Gift Basket Business World

We've Moved

2007-10-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting our blog. We've moved to http://www.giftbasketbusinessworld.com/theblog.

Hope to see you there.

Flora

Do it Quick or Do it Right?--Is that a Serious Question?

2007-05-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

At some time in your gift basket career you will be asked to offer a service that’s outside the guidelines of your business license. As matter of fact, you’ll face it a number of times. Your success rides on the way you respond.

Find out how a Fort Wayne, IN handled this in the full article.

Gift Basket Training Cuts Years Off Your Learning Curve

2007-05-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

Every week I receive calls and emails from new gift basket designers or gift retailers wanting to add gift baskets to their offerings. When I suggest classes, consultation or educational materials, many of them are deterred by the time and cost involved. That’s too bad. There is tremendous value in investing in your training and skill development.

Let’s face it. You could learn all the gift basket techniques, trends and sources on your own without spending your money. But there’s no way you can gather all this without spending a lot of time. It has taken me 16 years to get to this level.

And talk about the learning curve. I’ll give you an example of what happened to me.

Read the full article here.

Successful Gift Basket Businesses Depend on Client Trust

2007-05-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Many gift basket businesses work hard to achieve success. Because clients are exchanging their money for your services, your success depends on gaining their trust. There are several ways to do this.

Read the full article.

Come See Strawberry Shortcake

2007-05-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

This invitation was part of a local furniture store’s newspaper ad today. A 5-inch picture of Strawberry Shortcake stood beside it and underneath the picture: Photos-Fun-Prizes.

What does Strawberry Shortcake have to do with furniture, you’re wondering? More importantly, what does all this have to do with gift baskets?

This furniture store offers great bargains, a huge inventory and same day delivery and yet they know that consumers have many other shopping choices. So, in addition to great benefits, they also offer drama, excitement and an open invitation for parents to bring their children.

Read the rest of the article here.

What Gift Baskets are Right for Mother's Day?

2007-05-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

During the week before Mother's Day it is common for loved ones to frantically search for the perfect gift for Mom. Although clothing, flowers and jewelry are still the most popular gifts, pamper gifts and spa gift certificates are growing in popularity. What Mom wants after all is time out and relaxation. Read more about it.

Stop Discouraging Your Prospective Gift Basket Clients

2007-04-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

When you finally get a client interested in your service, are you helping or discouraging them?

An example that comes to mind is my experience at a local trade show a few years ago. One booth featured beautiful baskets that I thought would make a great addition to my inventory.

I stepped into the booth and asked the representative "What is your minimum order?"

He scratched his head and uttered, "Hmmm. Hmmm."

Thinking I hadn't spoken clearly enough I rephrased and repeated the question: "Do you have a minimum order?"

He was still stumped by my question, so he pushed a bunch of fliers and a CD into my hand telling me to go to their website to get more information.

As I walked away from the booth I was very sure I wouldn't do business with this company. They had set up their wares at a major gift show, but seemed completely unprepared to answer one of the most common questions asked by buyers. They didn't deserve my business.

Are you ready for the most common questions your customers may ask? Some of those may be:

Where are you located?

Do you do same-day deliveries?

What types of gift baskets do you carry?

What do you put in your baskets?

What do your baskets cost?

Can you ship a basket to Romania?

Could I pay by check?

While you can't anticipate every question, you do need to decide in advance the scope and policies of your business. If need be, keep a written copy by your telephone and computer. That way you'll sound knowledgeable and ready to accept the willing customer.

Go After Corporate Clients for Your Gift Basket Business

2007-04-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Have you been hesitating to go after corporate clients for your gift basket business?

The individual consumer buys a few gifts per year, whereas the corporate client buys gifts and promotional items year round as a part of doing business.

The individual consumer buys a wide variety of different themes and often wants custom designs. Although this can mean higher profits per gift basket, the consumer often buys only a few per year. Serving the individual consumer also means carrying a wider variety of inventory which eats into your profits.

The corporate client, on the other hand often selects a given design and orders it in multiples throughout the year. Although the design may be priced lower than a custom design, the quantity and reliability of the orders enables you to manage inventory better and enjoy higher profits over time.

Once you understand the difference between the consumer and corporate client, you will realize that there is no need to fear the corporate and small business market. As a matter of fact, corporate and small businesses are looking for you.

Corporate clients are actively looking for products and services that help them run their businesses more effectively. They want to save time, save money, increase sales and increase productivity. Proof: they hire purchasing agents whose sole job it is to buy. While this job may be carried out by employees with varying job titles, it is still clear that buying is a big part of doing business.

Because of concern with bribery or improprieties, some companies and agencies have outlawed giving and receiving gifts. But they are in the minority.

Along with discussing other key differences between the consumer and corporate client in my report, Corporate v.s. Consumer Sales: Seven Crucial Differences, I've also included a sample letter and corporate proposal. The report is available to you as a download once you place your order. Get yours now for only $7.
If you're ready to go after corporate sales, don't let fear hold you back any longer.
Get your own copy of Corporate v.s. Consumer Sales now.

How Important is Location to Your Gift Basket Business?

2007-04-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

Much is made by realtors about the importance of location. But is this really true for gift basket businesses?

Most gift basket businesses are home-based. Your first job is make sure your home-based business is legal and acceptable in your city.

The business license department located in your civic center can answer this question easily. In some cities it has to do with the size and nature of your business. In many cities, you must be in a certain zone. In other cities it's not allowed at all.

Once you've verified that your business can operate within your home, the second concern is your comfort level and ease of use.

The IRS will only acknowledge your home office if it's a dedicated space. So find a space or add room to your home that will be devoted just to the operation of your business. Your office must be functional and fit in with the lifestyle of your family. Check out the creative home office spaces on the blog 2 Minute Commute.

If you already have a home-based gift basket studio, but want to organize it for effective use, get help from the photo story Gift Basket Design Studio Exteme Makeover

If your city doesn't allow home-based gift basket businesses, you'll need to seek retail, industrial or shared space.

A retail space in a busy location is best if you plan to target the walk-in consumer. Ample walk-around space with attractive displays will be critical. You will still need, however, storage and assembly space probably hidden from public view.

Some gift basket designers opt for industrial space where they can store and assemble designs, but with no plan to invite walk-in traffic. These owners show their wares at the offices of their clients and take orders by phone and the Internet.

Finally, there may be another retail business who will sublease, share, or partner with you. A gift basket center within a florist shop, a gift shop, wine store or gourmet food shop can be convenient for the customer, beneficial for the other retailer (who now gives customers another reason to come into his store,) and profitable for you.

Some Mary Kay directors, for example, split the rent on an office/meeting facility where several of them can meet clients and have meetings with their sales team.

In Denver, the Hive, is a shared facility concept that is desirable for many startups.

No matter where your gift basket business is located, however, you will still need to market and promote yourself on and off the Internet. Occasionally I hear from gift basket designers located in small towns wondering if there is any chance for them to succeed.

Success is within reach whether you are located in a small or large town. Finding the right customers wherever they are on the planet, marketing your business, and promoting yourself well are the key steps that ensure success. The increased use of the Internet as a buying source has now put gift basket businesses, no matter what their location, on a level playing field with other retailers.

So You Just Got a Gift Basket Order from Malta?

2007-04-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

We live in a global economy, so it's not surprising that we may get orders from around the world. Before you start doing the happy dance, however, take these precautions before proceeding with international orders.

1. Make every effort to verify that the order is legitimate. Do this by confirming the order with the sender by email or phone.

2. Process the credit card before you ship the gift basket. If the card was reported stolen or is maxed out, do not proceed with the order.

3. Check with UPS or USPS to determine the shipping costs. Verify if there will also be a customs charge.

4. Check to be sure the address is legitimate. UPS and USPS automatically help with this when you prepare the shipping order.

5. Listen to your intuition. If something about an Internet or phone order makes your antenna go up, respect your inner voice. Investigate whatever is making you suspicious.

International scams seem rampant on the Internet, but U.S. tricksters are busy as well. To ensure that your gift basket business continues to be profitable, steer clear of those who have found clever ways to steal from you.

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When you're ready to ship legitimate orders, here are tips on properly packing gift baskets for shipping.

Are You Missing Marketing Opportunities?

2007-04-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Businesses miss opportunities to promote themselves everyday. I hope this isn't true for you.

Folks can only do business with you if they know you exist.

Why do you suppose wildly successful enterprises, like McDonald's, still advertise?

Because they know that people have short attention spans and even shorter memories. We are like babies following a shiny object. If you don't keep reminding folks that you're in business, they'll forget.

Successful gift basket retailers don't just send out fliers and hand out business cards. They add their slogans and contact information to T-shirts, bumper stickers, promotional products and balloons. I have imprinted napkins for meetings and events where I'll be serving food and imprinted ribbon for donated gifts.

Other places where you should promote your service: invoices, envelopes, fax cover sheets, and the tagline of your email.

Do you send out monthly postcards urging your customers to buy from you, reminding them that you accept credit cards and take care of shipping?.

Do you tastefully place your imprinted sticker on each gift basket design?

There's no place in the gift basket business for hesitance. You don't have to be aggressive, but to succeed you must market yourself tenaciously.

Do you have ideas you can add to my list?

Are You a Gift Basket Scaredy Cat?

2007-04-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

You can't believe how many times I've heard gift basket designers say "I love to design, but I don't like to sell." Then they ask how they can go about getting customers.

If you are stockpiling inventory, creating beautiful designs, but not enjoying any sales, then you are a gift basket scaredy cat. You are headed down a course that spells financial disaster and mental distress.

But all is not lost. If you are ready to get over your fear of selling and watch your business prosper, here are seven things you can do.

1. Hire an associate or take on a partner who is skilled at sales. This person's job will be to gather and follow leads to keep you busy filling orders. You will still to work on your own sales skills but the whole burden won't be on your shoulders.

2. Become active in your local chamber or business network where you can meet potential customers on a weekly or monthly basis. Focus on building business relationships rather than selling. Getting to know your colleagues will reduce your fear and alleviate their hesitance. Most people buy from companies they've gotten to know and trust.

3. Listen to your colleagues and potential clients. Encourage them to talk about their themselves and their needs. The more people talk about themselves, the more they like you.

4. Face the fact that no one is a born salesman. It may seem that way to you as you watch others land accounts with little effort. But the truth is, becoming good at sales takes effort, work, perseverance and practice.

5. Face your fear. You are not alone. Good salesmen have had to overcome shyness, low self-esteem, stuttering, physical deformities and many other hurdles. They were determined to succeed and it was this determination that pushed them to learn and grow. You can too.

6. Take a baby step each day toward getting the sales you need to stay in business. You can learn about this by reading articles, books, subscribing to newsletters, attending conferences and networking with the successful members of the gift basket industry. The Small Business Administration offers tremendous free to low-cost help to businesses in every state.

7. Stop thinking of yourself as an interruption. You are offering a service that clients need. By neglecting to offer your gift basket service, you are depriving potential clients of a service that could help their businesses grow.

What's in Your Gift Basket of Tricks?

2007-03-26T22:48:00.000-07:00

After watching a bowmaking demonstration at a gift basket convention many years ago, I excitedly rushed back to my studio to try the new techniques I had learned.

Or so I thought.

Little did I realize, until I was teaching the technique in a class years later, that I was doing a variation of what I had originally learned.

Has that happened to you? You put a new twist on a design or bowmaking technique that yields a slightly different and perhaps even better version of the original.

At a recent inventors audition at a development center, first place went to creators of a peanut butter and jelly gun. These inventors were motivated to find a better way or an improved gadget for something they already did.

Now you're probably thinking, what does this have to do with gift baskets?

Lots.

Over the years, many new inventions have entered the gift basket industry: shrinkwrap bags, themed gift boxes with matching accessories, glue dots, printed cellophane and mesh netting. At the same time, designers have created clever ways to make designing, selling and even storing supplies easier.

One technique I like when using shrinkwrap bags, for example, is to place the empty basket in the shrink bag first, then build the design. That way I don't have to risk toppling the contents when I lift the full basket to place it in the bag. I demonstrate this technique on my newly re-released DVD, Basic Gift Basket Design.

What about you? What's in your gift basket of tricks? You may have created a gadget, a substance, a technique or even a marketable product. Share how you've made the business of gift baskets easier.

Jump into Easter Gift Baskets with Unique Items and Designs

2007-03-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

As you promote your Easter gift baskets, there are three things to keep in mind.

1. Chocolate and candy bunnies still outrank other gift basket contents.

2. Corporate, small businesses and realtors often give Easter or spring gift baskets to their clients and employees. Design your corporate with spring colors and patterns rather than bunnies unless your clients request them. Customized chocolate is perfect for corporate clients.

3. If you own a retail store, set up an area where your customers can create their own gift baskets from an array of gift choices. KBToys is encouraging parents and grandparents to create gift baskets for their kids.

Celebrate National Women's History Month

2007-03-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Gerda Lerner, author of Women and History (1986; 1993) said "When I started working on women's history about thirty years ago, the field did not exist. People didn't think that women had a history worth knowing."

The study of women's history is still a new field. It was the women's movement of the sixties that contributed to the efforts to look at the contribution of women in history and strive to pull women from second class status.

Thanks to the efforts of many unheralded and prominent women, many political, educational and social advances have become possible and more barriers are being toppled.

What do you know about women in history? Test your knowledge of famous women and historical events with some of the quizzes and crosswords here

National Women's History Month is just one of the many commemorations and celebrations that are worthy themes for your gift basket designs.

Learn about more of these special days for each month of the year in 99 Sizzling Marketing Ideas to Make More Money--January through June and 99 MORE Sizzling Marketing Ideas to Make More Money--July to December.

Special Quilts for New Babies Mark National Quilting Day

2007-03-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Silver City Quilting Guild donated specially-made quilts to every baby born on March 17th at Morton Hospital and Medical Center to celebrate National Quilting Day. The president of the Guild, Marie Desrosiers, said in an article in TauntonGazette.com that they hoped that these gifts will help a new generation to become familiar with the art of quilting.

While gift basket designers may seldom use quilts in their creations, we've all had our lives touched by quilting in some way. Learn more about the role quilting has played in our past and our present on CraftIdeaWorld.com

Find Your Niche and You'll Get Rich

2007-03-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Seth Godin's book Purple Cow where he insists that to rise above your competition and get prosperous, your business must stand out. You must find a niche that you love and a select group of people in this world love also.

Emily Wolfson,a resident of Bala Cynwyd, PA has been enjoying her niche for over 15 years. An article in DailyLocal.com reports that she started her career as an architect. But when she saw some colored baseballs one day she got the idea to make baseballs her canvas. Now she creates unique designs for her company www.unforgettaballs.com

What niche can you find that no one else is doing? Perhaps you can create gift baskets for an industry that is underserved or not being served at all. Once you find a niche you enjoy, you will feel gratification and earn profits in an area no one else can serve as well as you can.

Girl Scouts Stir Up More Than Just Cookies This Year

2007-03-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

How can the simple act of selling Girl Scout cookies have risen to the level of hard news?

Well, for one thing, selling Girl Scout cookies is no longer a simple act. In their 90th year of business and with a sales team of over 2.7 million, it's no surprise that some groups offer intense sessions in marketing, selling and business skills for their 11 and up girls. In Sacramento, CA Merrill Lynch a one-day cookie college with seminars such as "Entrepreneur 101" and "Creative Marketing."

With all that money being made it's not surprising that some troop leaders just couldn't resist raiding the cookie jar. A Minnesota former Girl Scout troop leader will have 30 days in jail to think about her conviction of theft and figure out where she'll get the $4,000 in restitution.

And in case you're not jazzed up about Girl Scout cookies, you can win a year's supply of them if you can guess how many Girl Scout cookies are in the Honda Civic at Orr Honda in Texarkana.
Hurry. The Confier Council is accepting guesses until March 11.

In the meantime, if you're looking for great cookies for your baskets (other than Girl Scout cookies) find lots of sources in Savor It! our directory of over 100 gourmet food and beverage wholesalers in the US.

Home-Based Gift Basket Businesses Face Joys and Challenges

2007-02-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Home-based businesses are growing in the U.S., but they are not always a perfect solution. There are many joys, but there are also challenges.

One of the greatest joys is avoiding the commute and being able to start work right away in the morning, or work late at night if you prefer. In California where a 30+ mile commute is common, this is definitely a plus.

Then there is the ability to manage your time as you wish so you can balance home and business. For stay-at-home moms, like Teresa Downham, owner of Everything Indiana, being home as her kids leave for and return from school is priceless.

Having a home-based business presents the challenge of handling phone calls, deciding where to meet clients, and keeping your business from overrunning your home. For the gift basket designer this last challenge can reach scary proportions.

It is critical to have a dedicated place for your gift basket business in your home or garage. Then organizing this space so that it's functional is the key to your success. Here are some tips to making your home-based business successful.

1. Make your workspace comfortable. The key operating centers such as a your work table, inventory storage and desk must be easy to reach and inviting. If you enjoy seeing the outdoors, position your desk so you can enjoy the sun or rain.

2. Don't be afraid to experiment with rearranging your workspace to give you better access to your computer, work table and other important equipment.

3. Seek to store things above you, below your work table or along the wall to keep your work table clear or design. One designer stores her ribbon in rain gutters attached to the wall. Other designers hang their baskets overhead.

4. Be sure your workspace or home-based studio is safe. Keep those cords and cables under control by using power strips and hiding cords under desks and tables. If you have limited outlets, consider having more installed.

5. Install adequate lighting overhead and at your desk.

6. Keep essentials such as pens, order forms, frequently-requested information, near the phone so you can handle calls quickly and efficiently.

7. Get a dedicated phone line for your business. This will enable you to always answer with a business-like greeting. For callers looking for a retail store where they can browse, let them know that you have a private studio that is not open to the public.

8. Avoid taking important documents or inventory to other areas of your home. They may be difficult to find when you need them.

9. Set business hours and make time for your family. It's a great temptation when working at home to work around the clock.

10. And by all means, take breaks during the day. Visit your garden, read a novel or take a walk. After all, you're the boss.

For more ideas on organizing your home-based business

Tips from a professional organizer
Give your gift basket studio an extreme makeover
Learn where to get supplies for organizing your space

What Retail Food Fights Mean for Gift Basket Designers

2007-02-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

A recent Associated Press article reports the increasing competition among retailers to offer food to the consumer. We are no longer limited to the grocery store for our food shopping. We can pick up basic groceries at the gas station, drug store and club stores. At the supercenters, we can grab milk and eggs along with buying our cleaning, shoes, and ink cartridges. Even Amazon.com has entered the grocery business.

These retailers are not just interested in offering convenience, they are eager to get their share of the $6,000 Americans spend on groceries each year.

With the increasing competition among retailers, the line between wholesale and retail prices and availability is blurring. At one time gourmet food was available only through retailers or specialty providers who buy it wholesale. The policy of wholesalers and manufacturers to sell by cases or minimum dollar amounts is sometimes troublesome for beginning gift basket designers. So as retailers step up the competition, they are offering many of the products we use in gift baskets.

If you only need a few items or less than a full case, this is good news. At America's number one retailer, for exampe, I recently spotted the following:

5.1 oz. Lindt Lindor Truffles in tuxedo box $6.94

3.5 oz. Emily's Chocolate-Covered Fortune Cookies $4.99

Supreme Chocolatier hollow chocolate rose $1.94

10 oz. Harry London pecan caramel hearts in red stripe hat box $9.94

As retail food fights heat up, look for products to add to your inventory in ways that will be most profitable for you.

For help in finding products in and around your state, get my CD How to Find Products In and Around Your State. You'll hear me and Shirley Frazier share ideas that have worked for us and many other successful gift basket retailers. Buying inventory locally saves not only time and energy, but money spent on shipping. Start saving by getting your copy now.

Gourmet Food is Good, But Gift Basket Designers Know That It's Snack Food People Crave

2007-02-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

A recent article in Business Week confirms what gift basket designers know. Snack foods are alive and well and are consumed in record numbers.

The article tells how Frito-Lay, makers of Lay's, Doritos, Tostitos, Fritos, Cheetos, Rold Gold, Ruffles, and SunChips products, revved up its production to 10 million lbs. in readiness for Super Bowl Sunday 2007.

And they have good reason to be optimistic. The Business Week article reports that last year, tortilla chips alone experienced a $10.2 million sales increase during Super Bowl week, and potato chips saw a $7.8 million increase.

As gift basket designers we certainly feature gourmet foods in our gift baskets. Although many of our customers and recipients love gourmet food, however, it's snack food they crave.

What's your take on this?

Procreation Vacations Can Mean Gift Basket Sales for You

2007-01-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Doctors have often recommended that couples wanting to a have a baby go away for a few days or weekend vacation. Now an article in USA Today tells how hotels have created a trend based on this advice by enticing eager couples to their resorts.

At some of these resorts couples are served pumpkin soup and an old Caribbean fertility drink--a sea moss cocktail; at others they may be served oysters (long-believed to be an aphrodisiac.) In addition, couples get massaged, offered romantic advice and consultation with on-site sex doctors.

And it works. At least it did for Lucinda and Kemry Hughes. They conceived on the day they returned home from their three-night Procreation Vacation at the Westin at Our Lucaya Grand Bahama Island. Starting at $1,893, this weekend worked because it got them away from their hectic lives and into a relaxing setting away from cell phones where they were free to cuddle.

The Five Gables Inn & Spa on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay offers The Birds and the Bees package a 2-night stay for around $810.

For about $1,800 couples can take a conception cruise on the "Love Boat," for around $1800.

Because all of these packages offer gifts and pampering to the guests, there are many gift basket possibilities. The best thing about these packages is that they are not limited to Valentine's season, they are offered year round.

If you need ideas and sources for gift baskets, get my directory, Love It! Then get busy creating gift baskets for these Procreation Vacations.

Keep Up with the Trends to Grow Your Gift Basket Business

2007-01-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

To grow your business you must keep up with the trends. But how do you spot the trends so you can stay on top of them as they happen. And more importantly, how do you incorporate them into your business?

To keep up with the trends you must keep up with what's happening in the news, weather and retail.

1. Did you notice that your area had a hotter than usual summer and a colder than usual winter? How might this affect your business next year? Is your studio prepared with an adequate air conditioned storage? If you use chocolate, for example, you'll need to carefully time your ordering and shipping to avoid damage.

2. Baby boomers are aging. Unlike old timers of the past, however, baby boomers are proudly sporting gray hair while pursuing new careers and activities in retirement. They may own luxury cars, but with rising gas prices they are seeking convenient and carefree public transporation and travel where someone else plans all the logistics and does the driving.

3. As technology improves, your customers are able to easily research and compare prices before making purchases. They are getting used to fast, affordable and convenient shopping.
Although folks are price-conscious and looking for bargains, those with disposable income will still pay more for the quality and convenience they require. So keep the needs and preferences of your clients uppermost in your mind.

4. Have you noticed that metropolitan cities are revitalizing their downtowns, making them a mix of commercial and residential property and more pedestrian-friendly? Along with this, transportation planners are upgrading and expanding above and below ground transportation and connecting them with popular entertainment and shopping areas. If you're planning to locate or relocate your business, these new centers may be just the place.

5. Increased ethnic diversity is changing the product mix retailers offer. As you attend gift and food shows it's imperative to order items that will create diverse offerings in your inventory.

For inspiration and ideas on trends, watch this video from Small Biz Trends.

Shop Smarter to Get the Most Profits

2007-01-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

The way you price your products will determine the level of your profits. It all begins with being a good shopper. Examine the products and prices in retail stores as well as wholesale sources. It's commonly believed that wholesale prices are better than retail prices, but that is not always true.

There are two key reasons:

Wholesale prices are usually lower than retail, but there is often a minimum quantity or order. Let's say you need six products to complete an order. These products have a wholesale price of $5 each , but the company has a $250 minimum. Your local retailer carries the same product for the retail price of $7.50 each.

If you order from the wholesaler you need to be sure you'll be able to sell the extra 44 items and have $220 of your money tied up in the meantime. It may serve you better to pay $45 retail until you have need for the larger quantity. (For the sake of simplicity I didn't figure in the cost of shipping your wholesale order or taxes for retail.)
When retailers liquidate an item, they often reduce it below what you would pay wholesale. For example, I saw some cute novelty clocks at a major gift show one year priced at $5 wholesale. The very next month these same clocks were being liquidated in a major drugstore chain for $1 each, and they had all the same designs and themes as the wholesaler.

As a successful gift basket designer you will shop both wholesale and retail. In both cases you must select the products and quantities that work best for your orders and clientele.

Learn more about pricing at "A Pricing Formula That Works" and "Price Right for Peerless Profits."

Five Things About Me

2007-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

Shirley Frazier recently shared on her blog, Laughing Chow, five things about herself. It inspired me to do the same.

1. In the 60's I auditioned at Motown with my sisters singing a song written by my brother-in-law. The producer liked our work, but suggested that we keep our day jobs.

2. When I was 12 I planned to run away from home to get away from what I thought were unreasonable rules. My ill-thought plans were quickly foiled when late one night I opened the back door and it was raining. I quickly closed the door and scuttled back to bed.

3. I can't listen to the song "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters without crying.

4. There is a scar under my right eye that I got when I was three years old. Because I don't see it when I look in the mirror, even people who have known me a lifetime don't see it either until I point it out to them.

5. In our high school yearbook we would write "wills" to the lower classes. My will was to pass on the ability to "mix boys and books and come up with a perfect recipe every time."

And you thought I was just a gift basket designer.

What are some things we don't know about you?

Always Be Marketing Your Gift Basket Business

2006-12-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

I recently attended a 4-day marketing seminar where the speaker kept emphasizing: ABM--Always Be Marketing. His message was no better exemplified than on the packet of Equal (the artificial sweetener) I poured into my coffee this morning.

On one side of the 1-1/2" X 2-1/2" packet were the nutrition facts and ingredients listing, as usual. But on the flip side big bold letters shouted IN FAVOR OF FLAVOR.

I smiled as I remembered the words of the seminar speaker. So I decided to see what some of the other Equal packets said:

DO YOUR DRINK JUSTICE

EXERCISE YOUR EQUAL RIGHT TO FLAVOR

JUST SAY YES TO FLAVOR

POWER TO THE PACKET

GIVE TASTE A CHANCE

If some of these slogans sound familiar, it's because they are. Equal knows that you don't have to reinvent the wheel, just find a clever way to make it suit your business. Even though their packet is very small, the Equal manufacturers are using every bit of space to market their business. You should do the same.

Boost your sales by marketing your business everywhere possible: on invoices, envelopes, bags, fax cover sheets, labels, and every piece of communication that leaves your office.

To always be profiting, you must always be marketing.

The Christmas Candy Cane is More Than Just Another Gift Basket Treat

2006-11-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

The candy cane is a familiar Christmas treat and decoration item. But its beginnings had a very practical purpose. In 1670 the choirmaster of the Cologne Cathedral in Germany handed out sugar sticks to keep the children's choir quiet during the long Living Creche ceremony. He had them bent at one end to resemble shepherds' crooks to honor the occasion.

By the end of the 19th century the candy cane became the red and white striped peppermint treat familiar to us. In the 1920's Bob McCormack began making the canes as a treat for his children, but it was a time-consuming laborious process.

In the 1950's Bob's brother-in-law, George Keller, a Catholic priest, invented a machine to automate the process.

The candy cane is just one of many familiar symbols that had humble beginnings, but went on to take on deeper meaning for many.

To learn more about the major holidays to help you advise your customers and make appropriate gift selections, get "Business Etiquette for the Savvy Gift Basket Retailer."

Ever Thought of Putting Books in Your Gift Baskets?

2006-11-22T10:43:00.000-08:00

For avid readers and book lovers, putting books in a gift basket is an obvious idea. But perhaps all designers haven't thought of books as good content for gift baskets. After all, most recipients expect gourmet treats or junk food munchies. If you decide to try this idea, there are two ways to approach it.

1. Add a book or magazine to help extend the theme as well as surprise and delight the recipient.

A design I just completed this week contained along with soup bowls and soup fixings, a Soups and Stews cookbook.

I frequently add a home design magazine in housewarming baskets and a book of comforting quotes in a sympathy basket.

Read about Craig Soul, owner of Inner City Books in Delaware who creates "Book in a Basket" for his customers.

2. Make books the main ingredient in your gift basket design.

One writer encourages folks to read romance novels by giving a gift basket full of them for charities, auctions and fundraisers.

Learn from a few others who sell book baskets:

Crafts and Gift Basket Design Make a Winning Combination

2006-11-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

Crafts and gift basket design are often thought of as separate endeavors. There are differences, of course. But gift basket designers can benefit by learning from and getting involved in crafts for a number of reasons.

Read the full article.

Gift Basket Business World Holds Roll Back the Clock Sale

2006-10-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

While you're saving daylight, why not save money too. If you've been hesitating to invest in learning materials for your gift basket business, act now.

Successful business owners continually invest in learning techniques to help their businesses grow. Take a look at the audio CDs, directories and videos now available at half price. But only for 2 days. Act now.

See what's on sale and order before midnight, Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 at our Roll Back the Clock Sale.

Gift Basket Class Teaches Profit-Making Strategies

2006-10-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Many gift basket designers are creative and clever, but find themselves struggling to make their businesses profitable. To help these retailers enjoy the profits they deserve, Dr. Flora Brown of Gift Basket Business World has prepared an exciting, information-packed half-day seminar.

This seminar is Dr. Brown's last gift basket class of the year and will be held on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006, 9AM to 1PM. In this half-day seminar attendees will learn to maximize the marketing tools that hold great profit potential if only they were better understood and used. There will be emphasis on affordable ways to improve marketing on and off the Internet and ways to attract and draw more business from corporate markets.

This seminar will be held at the University Conference Center in the
Titan Student Union at California State University, Fullerton. The fee includes handouts, samples, continental breakfast, lunch and a chance to win $100 worth of inventory in a drawing held at the end of class.

Spaces limited. Sign up now.

Gift Basket Design Do's and Don'ts

2006-10-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Nothing gets folks as excited about gift giving as the prospect of making their own gift baskets for the holiday. Stimulated by the idea that they can save money by gathering products, a few supplies and piling them into a basket, many amateurs turn out designs that are disastrous and dangerous. Here are a good few tips for beginners and veterans alike.

1. Start with a new, clean basket. Resist the urge to buy used baskets from thrift stores and swap meets. They may hold unwelcome creatures.

2. Avoid using pine cones or leaves from your yard as enhancements. Again, these are guaranteed to be loaded with microscopic hitchhikers just waiting to invade the food you put in your basket. Use artificial enhancements.

3. Experienced basketeers fill the bottom of the basket with an inexpensive paper, such as newsprint. This is blank newsprint, available at moving and storage stores, not last Sunday's newspaper. You don't want ink to rub off or run on your recipients products or hands.

4. Use a medium-sized basket and fill it to overflowing with products. This gives the appearance of an ample basket that the recipient will be eager to open. The biggest amateur mistake is choosing a basket that's too large and trying to fill it up.

5. Be sure your bow is proportionate to your basket size. For medium to large baskets use #9 (1 in.,)#16 (1-1/2" in.,) or #40 (about 2 in.)

Learn more about ribbon, read my article "Ribbon, the True Story Unraveled."

Learn how to make the pom pom bow and design pictured above, get my DVD "Gift Basket Design."

Doing What You Love is the Secret to Success

2006-10-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

There are many books, websites and experts giving you tips, steps and strategies for success. The one factor that seems to be exist in successful people is a love, even a passion for what they do.

When June Gratton left the shipping business to open her own gift shop, The Purple Finch, she put up a sign in her store that says, "Do what you love, love what you do."

An article in the Concord Online points out that Gratton's reputation is based on her custom-made gift baskets filled with locally made products. Since she opened The Purple Finch in January, Gratton has loved every minute of her new life as a small business owner. In addition to gift baskets she also offers flowers and stained glass wall and window hangings.

Do you passionately enjoy your gift basket business? If you feel blocked from reaching your success, get our CD, "Five Ways to Overcome the Obstacles to Your Success."

How to Give a Great Presentation

2006-10-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

If you plan to go after corporate clients you will need to give presentations. To walk away with the order you need to be prepared. Here are a few tips:

1. Find out the needs, interests and budget of the company from your contact person.
2. Pinpoint what they prefer. A gourmet gift basket to be shared by an office staff? Or custom designs for each member of a staff? A modest gift for each employee?
3. Plan three designs within their budget and preference range.
4. Ask how many will attend the presentation.
5. Prepare a handout describing the baskets and listing prices.
6. Carry enough handouts and business cards for each person who will be attending.
7. Some basketeers take samples of some of the contents.
8. Take control of the meeting by introducing yourself and thanking them for the invitation.
9. Briefly show and describe each design.
10. Ask for the order.

To learn more about giving presentations, consider signing up for a free online class offered by Pendaflex,"How to Give a Great Presentation." You'll learn how to leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Another Take on the Gift Basket Business

2006-10-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Retailers who offer gift baskets vary in their approach. Some offer ready-made gift baskets from which customers must choose. Others offer custom designs based on the customer's requested theme and occasion. Another approach is to set retail prices on all your basket components and let customers select what they want to include in their basket.

That's the approach Yolanda McCluney and Pamela Turner have taken at their Durham baby boutique, Simply Spoiled. A recent article in The Durham News reports that McCluney and Pamela set up a gift bar in their shop where customers bring their apparel and gifts selected from around the store where they are assembled into a custom gift basket.

You can price your components at retail and let customers select what they want in their gift baskets whether you own a brick and mortar store or an online one. There's no need to be concerned about the customer's budget since they determine the final cost of the design by what they select, including the container.

In addition to operating a shop, McCluney and Turner also maintain a website, www.simplyspoiledchild.com Their approach may work well for you too.

Learn what to do when customers are seeking low-cost gifts.

Ready-Made Gift Sets Can Save the Day

2006-10-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

With the holidays fast approaching, it's time to set up contingency plans. There are a number of reasons you may want to offer ready-made gift sets as part of your backup plan.

You may have mega orders that may soon dominate your time and that of your staff. Shipping ready-made gift sets will be a quick way to serve individual customers while still making a profit. The bath set shown above, for example, from JDW Distributors, comes in a wire basket and is ready to be shipped.

Your primary business may not be gift baskets, but you want to capitalize on the high demand for gift baskets during the holidays. Offering pre-made gift sets, such as the gourmet food design on the right, also from JDW Distributors, will spare you the cost and need for storing all the supplies, containers and inventory required for making custom designs. This affordable set comes on a cutting board with a knife.

You can complement the designs on your website by adding pre-made gift sets. A holiday bow can turn a basic gourmet food set into a holiday design. By doubling or tripling the wholesale costs you'll be able to make a healthy profit for very little energy.

Customers of Gift Basket Business World who place orders by October 26th for any of our products will receive a complimentary list of other wholesalers who also offer gift sets.

Using ready-made gift sets can help your holidays be happy, merry and more profitable.

Want Some Fries with That? Upsell to Increase Your Profits

2006-10-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

When I ordered a sandwich at the shop next door to my school today, the cashier asked me (just as he had asked every customer before me): "Do you want chips and a drink with that?" This is called upselling and is a very smart, effective, and profitable technique.

Upselling at the point of sale is smart because you already have a willing customer standing with money in hand. You are offering superb customer service by reminding the customer of the items that commonly accompany their purchase.

When buying a printer, for example, won't you appreciate the salesman reminding you of ink cartridges so you don't have to return to the store for them? Or lightbulbs for that new light bar you plan to install in your bathroom? Or batteries for that smoke detector? These don't just mean more profits for the store, but great convenience for you, the customer.

Upselling is a lot easier than getting new customers. While you have a client placing an order on the phone, on your website or in person, they are most amenable to enhancing the value of their purchase.

Recently I was placing an order for 25 free brochures online, for example. As I worked my way through the prompts I was encouraged to bump my order up to 100 brochures for a small price. Since I was already getting 25 free, it didn't take me long to decide to increase my order to 100.

Upselling is also very profitable if you offer something of value to the customer, something that enables you to earn a higher profit, and is no more than 60% of the original cost. Think of what you can offer to your customers that will mean more money for you and enhanced value for them:

Adding a balloon bouquet to a birthday gift basket?

Enclosing a personalized greeting in a picture frame?

Including a tray and paper products for a holiday corporate design?

Topping the design with a hand-tied French wired bow instead of a satin acetate one?

Inserting a second mug in a coffee theme?

Providing a toy or book for the older sibling in a baby basket?

Including a plush robe in a pamper basket?

Now it's your turn. What can you add to your designs to upsell?

If you need design ideas, get our PowerPoint presentation "Ring Up More Sales: Top Selling Designs."

You're a Gift Expert, and Don't You Forget It!

2006-10-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

As the holiday season approaches, your phone inquiries are destined to increase. To help callers with selections you will be expected to answer gift-related questions. Whether you like it not, you are seen as an expert. Are you ready for the questions?

1. What goes in a Halloween gift basket?

2. What can you create that I can use for stocking stuffers?

3. We're considering a holiday gift exchange at my company. What's the current policy on gift exchanges?

4. What can you suggest a gift basket that's outside the typical red and green design?

5. What is Kwanzaa?

For more help in getting up to speed on holiday traditions, get our PowerPoint presentation, Origins of the Major Holidays.

Save Time and Money During the Holiday Season by Following Tried and True Tips

2006-10-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

There are many tips that can help you keep your gift basket business profitable by saving your time and money. Here are some that hold true especially during the busy holidays.

1. Keep a list and description of your designs by your phone, even if they are on your website. With last minute callers, you may not have time to open your computer.
Create a list of top 5. Customers are often motivated to buy from this list.

2. Charge clients a shipping or delivery charge, and please note the deadlines set by UPS and FedEx for ground delivery.

3. Keep a pad, ordering forms and pen by the phone.

4. Buy a backup of equipment you use frequently, such as a heat gun and hot glue gun.
Don't forget the glue sticks. These things have a tendency to go out mid order in the middle of the night.

5. Resist taking mega orders unless you're fully prepared to handle them. Find out if you're ready.

6. Don't overlook such markets as college final survival gift baskets and banks wanting to thank their big clients.

7. If you are a solo business owner, be prepared to say "no" to an order that requires retail shopping or stopping a big order that's already in progress.

For more holiday tips, see Tips for a Successful Holiday Season, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2

Today is Anti-Procrastination Day--Clean Up Your Act

2006-10-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

Do you have things you need to do, but you've been postponing them? Are you surrounded by so much clutter that you waste hours looking for things? Then this is the day, according to The Fly Lady to get busy taking care of many neglected things. She offers tips on housekeeping, organizing and getting rid of body clutter, all in a humorous way.

From The Fly Lady's website you can get email, a journal and many other aids to get started and maintain your organizing campaign.

Before you launch into your holiday orders, make your work flow easier by organizing your studio. For help with organizing your gift basket studio, get our photo story Gift Basket Design Extreme Makeover

Curious George Gift Baskets Have Great Appeal

2006-10-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

Cookies by Design, the original cookie bouquet company, announced this summer that they will be offering Curious George cookie baskets. They worked out an agreement with the Curious George brand so they can extend their product line while offering a new fun product.

If you want to join in the fun and offer a Curious George gift basket, here are a few sources for Curious George products.

1. Pencils from DollarDays
2. Paper products and party supplies at Party Celebration
3. Officially license products, although they no longer sell wholesale at Curious George Merchandise Store
4. Toys, flashlights, puzzles, and more at Curious George Products
5. Children's books at Houghton Mifflin
6. Computer games, books at My Simon.com

Now find the right containers for your designs with our directory of over 100 wholesalers of baskets, tins, chests, and other choices at Contain It!

Sweets Still Great Gift Basket Treats

2006-10-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

A recent article in RestaurantBiz discussed the serving of desserts in restaurants. Because the ingredients for desserts are often low-cost staples, restaurants can enjoy higher profits by offering them. To encourage restaurants, the article urged them to look at the trends.

Because of consumers' concern with fats, calories, and dieting, gift basket designers, too, often worry about whether offering sweets and junk food will hurt their business. Here are a few of the things that Restaurant Biz had to say that can also help our industry:

1. Customers have not stopped ordering desserts. No matter how folks complain about calories, gift basket filled with yummy sweet treats are still popular.
2. Chocolate is by far the number one sweet ordered. Gift basket recipients are delighted to find chocolate among their treats.
3. Comfort foods are big, especially with nostalgic touches. Cakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes and brownies will bring big smiles and happy tummies.
4. Retro is back again. Oldtime containers, such as the little red wagon, and candy from the old days are popular again. To find retro candy, visit HometownCandy.com
5. Global influences have introduced our taste buds to tropical flavors. Now we love to see them in baskets.

To find wholesalers of gourmet and everyday sweet foods, get our directory Savor It!

Creative Use of Products Makes Perfect Cents

2006-10-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

As I was opening a package of Q-tips cotton swabs I noticed on the back a list of suggested uses. In addition to their original use, the company also recommends they be used as delicate dusters to clean your computer keyboard, disposable paintbrushes for your craft projects and cleaners for your musical instruments. I am positive that the inventor of Q-tips did not have all these uses in mind at first.

It is more likely that Q-tip customers discovered these many other uses. When the company got wind of this, they used the information to bolster their ads, packaging and eventually sales of their product.

Gift basket retailers have lead the way in finding new uses for many products. Here are a few:

1. Rain gutters attached to a wall can become ribbon holders
2. Towel bar in your office can hold the many headsets and cords for your chargers, etc.
3. Lighter fluid removes that glue residue left when you remove price stickers.
4. What we now know as heat guns were originally called wallpaper scrapers.

The great thing about using common products for uncommon uses is you can still buy the common products at very affordable prices. Unfortunately when manufacturers discover how consumers have expanded the use of their products, the price of the products typically go up. (My first "heat gun" was $9.95. Now as a "multipurpose heat gun" they've jumped to $39.95.)

Have you found creative uses for common products? Tell us. Sh-h-h! We won't let the manufacturers know.

Celebrity Baby Swags Make Their Debut

2006-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

What happens when you mix public relations with celebrity baby gifting? You get baby swags. That's what Phyllis Pometta, a work-at-home mom of three, did when she wanted to stay at home but still use her marketing skills. Her company is called BabySwags.com.

Although targeting celebrity babies, Pometta will also be adding an online store so the general public can have access to the same gifts as the celebrities.

Pometta's baby swag gift baskets will consist of diaper bags, bibs,lotions, as well as clothing an jewelry the mom and baby. The retail values will range from $500 to the thousands.

If you're ready to make celebrity baby gift baskets, find out where to buy baby products wholesale in Baby Theme It!

Gift Baskets Serve as Goodwill Ambassadors

2006-09-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

The News & Observer recently reported a story about neighbors who created gift baskets to serve as goodwill ambassadors.

You'll probably remember the news story about the Duke University lacrosse students accused of criminal activity with escort service dancers. This incident, though more highly publicized than others, is one of many coflicts between Durham and Duke students known for throwing raucous parties.

The neighbors of Trinity Park who live just beyond the Duke campus decided to start the new school year off on a friendly note by offering gift baskets full of baked goods and sugary treats to the incoming freshmen. Alice Bumgarner, a Trinity Park resident, started the drive to ease tensions and start off on a positive note.

Gift baskets are often given to ease tensions, apologize or smooth over hurt feelings. In the hotel industry they are called service recovery gifts. Do you offer this type of gift basket to your clients?

Get Out of Your Own Way, You May Be Blocking Your Road to Success

2006-09-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

The road to success is paved with many casualties because of one misconception. We think our resources, sources, and motivation are outside of us.

The truth is we already have what we need inside ourselves, but we block ourselves from getting it. We sabotage ourselves. We talk ourselves out of doing what we know is right to do. And we distract ourselves from our own success. We let others discourage us.

This is a simple, but elusive concept: to be successful you must get out of your own way. One example of how you can be on your own side is found in the story of the legendary Mary Kay.In 1996 her company was one of 20 companies profiled in Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time--and the only one run by a woman.

Following her lead, many women have gone on to become successes too.
Cindy Leone,one of the top Mary Kay national directors, has earned 8 of the pink Cadillacs in her 21 year career.

To be successful, get out of your own way.

Learn how to topple the obstacles to your success.

Learn how to advertise from over 100 business owners.

Never Say No. Or Should You?

2006-09-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Many basketeers proudly announce that they serve their clients so well that they never say no. They stress that they serve all types of clients and will create custom designs to every customer's wishes and budget.

That's what Lisa LoVullo, owner of Wildthing in Annapolis, shared when she was featured in a recent issue of Floral Management. Praised for building more than 50% of her business in corporate sales and giving clients extra special attention and customization, Lisa said "I never, ever say 'No' to anyone and I exceed their expectations every time. They don't want to hear 'No' or how much trouble it will be, they want it done."

I admire Lisa's creativity and customer service, but I'm not sure anyone should promise to never say no. At some time in any business you'll be asked to take on orders that are outside your niche or time availability. What do you think? Should a business owner vow to "never say no?"

Promote Yourself to Increase Your Profits

2006-09-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

No matter how great your designs are you won't profit much if people don't know you exist. A big budget is not necessary nor a guarantee of success, but actively keeping your name in front of potential clients is.

Cassandra Russell shared five ways to promote yourself in her blog, Cassandra Russell Design:

1. Personalized greeting cards
2. Create a tip sheet
3. Illustrate your business with a product
4. Monthly e-photo
5. Offer to be a guest speaker

Looking at self-promotion another way, Rickey Gold shares in his recent article "The Three P's of Successful Marketing."

1. Positioning--how do you differ from the competition?
2. Presentation--what image do you project from your business cards to your phone voice?
3. Panache--do you have flair, spirit, energy, charisma, an edge over the competition?

These are just a few tips on self-promotion. Find the ones that suit your business and put them into action.

What Do You Put in a Custom Gift Basket?

2006-09-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

The custom gift basket is probably the easiest of all. Once you know the theme and budget you're working with, you can proceed to gather the products to create the custom. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating custom baskets:

1. Listen carefully to your customer's requests and make notes.
2. Use a container that helps to convey the theme if possible. With so many beautiful gift boxes and unique containers, this has gotten easier over the years. If you need to find containers, get Contain It!, a directory listing over 100 vendors.
3. Put in a few themed products and make the rest coordinate with the colors. When creating a golf theme basket, for example, golf gift items can be expensive. So, consider chocolate golf balls, a small gift, joke or book, maybe golf pasta or cookies and the rest gourmet food.
4. Let the enhancements and ribbon help carry the theme. It's attractive and it will avoid jeopardizing your profits by trying to fill your design with all themed merchandise.

Angelique Thomas of www.juststuffit.com recently explained on WBIR how she creates her custom themes.
Watch the video clip.

What Do You Put in a Romantic Basket?

2006-08-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

The romantic basket can take on numerous forms depending on the occasion, but the two most popular themes are for weddings and Valentine's Day.

Wedding gift basket designs should be guided by whether it's a first wedding or not, and the age and culture of the couple. With so many couples signing up for gift registries, some of your customers will want their baskets to include a gift or two from these lists.

For the first wedding, white roses, lace and pearls can serve as enhancements. Since many first timers are starting households for the first time also, consider home decor for the kitchen or bathroom. For themed weddings, consider theming the gift basket as well.

For remarriages many designers choose pastels or classic designs. Contents such as picture frames, photo albums, candles, wine glasses, bath products and honeymoon snacks will work for both.

Valentine gift baskets typically start with chocolate, but can also include a wide variety of gourmet treats. Cookie, candy,and pasta companies create Valentine-versions of their products. Many fun-loving novelty gifts are available for Valentine's. Some favor naughty designs full of suggestive items, while others prefer pamper items for a luxurious bath.

A recent article in The Mountain Press shares that Kay Hodge of Romance in the Smokies has created a popular romantic design called The Black Tie filled with gourmet foods.

Find out where to get products for your Valentine gift baskets and wedding themes.

What Do You Put in a Halloween Gift Basket?

2006-08-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Halloween is an increasingly popular holiday because adults are finally giving themselves permission to have fun. They are joining youngsters in dressing up, decorating homes and offices, trick or treating and having parties.

Some corporate clients are joining in the fun by ordering Halloween gift baskets for valued employees and the office staff.

A Halloween gift basket is basically a junk food basket. Use a witch's cauldron or a jack-o-lantern as the container. Add a scarecrow, skeleton or other related enhancement. With all the individually wrapped candies, cookies and pretzels available, you may even decide to make a candy or cookie bouquet.

Learn how other basketeers are cashing in on Halloween.

What Do You Put in a Retirement Gift Basket?

2006-08-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

Retirement gift baskets should reflect the activities the retiree plans to enjoy. Golf, traveling by RV, scrapbooking, gambling, racing,or photography, for example, are themes that would be appreciated when they tie in with the retiree's interests and plans.

A retiree who is a movie lover would enjoy a Hollywood themed design filled with gifts showing movie icons and gourmet food like chocolate film.

For retirees who haven't declared plans, it's always appropriate to create a gourmet food design. When your customer has a personal relationship with the recipient a pamper basket may be just the thing.

Gifts to include in the retirement basket can be as simple as a gift certificate to a favorite store or movie theater or as lavish as a roundtrip paid vacation.

There are many retirement themed mugs, notepads, pens, gift books and other gifts available on the market to help turn any design into an attractive retirement theme.
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Get tips on having a successful holiday season.

What Do You Put in a Sympathy Gift Basket?

2006-08-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

New and veteran basketeers frequently ask "What do you put in a . . .gift basket?" This week we will explore some of the common and not-so-common contents of various gift basket themes.

The sympathy gift basket should bring comfort to the grieving family. Ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare foods are preferred. Pastries, coffee or tea, soup and crackers or bread make it easy for the tired family to enjoy eating with minimal effort.

Even though it may be received before the service, it is often not opened by the recipients until the week later. For this reason, consider using shelf-stable products that can withstand room temperature.

Other gifts could be books that offer words of consolation, a tea-for-one, tasteful paper products, thank you cards, matching pen, and postage. If children will be enjoying the basket also, you may want to include age-appropriate games, puzzles or activities. Check with your customer to get their okay on the nonfood gift items.

Popular colors are pastels such as lavendar, green, yellow and blue. Sometimes, however, customers request bright colors to cheer up the family.

Want more design ideas, get your copy of Ring Up More Sales: Top Selling Designs.

What's in a Name?

2006-08-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

Does the name of your company or product matter? It does if you believe the accounts of the major companies who have succeeded and lasted for many years.

A recent article in Retail Merchandiser shares the origins of some of the most enduring consumer packaged goods in retail history.

Would CoverGirl makeup been as successful if they had kept the original name Noxzema Medicated Makeup?

When Snapple introduced Snapple Iced Tea they started a beverage revolution.

Post was first to come up with the idea for a toaster pastry, but they named it Country Squares, while their competitor, Kellogg, launched their own version and called it Pop-Tarts.

Do you name your gift basket designs? If so, do you think these names attract customers and sales?

To read more about the naming of your company read this tip.
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The design above is named Coffee Zone.

Baby Boomers Put a New Spin on Retirement

2006-08-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Baby boomers changed the world in the late 50's and 60's. Now that they are reaching their 50's and 60's they are changing retirement too.

As a matter of fact, boomers are retiring from one career to start another, sometimes as entrepreneurs. According to her column "Senior Living," Sharon O'Brien shares many ways that boomers are changing retirement.

Since baby boomers will be looking for new and fun money-making endeavors, you can expect some of them to choose the gift basket industry. Because many are highly educated and have a solid track record, their chances of success are good. If you are looking to take on a partner or hire employees, consider baby boomers.

The IRS Wants Their Cut of Celebrity Gift Baskets

2006-08-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

If you've been longing to land a gig making celebrity gift baskets like the ones handed out at the Oscar's, hold on. The growing popularity of the celebrity gift baskets had captured wide attention, especially that of the IRS. This may well change the nature and alter the practice.

This year's Oscar presenters cashed in on gifts with such high values that according to the New York Daily News the Academy approached the IRS for clarification on the tax issues surrounding these gift baskets.

As of today, the IRS has clarified the receiving of celebrity gift baskets. Recipients will now find one more item in their baskets: an envelope from the IRS.

Frame This

2006-08-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Frames are no longer the ho-hum items they once were. Thanks to digital photography and fast developing techniques, making and framing photographs has become big business. Add to that the emergence of frames as a decorator item, and it's no surprise that frames are taking center stage in the gift industry. According to a recent article in Gift Shop Magazine frames now accoount for about $3 billion in sales.

The wide variety of colorful and catchy frames available makes it easy to fit them into many gift basket design themes. Beyond the more obvious wedding and birthday themes, think about including frames and photo albums for housewarmings, congratulations, graduation, "firsts," pets, golf, bon voyage, teacher appreciation and corporate gifts. Whether working at home or in the office, most of us like to display photos of our families, friends, adventures, achievements and pets.

Modern frames don't just lean idly on easels. Frames can hang on walls, serve as room dividers, be suspended from ceilings, perch atop clips, contain a recorded greeting or double as mousepads. Along with serving as attractive focal points in your deisgns, frames can also serve the practical purpose of displaying the sender's greeting or a copy of a treasured invitation or program.

As you plan your gift basket designs, consider including frames. Because they are available at affordable price points, they easily add class and enhanced value while enabling you to increase your profits.

Promote Your Gift Baskets with Demos and Tastings

2006-08-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

When Harold Import wanted to promote the benefits of their new siicone bakeware, they hosted a day-long, hands-on clinic where 13 food editors of major magazines attended. Held on June 22 at the Institute of Culinary Education, this baking seminar not only introduced their product, but by showing how to use it properly increased its chances of being a success.

Demonstrating products and their benefits is an old practice dating back to the medicine sideshows selling snake oil. That's because it's a technique that still works.

To promote your gift baskets for the holidays and beyond, consider staging demonstrations in your store and taste testings. If you don't have a retail location, partner with a gift shop, florist, book store or other retailer and set up a "Demo Day."

Even though I don't plan to lay grout, I can't resist slowing down to watch the demonstration of it at my local home improvement store. Likewise, folks will slow down to watch your demonstration of how to make a gift basket or a bow. Some will become customers.

Ahoy Mateys, Cash in on the Pirate Craze

2006-07-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

When Johnny Depp pranced onto the scene last year in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean," a renewed interest in pirates was born. Now that the second "Pirates" has been released, pirates and pirate lore are more popular than ever.

The history of pirates dates back to more than 3,000 years. The word pirate meant "sea thieves" in Medieval English and by most historical accounts this meaning is accurate. Pirates were ruthless, operating outside the law terrorizing ships, not the fun-loving and likeable characters crafted by Disney. Nonetheless, the public is fascinated with the clothes, the lure of gold and the glamorized lifestyle.

If you move quickly you can capitalize on this fascination in pirates by offering pirate themed gift baskets. You can get many ideas for your pirate themes from the Internet, and enhancements such as eye patches, chocolate gold coins, treasure chests, and pirate ships from party stores. Fill your designs with a variety of gourmet snacks, (some with even pirate-sounding names) and you'll be able to claim your share of treasure in the pirate craze.

Making Lists May Add Up to Increased Profits

2006-07-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

We are all fascinated with numbers. Our culture is full of lists: top ten, best of show and so on. But a Tokyo chain, Ranking Ranqueen, has made best-selling lists their niche.

Ranking Ranqueen sells only the top 3, 5 or 10 items in a wide variety of categories such as cell phones, pasta sauce and bath powder. These rankings are based on the data culled from the sales records of Tokyo department stores and independent research and are updated every week.

Perhaps you can boost your sales by creating lists. Identify your top three best-selling gift baskets, your top five holiday gifts or another list that will appeal to your customers. Making lists may add up to increased profits for you.

What Part of the Gift Basket Business is Right for You?

2006-07-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

You love creating gift baskets, but you hate selling them. Or perhaps you are great at selling gift baskets, but your design skills are weak.

Perhaps you enjoy helping gift retailers locate the manufacturers and vendors they need for their products. Maybe you created a great organizational system for storing your supplies.

You've met many other gift basket designers and would love to bring them together to form a network where you can exchange ideas. Or you may enjoy writing about the business strategies that have worked for you. You are great at explaining the accounting needed to keep your business on target.

Any one of these niches can create a full-time endeavor. There's no one person who has the desire, skills or energy to manage all of these aspects of the gift basket business singlehandedly. If you've been experiencing frustration it may be that you aren't focusing on the part of the gift basket business that's right for you.

According to Rhonda Abrams there are many "E-types" or entrepreneur types. To help discover what type of entrepreneur you are, take her test. Once you discover your business strength, you can focus on the part of the business that will ensure your success.

Keep Your Customers Coming Back

2006-07-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Business owners must work to get new customers if they hope to thrive. But keeping current customers coming back is more important since they are the lifeblood of every business. Here are five ways to keep your current customers.

1. Offer great customer service by listening to their needs and filling orders in a timely manner. Find out your customers' preferences by asking them or having them complete interest surveys. That way when you attend tradeshows or shop from catalogs, you'll select items that will move.

2. Handle complaints right away. None of us like to hear bad news, but the quicker you take care of customer complaints, the better. Learn how to handle complaints.

3. Stay in touch. Using modern technology it's now easy to keep your customers aware of new arrivals, specials and offer discounts and sales. Whether by postcard or email, keeping your name before your current customers will pay off. Learn how to market with postcards.

4. Ask for referrals. Your customers are the best source of new business since they probably have friends and coworkers who share their interests. Use the bottom of your invoices, a blank space on the envelope and a banner on your website to ask for referrals. If you wish you may offer an incentive such as a restaurant gift card or discount to encourage referrals.

How Will Health Food Trends Affect Your Gift Basket Business?

2006-07-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

A recent article in USA Today reports on the move by many employers toward healthy eating in the workplace.

Some are replacing candy in vending machines and doughnuts at break time for healthier snacks. Others are planting herb and vegetable gardens at corporate headquarters. A few companies are even launching "fresh fruit Fridays," or encouraging employees to choose healthier meals by charging less for them.

Although some folks believe that this healthy trend is going too far, it's clear that the concern for healthier foods will play a part in food manufacturing and retailing.

How have trends toward healthier foods affected your gift basket business?

Toot Your Horn During the Dog Days of Summer

2006-07-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dog Days is the name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Because this is a popular vacation period it's common for many businesses to experience a slump in sales and activity. The media, however, must fill news shows and newspapers around the clock, so during this period of slow news they are especially hungry for content. This is the perfect time to promote your business by sending news releases.

A news or press release is an announcement of something of note in your business. If they choose to print it there's no charge to you, so it's free promotion for you. But your announcement cannot be a blatant ad. You may tell of a new product or service, a move to a new location, receiving of a promotion or award.

In addition to having newsworthy content you will need to follow the proper format and distribute your release to key sources. Learn how to write eye-catching releases and where to distribute them from Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound. As a former newspaper editor, publicity expert and publisher of a wildly popular newsletter, Joan has provided me with many tips, tricks and tools that have helped propel my business over the years. Subscribe to her free newsletter and then grab some of her informative and inspirational special reports and CDs on writing news releases and many other publicity topics.

Let Freedom Ring

2006-07-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

From the very first, the 4th of July was celebrated with much excitement and ceremony. The firing of cannons and parades set the tone for the types of celebrations we enjoy today for this very-American holiday.

In 1995 James Heintze, Librarian at American University, Washington, D.C. began compiling a database on the 4th of July celebrations. His goal is to capture a slice of American cultural tradition through this holiday's pageantry, spectacle and music.

Although we celebrate our split from England on the 4th of July, it was not accomplished in a single day. Even the signing of the Declaration of Independence was not finished until much later than 1776.

What is important to remember as we celebrate this day is that acquiring and maintaining freedom is a process that never ends. In our personal and business lives we must lay the foundations and work to ensure that freedom continues to ring.

Learn more about the 4th of July and how it's celebrated.

4th of July Holds Some Retail Promise

2006-07-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Even though the 4th of July isn't the gift-buying occasion as some other holidays, there are opportunities to make retail profits.

Bonnie, a gift retailer in Ventura, discovered that folks buy plenty picnic and decorations for their homes and even campsites. She ran out of the patriotic bunting this year.

Gift basket retailers can add a patriotic touch to picnic and bon voyage themes by including paper products with flag and firework themes. Any leftover patriotic can still be promoted throughout the summer through Labor Day.

Mega Gift Basket Orders: Money-Makers or Crazy-Makers?

2006-06-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Gift basket designers long for mega orders of 1,000's of gift baskets, but few actually win these coveted orders.

The Star-Telegram recently reported on Teresa Nelson of Teresa's Treasures who won an import award for handling a 4,000-basket order for which all the items arrived on the same day. She was among three area businesses awarded the 2006 Mayor's Global Business Award. Teresa has been so successful, in fact, that she has had to restrict her company's growth.

Before you renew your efforts to go after mega orders, be clear on what's involved in fulfilling these orders:

1. Confirmation from your vendors, manufacturers and other wholesale sources that all the products you need for the order are available and ready to ship.

2. Adequate capital to order all the inventory. For mega orders, retailers often ask for a deposit, with the balance due upon delivery.

3. Enough warehouse space to store the inventory, and working space to assemble the designs and pack for shipping.

4. A trained staff who can keep meet the deadline in a timely and efficient manner.

5. A delivery service that can handle mega orders if hand delivery is required.

6. Staff to keep your regular operations going while you the mega order is being completed.

Mega orders can help your profits swell if you've priced your designs correctly and have everything in place as outlined above. But if you have undercut your competition to get the order or not planned ahead for the reality of completing the order, your hard-won order can become a non-profitable crazy-maker.

Don't SCREAM ONLINE and Other Netiquette

2006-06-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Unless you stumbled onto the Internet yesterday for the first time, you already know a variety of Internet abbreviations, acronyms and shorthand that make it quicker to communicate in chats and message boards. For example, you already know that typing ALL CAPS means you're screaming and RTM (read the manual) means you've grown weary of telling someone how to navigate their software or RTFM if you're really exasperated.

While all these shortcuts are tremendous timesavers and even fun, it's important to keep them in their place and follow Internet etiquette, best known as Netiquette.

Take this quiz to see what you already know about Netiquette.

Then check out these sites to learn more

http://www.anapsid.org/internet/smileys.html#net

http://www.sakara.net/Terms.html

http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm

http://www.learnthenet.com/English/html/09netiqt.htm

Want to post netiquette daily-changing tips on your website free, like the one under my cartoon on the right? Get the code here.

Working from Home Has Its Challenges, Especially If Your Home is Mobile

2006-06-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

When I began my gift basket business 15 years ago I daydreamed of designing gift baskets at home and then selling them at craft shows up and down the coast of California. I thought I could make money and have fun at the same time. I soon discovered that gift baskets don't sell well in the craft show environment, so I had to abandon that plan. But the dream of working from home is still a good one, and alive with many entrepreneurs.

A recent article on www.careerjournal.com tells how Joyce Gioia, a management consultant and speaker and her husband and partner, Roger Herman, decided to work from home but with a twist. Their home is a 40-foot recreational vehicle.

They've been at it for a year and have found no reason to go into their actual office. But it hasn't been all fun and games.

After you read Joyce's story you may decide that operating in a similar fashion may not be for you, but it sure is fun dreaming, isn't it.

Can the Average American Understand Your Site and Blog?

2006-06-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

In a recent newsletter, Marketing Minute, Marcia Yudkin pointed out the importance of making your website and blog easy to read. The average American reads an 8th to 9th grade reading level, she says. She did a random test of ten web sites of Marketing Minute subscribers. They demanded an average reading ability more than two grades higher.

She continued by reminding us that Microsoft Word has a built-in readability checker, but she also provided a link to another readability calculator.*

Marcia isn't suggesting that we dummy down our content. But she is reminding us that better readability is achieved with shorter sentences, fewer multisyllabic words and less jargon.

In my experience as a reading specialist for the last 37 years, I concur with Marcia's suggestions, but believe that the average reading level is actually a little lower than the reported 8th to 9th grade level. (Most students in these grades aren't reading at these levels either.) Even those of us who feel at ease with James Joyce are not willing to put forth the same energy when reading websites and blogs.

When you want folks to use your services and buy your products, keep the reading easy.

*By the way, this post fell between 7th and 9th grade levels on two of the three scales.

Look Before You Leap Across the Ocean

2006-06-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

Many entrepreneurs return from vacations abroad ready to relocate their homes or businesses to what seems like picturesque, happier climes. Before you do that, doing your research is critical to avoid costly or even devastating results.

Business schools such as Wharton have entreprenurial programs that have eased the process of operating businesses abroad. But there are still many differences and considerations as three young entrepreneurs discovered. Read about their experiences as reported on www.collegejournal.com

Deciding to live abroad in a purchased or rented home demands research and careful planning as well. As I was about to pay my monthly mortgage payment I saw an email announcing homes for as low as $45,000 for sale in Rome. That sounded enticing. The pictures showed the bluest sky you've ever seen and cute houses perched on hills.

Luckily I recently subscribed to www.internationalliving.com and have been reading about what's involved in relocating abroad. While no to low taxes and other perks sound great, do your research before taking that leap. Here's one of many articles that has been very enlightening.

Where Did You Get That?

2006-06-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

During fifteen years in business, I've been asked this question countless times. Although there are many tradeshows, manufacturers, wholesalers and sources, finding just what you need for your gift basket designs is not so easy. For this reason, I put together a number of directories based on many trips to tradeshows and collecting sources from a wide variety of publications and websites over the years. Here are a few of them:

Where Did You Get That?--Shirley Frazier and I teamed up during a four-day period to comb through the retail and wholesale stores in the garment, toy and floral district of downtown Los Angeles. No one has ever created a directory of this fertile area full of gift, novelty and craft supplies. In it we detail the specific location and variety of merchandise carried by more tan 100 stores. If you are in the Los Angeles or plan to be, this one-of-a-kind resource will save you time, energy and money.

Contain It!--Wicker baskets with handles are the most popular type of container in the gift basket industry. But sooner or later you will want to vary your designs with unique and varied containers such as tins, hat boxes, miniature wagons and so on. This listing of over 100 wholesale container sources has helped basketeers find the perfect container. Once you download this pdf file you'll be able to click open the wholesalers' websites to get details and place orders.

Savor It!!--Gourmet foods and beverages are the most common gift basket content, and rightly so. Everyone loves food, so when in doubt about a recipient's interests or hobbies, customers frequently choose food. But where do you begin to find the wide variety of foods available? This downloadable file lists more sources than any of our other directories. It reveals sources for candy and cookies to cheese, crackers as well as sparkling cider and coffee. This is just the start. You'll also learn where you can get chocolate-covered graham crackers or cheese shaped like cows.

Pamper It!--Bath, body, aromatherapy products and candles are enjoying tremendous popularity. At the same time, however, some manufacturers discourage orders from small businesses by setting hefty minimums. Big name companies prefer that their products be prominently displayed in specialty stores rather than included in gift baskets. They especially fear that their credibility will be diminished if their products show up for sale at swap meets and discount stores. This directory is filled with companies who offer the many pamper products and accessories that will be perfect for your gift baskets. Having this list at your disposal will be a valuable asset.

Follow These Tradeshow Tips for a Great Experience

2006-06-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

Summer is a popular time to attend tradeshows. If you have plans to attend a gift show or other major tradeshow, follow these tips to ensure a successful and satisfying trip.

1. Register ahead of time by phone, online or fax. This will save not only time and frustration, but also disappointment. Most shows, though free, require some type of proof that you own a business, so be sure you've met the requirements before you leave your home or store. Specialized shows, such as the Fancy Food Show, charge a fee.

2. Carry lots of your business cards. Few exhibitors will take you seriously or give you catalogs without receiving a business card from you.

3. Ask exhibitors to mail catalogs to you when possible. Even just a few catalogs, fliers and samples get heavier and heavier with each aisle. The exception are the ones you plan to study in your hotel room that night to place orders the next day.

4. Dress comfortably in wrinkle-free, easy-care clothes and good walking shoes. Sandals and high heels may be cute, but your feet may complain after pounding them down the 20th aisle. I find that thick socks and tennis shoes keep my feet happy all day.

5. Forward your business line to your cell phone if you don't leave someone in your office to take calls. Then have a notepad in your bag to take down pertinent info that needs your attention later.

6. Take advantage of seminars and demos that seem helpful for your business, even from other industries. I've learned new ideas from listening to speakers from the greeting card, floral, and home decor fields.

7. Stop periodically to rest and drink water.

8. Network with other business people you meet on the tradeshow floor and shuttle buses. You can exchange ideas and get a new perspective.

Shopping tradeshows is serious business, but by following these tips your experience can be educational, inspirational and fun too.

Find out where the tradeshows near you are being held.

Milk Profits from Miniatures for Summer Sales

2006-06-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Many consider summer a time when sales slump, but that doesn't have to be true for you. There are many sales opportunities in the summer, and one way to capture them is to use miniature or travel-size products.

As soon as high school graduation caps are flung high into the sky in celebration, it's time to start packing for college. Many students will leave home to live in dorms or apartments and will be discovering for the first time that clothes don't wash themselves and dinner doesn't materialize in the oven. A gift basket filled with travel-size products will serve them well during orientation week until they have to make the big leap to actually shop for the full-size versions.

College care gift baskets can be used as welcome to the new student on campus, but also throughout the semester to encourage students during exams or remind them of their family when they can't return home for the holidays. When sent during the semester, use snack foods and energy drinks.

Bon voyage gifts are welcomed by travelers since personal care and hygiene products are not always convenient and easy to attain around the world. If the travelers are on honeymoon they'll not want to squander their time shopping for toiletries and cleaning products. Use travel-size items, empty plastic containers that can be filled with their favorites, and nonperishable snacks to create a thoughtful gift.

In addition to travel-size items, consider easy-to-carry and useful gifts such as leather luggage tags, money belts, rain gear, eye masks, collapsible binoculars, camera memory cards, neck pillow and first aid kit.

You can buy miniatures or travel-size products in your local discount stores, but if you want to buy wholesale in quantity, check out www.minimus.biz

For more ideas on summer sales, get my CD 99 More Sizzling Marketing Ideas to Make More Money--June through December

We're Celebrating our 201st Blog Post

2006-06-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Time goes by so fast when you're having fun. With today's post my blog has crossed the 200th post mark and I am delighted to have so many wonderful readers. Because I get so many questions about topics that have already been covered on the website, today's post will point out some of the vast information and sources you can find on GiftBasketBusinessWorld.com

Every new business owner has many questions and considerations. Here are some of the ones we have anticipated and answered.

1. How much can I make in the gift basket business?--This varies a lot depending on your planning, energy and determination.

2. Where do I find inventory?--Many designers attend gift shows to discover new inventory, but we have prepared a number of directories identifying more products than you could find at any one gift show.

3. Where do I find customers?--You must network with other business owners and follow up on those you meet. But there are many other ways to get customers.

4. How do I price my baskets?--Designers use a variety of pricing formulas.

5. What do I need to know about setting up a website? -- Successful websites have been planned. Discover what you need to consider before setting up a website.

6. How can I keep up with what's going on in the industry?--Read magazines and books, visit our website frequently, read this blog daily and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

If you've enjoyed this blog, tell me what has been most helpful to you. Or perhaps you have topics you'd like to suggest. Thanks for your support.

Create Postcards that Pull Business

2006-06-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Sending postcards while on vacation is a common practice. But did you know that postcards can help promote your business in ways that no other tool can?

Postcards are easy, quick and convenient for the recipient. And because they are so unintimidating and brief, postcards are guaranteed to be read. Best of all, they are quick and inexpensive to send.

You can order ready-made postcards from a number of printers with stock business messages, but the most effective ones will probably be the postcards you create. Postcards can remind your customers of upcoming sales, thank them for a recent purchase, announce changes or new products, but most important, keep your name before them.

Read more about how to create postcards that pull business.

Let Tradeshows Jump Start Your Business

2006-06-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

When I began my gift basket business 15 years ago, I got my first burst of information and motivation at a gift show. Not only did I learn about products and trends, but also gained insight from presenters at free seminars and made new friends among the many other like-minded business owners who were attending.

Although gift and trade shows are held year-round around the world, January and July are two of the most popular months. Here in the USA, there is likely to be a major tradeshow within in a short plane flight or a few hours drive from you.

Some tradeshows exhibit a combination of gift and gourmet food in many categories, other shows focus on a single category such stationery, toy, tea, spicy foods and a few specifically created for the gift basket professional. The niche shows typically charge an admission fee, whereas the large combination shows are usually free.

To see where the tradeshows are located near you, click your state. Then learn how to register for a tradeshow in the Audio Studio.

Make Your Invoices Work Overtime

2006-06-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

Every business must go after customers in the most profitable and least expensive way possible. One low-cost way to market your business that is often overlooked is the invoice. That's right. The invoice.

Each time you send a customer an invoice you get her attention. While you have it, why not remind her of a service you offer, a new product, or an upcoming holiday or event. You may also include a coupon or incentive to stimulate another purchase. Or you may even want to set up a special page on your website accessible to customers only that lists specials or offers discounts.

Read more about using invoices from Mike Klassen in his article, "An Expensive Way to Market Your Business."

Listen to my audio tip "Make Your Invoices Work for You" in the Audio Studio.

Are You a New Business Owner? Get the Help You Need

2006-06-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

If you are a new business owner you are very fortunate these days. There are a number of places to get help.

Your first resource should be The Small Business Administration website. Visit the section they have devoted to starting a business. There you will find a wide variety of startup help, even a free online business plan course.

The SBA has local offices and small business development centers devoted to startup businesses as well as to women and minority business owners.

Second, consider the major office supply companies. Some of them offer free online classes for business owners. Pendaflex, for example, has a free online class called in"Start Up Help for the First-Time Entepreneur," among others.

In their Business Center, Office Depot provides free templates, resources and occasional Tuesday web seminars.

Third, check with SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives) in your area and online to learn about their counseling and workshops offered free to small businesses.

Fourth, check your community for incubator programs, such as Ladies Who Launch. This program provides inspiration, tools and a network of like-minded business owners. Their online, in-person Incubator programs are around the country, and can help you realize your dream.

Fifth, regularly visit websites devoted to small businesses, especially if you will be a one-person business owner. An excellent place to start is Solo Business Marketing, where you'll find free information, inspiration and vital business products.

These are just a few of the many sources available especially for new businesses. Explore the sources and resources in your community. When you're starting a new business, you don't have to go it alone.

If your new business will be home-based, get the help you need at http://www.giftbasketbusinessworld.com/Work-at-Home/work-at-home-index.htm

Thinking of Starting a Blog?

2006-06-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

Blogs are growing in popularity and fast becoming a powerful way for businesses to communicate with their customers. If you're thinking of starting a blog, there are some things you need to consider.

--Do you really need a blog? It's takes a lot of work and time
--What do you want to say that is best said in a blog?
--Who do you want to reach in your blog?
--How will you promote it?
--How will you know if your blog is successful?

If you already have a blog, why did you start yours and how well is it reaching your goals?

If you haven't started your blog, read what Priya Shah, former journalist, has to say in her article, "7 Questions To Ask Yourself BEFORE Starting a Business Blog."

Is MySpace the Right Place for Your Business?

2006-06-05T23:14:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of MySpace.com, either you don't have kids, don't know any kids, or have been vacationing on another planet for the last year.

MySpace is a social networking website started in 2000 by Tom Anderson (graduate of UC Berkeley and UCLA) and Chris DeWolfe (graduate of USC) . It was bought in 2005 by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

My Space is an interactive network of user profiles, photos, an internal email system and blogs. Although the founders claim to have started the site as a place for 20 to 30 year olds to socialize and hang out, its phenomenal popularity with teenagers and preteens has brought it under heavy scrutiny from the media and watchdog groups. These groups worry that unsupervised youngsters who display their personal information and suggestive photos online will fall victim to the more than 50,000 sexual predators believed to troll online sites and chat rooms.

By contrast, MySpace has been a godsend for fledgling musicians and independent filmakers because they can upload their original songs and films where they begin to develop a following. Here they can get visibility, popularity and sometimes, gigs.

As of May 2006, Alexa reported that MySpace is the fourth most popular English website in the world. My 25 year old daughter and my college students swear that they use MySpace just to stay in touch with friends they already know. But is MySpace appropriate for business and educational use also?

While some business owners believe that MySpace is a good place for them to network and meet potential customers, many businesses and schools are blocking access to My Space from their employees and students because of the tremendous strain it has put on bandwidth and professionalism.

MySpace pages have been damaging to students who, already the object of teasing in their local school, can now be humiliated worldwide. In other situations, jobseekers' chances of landing their preferred jobs have been hurt by the personal information they've shared.

Think twice before you decide to test the "six degrees of separation" theory on MySpace. While as an adult you may not be as likely to fall victim to sexual predators as preteens, you must consider whether the types of clients you seek will really find you on MySpace.

Land a Great Account by Becoming an In-House Vendor

2006-06-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

Many gift basket designers bemoan the fact that they are turned away by major retailers and hotels who employ their own in-house designers. One way to approach this problem is to ask the retailer or hotel how you can become an in-house vendor. Another is to seek out companies who support local entrepreneurs.

If you have a product that's absolutely fantastic perhaps the store will ask you to create your product in their facility. That's what happened at Kowalski, a popular Minnesota specialty supermarket, reported in a recent Specialty Food article. They sold so much of a shortbread from a local company, Bramblewood Cottage, that they asked the owner to make it at their central bakery.

Kowalsk is noted for promoting their local food entrepreneurs. They carry locally-produced products in the store, even giving them special signage. The store encourages them to bring their products in for tasting.

Other stores support local entrepreneurs also, such as my local Border's that displays the work of local writers in a special section.

Search your community for companies who support local entrepreneurs and you may land a great account.

Run a Top-Notch Home-Based Shipping Department

2006-06-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

If you sell products in your home-based business, a vital part of your customer service is your shipping. Even though you work from home, you can have a top-notch shipping department if you plan ahead and take these steps:

1.Make it easy for your customers to order on your website or by phone with an order form that captures all the information you need, especially the customer's email and phone number.

2. Notify your customer when you receive the order and tell them when it will ship. Then ship in a timely manner.

3. If you use a service such as PayPal, they will collect the payment for you (even checks) and generate a packing slip.

Read all 10 tips here.

Take Your Gift Baskets to the Fair

2006-05-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

Summer time is a great time to explore new and fun ways to market your gift basket business. One of these is the local county fair.

To find out where and when the fairs are taking place go to your state's department of food and agriculture website. The listings will give you the contact information so you can learn what events and activities are planned. The fair organizers can help direct you to the companies and groups most likely to need prizes and raffle giveaways.

But don't stop at county fairs. Search for the fairs that focus on health, careers, diversity and more. A health fair in Beverly Hills, CA, for example, will feature basket giveaways. Some fairs will have their own websites loaded with information.

From my county's upcoming fair website, the Orange County Fair, I learned that Michael Bolton and Paul Simon are two of the headliners of concerts and the many types of competitions that will give prizes. I can sign up for their free newsletter and even volunteer to work some part of the fair if I wish.

If you don't find an opportunity to sell your gift baskets, how about donating one or sponsoring a gift? Now is the time to find out what fairs are nearby with marketing opportunities just waiting for you.

Is Working from Home Right for You?

2006-05-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

In the past "home-based business" brought up the image of stay-at-home moms taking Avon orders between changing diapers. This image is outdated and far removed from the modern home-based business. With the increased sophistication of telephones and computers, technology has enabled home businesses to become much more sophisticated, respected and profitable.

Many major corporations count heavily on taking orders and reservations through call centers. When some of them tried outsourcing their call centers to foreign countries, the uproar from customers unhappy with poor service caused this approach to be withdrawn. Now many have turned to hiring homebased workers in the USA creating a phenomenon called homesourcing or homeshoring. By allowing workers to make calls and take reservations from home, companies are saving money and employees are enjoying more flexibility. Although many challenges, such as security issues, still need to be worked out, many professionals are finding working from home a feasible option.

Homesourcing, however, is not a synonym for easy, menial work. Many industries such as the airline, education, and banking industries need highly skilled and knowledgeable employees who can handle the time management and minimal supervision required to work from home successfully. Teaching online college classes, (as I do) for example, requires the same educational preparation and skill required for teaching face to face classes. Professionals who have a high level of skill, training and productivity will get the best homesourcing jobs, just like in the traditional workplace.

Learn more about working from home.

Remember for Your Own Sake

2006-05-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day, once called Decoration Day, has a jagged and varied history, but is now mainly the day to remember anyone who has died in the service of our country. Cities typically close their offices and schools, and parades and commemorations are held.

But Memorial Day is also a day for personal remembering and celebrating. Many families visit the graves of their loved ones. Others enjoy gathering at family picnics, backyard parties or at the beach.

Remembering our deceased loved ones has value. Facing our grief helps us avoid having it overtake us. While we can never erase the memories, we can grow stronger from acknowledging them and putting them in perspective with the rest of our life experiences.

However you may choose to celebrate it, have a Happy Memorial Day. (The picture above shows a sailor and girl at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. )

The Best Advertising Copy Contains Your Own Story

2006-05-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

One duty I must perform as a college professor is attend graduation, in full cap and gown, every three years on my campus. Last night was my turn again, and while most folks enjoy graduations I did not look forward sitting through another Student Commencement Speech. (I'm posing here with three colleagues as we left the ceremony.)

But the young lady who spoke last night immediately dissolved my dread. She was moving and enjoyable because she was believable. She didn't urge the graduates to "reach for the stars," "climb every mountain," or achieve any other lofty metaphor. Instead she told her own story.

She began by telling us that her high school years were dismal. She had no direction, no vision, no goals. During her first year in college she continued to be lost for a while until she began attending motivational seminars and taking the encouraging advice of her professors. As she found her way, she enjoyed her new sense of purpose so much that she began helping other students. Her work with students became so popular that a special job was created for her so she could train other facilitators. She was awarded the Woman of Distinction Award last night.

The best story you can tell in your advertising, your marketing material and your articles is your own story. Just as I was relieved to hear the speaker's unpretentious story, your potential customers will be stirred and more likely to buy when you tell how you learned a lesson or overcame odds. When you share an experience or admit a flaw, everyone can relate in some way. Your own story has truth and authenticity on its side. No advertising copy, no matter how well written, can top your own story.

Are You Open for Business? How Do We Know?

2006-05-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

Even before you open your business you must begin thinking about how you will get customers. You must let people know you exist, particularly the people who need your service or product. Advertising is how you reach your customers.

Phineas T. Barnum, the famous showman, probably understood the importance of advertising for business success better than anyone before him or since. One example of his advertising genius took place in 1850 when he wanted to bring the international singer, Jenny Lind, dubbed the "Swedish Nightingale" to America. But he knew she was unknown in America. Six months before her arrival Barnum began taking out newspaper ads and posting handbills to spark interest, curiosity and anticipation of this star. His campaign was so successful that upon her arrival 30,000 New Yorkers greeted her at the docks.

Times may have changed, but the need to advertise your product and service has not. I've recently added over 100 articles on advertising to my website to help you get the business you deserve. If you're open for business you must let your customers know it. Learn how to do this now at www.giftbasketbusinessworld.com/advertising.

Entrepreneur Program Gives High Schoolers a Head Start

2006-05-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Programs that offer students a head start are not limited to the preschool program that teaches the basic skills. Many schools across the nation offer programs that give students of all ages the skills they need to get ahead in business.

One such program, reported in the Miami Herald, set up a business plan competition. During the fourth annual Business Plan competition hosted May 13 by the the Miami Dade College's Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Education Centeras part of its Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship program three students took home the top three prizes.

The first prize went to Jasmine Campbell and Rebecca Lovinsquy of William H. Turner Technical Arts High School for their winning plan for a graphic design firm they named B-Split Design.

The second prize went to Chanel Davis of Miami Central High for her plan for a cake bakery called Delightful Cakes.

Finally, the third prize went to Toneka Finch, also of Central High, for her plan for a gift basket company named Gift Baskets.

These students competed by writing formal business plans that were evaluated in the areas of financial analysis, marketing strategy and overall feasibility. Their plans were judged by a panel that included business owners. Now these winners have a chance to enter the MDC's Summer Business Expo where on Saturdays in June and July they'll be able to sell products made by their businesses.

This is just one of many entrepreneur programs available in our country. Some are designed for business startups and others for businesses ready for expansion. If you're interested in one of these programs, investigate the Small Business Administration and local agencies in your community.

Custom Disposable Cameras Develop Increased Profits

2006-05-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

Custom disposable cameras are a great way to enhance your gift basket designs or a way to promote your business.

Some of the themes where custom disposable cameras fit in well

Happy Graduation--from any level of school

A Day at the Beach--use a cooler or ice chest filled with a beach towel, sunscreen and treats

Wedding Reception Kit--fill a basket with personalized cameras and favors for the couple

Bon Voyage--put travel-size containers and the custom camera in a carry-on bag.

In addition to including cameras in your baskets, however, you can also use disposable cameras with your company logo to help promote your businesses. When looking for sources, check out these companies:

Keepsake Candy
Cameras for All
Wedding Photo USA

Creating Anticipation Before Your Open House or Product Launch Will Ensure Increased Profits

2006-05-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

If you're about to launch a new line or host an open house at your store, you can begin to create sales before the event. Consider one example of how the big stores do it by looking at Ikea's activities before the opening of their new Canton, Michigan store.

Their campaign is dubbed a project and has its own website. You are invited to create a profile, play games, solve trivia, and enter a contest to win points, benefits and prizes, one of which is a gift basket valued at $50. In addition to the planned activities there is also a countdown clock on their website to heighten the sense of urgency.

You may even be voted an Ikea Tokig (pronounced "too-kig",)a Swedish word which in this context means Number One Ikea fan. Here is another major retailer who has benefitted from creating a following of devoted fans, like Trader Joe's and Starbucks, who help hone the store's identity and make it a destination.

Although their project is presented as a service for consumers it is definitely a way for Ikea to spread the news of their new store and thereby ensure bustling sales on their very first day.

In what ways can you use these techniques to create anticipation and sales at your store?

Your Gift Baskets Should Be in Pictures

2006-05-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been shooting pictures of your gift basket designs, get started now. There are several reasons:

1. A picture beats a written description and allows you to document custom designs. This way you won't have to reinvent the wheel.
2. You have a visual to help you when you want to recreate the design.
3. You can use the photo on your website, mailers, proposals and in email to potential clients.

Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Invest in a digital camera, at least 5 megapixels.
2. Always use a tripod and plain backdrop when shooting your designs.
3. Shoot the design from at least front and back angles.
4. Attach or print your photos onto the description of the design.

Want more tips and resources? Read my article "Shoot Better Digital Photos."

Personalized Baby Gifts Become Celebrity Favorite

2006-05-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

For Steve and Ellen Gottsegen it all began when they received a personalized burp cloth upon the birth of their first son, Chad. They thought the cloths were unique so they began personalizing their own and giving them to close friends as baby gifts.

In a Boca Raton News article Steve is quoted as saying "The producers from the television show 'Friends' found out about us and called asking for personalized burp cloths for Ross and Rachel's baby, Emma. It was a very exciting time. Our burp cloths were famous," he said.

Once the burp cloths made their debut on "Friends," Gottsegen's company Designs by Chad and Jake (named after their sons,) became popular among celebrities. They've been asked to create personalized gifts and gift baskets for Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Matthew Broderick's son, Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter, among others.

On their website Designs by Chad and Jake offer an assortment of personalized items including burp cloths, bibs, blankets, towel sets, wooden stepstools, wooden bookends, piggy banks, toy caddies, rocking chairs, and more.

In reflecting on their success in the Boca Raton News article, Gottsegen said "It's hard to believe that creating personalized burp cloths for our friends back in 1997, has turned into a business that will soon celebrate ten years."

The success of Designs by Chad and Jake began when they pursued a product they loved and enjoyed creating. To ensure your own success be sure you're developing a business and niche that is driven by your passion.

Do You Make It Convenient for Your Customers to Pay?

2006-05-17T00:23:00.000-07:00

When I began my business over 15 years ago customers paid by check or credit card. Years later PayPal came along to expedite online orders, but merchants were slow to warm up to using it. PayPal has now gained respect alongside credit cards, but are there any other choices for today's merchant?

According to an article in the May issue of Wholesale Source Magazine there are three other convenient payment systems.

ProPay has a one-time set up fee for the seller and a per-transaction charge. Your customer van pay you without ever having to sign up for ProPOay account, if you wish. Because funds paid to you are outsourced through their clearing house, it may take up to four days to have access to the money.

Money Zap is owned by Western Union. This system integrates with most e-commerce systems, so you can add it to the payment options on your order page. Although there are undoubtedly fees for this service, you must contact them for the details.

Paymentech allows you to accept payments from around the world. You don't have to establish separate accounts either. Merchants can consolidate the funds into one currency. Customers can be billed in their local currency, thus keeping down the confusion about the final sale price.

What Makes People Buy?

2006-05-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

Many retailers ponder this question, but Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, makes her living finding out the answer. She studies the habits of shoppers and reports on trends.

In her new book, Shops that Pop!, due out in fall 2006, Pam will reveal findings from surveying 1,250 high-income recreational shoppers, people who just love to shop.

Pam discovered that first people are driven by a need, even if it's a perceived need. Then the product's features and how much the price makes it worth to the shopper are all mixed with emotions. Intense emotions can magnify the need and make an item appear affordable.

There was a time when shoppers were driven by low prices, but now we all seem to want luxury at an affordable, but not necessarily the lowest, price. We're willing to spend more to shop where we can feel involved, touch and try out the merchandise, and have a complete shopping experience.

To learn more about how your retail business can "pop", sign up for Pam's newsletter at www.unitymarketingonline.com

Make Your Gift Baskets Part of a Package

2006-05-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

Many cities are luring tourists by offering package tours. These often include hotel, entertainment, excursions and gift baskets. One such package, Savannah Packages, invites you to enjoy the rich history of Savannah, Georgia along with entertainment, its world-famous cuisine, and even a Paula Deen tour if you wish. These packages often include a gift basket of treats and gifts typical of the area.

To become part of a package you need to research your area. Begin with the travel agencies, AAA Club and online sources. Then approach the group or company with your idea. You may just land a steady client who needs your unique and creative skills.

Gift Basket Service Benefits from Unique Location

2006-05-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

Leslie Vogt of Arizona convinced her CPA husband to let her open a gift shop next door to his firm.

In a recent Arizona Republic article we learn that her shop, What a Girl Wants, has its own entrance but shares a common wall with her husband's business. During tax season some of the thousands who shuffle their financial papers into the CPA become Leslie's customers picking up lotion, tiaras or soy candles for their wives or themselves.

Although she has only been open a few months, Leslie already has a niche that she believes in: a gift basket membership service. Based on men's selections, she puts together and delivers a gift basket three times a year to their significant others.

Do you have a basket of the month or other type of frequent buyer service?

Do Mothers Make Better Leaders Than Non-Mothers?

2006-05-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Whether mothers make better leaders than non-mothers may seem like a no-brainer to some of us, but the responses from managers in a recent USA Today article proves that this question is not as straightforward as it may seem.

Over 69% of employees surveyed by WorldWit said they would rather work for a mother than a non-mother. They believed that mothers have more patience and listening skills. Other executives believed that leaders who are mothers can be too compassionate and settle for underperformance.

Mitch Caplan, CEO of E-Trade concurs that mothers are superior at priortizing and managing their time. But Caplan is in a small group. Although many women are reaching the higher ranks of management, most managers secretly have a preference for women without children.

Cynthia McKay, the childless CEO of Le Gourmet Gift Basket, has all women employees, but was the most vocal about her resentments of the mothers among them. She pointed out that the mothers must cut their full-time days short to run to baseball practices and dental appointments. She believes that her best employees were the ones who had no children and could dedicate themselves to the job.

The views expressed by McKay, though not openly admitted by other managers, are widespread nonetheless. Liz Ryan, founder of World Lit and mother of five ages 3 to 12, say that she hears women frequently admit that they're afraid to tell the boss that they are pregnant.

Many managers chimed in on this report. Perhaps the most important conclusion is the realization that being a mother (or father for that matter) will not ensure that you will be a good manager or employee if you don't have good time management and task management skills. The truth is that some parents make good managers and employees and some don't.

What has been your experience on this issue? Do mothers make better leaders than non-mothers?

Mothers of Twins Know the Importance of Gift-Giving

2006-05-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

The 56 members of the Mothers of Twins Club in Hampden County, MA have learned to nurture each other. In addition to sharing tips about raising their twins, the Republican, reports that they also have spring outings, donate to charities, listen to motivational speakers and go on member-to-member play dates. They have created a bond that has lasted since the start of their group in 1959. This bond is due in part to their fondness for giving gifts to each other.

After the business session at their monthly Mother's Night they sneak gift bags into the room for each other.

Monthly they exchange gifts in their Secret Sister program, similar to Secret Santa.

When a member experiences special challenges, the group gives her a "pick-me-up" basket.

Clearly this group has learned that giving gifts provides support and encouragement and extends their friendships beyond the group.

Tap Into the Hidden Riches in Your Gift Basket Business

2006-05-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

I'm a great believer in finding your niche and developing it. But I also support the idea of capitalizing on untapped sources of income that are hiding in our businesses.
What are some of these?

1. Partner with a complementary business. Work with a florist, balloon artist or caterer to expand in the wedding and party market. While one of them may supply the decor or refreshments, you could provide the centerpieces of welcome gifts.

2. Offer your design services to groups or companies who want gift baskets but don't know how to make them: specialty stores, nonprofit organizations, churches, and fundraisers.

3. Offer products on your website that complement your designs, but are created by and shipped by another company. An affiliate arrangement enables you to get a percentage of a sale without doing any of the work. Many major companies offer affiliate partnerships. Learn more about making profits from affiliates.

4. Sell ad space on your website to companies who are targeting the same market you are. If your clients are corporate or small businesses, they also need business cards, website design services, printing services and more.

5. Provide consultation or classes for newcomers to the gift basket business.

6. If you have a large amount of retail or warehouse space consider subleasing to another business.

7. Bring quality traffic to your site by posting comments on message boards and blogs frequented by your target client.

8. Publish a newsletter with information and tips that are of value to your clients. You will keep them informed of new products and services in each issue, of course.

These are just a few of the ways to tap into the hidden riches in your gift basket business. What are some ways that have worked for you?