Tip # 202: 5 Tips for Creating a Memorable Promotional Event

Hosting a promotional event is a great way to develop new customers and increase traffic from existing customers. RCI member, Randy Good of Good’s Candy Shop, instructed attendees at RCI’s Merchandising Essentials course on how to execute a successful promotional experience. Here you will find five tips for building your business through effective promotional events.

Abbott's Candies demonstrates hand tempering for tour guests.

#1: Design an Event Around What You Do Best

For candy makers, this is the perfect opportunity to illustrate the care and attention that goes into your confections through candy-making demonstrations. Open your production facility for tours and allow guests to watch and sample your products.

We recommend complying with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), by requiring guests entering your production space to wear hair/beard nets and closed-toe shoes, to remove jewelry and abide by any other regulations made by Federal and State government. With clear communication of your guidelines, your guests will understand and appreciate the steps you’ve taken to ensure for the quality of your products and for their individual safety – plus, who doesn’t love taking a selfie in a hairnet?!

#2: Create a “Sticky” Event Name

When creating a name for your event, think of names that will “stick” or stand out in peoples’ minds. A memorable event name will help with the promotion of your event by capturing the attention of possible attendees, as well as the local media. If you host the event on an annual basis, this will also increase the chances of attendees to remember the previous events and the great time they had!

Goodstock is just one of many events Good's Candy Shop hosts to draw traffic to their retail store.

Staff at Good's Candy Shop take pride in representing their brand.

 #3: Represent Your Brand at its Best

Before you welcome new visitors into your business, keep in mind you only have one chance to make a first impression. Make sure all aspects of your business represent what your brand is or hopes to be. Not only should your store sparkle from front to back (even the area behind the counter that “no one” sees), your staff’s appearance should also reflect your brand. If your associates have a uniform or dress code, before an event is a good time to evaluate whether or not they need new aprons, name tags, branded apparel, etc. and to remind all staff of any guidelines pertaining to their attire. If you don’t have a dress code, consider creating an event t-shirt for your staff to wear – this will not only create a more cohesive look for your team, but help customers better identify staff if they have questions.

#4: Train Your Staff to Give

Successful events are about giving to the community. Train your staff on how to give information, courtesy, smiles and samples. Providing basic talking points or key phrases can help staff feel confident and better prepared to offer exception customer service to guests.

Samples are served with a smile at Rebecca-Ruth Candies.

Donaldson's Finer Chocolates is prepared to handle a crowd.

#5: Plan the Logistical Flow of Guests

Creating a plan for the flow of traffic through your facility can make a significant impact on the guest experience. Determine a plan to gently guide guests within your space by assigning specific staff to various touch points. Starting (most importantly) with a welcome greeting at the entrance, plan for three to four touch points (or more depending on the size of your store). At each touch point, station staff to offer product samples and even the chance to win a prize for signing up to receive promotional emails or joining your birthday club.  By planning ahead, you can prevent potential bottle necks and ensure your guests get the most out of their experience.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip # 201: Take Merchandising to New Heights with a Truffle Tree

Photos courtesy of Annedore's Fine Chocolates

A tower of truffles or “truffle tree” is a stylish way for your customers to serve truffles to a large group. The Truffle Tree also makes for an eye-catching merchandising display for your retail shop. It is a big ticket item that can add nice revenue to your store’s sales. With a little advance planning, building the tree can be relatively easy to execute.

Here you will find a list of materials needed and step-by-step instructions for creating this showpiece as provided by RCI member, Annedore's Fine Chocolates. RCI members: Click here to log on to RCI’s member site and view three variations of ganache recipes on page 9 of 2014’s 3^rd quarter issue of Kettle Talk.

For ease of construction, un-dipped ganache balls may be stored in the freezer. Simply follow the instructions below for thawing and dipping the ganache balls and you are ready to build a tree on demand.

Materials Needed:

• Truffles (see recipes below)
• Silicone mats
• Plastic wrap
• Foam block
• Parchment paper or aluminum foil (optional)
• Round toothpicks
• Tempered chocolate
• Foam cone
• Wrapping paper or fabric (preferably coordinating with the color of your truffles)
• Flathead pins
• Scissors
• Ribbon or tree topper (optional)

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Prepare truffle centers using your own ganache recipe or see recipes below. Pipe ganache onto silicone mats. Cover the mats with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours. Transfer mats to the freezer for 12 hours. Remove mats from the freezer and pop out ganache balls (Note: Balls may be returned to the freezer for future use). Cover balls with plastic wrap and allow them to come to room temperature.
2. Cover a foam block with parchment paper or aluminum foil, so it can be reused. Glue a toothpick into each ganache ball by, first, dipping one end of the toothpick into tempered chocolate and then inserting that end into the center of the flat side of the ganache ball. Allow toothpick to set up firmly in the ganache ball.
   
   
3. Once the toothpick is firmly set in the ganache ball you are ready to dip each ganache ball in tempered chocolate. Dip each ball carefully and then insert tooth-picked end of the ball into the block of foam. This will allow for perfect-looking, uniform truffles to create your truffle tree. Allow chocolate to set up. Truffles may be decorated while standing in the block of foam.
   
   
4. Before you begin to build your tree, first, wrap the foam cone completely with wrapping paper or fabric – secure with flathead pins, as needed.
   
   
5. Beginning at the bottom of the cone, push the tooth-picked truffles into the cone working your way around the cone to create the first row. On the second row, stagger the truffles by placing them in the open spaces created by the first row. Carefully work your way up the cone row by row until the entire cone is covered in truffles. Toothpicks may need to be cut as you reach the top of the cone.
   
   
6. Crown the top of your tree by inserting a tooth-picked truffle vertically on the top of the cone. Experiment with different tree toppers, such as a large bow or a chocolate initial or number (birthday idea). Use your imagination. 

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip # 200: Understand & Resolve the Generation Gap in Your Business

At Retail Confectioners International’s (RCI) Annual Convention & Industry Expo, Keynote Speaker, Matt Havens, kicked off the convention week with the hilarious opening session, Us vs. Them. Being a relevant topic for leaders of any business and industry, retail confectioners filled the education session eager to discover new solutions to effectively manage four distinct generations operating side-by-side. During Haven’s presentation, he poked fun at the different generations represented in today’s working environment, pointing out that there are really only two generations in the workplace, “people younger (or less-experienced) than you are and people older (or more experienced) than you are.”
 

©2016 Keynote Speaker Matt Havens. All Rights Reserved.

Not only were attendees rolling with laughter during his presentation, they walked away with a simplified understanding of the generation gap, as well as applicable strategies to create a more effective working environment for team members of all ages.

See below for just a few major takeaways, as well as  strategies from Matt Haven’s Us vs. Them.

MAJOR TAKEAWAYS

·         Advancement is a process that never stops. As a parent, you will continue to learn new things 20 and 30 and 40 years after the birth of your children. And as a professional, you should expect to keep learning new skills, new technologies, and new approaches in the last five years of your career just like you did in the first five years of your career.

·         Your company’s current practices and processes exist for extremely good reasons. To date, those practices and processes are the best that anyone who has ever worked at your company has ever come up with. That doesn’t mean they can’t be improved, but it definitely means that they shouldn’t be completely discounted either.

·         No matter what generation you consider yourself to be a part of, you do not know everything there is to know. Every generation needs the other, because no one group of people has a monopoly on knowledge. You need your older colleagues to learn how they’ve done what they’ve done and to help guide you so that you don’t have to constantly reinvent the wheel; and you need your younger colleagues to help you continuously look at your business from a new perspective.

GENERATIONAL STRATEGIES

·         Invite your newest employees to deliver a presentation to the rest of your team on a topic they already know something about. It will convince your newest team members that you value their knowledge, and it should also convince your older team members that your new hires have something valuable to offer.

·         When discussing a potential change, invite everyone to debate the pros and cons of adoption. You probably won’t get 100% buy-in once the final decision is made, any more than you’ll get 100% buy-in from anything. But you will be certain that you’re making your decision with all the available information, and everyone will know the potential risks to watch out for as well as the potential rewards for moving forward.

·         Create teams of varying age ranges. Studies have shown that diverse groups that communicate well with each other are consistently more productive than homogenous teams.

Learn more about Matt Haven's and his insightful journey to understanding the generational gap at www.matthavens.com. RCI Members: Stay tuned to view Matt's full presentation and other education sessions from RCI's 2016 Annual Convention & Industry Expo, which will be available on our member site at retailconfectioners.org.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Candy Hack: Avoid This Salty Situation

Image courtesy of Flickr and Vegan Feast Catering

The combination of salty and sweet makes chocolate-covered pretzels a popular treat any time of the year. Save yourself from creating a salty mess in your chocolate and in your cooling tunnel. Before enrobing pretzels in chocolate, dump them on a cooling rack, placed over a tray, to catch the excess salt. This simple tip will save time and money from extra cleaning needed for your equipment as well as the need to replace salty chocolate.

Photo courtesy of PinkCakePlate.com

Encourage seasonal interest by adding nonpareils or colored coatings to tie in with a merchandising display or holiday theme. Add a punch of patriotism for 4th of July and Labor Day with red, white and blue sprinkles and colorful striping with red and blue confectionery coatings.

Photo courtesy of  MakeBakeCelebrate.com

Just as easy as changing the colors of your sprinkles, you can switch gears for fall by incorporating these chocolate-covered pumpkin pretzels into your product lineup. These festive pretzels are almost too cute to eat!

Looking for more inspiration for your chocolate-covered pretzels? Try HalfBakedHarvest.com’s recipe for Chocolate-Covered Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels and take salty and sweet next level! However delicious it may be, you will definitely want to use this week’s tip on this recipe!

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #199: Make Lemonade: Fresh-Squeezed Merchandising Ideas

Photo credit (bottom left to right):2015 RCI Fall Candy Clinic,Stephen Libs Finer Chocolates,
 DIY Lemonade Stand, LilLuna.com, Lemonade Sign, Burton Avenue

Every kid knows that setting up a lemonade stand in the front yard is an easy way to earn some added spending money for the summer. Why can’t the same idea be incorporated into your retail shop to increase sales this summer?

Draw inspiration from this iconic summer enterprise for your next merchandising theme. First, brainstorm ideas to display your lemon-flavored treats. Something as simple as draping one of your existing display table with a swatch of lemon-clad fabric and accessorizing with fresh lemons and a pitcher can set the tone for your lemonade-themed display. If you, or someone you know, is handy with a hammer and nails, erect an actual lemonade stand with scrap wood or old pallets. Don't forget, a hand-painted “lemonade” sign is a must! Click the following links to view DIY tutorials for the Lemonade Stand from LilLuna.com and the Old-Fashioned Lemonade Sign from Burton Avenue.

Take your lemonade stand to the next level by inviting a local children’s organization, like the Girl Scouts or Boys & Girls Clubs, to actually sell lemonade at your shop as a fundraiser, alongside your lemon candies, of course. Maximize the opportunity for PR, but submitting a press release to the local media and encourage the kids and their families to invite relatives and friends to visit your shop and support their cause.

RCI member, Stephen Libs Finer Chocolates of Evansville, Indiana shared this great idea, including the products they incorporated into their lemonade stand, at Candy Clinic during the 2015 Fall Regional Conference in Maine. Members can click here to login and view a video of the presentation by Marjorie Libs of Stephen Libs Finer Chocolates on our website.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business. Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker.

Tip #198: 4 Things to Consider Before Succession Planning

Successful business acquisitions for both parties are often the result of strategic planning and preparations made many years before the business goes up for sale. Financial advisers will recommend the planning process starts at least two to five years prior to listing the business for sale, with the intent to make your business appealing to potential acquirers.

In this excerpt from Building and Selling a Successful Business, an education session lead by Andy Charles and Erin Collins of Haven’s Candies during RCI’s 2015 Fall Regional Conference, Charles outlined the following four areas to evaluate when molding a successful business in preparation for acquisition.

• FinancesThe financial picture of a business being groomed for future succession will look much different than a business that is operating to sustain itself and grow. It is important to position your business in a way that you are able to offer the best possible financial picture to future potential buyers. 

• Staffing
  A self-sustaining operation is more appealing to potential buyers. Begin training and nurturing your staff to operate the business, whether you are there or not – which, by the way, allows you to take a vacation now and then too.
  
  
• Facilities & Equipment
  A business that has been in operation for any length of time is likely to have less than ideal facilities or outdated equipment, which may have been tolerated through the years because the business was focused on other areas. This doesn’t mean you should build a new manufacturing facility or replace all of your equipment, but consider how these elements of the business will appear to an outsider. Then evaluate what is worth the investment to update and what’s not.
  
  
• Customers and suppliers
  When preparing your business for an acquisition, assess what opportunities and risks exist? What impact does a transition in ownership, both negative or positive, have on those relationships and how will you manage that?
  

Time and preparation offers the opportunity to position your business in a way that allows for the highest return, as well as the ability to focus on what’s important to you. For Charles, it was crucial to find a successor who would be a good steward of the business, take care of the employees and customers and play an active role in the community. Thanks to the due diligence performed years before the acquisition, Charles was able to find the right fit for his business and complete a successful transition between himself and Collins as the owner-operator of Haven’s Candies.

RCI members: Click here to login and view the complete presentation from Charles on topic of succession planning, as well as Collins’ take on the acquisition and transition process on our website.

Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business. Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker.

Tip # 197: Go Wild with Sweet Summertime Merchandising Inspiration

Photo credit:Top: DIY Tropical Backdrop, Brit + Co. Left to right: Chocolate Covered Orange,
  GiveRecipe.com, Pineapple with Sunglasses, PlayBuzz.com, Tropical Bark, Shutterbean.com

Once school is out for the summer, there is no doubt consumer’s social calendar will begin to fill up with pool parties, barbecues and family reunions. Impactful summer merchandising can help your business take advantage of opportunities for impulse purchases of your must-have summer treats!

Learn how to create this tropical
backdrop for your retail display.

An eye-catching, tropical summer-themed window display and photos shared through social media can encourage increased foot traffic in your store regardless of your location! Considering showcasing current products that incorporate tropical flavors, such as citrus, banana, pineapple, coconut and mango. Or introduce a limited edition of tropical-themed treats just for summer. Some options could be as simple as dried pineapple or mango dipped in dark chocolate or a tropical white chocolate bark made with toasted coconut, macadamia nuts and candied fruit, click here for a recipe courtesy of Shutterbean.com.

 

Don’t let your tropical ingredients hide out in the kitchen, let them shine in your retail space too! Pineapples, coconut and colorful citrus can be great, inexpensive props for your merchandising displays. Create a statement with a DIY tropical backdrop, click here for step-by-step instructions from Brit + Co.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip # 196: Coat Marshmallows in Dextrose

The season for s’mores is right around the corner. Variations of this classic summer treat continue to grow in popularity, but don’t let a rise in seasonal demand lead you rock-hard, dried-out marshmallows!

If you’re not enrobing the marshmallow, roll it in dextrose after it is cut to prevent it from drying out. For marshmallows bound for the enrober, adding a little dextrose to the top and bottom will also help the chocolate stick.

Some candy makers use powdered sugar for the same effect, however, the added sweetness from the powdered sugar may make your marshmallows too sweet.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip # 195: Spice Up the Grill with Cocoa!

Image courtesy of Mister GC at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Kick off grilling season by offering consumers something a little unexpected…cocoa!

If you’re a candy maker, you know a thing or two about cocoa. Put your knowledge of chocolate flavors to work and develop your own special blend of cocoa rub. When mixed with salt and spices, cocoa can make for a great, savory rub, which can be used on steak, chicken and pork.

Start by researching a simple recipe for cocoa rub, like this one from TheDomesticMan.com, then do some experimenting of your own to find the perfect mix. This can be packaged in a small, clear candy bag and tied with twine for a homemade and masculine look. If you’ve got some outdoor space by your store, consider firing up the grill and passing out samples to passersby – first, check with your local health department to ensure your following sampling guidelines.

Stir up some buzz, by sharing your new product on social media and write a press release for the local media. RCI President, Brian Pelletier of Kakao Chocolate, shared his recipe for Cocoa Grilled Pork and got invited to do a cooking demonstration for the local news. Talk about sweet exposure! Click here to view Brian’s interview on Fox News in St. Louis.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip # 194: Create your Own Nutrition Fact Labels

Get answers to even the trickiest questions directly from
confectionery professionals through RCI’s List Serve.

So, your business is required to provide nutrition fact labels for your products. Whether you’re looking for a solution or reconsidering your current solution, you can create your own FDA-approved nutrition fact labels without spending a fortune. Read the following recommendations from fellow candy makers through RCI’s forum, List Serve.

“My state health department offers a free service. I gave them my ingredients, package size and serving size and they built complete nutritional labels.”   - W. Lewis, Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolates

“NutraCoster is a good program for creating nutritional and ingredient information panels. Another good one is Genesis R&D by ESHA Research. Both of these programs have generic ingredients to add, but you have the ability to use specific information on ingredients like chocolate.” – M. Koch, Morley Candy Makers/Sanders Candy

“We use NutraCoster as well and like it okay, but I just learned about ReciPal, who will do individual recipes for $19. They also have monthly plans.”   – B. Pelletier, Kakao Chocolate

Not sure if your business is required to provide nutritional information for your products? Click here to learn about the FDA’s requirements for nutrition labeling.
 

Get answers to even the trickiest questions directly from confectionery professionals through RCI’s List Serve. RCI members: click here to post your own questions or subscribe to daily digests and threads. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip #193: Make your business more relatable through social media

#BehindRCIChocolateBootCamp

Make your business more relatable by offering glimpses behind-the-scenes through social media. In addition to sharing product photos, look for ways to tie in images that illustrate recipe development and testing, family dynamics (if you’re a family business) your company culture, and daily routines when appropriate. Plus, use a hashtag, like #behind>yourcompany< for followers to track all your insider footage in one place.

By welcoming followers behind the scenes, your business will feel more genuine and relatable than competitors who only share glamour shots of their products.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Tip # 192: Make your Favorite Summer Treats Pop!

Pop Rocks Truffles from Love & Olive Oil, Patrotic Strawberries from Our Best Bites,
Firecracker Bark from Not Your Momma's Cookie

Get things poppin’ this summer with the surprising addition of Pop Rocks^® to your favorite summer recipes! Put a little unexpected zing into your truffles or sprinkle on top of chocolate-covered potato chips, chocolate-covered strawberries, barks or really anything, by incorporating this fun and festive candy into your Memorial Day, 4^th of July and Labor Day celebrations! The fun nature of the Pop Rocks makes these products great to sample during busy traffic days or promote on social media.

Keep in mind, Pop Rocks may react to the water content found in heavy cream or other ingredients used in the above recipes. To avoid this, simply coat the Pop Rocks in cocoa butter to protect the “pop” until it hits consumer’s mouths!

Pop Rocks® is a registered trademark of Zeta Espacial SA.
Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.

Continue your education through the Allured Fund for Confectionery Education

We’ve all seen the statistics on the effect of education on one’s personal income, but have you considered the effects continued education can have on a business?

Whether you’re investing in your own personal education as a business owner or manager or training for your staff, these investments can make a significant impact on the success of your business by helping you improve business practices and remain relevant in your industry.

Are you interested in attending an educational course or convention in the confectionery industry, but aren’t able to due to financial hardship? The Allured Fund for Confectionery Education awards grants of $500 to attend educational functions sponsored by the American Association of Candy Technologists (AACT), Professional Manufacturing Confectioners’ Association (PMCA), Retail Confectioners International (RCI), the National Confectioners 
Association (NCA) or the Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA). 

Click here to learn more about the Allured Fund for Confectionery Education and download an application form.

Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.