Giving Up on Gift Baskets? Read this First.

by Shirley George Frazier on February 23, 2009

there are bright spots in the gift basket businessThere’s no doubt that the economy is changing many lives, unfortunately, in negative ways.

  • Clients that may have been big spenders now seem to shun your telephone calls.
  • Networking events that once yielded promising buyers now ask you to become their employer.
  • Postcards that were once delivered are now returned with “out of business” stamping.
  • It’s all doom and gloom. Or is it?

    I’m happy to say it’s not.

    There are many bright spots in business. Don’t count on the media, in print or on television, to tell you where they are. Their agenda is to focus on bad news, and if there’s 60 seconds leftover at the end, they’ll tell you about a cute little puppy someone found in a storm drain, then track the puppy to death row because it bit the mailman.

    I guess we have to listen to news due to habit. However, a better habit is to consistently look for good and usable ideas, insights, and information to find new customers and convince current ones to continue buying.

    Here’s a great example. Last week, a designer called me after she learned, through her area’s chamber of commerce, that a business convention will arrive in three months. She plans to use the time wisely to contact the meeting planner, sending her samples and photographs of welcome gifts. This convention will host 1,200 attendees, so the opportunity for additional revenue is big.

    Another designer regularly educates professionals on the art of gift giving and brings examples to the 15-minute talk. These events are held in her clients’ offices as part of their roundtable discussions. This segment guarantees monthly sales because of the relationship she’s developed.

    These are just two methods, out of hundreds you and I can think of, that spark gift basket interest and sales.

    So, before you close the door on your business, consider that:

  • People will always need and buy gifts
  • You are the expert with enough passion to get sales
  • The ability and flexibility to sell online and offline are key to your success
  • This is a business that allows you to satisfy an untold amount of clients and create a lifestyle you richly deserve. Giving up is simply not an option.

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