Ask The Gift Basket Expert » Corporate Accounts

What Makes Corporations Buy Gift Baskets?

Shirley George Frazier — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:09:56 +0000

Emily asks:

“I’m trying to get corporations to buy my gift baskets, but it’s not working out. What’s the best way for me to get these accounts?”

Corporations, like individuals, buy from people they know, like, and trust.

If you send a letter, postcard, or other marketing material to a corporation, and it doesn’t have the name of a specific person (example — Attention: Marketing Department), that’s a sure way to have your material thrown into the garbage.

You have to know someone within the corporate business to get their attention. That connection creates a 360-degree change in your ability to convince a corporation to buy from you.

It’s also important to recognize which departments within an organization, and which people within those departments, have the power to say “yes” and approve the order. Without it, you’ll find yourself talking to powerless people who will eat all of your samples, smile, and watch you walk out the door without a sale.

This is a huge hurdle that’s discussed by phone in the Golden Basket Club with Elite members who are breaking through corporate barriers to get sales and expand their businesses.

Get to know all about the corporations you target for marketing, which hopefully leads to bountiful sales in the near future.

© 2008-2010 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the leading authority on the gift basket industry. She is author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for videos, CDs, reports, tips, online newsletter, and much more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

How to Get a Corporate Account that’s New to the Area

Shirley George Frazier — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:53:54 +0000

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

Shirley George Frazier — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:22:44 +0000

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

Shirley George Frazier — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:42:37 +0000

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.

Ask The Gift Basket Expert » Corporate Accounts

What Makes Corporations Buy Gift Baskets?

Related posts:

How to Get a Corporate Account that’s New to the Area

Related posts:

How to Get Human Resource Managers to Buy Gift Baskets

Related posts:

Getting Corporate Clients to Order

Related posts: