Archive for February, 2008
I just read an interesting article in Florists’ Review Magazine, January, 2008, that I think has great relevance for our gourmet gift basket businesses. With thanks to author Teresa Lanker, I’d like to paraphrase and summarize her ideas and suggest how these might work wonders for gift basket business owners!
Lanker explains her “diet” for business owners with the following analogies:
- “Eat Less! Control your resources by reducing “consumption” of supplies, time and energy.”
- Clean out your old inventory. Get rid of those products that are out of date or in poor condition. Broken baskets and frayed packaging and will do nothing to enhance your image.
- Make sure your employees are using their time effectively. Sometimes, during a slow season, employees slow down on production. To avoid this, use “down time” to take on extra projects when the regular work is done. For example, ask employees to place a “satisfaction call” to all customers who received a basket from you over the Winter holidays. This will show your customers that you care and perhaps lead to another order!
- “Excercise More! Be proactive, not reactive.”
- Choose one area of your business that you want to change, create a plan and set measurable goals. For example, you may want to create a new line of gourmet designs for the upcoming Summer months. Decide how many new designs you want, decide on price points for these designs, and ask each employee to create 3 new baskets. Make this a team effort: pick and choose between all their designs to come up the best result with some comparison shopping?
- Or, how about a campaign to control some of your fixed expenses? Call all your local phone companies to find out which has a plan that would be most cost effective for your needs. Likewise, get in touch with local utility companies and find out about different plans or contact local banks to find out about their credit card programs.
February 29th, 2008
How many times have you described one of your employees as having a “bad attitude”? Well, what exactly does this mean? When we talk about “attitude”, we generally refer to a state of mind, a mental state that causes us to behave in certain ways. Actually, when we say that someone has a “bad attitude”, we are actually reacting to certain behaviors.
This month, Gourmet Retailer Magazine includes an article that all business owners and supervisors should read. The article, entitled “Staff Training: Focusing on Behaviors Rather than Attitudes” suggests that it’s better to focus on employees’ behaviors, rather than on their attitudes simply because we can’t read minds!
The author gives an example that illustrates the difference between trying to deal with attitudes vs. behaviors: “Eyes rolling up in the head, loud, drawn-out sighs and crossed arms are behaviors that often indicate a person is bored. But these same behaviors could also indicate annoyance, disagreement, impatience, or several other feelings or attitudes. Telling an employee, “you have a bad attitude just invites the reply, “no, I don’t”. And since there’s no way to prove that another person is feeling a a certain way if they tell you they aren’t, the discussion itself is a waste of time. On the other hand, rolling eyes, shoulder-heaving signs and crossed arms are specific, observable behaviors and it’s perfectly appropriate to set the expectation that those behaviors are not acceptable when interacting with customers or co-workers”.
Read the full article for some suggestions on how to deal with employees’ behaviors that you think may be detrimental to your business. Learn how to change employees’ behaviors and you’ll see how their attitudes also come around.
February 25th, 2008
Just read a very good article in Rave Reviews Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 1 entitled “Creating a Business Built on Referrals”. Author Lisa Stenson suggests that networking can be an effective way to make new business contacts. More importantly, she offers some great advice about how to use networking effectively to build your client roster.
Some of her suggestions that I like the best:
- Be prepared! Go to the meeting with plenty of business cards.
- Be able to describe your business in 30 seconds or less. This is not the time to talk about all your products and services. More importantly, it is a time to listen!
- Ask others: “What do you do?” Find out what others do and make notes on the business cards that they give you.
- Follow up! Remember those business cards you collected and notes you made. Send a follow-up letter or make a follow-up phone call to those people who you think might be interested in your services. Refer to the notes you made so that you can tailor your follow-up presentation to their particular business needs.
You will need to subscribe to Rave Reviews magazine in order to read this informative article. Go to their web site for subscription information. If you’re not familiar with this gift basket industry publication, you can request a free copy. It’s a great magazine, full of articles with advice on how to run your business more effectively. It’s published every other month and in each issue, you’ll also see dozens of gift baskets that will provide lots of ideas for upcoming holidays, special occasion baskets and everyday gourmet basket designs.
February 20th, 2008
Check out Rave Reviews Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 1, for an informative look at the trends that will influence the gift basket industry in 2008. Author Gayle Gallagher reviews color trends that will affect consumers’ buying preferences in the upcoming year.
To investigate the popular color trends for 2008, Gallagher looked to the Pantone Color Institute for guidance. “Pantone, Inc. is the world-renowned authority on color. For more than 40 years, Pantone has been inspiring design professionals.” In addition to establishing standards for “accurate color communication”, Pantone is a vital tool for designers in the fashion and home furnishings industries, which in turn, influence the gift industry.
In her article, Gallagher cites the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and lists the following as the colors to watch for in 2008:
- Golden Olive: a mustard, yellowish olive green
- Spring Crocus: a deep lilac pink
- Rococco Red: a bright cherry
- Pink Mist: a cool, icy pink
- Croissant: a neutral beige-tan
- Freesia: a deep, bright yellow
- Cantalope: with peach tones
- Daiquiri Green: a brighter version of the earthtone yellow-greens
- Snorkel Blue: a more sophisticated navy
- Silver Grey: with the sheen of a metallic
Keep these colors in mind when you are looking for new products for your 2008 gift basket line. If the products that you love are not packaged in these new colors, you can still use containers, ribbons, and silk flowers to create designs that will show your customers that you are aware of the trends!
February 17th, 2008
Thinking about starting your own gift basket business? Below you’ll find a few of the resources that are available to help you be successful.
One of the best books that I’ve read is “How to Start a Home Based Gift Basket Business” by Shirley Frazier. This book provides all the information you’ll need from creating your business plan to how to maintain profitability once you’re up and running.
On her blog, Shirley has also created a five part planning series that will help you get started. The post for today is titled “Maintain of Roster of 10 Gift Basket Categories”. Be sure to check in with Shirley every day this week to take advantage of what I’m sure will be a very informative series.
Thinking about starting an “e-commerce” gift basket business, you may want to check out e.GiftBaskets.com. This company can help you design, build and develop an on-line gift basket business. You can sign up for a free e-course to find out more about what they do.
Another suggestion is to download a copy of “Start Your Own Gift Basket Business”, published by 125aday.com Publishing. Start up inventory and supplies, how to get customers, and competing in your market area are only a few of the topics covered in this manual.
On her web site The Gift Basket Library, Flora Brown lists nine books by successful gift basket entrepreneurs. Design books as well as books that focus how to run your business successfully are described.
Start your new business the right way by doing some research. Take advantage of the expertise of others who have been running successful businesses for years and have been teaching others how to do the same.
February 11th, 2008
As a business owner, you might be concerned about confidential information for your business. In many small businesses, employees may have access to your office or other place where you keep confidential records. If your work space is small, employees may also overhear your phone conversations with your attorney, accountant, or banker.
It is up to you to decide what information is confidential and what is not. For example, you may want your employees to be aware of your profit margins so that they can make a good decision when offering a discount to a customer. On the other hand, you may not want to share all your financial information.
It is also your responsibility to make your expectations clear to your employees. Let them know what information is private. Consider having employees sign confidentiality agreements when they are hired. These do not have to complex. Learn more about confidentiality agreements. If you receive Gourmet New Magazine, you can also read about confidentiality agreements in the February, 2008 issue. Ask other business owners if they have employees sign an agreement and what is included. Protect your business and have peace of mind!
February 8th, 2008
If you’re planning to attend any trade shows this year, consider the Global Food and Style Expo, April 27-29, 2008 in Chicago. This is the perfect way to find new products for your gourmet baskets. Go to Specialty Food.com to get more information about the exhibitors, educational events, and registration details.
I just returned from the International Fancy Food Show in San Diego. We saw thousands of new products and you’ll be able to see about one hundred of the best at Apex Gift Foods, our gourmet food distribution company:
Also, think about taking someone else from your management team to the show. The time at the show in San Diego gave me and my partner opportunities to discuss business strategies for the upcoming year. Not only do we look at the gourmet foods, we also check out our suppliers’ displays, marketing materials, and sales techniques in order to get ideas for our own business.
Discover new gourmet food products at the Global Food and Style Expo and dazzle your customers with your unique gourmet baskets.
February 1st, 2008
