Valentine's Day Prep Tips w/ Chris Norwood

How can florists turn chaos into cash this Valentine's Day? Chris Norwood AIFD, PFCI, AAF of Tipton & Hurst in Little Rock, Arkansas offers valuable time and money-saving tips for successful procurement, prep, design and delivery of Valentine flowers. As a bonus, Chris shares his story of making  online followers "Happy!"

How we Bloom podcast is an oasis of flower ideas. Hosts Sharon McGukin and Smithers-Oasis North America interview floral guests who dare to do things differently. We listen, learn, explore new opportunities and that's how we bloom!

Transcript

Chris Norwood (00:10):

I tell our employees all the time, "We're not selling anything that they can't get anywhere else. Whether it's a big box store or another florist, whatever. It's all about how you treat the customer."

Sharon McGukin (00:28):

Welcome to ‘How we Bloom,’ An Oasis of flower Ideas. I'm your host, Sharon McGukin AIFD, AAF, PFCI. And, I believe that every great success story starts with one simple idea. That's why we interview those who ‘dare to do things differently.’ Inspiring people who plant seeds, grow ideas, and bloom to their full potential. In this podcast, we listen, learn, explore new opportunities, and that's ‘How we Bloom.’

Sharon McGukin (01:11):

Today we'll be discussing Valentine's Day. I know, “Oh no” you survive a busy retail holiday season and in no time … it's Valentine's Day, the biggest single-day-flower-holiday of the year. Did you know that more than 250 million roses are produced for Valentine's Day each year? That's a lot of work for a lot of people. But, help is on the way my flower friends. You are in for a treat. One of my flower buds, Chris Norwood, AIFD, PFCI, AAF, Vice President of Floral Operations at Tipton and Hurst in Little Rock - Arkansas's largest and oldest florist, joins us to share tips and techniques on how the experts make cash out of chaos. For those of you who don't know Chris, he is a past president of AIFD and CEO of AIFD Foundation and an award-winning designer. Chris was named an AIFD Fellow in honor of his extraordinary service to the American Institute of Floral Designers.

Sharon McGukin (02:18):

He received the AIFD Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry Award. He is a past president of the Arkansas Florist Association. He was recently recognized as the Best Event Planner by Soiree and Inviting Arkansas magazines. He won the American Heart Association's Corporate Service Award in 2022. You may have seen Chris's work on national publications like Flowers, Florist Review, Southern Accents, or Veranda. Or perhaps on tv. Chris is featured weekly on KATV Good Morning Arkansas. He is a frequent guest speaker for garden clubs and fundraisers. Online, Chris likes to make people “Happy.” 

 Welcome, Chris.

Chris Norwood (03:08):

<Laugh>. Hey Sharon. I always call you my Ms. Georgia Peach. So, hey! Hey, Ms. Georgia.

Sharon McGukin (03:13):

<Laugh>. How are you? I miss seeing you.

Chris Norwood (03:16):

I'm good. Are you too? So, we're going to talk about Valentine's Day, huh?

Sharon McGukin (03:21):

We are. But before we get started on Valentine's Day, I want you to share with us the story of your 'Happy.'

Chris Norwood (03:29):

Well, like you said, I've been on doing KATV Good Morning Arkansas for over 25 years now. I do it every Tuesday. And so when the pandemic hit, they basically stopped all in studio production, so we weren't on the air anymore. And so people started calling the store. It was March the 16th and we'd gotten several calls the week before, or around that time, where it was … “Where’s Chris.” KATV had pulled back pretty quick, even before the whole world shut down on the 16th basically. And, they had stopped doing that (studio production). And, so people were asking where was I, and if I was okay. And you know, during that time we just didn't know if we were going to live to the next week or not. I mean basically we all thought, or I thought, you know, this really is a bad deal. Because, our state governor would come on at two o'clock and give the report about how many were dead, how many were sick, you know, the whole gloom and doom basically.

Chris Norwood (04:29):

So, it was just a bad, sad time. So, I thought, “You know what? Today, we're just going to do a “Happy.” We're just going to have a little bit of ‘happy’ here. So we got online, we did a Facebook Live. Which really - at the time, wasn't done that much. If you really think about it. It really hadn't taken off too much. So we tried it and I think we had maybe 200 people watch live. And so, I made the mistake of saying after that first one on the 16th, “and we're going to do a ‘Happy’ every day from now until this virus is over with.” Because some were saying it would be over in two weeks, some saying it’s going be over in a month. Literally, we didn’t know it would still be going on right now <laugh>.

Chris Norwood (05:09):

So, we literally did a ‘Happy’ every day through October that year. Unfortunately, I had to quarantine at that time because one of our employees got Corona … so the Covid … not Corona … which is obviously a beer. Anyway, Covid. So we had to go back and you know, we had to quarantine at home for two weeks and so we couldn't be on the air. But then we came back, business started to pick up somewhat. So we went from every day to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. How do we have as many followers as we have? We have over 80,000 followers now. We don't know. We do know that it's been seen by over or reached over 300 million people. 

Sharon McGukin:

Wow. That's impressive. 

Chris Norwood (06:05):

Yeah. Don't know why, other than the fact that I never had the intention - when we were doing design, that this is the end all … be all.

 It's just basic bread and butter. “Let's just make pretty flowers, let's talk about the day, let's you know interact with people online as they come on.” And we have people that we follow, I mean that follow us and I follow them back. I mean I have several, let's say “mature ladies” that we take care of. Like on the holidays, they're by themselves, no one's with them. So I'll make phone calls, I'll check on 'em, I'll call and say Happy Thanksgiving. Are you okay Ms. Allen? You know though, we really try to take care of our ‘Happy family.’ And that's what they call themselves. They call themselves a ‘Happy family.’ They also are very protective. If you ever have anybody on there that says something off color or doesn't like something that I do, they will take them to the mat. I'm like, “Girls, we don't have to do that” <laugh>, “let's just be happy.”

Chris Norwood (06:58):

But, it's reached all the states that we know of. It's all in 50 states that someone has watched it. And we quit counting on the countries that are about 50 countries, too. But I have avid followers from the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan. I mean, they're kind of all over the board. I mean, when people travel, like yesterday we had someone come on and say, “Well I'm in Paris today” or France online. Well, actually it's one of our ‘Happy’ people from Mississippi that's taking a vacation in Paris. So, they watched the ‘Happy.’

The funny part is we have people travel now from all over the country to come to the store to see Tipton and Hurst, as well as to have their picture made. I give 'em the grand tour and show 'em where we do the ‘Happy.’ And a lot of times they'll stick around for that day or plan their trip around so they can be come and watch the ‘Happy’ live. I'll bring 'em on the air with me and talk to 'em and you know, so, but we have a lot of people that travel in now.

Chris Norwood (07:54):

It's so funny. They'll be coming from Wisconsin. They'll go, “Well, we're going to come see you and then we're going to see P. Allen Smith at Moss Mountain, and then we're going go down to Laurel, Mississippi and see Ben and Erin. I'm like, “Well I don't think I'm by any means in the same league with Ben and Erin, but whatever you think.” So, anyway …

Sharon McGukin (08:10):

That makes you happy, doesn't it? <Laugh>

Chris Norwood (08:13):

You know, it feeds our souls as much as it feeds them. You know, I get notes almost every week. People thanking us for doing this because that is helping get through the pandemic. Because for a lot of them, they were just by themselves the whole time. I mean, they couldn't interact with anybody. So it, it does feed our soul just as much as it feeds them. I mean, it's part of our therapy too. And, you know, there's days I have bad days and there's some days I'm on it and some days I'm like, I'm just not having a good day today. And then, they'll want to comfort me back as much as I try to comfort them. 

Sharon McGukin (08:47):

I saw you in Las Vegas with a couple who had come to take you to dinner because they were ‘Happy’ followers. I guess that would be your 'Happy Patrol'?

Chris Norwood (08:56):

Yeah, the 'Happy Patrol.' Yeah, exactly. They're very loyal. They take care of me as much as I take care of them. So yeah. But, we're just very blessed. And, it's been fun. Like I said, we just finished one a minute ago and we averaged probably anywhere from 500 up today. We had like 650 live on air watching. And, in a typical ‘Happy’ for us after a day or two it'll be at 15-to-20,000 viewers, which means it actually reached over 40,000 people just on that one because I can tell how many clicks and how many actually watched it all the way through. And that's the ones that, you know, we're spreading the ‘Happy’ to. 

Well, I honestly think that's why I got that last award at AIFD because it wasn't about so much about other things, but the fact that we have spread the joy of flowers and how important flowers are to making people feel better through that avenue. You know. That’s why I got that last award. So, I always tell my ‘Happy’ people “this is your award, this isn't my award, this is your award.” As I feel like that's all about them.

Sharon McGukin (10:11):

I think you have proven that flowers make people happy.

Chris Norwood (10:15):

Absolutely. Absolutely! And, you know, Sharon, you and I are pros. If you're like me, I'm getting a little bit more … I guess the more mature I get … I get a little bit more jaded and forget why we do this. Or, why we have such passion about it. And that's helped me get my passion back knowing that I can make a difference in someone's life with flowers and make them have a better day. And, if you can make someone … one person … have a better day or make them feel better about themselves, that's what this is all about. You know, we're not getting rich by any means by doing this. 

Sharon McGukin (10:46):

No! We wish. <Laugh>,

Chris Norwood (10:48):

Yeah, exactly. 

Sharon McGukin (10:49):

That's one thing I've come to realize too, is that this is not a career for us, this is a lifestyle. Connecting people with petals is a lifestyle for us.

Chris Norwood (11:00):

Absolutely.

Sharon McGukin (11:02):

We're very grateful for that. Well, speaking of making people happy every day, how about making flower people happy by helping them to better face Valentine's Day, In the business, we call it Val-a-ween very often. <Laugh>. It’s scary.

Chris Norwood (11:17):

Yeah. Well I never have understood why no one wants flowers on the 15th. I just don't get it, you know, So anyway, <laugh>.

Sharon McGukin (11:24):

And people will ask, isn't Mother's Day the biggest day of the year? There are plenty of Mother's Day orders and it is a very big holiday and we want to always honor our Mothers, but practically everybody has a Valentine. Whether it's their child, their spouse, their boyfriend, any number of relationships

versus just one Mother or someone who is a Mother figure for us in life. So, Valentine's Day is actually the biggest, single flower day of the year. 

Chris Norwood (11:52):

Absolutely.

Sharon McGukin (11:53):

Let's get started. You tell us how you do it at Tipton and Hurst. Because, no matter the size of your organization, people can always take these tips and bring them down even to fit the smallest flower shop or studio designer.

Chris Norwood (12:07):

Exactly. So, we actually start our Valentine's out pretty much the January a year before the Valentine’s Day. I mean, not the January of a Valentine's Day, the one a year out from that day because I'm looking for containers coming out for the next year. So, a lot of times you'll find (when going to market) a lot of your product will be shown in July or the February coming up. But I kind-of have to go a little bit further back into it. Like, even not a year, not six months, out but a full year out to start to source a certain container. We try to have for us, at least two specialty arrangements and a certain specialty container besides the normal, everyday, standard glass that you'll find pretty much across the board. I'll try to find something that's a little bit more unique, that would make our design stand out a little bit more above the rest.

Chris Norwood (13:04):

The good part about Valentine's is that most men are not too picky. They just want to get in and get out. What we’ve found that we do is something called ‘bundling’ that has been pretty successful for us. I actually learned this trick from Dr. Delphinium in Dallas. So, we go back in and we'll do certain arrangements, we'll have a certain box of candy with it. One arrangement that we'll have … we do what's called Vintage Valentine - which has a teddy bear, a box of chocolates or a heart of chocolates and a dozen roses. And, we kind of give them a slight discount on it because you're not having to upsell it or sell the product. It's just one whole package. That way I can go in and buy X amount of bears. I know it's going to be this on the one special because we kind of have history as far as how many we’ll need. I mean we're pretty consistent across the board in history of how many dozens we're going sell. How many ‘color’ colors, is always the wild card for us.

Chris Norwood (14:04):

And, the fact that when we're trying to preorder - which we do most of our pre-orders typically in in December.  Most of your farms want to have that number by November or December. Because they're getting ready to start, you know, doing their ‘pinching’ or whatever they do. You know it takes nine weeks to grow a rose. So we're already pre-booking as much as we can. I only allow our flower buyer to pre-book about 75%. I want that 25% to float because the market sometimes is not going to be as tight as it normally can be. And that's going give you the advantage of being able to make more profit by finding some deals on the market. For us, when we go into it and I start the process of finding the container, then we go back to our growers and say, “Well what's going be?”

Chris Norwood (14:55):

“What are you going to specialize in?” Well, we know we're going to have red roses. That's 80% of our orders as far as that goes because guys … and like I said … in and out, don't think about it. So red's going to be foolproof. Don't know if yellows are a favorite color, but we know we can get away with red. Right? So, we do that and then like I said, unfortunately the last couple of years, so many of your farms you pre-book with really haven't followed through on 'em because their success also depends on the environment. And also a lot of our growers are in South America. They've had a lot of turmoil lately. They've had a lot of bad weather. So just cause you pre-book it doesn't mean you're going get it. But you know, we try our best to get at least 60% of our pre-book in from what we have ordered.

Chris Norwood (15:43):

It's just a constant. That's why sometimes, especially on specials, like a design special that we do. Because, we really don't do any wire service specials. Part of my job is to make our own specials. I can talk to our grower all day long or our buyer all day long and say “Tell me what's going to be there,” but if she really doesn't know … I just have to hit or miss with my thinking. I know there's going to be a new color trend and we try to incorporate it. One upcoming color palette will be the maroon, white and ivory with a hint of blush or mauve, you know, going into that deeper color. Then we always do traditional pinks. We're probably going back in and actually try to buy flowers that are more plentiful and less expensive and make them look like Valentine's. Basically, meaning your peach and your orange and all those colors are going to be cheaper than buy trying to buy red, pink and white or pink and red basically.

Chris Norwood (16:39):

We try our best to convince the consumer that the Liz Claiborne color scheme of, you know, burnt orange and a hot pink - that's what you really want. Right? <laugh> Well, yeah. So the great thing too with that though, is that so many of the younger generations, millennial, Gen X, all those, they love color. The funkier the color the better. So we are able to utilize that fact that they don't want the basic color palette that we've always had or the color palette that you and I understand so well. They're like “No, I'd really like to have that burnt orange. And I'm going like, “Okay, that's really not Valentine's, but whatever you think!” We try to hit all those niches as well. 

Sharon McGukin (17:25):

As far as color palettes, do you try to set up different themes or do you just go by color harmonies?

Chris Norwood (17:30):

We do some theming. I really try to design toward a generation and that sounds crazy, but I've always felt like if you're going to be something for everybody, you can't just be one style. So, we go into it and the fact that we try to do one palette in this design style that more mature audiences would enjoy. The traditional, not colonial, but you know … just that whimsical garden mix in a traditional round. And then we try to go into a younger generation that may like a more of a contemporary design style. And then, it really is on color palette. But I know that there's certain generations that only want a certain color scheme. 

Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. 

The great thing about Valentine's though is that most guys, the younger guys, they too don't understand color like, like a female would on that part of it. Don't mean to be mean, but that's just the way it is. So, cause they want, well when they come in - typically they want the biggest bear, the biggest box of candy and the biggest arrangement, especially if it's a new date. You can tell how long someone's either been married or how long they've been dating by how big the arrangement is going to go out the door. So anyway, they all want to impress. Right?

Sharon McGukin (18:58):

Do you vary your price points within a certain category? 

Chris Norwood (19:03):

Absolutely. Everything has three price points. Roses have six price points in the fact that we charge an upcharge for filler. So, we have like our basic roses. We have a basic dozen with mixed greens, which typically is going to allow a little bit of leather leaf to soften it. And then a myrtle or a ruscus can be more expensive. So, a lot of times we don't even go that route. Especially, on a holiday if they want filler, they can buy fillers as extra. Whether it's a gypsy/baby's breath or baby's breasts, as they call it. Now generally wax is going to be a lot cheaper on the market than baby's breath (gypsophilia) will be. So, we tend to let that be our filler, if possible. You know, they have to really specify if they want gyp in the arrangement.

Chris Norwood (19:57):

We do a different size vase on roses. It has a smaller mouth so they don't flair out as much. So, in delivery they're a little bit more confined. If you do an open mouth vase by the time you get there, it's going to be wonky more or less. Yeah. But we try to definitely do a smaller opening like a temple jar with a small mouth to it. 

Sharon McGukin:

That's good advice. 

 Chris Norwood:

I can control the dozen roses and it takes less to green it in. So that would be the one thing that I would share that we do and some don't do. Then we do an upgrade container, Sharon, we'll do a cut crystal vase. 

 Sharon McGukin:

Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>

Chris Norwood:

You can get the basic vase, then you can get baby's breath. Then you can go back and upgrade it to a crystal vase. Whether it's a budvase, half-dozen, one or two dozen. I haven't found an affordable three dozen vase yet. But nine times out of 10 the price gets so much up there on the three-dozen vase that you can kind of get away with charging because it's already going to be expensive.

Sharon McGukin (21:02):

After you have established your plan … pricing … procurement then what? How do you begin with your prep? Do you start with staffing? Do you train people to have extra staffing? 

Chris Norwood (21:20):

Well we have company sales meetings. We go back in and we actually do teams. Our design department, which is really small believe it or not, but we bring in extra staff to do basically just rose production and we'll do 'em in teams. One person is taking the bottom part of the thorns off. And when we're doing prepping as far as, well let me back up. We actually get the bulk of our flowers in two weeks before the holiday. Whether you want to believe it or not or whether you think it's doesn't happen. All those roses that you have, no matter whether you get 'em on the 12th of February or you get 'em on the 1st of February, have all been already cut in a cooler somewhere. So, you may as well get 'em yourself and start doing great care and handling to take care of them.

Chris Norwood (22:10):

As long as you keep your cooler at anywhere from 34 to 35 degrees, and the closer you can get to 32 degrees the better. Not 32 … y'all don’t want to freeze 'em. But, the lower you get your cooler above freezing the longer they're going to hold no matter what. So, we go ahead and get ours in and start the process. We'll start our designing process on roses. I know that some people, like, there's one in Florida, I know Michelle in Florida … they do theirs two weeks out but we typically … I still get a little apprehensive. So, we do our greening start a week out. Well I take that back, we start at 10 days out and then we actually start doing production of roses about a week out. We bring in four semi-trailers in the back of our store. We go in and we put folding tables, stack 'em two high and just start the production because the roses are going to be the same no matter what, right?

Sharon McGukin:

Mm-Hmm <affirmative>.

Chris Norwood (23:07):

We just start it that way. We typically do red. I don't really do a lot of mass production of color. Cause like I said, one year is white, one year is pink, one year it's yellow. So, I never know what going to be the hit. Now you may be better at this than I am, but I've yet to find a great yellow rose that doesn't open beautifully. But, then the consumer gets it and they come in and go “These roses are old, they're already open.” I can't find one, so we definitely don't do yellow roses until we have the order in house and fixing to go out the door with it. Because nine times out of 10, if I've done a production number for that one with yellow, it's going to come back to me.

Sharon McGukin (23:49):

And the reason for that is the same gene that modifies fragrance also manages longevity. So, if you get a fragrant rose, and a yellow rose as a fragrant rose, it is not going to hold as long as a red or something that does not have that same degree of fragrance. Right? The same true of lavender roses. They're very fragrant. They don't hold as long.

Chris Norwood (24:12):

And, also for some reason they crease. Or, OMG they constantly look like they've been pulled through a knot-hole backwards no matter what you do with 'em. So anyway, <laugh>, I'm just like, we haven't touched these roses and they're already messed up. So anyway. Yeah. 

Sharon McGukin (24:32):

And you have to worry about the customer's perception. One of my customers long ago said that she was tired of just getting a vase of red roses, she'd like something more interesting. So, I talked to her husband into this beautiful terracotta swan that we filled with roses and she absolutely adored it. He came back and complained that I told him it was something else. I didn't tell him it was a ‘mud duck.’

Chris Norwood (24:58):

Oh my gosh. Anyway. One thing that I have found, and I've talked about this, you know, the great thing about being part of SAF is that you have these think-tank groups that can discuss stuff about holidays.

Sharon McGukin (25:14):

And, SAF being Society of American Florists.

Chris Norwood (25:16):

Society of American Florists. Exactly, yes. 

They found that the biggest, or one of the biggest problems that people had this past year, or two years ago now because they came back with the results last time, is the fact that half dozen roses … the perceived value wasn't there because really by the time you get your vase and your greenery, your half dozen is almost of the same amount as if you were to do a dozen basically. Yeah. So, what they found is that, and what we're going to do this year is that we're not going to really do a half dozen roses. We're going to do half dozen roses with something else with it. It'll be like a hydrangea and six roses and maybe some type of lily or something with it just because they're able to upsell or sell more. Then it just, it's a half dozen roses because it's not very showy basically. 

Sharon McGukin (26:07):

And everybody wants a big show at Valentine's Day!

Chris Norwood (26:10):

Oh yeah. And it's got to go to the office too because that way everybody can see how much ‘I am loved.’

Sharon McGukin (26:14):

<Laugh>. That's absolutely the truth.

Now do you have any specific techniques that you typically use once you set up your teams and everybody has their assignments. Do you have like one group that's dozen roses, one group that's mixed flowers?

Chris Norwood (26:31):

Absolutely. It's like being at the Maybelline factory. I think we should all wear hairnets sometimes. Anyway, it's just a production line. One's greening, we try to green in quite a bit, then one's cleaning, one's doing the insertions, then one's doing the finish out and then it goes out to the truck, and it's tagged out there. We also have a crew that one team that actually does colors because those are being called just like being in a restaurant. We're calling out, I need two lavenders, I need one yellow, I need one … you know, so that's in a production mode too.

Sharon McGukin (27:06):

What about flower foods? Do you use a lot of flower foods in your care and handling?

Chris Norwood (27:11):

Well fortunately for us all of that is done in-house. We have our whole water system done off of Dosatron. All of our flower foods from Floralife goes out of Dosatron. And then we don't have to worry about mixing or matching. Every order that goes out from our store in our envelope has a branded tips and a Tipton & Hurst packet of food in it. So, it's kind of a co-brand. Not that the consumer ever actually uses it, but they'll take that packet of food, throw it in some kind of drawer so the next time they're in that drawer they'll see the Tipton & Hurst packet pop up and say “Well that's where that came from.” So anyway. Yeah, it’s good.

Sharon McGukin (27:48):

Yes. It works for you. 

Chris Norwood (27:51):

Yeah. Exactly.

Sharon McGukin (27:52):

What about when it comes to delivery? Do you add on extra delivery people for Valentine’s Day?

Chris Norwood (27:57):

We have about sixty extra drivers that come in besides our normal staff and we pay them by contract. They're paid per delivery. We've started trying to work better deals. Something that I think everyone's trying to do now is to go to Uber, Shipt, or to a ‘whoever’ kind of contract. Door Dash, all those. To see about getting those to do for us as well. But, we still use contract drivers and they'll typically do 30 to 40 deliveries that one day and they're also paid by what section of town they're delivering to. And we deliver probably a hundred square mile radius because we not only go Little Rock, we go to Conway, North Little Rock, Abbot, Jacksonville, Benton, which is the whole county basically. Yeah. For now we in-house all of our deliveries.

Chris Norwood (28:55):

We don't have a delivery system like in Atlanta or you know, where they all work together. We're unfortunately all just out there peddling as fast as we can go at that point. <Laugh>. Yeah, we definitely do a different charge on delivery. If you let us deliver it, you know, five days out or four days out, it'll probably be a free delivery if we get closer to it. The 13th will be one charge. The 14th will be a premium charge because you know, like I said, it has to be, the order typically needs to be there by noon most of the time. Cause nobody wants it at three o'clock in the afternoon when they're all trying to go home. Cause, “No one can see how much I'm loved” if it gets there late. 

Sharon McGukin (29:39):

You alluded to that, but it's the absolute truth. A lot of people say “Be sure you take it to the office so everybody sees they got it.”

Chris Norwood (29:48):

And that's why Valentine's is so off on a Sunday and typically a Saturday because we don't really have commercial deliveries. That's exactly right. No one gets to see the love. So anyway … 

Sharon McGukin (30:03):

And this year in 2023, it's going to be on Tuesday. And that's hard. Because, you have to squeeze everything into Monday and Tuesday. The great ones are like Thursday and Friday. You have the sales advantage of - we can take it the first of the week, you can have free delivery, and she can enjoy it at her office all week. You lose that with a Monday or Tuesday holiday.

Chris Norwood (30:26):

Your sales, your sales incentives really don't work as well. For sure. Nobody seems to want to take that Sunday delivery when it's on a Tuesday, for some reason.

Sharon McGukin (30:35):

And they also think, well if it's the weekend we can go out to eat or we can go out of town. There’s a larger amount of competition. Speaking of competition, do you ever work together with another business like a restaurant or something? 

Chris Norwood (30:55):

We do a lot of advertising on some of our local radio stations. Believe it or not, I've been doing KATV and  they actually do the morning show from the shop. So, I'll be on. I'll be online. I'll be live TV for about two hours. That's where I'll explain what we do. It's 4:30 in the morning, but, you know, but who cares? <Laugh>. Then they'll do the daybreak show a lot of times from here, which is the early morning show and then we'll go back and do the GMA show here too. And nine-times-out-of-ten I'll explain the color meaning of roses or I'll show 'em what the specials are. Things like that.

Sharon McGukin (31:33):

You were saying that the 4:00 AM is an early start for being online or on television, but florists never sleep through the holidays, so it’s okay you're not used to sleep.

Chris Norwood (31:43):

Anyway. <Laugh>, you know, that is one thing that I've tried to …. and I honest to goodness remember this … it's probably been 20 years at AIFD symposium, Richard Milteer did a presentation. He said that they never had overtime at the shop. They didn’t because they were so organized. What we’ve found honestly, is that once you get past 10 PM at night, the production goes to nothing. Why not just send everybody home? Let 'em get a couple hours of sleep and be back at 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning. Otherwise, your production absolutely tanks. You know, at a certain point, I probably thrive on a little bit more than most. I'll normally work till about midnight but then I try to get home. 

Sharon McGukin (32:28):

And don't you think that if you do a good job of scheduling in advance, if you know your customer, if you follow year after year, the patterns and if you really start early enough, you can avoid a lot of that last- minute overtime that takes away your profits. In order to price your designs at a good price that your customer can afford, you have to avoid that last-minute overtime or the last-minute cost of late-purchased flowers because you didn't order well enough and now they cost twice as much. I think that the best way to deliver a price productive product is to be organized in advance and stick to your plan.

Chris Norwood (33:09):

Absolutely. The only saving grace that we'll have at this holiday is that it's in a different pay period. If you did have a large amount of overtime on that Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, because your pay period starts on Sunday, normally you can go ahead and let the people off on the back end of the week. Okay? We don't allow anybody off on the 15th because that's all your catch up. You know, he forgot. He needs twice as big, you know, that kind of deal. 

And we're going to make mistakes. So that's, that's our time to shine, to correct whatever we did wrong, we didn't make the delivery, it's not what she ordered, it didn't hold up. You know, we're always going to make mistakes. The good thing about Tipton & Hurst is that we guarantee satisfaction.

Chris Norwood (33:55):

We don't ask questions. If you weren't happy with something, we replace it. We not only replace it, we actually give you more value when we do replace it. Cause if you took the time to call and complain to let me know I hadn't done my job right, thank you. Because I can't fix a problem if you don't let me know I have a problem. It's a lot easier to keep a customer than it is to get a new one this day and time. So we're all about that. Another way that we save on all that too, Karen, is that we actually, on our website, we'll go in and take down all of our everyday products. We don't give you the opportunity to go back and what we try to do is dummy it down and only have maybe eight design items plus roses or six, you know, we try not to give you this wide span because if I have to ‘stop the bus’ as I call it. Stop the bus to make T1 a custom order and da-da-da. You can’t do it.

Chris Norwood (34:46):

We raise our minimum on custom design work. You know, I don't have time to stop and make a a $50 arrangement with two blue iris and one stem of lavender daisies and she likes a little bit of pink and wants a butterfly there. No we can't do that <laugh>. So, we kind of pull back on that and try to dummy it down and make it as clean and simple as possible. I know I have to make, you know, 300 of one thing and 200 of one thing and then we started all that production about a week out. So, come that Tuesday and the day before, the 13th and 14th, at that time I can moderate. Hey I've got the X amount of orders and I have X amount of these left. Then we can start pushing and pulling back and forth … “Oh, we're going to run out of this” … “Let's make more of that.” And we have the product. If we don't then, hey, we've got all these half-dozens left, we going to push them. You know, so that's how we handle that.

Sharon McGukin (35:45):

And I think, that when you streamline the number of products, vary your prices, that makes it easier to create your designs but also it makes it easier for the customer. Because, sometimes when there's too many options it's just kind of overwhelming and so it's nicer to have a set group to choose from. Right? When you mentioned customer service - answering complaints, that had been my next question to you. How do you do that? Because I think sometimes surprising ‘customer care’ makes for a better customer relationship. They come to you with a complaint and they're not questioned. They're made to be satisfied with the end product. Sometimes I think that secures your relationship with that customer even more so than if they get an arrangement they're happy with. That's what they expected. They expected to be happy.

Chris Norwood (36:35):

 Absolutely. And you know, we all live and die by the Google Review right now <laugh>. So, if we ever get a bad review, we are so on it. Now, I can't change everybody's mind. I mean, you know, it is never going to be perfect. But I would say eight out of 10 times, by the time we have contacted that person that gave us a bad review. Or, the time that they put online “That wasn’t what I wanted,” or “They did a bad job,” da, da, da. Even “I had a bad experience in the store.” I mean we're not perfect, but by the time we go through all the actions that we need to do as far as our company policy, I would say eight out of 10 times that review has changed to a five star by the time we finish. And with all of our employees and we were really harp more about customer service at our sales meetings than we do about the product that we're selling.

Chris Norwood (37:26):

Because what I don't want is someone to call or come in and they, and they say “Oh I’ve got to talk to the manager or I’ve got to talk to the owner.” No, you have the authority to do whatever it takes to make that customer happy. Sometimes we have to give you your money back and send you a new arrangement and give you a gift card if that's going to make you happy. But sometimes people just want to be heard and they don't want anything at that point. We're still going send you a gift card to make you come back. Nine times out of 10, they just want a replacement. Then replacing it, let's say we had a a bad dozen roses, we're going to send you 18 roses because Amazon's not doing that. I mean yeah. So, you really have to look at who your competition is. I mean, so we're competing now … all retail florists are competing now … with the big guys. So, you got to go above and beyond to secure that customer that you just don't have. 

Sharon McGukin (38:23):

And I think the most important thing you just said was that most of the time the customer just wants to be heard.  And when they feel heard, that's when they feel respected. There's always going to be, as you said, a little bit of error that you just simply can't work around with that many people doing that many things in such a short period of time. Then comes February 16th, and that's when you're happy returns.

Chris Norwood (38:48):

<Laugh>. That's right. Exactly. Exactly. I tell our employees all the time, we're not selling anything that they can't get anywhere else. Whether it's a box store, another florist, whatever, it's all about how you treat the customer. Unfortunately, in our world now when someone just does their job, we just get so excited because they've actually done their jobs, you know, <laugh>. 

Sharon McGukin (39:13):

I was so excited about someone that did some work at my house and I kept complimenting then and finally Tim said, “Sharon, you're just excited because he showed up and nobody else has.”

Chris Norwood (39:22):

Yeah. He showed up and did his job. You know, so when someone goes above and beyond with great customer service, man, you're the best thing since sliced bread at that point, you know? So anyway, we're constantly trying to make it be a ‘wow’ experience because you know, we want you to come back.

Sharon McGukin (39:39):

And people are paying more now for experiences than they are just for things. Experience shopping is a major trend right now. Well, before we go, I want to say that I know you have five favorite fans. They're kind of short and really cute.

Chris Norwood (39:58):

<Laugh> Exactly. Yeah. And they're keeping me on my toes. Yeah, exactly. I have five beautiful, that I love more than life itself, grandchildren. So, I have Henry, Brooklyn - who's the Queen Bee, and we have Jackson and Landon, and our baby is Oli-bear or Oliver. So yeah.

Sharon McGukin (40:18):

Oh, they're so cute. I always love seeing pictures of them and you and I enjoy sharing grandchildren's stories. They're really fun. 

Chris Norwood (40:27):

We get to spoil them and send them home. Right?

Sharon McGukin (40:30):

<Laugh>. 

Do you have any specific advice you would offer to someone who's just starting, It's their first Valentine's Day.

Chris Norwood (40:42):

 I would always go into it modestly and don't try to over-buy. I mean it's always okay to run out, you know? Especially on a Valentine's because your private margins are so slim. A lot of times, a consumer's going to give you second time and come back to it. I mean they're always going to give you another chance if you run out. Mm-Hmm <affirmative>. They're not going to give you a second chance if you do a bad job. Or, if you're not in business the next year, because you overbought and didn't know how to control your cost of goods. 

Sharon McGukin (41:14):

So true. And sometimes it makes your product a little more desirable if you run out. They should have been there earlier. The next year they are there a little earlier because they don't want to have that same experience.

Chris Norwood (41:27):

Yeah. And I always say that Valentine's really is just a ‘customer service holiday’ cause we're not getting rich off of it by any means <laugh>. So by the time you pay your extra labor and all your other stuff, you know you're not.

Sharon McGukin (41:40):

And that's the sad thing because the consumer does think, "Oh yeah, prices go up. They’re making more money." And you might explain that to our viewers. The fact that the prices do go up from your shop because the prices did go up for you from the grower and they went up from the grower because they have to focus so much time and attention into the specified flowers for that holiday.

Chris Norwood (42:04):

Yeah. The cost of our roses typically at least double, and triples sometimes from the farm.

Sharon McGukin (42:12):

And, their costs multiplied as well.

Chris Norwood (42:15):

Right? Absolutely. But, the consumer doesn't understand that. They don't get the fact, you know, that everything goes up. Plus, let's just be for real - supply and demand. The grower knows they can get more for that. They're going to have to, because that's the one time they can actually make extra profit off of it. So Yes.

Sharon McGukin (42:31):

Yes. Also, everything is going up so much right now. Someone recently said, "well, I was so stunned that flowers had gone so up so much." And I said, “Were you stunned that food had gone up so much and gas had gone up so much?" And I named over a lot of other everyday products. They said "Oh well, I guess that's true."

Chris Norwood (42:53):

Yeah, we raised all of our prices about anywhere from 10 to 20%. But I did that January of last year or you know, probably March we went in, redid it again, we did like 10% in January and then we went back and add another probably 10 to 15% in March. This went into Mother's Day because it had to, it was more about the freight. That's what's killing me. Yeah. Freight.

Sharon McGukin (43:17):

So the freight is going up, what about your delivery fees? Did you have to go up on your delivery fees?

Chris Norwood (43:22):

We have, but we've always been, probably ... when you go across the board across the country, we were still cheaper than most anyway, so we were just leaving money on the table. We're like $12.99 now. Okay. And we were at $9.99 but you know, let's be real. Insurance is up. Labor is up. I mean we have to pay more now for staffing, so, yeah.

Sharon McGukin (43:48):

Being in Arkansas, do you ever have problems with icy roads and snow at Valentine's Day?

Chris Norwood (43:56):

We do. It's about every seven years we'll have ice. So we're just praying it's not this year.

Sharon McGukin (44:03):

Do you have any special tips for preparing for that?

Chris Norwood (44:06):

No, at a time like that you’ve just got to start making phone calls and some will cancel it and some won't. But you know, it is what it is. I can't control Mother Nature. So …

Sharon McGukin (44:16):

Yeah, that was always the worst.

Chris Norwood (44:18):

And I'm not going to risk our employee out in a van for anything. That's just not worth it.

Sharon McGukin (44:24):

No, you've got to take care of them first.

Chris Norwood (44:28):

Right.

Sharon McGukin (44:30):

Well again, thank you so much for being with us. I know what a busy day and I know you rushed to me from an activity and you're headed to another one, so I just really appreciate the fact that you would take the time to share your expertise with our listeners.

Chris Norwood (44:45):

Anything for you, Ms. Georgia.

Sharon McGukin (44:47):

<Laugh> Thank you so much and I hope to see you soon.

Chris Norwood (44:51):

All right, talk to you later. Thanks.

Sharon McGukin (44:54):

Appreciate you. Bye.

Sharon McGukin (45:01):

Smithers-Oasis, North America, Chris, and I want to thank you for joining us today. If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and be sure to hit subscribe. You don't want to miss the inspired solutions our upcoming guests will share with you for your personal or business growth. If you have topic you want to hear about or a guest you'd like to hear from, please message me. We'd love to hear from you. 

Until next time, I'm Sharon McGukin reminding you that - like the unfurling petals of a flower, we grow by changing form. Soaking inspiration in like raindrops. Absorbing energy from others like warmth from the sun. This growth opens us up to new ideas and that's How We Bloom.