Nov

12

How Donations Bring You Business

Filed Under Donation Requests | 2 Comments

Holiday orders are arriving slowly, especially in this economy, but one request arrives consistently, sometimes on a daily basis – telephone calls from representatives of non-profit organizations asking for gift basket donations, usually over $100 in value.

These black tie, auction, and charity functions are usually scheduled this month and in December to coincide with holiday giving.

What’s your action plan for holiday requests? How do you decide which events to support?

Donation decisions boil down to three factors.

1. Causes that impact your family or community life get top consideration.

2. Perks that include an invitation to mingle with guests make the cut.

3. Groups sending less-than-formal requests without certain documentation (requests in letter format, a Web site presence, background information on the group, etc.) receive a “thanks, but my donation budget is filled” response.

You’re not necessarily looking for a “must get something back when I give” scenario, but as a business owner, certain incentives are mandatory in order for you to thrive so that you can continue supporting charities.

Remember that opportunities to meet auction attendees in person, during the event, are more valuable than a promise to receive an attendee list, so get the invitation in hand before making the donation.

This is one of the savvy marketing ideas revealed in 101 Ways to Market Gift Baskets, now available in book and ebook formats.

Attending charitable events allows you to shake hands with potential clients. Then you can follow up after the event and continue these relationships by phone, mail or Email to increase your holiday sales and start the New Year with new opportunities for higher profits.

Nov

9

Holiday Sales, Success Tips, Brand-Name Baskets

Filed Under Design Ideas | Comments Off

TIME OFF FOR EARLY SALES

You pull out all the stops and convince clients to buy, and sometimes that means spending less time with family and friends because a client calls on December 24 to place a last-minute order. Does that happen to you?

It’s also happened to me, but now I know better. Wednesday’s newsletter gives you permission to say “no” to last minute buyers and provides other regulations to keep you sane and happy.

THESE THREE MAKE BUSINESS THRIVE

Why reinvent the wheel when you can pattern yourself after successful designers? These savvy retailers have three things in common to make sure they connect with customers and choose the right marketing strategies. See which three items I refer to in this article, and I also mention two more to keep in mind.

BASKETS WITH BRAND NAME PRODUCTS

Is it okay to put Victoria’s Secret, Hershey’s and Trader Joe’s products in your gift baskets without permission from these companies? That’s what a designer wants to know. You’ll find the answer at Ask The Gift Basket Expert where you’re welcomed to join the conversation.

Nov

5

Six Commandments for Holiday Success

Filed Under SITE UPDATES | 2 Comments

We pull out all the stops to satisfy our customers, and we fill as many orders as possible, even when they arrive late. However, we’re learning to scale back on orders that shorten our own holiday fun.

Consider these six commandments to stay stress free during the holidays.

The successful designer shall:

*Make early contact with every business professional that she/he has contacted during the year.

This includes everyone that provides a service, whether private or public, as these individuals order gifts for family, friends and staff. Your gift baskets must be foremost in their minds, and early contact is critical to getting orders.

*Upsell every basket. This means that when a person calls to order, you will mention a better, higher-priced basket for purchase or offer additional enhancements that add value and a higher profit percentage.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised how many times customers agrees to your recommendations. Check out these gift basket forms, which includes one for upselling.

*Ask for referrals. This will dramatically increase your customer base. In appreciation, send a small, complimentary gift to customers who provide referrals. People love to be recognized for their support, and a small gift works to keep the referrals coming.

The successful designer shall not:

*Buy products with the words “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” written on the packaging. Instead, buy products with red, gold or green-colored packaging so that it can be used to complete New Year and Valentine’s Day orders.

See these three quick tips to increase holiday sales.

*Accept large orders that arrive after December 15. Although what constitutes a large order depends on the size of a business, it is generally viewed at holiday time as 25 baskets or more.

We encourage early orders, and to that end, decide on and stick to a large order amount and cut-off date.

You’ll find more about this in the two-part, pre-holiday Q&A.

*Do any personal shopping unless absolutely necessary and totally profitable.

Your inventory generally contains enough stock to design hundreds of gifts and baskets. Since most customers are unwilling to cover the costs associated with the time and mileage required to find specialty items, your time is best spent fulfilling the needs of individuals and corporations who want the items already in stock.

By following these commandments, you’ll not only be profitable at season’s end, you’ll also be rested and ready to spend time with loved ones. It’s the ultimate accomplishment you’ve worked so hard to enjoy.

Nov

2

How to Buy Baskets, Increase Sales, Anchor Products

Filed Under Baskets, Sales-Increasing Strategies, VIDEOS/TRAINING | Comments Off

BASKET BUYING 101

After 18 years, I still break into a sweat when entering my favorite wholesale basket shop. I’m excited to see the new styles, shapes, colors, and sizes available for my clients, and I fill my cart with assortments that I know will sell quickly.

Wednesday’s newsletter focuses on basket buying and provides you with three tips to make sure you pick the best possible selection.

LOW SALES SOLUTIONS

If customers are not ordering as much as they did last year, what will you do – take it on the chin or make preparations to convince them to place orders?

Here’s an article that outlines three ways to give customers value while keeping your revenue on par with last year’s sales.

SOLID AND STURDY

Keeping products anchored in place can be a maddening task when you don’t know how it’s done.

A designer asks about techniques for product placement at Ask The Gift Basket Expert where I provide pointers for great designs. Read my advice to see if what I suggest is the way you assemble gift baskets.

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