Tip #159: How to Become a Networking Ninja

The Philadelphia Candy Show is right around the corner. If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’re sure to see a lot of familiar faces and are looking forward to catching up with old friends. Even the most seasoned trade show attendees can expect to meet a lot of new people, which means a lot of (sometimes awkward) small talk.

For some, networking comes naturally, but for others it can be paralyzing (and did I mention, awkward?). Here are some of our favorite tips from TheMuse that, with practice, will eventually earn you a black belt in networking. Feel free to first warm up your networking muscles with RCI at booth #413 at The Philadelphia Candy Show in Atlantic City, New Jersey August 30 – September 1, 2015.

1. Dress for Success

If you look great, you’ll feel great too!

• Wear something that makes you feel great.
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Don’t bring a large bag.

2. Set goals.

Setting goals will give you something to work towards. As you achieve your goals, you will build up confidence and get a lot practice in the process. Here’s some examples to get you started:

• Meet five new people.
• Learn something new.
• Start three conversations.

3. Have a few conversation starters in mind.

It’s not as intimidating to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger when you have a game plan. Start with the classics and once you’re warmed up, you may want to go for something a bit more fun.

• “Have you been here before?”
•  “How did you get started in the industry?”
• “I’m just here for the carrot sticks, what brings you here?”

4. Get everyone’s business cards.

When it comes to making lasting connections, collecting business cards from acquaintances is just as important as passing out your own business cards.

• Take notes about each person you meet, their interests and your conversation.
• Follow up with a friendly email within 48 hours.

5. Use a non-awkward closer

• “It’s been so great chatting with you, but I have a few more people to connect with.”

Tip #158: Break Into the Corporate Gift Market

Providing corporate gifts is a competitive game. Not only are there other local merchants competing to be the gift of choice for your local businesses, but you are in competition with the best in the world. The internet has given local businesses the world at the end of their fingertips. You are competing with the likes of Harry and David, Amazon, Wine Country Gifts, Godiva, Pro-Flowers, 1-800-Flowers, and hundreds of other internet gift companies. You are in competition with all of the above for the budget corporations have set aside for gift giving.

To even compete with these corporate giants you must portray a professional image to your targeted corporate client. This includes your company image, product and packaging. If you are designing an advertising piece it must reflect the same quality as the customer you are attempting to lure to your product. More than likely they will also shop your website. Go to your webpage and see if you are on the same level as your competition. This starts with professional graphics, photography and presentation. You must appeal to their eyes before they even try your product.

 

Running a small business is no easy task. As we know, we live, eat, and sleep our businesses. However, one of the best ways to increase your corporate business is through community involvement. Rub elbows with the decision makers in your area. Join Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, or civic boards, and attend events and fundraisers. This is no quick fix, but as you get to know more people in your area, many of these decision makers will think about buying from you personally more than just your company. My father always said “sell yourself and they will buy your product.”

This is an excerpt from Kettle Talk, 2nd Quarter 2013, page 12. Click here to view full article on corporate gift giving (including tips on personalized gifts) written by Terry Hicklin of Candy House Gourmet Chocolates in Joplin. Images are the property of Candy House Gourmet.

Tip #157: Savor the Flavors of 2015

Trendspotters from the 2015 Summer Fancy Food Show identified popular flavor profiles that just might tantalize your taste buds and inspire ideas for your own new product development.

Flower Power

Floral notes such as rose, lavender and hibiscus made a memorable appearance in products such as Belvoir Fruit Farms Elderflower & Rose Lemonade, Masala Pop Saffron Rose Popcorn, Rogue Creamery La-Di-Da Lavender Cheese and Vosges Haut-Chocolat Blood Orange Hibiscus Caramel Marshmallows.

Vosges Haut-Chocolat covers marshmallows in burnt sugar caramel with blood oranges and hibiscus flavors, chocolate and tops it with black salt.

Cocktail Culture

Spirits, wine, and beer inspire flavors and ingredient pairings like Bissell Maple Farm's Pappy & Company Bourbon Barrel-Aged Syrup, Brooklyn Brine Co. Hop-Pickles, Colonel Pabst All Malt Amber-Lager Worcestershire Sauce and L.A. Creamery The Manhattan.

L.A. Creamery’s The Manhattan takes its cues from the classic cocktail with Rittenhouse Rye, brown butter toffee and bing cherries.

Go Ginger

An honorable mention, so to speak, goes to ginger as another hot flavor trend (pun intended) for 2015.

Try the classic pairing of crystallized ginger dipped in dark chocolate or more adventurous pairings incorporated in DivineChocolate’s Lemon Infused Ginger Turtles (top) or Coconut Ginger Popcorn Truffles from YoderPopcorn Click here to view the recipe from Yoder Popcorn.

Rewind to Tip #135: Celebrate National S'mores Day

As you likely know, s’mores as a flavor and product has become quite the consumer craze. This week’s blog tip is to capitalize on the craze and celebrate National S’mores Day which is Monday, August 10. Here are a few fun s’mores ideas we found on Pinterest to help get your creative juices flowing. Remember, if you make your own marshmallow, s’mores are a great way to showcase it!

S'mores to Go

S'mores Pops

S'mores Popcorn

S'mores Ice Cream Sandwich

Tip #156: Meet Up With RCI in 2015

The New Year always holds a glimmer of promise. And it’s no different here at Retail Confectioners International (RCI). We’re excited for the coming year and hope that you will plan to join us at one of our events. That’s why this week’s tip is to meet up with RCI in 2015!

Here are the dates to mark on your calendar:

• February 23-26 – Chocolate Boot Camp® – This popular education course provides a great foundation for working with chocolates. We accept a maximum of 25 students and, with five instructors, it provides a great student-to-teacher ratio and plenty of hands-on learning opportunities.
• April 21-25 – Mid-Atlantic Chocolate Tour  - One of our members’ favorites events are our bus tours. We load up on coach buses and tour an area, stopping to go on behind-the-scenes tours of candy stores along the way. Join us for this bus tour as we go from Baltimore to Washington, DC and then end in Ocean City, Maryland.
• June 22-26 – Annual Convention & Industry Expo – We’re excited to be in Brooklyn, New York for our biggest event of the year. From the FREE confectionery industry expo to quality education sessions and networking to behind-the-scenes tours, it’s an event you won’t want to miss!
• September 14-17 – Fall Regional Conference – The year will have a beautiful ending as we gather in Portland, Maine. It promises to include more great networking and education opportunities.

Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on RCI happenings. We’ll see you in 2015! 

Rewind to Tip #104: Take a Break and Enjoy Your Loved Ones

Last year’s tip on Christmas Eve was a great reminder that we could all benefit from. So, we’ve decided it’s a good one to repeat:

December 24, 2013

Today is Christmas Eve!

While we know you are likely still working hard to get your customers home with their favorite sweet treats for their families, today’s tip is to enjoy Christmas with your own loved ones. When you walk out the door of your office or store today, take a deep breath and leave everything else behind you to deal with on December 26 (or whenever you return to work). Focus on being 100% present to enjoy this special season with the ones you love most.

Merry Christmas, sweet friends!

Tip #155: Check Your Temper

This week’s quick tip? Check your temper!

While we don’t want you to have a temper tantrum during the peak of the holiday season, we’re actually referring to checking the temper of your chocolate. As production aims to keep up with the demands of the holidays, it may be easy for production staff to get sidetracked and assume your chocolate is well-tempered and ready to move into the assembly line. However, not keeping a close eye on your chocolate’s temper is a costly mistake.

Many of our candy making members have a system in place to verify their chocolate’s temper every hour. While verification processes may vary, just be sure that you have a process in place, even if it is a simple pen and paper system.

How often do you check your temper? Leave us a comment below!

Tip #154: Optimize Point of Sale Purchases

As customers come into your store this month, they’re likely on the hunt for gifts for a variety of people. Therefore, this week’s quick tip is to place something small such as a single packaged chocolate covered cookie or moulded item that can be added to their purchase at the checkout counter. Be sure it’s packaged with a nice bow or ribbon so that it draws them in as a stand-alone gift item.

If placed and priced correctly, point of sale items such as this can significantly increase your store’s holiday sales. Now, go review your checkout counter to be sure you have a small item available for customers!

Tip #153: Use Pistachios in Nougat

As has become our custom on the RCI Tip of the Week blog, we’ll make the posts quick and brief this month for you since we know it’s a very busy time of year for candy makers.

For this first quick tip, we are encouraging you to think outside of the box when it comes to nuts in your confections, specifically nougat. For example, consider using pistachios in your holiday nougat for a fun and different color and flavor enhancement. Chef En-Ming Hsu provided this idea during her nougat demonstration at our recent Fall Regional Conference, and many attendees commented on how great the pistachios tasted as well as how beautiful they were.

If you have other fun uses for pistachios in confections, leave us a comment below!

Tip #152: Give Thanks

When is the last time you took a moment to stop and consider how lucky you are to be in the candy business, making people happy with your sweet treats? We’re going to guess that since we’re in the rush of the holiday season it’s been a while. So, in light of Thanksgiving being this Thursday in the U.S., this week’s tip is to take just a moment to make a list of items for which you are thankful.

This list is yours so you can name whatever you want, from people to things to jobs to places. If you want to increase your overall health and level of happiness, you could even make a purposeful attitude of gratitude part of your weekly or even daily routine! Numerous studies have revealed that those who take a moment to write down the good things about their life feel better about their lives as a whole, are happier and are even found to be more connected with others.

So, put everything on hold and take a moment to name five things for which you are thankful. You won’t regret it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tip #151: Get Employees to Flip Large Moulds

It is almost the season for making life-size chocolate Santas. Ok, we realize they aren’t really life-size but some of the pretty large ones could definitely be life-size for a child!

Either way, this week on the blog we have a small but useful tip to help you evenly distribute the chocolate in your life-size moulded Santa Claus. Since these huge moulds aren’t likely to fit on a mould spinner, most candy makers seem to have a special way of spinning and flipping the moulds to be sure the chocolate doesn’t all gather on one side as it hardens. To help with this process our tip is to make a rule for your staff that each time they walk by the mould they need to flip it.

Be sure every staff member knows and understands the reason for this rule is to evenly spread the chocolate inside the mould to help ensure they’ll follow it. Additionally, it would be wise to assign a staff member to be in charge of ensuring the mould is flipped on a regular schedule. For example, if it needs to be flipped every five minutes and no one walks by for 10 minutes, this staff person would be the one to flip it at the five minute mark. It would probably be helpful to have a pen and paper chart nearby for staff to initial and write the time when they flip the mould.

By involving all staff to flip your extra large moulds you’ll be creating a team environment where everyone pitches in, in addition to adding an element of quality control,  

P.S. This tip came from our Mechanics of Chocolate Moulding education course held last fall. Attend RCI’s next education course, Chocolate Boot Camp®, by registering online today at retailconfectioners.org/bootcamp.

Tip #150: Promote Small Business Saturday®

Thanksgiving is just around the corner which means that Small Business Saturday will be here soon as well! This week’s tip is to take advantage of the free tools created by American Express® to let everyone know that your candy store is a great place to shop local on Saturday, November 29.

Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday is a day to celebrate local businesses by encouraging everyone to shop local on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. Visit the Small Business Saturday website to create personalized marketing materials to use on your website, social media and in your store to promote your small business as a fantastic place to shop local.

Tip #149: Create Thanksgiving Centerpieces

Can you believe we’re just three weeks away from Thanksgiving in the U.S.? That’s why this week’s tip is to help your customers celebrate Thanksgiving by selling fall-themed chocolate and candy centerpieces in your store.

The varieties and options for centerpieces are endless! One of our favorites is a chocolate cornucopia decorated with chocolate leaves and filled with chocolates and dried fruits (see photo above). While this centerpiece is an obvious investment of time, it sure makes for a beautiful display!

Another more simple idea is to create different sizes of trays or platters filled with your chocolates. Be sure to use a wrapping of some sort to make it feasible for the customer to transport the centerpiece to their home. We have also seen numerous sizes of turkey moulds used to create Thanksgiving centerpieces. Some candy makers sell the moulded chocolate turkey on its own while others may incorporate the turkey as the center of their trays and platters.

You could also consider trying a new twist on topiaries by covering a foam sphere with truffles (on top of parchment paper) and securing the sphere on a large candlestick. Or, make Thanksgiving-themed cake pops and create a centerpiece display out of them.

If your customer is buying a centerpiece it is because he or she likely cares very much about presentation, particularly on the Thanksgiving table. Therefore, provide something beautiful – and delicious – that customers will be proud to show off to their guests.

Tip #148: Give Back

The spirit of giving is almost upon us as the holidays near. And with that we would be remiss not to include a tip on the importance of giving back. While helping with fundraisers by providing candy bars is a way of giving, we’re talking about giving when you get nothing else in return but knowing that you have helped someone in need.

Every community has non-profit organizations serving the needs of a variety of charitable causes. Take a moment to find out what’s available in your community and then figure out how you can best help them. You never know what unique need they may have that you can help to meet!

A number of ways exist to give back to your community:

• Financially – Just like your own business, organizations need money in order to operate and keep the lights on. Consider financial contributions as a means of giving back.
• Time – Volunteer time is a great way to help your local community. Perhaps you could deliver meals to shut-ins, spend time with children who need a friend, do handiwork or even sort files. The key is to be willing to do whatever is needed.
• Resources – Do you have materials that you are throwing away that may be of use to someone else? Maybe you have extra pallets that a food bank could use, or retail displays that a non-profit owned thrift store could use. You never know until you ask!
• Product – Your product could be a great way to thank the hard workers at some of your local non-profit organizations. Oftentimes, they are working for little pay because of their passion for the cause so a few amazing truffles could bring an extra smile to their day!

Give back, starting now and keep up with the spirit of giving year-round. As Winston Churchill wisely said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

Tip #147: Embrace Social Media Conversations

If you’re on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform, this week’s tip is to embrace the conversations that arise out of those avenues.

Did someone comment on your photo? Did they share a post or Tweet on your wall? Take a moment to respond to all posts that are directed at your business and do your best to do so in a timely fashion. Your customers are paying close attention to your response time and if you are responding at all. Many users view your response (or lack of) as representative of your care for them as a customer so it’s imperative that they know you appreciate their business. One study found that 42% of consumers expect a social media response within 60 minutes, while 25% were satisfied if it was more than one hour but later the same day.

Of course we understand that most candy makers aren’t able to have a staff member dedicated only to social media. Therefore, we suggest you take advantage of the alerts within the social media platforms. For example, you can receive an email alert any time you are tagged or mentioned on Facebook, Twitter, etc. so that you don’t miss out on the conversation. If a quick response means gained customer satisfaction, then those extra emails will be worth it!

P.S. Don’t forget to make a plan to promote your business on Small Business Saturday next month! Check out last year’s blog post of ideas to help with your planning.