Clarity in Flower Sales: Words that Can Confuse a Customer
What does "long-stemmed" actually mean to the customer on the phone? How big is a "big vase"? In the last episode before Valentine's Day, Vonda and Lori play both sides of the counter — Vonda as the designer, Lori as the flower buyer — and road-test the everyday shop language that quietly sets florists up for unhappy customers and bad reviews. It's a quick, practical listen with one theme: it's not what you're saying, it's what they're hearing.
The designer-speak experiment
Vonda opens with a typical designer's description: a cube vase with roses, alstroemeria, hybrid lilies, wax flower, veronica, and assorted foliage. Lori's honest customer reaction: she heard "roses... blah blah blah," and pictured too much crammed into a little box. The fix is to translate — "a beautiful variety of flowers, including roses, in a short glass square vase that would look beautiful on an end table or bedside table." Name the star flower or two, give the vase a real-world size, and anchor it to a place the buyer can picture: her desk, the cubicle, next to the computer. "Long-stemmed" is the classic trap — florists think in 60 or 70 centimeters; the customer has no idea whether that means 12 inches or 18. Neither does "big vase," which to Lori means the pampas-grass giant by her fireplace.
"How many stems is that?" — handling the measurers
The episode was sparked by a member's question in the Flower Clique Facebook group: how do y'all answer "how tall, how wide, how many stems?" The community consensus: stay general on stem counts, but be ready with honest ranges. Keep a measuring stick handy and post real numbers where your team can see them — "our tall vases average 18 to 24 inches" — and if the item is on your website with a recipe, just read the listed dimensions together. Behind these questions is a customer trying to understand what they're getting for their money, and sometimes a price complaint they just need to verbalize; respond kindly, note that costs are up everywhere, and let it go. The best line of the episode comes from a member: asking how many stems is "like asking a caterer how many slices of cucumber will be on a veggie tray. The answer is: enough to make it look good."
Designer's choice needs a little more explanation
Many shops go nearly all designer's choice for Valentine's week — and the hosts understand why. But Lori pushes back from the customer's chair: a website that's nothing but "designer's choice" banners with no visuals or details sends less-confident buyers straight back to Google to find another shop. The compromise: give a bit of structure. Offer A, B, or C; let them pick pink, red, or white — "you choose, but that's all you get to choose." Vonda adds a smart succession move for owners: when a loyal customer says "just make my wife your usual," hand it off out loud — "I'm passing this to Susie, she's done it before and does a great job" — so your customers learn to trust your team, not just you.
Three choices and a script for the last-minute rush
For the Saturday-Sunday-Monday crunch, both hosts land on the same play: don't open the floor to questions. Have grab-and-go designs finished in the cooler and greet last-minute callers with "Good news — you got in just in time, and I have three beautiful choices": something compact for the desk, something the height of her computer, or something that takes over the whole desk. Write it as a short script for everyone answering phones. Think of it, Lori says, like buying a minivan in trim packages — A, B, or C, no customization unless they're spending enough to make it worth your designer's time. And the customer never needs to know you're cranking them out.
One last mindset check before the holiday: that bestseller your designers are sick of making — Lori compares it to the day she demolished an entire bag of salt-and-vinegar chips and never wanted to see them again. You may be burned out on it, but your customers aren't. If it's priced right and you can make it in your sleep, keep it on the menu. Think of the others.
Key takeaways
- Describe designs in customer language: one or two star flowers, a real-world vase size, and where it will sit.
- Post average dimensions where staff can see them, and answer size questions with honest ranges, not stem counts.
- If you go designer's-choice-only for the holiday, still offer simple choices — color families and three sizes.
- Script three cooler-ready options for last-minute callers instead of taking custom orders on the day.
- Don't retire a profitable bestseller just because your team is tired of making it.