When I arrived at a bookstore to promote the book, How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, a woman attending the event asked me to use the gift basket she brought to show people how to make and wrap it.

I declined her request, as I had my own gift basket with me. In addition, my policy at the time was to only wrap my gift baskets and not ones presented elsewhere or brought into my store.

Within months my policy changed because I began receiving many cellophane wrapping and bowmaking requests. It became a lucrative part of business because customers preferred my professional styling.

You’ll find cellophane wrapping tips and a video at CellophaneWrapTips.com.

What’s your policy on wrapping gift baskets that you didn’t make?

© 2008-2010 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is the world's expert on the gift basket industry, professional speaker, and author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for DVDs, CDs, reports, tips, and more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

Read these related articles:

1. Three Ways To Wrap Up Sales
2. Welcome to the Gift Baskets Newsletter
3. Cellophane Wrap, Baby Baskets, How to Find Wholesale Supplies

WEB SALES WORK WONDERS

Is your Web site’s contact page easy to find and complete? A designer in Georgia asked me to look at her page. It asked visitors to call her.

I suggested that she convert the page to a Web form, available free of charge online and easy to install. She’s now receiving regular queries, one which secured a $3,000 welcome gift basket order.

Wednesday’s newsletter reveals reasons why a Web site review and subsequent changes will increase your sales in the long run. It’s prime time to get your Web presence in order.

RAPPING ABOUT WRAP

Among the most-popular questions I hear at trade show seminars is, “How do you wrap that?” This is most often asked when I display containers such as upturned umbrellas, rocking chairs, and miniature vehicles.

I once thought that everything had to be wrapped, but that’s not true, specifically when the basket is hand delivered. This article provides insight on how to enclose these attractive, yet unusual, shapes.

CREATE YOUR OWN ECONOMIC ENVY

Designers in the Golden Basket Club have a proactive attitude about their businesses. They convince prospects to buy during casual conversations, and that’s what makes a sales drought less likely.

Some designers have opted for a different stance, one where they hope sales will increase on its own. Read this question and answer about the current economy at Ask The Gift Basket Expert, then decide if it’s better to wait or go after sales.

© 2008-2010 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is the world's expert on the gift basket industry, professional speaker, and author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business: Solutions You Can Use Today. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for DVDs, CDs, reports, tips, and more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

Read these related articles:

1. Father’s Day, Sales Planning, Gift Basket Wrapping
2. Why Financial Worries Won’t Hurt Your Holiday Sales
3. Mother’s Day, Price Increases, Wrap a Basket