One Way to Develop Business Relationships
A person who owns or is somehow involved with a gift basket business was just named as treasurer of his local chamber of commerce. The story about his position and others named to posts is featured on this news site.
Do you understand what that means in terms of business promotion and future sales?
Becoming part of an entity outside of your business brings you notoriety, exposure, and the ability to put your gift baskets into the hands of corporations and visiting dignitaries that isn’t otherwise available.
Of course, there’s a tradeoff. The main function, in this example, is to maintain the chamber of commerce’s books for a specified period of time. That’s no small deed. However, at term’s end, this gift basket business will be the first company corporations turn to for all-occasion gifts as long as the representative has planted seeds during his tenure.
This stature is also open to you if you choose to pursue it. Such an opportunity takes time and patience to establish. I remember my accountant telling me that it took 10 years of building her membership status to become president of a powerful state-based women’s group. Her business is well known because of her diligence, and her name is synonymous with trust.
On the other hand, it took me less than an hour into my first meeting to become in charge of a golf group’s newsletter. What a waste of time. After months of networking, no one was buying or even interested in my gift baskets. I never truly bonded with the group and should not have accepted the newsletter responsibility during my first meeting with them.
This is a story I share in How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, one that doesn’t end on a high note. But that doesn’t mean your experience with a chamber group will mirror mine.
If you’re already part of a chamber of commerce, women’s group, or another organization, consider being more than a member, especially if your gut tells you that it’s a good relationship. One day your name may be featured in an article, similar to the one cited in this story. From there, your sales have only one way to go: up.
Here’s another tip to get your name in the news.
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2 Responses to “One Way to Develop Business Relationships”
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Shirley,
You’ve presented some very interesting and valid points here! Gift baskets can be an incredibly beneficial tool for any woman to advertise her business through word of mouth. It’s crucial to make all the connections you can in the journey to success. One of the greatest networking tools, in my opinion, is the internet. Its resources and its market are unlimited, and it “equal playing field” for both genders in business. It’s the best tool a starting entrepreneur can utilize. I’ve been using the new Office Live Small Business by Microsoft, have you heard of it? It’s basically a one-stop shop that keeps all my business e-mails and invoices in order, I can check traffic stats for my website, and design professional webpages without any HTML experience (and I’m terrible with that stuff!).
There’s plenty of information on their website: http://smallbusiness.officelive.com
Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part! Not only does Microsoft host everything on your website, you get a very professional “.com” web address for free! I recommend you and any starting entrepreneurs check it out. I work with Microsoft, so if you or any of your readers have a question, feel free to e-mail me at k-rosenberg@live.com. I am always around and would be more than happy to answer any questions! Thanks for the great read!
All the best,
Kimberly
Kimberly,
I’m glad you mentioned Microsoft’s product here, though there are several reasons why I’ve not introduced it to the thousands of gift basket designers who consider this site as their silent partner.
I researched Office Live, but after reading about the ancillary costs and hiccups still associated with the product, I decided against it.
Microsoft will register a business domain name free the first year, but the cost is $14.95 afterwards, a fee that’s higher than other registrants.
Office Live seemingly does not integrate well with Microsoft Office, making it difficult for users to move back and forth between the two products.
Most of all, the Store Manager monthly fee ($29.95 per month for the first six months and $39.95 per month after that), plus one percent of sales on top of that, is a cost that most designers will shun.
Gift basket designers are and have always been free to choose a product that helps them set up clean, inviting spaces on the Web. Office Live may be helpful, but I believe other products may be most cost effective and simpler to understand.
In the end, it is up to each designer, and I do appreciate you introducing Office Live to them.