Years ago when I attended a seminar, the event leader said something I will always remember.

Always Be Marketing was his success formula, and he told us that if we truly wanted success in business, we must constantly market our products and/or services.

Is this something you practice, or is marketing a task that’s done when you have time?

Marketing is the first task on my mind when I enter my studio. I brainstorm on my own each day, reviewing what I’ve done in the past and what’s on the horizon for the future.

If your marketing is not an every day practice, that’s the reason why your gift basket sales are low.

It’s time to brainstorm either on your own, with staff, or with trusted associates who can help you get your marketing train on track.

Choose either a pen and paper or computer screen to list your marketing options. This will range from direct mail campaigns to social media connections.

Try your best not to rule anything out that comes to mind. The focus of this project is to write everything down without bias. It’s wise to think big during this exercise. It’s not just about what you’ve done in the past; this is also about the grand ways you can market to many rather than to one person at a time.

Once you devise your initial list, start deciding which campaigns can be done right away, and set up a plan for that marketing on a daily basis. Yes, daily. Then move on to the next easiest, and continue until you get to the campaigns that take time to set up. Work on those campaigns until you have the steps and schedule. Then launch it without fail.

This is how to market your gift baskets. You will learn what’s working, what needs to be changed and relaunched, and what needs replacement.

There is no wrong in your plan unless you don’t follow through or you harm children or animals, and I highly doubt that’s part of your plan.

If you had time to decide to make the sell gift baskets, you have time to figure out how to put more of your dynamic gifts into customers‘ hands.

Now that you know the basics, what more do you need to make sure you market every day?

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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2. Ideas to Promote Your Father’s Day Gift Baskets
3. Why Inventory Purchased this Year is Perfect for Mother’s Day Gift Baskets

Making and selling gift baskets is a business that’s unlike receiving a payroll check.

It’s a rewarding industry, but there’s no income stability. You can make $10,000 in January and then make $7,000 in February.

This is why it’s important to plan your sales according to the occasions that occur each month. From there you can plot your course of action through marketing to customers by mail, email, phone, social media, and speaking engagements.

Last year I wrote an article on planning your sales calendar. The information is still relevant today.

If you’re unfamiliar with yearly sales forecasting, start by focusing on one quarter’s sales, such as January to March or April to June. Look at the occasions within those months for marketing purposes and decide how you’ll promote.

We talk a lot about this in the 6-Week Start Your Own Gift Basket Business course which is delivered online and includes 24/7 access to me for every imaginable question to start and grow your business.

What’s your preferred method of planning for gift basket sales?

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.

Related articles:

1. Boost Your Image (and Sales) with a Business Card Photograph
2. Why You May Be Overthinking the Corporate Sales Process

Everyone you meet will not be your customer.

That’s a fact, one that will save you lots of time and energy.

Think about it.

Who, from this list of potential customers, is the best candidate to receive your gift basket marketing materials?

• A senior citizen who resides at an adult care center.
• An executive planning to move up the corporate ladder.
• A mother with three children living on a fixed income.

By choosing the best option, you then set a course to find others like that same target. That practice streamlines the time you’ll spend wooing similar prospects for continuous positive results.

These building blocks are part of the Golden Basket Club. Each video, newsletter, and bonus work together, forming a strategy for higher customer sales, lower wholesale costs, and better results every month.

What’s been your downfall deciding which target market is right for you?

Shirley George Frazier

Related articles:

1. Why Marketing is Key to Great Customer Service
2. How to Make Sure Your Gift Basket Business Doesn’t Go Bankrupt

Mae, the female half of my Yorkshire terrier duo, acted lethargic all last week, which concerned me and led me to book an emergency appointment to visit her veterinarian.

This is the same vet that became a gift basket customer many years ago, starting with a gift made for relatives who were hospitable during a vacation.

Mae and I visited the vet’s office this past weekend. While waiting, other pet owners and I talked to each other and also to a woman who greeted us at the door to check us in for appointments. I soon learned that the woman is the veterinarian’s wife.

I told her about my business, and she asked for my card. This appointment was all about Mae; however, I’ve learned from missed opportunities to keep a business card holder in every purse and bag I carry.

You may be asking yourself why didn’t the wife know me through her husband, the veterinarian? My experience has been that every executive I meet doesn’t necessarily tell a spouse about my business, even if I encourage it. If I meet the spouse, that gives me another opportunity to satisfy a new client even when connected with a current one in the same household.

The point for you in this story is to make sure your business cards are with you everywhere you go — to the gym, the supermarket, the flea market, the dance recital, the gas station — I mean everywhere. There’s business out there, and your first “in” to getting it is by distributing cards during scheduled and chance meetings.

Shirley George Frazier

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You may have seen this picture of me sitting next to one of my gift baskets on the Facebook page, the online gift basket course, or any number of places where I share information about making and selling gift baskets.

Did you know that this picture is also on the image side of my business cards?

Adding this representation to my cards helped my business increase by 30 percent last year, and here’s how:

1. People who meet me at networking events instantly remember who I am and how I can assist them to grow their businesses and strengthen personal relations.

2. Potential buyers immediately ask me about my products and services, and they quickly become customers due to our focused conversations.

3. Follow-up notes mailed to people I’ve met include the same business card, and the recognition encourages them to call to order or refer other people.

How do you believe that changing your business card to one that includes your picture will build your business quicker due to the recognition factor, or do you think a picture won’t matter?

Shirley George Frazier

Related articles:

1. Why Credit Card Payments are More Affordable for Gift Basket Sales

Administrative Professionals Week, scheduled for April 24-30, is 10 weeks away.

What gifts and basket styles are you planning to offer executives for their assistants, clerks, receptionists, and other support staff?

Last year three of my clients ordered baskets in the $35-$150 range, and they also ordered tote bag gifts that I delivered to staff members attending a catered lunch.

This year I’ll offer something similar to clients who didn’t order those specific gifts and basket last year. The three clients who received the tote bags and gift baskets will be offered newly-designed styles.

If you’re not sure how to get executives’ attention and their orders, the CD 10 Surefire Ways to Cash in On Administrative Professionals Day will start the relationship-building process now so that April reaps as many sales for you as possible. You can watch and corporate sales video and read more about the 62-minute CD here.

How do you plan to wow your corporate clients with gift baskets for Administrative Professionals Day?

Shirley George Frazier

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What happened this year in your business that went wonderfully right or terribly wrong? I bet there were more positives than negatives.

Here are some examples you can relate to:

• A client account didn’t work out, but you took a different approach the next time and signed another client.
• Products in a shipped design broke, so now you have another shipping technique that’s much better.
• One marketing campaign was a total dud, and the one that followed delivered lots of orders.

You may have felt isolated each time you tried something new, but you weren’t. Even I launched what I thought were great ideas that turned out to be the opposite. But like you, that first try didn’t stop me from finding the right solution.

Here are three blog posts shared with you earlier this year, plus an informative one from 2009, that continue to remind you of what’s achievable as we move into 2011.

Why Every Business Won’t Be Your Gift Basket Client

Lining a Gift Basket with a Wide Weave

Social Media for Gift Basket Designers

How Does Gift Basket Drop Shipping Manage Growth?

I encourage you to write down all the accomplishments that come your way in 2011 so that when things go wrong, and they will, you’ll have a comfortable cushion of success to sustain your passion for making and selling gift baskets.

Happy New Year,

Shirley George Frazier

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When clients call to order gift baskets and they ask for additions or changes, how do you get the sale and have the client realize that you are providing them with top value?

This is a huge dilemma for some of the designers in the Golden Basket Club.

Client requests often create a sticky situation when you’re not sure what to expect with each call. You want to say “yes,” but you also need to ensure that profits stay high and that the client is satisfied.

There are specific negotiation methods during the conversation that maintain balance and assure that both you and the client is happy.

I can think of 11 ways to not only increase value with every sale but also, in some cases, increase revenue by at least 12 percent over the initial sales price every time.

What’s your method of creating value each time a customer calls to order?

Shirley George Frazier

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