And the convincing doesn't begin with the recipient. It starts with postal workers who eye your message, works its way to corporate mailrooms, and ends up on the prying eyes of co-workers.

Each time I show gift basket postcards in my seminars, the same three comments and questions are asked:

Q. I have a small budget. Are postcards expensive?

A. Postcards can be expensive if you seek the services of a local printer, who usually isn't a postcard specialist. Look for companies that specialize in postcard printing, such as VistaPrint and Modern Postcard.

Other specialists can be found in promotional trade magazines, which you've subscribed to receive for marketing information to build your business.

Q. I haven't made my first gift basket. How can I include a gift basket picture on my postcard if I don't have one?

A. Some postcard specialists will allow you to use photographs from their stock of in-house pictures. Choose the gift basket photograph that mirrors the work you believe represents the type of design you can create.

I can state with 99 percent certainty that you will never be asked to duplicate the basket shown on the postcard, and by the time it may occur, you'll be able to create a better design.

Q. Commercial photographers cost a lot of money. Where can I have quality pictures made without spending a fortune?

A. Contact department store photography centers such as Sears and J.C. Penney. I recently had some gift basket photos taken at one of the independent companies located in a mall, and I was pleased with the outcome.

Before you load a dolly and push your baskets into the mall, make sure that these facilities have a three-stair prop available to place your baskets in a tiered fashion to reproduce on a postcard or letter-sized flyer.

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