If you think your processes and how you run your company is going to work for all of your customers - think again.

If you're a company that only has an online presence and doesn't interface with your customers, skip this article. I'm not saying you're doing anything wrong, just saying that I'm going to go a different route for a second and it won't be of value to you.

So you have your website, your ordering process, the process by which you assemble and ship and hopefully, you even have a follow up process to make sure everyone is happy. But, what if that doesn't work for your customers? Maybe your customer doesn't want to order off the website. Maybe your customer likes what you have but its not exactly what they want? What if your customer is using their iPod?

Studying and thinking about how your customers want to work doesn't mean you have to throw out your processes or accommodate every customer type there is but I am suggesting you think about how your customers in different age ranges, different occupations and different styles - maybe want to work. Just a thought.

...and yes, I'm teasing :) The full article is in the magazine. It's worth reading.

Debbie Q.
and just to prove I'm not mean, there is a free article on the website that you might find thought provoking.

1st Year Anniversary Lessons Learned

Our First Anniversary is April 2nd and here are the top 5 things we've learned in kind of a blunt way but we're smiling :)

1. That everyone needs help in some way. Whether or not they want to admit it publicly, they're calling us regularly and we are enjoying helping as much as we can. We're learning from you too.

2. That there are SO many wonderful professionals out there that are more than willing to set the word "competition" aside for the better good of the industry. Focusing in on the national potentials vs. worrying about competing feels so much better.

3. That launching a magazine has been the most amazing experience, ever. The collaboration, willingness to come together and contribute has benefited hundreds of people and as one member said, "revived the industry".

4. That there are a lot of suppliers out there that we all didn't know about and some suppliers that don't know about us, either. Facilitating two way conversations and introductions is working.

5. That the heck we were put through by a few people when we first launched last year, was healthy. It made us become a better organization. And now, as we sit here with a year under our belt, we can sit back and say - WE MADE IT! We are very humbled by those of you who called and apologized for passing judgment. Thank you.

An enticing tea vendor - Market Spice Tea

It's a cool Sunday morning and as I reviewing the product samples that have been sent to me for endorsement, I picked up some teas from Market Spice Tea of Redmond Washington. I tried the huckleberry tea first - brought me right back to being a kid and camping at Big Basin in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We used to pick huckleberries as kids. It has a smooth taste and was an absolute delight. I also tried their raspberry tea and I have to tell you that the aroma is lovely.

From organic teas to a variety of other products such as honey, cookies, hot toddy mixes - even scented candles, Market Spice has a variety of lovely products you should consider for your gift basket designs. They've been around since 1911 and quite honestly, know their business.

Contact Herb Lederman, ledermanassociates@comcast.net (925) 376-7129

Report out on January 2010: It's already February!

Time is flying by and there are a lot of things going on, it's almost difficult to keep it all organized and together. To see that today is February 1st is overwhelming. As I reflect back on January, we made some significant accomplishments I wanted to highlight.

1) Bravo! Awards: Went off with great success and feedback. We had over 300 viewings of the video and every day, its still being viewed. In addition to giving these valuable contributors to GBA awards, another amazing facet of this program was the number of "non-members" that I received feedback from - "I had no idea how strong this association was...count me in!" and "I heard GBA was just a online directory, I didn't know that it had so much to it." Membership is up 4% over December.

2) Media attention is on the rise. I had 6 interviews in January and two media's have already been posted/accepted. MORE Magazine and Ullmen and Associations have both posted articles related to the industry. Many others to come.

3) Gateway has kicked off strong with our instructors, contributors and mentors/coaches. We had our first meeting to discuss how Gateway will work for our contributors and we already have 6 "learnings" to post. Our IT partner is almost done with the payment process. Once thats done, we'll be adding the learnings that we have on file. We're hoping to test and launch by February 20th.

4) GBA Talk! Live has launched. This is a simple monthly conference call. You can sign up here: http://giftbasketassociation.com/gbatalklive.html. We do limit the number of people on the call so sign up fast. We do still have seats available.

While we had several others accomplishments, these are the highlights for January. In February, we'll have two focuses:

1) Trends & Tips Magazine March 2010 issue
2) Gateway official launch
3) Forming a team to develop a FindYourGiftBasket.com commercial

Thanks to all of you who have been supporting GBA!

Keep those emails coming . . .

Not sure if its the rain or what but I've been getting emails daily from our community. Yesterday, I received 27 emails from various people expressing their opinions about the magazine, asking questions about GBA and a variety of other topics. I'm thrilled at the attention but am curious, however, why the extreme increase?

I studied our metrics and you can see from the time GBA was created last April to now, the upward slant has been quite impressive but this January, it's off the chart. So, is it the new year? Yes.

Many of the discussions have a common thread - a thread of feeling inspired, motivated and citing a sincere level of comfort. These feelings are coming because people, once again, feel that they have yet another outlet to express themselves, get new information, recite old information and contribute. It's for that reason that I will be thrilled to celebrate our 1 year anniversary in April. Our community has provided us with the feedback that GBA is working very, very well and everyone is appreciating the spirit. It's inspiring, helpful and comfortable for everyone. I'm past the point of grateful - I'm in debt to so many of our supports. I just can't thank you enough.

Whether your a member or not, a critic or an early adopter of GBA, one thing is for certain - the initial negativity that was presented about me or GBA has faded into the sunset now covered with positivity and gracious feedback. I hope that a new year has inspired you to consider where you are in your company and where you'd like to be this time next year. What worked for you in 2009 and what didn't work? How will you enable positive change in your community?