From SAF to Sympathy Sales: Lessons, Laughter, and Lasting Tributes
Fresh (well, mostly recovered — Lori slept until 8:44 a.m., which for her might as well be noon) from the SAF Convention, Vonda and Lori sit down to compare notes. Same conference, completely different experiences: Ellie lived in Retail Council and Next Gen meetings, Vonda spent the week in the design workroom preparing to co-present with Tim Farrell, AIFD, PFCI, AAF, CFD, and Lori's job was connection and classes — gathering takeaways to bring home to members. It wasn't planned, but it was divide and conquer, and it's a good argument for bringing more than one person from your shop when you can.
Branding's three R's: revisit, realign, refine
Lori's favorite session came from Angelique Wittscher of Accent Decor: "Is Your Brand Helping You Grow?" The big idea: be adaptable, not reactive. Staying true to your brand doesn't mean standing still — you have to monitor your customers constantly, because if they're evolving, you can evolve too and still stay aligned with who you are. Her quarterly rhythm: revisit, realign, and refine. The lively Q&A told its own story — plenty of shops have branding questions, because branding usually gets outsourced rather than taught, and as Vonda points out, when owners can't afford a branding firm, the default is often to do nothing at all.
Perks that work (hint: it's not always money)
Another standout for Lori was "Perks That Work," a round table led by the HR lead at Family Flowers — a company with 40-some locations — on finding perks that matter without costing a fortune. Her employee surveys now literally say "besides more money" (with "and more PTO" coming to the next round). Why perks matter: they increase satisfaction, build positive culture, and reinforce your values — even free gummy bears make an employee feel cared for. The categories: health and wellness, financial, lifestyle (think flexibility, like adjusting hours around school pickup — different from time off), and recognition, even something as simple as employee of the month with a $20 Starbucks card. The room's unanimous winner: snacks. A great perk is low cost, high impact, easy to start, and repeatable. Vonda's related pet peeve: the workroom coffee pot with a payment jar next to it. Absorb the coffee, buy the good stuff and everyone's favorite creamers — that's low cost and high impact. As Lori puts it, knowing someone remembered your favorite creamer (or, on photo shoots, that Ellie stocked your favorite Trader Joe's snacks) buys goodwill all week.
Lori also caught part of Kevin McCarthy's session turning economic insights into action — and gives him a shout-out as a speaker whose opening slide, "kangaroos cannot jump backwards," guaranteed you'd remember at least one thing.
The networking you can't schedule
Vonda skipped the sessions but watched the hallways: little pockets of two and three people everywhere, mini meetings, interviews, people shifting table to table. SAF intentionally builds two-hour free blocks because that's where opportunities happen — one attendee announced a new job days later that clearly started as a convention conversation. The hosts' advice: go in with an open mind, and listen to understand rather than to combat. Vonda also shares a lesson she's never forgotten from Herb Mitchell: don't chase the "cool" people who might get you somewhere — find the one or two people you genuinely connect with, who care about you, and that will take you where you need to go. A highlight was watching first-timer Emily from McCandless, a member in her first year of ownership, absorb everything like a sponge: "I only knew one way to do anything — the way I was taught. Here my eyes have been opened."
In the workroom with Tim Farrell
Vonda's week was the design room, prepping the sympathy program she co-presented with Tim Farrell on growing sympathy profits with intention. Even at her level, she was learning: watching Tim's foam setup, how he anchored gingers, anthurium, and hanging heliconia, and the delicate trailing insertions of cymbidium orchids — proper mechanics, masterfully done. She also tips her hat to the volunteer design team under Corey Harbour, working long hours all week (including wrangling the arrival of a casket for the program — there's video of an SAF staffer wheeling it down the hall that Lori intends to set to music). Volunteer designer Carrie, a shop owner and Next Genner, said it best when Lori asked if she had FOMO working the back room: "I learn so much when I do this. I never regret being back here." The presentation itself hit hard — Lori cried three times and watched the room open up with questions about grief, empathy, and guiding families. Her verdict: it needs to go on the road, because when a presentation keeps coming back to you days later and sparks dialogue, you know it mattered.
Next stop on the Flower Clique road tour: Douglas, Georgia, at RW Wholesale on Saturday, September 13.
Key takeaways
- Brand adaptably: revisit, realign, and refine every quarter — if your customers evolve, you can too without losing your identity.
- The best employee perks are low cost and high impact: flexibility, recognition, good coffee, and yes — snacks.
- Ditch the coffee payment jar. If your team pays for their own workroom coffee, you're missing the cheapest morale win there is.
- At conventions, divide and conquer with your team, and network with the people you genuinely connect with — not the ones you think can get you somewhere.
- Volunteering in the design room (or anywhere behind the scenes) is one of the fastest ways to learn — even masters keep learning by watching each other's mechanics.