How to Get a Corporate Account that’s New to the Area
Carissa asks:
“What is the best way to contact executives at a company that’s new in town? I want to make them my customer before they start buying from another gift basket company.”
One way that’s proved both popular and successful with other designers is to send the top executive a letter welcoming him and his staff to the area.
Consider sending a low-priced, yet high-quality gift basket as a follow-up one week later.
There are other ways to get their attention and account whether you send the gift basket or decide not to.
- Monitor the chamber of commerce to learn if executives join so you can meet them there.
- Review the local newspaper for several weeks for any announcements about the firm.
- Ask colleagues and clients if they know anyone who works at the company.
Remember that you not only want to contact the executives but also want to be armed with information that lets you provide them with reasons why your gift baskets are important to their success.
I have a good feeling that your being proactive will encourage this company to become your customer.
How to Get Human Resource Managers to Buy Gift Baskets
Kara asks:
“I want to target the human resource departments at large corporations to buy from me but don’t know how to begin. What should I do?”
My first idea about this, when I entered the gift basket industry, was to get the names of all human resource managers and send them letters introducing my gift basket service.
Just before I set up this campaign, I met another designer who tried a similar method to get this group’s attention. She sent out 600 letters.
How many people responded? Zero. That let me know that this cold-call type of communication would not work.
Here’s three ways to get their attention.
1. Human resource managers are chamber of commerce members. Find their events in your area and attend several meetings where you can introduce yourself to managers who also attend, shake their hands, and get to know who they are and how to get their business.
2. Ask customers who work at corporations for their assistance. Knowing someone on the inside is an easier way to get human resource accounts than sending letters to people who don’t know you.
3. Where are lunch and learn programs in your area? Many corporations allow outside vendors to come inside of their facilities at noon time to educate employees. Call the human resource departments of companies you want to do business with and ask if they have such a program. That will help you connect with the person in charge to discuss employee gifts and more.
If human resource managers are your target, these three tips will help you find the right way to get close to them and win accounts.
Getting Corporate Clients to Order
Tracey asks:
“I can’t seem to crack the code to get more corporate customers buying from me. What’s the secret?”
Like individual customers, corporate clients cannot be categorized the same. Each one has preferences according to their sales and marketing requirements, and each one also has a budget that allows for gift basket buying.
Your mission is to understand, through formal and casual conversations, their preferences and budget.
One of the most-revealing CDs I’ve heard on this subject is Low-Cost Secrets for Landing Corporate Accounts, and it’s not because it’s one of the CDs available at GiftBasketBusiness.com.
Every time I hear the discussion between Flora Brown and Sharron Senter, a new opportunity to increase corporate sales enters my mind, ideas that either help me jump start a new program or expand one already in place.
Perhaps the same will happen for you when you order and receive a copy.
The bottom line is to focus on what they want, not what you want to give them.
