There must be some of you that are good at cold calling. . . which means simply calling a prospective customer that you’ve had no previous contact with and trying to sell your products. But, from what I’ve heard, most folks dread it like the plague and quickly become discouraged when the “not interested” answers outnumber the “let’s talk” ones.
There are all kinds of ideas on the web about how to cold call and how to do it sucessfully but let me put a little different spin on this. Eons ago, when I was a Realtor, I learned the secrets of how to cold call sucessfully and actually became quite good at it. I learned such basics as a smile can be heard over the phone, never call when you don’t feel at your best, always offer someone something in exchange for their time, or ask for their help with a problem instead of telling them what you can do for them.
But, in the gift basket industry, I don’t and never will cold call. That’s why my phone numbers are listed in the “Do Not Call” list which only prevents a few of these annoying calls. I hate being called and frequently hang up on these callers. Since I dislike it so much, I won’t risk that as a first impression on those that I hope to obtain as customers.
Instead of cold calling, I FIRST either mail out an introductory letter telling them that I will follow up with a call later that week or drop off a small introductory gift, brochure, and note with the receptionist and then follow up with a call.
This doesn’t prevent the “not interested” replies but there are more receptive responses than with cold calling. The gift basket industry is a very visual business and there are some horrible examples out there that call themselves gift baskets. When cold calling, your customer has no idea that yours is not one of those.
So, if you’re good at cold calling, enjoy it, and have success with it, by all means, continue. But if that isn’t you, remember there are other more effective ways to make that first contact.
Many of us think of ourselves as Creative, as Designers, as Artistic. And yet we fail to apply these traits to our marketing process. We tend to play it safe–practicing the tried and true “me too” marketing strategies that others have used. Fearing to tread where others have not. But extraordinary marketing results are rarely achieved by playing it safe. 
For the second in our “Featured Business” series, I’ve chosen “Creative Cookie”, a company that has been a part of the gift industry for even longer than I have. Even though they are long-timers in the industry, owners Marty and Joan Schwartz are never too busy to provide the excellent customer service and friendliness that I and other gift company owners have come to expect. 
But Creative Cookie isn’t just about fortune cookies. Their Celebration Cakes are a party just waiting to be celebrated. The round hard plastic container contains everything you need– from the cake to the balloon– for your own personal party. We include these in most of our Birthday gift baskets. But don’t stop with birthday parties, there are themes for just about any occasion. And, pssst….I’ll let you in on a secret. They can create custom Celebration Cakes just for you and your business. What a great unique marketing tool!
One of the most valuable things that I have learned through the years is to study what other industries are doing and see how their successes can be applied to my industry. Today’s tip isn’t from the gift basket industry. It’s from L.L. Bean. Now, just in case you are one of the few that aren’t familiar with this company, it is one of the leading catalog companies that sell outdoor clothing and gifts. 
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