“Sending your deluxe thank you gift basket to the nurses was the first thing on my mind when I heard that my aunt was recovering from surgery. How fast can you get it there?”

That’s one customer’s telephone conversation a gift basket designer shared with me during our weekly mentorship meeting.

She’s noticed a big and positive change in her sales since she began contacting customers, online and offline, to remind them about her gift basket service.

Notice that the above doesn’t state that she talks about gift baskets. Instead, she reminds them about the reasons for giving and the value that her gifts represent both to the customer and recipient.

The more she positions her gifts and baskets in that manner, the more calls, customers, and sales she receives.

Like this designer, when you focus on benefits, your sales will rise. That’s the key to increasing profits in every economy.

———-

Need to re-position your business or want to talk about another problem that’s keeping sales stagnant?

You still have time to speak with me (this special service ends on August 31). Just click the Setster link below to make an appointment, and we’ll talk by phone at the time you choose. It’s just $1 a minute, and you’ll have one or several great solutions in 30 minutes or less.

© 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. How Donations Bring You Business

Even if you’re the greatest designer in your region, customers will not line up at your door to buy gift baskets! There are simply too many competitors for them to choose from whether due to convenience or budget.

This means you must create a step-by-step campaign by computer or on paper to contact your customers every two or three weeks starting now to get attention and sales.

The need for such a campaign is necessary today as it was years ago.

A gift basket store owner I interviewed in 2001 gained most of her Christmas orders by sending customers a Year 2000 printout in early October showing who received past orders along with an easy way to order new gift baskets with delivery instructions on the same printout.

Yesterday, I delivered a customized snack bag to a bank teller, something I promised to create because of the teller’s impeccable service. The cellophane-wrapped gift included multiple snacks, bowls, and napkins for every employee’s enjoyment, including the branch manager who requested my services on the spot to create holidays gift baskets for her top clients.

Whether by mail or in person, the time is now to develop and launch your Christmas action plan to encourage customers to order holiday gift baskets.

You’ll find ‘Tis the Season to Start Selling and Pre-Holiday Q&A Part 1 and Part 2 helpful with this mission.

How will you proceed? Share your plans in the comment section below, or ask questions here to get your plan underway.

© 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. How to Prepare for Last Minute Orders
2. Welcome to the Gift Baskets Newsletter
3. Your Corporate Gift Basket Profit Plan