My former accountant ordered a half-gift, half-fruit basket for delivery to one of her customers located in New York City.

It’s never easy to deliver in Manhattan; however, when I arrived at the location, a street parking space was available.

That put a big smile on my face as I entered the building and took the elevator up to a cramped office where six people worked.

The person receiving the gift basket was elated to get it, and she asked me to wait while she went into another office. She came back and handed me money, and I immediately said, “I’m the owner, and I’m here personally to make sure you’re happy with this gift.”

My hands were at an angle to show her that I would not accept her money. I exited and heard happy voices on the other side of the door.

That’s how I let customers know that tipping me is a wonderful gesture but, for me, not proper to accept.

If this happens to you, how do you inform customers about your tipping rules, or do you let them tip you?

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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At some point this holiday season, whether before or after Christmas, you might speak with some individuals who seem to be customers but really are not.

These individuals will request services from you that are beyond what you or any gift basket designer can provide. They will want any of the following:

• Christmas morning delivery
• Free shipping
• Rush service
• Products personalized free of charge
• Products you don’t have in inventory that they won’t pay extra for

It’s unfortunate what some people will expect of you specifically because you are not a brick-and-mortar shop (and believe me, some of these individuals also request these services from traditional retailers).

I want you to know that it’s okay to decline these types of orders. Some services are not, nor will ever be, your specialty. You have expenses and cannot inflate those expenses by covering costs that the customer will not pay.

Thankfully, everyone who calls you to place orders does not demand these types of services. Most appreciate what you create, are pleased with your offerings, and will recommend you to others who are just like them.

So, when someone calls and expects you to do everything they demand, evaluate the request. If it can be delivered, fine. If it cannot, offer alternatives. If those alternatives are declined, recognize that this is not your customer and continue delivering great quality to your true customers.

As a business owner, you have control over what happens and what does not.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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Red, white and green are colors that come to mind when we create holiday gift baskets.

However, clients may request other colors to be included or as an alternative when you create designs for the holidays.

This request is due to recipient preferences.

Keep these choices and options in mind as you speak with clients by phone or connect with them by email.

I’ve created holiday gift baskets with colors of blue and brown, black and white, and green and pink for customers ordering for everyone from children to seniors.

Suggest non-holiday color choices when speaking with your clients. They will be pleasantly surprised with this option, and it may well get you many referrals and repeat business.

Shirley George Frazier

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Acknowledging your clients is not just mandatory; it’s also necessary to build strong ties with individuals and corporations that have purchased from you throughout 2011.

What have you chosen as the signature gift or basket for them?

In past years, I’ve distributed:

• Custom-made chocolates
• Personalized calculators
• Personalized business card holders
• Gift cards
• Gift baskets filled with electronic gadgets
• Tote bags with assorted business, personal, and food items

Some customers call, write, or email to confirm they received the gift, and others don’t say anything and simply continue ordering the next year. That’s good enough acknowledgement for me.

How do you plan to thank your customers?

Shirley George Frazier

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It’s not easy hearing a negative response from a person you hoped would become a customer or one you thought would continue buying gift baskets.

The fact is that in this profession you will hear “no” over and over again.

You may be trained, through courses or life experience, to not take this answer to heart and realize that the response is not a personal attack but rather a choice the other person has made.

But what if you’re thin skinned, a person who feels like crying every time the opportunity doesn’t go your way?

These three tips are shared to point you in a positive direction.

1. Start making more calls to other prospects, marketing to them in a slightly different approach than you did with the last person. If you hear “no” once more, you already feel bad, so another “no” won’t hurt.

2. Make non-marketing calls that you’ve put off. These are calls that you’ve dreaded to your web host or a department at city hall. Now’s the time for a solution to an ongoing problem and finally remove it from your list.

3. Leave the office for at least an hour. Take a walk. Try on shoes, clothes, or jewelry you’re not going to buy but want to “play” with. Pick out something you’ll buy in the future when you hear “yes” from a customer (and believe me, that time is coming very soon).

Just as some people have decided to not buy right now, you must also decide what gets you out of the doldrums and thinking about all the people who are your customers. Your business does not center around people who say ‘no;” it centers around all the people on your customer list.

Go ahead. Open your database and take a look at all the names. Make a move on them, starting with phone calls or mailed note cards expressing your appreciation for making your masterpieces part of their lives.

Shirley George Frazier

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My hope for you this holiday season is that your phone will ring frequently with potential buyers who’ve purchased in the past and who are buying for the first time.

As those calls reach you, keep this article on separating the buyers from the browsers, written last year and still valid today, in mind.

Some people will be prepared to order, and others will need hand holding to complete the sale.

In either case, there’s other information to collect from each customer before the call ends.

• Ask about other friends, family members, co-workers, neighbors, and staff they may have forgotten but deserve to receive a gift basket.
• Request the customer’s email address, and ask if you can add the address to your newsletter for details on upcoming designs for the New Year.
• Find out if they have a pet, and if you have pet treats in stock, wrap it in a cellophane bag for delivery to the customer (this is huge for loyalty).

What other questions are on your list for capturing customer information?

Shirley George Frazier

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2. How Will You Keep the Competition Away from Your Customers?
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What do you ask clients before making gift baskets for the people on their list?

Focused and targeted questions lead to recipients being happy, fulfilled, and not tearing their hair out wondering, “What do I do with this?” when finding an item that’s foreign to them and leads to questions such as this one I found online.

The Q&A article is about a bottle of peanut oil found in a gift basket. The recipient is unfamiliar with its purpose.

This problem is one that happens when a basket, picked up off a store shelf, is purchased as a last-minute gift without thought for the receiver’s preferences.

Such a mis-match dishonors everyone involved — the giver, receiver, store, and industry reputation.

What questions do you ask customers to ensure that the gift baskets you create are made specifically for the receiver?

Shirley George Frazier

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My first customer satisfaction feedback arrived by Email.

This client learned about me through a radio advertisement on a popular New York City station, and without ever seeing my designs, she ordered a gift basket for delivery to her office.

She wasn’t there when I arrived, but her Email was waiting for me when I returned to my studio.

I immediately printed and saved it, knowing that her words of gratitude would not be the last time I would hear from a happy buyer.

Soon, appreciation cards and letters started arriving by mail. I was elated to receive written testimonials, and then I realized that clients were writing because I set an example by sending each of them a personalized note expressing my thanks for their orders.

I took the collection of cards, Emails, and letters that began stacking up in my office drawer, and after receiving verification that I could share their sentiments online, I created a testimonials’ page on my website and also added their words to individual site pages.

Have you done the same on your site, or are your customer testimonials scattered throughout your office where only you can read them?

This summer, make it your goal to include customer comments on your website, your Facebook page, and in your online newsletter. Customers like reading what other customers say about your products and service. It’s time to share those words of praise with the world.

Shirley George Frazier

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