Archive for March, 2009
April is a big month for holidays which means you can add some fun to your offerings of gift baskets to your customers. Send an email to your customers or put together a flier that you can mail. Ask other retailers in your community to hang your flier in their stores. Include a 10% OFF YOUR NEXT PURCHASE certificate with your notice.
- April 1st is April Fools Day. Design a basket that includes some games/toys from your local variety store in addition to your gourmet treats. Alert customers that have kids in college: this might be a fun gift to send to students who are getting ready to study for exams.
- April is National Pecan Month. Offer a basket full of pecans, cookies and chocolates with pecans, etc.
- Easter falls on April 12th. Instead of loading your inventory with Easter candies and novelties, check out some Ready-Made Gift Baskets that you can advertise to customers.
- April is also Customer Loyalty Month. Send a small gourmet gift to your best customers to thank them for their continued support.
- For National Pretzel Appreciation Day on April 26th, design a basket with lots of flavored pretzels and dipping mustards.
Even though times are tough, this is the best time to market your business. Let your customers know that you have lots of new gifts that they can send their loved ones, friends and business colleagues.
March 31st, 2009
Recently, I learned about creating an “unexpected income fund” and using this to give to others. “Unexpected income” might include small gifts: being taken out to lunch by friend, winning $2 on my lottery ticket, or getting a coupon for a discount at my favorite restaurant. It might come in the form of a really big surprise: getting an invitation to join friends at their vacation home because their family decided not to go or receiving a tax refund when you didn’t expect anything.
Regardless of the size of the gift, take some percentage of the value and give it away. If you didn’t receive the gift in the form of cash, approximate how much it’s worth. Figure out what percentage you want to give away, collect the money in a jar, then give it to your favorite charity or a friend in need.
So you might be asking: what’s the point? The idea is that the more you give away, the more will come back to you. That’s just the way the universe works.
Now, I was a bit dubious. So I decided to try it and see what would happen. A friend took me to lunch and I put $2 in my jar (my meal had cost her $20). Another friend treated me to a movie, popcorn and a drink. So another $2 went into went into my money jar. The person who grooms my dog offered me three “free grooms” because she wanted to use my dog as a model in an upcoming dog show. At $45 a pop, I socked $13 into the money jar. Then I took the $17 I collected and donated it to a local food bank.
Then things started to roll. I got a $50 credit at my favorite clothing store due some mix-ups on a special order that had occurred last fall. (The store had already fixed the problem; this was something extra.) A friend got me a free membership to a local art museum…something I wanted, but had decided that I didn’t “need” the charge on my credit card. Adding this to some other gifts that have come my way, my favorite charity got another $50. And I’m continuing to receive gifts…and continuing to give to others.
The most interesting thing about this is that I never realized how abundant my life is and never thought about the small gifts that I receive. This realization in itself, has made the whole effort worthwhile. And of course, I feel great about about helping others.
Then I got to thinking that if this works for me personally, maybe it can work for our businesses. Every once in a while, we get an order from a customer who hasn’t been in touch for years. Or the company that prints our catalogs “throws in” the overage that was printed by mistake. Why not take this “unexpected income” and give it to our favorite charity. Maybe the ball will starting roll for you too!
March 28th, 2009
I just read an article in February issue of “The Gourmet Retailer” about the importance of keeping your staff “tuned”. When business is slow, apathy can set in. Sometimes, it seems that less gets done the less we have to do.
Now would be a good time to get your staff involved and reinvigorated about their work. Plan a meeting for all staff members that includes plenty of great food (pot-lucks are perfect!). Make sure this is “fun”: a time to get together and share. Use this time to solicit ideas from staff members as well as talk about your plans for the upcoming months.
- Show the staff the new products that you found during your recent buying trips and get their opinions on baskets that could be designed with these items.
- Generate a list of “spring cleaning” ideas: chores that need to be done to help make the business run more efficiently. (For example, build a new ribbon rack to organize all those rolls that are lying on shelves; rearrange your shipping area so that supplies are stacked neatly and readily available; hang a bulletin board where employees can make notes about products that are running low).
- Brainstorm ideas for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day promotions.
- Ask for volunteers to call customers and get updates on email addresses.
Please share your ideas about how you keep your staff inspired. A highly motivated staff can go a long way to making our businesses prosper!
March 21st, 2009
Even though we may be trying our best to land new accounts and keep our old customers satisfied, it seems these days that customers are hesitant about buying. Sometimes, instead of trying to push the features and benefits of what we want to sell, it may be a good time to listen more closely to the reasons why customers say they’re not buying. Then, we can target our efforts in the direction of overcoming their objections.
There are many different responses that we can make to customers once we understand why they’re not buying. Although in the current economic downtown, when customers tell you that “they’re not buying anything right now”, you may nod your head in understanding. But you have to wonder: how are they staying in business? While they may not be buying as much, they’re still buying somewhere. So when customers say “no”, that’s the time to start asking questions.
One common objection you might hear is that your prices are too high. If a customer says they’re not buying your products because of this, it’s time to ask where they’re buying and what prices they pay. If they’d rather not share that information, you might ask what price points are comfortable for them. You can point out alternate items in your line that are more in their price range. Offer your designs at three different price points. You can use the same basic theme and the same container, but use different products in the basket. Or use a less expensive container but still offer the same gourmet items in that container. Enhancements, such as ribbons or flowers, are an inexpensive way to add more value to a design without drastically increasing it’s cost
But customers may not be buying your products due to other reasons, possibly related to service issues. If this is the case, your responses will be much different. Now, you need to find out what services the customer wants and decide if you can make changes in your policies to meet their needs. For example, if a customer gets free shipping from another gift basket company, you may want to consider whether your profit margin would allow for this service. If the order is large enough, the increase in volume may allow you to eat some of the shipping charges.
Maybe your web site isn’t user friendly or your customer service staff is not providing adequate information to callers. Lowering your prices will probably not increase your sales. On the one hand, this may lead you to update your site and you can ask your customer about sites that they prefer. Go to those sites and try to place an order. Pay attention to the details and see how on-line ordering can be made more efficient. If the problems are with your service representatives, then some staff re-training is in order.
Now is the time to ask some hard questions. “I’m not buying now” may not be the final answer. Use this time to find out how you can better serve your customers. While you might not turn a specific “no” into a “yes”, you’ll gain some valuable information that you can use to reach out to other customers.
March 8th, 2009
OK. So it seems obvious: we need to say “thank you” to our customers. But how often do we really do this? How often in our busy day do we forget (or neglect) to acknowledge our customers’ support and loyalty?
I’m sorry to admit that I might “forget” too often! I get caught up in the daily activities of running my business, the details involved when managing, supervising, creating, and shipping, handling the bookkeeping, keeping up with inventory (and on and on and on). An article that I read on managesmarter.com (an on-line resource for sales and marketing professionals) reminded me about how important those “thank yous” are and how easy it can be to express our appreciation to customers.
Author Andrea Nierenberg lists eight opportunities to say “thank you” to our customers. Here are some of her suggestions about when to say “THANKS”:
- Every time a customer does business with you! Get some note cards printed with your business name and include a short note with every order you ship. It can be a simple note: “Thanks for your business. I hope you’re delighted with your order”. You (or the person who designed the gift basket) can sign the note. Use the customer’s first name for a more personal touch.
- Every time a customer offers a comment or suggestion! This is invaluable feedback for a business owner that can help you change what you’re doing and thereby do a better job. We need to go out of our way to let customers know that we appreciate these comments and encourage them to do it often.
- When customers are patient…or not so patient! Sometimes, we make mistakes and hopefully, our customers understand this. If they’ve been patient with us, despite mistakes we made, we certainly need to say thanks! Whether they respond with understanding or voice their dissatisfaction, it’s time to write a note and let them know we appreciate their feedback. Even when we’re at fault, an acknowledgment of the error, an apology and a “hope you’ll give us the opportunity to serve you in the future” can go a long way.
Read the full article for more ideas on when to say “thanks” to your customers. Also, check out Shirley Frazier’s “Ten Top Letters” which includes samples of “Thank You” and other business letters that you’ll use every day in your gift basket business.
P.S. If you don’t read the full article, here’s the author’s bonus suggestion:
“Every day take 15 minutes at the beginning or end of the day and write three short goodwill notes: one to a prospect, one to a client and one to a friend. Just say “Hi,” send an article, or say thanks—just make it specific. When you do this, at the end of the week you’ll have made 15 goodwill contacts, and at the end of the year, 750. Think of the “business seeds” you’ll have planted. Some of this could germinate into additional business.”
March 6th, 2009
