Why Every Business Won’t Be Your Gift Basket Client
Early in my career, I decided to send either a gift basket or small gift to newly-launched companies listed in my local newspaper.
The premise was to get each company’s attention so that as business grew, my company would be the one they called for employee and customer gifts.
Before pursuing this goal, I drove to each company’s address to view the location. I remember that one automotive firm’s address was a private house, and locations for other businesses that required at least a sign in the front (but had no sign) weren’t what they were reported to be.
Were the newspaper listings accurate?
All 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 future sales was not. I immediately abandoned my plan.
You know the importance of initial impressions all too well. What I saw on the outside told me not to send anything to any of these businesses. Instead, I stayed with my original plan: contacting corporate clients I already knew and the referrals they provided to me.
Over time, that marketing strategy increased my sales and client list.
Sending welcome gifts to unknown prospects wastes time, energy, and money. In many cases, it’s simply not the way to build your business.
The Pre-Holiday Q&A two-part article will help you find companies to buy your gift baskets right now.
What Not to Do at a Corporate Presentation
You want corporate clients to associate your gift baskets with a great experience, but that won’t happen if you commit the following missteps.
1. Bring 10 designs to the meeting.
Are gift baskets on top of your head and under your arms as you enter the building? If so, that’s a sure sign you’re overloaded.
No matter what the client requests, bring no more than three designs. More than three will confuse the client, and the multi-gift basket balancing act will make you too uncomfortable to concentrate on the presentation.
2. Over-promise and under-deliver. Know your limitations before agreeing to design additions, modifications or price changes. If you’re not sure, don’t answer until you’ve calculated the profit margin.
3. Get too chummy. Let your personality shine, but don’t go overboard by laughing too loudly, talking obsessively or going off-topic before the deal is done. Focus on the business at hand, which includes pairing your value with their requirements.
4. Bring messy tasting samples. Finger foods such as cookies or chocolates are acceptable, including items lightly coated with sugar. Foods and snacks that require utensils are off limits. The same is true for edibles that melt quickly and anything with a liquid center.
5. Add balloons as part of the display. Being present in an office when a balloon bursts is not a fun experience. It can cause staff to spill coffee, drop papers or retain headaches. Do you want to be associated with that?
I committed No. 1 early in my career and walked out without a sale. Which one of these missteps has happened to you?
Which Corporate Sales are on Your Summer List?
While recording chapter 6 of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, I was reminded of my first big sale of the summer.
It was through a referral at a networking event. The person I met there told me about a big retreat planned by one of the major employers in my area. Luckily, someone who worked at the firm was at the same event.
I spoke with her, found out who was in charge of the retreat, and promptly contacted him the next morning.
It took two calls and two presentations to get the order. 700 gift baskets were delivered to the retreat’s facility about 10 miles from my office. I became overly emotional twice during the project - once when I got the account, and the second time was when I received the final payment on delivery.
I didn’t stop there. Before completing the order, I used that account to promote myself to other companies so that my summer sales would grow and continue to increase through the rest of the year.
What’s your plan for capturing summer sales?
Create a Plan to Get Corporate Orders
Preparing to sell gift baskets to the corporate market makes your heart pound with excitement.
If you’re preparing for your first time speaking with a corporate representative, the pounding is lined with fear.
That feeling will always be with you because of all the variables between asking for the order and actually getting the sale.
Here’s the first step I take to exit the meeting victoriously.
Ask the client three questions:
The answers provide a foundation to create designs best suited for the client.
Designers in the coaching program receive a full role-play scenario that ensures they’re ready for anything that comes between them and the sale.
At corporate presentations, how do you make sure that you walk out with orders?
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