Is Every Business a Potential Client?
Early in my career, I thought it would be a good idea to start getting clients by delivering either a gift basket or small gift to new companies listed in my local newspaper.
I wanted to get each companies’ attention so that as their businesses grew, I’d become their “go-to person” for employee retention and customer appreciation gifts.
Before moving forward, I decided to do some research. I drove to each company’s address to see the location. One place listed as an automotive firm was located in a house, and locations for other businesses that required at least a sign in the front (but had no sign) were just as strange. Were the newspaper listings accurate?
What the paper did was print a roster of anyone who registered a new business within the county, so while the information may have been correct, the potential for sales was not. I immediately abandoned that plan.
We all know the importance of initial impressions. What I saw at each location told me not to send anything to these businesses. Instead, I stayed with my original plan: contact corporate clients I already knew as well as referrals they passed on to me.
That marketing strategy worked like a charm to increase my sales and client list every year.
Sending welcome gifts to unknown prospects wastes time, energy, and money. In many cases, it’s simply not the way to build your business.
What’s your secret to increasing your corporate sales?
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Can You Mix Chocolates and Bath Products in the Same Basket?
Recently, a gift basket designer asked me how she can combine chocolates and fragrant bath items together in one basket so the chocolates don’t absorb other fragrances and end up tasting like soap.
Designers often experiment in their workshops, testing these two products combined in the same basket.
You’ll find a spa basket video on the Gift Basket Tutorials site.
Depending on the basket’s size, you might consider adding a pre-sealed box of chocolates inside of or underneath a spa basket rather than adding individually-wrapped, non-boxed chocolates. Another option is to combine the chocolates with non-scented spa products.
This dilemma continues, and sometimes it’s controversial. Some designers refuse to mix the two products due to potential liabilities and customer service issues, while others have developed their own design style that allows for packing both in the same basket.
Ultimately, it’s up to you whether or not to experiment first, go forward with the order, suggest an alternative gift, refer the client to another provider, or decline the sale. Make a decision, and move forward knowing you made the best possible choice.
If you’re searching for spa products, you’ll find links to more than 70 bath product suppliers in the Bath and Body/Spa Products Report, which arrives immediately by Email in Word format when you order.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
12 Gifts that Go in Baskets
There’s lots of focus on gift basket foods and snacks, but what about gift items?
Gifts are a welcomed addition in every basket.
Baby, corporate, and personal gift items were my first pick as inventory because I wasn’t sure about food laws in my state.
I was determined to start selling, so instead of buying foods, which may have been against the law, I began by offering customers gift items in unique containers.
Some of those items included:
When you begin attending trade shows this summer, consider complementing snacks with gift products. Recipients will treasure the gifts long after the foods are gone.
Before taking my advice, make sure that gift items will be appreciated by clients and receivers. Perhaps people in your region are more likely to buy all-food baskets rather than food and gift collections. Stick to the plan that sells your baskets.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
-
-
Gift Basket Books
-
Welcome, from Shirley George Frazier
-
Drop Shipping Sources
