Years ago, a gift basket order was added to my online shopping cart.

It came from a new client. She forgot to include the gift card message, so I called her by phone to thank her and write her custom greeting during the call.

The phone rang, and a woman answered.

“Hello, Ms. Smith?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Shirley George Frazier calling to thank you for your gift basket order.”

“I’m in the middle of dinner right now.”

“I’m sorry to disturb you.”

Her voice told me that something wasn’t right. Had this woman placed the order, she would have allowed me to continue talking. She would have been happy to hear the confirmation.

I didn’t ship the gift basket, and I never heard from her, which tells me the order was fraudulent.

The holiday season is prime time for people who don’t have your business’s best interest in mind to attempt to manipulate you, so you must consider the source of every sale.

• Does the order include all necessary information?
• Do billing and shipping addresses match?
• Does your gut tell you something’s not right?

Double check every order before you proceed.

How do you make sure every sale is factual?

Shirley George Frazier

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Imagine — you are contacted through Email by a friend who asks you to look at another person’s Web site.

When you click the link, you blink at the screen in disbelief.

Gift baskets that you created from scratch and added to your Web site are displayed, but this is not your site.

What’s the next step? Do you:

The main focus is to take some type of action. When your mind settles down and you begin thinking logically, how will you proceed to protect your gift basket business?

Shirley George Frazier

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It’s strange how our brains recall the sales we didn’t get faster than the orders that were successfully completed.

There’s no doubt that psychologists know why that happens, but the bottom line is that we play scenarios over and over again, reminding ourselves of how sales fell through.

Now think about this: if you gained those sales, what baggage would have come along with it?

Here are three situations designers I’ve spoken to have found themselves in after agreeing to sales that, in their gut, didn’t seem right.

1. “A good client vouched for a prospect who promised to pay later.” That customer ended up owing the designer $500 for one year before the designer marched into the client’s office, along with the town’s sheriff and court order demanding that the designer be paid on the spot.

2. “My headache always began after Thanksgiving because I knew she’d call me.” This client was stressful, going over the top with expectations for $10 and $15 gifts. The designer finally decided to send the client a “you’re fired” letter from Top 10 Letters. Only after the designer threatened to file harassment charges did the ex-client stop calling.

3. “I’m so glad I called to confirm the order, because it turned out to be fraud.” The designer spoke with the client by phone to document the $210 order. The credit card was approved, but she forgot to verify one delivery address. When the designer called the client, the credit card owner said he didn’t order anything, so she canceled the order and never heard from the fraudulent person.

These three stories are exceptions within our businesses, but these situations exist and provide reflection when you want orders so badly that you don’t take precautions.

What situation has happened in your business that makes you wish you declined the order?

Shirley George Frazier

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This industry creates a wonderful life for all of us, especially when the prospects you target understand your message and buy often.

It’s a great joy, but as with every business, there are also pitfalls.

This weekend, I read a heartbreaking story about a florist/gift basket retailer who was scammed out of $22,000 worth of products and shipping fees. I encourage you to click here and read the story.

You’ll notice that the article is based outside of the United States. The location has nothing to do with where scammers are located, for as you know, rip-off artists are everywhere.

Most times, there’s something about an order that makes you suspicious. It may be:

I once received a call ordering a gift basket for delivery to a state outside of the one where the buyer resided. Something was strange about the buyer’s voice, something that wasn’t genuine. After taking the order, I called the phone number once more for information I neglected to request the first time.

The person who picked up was supposedly the same person who ordered (I asked for her by name). The voice was different, and she also said, very abruptly, “I’m in the middle of dinner,” treating me as if I were a telemarketer. I quickly ended the call. I didn’t mail the order and never heard from the person again.

After reading the article, is there anything about the order that would have immediately raised red flags for you?

Shirley George Frazier

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