A little last minute Valentine's Inspiration.

One of my New Year's resolution's is to be more organised and to take every opportunity to plan ahead rather than give myself last minute stress that I could have so easily avoided! 

Balloon Images Oct/Nov/Dec 2014

I was reminded of that when I picked up my Oct/Nov/Dec 2014 Balloon Images magazine and on opening the Trade Secrets pages "It's Never Too Early for Love", it reminds us to 'Get a Head Start' and offers us some great suggestions on how to get our creative juices flowing! So just in case you missed this great article I am sharing some of these tips with you today!












STEP ONE: GET INSPIRED! Here is a list of resources that can help you to get started, for immediate access to the relevant pages just click on the links, all links will open in a new page/tab.

• Check out the Valentine's Day Business Booster on Qualatex.com

Valentine's Day Business Booster

• Enhance your websites and your Facebook Business pages with these great seasonal bouquet ideas on Qualatex.com

Valentine's Seasonal Bouquet Ideas

• Love Pinterest? Then check out the Valentine's pinboards on the Qualatex Pinterest Page

Valentine's Pinterest Boards 

• If you are a member of the Qualatex® Facebook Groups you can use the search feature just below the pages cover photo to search for "Valentine's Day", I have added a red arrow to indicate the box you need to type your key search words into, this is a great tool when looking for specific ideas.

Qualatex Facebook Group 

• And of course don't forget to check out The Very Best Balloon Blog, click the Valentine's label on the sidebar, (I have indicated this with a red arrow), this will bring up all the blogs that relate to Valentine's day including some great step by step designs and recipes!

The Very Best Balloon Blog

STEP TWO: DESIGN YOUR OFFER
Now that your inspiration is flowing, it's time to start preparing your designs.

• Select designs at a variety of pricing points, so that you can appeal to customers with any budget.
• Include a couple of options that are suitable gift ideas for family or friends, not just significant others.
• Brainstorm catchy names to make it easier for people to request a specific design.
• Remember that 9" and 14" air-filled Microfoils make great add-ons, grab-and-go gifts, or party favours.

STEP THREE: GET READY

Once you have decided on your offerings, start making a list of the products you'll need to stock. Order your stock NOW to ensure availability. When ordering general love-them balloons, remember that these can be sold year-round not just on February 14.

Don's forget to show your staff the Valentine's Day offerings you've chosen, and print out any necessary instructions sheets so everyone will know how to create them.

If you have the opportunity I recommend that you check out the whole article as there are some other great pointers to help you to get the most from this fantastic 'ballooning' day!

'It's Never Too Early For Love" Balloon Images Article

Happy Valentine's Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow - Elegant decor design ideas with Dazzling Snowflakes!

I would have to say that the new Qualatex Dazzling Snowflakes Holographic Microfoil® balloon has to be one of my favourite winter balloons this year!

Dazzling Snowflakes #20263/ #20260

I'm not sure if it's the 6-Point Star shape, the design, the Holographic effect or all of it, but they are such an elegant balloon that is perfect for all winter events!

I am very excited to be decorating a corporate Christmas party this year and the Snowflake balloons will be a huge part of the decor, I will be using them for the centrepieces and a feature arch! I will share the end result after the event, but I am sure that it will look amazing!

This balloon shape is also perfect for connecting together, allowing us to create stunning air-filled mobiles, which I think are perfect for venues with higher ceilings and good fixing points. Once positioned they will gently move around, and the Holographic elements will sparkle in the light!

How can we 'jazz up' our quotes?

      

In the past few weeks I have decorated two birthday parties, one to celebrate a 21st Birthday and the other an almost 'surprise' 50th birthday! 

I do not decorate very often any more, not because I don't want to, but it is not so easy when you have other commitments and cannot guarantee being available... but I was delighted to have the opportunity to go through the whole process once again from consultation to completion. 

It's funny because when I teach a class these days I try to include a small section covering 'selling techniques', as I feel this is such a vital part of our business, so this was my opportunity to put my words in to practice!

Both of the customer enquiries came via a telephone call, both informed me that they were on a budget and that they did not want to spend too much.

Firstly, I wanted to know a little about the person who's birthday it was, was there a theme, where was the party being held, favourite colours, anything and everything that could help me to decide what type of decor to propose.

One client wanted to meet up and discuss the party in greater detail, the other client was more than happy for me to send some ideas over the internet.

But not once did I ask them what their budget was!