Every week I receive calls and email from new gift basket designers or gift retailers wanting to add gift baskets to their store or service. When I suggest classes, consultation or educational materials, many of them are deterred by the time and cost involved. That’s too bad. There is tremendous value in investing in your training and skill development.

Let’s face it. You could learn all the gift basket techniques, trends and sources on your own without spending your money. But there’s no way you can gather all this without spending a disproportionate amount of time–years, even decades, not to mention the ups and downs of trial and error.

It has taken me 18 years to get to this level. Each expert who shares information with you represents many years of training, experience, and practice. There will still be a learning curve, but you can make that trip smoother and shorter by going to the people and resources who have already succeeded at the goals you now pursue.

To grow a successful gift basket business you will need to master not only design skills, but business and marketing skills as well.

It’s always a good idea to start with as many free sources as possible, but don’t neglect to invest in pay services and products that will help you reach your goals faster. This week I will share many sources available to help you grow your business and increase your profits.

Let’s begin with the two premier gift basket websites in the world.

Check out this list to see my entire list of sites.

GiftBasketBusinessWorld.com, my main website, offers your first steps to finding sources and resources for products, techniques, and business tips for growing a successful and profitable business. When the information exceeded 400 pages, it was too much for one website.I created spin-off websites that focused on specific aspects of the business such as starting a website, specific product wholesalers, design specifics, and more.  In addition, I publish a weekly newsletter, Gift Basket Business World Newsletter and a blog Gift Basket Business World Blog to give you current and timely information on trends and changes in the gift industry.

GiftBasketBusiness.com is the main website of Shirley George Frazier, well known for the best selling books How to Start a Home Based Gift Basket Business and The Gift Basket Design Book. Sharing her 19 years of experience, Shirley offers not only gift basket design tips, sources and resources, but  also a wealth of business information from writing effective business letters to how to get customers and more.  In addition, Shirley publishes a twice weekly newsletter and an informative blog. Like me, Shirley also created specific websites to better meet your needs.

Visit here to see Shirley’s entire family of websites.

In addition to maintaining our websites, newsletters and blogs, Shirley and I have both taught classes at major tradeshows and produced DVDs, audio CDs, product directories and many other quality products to help you reach your goals. Take time to explore the many sites, services and products we have created for you.

Take advantage of the decades of help we offer and you’ll see your business succeed and prosper.

Tune in tomorrow for more sources to help you grow your business.

In spite of economic struggles, many conventions contain to schedule their events and offer business opportunities for a variety of suppliers. For your gift and gift basket business, consider the top African-American conventions that are being held throughout the country in 2009.

The top groups are the religion-based groups that have a long history and continue to attract large numbers of attendees and present a variety of events.

The top of the heap is the National Baptist Convention. Founded in 1886, this organization is the oldest and largest African-American religious convention and boasts a number of events and auxiliaries. Their 104th National Baptist Congress of Christian Education is scheduled for June 22-26, 2009 in Detroit, MI and expects 40,000 attendees.

The National Baptist Convention also offers national and regional events for married couples, singles, youth and leaders. Get more information and details at their website here.

The second largest religion-based African American group is the Church of God in Christ (COGIC.) Their 102nd International Holy Convocation is November 2-9, 2009 in Memphis, TN. Like the other major groups, the COGIC holds multiple conventions and events throughout the year.

Since these large organizations have local and regional offices, it best to begin with them to discover how to reach the buyers and meeting planners at the national levels.  Like other conventions and events planners will need gifts as welcomes, thank yous to keynote speakers, and congratulations. When trade shows accompany the conventions, vendors often plan a  gift basket giveaway at tables in exchange for names for their databases. Don’t forget to approach the major sponsors who provide large donations to offset the expense and advertising of such events.

Look for lucrative sales when you can connect with conventions such as these who continue to meet, celebrate and promote the many diverse services they offer.

(Pictured above is that famous church lady hat that Aretha Franklin wore when she sang “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” at the Inauguration. It was designed by Luke Song of Song Millinery in Detroit, MI. He has gotten so many orders from around the world that he exhausted his supply.  If you want your own you’ll have to wait a month and be ready to fork over from $150-$250.  It’s not clear whether he’ll repeat the exact design or give you something similar.)

It is awards season, and talk of the pricey gift bags or gift baskets (better known as Swag) that celebrities will receive has some gift basket retailers salivating. The truth is that those gift bags/baskets are full of upscale gift items donated by companies hoping to get priceless publicity if the star shows favor and perhaps wears or uses the product in public.

Gift basket designers who have pursued celebrities as clients have sometimes discovered that celebrities have gotten spoiled by these free expensive gifts and may be reluctant to spend their own money.

Instead of making huge profits from affiliating with the awards gifting programs or celebrity giveaways some designers have donated their services in the hope that their companies will receive media attention.

With the economy suffering a downturn, celebrity swag is not plentiful as past years, and some celebrities are disinclined to accept these gifts. Add to that the fact that the government began taxing these gifts, and celebrity gifts are on the decline.

That doesn’t mean that they’ve gone away however. Gifting suites will still offer upscale gifts to celebrities and opportunities for vendors to be photographed with celebrities.  Just not as many as previous years. Some gifting suites partner with charities, others offer gift cards rather than products.

 Giving swag to celebrities is also a gamble since there is no guarantee that the exposure of your product will result in sales. Gift basket designers who hope to part of this process, however, must partner with a gifting company that sets up a suite and plan at least one year ahead.

Learn more here.

When visitors come to your website this spring they will be searching for solutions to their gift-giving problems. The easier and more convenient their search, the more likely they will choose to buy from you.  There are three ways your website must be set up to entice visitors to buy your spring gift baskets.

1. Catch their attention

Gift baskets are a very visual product, so a photo of a single gift basket or several will draw the eye of your visitors.  Give each design a name that appeals to its use. The gardening basket pictured above, for example,  is Stop and Smell the Flowers and it immediately makes you think of spring.

2. Anticipate their questions and offer suggestions for popular occasions.

Think of the spring holidays and occasions. During spring families look forward to warmer weather and begin to plan outdoor activities.  Gardening, picnics, outdoor sports, and vacations are just a few of the popular spring activities. 

In addition, there are popular celebrations such as Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, Oscar Awards, Black History Month.

Of course every season has birthdays, thank you, congratulations, bon voyage, and graduation occasions.

You don’t have to post a photo for every design for every occasion, but you can offer suggested gift basket ideas.

3. Spell out all the details.

Customers need details to help them decide on a purchase, so be sure your website provides these:

• contents of the design
• size of the finished design
• price of design
• shipping and handling costs
• expected delivery time
• payment options
• a quick and easy order proces
• confirmation immediately following an order
• tracking options
• contact information if they have questions
• option of adding a personal message
• option of customizing, if available

The more details you offer the easier it is for your customer to discover that your website is the place to shop. Be sure the ordering process is simple and thorough. Put customers at ease by providing secure shopping with a

Companies who invest in the $1 trillion advertising and marketing industry are seeing half of their investment go down the drain reported an Economist article.That’s because consumers are increasingly relying on other ways to make their buying decisions. Word of mouth, an old way to spread news, is still the fastest and most affordable to advertise. Here are some ways to put word of mouth to work for your gift basket business:

1. Get current happy customers talking by asking for referrals. Put it on your business card, fliers and brochures. Offer incentives for new customers who result from these referrals.
2. Give customers and visitors to your website something to talk about: contests, giveaways, but most of all, provide great, unique products.
3. Provide customers with frequent information and updates about your business such as with a weekly newsletter. Ask for their opinions, questions and reactions. Encourage them to forward your e-newsletters to their friends.
4. Give your customers the tools to get them talking. Start a blog, message board, or chat to encourage customers to speak out.
5. Use social media to get the word out about new products, services or to ask for information. The most popular are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. You can visit me on all three:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Get word of mouth working for you and watch your profits grow.

Gift shows are a primary showcase for manufacturers and wholesalers to display their wares and services to potential gift retailers and business owners.  These vendors travel from around the world in the hope that their offerings will capture your interest and fill the needs of your customers.

A Wall Street Journal article reports on the recent International Gift Show, where a group of about 30 third world artisans attended to learn how  to sell their  handmade goods at  future gift shows.

These small business owners were part of the “Market Readiness Program” an event produced by Aid to Artisans. This West Hartford, Connecticut nonprofit  joins low-income artisans from around the world with American importers to build profitable businesses inspired by their handmade traditions. Its efforts over a ten year period have generated $230 million in retail sales for about 125,000 artisans from mainly third-world countries. 

The group of artisans not only observed at the Show, but also attended classes, and studied the structure of the U.S.  gift market, costing and pricing, importing rules and regulations, among many other related topics.

The artisans represent a wide variety of products from silk shawls to handmade paper to woven baskets. This continued success of programs such as Aid to Artisans points to an increase in handmade products at future gift shows. With the growing call for green and sustainable products, this trend is right on time.

How can your gift basket business benefit from an increasing availability of handmade products from around the globe?