-
Get These Books to Prosper!
Jan
28
Stop Taking Notes, Start Taking Orders
Filed Under Sales-Increasing Strategies | Comments Off
You attended a seminar at a recent trade show, and now you’re ready to take action.
Now comes the hard part — putting the information to work.
Review your notes, browse through the handout, and devise a plan to sell to clients, purge your records, install and manage new software, or master whatever else you learned at the hour-long event.
The bottom line is to turn what you learned into a productive system. That’s what will separate you from other gift basket retailers, making your workload smoother and easier and generating orders that seem to magically appear because you’ve taken care of the small details.
Last month, before the trade show season began, I listened to an online seminar that discussed how to create a success blueprint by placing Post-it notes on a wall to document each of my projects. The idea seemed so simple that I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it on my own.
I now have three projects mapped out in step-by-step format. Seeing this visual blueprint every day in my office has taken these ideas from “wish I could” to “I’m getting it done.” You have the same potential after attending a seminar.
This is not an economy where you can delay working on any part of business. The newspaper is filled with stories about layoffs and business closings. You did not enter the industry to become a casualty. Make your new-found knowledge generate dollars and sense today.
If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels, next week I’ll introduce you to the Golden Basket Club so that you experience giant leaps rather than small or no gains.
Jan
25
How to Increase Sales, Buy Baskets, Drop Shipping
Filed Under Baskets, DROP SHIPPING, Sales-Increasing Strategies | Comments Off
CREATE A GARDEN OF GROWTH
I remember when I thought my promotions weren’t helping my business. Nothing was working. All of a sudden, the phone rang off the hook, and sales seemed to be coming from everywhere. Did my clients wake up from a long nap, or were the seeds I planted months ago finally sprouting?
Wednesday’s newsletter plants seeds to inspire you to market every day in whatever method works in your region. I can tell you, from personal experience shared in the newsletter and above, that your efforts will not be in vain.
“B” IS DEFINITELY FOR BASKETS
All week you’ve been reading about baskets, the favored industry vessel that anchors most designs. Articles have centered around where to buy, how to add accents, designing with value in mind, and more.
DROP SHIP SHORT CUTS
Drop shipping is here to stay. There’s lots of pro and con conversation about working with these firms and making sure they deliver what’s promised.
I just answered a question at Ask The Gift Basket Expert on how to choose a drop shipper. Read what I suggest, think about your experience, or consider my advice before selecting a drop ship company.
Jan
21
How to Plant Seeds that Grow Your Sales
Filed Under Marketing Materials, Sales-Increasing Strategies | Comments Off
According to media reports, January is the month to resolve to work smarter, achieve goals, and end bad habits.
It’s a media focus that assaults us every year because it’s their agenda. How about your agenda? Have you devised your business strategy, the methods and the tools that will drive your 2009 success?
Gift basket sales will grow when you plant seeds on a daily basis. This is true in any economy. Opportunities to sell and market materialize as you take advantage of the contacts around you and in your database.
There’s no magic formula for achieving success. It takes persistence along with consistent determination to move forward every day.
Of course, there will be unforeseen circumstances that cause setbacks and missteps. But that’s a small part of the picture.
Stay focused on the parts you can control, and your resolutions will come true.
The CD, 99 Sizzling Marketing Ideas to Make More Money, January to June, acts as a business partner, providing you with time-tested and relevant information used by successful designers every day. Learn more about this popular CD here.
Read more New Year success tips:
Postcards – a favorite low-cost marketing vehicle that’s big on business building.
Turning Giveaways into Sales Tools – how holiday products may bring you profits now.
Selling on Consignment – is this the year to expand sales through other retailers?
Jan
18
Cellophane Wrap, Baby Baskets, How to Find Wholesale Supplies
Filed Under Baby, Cellophane, Shrink Wrap, Bags, Wholesale Suppliers | Comments Off
CELLO-BRATE YOUR WRAP STYLE
Yesterday, at the Philadelphia Gift Show, attendees watched as I demonstrated how to wrap a small gift with three types of cellophane.
One print was an inside wrap, another enclosed the entire gift, and the third one was a fan topper. None of it clashed, which proves that multiple wraps can work together and look attractive.
Wednesday’s newsletter clears up questions you may have about cellophane and shares tips to ensure that you don’t overspend at trade shows while considering which prints will bring you the highest profits.
NEW LAWS FOR LITTLE ONES
Everyone gets nervous when government starts to intervene with product laws. That’s what’s happening in the U.S., where baby goods are now under strict examination for lead particles.
Are the products currently in your inventory destined for the trash? This article uncovers the new rules for your baby baskets, including links to explanations so that you find yourself on the right side of the law.
BASKETS IN YOUR BACKYARD
The closest wholesale supplier to my shop is just five minutes away, but that’s not true for everyone. Or is it?
A designer recently asked how to find products in her state. You’ll find my suggestions to locate sources at Ask The Gift Basket Expert. It may provide clues to help you uncover a source you didn’t know is steps away from your workshop.
Jan
14
3 Ways to Sell with Cellophane
Filed Under Cellophane, Shrink Wrap, Bags | Comments Off
The wrap chosen for each gift basket design determines how quickly it will sell. Isn’t that why you stock dozens of rolls in your workshop?
From pansies to paw prints, there’s a perfect pattern for every gift, and it has the ability to increase sales for such a small price.
I added flower-printed cello around saucers and tea cups filled with hard candies. That small gift sold out within days when those same cups and saucers wouldn’t sell on clearance.
Consider these three ideas before reaching for cellophane.
1. Take inventory. You’ll be encouraged at upcoming trade shows to buy more rolls, so it’s wise to know what you have, which patterns needs replenishing, and which ones are similar to current stock.
2. Create a backdrop. Photographs and in-store displays accented with fan toppers add height and elegance to designs, which for customers translates into higher perceived value.
3. Choose various widths. Many designers select 20- and 30-inch width cellophane rolls. However, veteran designers go for the 40-inch widths to promote their larger gift baskets, which is why they sell grand designs more often than petite sizes.
You’ll find photos, videos, and examples on the new Cellophane Wrap Tips site as well as 10 more design tips.
-
Visit these Wholesalers
