Question

Topic: Strategy

Marketing Gifts To Property Mgmt Companies

Posted by Anonymous on 5/7/2008 at 8:24 PM ET 125 Points
I have an online gift shop specializing in gifts and gift baskets for pet-lovers, new moms, and babies. Unfortunately, this is a part-time endeavor for me while I work a full-time job to get this new business, my passion, going strong.

I have a great eye for choosing quality merchandise on a budget and would like to market "homey" gifts to property management companies, specifically apartment complexes. I'm talking tenant welcome-home gifts, stop-by-the-leasing-office-to-renew-your-lease gifts, etc. If food items are ever used, they're gourmet selections that cannot be found usually at supermarkets or big-box stores. I specialize in furnishing gifts that are beautiful, memorable, useful, and lasting. I also wouldn't have necessarily a set repertoire of gifts as I like to change things up to stay abreast of trends and the seasons.

Any ideas on how I can break into this business would be most appreciated. If I need to become a member of an organization to be selected as a vendor, I don't know what organization that is. And, of course, I have a very limited budget to break into yet another business endeavor.

Thanks so much for your help!


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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Levon on 5/7/2008 at 10:50 PM Member
    Small budget. Then resort to business-to-business selling. Select a few businesses that you could see yourself supplying for and personally sell them in bulk. Work out a deal -- as volume goes up (orders increase) they get a sliding discount.

    You will have to brand yourself, build a website, get some clever business cards, maybe a brochure and product list (for when your personal selling).

    You could also consider putting together a stand at a swap meet (aka flea market, farmers market) in order to drum up initial business and awareness.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 5/8/2008 at 9:00 AM Member
    Start with one niche. Let's say it's pet-lovers. Start by contacting: you local pet stores, veterinarians, ASPCA shelters, dog parks, groomers, pet party planners, local dog show producers, etc. Ideally, you'd like referrals, but you'd start by showing them your product and give them ideas for how/when it'd be given. Also, offer to donate a gift basket to a local charity silent raffle.
  • Posted on 5/8/2008 at 9:37 AM Accepted
    Think about the types of companies that give gifts most frequently. Realtors are a big gift basket market and are always looking for something fresh. How about partnering with Send Out Cards to provide online fulfillment for people who want to send a thank you or card via their online system?

    There are a lot of gift basket providers, and many of them are small businesses. That means that there are a lot of people who lack good business systems, get behind on orders, don't communicate well or drop the ball and deliver late. Your first hurdle (and marketing mission) will be to do an exceptional job for your early clients to show you're professional.

    I would avoid swap meets. That's not the ultra-professional image you want. Instead, see if you can barter membership fees for gift baskets with some local business associations. That way your baskets get visibility with a high income group that can afford repeat orders. Donate baskets to charity raffles and as organization door prizes. Get visible.

    I think the idea of picking one niche is great, but make it a high repeat volume niche. Think about the types of business that give frequent referral thank yous or give client gifts throughout the year. If you can just get connected with one or two people in that industry, your reputation will grow.
  • Posted on 5/8/2008 at 11:40 AM Author
    Great responses by all and much appreciated. Never heard of Send Out Cards (am exploring that), and LOVE the idea about bartering in exchange for membership fees.

    I have donated (expensive) pet-lover baskets to silent auctions, along with brochures, business cards, magnets, and nothing ever came of it. I will continue to do so, but I've learned that pet-lovers seem to like the inexpensive gifts, around the $20 range. By the way, a percentage of all purchases through my gift shop are donated to two non-profit animal-based charities, and that won't change when I have the corporate work.

    I've heard that the average gift basket purchase is $35 to $40. My average gift basket is $75 to $80 and up, although I provide some as low as $32. I rarely use food items, so everything in the basket is higher-end keepsake gifts.

    I am wanting the high-volume corporate work. With apartment complexes, the tenant gifts are high volume and simple and quick to put together. The monthly repeat business potential is great. But what exactly is that organization I need to be a part of, and how do I find that one main decision maker?

    As an FYI, my online business with the pet-lover, baby, and new mom gifts, I obviously do have a Web site with a merchant account. My site is being totally redesigned, which is pricey. I have business cards and brochures (also to be redesigned to go along with the "new" site, and I'll have several business cards and brochures to go along with each separate area of sales). So it's a matter of finding an outside source of funds to subsidize all this current work in progress.

    As the, I'll call it "corporate" work starts rolling in, the plan is to have a totally separate Web site for that.

    It's been a little hard for me to concentrate on one niche area because I have so many ideas and interests. I only mentioned the apartment gifts area I want to break into, but I also want to get into the hospital gift shops and provide inexpensive baby/new mom gift packages.

    I'm trying to find a way here to replace a good deal of my income from my current commissions-based career with weird hours (which really is more than a full-time job) so I can break away from that profession totally and focus all my efforts on the gift industry. So the question again is: How do I find the key decision maker?

    Thanks again!
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