Ask Questions Before You Begin Designing
Asking your client questions about each recipient is crucial during the presentation.
As soon as the client says “yes” to your suggestions, it’s time to begin learning all about the person who will receive the gift basket.
One customer who ordered from me last year is the director of a day care program. She purchased 25 gifts housed in red drums, one each for members of her staff.
I asked her about each person’s age, marital status, favorite colors, and allergies. She knows their preferences and was able to provide me with answers in order to customize each gift perfectly.
The containers were similar, but each design was unique. Everyone shouted with joy when they saw their special gift.
When you get the order, ask as many questions as possible about the recipient so that you not only fulfill the first order but continue to be the client’s gift provider.
Ten Steps to Become a Successful Gift Basket Designer shares more helpful hints to satisfy every customer.
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This Week’s Gift Basket Rap
Ever wonder how you can work for someone else and successfully operate your gift basket business? This week’s MercuryNews.com tells the story of one woman who does both.
The article is a bit lengthy, which is good for you, and here’s my favorite quote, something you want each client to say about your gift baskets.
“What I want is for you to get a gift basket that you look at and go, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s my favorite coffee,’ or ‘I love those crackers.’ “
How easy is it for you go get into a trade show for the first time? That’s the question I answer at Ask The Gift Basket Expert for a woman who wants to attend AmericasMart Atlanta but isn’t sure how to apply.
There are two ways to get in, which is true for most shows. See the advice to be sure you attend your local trade show.
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Is Every Business a Potential Client?
Early in my career, I thought it would be a good idea to start getting clients by delivering either a gift basket or small gift to new companies listed in my local newspaper.
I wanted to get each companies’ attention so that as their businesses grew, I’d become their “go-to person” for employee retention and customer appreciation gifts.
Before moving forward, I decided to do some research. I drove to each company’s address to see the location. One place listed as an automotive firm was located in a house, and locations for other businesses that required at least a sign in the front (but had no sign) were just as strange. Were the newspaper listings accurate?
What the paper did was print a roster of anyone who registered a new business within the county, so while the information may have been correct, the potential for sales was not. I immediately abandoned that plan.
We all know the importance of initial impressions. What I saw at each location told me not to send anything to these businesses. Instead, I stayed with my original plan: contact corporate clients I already knew as well as referrals they passed on to me.
That marketing strategy worked like a charm to increase my sales and client list every year.
Sending welcome gifts to unknown prospects wastes time, energy, and money. In many cases, it’s simply not the way to build your business.
What’s your secret to increasing your corporate sales?
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