How to Buy a Gift Basket - TIPS

1. Ask about allergies. If possible, find out whether the recipient has allergies. Many companies will make substitutions if you inquire when ordering.
    
2. Consider the shipping cost. Shipping and handling of gift baskets, especially those that contain perishables, can run as much as $40.
    
3. Make sure you note the measurements of the basket. There are many baskets that look amazing in photographs, but in some cases they look smaller than you might think.
    
4. Before ordering, go online and look up the company’s name.  Make sure they are listed in a variety of directories such as Yellow pages, Google, Facebook, yelp, newspapers etc.  These will often show customer reviews, complaints and give you an overall feel for the company.
    
5. ‘Real’ Testimonials are important. When reading testimonials, ensure that names, cities and dates are listed.  It’s easy for some companies to fake reviews by just using pretend initials.  
    
6. Order early for holidays. To ensure holiday deliver, contact the company to learn the order cut-off date. December 19 is a common deadline date for Christmas delivery.
    
7. When sending a sympathy gift, remember the children. Many times we design family baskets with an extra little teddy bear for the young ones to make them feel safe and loved.
    
8. ICU in Hospitals do not accept helium balloons or flowers!  Send a gourmet basket instead.  They can be shared with the family or even the busy nurses!
    
9. Extended Hospital stay. We’ve had such great feedback when we send a stuffed bear with the gift.  The recipient uses the bear as a focus point, for pain relief, comfort, and stress control.

Visit our wide selection of custom made gift baskets and see how you can bring a smile to their face:  www.giftsforeveryreason.com

Passover Gift Baskets Canada, Toronto, Montreal, British Columbia

Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the most popular Jewish holidays. It is an 8-day holiday which celebrates the Jews who fled Egypt after more than 200 years of slavery. It is a special time for family gatherings and traditional meals.

 

Sending gift baskets from Gifts for Every Reason, filled with authentic, Kosher for Passover food, has become a popular choice for family and friends.

 

All products are clearly labeled with Kosher for Passover symbols, and the baskets are created with Passover traditions in mind with items such as: Sundried Tomato spread, Matzo Crackers, Chocolate Cashews, Dried fruit, Passover Cake, Fruit Candy Slices, Macaroons and Snacks.

 

Our kosher gift baskets are unique, affordable and we offer FREE delivery in Canada including Toronto, Thornhill, Richmond Hill and Montreal. 

 

Keep in mind, gifts going to British Columbia and Nova Scotia can take 5-7 days.
Order early and we'll ensure your gift arrives in time for Passover.

http://www.giftsforeveryreason.com/Purim-Passover_c_68.html

Sending Thank You Notes and Gifts

Send a thank-you note for every referral, and a gift for every referral that turns into business.

Thank-you notes should be handwritten, on a note card or postcard that isn't branded with your company advertising. Keep a supply of traditional, fun, theme and plain note cards handy for all occasions throughout the year.

For gifts, don't send the same old thing to everyone. Instead, take a minute to think about what your customer would really like. If they're dedicated wine connoisseurs, send wine. If they're into sports, try tickets to a game. For gourmets or candy-o-holics, food baskets work wonders, and are available in almost any size, style and budget at the click of a mouse.  Gifts for every Reason carries a wide range of baskets including; cheese/crackers/dips, Diabetic, Gluten Free, Arabic and Kosher.

Most sales people send Christmas cards. If you want to stand out and be remembered by your customers, why not try something a little different?  In addition to sending cards out each December 25th, mix a few of the following ideas into your annual calendar:

Valentine's Day candy baskets.

Birthday cakes on their birthday.

Champagne on their company's anniversary.

Thank-you cards or gifts on their anniversary of doing business with you.

Gifts for their children's birthdays.

Plants on the first day of spring, or at Easter.

Candy at Halloween.

Gifts for your clients' admin assistants on Secretaries' Day.

Thanksgiving cards or food baskets.

.

One last thing, NEVER send electronic greeting cards. E-cards look like you were too lazy or didn't care enough to do the real leg work needed to honor your customer. Go the extra mile, and write a personalized note. That little extra effort is what will get you noticed - and get you more referrals.

 

Content courtesy of Colleen Francis - http://www.engageselling.com/articles/article-six-ways-to-increase-referrals.php

6 Gifts To Thank a Great Teacher

Healthy Gifts

For some people, school years are but a hazy memory, marked by droll routine, endless homework assignments and castigating exams. For others, though, these same years are some of the most important in their lives, since they put a special person in their way that enlightened, inspired and cared for them – that one unforgettable teacher who instilled a passion for a particular subject or for the process of learning as a whole. Parents of students who may be graduating, ending a particularly significant year of study or even leaving their residence for greener pastures, may want to thank that one special teacher with a gift that highlights their importance and the giver’s gratefulness for their vocational spirit. These are just six special ways you can show appreciation for a truly great teacher:

• Spa baskets: When purchasing a thank you gift for a teacher, it is important to should your thoughtfulness. Teachers (especially primary school or craft/art teachers) often complain of dry, cracked skin, caused by everything from writing with chalk to handling paint and supplies. A guaranteed pleaser is a small but well-packaged spa basket, containing items like lotion, gel or soothing fragrances. We are particularly enraptured by Crabtree & Evelyn’s Nantucket Briar, a blend or rose, citrusy, green and vanilla notes that is somehow delightfully gentle and nutty. Nantucket Briar is one of Crabtree & Evelyn’s most popular scents, which is why it comes in so many individual products – everything from a shower gel to an intensive hand therapy lotion, body lotion and eau de toilette fragrance. You will find these products, set in a beautiful round floral double-zippered case (with a large round mirror on the inner top of the case), at Gifts for Every Reason

• Vegan gourmet items: A creamy artichoke dip, crisp, peppery crackers and dried crispy fruit… these are just some of the many healthy snacks that drive vegans crazy in the best sense possible. If you have had the fortune of getting to know your child’s teacher, and you discover he or she is vegan, a great way to show your support and thoughtfulness is by giving them a gourmet basket they can actually enjoy entirely. Of course, this basket will be appreciated by anyone with a penchant for healthy products, as well as those who are trying to enrich their nutritional uptake following a health issue involving a loss of appetite. Across Canada, a myriad of companies, from the swankiest five-star hotels right through to luxury rehabilitation centers, are waking up to the antioxidant power of superfoods such as herbal tea, fruits and vegetables such as onions, red peppers and olives. These foods help detoxify the body, scavenging free radicals and helping the immunity function at its optimal level. Fruit is another powerful food used to heal and strengthen the body.
  

• Flowers: There is something about flowers that elicits an instant feeling of joy. Yellow roses represent friendship and freedom, light pink ones express fun, peach roses symbolize appreciation… which of this feelings first springs to mind when you think of your child’s teacher?
  

• Baby items: If the teacher is a new mother or father, one of the best things you can do to make their day is to purchase something for the new addition to the family – handy tool kits, useful products (such as bottles and wipes) and cute stuffed toys are gifts that never disappoint.
  

• Sweet things: Mid-morning and midday is always a challenging time for teachers, who need to keep their energy levels up and their calm factor down, despite the plethora of tantrums and/or challenging situations that can threaten their peace of mind. A well-presented assortment of items like chocolate, trail mixes, biscuits and shortbread will be well appreciated during your teacher’s snack time/coffee break. Keep the chocolate dark in order to maximize its benefits – did you know that dark chocolate has been found to promote cardiovascular health and to keep dangerous conditions such as Type II diabetes at bay? This is because the cocoa bean, like other superfoods like berries and red wine, is rich in flavonoids, which regulate insulin levels in the body. A 2010 German study indicated that just one small square of chocolate can lower one’s risk of heart attack by an amazing 39 per cent!
  

• Chocolate Strawberries: Surprise your teacher with something that is full of Nature’s goodness and delightfully sweet at once – a spectacular looking set of 12 strawberries dipped into an array of chocolate types – everything from snow white chocolate to the rick, dark variety!

Content provided by author, Jenni Grayson

 

Chinese New Year in Canada

Welcome Chinese New Year with a memorable gift to send family, friends, and colleagues.

2013 marks the year of the Horse. The horse symbolizes power, speed, victory, and good fortune.  People born under the horse are considered to be cheerful, charming, and carefree. Like horses, they can be wild and difficult to tame, but they are also honest and one can always tell what's on their mind.

Winner of several awards, several TV appearances and excellent customer testimonials, Gifts for Every Reason makes the perfect choice when you want to send a unique gift to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Send Clients a Valentine's Day Gift in Canada

It’s February again and here comes the dreaded Valentine’s Day.  That time of the year where people without a significant other are pressured into feeling less than whole.  Where couples are forced to try prove their love and affection.

To the rest of us, this is the perfect opportunity to stand out from the crowd and show your appreciation to your customers.  Take the time to APPRECIATE your CUSTOMERS with simple gestures and you will reap the rewards soon enough.  Not only will you end up retaining a customer, you may even get new ones once word-of-mouth of your thoughtfulness spreads.

It does not take much to say thank you to a valued customer. You could send a physical Valentine’s card with a gift card to the local coffee shop.  Or send a well-deserved bottle of wine.  Or really wow them by sending a personalized GIFT BASKET from Gifts for Every Reason.

This Valentine’s Day, make the most of the chance to strengthen relationships with your clients.

 Choose a custom made, unique Gift from Gifts for Every Reason and we’ll even ship it for Free.

Rogers Daytime TV and Divorced Divas

We were invited back to Rogers Daytime TV Show in Durham, to appear LIVE on Thursday October 17th, 2013.   This time we talked about our Divorced Diva Gift Basket, Baby Do-Do Tool Kit and we demonstrated how to make a fun Hangover Gift.

 

"It was such a fun episode to do.  Dena is a great host and we had everyone laughing so much over these baskets."  - Owner, Alesse Antonik 

 

Choosing meaningful gifts

Learn details of clients’ lives to get inspiration for gifts that will be enjoyed

By Tessie Sanci | November 07, 2013 06:00        

   

The curious financial advisor who asks clients probing questions about what is important to them will be successful in determining appropriate gifts to show appreciation.

 

"What [clients] tell you about themselves is proprietary to your relationship," says Duncan MacPherson, co-CEO and co-founder of Pareto Systems Inc. in Kelowna, B.C. "It's one of the most valuable assets you'll ever possess."

 

MacPherson uses the acronym FORM to represent the four aspects of clients' lives that advisors should be familiar with: family, occupation, recreation and money. Knowing those details will provide the inspiration for gifts that clients will enjoy.

 

If a client has mentioned wanting to plan a vacation, for instance, consider treating him or her to a guidebook for the country the client would like to visit. In that scenario, it is not only a gift of appreciation, but also a token that will motivate the client to keep saving for this trip, says Joanne Ferguson, president of Advisor Pathways in Toronto.

 

The guidebook is also something that's not likely to be thrown away and, therefore, will serve as a regular reminder of your thoughtful gesture.

 

One of the things Lisa Applegath, first vice president and investment advisor at CIBC Wood Gundy in Toronto, does when clients welcome a new baby to the family is send a package containing a few of her favourite children's books.

 

"We tell clients to enjoy it either with their child or grandchild," Applegath says. "Newborns often don't get books; they usually get clothes."

 

Regardless of the gift you give, try and avoid gifts that boast your name and phone number, says Sylvia Garibaldi, owner of SG and Associates in Toronto. She recommends staying away from pens, magnets and calendars.

 

"I see that more as a marketing tool to put [an advisor] on [a client's] fridge," says Garibaldi. "It really needs to be a thought-out strategy in terms of who [advisors] want to reach out to and then do it in a way that's really significant and thoughtful."

 

MacPherson's opinion is that calendars can work if they have impact. He uses the example of an advisor who wanted to show appreciation to a client who is an avid golfer. MacPherson recommended that the advisor send a calendar with photographs of the world's best golf courses. MacPherson says the client called the advisor to thank him and tell him that those golf courses had been added to the client's bucket list of places to visit.

 

The calendar also served another purpose. "Think about this, [it's] a $15 calendar sitting in his garage for the next 12 months, reminding that client about the financial advisor," says MacPherson.

The amount you spend on a gift should also be a consideration when deciding what to buy.

"You want to be thoughtful but you also have to put your business hat on," says Ferguson.

This means that gifts should be a part of your annual budget and you should be aware of any spending rules your compliance department may have. You will also want to check with your accountant to see what might be tax-deductible, says Ferguson.

Business Card Booklet

Realtors, Trade Shows, Personal Use

I recently introduced this idea to realtors I’ve met over the past few months and the feedback has been very positive. It makes a very inexpensive handout to your clients and it’s a great way to network and give referrals.  But keep in mind, it’s not just limited to realtors. It works equally great to keep all your personal important business cards close at hand without losing them in that junk drawer.

Instructions:

Ask for about 25 business cards from your favorite Business owners, vendors, preferred clients.  For example: plumbers, electricians, carpet cleaners, window cleaners, landscapers, lawyers, accountants and of course your favorite go to Gift Basket Company.  Oh and don’t forget to add YOUR business card to the front.

Punch a hole in all the cards and package it together with a shower curtain ring. (Yes an inexpensive shower curtain ring that can be purchased at most dollar stores.) About 25 cards from each business, makes 25 booklets to give away!

And that’s it.  A unique, useful giveaway and a great way to promote local businesses.

Visit our website to see more realtor pop by gifts and other specialty items.

Christmas Gift Baskets Toronto and Canada

Your clients deserve a  holiday gift that shows how much you appreciate their business. Treat them to an upscale holiday gift basket they'll remember. If you're looking for holiday gift basket ideas, why not choose a basket with a variety of foods from which to choose? Gourmet cheese, crackers, ready to serve dips, cookies, chocolates and candy are all nice items to share amongst the office.

Christmas Gift Baskets

At Gifts for Every Reason, we bring in unique gourmet foods, sometimes hand made in small batches and often made in Ontario.  We taste test all of our products to ensure they’ll go in customers bellies and not the trash.  We choose products that contain more food than packaging.  And we try to make our gift baskets as unique as possible giving customers that ‘wow’ factor.

We hand deliver our baskets across the Toronto area including Mississauga, Oakville, Markham, Thornhill, Scarborough, Pickering, Oshawa and more.  Fed Ex delivery all across Canada!  Shipping is FREE to most areas across Canada.   

We also have partners across the USA ready to deliver FRESH baskets in those areas.

Call or email us today with your holiday gift giving list and let us do all the work for you.Gift Baskets Christmas