Gift Basket Business Newsletter

• Make early contact with every business professional that she/he has contacted during the year.

This includes everyone that provides a service, whether private or public, as these individuals order gifts for family, friends and staff.

Your gift baskets must be foremost in their minds, and early contact is critical to getting orders.

• Upsell every basket. This means that when a person calls to order, you will mention a better, higher-priced basket for purchase or offer additional enhancements that add value and a higher profit percentage.

You'll be pleasantly surprised how many times customers agrees to your recommendations.

Check out these gift basket forms, which includes one for upselling.

• Ask for referrals. This will dramatically increase your customer base. In appreciation, send a small, complimentary gift to customers who provide referrals. People love to be recognized for their support, and a small gift works to keep the referrals coming.

The successful designer shall not:

• Buy products with the words "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" written on the packaging. Instead, buy products with red, gold or green-colored packaging so that it can be used to complete New Year and Valentine's Day orders.

See these three quick tips to increase holiday sales.

• Accept large orders that arrive after December 15. Although what constitutes a large order depends on the size of a business, it is generally viewed at holiday time as 25 baskets or more. We encourage early orders, and to that end, decide on and stick to a large order amount and cut-off date.

You'll find more about this in the two-part, pre-holiday Q&A.

• Do any personal shopping unless absolutely necessary and totally profitable. Your inventory generally contains enough stock to design hundreds of gifts and baskets.

Since most customers are unwilling to cover the costs associated with the time and mileage required to find specialty items, your time is best spent fulfilling the needs of individuals and corporations who want the items already in stock.

By following these commandments, you'll not only be profitable at season's end, you'll also be rested and ready to spend time with loved ones. It's the ultimate accomplishment you've worked so hard to enjoy.