The Gift Basket Exchange Blog

We all know it and dread it: those people who procrastinate and call desperately on Christmas eve (well, some call a few days ahead of time, but still not giving you enough time).

With the economy so unstable at this time, many have probably decided to skip holiday gifts this year (sad, but very true). But as the holidays approach, they may change their mind and/or realize that it was a mistake, and pick up the phone at the last minute.

You can prepare for these last minute shoppers if you start now. Here are  three ways you can get ready:

1. Make sure you have holiday ribbon and stand alone gifts: these are the easiest to deal with at the last minute. Any gift can be spruced up with some ribbon and made perfect for Holiday gifts.
2. Sign up with a drop shipping company, and find out what they can offer at the last minute. Most drop shippers have the resources to fill in orders up to the last minute.
3. Create some gift certificates that can be printed from email for those that wait so late nothing else can be done. If you have an email list you can actually promote this the week before the holidays, and get some more sales in.

Above all, don’t forget to take time off and enjoy family and friends during  the holidays: you work hard all year long, and deserve a break. I wish you lots of timely sales, and a happy holiday season!

Do you ever wonder how to get more traffic to your gift basket website? There are less than 4 months until the end of the year, and that means you need to get started promoting your site really soon.

Stomping the Search Engines 2 form the guys at Stompernet is a great step-by-step action plan that will help you break through to the top of the search engines.

Do you want to rank well for the key phrase “gift baskets”? It’s not only very hard, but it’s also not the best key phrase to put your efforts into. StSE2 will show you through video how to research for the right keywords, those that people with a credit card in their hands are searching for.

You’ll also learn how to tweak your site’s design, and even the description of your gift baskets, in order to outrank your competitors.

There is a lot more to learn form this complete video set coming out in only a few days. If you are serious about your business, make sure you check out Stomping the Search Engines 2 when it comes out on wednesday.

There is also talk about a printed magazine, called The Net Effect Journal that will give you continued knowledge about getting and staying at the top of the search engines. I personally have a press copy of this new journal, and did a review on my busy moms blog. Go see my review and feel free to ask any questions: i’d love to see you at the top of your search engines.

When it comes to the success or failure of your business, being organized and staying motivated can be two deciding factors.  In fact, these two topics can go hand in hand. Here are some reasons why being organized can help you stay motivated and, therefore, lead to business success.

When you are disorganized, you can feel frustrated and easily lose the motivation to work your business.  You may lose data such as when projects are due or even your client’s email address.  If your office is messy, it can be anxiety inducing to set foot in it.  Seeing the clutter and chaos can remind you of everything you need to do but keep putting off.  Eventually, you may stop working all together.

In fact, being unorganized is one of the leading causes of procrastination.  When you procrastinate, you are intentionally putting off a task that you know needs to be done. This can lead to stress, ill-health, and financial despair.

However, there is a flipside to all of these problems.  Finding an organization system that works for you will help you stay on top of your tasks and keep you motivated.  You will know when projects are due.  This alone can help you stay motivated.  When you are organized, you will easily be able to find your client’s contact information.  You will no longer feel defeated when you enter your organized office.  Instead, you will feel refreshed and ready to work.

There are two basic ways to stay motivated.  One is through traditional paper planners and the other is through digital or electronic planners.  It doesn’t matter which type of system you use.  The important thing is to find one that you enjoy enough to keep using.

If you prefer paper methods, you may want to consider a planner that showcases the week on two pages.  That way, when you open up the planner you can see your whole week at a glance.  You can use highlighters to highlight various types of tasks.

For instance, all of your family obligations can be highlighted in blue, administrative tasks can be highlighted in pink, and sales and marketing tasks can be highlighted in orange.  Using a method such as this will allow you to instantly see the types of tasks you will be working.  Depending on the type of digital planner you use, you can color code activities in a similar manner.

If you decide to buy a digital planner, you may want to consider an all-in-one smart phone.  These devices combine a cell phone with a digital planner.  You can make and receive phone calls, read and send email, and keep track of your schedule.