Gift Baskets business.
Business Overview
Gift baskets are extremely easy to assemble. Simply select items such as specialty foods, flowers, or personal health products and arrange them in an attractive wicker basket, and the gift basket is complete. The real secret to success in owning and operating a gift basket service is not in the gift baskets, but in the marketing and sales of them. The following are some suggestions on how to market gift baskets.
*. Concentrate your marketing efforts on gaining repeat corporate clients, professionals, small business owners, and sales professionals such as Realtors. Hospitals can also become a good client.
*. Provide clients with only three pricing options. The first being a nice but economically-priced gift basket in the price range of $30 to $40, the second being a more elaborate gift basket still modestly-priced in the range of $50 to $60. And the third option would be very elaborate and retail in the range of $100+.
*. Design and create samples of the three gift basket options. Once completed take pictures of the gift baskets and create a marketing brochure that fully details your business and provides a full description of the gift baskets. The marketing brochure should be in color and printed on high-gloss paper. Furthermore, the brochure should clearly state 'keep in a handy spot, for you never know when you will need to send a gift basket.' The desired objective is for the recipient of the brochure not to dispose of the brochure.
*. Once the brochure is complete, begin a direct-mail campaign as well as a hand delivery campaign for the marketing brochures. Once again, the marketing should be targeted at businesses, professionals, and salespeople, as these are the most likely candidates to become regular and repeat clients for the business. In addition to the direct-mail campaign, also begin an e-mail broadcast campaign using the same marketing brochure. There are hundreds of companies that specialize in e-mail broadcasting and this type of direct marketing is extremely effective and affordable. The e-mails should be sent on a regular monthly basis until the business is established and generating positive cash flow.
*. Provide clients with free local delivery of the gift baskets. Be sure to arrange delivery for gift baskets that are being sent outside the local area. The key is service. Make this a pleasant shopping experience and the clients will become regular customers.
Maintaining a 100 percent markup on the gift baskets sold and achieving $150,000 per year in sales can generate a pretax profit of $75,000 per year for this terrific homebased business opportunity.
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