Three Ways to Handle Last-Minute Holiday Orders
Gift Basket Blog Carnival - Second Edition
Clients are notorious for ordering Christmas baskets during the final holiday week and especially on December 24.
Have you received orders at the last minute?
I remember trying to keep up with the frenzy, but something else got in the way - I ran out of inventory due to unexpected last-minute orders.
I considered my efforts a success rather than a failure, closed my shop’s door, and enjoyed the holidays with my family.
Experts Flora Brown of GiftBasketBusinessWorld.com and Adriana Copaceanu of GBExchange.net are right on time with sage tips to handle last-minute orders. You’ll find links to those tips in this gift basket carnival edition.
Here’s my tip No. 1: Create a sense of urgency by setting an order deadline and informing clients about the date. When they call after that deadline, begin taking orders for New Year’s gift baskets.
What if clients are undecided about what to give? Adriana’s GB Exchange Blog points out a way to clinch the deal. It’s one of her three tips, and her other two will also streamline your holiday time.
My tip No. 2: Make frequent contact with clients even if they don’t return your calls or Emails. Be sure to tell them about your easy ordering process and other benefits. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with conversions resulting from your tenacity.
Customers may love your custom-made designs, but pre-made ones come in handy in last-minute situations. That’s one of Flora’s tips at the Gift Basket Business World Blog, and be sure to review her two other tips.
I also appreciate what Flora mentions about her holiday voice mail message, which is a bonus for you.
My last tip: Organize your workspace in a manner that allows for less stretching and more designing. Place shred under the table at your feet, ribbon at eye level ready for retrieval, etc. And buy a portable heater if your workspace gets a bit chilly. A comfortable designer is productive and profitable.
I encourage you to bookmark Flora’s and Adriana’s blogs and comment on this topic as well as adding your comments here. What have you experienced with last-minute holiday orders that we haven’t addressed?
Look for the next Gift Basket Blog Carnival on Monday, November 10.
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Five Questions About the Gift Basket Business
Many years ago I set up a frequently-asked pages section at GiftBasketBusiness.com.
It answers lots of queries, but more, very-smart questions continue to arrive from designers worldwide.
Here’s a sample of what’s on your minds.
1. Which accounting software is best for tallying my gift basket sales?
I’ve heard designers talk about QuickBooks more than other accounting software programs, but that doesn’t mean QuickBooks is the only choice. It seems that because the software is generally popular that designers might not consider anything else.
Your small business accountant can pinpoint which accounting programs are available and user friendly.
2. Will a toll-free number be helpful to my business or harmful to my pocketbook?
The answer can go in either direction, so before investing in a toll-free number, it’s wise to consider your clients’ locations.
If you are currently or planning to service people in your immediate region, then a toll-free number is not worth the cost. If you envision your business fulfilling gift basket orders received from a national or worldwide buyers, then a toll-free number is mandatory.
I invested in a toll-free number when I regularly displayed gift baskets to 22 million views on the Food Network. Problems arose when a person began abusing the number, calling me every minute, and after 30 minutes of abuse, I canceled the number. Thankfully, all of the false call charges were credited to my account.
Please do not let my experience turn you against the service. Plenty of designers have such a number for their clients‘ convenience, and their experiences are positive and profitable.
More about toll-free numbers are explained in How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business.
3. What type of license do I need to sell gift baskets in person and on the Internet? Read more
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Organic Gift Basket Brochure Spawns a Book
Imagine this: as you create a custom item for a gift basket, that item morphs into a full-fledged book.
That’s what happened to this gift basket designer, featured in HometownAnnapolis.com. It’s more proof that many of us are talented with and beyond gift baskets.
Think back. What were you unable to find during your products’ research that could become a brand-new product or resource?
Here’s my short list:
I read about the designing author right after launching OrganicWholesaleSupplies.com. The story reminded me about how important books are to us as well.
I’m not going to ask any of you to reveal your list, as I did above, but I do encourage you to consider opportunities that reveal themselves as you create your gorgeous designs. It brought one woman media attention. Why not you?
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Do You Customize Your Gift Baskets?
Adding products and embellishments that are exclusive to your gift baskets is a favorite of designers everywhere.
In case you’re not sure what’s meant by customization (the definition will soon be added to the dictionary), it’s when the outside product packaging includes your logo or a specific message for the gift basket’s occasion.
Customization might also be a design based on your region or state. Private label products are also part of this category.
Many of us enter the customizing phase by ordering personalized ribbon for a corporate customer. We get permission from the client to copy their logo onto ribbon, and the ribbon is added to all gifts made for them.
Personalizing may then move into customized labels placed on food packages and cellophane. But be careful. Too much custom stamping may be overkill for the receiver.
Part of your skill as a designer is to suggest, to your client, a blend of custom labeling and distinct products to create a thoughtful line of gifts and baskets.
You’ll find more information about private label products here as well as a special directory with manufacturers that help you with customization.
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Enhancing Gift Baskets on the Outside
Did you see the photo of five youngsters in Nevada holding gift baskets to be auctioned to raise money for a children’s charity?
The picture doesn’t show all five displayed baskets because some are hidden behind leaves in the rainforest setting, but you can clearly see two of them.
Do you see the floral enhancements sitting outside of the cellophaned design on the right? That technique makes the basket a winner, one that will attract every person who bids on it.
Placing enhancements outside of a gift basket isn’t difficult once you practice different styling methods, and it can be done whether you close the design in cellophane, shrink wrap or a basket bag.
I encourage students in my gift basket classes to try various options, including:
Speaking of bows, the choices shown in the picture for the middle and right designs are lovely.
What’s your favorite way of adding enhancements?
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