Spring 2012 by Kimberly Cole Signature Gifts

The Gift Professional's Guide to Building Long-Lasting Business

the report

spring 2012 $12.00

In this issue:

Debbie Quintana of Gourmet Gifts

www.basketwhiz.com

table of contents

Spring 2012

4 6

Business Experts Corner

Balancing Act

Diversifying Your Business 1

Diversifying Your Business 2

E-Commerce

Cover Story

Growth Engine Series

Management

Marketing

table of contents

10 Sales

Smart Business Favorites

Year Round Business

Vendor in the Spotlight

Relation Tips

Industry News

Industry Hint

19 20

editor’s note

the report

DIRECTORY Well, spring is upon us, and hopefully Editor-In-Chief & Publisher you are into full swing of getting Kimberly Cole those spring gift baskets together kimberly@basketwhiz.com and you have your marketing plan all Chief Financial Officer ready to go. Color is the key to spring Jerry Cole as most everyone has had their fair share of the drab shades of winter. Contributing Editors Carmelita Collier You are going to find the spring 2012 Shirley Tolbert edition of the Basketwhiz bursting Anissa White with some great new ideas, to make this gift basket season one of the best yet. Don’t be afraid to make your Art Director Paolo Dela Rosa baskets bold and beautiful. Get inspired by our Industry Hint sections---our design team Jenny Conrad and James Advertising Team Hartier have put together some fabulous inspiration pls call 866.635.9990 pieces!! To get yourself primed up for all that business Staff Writers that is soon to be coming your way take some time to read Jim Aldrich through this spring edition, as you are sure to find a ton of Joey Beachum hints and tips to make your business bloom. Lynn Keeler Rodolfo N. Lentejas, Jr. SL Ruffdan Kimberly Cole, MBA Editor in Chief/Publisher Professional Design Team Jennifer Conrad The Basket Whiz Report James Hartier www.basketwhiz.com Contributing Gift Professionals Sherry Allen Executive Assistant Debra Winter

The Basket Whiz Report , a Division of The Confetti Group, LLC 2214 Main Street, Porterdale, GA 30014 is published 4 times a year. One year subscriptions are free to companies in the industry and $39.95 to non industry subscribers. The Basket Whiz Report is a digital publication that is delivered by email quarterly. COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY THE CONFETTI GROUP, LLC. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may notbe stored or reproduced without permission from the publisher. Requests for permission should bedirected to The Confetti Group at: Kimberly@theconfettigroup.com or call: 1-866-635-9990.

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The Gift Industry is growing. Are your sales growing with it? Hundreds of gift professionals have subscribed! What do they know that you don’t? The Basket Whiz Report was created specifically for gift professionals. The Goal: Provide gift professionals with knowledge on how to successfully run a business and to gain insight to help establish, build and maintain your customer base, stay abreast of the industry’s hot topics, to learn from our peers and to see what new products are available for the industry. NO Expense to Subscribe: The Basket Whiz Report is a FREE subscription to those in the gift industry (gift basket companies, vendors to the gift industry, event planners, florists, anyone in the industry) Competitive Edge: over 90% of our readers say that being a subscriber of The Basket Whiz Report has been refreshing, informative and glad to see the magazine being published. Being in the know about the industry will give you an advantage over your competitors.

Become a Subscriber of The Basket Whiz Report Today! Visit Us Online at www.basketwhiz.com or Call us at 866.635.9990 Now you can be an expert in your trade!

business expert’s corner

10 Spring Cleaning and Organizing Tips Brought to you by Get Organized Now By Maria Gracia

Along with Spring comes thoughts of crisp, fresh air, newly budding flowers, singing birds and a sense of renewal. Getting organized and doing a bit of spring cleaning, helps to bring that wonderful fresh feeling into your home and office. Here are 10 tips to help you start the season off right. 1. ASSIGN YOURSELF A DIFFERENT TASK FOR EACH DAY. Make yourself a schedule that is comprised of one hour and one task each day. Your schedule may look something like this: Monday: Decluttering Tuesday: Dusting Wednesday: Vacuuming Thursday: Scrubbing Friday: Organizing and Rearranging Saturday: Laundering Sunday: Decorating Then, spend one hour each day doing your assigned task for each room, throughout your house. You’ll be amazed at the difference you can make in your home by following this simple system. 2. USE THE PROPER TOOLS. When cleaning and organizing, it’s important to use tools that help you get the job done as quickly as possible. For instance, there are now dusting cloths that allow you to dust quickly and easily, without any ad-

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ditional sprays. Just dust and be done with it. Rubber gloves will help you deep clean, without drying out your hands, exposing them to harsh chemicals, or burning them in hot water. Racks can hold mops, brooms and other cleaning supplies in one organized place, rather then storing them loose and having them constantly tip over. An apron with lots of pockets, can help you transport cleaning products from room to room easily, so you don’t have to keep running back and forth to get what you need. 3. BE RUTHLESS WHEN IT COMES TO DECLUTTERING. If you don’t love it, and/or you don’t use it, it’s clutter. It’s the perfect time to embrace the FengShui art of uncluttered living. FengShui teaches that if energy can easily flow through a room, your life will be more harmonious and happy--and clutter is an obstacle to reaching this relaxed and calm state. Make it a quest of yours to be ruthless when it comes to your decluttering efforts. You’ll have less to dust, less clutter to look it, an easier time finding the things you do use and less stress in your life. 4. DONATE OR SELL THE THINGS YOU DON’T USE. If you have items that you don’t use, but are in good condition, they are prime candidates to sell or donate. Gather all of these items together in boxes or plastic

business expert’s corner

bags. Then, decide whether you would prefer to donate them or sell them. If you choose to donate, consider giving them to your local Salvation Army, or perhaps even a shelter or orphanage in town. Many of these organizations will even pick up your donations for you. If you choose to sell, you might set a date for a yard sale. Or, take some photos of these items with your digital camera, and put them up for sale at an online auction Web site. 5. MAKE YOUR SPRING CLEANING AND ORGANIZING FUN. Don’t think of it as a chore. Instead, think of it as a ‘feel good’ exercise--one that will really help you to feel good about yourself and your clean and organized environment. Play some lively, fun, upbeat music. Dance your way through your home or office with your dust rag or vacuum. Get the family involved. Give everyone a task, and then do something relaxing afterwards, like watching a movie together or going to the park for a walk. Set timers and play ‘beat the clock.’ Give yourself time limits for completing small tasks, and try to complete those tasks before the timer goes off. Ask a friend to help, or do a swap. You clean her living room if she’ll clean your kitchen. 6. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS. Turn off the TV while you’re cleaning and organizing, and let your answering machine field your calls. If a friend stops by while you’re working, simply tell him/ her that you’ve scheduled this time for spring cleaning. He or she is free to stay, as long as you could continue working. Perhaps, you might even get some help. If not, tell your friend you’ll stop by his or her house later on when you’re done. If you have kids, give them their own jobs to do, or at minimum, be sure they’re occupied with something else. The quickest and best jobs are accomplished when there are no distractions.

large comforters to the laundromat, bring your drapes, and winter coats, to the dry cleaners, store your winter clothes and bring your warm-weather clothes out of hiding or check the smoke detectors. If all of these odd jobs are on a list, you won’t forget to do them. Then, try to do at least one or two of these odd jobs per week, throughout spring. 8. DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE INSIDES. It’s important to clean and organize things that are in sight all of the time. But, it’s also important to remember those items that are out of sight. Spring is a great season to organize your closets, cabinets, drawers, bins, boxes, pantry and other inside storage areas. Give yourself that spring feeling, both inside and out! 9. ENJOY THE WEATHER WHILE YOU’RE WORKING. Do some outside organizing and yard work, so you can be accomplishing something, but also enjoying the nice weather at the same time. Gather your gardening and planting supplies in one place. Replace old and broken tools. Perhaps you might even get a gardening caddie to store your good gardening tools. Clean the garage. Keep the garage door open while you’re doing so, so that you can enjoy the nice weather. 10. OPEN YOUR WINDOWS. There’s nothing like taking in a breath of fresh air. As you’re cleaning, open the windows. You’ll be removing musty winter odors, protecting yourself from inhaling harsh fumes from cleaning products and the fresh air will keep you going. While you’re at it, let the sun shine in. Open curtains and drapes to give yourself plenty of light, for an energy boost.

7. MAKE YOURSELF A CHECKLIST. Make a checklist of all springtime jobs that you only do once or twice a year. Perhaps you might bring your

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com 3 Free Organizing EBooks filled with tips, ideas, articles and more to help you organize your home, your office and your life at the Get Organized Now! Web site!

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Balancing Act

Motivate Yourself and Beat Spring Fever by sl ruffdan

You know that you need a little push when everyday has the feel of the stereotypical Monday Morning blues. It’s only natural that we go through those types of times in our lives, and even, in our businesses. While we can blame the sun for those beautiful rays that warm our faces just enough to distract us or the fact that “everybody” is on spring break, the truth remains that it is up to each one us, individually, to get our minds together and get moving. It can be done and getting that bit of motivation could mean the difference between being personally satisfied versus becoming less and less content with your life over time. The choice is always yours and the power to change is always within you.

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Balancing Act

Try some of these motivating tips to get yourself into your groove and ready to make things happen: Set goals or daily milestones. Most of the time, we have a hard time getting our minds into things because we have not determined a clear direction for our actions. Instead of just trying to “do” and then, waiting to see the outcome, plan each step of the day. If you have some place to go or something to do, you are more likely to strive to tackle it.

Remember why you do what you do. By keeping your own expectations and priorities in the forefront of your mind, you are less likely to wander off and forget those things that you hold important to you. This can be great motivation because you don’t want to let yourself or loved ones down. Making them proud and staying true to yourself will help give you the inspiration that you need. Bring a little of the outside inside. Instead of being able to be out in a meadow frolicking in the wildflowers when you are supposed to be doing things to keep your business moving forward, try to create a work environment that mimics that feeling. With Spring, there is a lot of new life everywhere. So, get some plants that will add a serene feel to your work space and some helpful carbon dioxide for better breathing. Another option is to make a pact with yourself to decorate your work space with fresh flowers, everyday! You will feel great and it will look fantastic! You won’t feel so bad about having to be indoors.

Designate time for relaxing and playing! All work and no play makes for a boring life and, definitely, a boring person. Try to work your own brand of fun into your lifestyle and your Work outside! If you can’t get up the energy to days. By doing that, you give yourself “permission” get into the whole “office” thing, then, take the to have freedom for enjoying your downtime. This office outdoors. This may not be something is also important when running a business because that you do all of the time, but you could get being away for even brief moments of time can help to refresh you and give you a chance to explore dif- a splash of motivation just by being in a different environment. ferent perspectives.

5 To Try

Set goals or daily milestones.

Designate time for relaxing and playing!

Remember why you do what you do.

Bring a little of the outside inside.

Work outside!

diversifying your business

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diversifying your business

Getting Business by offering Flowers by sl ruffdan

The reality is…no gift basket business, or any business for that matter, can survive very long selling just one product, all of the time. It’s virtually impossible and it’s not realistic to believe that anything in the gift industry is a “one size fits all” thing. Diversifying your product offerings could mean success on a much broader and larger scale for your business. One way to effectively do this is by adding in one of nature’s most beautiful, and well-received, gifts…flowers! It’s not as daunting a goal as it may seem. Remember that flowers can be presented in a number of formats. From seeds to bouquets, the possibilities are limitless when it comes to ways to actually package and sell flowers as a part of your gift basket business. Just think of the ways in which flowers can be presented, and then consider the various special occasions that would be perfect for that type of floral gift. For instance, you could package a flower pot, along with a myriad of seeds, a bit

of soil, or pre-seeded planting forms for a client that would be celebrating a new home, a birthday, retirement, or just someone that wants to encourage a new hobby. At the other end of the floral spectrum are the traditional live flower options that can help make any occasion more wonderful. To be successful with offering live flowers in your gift baskets, you will need to identify a reliable supplier or florist. By working with a florist, you will be able to include their whole catalogue of floral arrangements coupled with your gift basket offerings. This will make your products more appealing to the masses. Additionally, you can further expand your business by partnering with a number of florists in your area that may be willing to carry your gift baskets in their retail stores, as well. Your business will bloom beyond belief when you incorporate flowers into your sales mix.

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diversifying your business

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diversifying your business

Getting Wedding Business Could Lead Your Gift Basket Company Down The Aisle To Success by sl ruffdan

Weddings are about giving. From the parents that will “give” away their children to each other, to the bride and groom promising to “give” each other love, and ultimately to the guests that will give gifts as they share in these momentous occasions. Giving is the universal theme that will resonate at just about every wedding event. That’s why weddings should be considered a seamless extension for business development for gift basket professionals. Another reason that weddings make perfect business sense for gift basket professionals is that they are one of the only events that includes pre-wedding (bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, bachelor parties, etc.), during wedding (favors for guests, etc.), and post-wedding (reception, gifts from those that could not attend, thank you gifts, etc.) gift-giving opportunities. That’s a lot of possibilities for gift baskets!

To branch into the wedding arena, seek out wedding industry professionals such as wedding coordinators, bridal shops, and caterers to gain greater knowledge about trends, expectations, and how to reach your target audience. Then, do your research, develop a wedding and shower product line, and offer flexible options for custom baskets that include a spectrum or products that can be used for anything from a shower gift for bridesmaids to a “thank you” gift for the photographer or grandmother of the groom. Be sure to offer an array of looks for the basket from ultra-elegant to fun and whimsical. Of course, be sure to include the fact that your business offers shower and wedding gift baskets on your website and in your print collateral. Getting wedding business could take your gift basket business down the aisle to even greater success!

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e-commerce

Helpful Tips for a Successful E-commerce Landing Page by rodolfo n. lentejas, jr.

Landing pages are one of the most important parts of any website that wishes to be successful in e-commerce. In reality the landing page is what created an expansive sales pitch and provides potential consumers with much needed information that hooks from your brief marketing message. Creating landing pages are essential and can be used for emails, newsletters, social media websites, networking and even blogs. Landing pages are unique in a sense that they are specifically made to promote e-commerce for a website and is normally put up to strengthen a marketing campaign. You can use a landing page to highlight the deals that you are trying to broker by including it in any social media platform that you use such as your twitter account or by posting a link in your weekly newsletter. The landing page is a way

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for customers to gain a detailed insight about the marketing hook. Using landing pages can become advantageous when it comes to improving your conversion rate. You can avoid getting consumers confused by going through so many options and simply direct them to the right page that provides easy access to a forum, promotion, deal that that has been pitched to them, and they are interested in. Landing pages are meant to nurture the buy-In of a customer by providing them with a robust rationale of why they should. Remember that the ultimate goal of creating a landing page is to provide a robust and meaningful content to further explain on a preferred course of action as opposed to simply directing the customer to the homepage and let them figure out their own way.

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e-commerce

1. Relate the Headline with the Source Create a detailed headline and introduction that mirrors the message of your marketing hook. Being consistent in your marketing message and options will create trust between the consumer and your product. Never stray from the main intent of your marketing campaign. 2. CTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are Everything A Call-to-action should be mentioned in the landing page and should be focused on to maintain the interest of the consumer. CTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are your sales statement and precipitates an urgency to buy with potential customers. You can never tell when the customer will lose interest which is why acting on their impulse is one of the best methods of gaining a sale. 3. Simplify the Point Take the smart approach and address everything important about your product at the start of the paragraph, normally in the introduction. You can simplify and strengthen the main points at the same time by using bullet points and by highlighting the most important aspect of your offer. People donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really

read through the entire selection and normally skim through the text, bulleting your information saves your consumer time and gets your message across more effectively. 4. Keep it on the Top Page It is common knowledge that no matter how interested a consumer is, they will never really go through the whole page and will typically stay on the top page to cultivate their interest in a product or service when looking at a website. You should ensure that your top fold is visible and can easily load, while containing all the vital information that will generate a hook for customer-buy in. 5. Give them a Direct Link Remember that your landing page is the only thing in between your mini-ad and actual conversion. Everything about your landing page should be aimed towards pointing the customer to the right direction and linking them to the converting page which means everything that is enticing about your landing page should be clickable.

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COVER STORY

Debbie Company in the Spotlight

UINTANA by jim aldrich

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his month’s interview is with a real mover and shaker in the gift basket industry. Multi-talented and multi-faceted are adjectives used to describe this woman from the Silicon Valley of California. An entrepreneur, business owner, spokesperson, coach, promoter, author, and philanthropist. Our interview for this issue is with Debbie Quintana. Among her many accomplishments are the start up of the Gift Basket Association and just recently, took over The National Gift Basket Convention. The National Gift Basket Convention will take place in San Jose July 20-22, 2012. A graduate of the University of Phoenix with a Bachelors Degree in Business Management, Debbie has over 20 years of sales, marketing and management experience. In addition she has been recognized nationally by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and Women’s Initiative Organization for her leadership and influence with multiple awards. As you will find out, she defines the term “ball of energy.” In spite of her hectic schedule, Debbie still finds time relaxing with her husband Alex and son Travis. In between all this I spoke with Debbie at her office in San Jose, California. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of this interview was to find out where Debbie’s success and drive come from. There are several interviews with Debbie in other publications; all of them good. I wanted to learn more about this woman and what our readers might learn from her successes. BWR: Thank you for your time Debbie. There is so much to learn from your background in the gift basket industry, let’s get right to

COVER STORY

it. Tell our readers about how you became interested in gift baskets? Debbie: As an early teen I developed an interest in the crafty side of the gift basket industry. Then when my dad passed away about 12 years ago my mother and I began talking about how great it would be to start our own company, a mother-daughter venture that we could have fun with and earn some extra money. We literally were driving down the street, finalized the idea, and turned around to purchase our first supplies. Our first year, 1999, was interesting. Our start-up was in October and we quickly learned that venturing out that close to the holidays wasn’t the best idea, but we survived. In fact once we got past that initial holiday struggle it became a viable profitable business; we have never lost money. BWR: What was your biggest challenge is getting Gourmet Gifts (http://www.thebestgourmetgifts.com ) off the ground? Debbie: Two things; I didn’t want to take on a business loan and all that entails, so I made sure we stayed on a pay-as-you-go path. This took extra effort, but has always been worth it to me. The second challenge was finding customers, customers who took us seriously and returned time and time again to buy our product. BWR: To what do you attribute your continued success? Debbie: Quality products, customer care, diversification, and hard work from a wonderful staff. A second factor is in the beginning we were able to build a strong

base of business from Silicon Valley. This worked for the first few years, but I didn’t want to have our business remain local. The decision was made to begin to market nationally. I take a holistic approach to our marketing strategy. We undertake multiple marketing strategies. It is all encompassing. We do not rely on just one or two methods. The second factor has been my understanding of how to run a successful business. I have done everything at one time or another but I have hired the right people to take on these tasks. BWR: Among your many outstanding characteristics is the charitable work you do. How does your other gift basket venture, Spirit of Wellness (http://spiritofwellness.homestead.com/), tie into this value? Debbie: It began with my mother having breast cancer. I wanted to be able to give her a gift that reflected the challenges she faced. Fortunately she survived, but I realized that others going through hard times need a special kind of gift basket. We are committed to three paths to our giving. First, we make sure that what we give is targeted. Not too much or too little is given, but what we do contribute goes where it will do the most good. A second aspect is the responsibility of each chapter of one of our companies, the Women’s Network Alliance to conduct one charitable action a year. The third area was to assist other gift basket businesses through mentoring. It is my commitment to helping others in the industry that has

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COVER STORY

given me so much to learn how to do things in the best possible way. BWR: Another cutting edge business move has been the dedication of your companies to “going green.” What is behind this decision? Debbie: I made the decision to go green because it made sense and it was the right thing to do. I’ve always known the importance of being ecologically sensitive, but decided to go all the way. BWR: Have you noticed any business side benefits from this move? Debbie: That’s hard to measure. Other than knowing I’ve done the right thing, although I have gained customers through networking among other “Go Green” businesses. BWR: You also have taken an active interest in other

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areas such as helping women grow in their own personal and business lives. How did this come about? Debbie: I spent two years in Silicon Valley networking. I visited a bunch of organization, but I didn’t find any of them to be very genuine. The typical values of many organizations are not about relationships, but rather the quick hit in business. Women do business differently than men. Guys do business on the golf course while women would rather do business in their pajamas over a glass of wine. I missed the qualities of working with other women. Things like a priority on relationships, nurturing, and taking care of each other. This led me to start the Women’s Networking Alliance. BWR: As I wrote in the introduction you are a ball of energy. How do you maintain a healthy balance between

COVER STORY

your business and personal life? Debbie: I hire the right people. One of my gifts is being able to make the right choices. I’m also a good communicator, clear and concise. I have a tremendous staff that are committed to our work. I had to learn how to let go and not be a control freak over everything. It took some time, but I have learned how to be a delegator. I couldn’t run seven companies without delegating. BWR: Where does your drive come from? Debbie: I don’t know; I get asked that a lot. I think you would have to ask my mother. I’ve always had the desire to be successful, not just financially but in helping people. Since I was a child I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit. It goes back to when I was 11 or 12 years old. Even then working at the Snack Shack I was constantly

trying to up sell my customers. BWR: One last question; what advice can you offer to others just getting their feet wet in the gift basket industry? Debbie: Three things. First have a plan, by that I mean a strong market strategy. Who are you going to sell to and how are you going to get that done? Secondly, make sure to diversify your client portfolio. Always be prepared to sell to another group or industry. Lastly, find yourself a support system. This is a hard industry so it’s important that you have connections either individually or through an association. You can learn more about Debbie Quintana by visiting www.debbiequintana.com.

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GROWTH ENGINE SERIES

Z I A N T A I G O R N O by lynn keeler

How to organize for success No matter how new your business is, start off with a good organizational plan. This in itself is going to take a little planning. You have many different areas of your business and basically they are separate departments. You have your working area, your customer area which is your storefront, website or both, then you have your administrative department. Work on one area at a time. Plan each one as a separate entity but also so they will integrate nicely with each other. Keeping yourself organized will serve three main purposes. First it will allow you to be fully productive. Even when your business is booming and you feel like you are being pulled in all different directions, if you are organized it means you may not need to use part time help. Secondly being organized will be a cost saver. Knowing where everything is and knowing what you

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need will prevent you from buying items unnecessarily, and will give you clearer direction of what you need to purchase. This gives you more stability. Then finally you will be able to focus on your clients to a much better degree. Being able to give your clients the time that they need is critical to your business. Nothing is worse than to be having to search around for something on the spur of the moment when you have a client in front of you. Take the time to find out as much as you can as to how automation can help you stay organized. Although technology is great for your administrative tasks, take the time to learn just what may be available to you in other areas as well. Making your job of running your business as easy as possible will allow you to stay much more focused, relaxed and in control of it.

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GROWTH ENGINE SERIES

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management

Project Management Principles That Help Manage Large Orders by rodolfo n. lentejas, jr.

Project management is a great tool that allows you to organize and fuse your deliverables with efficiency and accuracy. With the use of project management principles, catering to a diverse and amplified demand can be performed with excellent quality control. Project management principles can be applied to order management as a practice, and dramatically provide efficiency and a lean approach to completing all requirements. 1. Creating a Definition for Limitations The most important project management principle that can govern the handling of large orders is to define the scope of the job. Understand the importance of establishing the goal for each order and relying on the objective to complete it with efficiency will provide a system for handling orders in large quantities. In this aspect, a clear and finite understanding of the variables is essential and is the key to a successful order management system. 2. Accounting for Available Resources The resources to carry out the order will determine if the demand is met and you can comply in a timely and efficient manner. Resources are not restricted to the shipment but entail other factors in the production aspect of completing a large order. Do you have enough manpower to facilitate the assembly line and is there enough space for storage

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and movement? Examine the matrix management and determine your allocation stream so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end up over reaching. 3. Assess Your Timeline A basic of project management is adhering to the outlined time stream to complete the project successfully. Take a look at your established timeline and match the current order demand to see if you can meet the requirements or will have to adjust to comply with the demand necessities. If you decide to extend the manpower hours to complete the delivery schedule, examine the budget and possible limiting factors. 4. Gather Your Team A meeting of the minds is essential to carry out important projects particularly in managing large quantity orders that require speed, accuracy and efficiency. Get your team of technical experts, supervisors and assign them to specific areas of your project to manage the overall outcome of the matrix. Your responsibility is to provide oversight and overall supervision. 5. Outline the Major Steps How will you carry out the bulk order and what are the important directives that will successfully complete the task? Use your team to get to the bottom of it and come up with a system that outlines the precipitating factors based on importance and

management

weightage. Once you have the big picture you can map out the general outline of your order management system.

checks and balances for each process, for quality control purposes.

6. Outline the Minor Steps For each minor step you have to create a fishbone that gives you a draft of the underlying processes and back end operations. This helps a lot in covering the entirety of the delivery operation and eliminates any room for error or miscalculation on your delivery schedule, demand compliance and manpower.

8. Document the entire Process Documentation and record keeping is a make or break when managing huge quantities of orders. By creating a document file that outlines all the activities and outcome result you will be able to measure the efficiency of your process and look at where you can improve for the next cycle. It will also tell you if there is someone in the team who was not able to carry out their task based on quality measurements.

7. Create a Process Map Once everything is outlined and your fishbone has been completed its time to generate a process system to complete all orders and schedule the demand compliance mechanisms. Create a list of steps in order, from filling the order to when it is scheduled for delivery and who gets to deliver it. This will help automate the process and establish

9. Examine Team Progress After you have established a cycle and created tollgates, you can properly monitor your teams rise and fall in efficiency and compliance when it comes to managing huge orders. Doing so will allow you to continuously improve and automate the process with a higher efficiency rate and lower manpower need.

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marketing

Giving Away freebies to get by lynn keeler

business

It can be tough when business is not flourishing to think about taking on the extra expense of having to give away a complimentary gift. It comes down to that cliché though “you have to spend money to make money”. There are a few ways that you may be able to offset the cost of giving away a freebie. Instead of running a sale where you are going to be taking a cut with discounts, think about using the money you would be losing from the 10 to 25% discount sale, and invest that into some small give away gifts. A really good marketing tactic would be a “gift for you” freebie. If someone is buying a gift basket they would really appreciate receiving a little mini gift basket themselves. This could be just a tiny basket with a few one use products in them. Almost like the travel size products that are so readily available on the market now. Everyone likes to be thought of, and by your giving them a small gift that is applicable to them it is going to make them feel good and special. Although everyone likes a sale, it is usually more generic where a small give

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away gift is more personal. It is high impact marketing and works well not only in bringing that customer back to you but you are sure to get some word of mouth advertising from it as well. Another form of giveaway is a broad spectrum type of gift like a pocket calendar, key chain or pens. These you can utilize as part of your advertising campaign to put your business information on. If you have a website and hopefully you do, then think about a free report or small mini book of gift ideas that you have compiled as a giveaway. There is lots of great software and book cover makers available that can help you do this. You can allow the free download of your give away book after a purchase. There are lots of inexpensive freebies that you can utilize and it just means becoming a little creative. It is a sure way of increasing business, and ideally you want to track your freebie campaign to see what works best for you.

sales

Business Goes Where Appreciated:

Build your Customer Relationship Management Program by lynn keeler

No doubt you grow tired of hearing about how important customer relationships are. It can become really easy to fall into a pattern where perhaps without realizing it you are no longer putting your best business self forward. This is particularly true when you have built up a base clientele. You become so familiar with them that you may have lost that special touch with new clients. It’s also easy to take old customers for granted as well. Just as you must keep your gift baskets fresh and unique you have to keep your customer relationship approach fresh. Plan your customer relationships as a segment of your business. Start by doing a review of what your customer relationship pattern is now. Remember that it was by paying special attention to this area of your business in the beginning that has allowed you to build your repeat business. Once you have compiled a list of your current approaches, think about three or four things that you could do to make it better. Perhaps you haven’t run a customer appreciation campaign for a long time. Now would be the ideal time to do one. Everyone loves the arrival of spring and they feel good. If you enhance their feelings with some form of special customer relationships you are sure to freshen up their loyalty to you. Your customer relationship management must include ways to find new customers, then have some ways in place to attract them to what you have to offer, and finally making the sale. As you can see when you look at your business on the whole every segment of it evolves around customer relationship management (CRM). Don’t forget when you are doing your review of where you are at now with your customer relationships, not only should you focus on the present and the future, but the past as well. Go through your old customer records and check out who hasn’t been doing business with you for awhile, and come up with a plan to bring them back.

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smart business favorites

Gourmet du Village Beer Can Chicken Seasoning www.gourmentduvillage.com It is not hard to tell when a gift basket has received some extra thought and attention to not only what it contains, but the overall theme and presentation of it. This is why choosing unique products to add to your gift baskets can make your sales far more of a success. A recipient of a gift basket should feel like they are getting a whole bunch of quality gifts all wrapped up into one. When you are preparing a collection of gift baskets based on foods for recipients who like to cook then you are definitely going to want to add the hot seller from gourmetduvillage.com which is their beer can chicken seasoning. Every gift basket should have a special touch and for the cooking hostess gift basket this beer can chicken seasoning is going to become the focal point of your basket.

Popcorn Indiana BBQ Chip’ins www.Popcornindiana.com Variety is key to a successful gift basket. When you preparing an edibles gift basket, it’s ideal when it contains quality items that can be nibbled upon throughout different times of the day. This makes adding some of the superior quality products such as BBQ Chip’ins from popcornindiana.com a good choice. It is one that you can rely on to add a change of flavor to the other food collections you may have chosen for your gift baskets. These are a popular item for a spring themed basket as people fire up their barbecues and start looking forward to enjoying the outdoors. The snacks from Popcorn Indiana are not only made of the best quality ingredients, but they are nicely packaged and go a long way in enhancing the mood that fits with your spring baskets.

Feridies Peanut Brittle Crunch www.feridies.com One of the many ways to make your gift baskets appealing is to add a collection of new and exotic items to give the recipient a new experience. Then of course to arouse the pleasure even further is to add some of those traditional treats that everyone loves to get. This you can accomplish by adding some of the best ever made peanut brittle crunch from feridies.com. One taste of this delectable and there is no need for further convincing of just how good this peanut brittle is. It will not only add value and quality to your gift basket but will enhance its appearance with the impressive containers that this traditional treat is packaged in.

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smart business favorites

Harry Barker Dog Gift Buckets www.harrybarker.com Spring is the time when people start getting out to visit friends and family. You may want to promote a spring hostess gift basket for this time of year. It could be a family gift basket that guests could take when they are invited to a barbecue. Don’t forget that pets and especially dogs are part of the family too. A great addition to the family gift basket would be one of the great canine gift buckets from harrybarker.com. These are loaded with some well made toys and treats for the family pooch and there is a great selection to choose from. With a small gift for each family member and remembering the family pet as well is a great marketing tool. Don’t forget to pick up a collection of these doggie gift buckets for your dog gift baskets as well.

Salem Baking Signature Collection www.salembaking.com When you are looking for quality products to include in your gift baskets you definitely want unique items, but don’t overlook the tried and true traditional standbys. These are like the quality cookies that you will find at salembaking.com. Your thought may be that people buy cookies for themselves all the time so they don’t make a great addition because they are a common product. This however can be of a great benefit to you, but only if you use ones such as these at Salem to your advantage. The quality ingredients and care that is put into their new Signature Collection creates such a taste experience for those that enjoy fine desserts, that they can immediately identify the superior quality. This adds all the more credibility to your gift basket. The Moravian Cookies made with rich chocolate really add that final touch to your product.

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year round business

Knowing How to Tap Into Business in a Poor Economy:

You as the owner of a gift basket business have to wear a lot of different business hats. It can take some adjustments and lots of learning to become a savvy business person. It is even more of a challenge in a tough economy, but if you are a little creative you can take advantage of this type of economy and make it work to your advantage. Just remember that every other business is looking for ways to build their clientele. One such market is the

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Apartment and Corporate Housing Industry. You can be instrumental in helping them do this, but you need to use some creative marketing. Best way to do this is know where your product could be of the best use to them. You could suggest to the property owners and rental agencies that a complimentary gift basket designed for the new home owner would be a great incentive for the housing company to draw in new clients. Be sure to point out that the recipients of the gift basket are sure to

year round business

A Look at Apartments and Corporate Housing by lynn keeler with contributions by sherry allen

be appreciative and pass the word along about the company to their friends, which may mean new business for the rental company. For those property owners that already have good tenants they certainly do not want to lose them in a poor economy, but when things go wrong and a tenant becomes upset there is no better way to appease them then with one of your fine gift baskets. You may even want to design some mini baskets that property owners could

give to their good standing or long term tenants for special occasions. Begin this new marketing adventure by identifying the different business entities within the real estate industry. You have apartment owners, property managers and realtors just to name a few. Now identify their needs according to their specific business. Once you have done this the rest will come easy because you know your gift basket business and what it can offer.

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vendor in the spotlight

Cowinton

“Scotty” Scotland

of Hyper Horse Web Design

by joey beachum

The gift basket industry, just like any other industry out there, depends on something very important to success – spreading the word and informing others of what goodies a business has to offer. In this day and age, that means the most successful businesses have a great website that catches the eye, delivers useful information, and showcases the wonderful products and gifts the business has available. One vendor that helps to make that reality come true for business through a wide range of industries is Hyper Horse Web Design, owned and operated by Cowinton Scotland. “Scotty”, as his friends and customers know him, created Hyper Horse in 2002 out of Celebration, Florida and has a unique and touching connection to the gift basket industry that inspired him to help those in this field – and others – make their message heard. I spoke with Scotty and learned more about his invaluable services and how they came to be. 26

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vendor in the spotlight

BWR: Thank you for speaking with me, Scotty. So our readers can get to know you, please tell me a little about yourself and your background. Scotty: I am a programmer, web developer and designer. I worked in the private sector as a programmer and web developer for different companies, such Blue Cross & Blue Shield, SIAC, and various other companies. Since 2002, I’ve owned and operated Hyper Horse, a web development company with the focus on designing websites for the gift basket industry. BWR: It’s interesting that you’ve went from corporate work to running your own business. How did Hyper Horse come about? Scotty: Hyper Horse came about because of my beautiful late wife Lubabat (Babet). She started a gift basket company in 1999 and later on created Pamperproducts. She knew what I did, and asked me to create a website for her and the rest is history. BWR: What about your wife and what she did inspired you to get started in this industry? Scotty: What inspired me is my wife’s passion for the industry. She loved it and the people she came in contact with. Although she moved on to other things, I met some of those same people and I was hooked. You have to have a creative spirit and a soul for making people smile. Yes, ultimately, you want to make money, but it seems that those who go into this industry are more for the people. BWR: You’re right, people are definitely

important in the gift basket industry! Speaking of people, describe to me your typical customer. Who can you help? Scotty: My typical customer is someone who is either starting out or is already established as a basketeer and needs a new site. My prices are very reasonable, and once the website is finished my customers are able to edit, add, delete, and update products on the site. BWR: What is your most popular product and how do those in the industry take advantage of it? Scotty: My most popular product is the eStarter package, which is $395 and includes a custom-designed website with shopping cart and up to 200 products. This is perfect for someone who is just starting out and have enough products for someone who is a seasoned basketeer but doesn’t have a huge amount of inventory. BWR: Last question, Scotty. What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to face with starting and running your business? Scotty: The biggest challenge was at the beginning when things were really slow. I considered many times going back to work in the private sector. I stuck with it and it worked out. I was touched by the fact that Scotty began helping gift basket makers through the influence of his late, lovely wife Babet. His experience of sticking with a vision even through the often-slow early days of a new business is also advice I believe many in the industry can follow. You can learn more about Scotty and Hyper Horse Design by visiting http:// www.hyperhorse.com/.

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RelationTips Keep Your Clients Coming Back!

Previously, we touched on some of the ways that you can and should build good relations with your customers. This time we are going to focus more on old clients. They are the ones that obviously you did all the right things in order to get them to be a first-time buyer. So part of the work has been done for you, but now you need to bring them back. Your gift basket business should not be just a one time buy. Ideally, you should be building an excellent client list of ongoing buyers. If this is not happening, then it’s time to take a look at why and what you can do about it. To do this properly you are going to need to develop a bit of an analytical mind. Start by going over your customer list and break them down into categories such as customers who haven’t bought in a year, six months and three months. This way, you can focus on a group at a

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time. Then if one approach isn’t working you can change your tactics for the next group. Now starting with the one-year-old clients try to separate these into how you may have made the initial sale. Was it through a promotion campaign, or perhaps a marketing campaign, or even through a series of ads you were running? Now once you know this you can determine which of these was the most successful and perhaps repeat the same approach. Once you have gone through your exercise of bringing your old clients back it is important to stay on top of this for the future. Always run an “old client” campaign around every three months and making sure you include them in all your promotions and special occasions’ campaigns.

industry news Susan Placek, best known from The Creative Idea Shop has teamed up with her business partner, from Modern Thought Theories Ulrike, to form The Thought Broiler. The Thought Broiler is a blog and a website that focuses on all things â&#x20AC;&#x153;positiveâ&#x20AC;?. We could all use some of that! The response to this new venture has been positive. The Thought Broiler offers inspirational gifts ranging from books to wellness gifts, aromatherapy gifts, personalized gifts, seed gifts, edible gift goodies and themed gift collections. Visit www.TheThoughtBroiler.com to see gift selections.

Come to the 2012 National Gift Basket Convention for ALL classes, all lectures, a VIP reception, networking, just $249! July 20, 22 and 23, 2012 www.thengbc.com tradeshow and access to our Onsite Store! Meet over 80 vendors and interact with the top experts in our indusThe 2012 NGBC will be held at the new San Jose Mar- try including a faculty who are successful, educated and riott Hotel in beautiful downtown San Jose, California. ready to share their secrets. With current and relevant Just minutes from the San Jose International Airport and training, the opportunity to get inspired with others in an hour of local tourist attractions such as San Francisco, the industry and a beautiful vacation opportunity in CalNapa Valley, the Monterey Coast and Santa Cruz. ifornia, you have everything to gain! Led by industry expert, Debbie Quintana, the 2012 NGBC has been created to provide you with as much Learn more at their website at www.thengbc.com or by learning opportunities as possible. Your ticket includes calling (877) 491-8729.

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industry hint

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industry hint

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industry hint

Designs by Jennifer Conrad of Conrad Creative www. conradcreative.com and James Hartier of Gormet GiftPros www. gourmentgiftpros.com

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industry hint

Designs by Jennifer Conrad of Conrad Creative www. conradcreative.com and James Hartier of Gormet GiftPros www. gourmentgiftpros.com

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w Disclaimer: We have not tried all of the sites listed and only offer these as a service to our readers and are not responsible. It is your responsibility to check these sites out to see if they can provide value to your company. We would love to know which work for you though! So share the information with us on our facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/BasketWhiz

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