostly was talking about everyday designs, but man, we really feel a need when it comes to the sympathy designs. I can say this because I had nothing to do with the actual photography or designs, but our sympathy designs are second to none. We have beautiful sympathy designs that fill a need, and we can put those on the website so a family can see and can call and know what the florist is capable of. And then the wedding gallery is another area that I didn't mention earlier, but just for a bride to be able to even find a shop and know they do weddings and have that look book, that online presence showing that they'll do a wedding, that they can fill out the consultation. And I'll often hear a florist, especially one that's just starting with us, they might say, but that's not my work, you know, and I need to show my work. And I'll I just want to add that number one, we can insert, you know, some of your professional photography into our wedding gallery. But also the bride is just looking to see that you do weddings and it's a marketing tool, is what I will usually say. It's a marketing tool so that then they'll fill out the consultation, you can meet with them, you can have that interaction and give them their dream wedding.

SPEAKER_03 16:19

So, Ellie, what's one mistake florists make with their digital footprint?

SPEAKER_00 16:25

Being invisible. If your Google map shows that you're closed when you're not, or that your hours are off, or if your last Facebook post was from Valentine's Day and it's now September, you know, customers move on instantly with the snap of a finger. So that's why Flower Click helps florist, keep your content relevant and fresh, and so that your digital footprint is always reflecting an active, thriving business.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

Can I say something about that, Ellie? Yes. That when I, because you guys know I love to buy flowers, and I go to social media before I look on the website. I'll Google the shop earned flower shops in Fort Collins, Colorado, and I'll go to their social media first. If I go to their Facebook page and they have not posted since Valentine's Day, and it is October, I'm going to make up so many stories in my head as to the dysfunction of that shop that are probably not true, but I go through all of these scene scenarios and I can't be the only customer that does that because we live in the age of social media, unfortunately. And my thought is if you can't post what's going on at least once a week, you are a dysfunctional store and you're not doing so hot, you're not doing well. But this is just perception of a customer and short-term attention span of a customer.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

Okay. Well, I mean, I get that, Lori, but I will have to say, being on the other side, a shop owner, and maybe there's only a couple employees, it's hard.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

It's hard to even like I I have no doubt it is.

SPEAKER_04 18:18

You know, well then that's where we come in, though. That's where we come in and provide a solution. Yes, do they still need to be posting their own content 100%? Yes. But again, going back to what we do, again, why it's so hard to sum it up in just a quick, simple one-sentence answer is we also post twice a week to the Facebook account, right? For those people that do lose track of time and did have a couple months of dysfunction.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Right. Well, that's my point. Right? That is my point. Because we'll talk to shops or then, you know, say, hey, this isn't the best case scenario, but this does give you a reprieve. Yes. Because you are so busy, because maybe it is only you and a delivery driver and you can't get to it. Right. And so, like those little things are incredibly helpful because customers do look at that. And you just tend to go, oh wow, maybe they're about to close. Maybe they took a six months off. Like, I'll just try something else. It's the made-up stories we create and we move on, and you lose a sale, and you're a great designer.

SPEAKER_04 19:28

And even to go back to Ellie with the digital footprint and and you the presence, we also help them with their Google business profile.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

I was gonna come in as well and say that. I mean, yeah, not even because that's one of my biggest pet peeves. I'm always looking on Google. I feel like I could start an entire separate business for every business that doesn't manage their hours and their website link on Google. Like it's crazy. And so for us, Cammy, you're emailing them and being like, hey, what's your hours for this holiday or season? We are being proactive and those little things add up. Again, why it's so hard to sum us up because we do so many little things.

SPEAKER_04 20:06

Not only do we ask them about the hours, like you said, Ellie, that's one of the initial setup, like when someone joins Flower Click, is I will ask them what their hours are, ask them what their service areas are. I cannot tell you how many times florists don't have the service areas. We're talking about customer being able to find them online, having all of the service areas or the areas they deliver to on their Google listing is it's so important. The hours, and then we also will post it's almost like a social post once a week to their Google listing because that activity is good for SEO. That goes back to another question Floris will ask Are we SEO? SEO coming. That's a very difficult question to answer because so many things we do help with SEO, like that good post or the two social posts, or the or the product descriptions, or just keeping the website fresh and updating, you know, consistently, like those all help with SEO and are a huge part of SEO.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

So the answer is yes, and yes, and so Ellie, how does brand awareness help your flower shop?

SPEAKER_00 21:20

I would say the more familiar your brand feels, the more likely customers are to think of you first when flowers are needed. We are in a very emotional business with products that are sent for happy holidays, sad ones. And so it's really important that you're positioning yourself so that your customers are thinking of you first for all of these moments in life. And that's one thing that we're passionate about at Flower Click is helping the florist stay consistent with marketing from email marketing, from your web banners to social to good. Google, so that your brand stays top of mind year-round.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Yeah. Perfect. Yeah. One more thing I just want to touch on our online courses. You know, we are all huge believers in education. It's one of the reasons Vonda created Flower Club, Vonda and Ellie. Our sales prep school and our flower prep school are both, they've been pivotal in so many florists' onboarding systems when it comes to educating their staff. We design them specifically for retail florists and their entire team. It helps with the flow of the shop, whether it is with owners, managers, the whole staff, delivery drivers, anyone that wants to improve their customer service, the day-to-day operations, design skills, their phone skills, their walk-in skills, all the skills, right? The other course that we have that's been a huge hit is sympathy. I've heard nothing but positive feedback from that. And there's two things that I hear repeatedly. Number one, it is the perfect course for those designers that are just starting to dip their toe into casket sprays or standing sprays. Like they're in awe of the funeral work, but they're kind of scared because it's scary, right? When you first do it. But you and Julie and Abby Chick, you guys make it look not so scary. The other thing I've heard about it from some more seasoned designers, some of our members, you know, the ones that every time we create a new course, they're like, I'm buying it, I'm buying it. They watch it and they're like, oh my gosh, Bonda, I learned something new. I've never done it this way before. I didn't know you about this. And so it's a win-win. And and the cool thing about it is Flower Click members purchase these courses. And what is it, Ellie? They get like 33% off the cost of a non-member. But non-members can purchase it too, but it's a lot less expensive when you are a member. And once you purchase these courses, they're yours forever. Evergreen. Evergreen, evergreen. So I just wanted to put that out there because we're always getting questions about our courses. And they're a wonderful tool to have for your entire team.

SPEAKER_03 24:31

Well, it's funny because we designed Flower Prep School to take a delivery driver to a basic designer. And we were telling somebody that just the other day, and they were laughing, and they're like, seriously, and we're like, Yeah, really, you could. Yeah. Yeah. And I think many shops who are listening to this have done that over the years. It's like somebody starts as a driver and then they're end up being a designer. It's hard to have the time to do that anymore to concentrate on all those little details. So that's why we found such great success in that one as well. So yeah, that one was fun. So you can see why it's hard when somebody comes up to Lori and says, What is flower click?

SPEAKER_01 25:13

And why I say, What do you want it to be?

SPEAKER_00 25:17

I've used Lori's catchphrase now, which I think is perfect. I think if I had a a dime for every set time I set it at AIFD, I'd be rich, but we remove the overwhelm for retail florists.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Yep. Simple as that. Yep. That's exactly what we do.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

So you're listening and you might be curious or intrigued. And so we want to give you a place to go. We have a link in the show notes that takes you to a calendar where you can make a quick little meeting time that works best for you. And you will get to know more about us or ask questions or find out if it's a fit. So definitely go there, click the link in the show notes, and don't be shy. We are here to help.

SPEAKER_03 26:09

Yeah, and the key is on that call, it's no obligation, it's just to discover a little bit more about Flowerclip.