3 Industries to Make a Connection With for Your Balloon Business

Joette Giardina

Joette Giardina

Mentor. Motivator. Speaker.

One of the guiding principles of Balloon Coach is community. Not just for our Mastermind group, but the balloon community as a whole. I am amazed by how many stories I hear about collaboration and unity in our industry. 

However, 2021 is about thriving and stepping beyond our comfort zone. There is opportunity around us and we may not always see it. The balloon industry is not limited to one type of event. There are opportunities daily to help new customers celebrate in diverse ways. If you have a goal of increasing your income from balloons, it’s time to begin to seek out the endless opportunities.

Let’s make connections with those who work with us to help customers celebrate. We may be in different industries, but our goals align in a way that can be beneficial. Below are some industries I encourage you to reach out to in your area to develop a working relationship with.

Wedding Planners

Wedding planners are hired to help brides and grooms plan events, but what sets them apart from a simple friend or family member helping them is their list of vendors and trusted sources. A wedding planner isn’t just analytical and able to crunch numbers to fit a budget. Many of them do research and have a catalog of local talent for specific parts of a wedding.

Planners work with caterers, florists, event locations, and musical talent; it is only natural for balloon decorators to also be in one of these categories.

When reaching out to wedding planners in your area, consider offering a list of wedding-specific arrangements you’ve done or could do. Tablescapes, backdrops, entrance arches, balloon drops, and everything in between will show variety so you can always be flexible in a wedding planner’s mind.

Corporate HR / Marketing departments

Corporate events are a great way to connect with larger organizations for annual or frequent calendar events. The HR / Marketing departments can often help you step into the corporate realm to be considered. Recently, due to COVID, many team days and employee appreciations may look different than they did in the past. This is where the creativity from balloon decor comes into play!

When reaching out to corporate HR / Marketing departments, consider a package to send directly with a small arrangement in their brand colors. Try to include a sheet of examples that would work well, such as archways and walls. Emphasize that you offer installation as well as the ability to customize colors and decor to fit branding guidelines. 

Editable PowerPoint pricing templates are available in the Balloon Boss Mastermind member dashboard that you can use as-is or change the colors of to capture the attention of your target client.

Right now, some industries that are trying to show some extra appreciation for their employees are hospitals, clinics, police departments, firefighters, and city officials. These are great first steps to begin the process of connecting to other corporate clients

Florists

Another local business to consider is to connect with is local florists. Many one-on-one gifts such as a bundle of roses could pair nicely with a delivered balloon arrangement. Many florists prefer not to work with balloons. When they get an inquiry for a balloon delivery, they would prefer to pass the request onto a local balloon business they trust to serve their clients with excellent customer service and product. Personalized deliveries, yard art, and gifts are a way to celebrate small events like anniversaries, proposals, get-well-soon, birthdays, and more.

Since March of 2020, many balloon companies have pivoted from large scale events to personalized home deliveries. When creating these designs, crunching the numbers to price for profit and including delivery fees to cover overhead and time is important.

When reaching out to florists, ask how often they get asked for products beyond flower arrangements. It is crucial that you bring something to the table, showing how you can assist their clients in creating a product they do not wish to make themselves.

One great lead into the conversation is discussing Adopt-a-Grandparent and balloon buddies. Flowers are not just for romantic gestures, but for those we care for. The desire to show kind gestures to our elderly community is out there! Take the step to discuss such amazing initiatives!

Get out there and make connections!

Balloon companies around the world have joined the Adopt-a-Grandparent initiative to bring smiles to lonely seniors with the help of their communities. They are creating smiles by anonymously purchasing balloon deliveries for those in a local nursing home to #liftthemup and #spreadlove.

Thanks to Liz Romani who started this campaign on January 5, 2021, from Valley Party in Vincennes, Indiana by sharing an idea with her balloon friends in Balloon Boss Mastermind and her followers online on how she planned to uplift the spirits of local seniors.

If you would like your balloon business to participate in the Adopt-a-Grandparent program click here for a video.
To access the training on setting up the program, templates, scripts, post, and steps to follow that the collaborative efforts of Liz and Balloon Boss Mastermind Members have created as they took this campaign worldwide, join Balloon Boss Mastermind monthly subscription. You can stay a month or years for ongoing support and training as you group your business.

We talk about progress over perfection as we grow our Balloon Boss mindset. Take each step forward with your chin held high. We want you to succeed and the first step is sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone and doing things that are new to you.  Sometimes we let our past no’s or “failures” stand in our way of getting back up and asking again. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. Last week one of our balloon boss mastermind members shared a win for the week. They decided to stop waiting for the phone to ring, and they used images from the Balloon Boss Mastermind collaboration albums and shared with a local office to have decor for Valentine’s day and the office said YES!

People do business with those they know, like, and trust. To build those relationships, you cannot hide away on your own; you have to get out and engage with your community.

I know the process can be overwhelming at times, but that is why you don’t have to walk the journey alone. Balloon Boss Mastermind provides you with scripts on what to say, actions to take, and training to help you increase your confidence, calm your nerves and walk the journey with you, celebrating your successes along the way. I would love for you to try these outreach attempts and tell me about your experiences in Balloon Coach Community and Balloon Boss Mastermind Facebook groups.

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