Start Your Planning to Introduce New Designs in the New Year
You’re in the midst of sales and marketing for end-of-year orders, but that doesn’t mean you stop planning new gift basket designs to launch in 2010.
Find a box or folder to compile pictures and ideas on paper so that everything’s in one place when you’re ready to move forward.
Pick a place for the box, and keep it there. You know what happens when something this important is moved.
This system will lessen the chaos of creating a smooth launch when it’s time to design and market in January.
How difficult do you find working on this year’s design projects while preparing for business next year?
Three Reasons Why Shrink Wrap Doesn’t Work
Did a past shrink wrapping experience convince you to only choose cellophane or basket bags to enclose gift baskets?
This is the conclusion I’ve heard from several designers, and it’s a shame.
If this same sentiment was said about anchoring products, which is another difficulty when making designs the first time, there’d be a lot less designers in the world. Perhaps that’s good news if you’re facing stiff competition.
Still, when making and selling gift baskets is your passion, there’s no giving up. The art of shrink wrapping can be mastered if you overcome the following three most-encountered problems.
1. You expect flawless application on your first try. Who do you think got it right the first time? I certainly didn’t, and neither did other long-time veterans. It will take several attempts to master smoothing the film and applying heat evenly so that holes don’t develop.
2. A hair dryer is chosen to heat the film rather than a heat gun. The video I made a few months ago, which you can see here, shows how a hair dryer was unable to shrink the wrap while a heat gun instantly worked. Heat guns cost very little, and they save you lots of time.
3. You buy pre-cut bags from a retail store and fail to read the instructions. Individually-packaged bags found at craft stores are double in size. There’s a fold on one side, and the instructions tell you to un-double the film before applying it around the gift. If you didn’t, that’s why the shrink wrap looked so messy when you finished.
Don’t hate shrink wrap. Take your time, and master the technique.
Learn more about cellophane, shrink wrap, and basket bags on this page.
What’s Your Plan to Sell Holiday Gift Baskets?
What’s in your promotions bag as you prepare to market your gift baskets to corporate clients?
Companies that sell pens and planner books send me samples by mail along with a form to place my order.
You may not be able to do the same because of a gift basket’s size, but you can send a form listing the various ways to place orders (mail, fax, Email, Web site, phone).
What about in-person presentations? Do your promotions include sampling, courtesy of free items from wholesalers? If you cannot leave something tasty behind, what’s the next best option?
Designers I’m working with began the month with a very-intriguing method to get orders that we developed after reviewing how other product-based businesses gained sales.
You’ve had almost 30 days to start the holiday order process. What’s been your best method?
Add Pet Treats to Your Baskets
Treats for Fido and Kitty are to seriously be considered as you purchase gift basket inventory.
This is especially true if you sell to individuals as well as the corporate market.
Consumers spend millions of dollars on their pets each year. They’ve become four-legged children in most homes.
My former kids, Pepper (Chow Chow) and Daisy (Rottweiler) earned their keep every day, and I splurged on them in any way possible because of the love, affection, and security they provided as part of the family.
I thought about this lucrative market one morning when I read a pet column in the Long Island Press. The article featured a company that sold dog treats and also mentioned that the company creates pet gift baskets.
Many trade and consumer shows include exhibitors with pet products, but if the ones you visit don’t feature such exhibitors, a pet products directory is available with more than 35 wholesaler names, phone numbers, and Web site addresses to make finding products easier.
Pet treats are perfect in hostess gifts (as long as the hostess has a pet) and holiday gifts created for local and out-of-state families. There’s no need to buy lots of products. Just have a few bags of treats available, and add “Does the recipient have pets?” to your roster of customization questions.
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