Our Four FAQ's from our Live Event in Texas
Fresh off a week of live events at the Bill Doran Company locations in Houston and Dallas, Vonda and Lori noticed something: in both cities, the same four questions kept coming up. Every time someone raised a hand, most of the room nodded along. If flower shop owners in two cities are wrestling with these, chances are you are too — so this episode walks through all four, with the full answers.
1. How do I satisfy my customers and still stay in business?
Florists tend to have a servant's heart — it's why we're in this industry — but the shadow side is giving more than we're being paid for. The hosts met newer owners agonizing over a bride with a $700 budget they knew they couldn't serve at that number, and giving her extra anyway. The fix isn't less heart; it's an honest conversation up front: "here's what we can do at that amount." Prices are climbing for everyone — some Flower Clique members are pricing weddings 30 to 40 percent higher than today's costs because they don't know what flowers will cost in six months, then telling the bride: if costs come in lower, you'll get more flowers; either way, your event will be filled to value. And if a customer walks away because you priced honestly, that's okay — you can't stay in business losing money on weddings. The same goes for the friend-discount trap: a discount for your best friend is your choice, but when your best friend's friend's mother comes asking for the same deal, draw the line. They're not your friend; they just want a bargain.
2. How can I deal better with customers on the phone?
One attendee asked, sincerely, why every suggestion she made was met with "what else do you have?" — leaving her talking through the whole store. Lori's answer: flip the order. Ask questions first. Who is this for? Tell me about her. Once you know Great Aunt Sally has loved avocado green and gold for 65 years, you can come back with "I think I have the perfect thing for her" — and now the customer feels the arrangement was customized from everything they just told you. How can they say no? If thinking up questions on the fly isn't your strength, keep two or three written down by the POS and ask them every time. The customer will never know it's a script; they'll just know you listened.
3. Can I really make multiple designs that look the same?
Designers get caught up in the idea that every piece has to be different or customers will notice. Vonda's answer: they won't, because those arrangements go to different homes — the recipients aren't comparing notes. When a website order calls for coral roses, spray roses, alstroemeria, and hypericum you don't have in the cooler, don't buy the flowers, make the one arrangement, and let the rest sit in a bucket. Make the order, then use up the full bunches in five or six designs at varying sizes and prices for the cooler. You've used all the flowers, and now your job is simple: sell what you have, and have what you sell.
4. I don't have walk-ins — why do I need designs in my cooler?
Plenty of shops have fewer walk-ins since COVID, or have chosen not to take them at all. But the cooler isn't just for walk-ins — it's for your salesperson at four o'clock, brain fried, with a caller asking "what do you suggest?" A stocked cooler lets them look over, see those coral-rose designs in a range of colors and prices, and describe them with genuine enthusiasm: "I'm telling you, what is flying out of our door right now are these gorgeous coral roses." And there's a second win: the late-day caller usually wants delivery today. With finished designs ready, you print the card, attach it, and send it out the door.
Key takeaways
- Have the hard conversations up front — manage expectations on budgets and pricing before you take the order, not after.
- Listen first: ask engaging questions about the recipient, then make one personalized suggestion.
- Design in multiples and use full bunches across several sizes and prices — recipients never compare notes.
- Keep a stocked cooler even without walk-ins: it powers late-day phone sales and same-day delivery.
- Keep your sales team and design team communicating — the best designer in the world still needs a salesperson to make the sale.