As you move into high gear for the upcoming holidays you may be feeling excitement or anxiety. You may even feel a little scared.

By now you may have gotten so many orders that you wonder if you’ll be able to get them all done in time. Or you may not have gotten any orders and are having that sinking feeling that you’ll be left with cases of gingerbread cookies or cheese shaped like snowmen.

Along with the potential for profits, there is also great potential for stress. Take these ten steps to ensure you emerge from the holiday gift basket season

1. If you don’t have the orders you had hoped for, get busy. Call your old customers, visit the business offices in your community, contact friends and relations who work in corporate environments. Contact the services you use: cleaners, beauty shop, fitness center, church, and so on. Some companies wait until the last minute to decide on their gifts for the holidays.

2. If you’re still buying inventory, order holiday-specific products very sparingly so you don’t get stuck with them in the new year. Then use your green items first for Christmas gift baskets. The red items, if left over, can be used for Valentine gift baskets.

3. Be prepared to refer potential clients to other businesses rather than taking on orders outside of your niche or that exceed more work than you can handle. For last minute out-of-town orders consider referring clients to a designer in the delivery area.

4. Use as many local or nearby sources as possible. Paying high shipping fees to rush an order, or biting your nails while you hope that a shipment arrives in time all add to your anxiety.

5. Take care of your body. Eat sensible foods. Start with breakfast and don’t skip meals. Your body must be strong to withstand the hours and added pressure.

6. Take care of your mind. Avoid getting over-tired. Stop to take a break, a nap or a walk when you begin to feel tired.

7. Enlist the help of your family for decorating your home and doing the family holiday preparation and cooking.

8.  Say “no” to clients who make unreasonable requests and family who make outlandish demands on your time and energy.

9. Make time to laugh, watch a movie and any other stress-relieving activity that will enable you to return to your work rejuvenated.

10. Set a time to end your season and close your business. Even if your business is home based, once you’ve closed your business for the season, stop taking calls and let them go to voice mail.

Make time to be with your friends and family during the holidays. Don’t slip into letting your business rob you of energy and time. This way you’ll be able to prevent undue stress and really enjoy your profits.

Like any other business product or service, gift baskets must be marketed. Those who promote their businesses do well, and those who don’t will be disappointed.

Three ways to make your gift basket business profitable.

1. Set up a way to capture the names and emails of visitors to your site.

You’ve no doubt been on many websites where a box floats into the page asking you to sign up for a free item.

You can do this by offering a free newsletter, free reports, tips or other item they may value. This list is very valuable. If you don’t capture this contact information, you may have lost the chance to sell to these potential customers forever.

But if you are emailing them announcements, special sales information, gift-giving tips and so on, they are more likely to return or call to buy a gift basket.

2. Sell more to your current customers

Once you’ve landed customers, stay in frequent touch with them. Encourage them to expand their purchases by adding a balloon or other added value for which you can charge an additional fee.

Your current customers are valuable because they’ve already shown faith in your company and product. One example of a company that does this well is Vistaprint. You probably know them for their free business card offer.

Each time I take Vistaprint up on an offer for free postcards, a free t-shirt, or other imprinted product, I must go through several pages of offers to upgrade my order or add additional products. I don’t mind going through these because I’m getting the product free.

How do they make money, you wonder? Well, they don’t offer everything free. And, you must pay to use your own image if you don’t want to use their stock images.

Each time I receive a shipment from them, there’s another little sales booklet offering more free items with the special access code to purchase from their website. They are smart marketers and know that waving the offer of free products in front of me works. Besides, once I receive the products and see the quality of their products I’m much more inclined to buy at regular price.

3. Hustle

The owner of a balloon supply store once shared with me that folks keep calling his store asking if they sell gift baskets. He had to keep turning them away. He said to me, “You gift basket designers aren’t doing your marketing.”

Unfortunately he was right. During the 18 years I’ve been consulting and speaking to gift basket business owners, I’m amazed at how many do very little to go after business. Putting an ad in the paper and putting up a website is not marketing.

To make your business profitable you must

• take advantage of every networking opportunity possible to ask for orders
• follow up on every person you meet at Chamber and network meetings
• keep up with trends such as putting updates on Twitter and Facebook to keep news about your business in the public’s mind
• modify your business to draw in more business. This may mean partnering with another company, raising your prices (some of you aren’t charging enough and people think you must offer an inferior product,)  or changing your designs and offering to meet trends and current demands.

I recently heard a story about a sandwich shop that was in a busy shopping center. During the summer, people kept coming in the store all day long asking, “Do you sell ice cream?”"No,” the owner announced to each person. Finally, he got so annoyed that he put a sign in the window: WE DON’T SELL ICE CREAM.

What would have been a smarter thing for the store owner to have done since there was obviously a demand for ice cream?

Are you meeting current demands of customers, or are you turning away money?

If you’ve spent the year attending networking meetings and building business relationships, it’s time to reap the benefits of all that connecting. Begin by sending greetings expressing your gratitude for the help, advice, leads and encouragement you’ve received.

If you aren’t a member of a networking group, perhaps you enjoyed exchanging tips, strategies and constructive criticism with a mentor, colleague, peer or informal group of business associates. Time out for tea or brunch would be a wonderful way to show your appreciation. If this isn’t convenient, how about sending a small gift with a card.

Next, let your contacts know how you can save them time and stay within their budget by taking the stress of holiday giving off their hands. Wise companies know that the recession is no time to cut back on their gift-giving. With keen competition going aggressively after customers, it’s time for your business clients to thank and reassure their customers with tasteful and affordable gifts.

The time you spent nurturing your network can pay off in holiday orders if you take the steps now. The rewards of a business network are countless and priceless.

As you plan your holiday designs note that during times of economic downturn one of the hottest niches is the spiritual and inspirational market. Many people are drawn to products that comfort, encourage and draw them closer to family and friends. To find the wholesale sources you need for this niche, get our directory, Religious and Spiritual Products Directory, priced affordably at $17.

Much is made by realtors about the importance of location. But is this equally true for gift basket businesses?

Most gift basket businesses are home-based. Your first job is make sure your home-based business is legal and acceptable in your city.

The business license department located in your civic center can answer this question easily. In some cities it has to do with the size and nature of your business. In many cities, you must be in a certain zone. In other cities it’s not allowed at all.

Once you’ve verified that your business can operate within your home, the second concern is your comfort level and ease of use.

The IRS will only acknowledge your home office if it’s a dedicated space. So find a space or add room to your home that will be devoted just to the operation of your business. Your office must be functional and fit in with the lifestyle of your family. Check out the creative home office spaces on the blog 2 Minute Commute.
If you already have a home-based gift basket studio, but want to organize it for effective use, get help from the narrated photo story Gift Basket Design Studio Exteme Makeover that shows you step by step how to remake your studio.

If your city doesn’t allow home-based gift basket businesses, you’ll need to seek retail, industrial or shared space.

A retail space in a busy location is best if you plan to target the walk-in consumer. Ample walk-around space with attractive displays will be critical. You will still need, however, storage and assembly space probably hidden from public view.

Some gift basket designers opt for industrial space where they can store and assemble designs, but with no plan to invite walk-in traffic. These owners show their wares at the offices of their clients and take orders by phone and the Internet.

Finally, there may be another retail business who will sublease, share, or partner with you. A gift basket center within a florist shop, a gift shop, wine store or gourmet food shop can be convenient for the customer, beneficial for the other retailer (who now gives customers another reason to come into his store,) and profitable for you.

Some Mary Kay directors, for example, split the rent on an office/meeting facility where several of them can meet clients and have meetings with their sales team.

In Denver, the Hive, is a shared facility concept that is desirable for many startups.

No matter where your gift basket business is located, however, you will still need to market and promote yourself on and off the Internet. Occasionally I hear from small town gift basket designers wondering if there is any chance for them to succeed.

Success is within reach whether you are located in a small or large town. Finding the right customers wherever they are on the planet, marketing your business, and promoting yourself well are the key steps that ensure success.

The increased use of the Internet as a shopping source has now closed the gap between gift basket businesses and potential customers, no matter where you are located. So, while location is certainly a factor it is not as critical as it once was.

Send your gift basket off to its destination with confidence that it will arrive safely. Here are some tips on how to pack pickled peppers or anything else for that matter.

1. Use a heavy corrugated NEW box with flaps. If you must use a used box it should be clean and look new. Be sure to remove all old labels, stickers and postage .

The best buys on shipping boxes will be at packaging supply companies where they are sold in sets of about 20 or 25, depending on size.

2. Your box should be big enough to allow about 3 empty inches around your design.

3. If you create designs with a fan at the top, consider a basket that’s tall enough to allow for the fan. Get these from packaging suppliers or box manufacturers since the average office supply store will usually carry just cube sizes.

4. Place cellophaned or shrinkwrapped gift basket in box. Some designers wrap the finished design in bubble wrap also as an added precaution.

5. Surround the basket with crumpled paper,  loose-fill peanuts or packing foam. Pack tightly so there’s no banging-around room. Avoid packing newspaper in the box. The ink may rub off on recipient’s hands. Not a pretty sight.

6. For a very heavy basket, consider using engineered foam inserts, such as for all four corners, along with the loose-fill peanuts. Many use the two-box or box within a box method for heavy baskets.

7. Avoid shipping chocolate in hot or summer months. If you must ship fragile foods in summer, at least ship them by 2nd day air.

8. Close the packed box tightly and tape securely with a two-inch good quality shipping tape. No cellophane, masking or duct tape. Consider buying a tabletop dispenser for your wide tape. It’s often easier to handle than the handheld dispenser for basketeers.

9. Place a clearly written label on top of box. Print neatly with a very dark black or blue ink and be sure to include zip code.  Avoid using markers or other inks that may run. As a safety precaution put clear tape across the label as well.This prevents the label from popping up at the corners, and helps avoid damage from any potential water contact. The ideal label is the one you create on the carrier’s website. They have bar codes easily read and understood by the carriers.

10. Visit the sites of the major carriers and packaging companies for more detailed information on packing materials and proper packing.

11. You can arrange for pickup, carry your properly packed box to the nearest carrier location or even easier, ship at your local Staples, Office Depot, or other local office supply store.

For the best rates, ship your packages ten business days ahead of preferred delivery date. Waiting until the last minute increases your blood pressure and lowers the likelihood that your gift basket will arrive in a timely manner.

Many gift basket designers bemoan the fact that they are turned away by major retailers and hotels who employ their own in-house designers. One way to approach this problem is to ask the retailer or hotel how you can become an in-house vendor. Another is to seek out companies who support local entrepreneurs.

If you have a product that’s absolutely fantastic perhaps the store will ask you to create your product in their facility. That’s what happened at Kowalski, a popular Minnesota specialty supermarket, reported in a Specialty Food article. They sold so much of a shortbread from a local company, Bramblewood Cottage, that they asked the owner to make it at their central bakery.

Kowalski is noted for promoting their local food entrepreneurs. They carry locally-produced products in the store, even giving them special signage. The store encourages them to bring their products in for tasting.

Other stores support local entrepreneurs also, such as my local Border’s that displays the work of local writers in a special section.

Search your community for companies who support local entrepreneurs and using low-cost secrets to landing corporate accounts, you will soon enjoy increased profits.

After watching a bowmaking demonstration at a gift basket convention many years ago, I excitedly rushed back to my studio to try the new techniques I had learned.

Or so I thought.

Little did I realize, until I was teaching the technique in a class years later, that I was doing a variation of what I had originally learned.

Has that happened to you? You put a new twist on a design or bowmaking technique that yields a slightly different and perhaps even better version of the original.

At an inventors audition at a development center, first place went to creators of a peanut butter and jelly gun. These inventors were motivated to find a better way or an improved gadget for something they already did.

Now you’re probably thinking, what does this have to do with gift baskets?

Lots.

Over the years, many new inventions have entered the gift basket industry: shrinkwrap bags, themed gift boxes with matching accessories, glue dots, printed cellophane and mesh netting. At the same time, designers have created clever ways to make designing, selling and even storing supplies easier.

One technique I like when using shrinkwrap bags, for example, is to place the empty basket in the shrink bag first, then build the design. That way I don’t have to risk toppling the contents when I lift the full basket to place it in the bag. I demonstrate this technique on my DVD, Basic Gift Basket Design.

What about you? What’s in your gift basket of tricks? You may have created a gadget, a substance, a technique or even a marketable product. Share how you’ve made the business of gift baskets easier.

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Learn the do’s and don’ts about making money from niche corporate sales. Listen as I share how I captured niche lucrative sales on a newly released audio CD, Make Money with Corporate Niche Sales. I spill insider secrets and reveal some mistakes I made so you can avoid them.
 
Place your order by June 1st and receive these bonuses:

•  a special report, “Corporate v.s. Consumer Sales”
• a sample letter of introduction
• a sample proposal
• a special report, “How to Successfully Target Niche Markets”, that includes things to consider, who to contact and suggested niche markets
   

Determining your niche market can maximize your marketing budget and increast your profits. Here are three ways to do that.

1. What do your current and most frequent clients have in common?

For example, when you analyze your current customer base let’s say you discover that a number of them order golf-themed gift baskets. Because you already stock some golf-themed gift items and packaging for them, you already have supplies to serve a niche. Conduct research to see if there is a market for golf-themed speciality gift basket.

2. What is unique about your product or service?

You may have a product or service that is different from the average. One gift basket designer created a unique container that had a pedestal and was requested a lot by her interior designer clients. This unique container may be focal point for creating a niche that would different from others.

3. What part of the market is not being served or is underserved?

One gift basket designer discovered that no one in her area was serving the funeral market. She attended a funeral convention, met people in the mortuary industry and created a niche designing a unique sympathy gift basket. Funeral directors would take one of her baskets each time they called on a family to discuss funeral plans.

If you haven’t considered serving corporate niche markets, it’s time you did. Learn the do’s and don’ts about making money from niche corporate sales. Listen as I share how I captured niche lucrative sales on a newly released audio CD, Make Money with Corporate Niche Sales. I spill insider secrets and reveal some mistakes I made so you can avoid them.
 
Place your order by June 1st and receive these bonuses:

•  a special report, “Corporate v.s. Consumer Sales”
• a sample letter of introduction
• a sample proposal
• a special report, “How to Successfully Target Niche Markets”, that includes things to consider, who to contact and suggested niche markets
   

 
With many retail chain stores cutting back on locations or closing altogether, mall owners are eagerly courting mom and pop stores to fill those spaces.

If you’ve longed to move your gift basket business from home to a retail location, now is an ideal time. Not only are mall owners more flexible with fees, but are offering short-term leases according to an article in the Patriot Ledger.

Being able to operate your business in a mall setting will give you a chance to decide if this is the best venue for your business. Also, by getting acquainted with the other store owners in the mall, you can learn more about the retail industry than you could from home.

You shouldn’t get too comfortable in your retail location, however, since the mall owners are biding their time until the economy turns and they are able to lure back big stores willing to enter into long-term leases.  In the meantime, consider this a time to test the waters.

Check out the malls in your area and talk to the management.