What Every Retail Florist should know about their Wholesaler

079:  Don't miss this interview with Katy Miller AAF,   who has spent over 40 years in the wholesale side of the floral industry at Dillon Wholesale in Bloomsburg, PA. She shares with Vonda and Lori some important tips on the retail to wholesale relationship and what you should know to help navigate this challenging environment.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

What words of wisdom can you share, like from the wholesale floor standpoint, to the to the retailer?

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Well, one of the most important things for retailers and wholesalers is to have a healthy, positive, open relationship.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Welcome to the Business and Pleasure of Flowers.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson, and we believe that business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Today we have joining us Katie Miller, who is from Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and she has 40 years of experience in the wholesale side of the floral industry. And she is a member of the American Academy of Floriculture. And if you're not familiar with the American Academy of Floriculture, it's a designation from the Society of American Florists who recognize members who have committed their time and energy to both the floral industry and their local communities. We're really blessed to have Katie join us last fall as the Director of Sales here at Flower Click. And we've asked her to join us today to talk to us a little bit about the wholesale side of the business and what we can learn as retail florists from her years of experience. So let's tune in to hear what Katie has to say. Katie, it's really good to have you here with us today. You have so much knowledge of flowers and this industry. And I really have to say it's second to none what you know about flowers and wholesale. And that's kind of been your avenue into this industry. Can you tell the clickers a little bit how you were planted and bloomed in the floral business?

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Sure. It's great to be talking to you and Lori. Um, in 1978, so there I'm dating myself. I answered an ad in the local newspaper, and the ad said work with flowers. And it just sounded so exciting. So I thought, what the heck? Love to garden, love to take care of plants in the house. So I was hired at Dillon Floral Incorporation in Bloomsburg. Charles Dylan hired me. Um, they are a fifth-generation wholesale florist grower in our local town. So Charles hired me, and I first started working in the potted plant production area, which was fascinating to me. And we grew a lot of plants back then, poinsettias and potted mums and uh green plants, potted plants for the home. That was back in the 70s and 80s when potted plants were, you know, huge and everybody had them, and we sold tons of them. They are now too. Yeah, they've come back again, right? So over the 40 years that I worked there, lots of opportunities came my way. So in sales and management in all three departments, um, potted plants, flowers, and hard goods. So I had some very nice opportunities. And then um my biggest opportunity was back in 1998 when Rob Dillon asked me to be his vice president, and I said yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Ooh, nice. That's exciting.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

You went from flat chance to president. That's pretty good. That's quite a success story.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

One of the funniest stories that I like to tell, you know, if it's appropriate, with somebody maybe who's just hired, and I would be walking out in the greenhouse when I was vice president. I would be walking out in the greenhouse, you know, in the summertime it's very hot in the greenhouses. You know, and and a new employee who maybe doesn't know what my background was would say, you know, well, you have no idea what it's like to work in a greenhouse. And somebody would always look up, yeah, she does. So I I had a lot of um empathy for those that were working in the hot greenhouses in the summertime.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

That's what allows you to bring so much to the industry because you started at the bottom. Like I started as a bucket washer, and you started in the green house in the sweaty greenhouse that was hot and you know, at the bottom. We start at the bottom. That's where you really learn the whole thing of the business, and that's why you have so much value to you know the industry, Katie. Right.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

Yeah, and when you learn all the aspects of it, you really do have an appreciation for what goes into a potted plants or a flower arrangement or whatever it is that you're doing. You're right.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Yeah, for sure. So you have a lot of experience on the wholesale side, which means you work directly with that retail florist who is who Flower Click works with, right? Right. So what did you enjoy the most about that position? Oh boy.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

Well, there's probably several things, but um, one of the best things about my job, and mostly my job was centered around sales, advertising, and marketing, the last 20 years of my career. So I would say the most exciting part was going out on the road and visiting flower shops, meeting the people and seeing the shop. Um, there's nothing like it. You can talk to somebody on the phone all day long, but until you really get in their shoes and see their town, their flower shop and their business, how they run it, meet their teams. I thought that was the most exciting part. Plus, I love to travel. So, you know, I love going to towns and finding shops. Um, but in addition to that, meeting our vendors, the growers, the manufacturers, meeting designers like you when we would have educational events, you know, and building those relationships over the years. Um, I think that was just priceless. You know, I I can say I have friends and acquaintances around the world now in different parts of the industry. And you get to learn how something's manufactured, how it's grown in Colombia, you know, how they make the plastic vases, how you know, glasses produced, all of that stuff. It's fascinating to me. So it's great to learn all of that. So that was probably the best, one of the best things. It sounds a little trite, but working in an industry where you're not selling widgets, you're selling something beautiful. I mean, how cool is that? We forget that sometimes, right? So flowers help people put their emotions, you know, right in front of somebody. If you if you don't know how to say it, you can say it with flowers. You know, I don't I don't like to lose sight of that. So that's pretty exciting. And you know, another thing that's really exciting to a wholesaler, and maybe a florist doesn't realize this. When you can help a florist find the products to put an event together, the event goes well, and then they take pictures of it and send it back to the wholesaler. You can't imagine how exciting that is because we never get to see the finished product as a wholesaler, right? Yeah, we just see boxes, we see bunches of flowers, boxes, we see empty vases. When you get to see it all put together, and then a picture of it is sent to you after the event, and the florist is so excited to share that with you. That's a pretty that's a pretty cool thing.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Well, that's where it comes down to the relationship, too, right? That's why they want to show that to you, is because you have made it happen. As a good wholesaler, you want to make sure the right product is there on time and the quality they need so that they can make that really like wow event. And then they're so excited, then it comes back to you to uh say thank you, thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Don't you love when a plan comes together?

SPEAKER_02 8:12

Oh, exactly. Exactly. So, Katie, like you said, you became vice president. How many years were you vice president at Dylan's Wholesale? 20 years, 20 years. So what made you decide it was time to retire? Because you don't work there anymore.

SPEAKER_00 8:32

Right. Well, it was 40 years to the day that I was hired. I was hired on July 31st, 1978, and I retired on July 31st, 2018. Um that's why because you wanted it to be to date. Sorry. Okay. It just happened that way. So I thought, what the heck, let's go for it. Um, my husband retired three years before. Um, and we had always planned to travel. Right. Yeah. So he retired and sold his business. And I thought, you know, I'll work a couple years, and then I don't know, it just felt right. It was time, right?

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Yeah, it was time. So our second part of this is you retired there and you had some time, but now you're not retired. You came out of retirement, right? I think you were working for a flower click. Why? What the heck? Why did you come out of retirement? I wouldn't come out of retirement. Yeah, she would have already. I would have. I would have. I totally would have.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

I came out of retirement because of Vonda Lafever. So Vonda.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

I tell you what, she does it. There's something about her. You guys are she there's something about her, we just get we gravitate to.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

You're right. And you know, years and years ago, I hired Vonda to be a designer at Dillon Floral because we had a lot of educational events, and I would say we instantly became friends, and we stayed in touch and and you know, kept the relationship going. And then when I retired, I got this phone call. And she's telling me what she's doing, and you know, would you consider? And I took a long time to think about it, maybe longer than Vonda wanted me to, um, and talked it over with my husband and decided, yeah, this is something I want to be a part of. I want to help Vonda grow her business. And it sounded it's a brilliant way to grow your business. It's fresh, it's exciting. She had some new ideas about how to be more successful, make more profit. And I thought, yeah, this is something I'd like to be a part of. And um, she's very convincing.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Well, when I called you first at right after we started the business, then I was just like, How are you doing? And and we we just were chatting, you know, catching up. And you said, it well, um, just keep me posted, you know. If you think you need some help, let me know. And so she catered, let you know.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

You know what? I I don't I don't want to get super deep here, but like I keep thinking, I was thinking about this this morning and about you coming on board. And you know, you had this, you were the vice president of a wholesale house, and you have all this experience, and then you now became um part of ours. And all I could remember is like we prayed for you, like specifically, God bring us the right person that will fit, and it's like out of nowhere. I I've known Vonda for almost 12 years now, and to be super honest, I never heard your name, I didn't know you guys were friends until I'm like, wow, you know, how the whole thing came about is just so amazing to me, and it's such a miracle and a blessing, and we're just so beyond grateful because of the knowledge you have. You have helped educate me, Cammy, all of us on from the wholesale side, understand like we we are all advocates for the flower shop business owner, right? The brick and mortar shop owner, every one of us. None of us, by that I mean Cammy and I, I'm not gonna speak for Vonda, but we didn't know a lot about the nuances of a whole the day-to-day wholesale house. We've never really had those relationships, and you've helped kind of bridge that gap uh within Flower Click. And so I'm just beyond grateful that you are here. And I I think I think Vonda would agree.

SPEAKER_01 12:51

Oh, totally, totally agree. So talking about wholesale, now I'm gonna get back to that, Lori, before you talk about animals or PBS or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, well, that's I know you want to cover other things. The biggest challenge right now when we're talking about bridging that gap is the retailers having problems acquiring flowers from the wholesaler. And then then the wholesaler gets upset because they can't get the flowers and the retailer's mad at them, and this whole relationship thing is a push-pull situation. What words of wisdom can you share, like from the wholesale floor standpoint, to the you know, to the retailer?

SPEAKER_00 13:32

Well, one of the most important things for retailers and wholesalers is to have a healthy, positive, open relationship, just like any relationship that you have. When challenges come up, then it's a whole lot easier to address those challenges when you have an open, healthy relationship. And by that I mean tell each other what's going on. Be honest about why the flowers didn't arrive on time. Be honest that you weren't happy with the quality of something that you got from your wholesaler. If you have that honest relationship from the start, then when you have that challenge, it's a whole lot easier to pick up that 100-pound phone and make that phone call, right? It's like, boy, I really don't want to talk to him. Well, you have to talk about that stuff. It's hard, but it's a whole lot easier. And it's a whole lot easier also if you don't set each other up for failure, right? Get the information out quickly, you know, when when you can do something about it. We always like to say to retailers, if at all possible, instead of ordering that specific peony that has to have that specific salmon color in it, selling a look and telling the bride or whatever event it is, that you'll sell a look, you'll make her look pretty, everything's gonna be fine. If you have that trust with your customer, with the consumer, then you can sell a look. It makes it a whole lot easier for the wholesaler to find the flowers or the container or whatever it is that you're looking for. Again, not setting your both of you up for failure. You're setting yourself up for success, puts a whole lot less stress on everybody.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

I think that many shops have had to do that. I think they have transitioned to that. Um, it's good. You guys have probably been advocating for that for many years, just for obvious reasons. But during pandemic, that we're, I think Vonda mentioned yesterday, we're 18 months into, you know, like they've changed their mind, they're focusing with a bride. Listen, you either want that a peony or you want the color. I can't promise you both. Right, pick one and trust us. So, going back to the relationship side between you and your florist, the the florist would understand that because it's important that the bride and the florist also have that same kind of relationship. Right. Some of our members were posting just last week, and and I get the frustration. They're like, oh my gosh, we're already getting letters from our wholesaler house for containers for Valentine's Day next year. Like, give me a break, let me breathe. I get that, I understand, and I think again, it's in a private group and it's a safe space to vent. But let's have you be devil's advocate here from the wholesale side. What's going through the mind of the poor sales rep that had to actually send out that letter? Going right because you know no one's gonna go, oh yes, perfect. Yeah, I'll get right on that.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

And how about the manufacturer that had to make that rule? Yeah, you know, they're they're getting pressure because wherever their container comes from or they make it themselves, they have the pressure. So yeah, the pressure comes right from the source. So everybody has to do it. So if you have an open relationship, it works a whole lot easier, right? Lori, you just brought this up. Having an insight into the wholesale part of our industry right now because you know, we're sharing information about it. That's another thing that I think people don't think too much about. We all assume that we all know where every flower comes from or where how it's produced or what's going on or the latest trends. And I think that maybe we should stop assuming that each of us know what the other part of the industry is all about. We need to to educate each other about that. And if you take a little time to build that relationship, instead of assuming we all know what goes on in a flower shop or what goes on in the cooler in the wholesale house or what goes on at the farm in Columbia, really get to understand how it happens. And then then maybe you'll have a little bit more empathy or be a little bit more patient or not so demanding or whatever. Yeah, because if we all make each other aware of what's going on in our little world, it makes life a whole lot easier.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

I agree. Yeah, it's all about transparency, you know, that's where it comes down to. It's interesting that you said, okay, so the wholesaler is trying to get pre-books for that glassware. But I think sometimes, like you're saying, the retail florist doesn't realize that's coming from the manufacturer because the manufacturer knows how long it takes to produce the item, but not only that, the shipping, you know, whether it's coming from truly the slow boat from China or where, you know, they have to work all that in so that it's actually there in time for them to have for January for Valentine's Day. And we sometimes lose sight of all of that.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

Right. So yesterday I just heard on the news, and and this isn't in our industry, but it pertains because it's a perishable product. Uh, cheese seller in New Jersey would usually gets two containers, and I mean containers that fit on the back of a truck, you know, or on a boat. He gets two containers a week from from Italy normally. He didn't get any containers for almost 10 weeks, and then eight containers arrived in one week. Wow, you know, and he's having to place his orders for cheese, which is a perishable product, out so now that's what's happening.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

It's backing up. It's happening in every single industry. I think we could pick a topic, and I know again, my husband's industry is dealing with it, and a lot of it is shipping, like getting stuff from point A to point B. There's not enough truck drivers, there's not enough pilots, there's not enough cargo trains, there's not enough anything right now. And so we have to take a step back and say, okay, I'm frustrated because I didn't get the specific flowers I wanted, but if I have a good relationship with the my wholesaler, I can tell they're they can go, I'm frustrated too. I'm so frustrated because of the like it's just a backlog, right? Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Katie, when I was looking up about Katie Miller, did you Google her? I was stalking her. I was Googling her. I noticed there was an article that a brainchild of yours was for Van Decals for wholesale florists. I just was like, this is kind of fascinating. I didn't know this about Katie. And it was on a Society of American Florists website, is where I found it. So tell me a little bit about that. I just think that's kind of fascinating.

SPEAKER_00 20:42

That was one of my favorite projects. So um I was sitting around one day in traffic, I think this is how it all came up, and um, I saw a sign on a van, and I started to think to myself, we're sending out trucks every day. We have a fleet of trucks that go to retail flower shops. Now, we don't sell to the public, so we really don't want to advertise Dillon Floral Corporation to the public because we don't sell to the public, but our customers who keep us in business sell to the public. So why don't we use our vans like billboards since they're going out into four states and um use that space on the trucks to advertise the industry, advertise selling flowers. So I came up with some ideas and I partnered with SAF because they already had a decal program in the works. So flower shops could buy decals for their vans. I thought, hmm, maybe they would help me with this. So we I partnered with them and in a very short amount of time came up with this decal program. And I just loved it. So we made these decals that fit on the side of wholesale vans, or you know, anybody could use them. Follow me to a local florist. So if somebody was behind our truck or you know on the side, they could follow our truck to a local florist. And we always wanted to use the word local in there because that was important. So one was follow me to a local florist. And we made them real pretty. SAF does a great job with the decals. Um, and then another one was flowers are global, florists are local. And that had really nice arrangement on it. But my favorite of all was keep your friends close and your florist closer. Oh little play on a little play on a quote there. Um anyway, yeah. So we put those on our vans and hopefully they help a little bit getting people to order more flowers.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

Yeah, that's really cool. I love that. Very good. And you were using the play on the local word before local was a real buzzword.

SPEAKER_00 23:08

Yeah, yeah, way before that. Yeah, but that you know, that's what we were all about. We're a local wholesaler and we were selling to local florists, and it was very important to us to keep the local florists in business.

SPEAKER_01 23:22

Yeah, yeah. And all the wholesalers are at that point. As you know, Bill Doran is one of our sponsors, and they're really big on keeping the local florists in business as Dylan is. I mean, if you're a local wholesaler, you want to make sure you're keeping your local retail florists in business. I mean, that's the way it is. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 23:40

So, Katie, I have a question. Sure. You are uh Flower Click director of sales, I think is the title we give you. I don't have anybody's title around here, but I think that's what your title is. What exactly do you do for Flower Click?

SPEAKER_00 23:58

Oh, that's a great question. Um, so what I do is kind of like what I was doing in my career. I'm prospecting for business. So looking for florists that are a good fit with Flower Click, um, progressive florists that might want to build their online business, have a better look online with their website, somebody who wants to simplify a little bit or doesn't have time to take care of their own uh website and making it look fresher. Um, so what I do is I call flower shops around the country, see if they're interested in learning more about Flower Click and what we can do to help them be successful and find out where their challenges are, see if we have a fit, and then I pass them on to Cammie or Lori or Vonda, and uh they do a little presentation and it goes from there, and hopefully they become a member.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

Yeah. What I love is number one, you're so good at notes that you put in our data after you've had a conversation, which we all appreciate so much, and we read everything. What I love about your notes is sometimes the shop, it just for whatever reason isn't really a fit, but you always are like, it was such a great conversation. I really enjoyed this person. Like you're having fun because it's it's your thing, it's your niche. This is your industry. So you're just having a conversation with a shop owner about the industry, and if it's moves to something more, great. If not, as long as they're kind, you're like, my time wasn't wasted. This was a good day. Oh, not at all.

SPEAKER_00 25:48

You know, just making friends around the country, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:52

Well, that's what I love. I love the perspective, and that's how it should be. Because, you know, we joke around here, we're not for everybody for so many reasons, right? And you kind of buffer that you have so much more knowledge about the industry than Cammy or myself. We have knowledge about Flower Click, but you have knowledge about the industry, and that is something we will never have, even 40 years from now. I still won't know what you know about the industry. I don't think I want to know how that you know about the industry.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

But you know what? Every phone call I make, I can learn something. Um, I and I'm always learning something, and it's fascinating to learn the challenges around the country and their successes and how each person runs their business. I just find that fascinating. I've always found, you know, the whole idea of manufacturing something, whether it be a flower arrangement or a plastic vase or you know, roses being on a farm out in California. I'm just fascinated by how it all comes together.

SPEAKER_01 27:01

Yeah, we are so blessed that you are with us because you know you talk the talk, right? It's like you understand the retail florist, which a lot of people who are in sales don't have any idea. You know, they're salespeople. You are not a salesperson, right? You are a communicator, you are a problem solver, you have a fantastic ear to listen to their story so that we know whether we can help them or not. I mean, bottom line, it's the whole idea of Flower Click is to help people because it's a hard business. The flower business is a hard business, and all we want to do is help them make it easier, take something off their shoulders so it's easier for them to do what they do best. And you are the communicator to see if they're fit or not. So we are so thankful for that.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

Yeah, well, thank you. Those are very kind words, but you know, it's easy working with all of you because I think everybody at Flower Click has the same outlook. Yeah, you know, we want to help people be more successful and we're not high pressure. You know, we're not gonna bug you if it's not if it's not for you, it's not for you. And and you know, we'll still stay friends.

SPEAKER_02 28:15

Yeah, that's right. We can still be friends, it's okay. We just we're just move forward. So, okay, Katie, I asked this question at the end of every podcast, and your answer can be anything in the world. It doesn't have to be about flowers, but it can be. What is inspiring you right now?

SPEAKER_00 28:37

Right now, what's inspiring me is my husband and I just came back from seven weeks on the road traveling in our camper van.

SPEAKER_02 28:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

And what is inspiring me is how beautiful this country is. We visited 10 national parks, nine state parks from Pennsylvania out to California. And it's just amazing to me how beautiful this country is. We saw sites that just every time we came around a corner, it was like, oh my gosh, look at that, look at that. Let's take a picture. We must have a thousand pictures because we couldn't stop gushing about how beautiful things are, and you know, flowers are beautiful too, but I have to say, wow, we have some beautiful national parks. And you know, uh out west is very brown and beautiful, and here in the east it's very green and beautiful. There's just different types of beautiful, and it was humbling to say the least, to see how beautiful everything is. And I can't wait to get back out on the road. So there, that's my inspiration.

SPEAKER_02 29:46

Well, I love that, and I will tell you, and Bondo would concur here. We were living through your pictures. We were like, oh, that's so pretty. And all I can think of is this is beautiful, but I can't imagine how majestic it must feel in person. Like it's almost doesn't do its justice, right?

SPEAKER_00 30:08

Right. Trying to take a picture of a mountain or the Grand Canyon or the Pacific Ocean. It's yeah, you can take a picture of it, but it sure isn't the magnitude of when you're standing there and the wind is blowing and yeah, you're soaking it all up.

SPEAKER_02 30:24

Yeah, yeah. Well, we were happy that you had to do that, but we are so glad you're back. We are. So very glad you're back. All right, Katie. Well, time to go to work.

SPEAKER_00 30:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 30:37

Okay, thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 30:40

Thank you. Good to talk to you.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

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 31:00

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.