Whether You Are A Balloon Wholesaler, Retailer or Decorator, This Applies To You.
This Isn’t A Sprint It’s A Marathon!
It’s amazing how many improvements we continue to make as the balloon industry continues to grow. And as GO International has been a leading Importer and Balloon Wholesaler for over 30 years we’ve loved seeing our industry evolve.
As the UK’s leading Party and Balloon supplier, our aim is always to help you make every event a truly memorable experience for all those involved. This is often through Training and Education including Fun and Networking on an unprecedented scale, so if anything has been holding you back call or email GO International right now to join us on this exciting journey. We have been in the wholesale balloon business for over 30 years now and continue to lead by example.
During my time in the balloon wholesale and party industry I’ve had the privilege of working with so many of you, and I thank you for helping me better understand the pain and pleasure of being a Balloon & Party Supplier, yes, even those of you that PM me at 1.30am in the morning needing urgent advice on balloon float times!
What has continued to astound and surprise me time and time again though, is the failure to understand what an amazing opportunity we all have in this industry, so many are held back by their own demons and limited self-beliefs. Time and time again I find myself having the same conversation when every excuse known to man is blamed for the business not doing well, when the only true reason for the business not flying is inevitably the owner. Yes, I know that’s going to upset many of you, but I’m really not here to smile serenely and tell you you’re doing a great job (although a few of you actually really are).
Broken down to its simplest form, building a balloon business is nothing more than building relationships and finding a good party and balloon supplier. Yet so many of you fail to understand the lifelong value of your client. Notice I say client over customer, as the definition of a client is being under the care, protection and well-being of another. That definition alone has so much more power than the word customer, and should instill in you the importance of your client relationships. In some instances, you don’t even know who your client is meant to be, where to find them or what to sell them once you have! You can’t just go up to someone and say “Buy From Me”, you need to have a compelling reason as to why they should choose you over the 100’s of alternatives out there.
A strong relationship isn’t instantaneous and we need to heavily invest in them to pay off. As an example, let’s look at one of the most important relationships of all, marriage. More time, effort and focus is spent planning this one day event and yet often, so little thought is given to what happens when the guests go home. Could this be a reason why more than half fail? So… work on building strong relationships.
OK, so why haven’t you got enough paying clients? Let’s assume you’ve now decided you know who your target audience is, how do you get them flocking to you? It’s a good idea to understand who is already very successful at doing what you want to do and look for clues. This isn’t mercenary or classed as stealing clients it’s actually good business sense and happens at every level in every industry. Also find a mentor or advisor and ask better questions, owning your own business doesn’t have to be a lonely experience.
There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. We are never more than a few google clicks away from finding “how to” guides on almost everything. The wealth of useful information is everywhere, as is the abundance of drivel, so choose who you listen to wisely. Also immerse yourself in your subject and mix with likeminded people, the very best place to do that this year is without doubt at the NABAS 30th Anniversary Event! here you will find manufacturers such as Anagra, Qualatex, Pioneer, BOC, Air Products, Plremium Balloon Accessories and a host of Wholesale balloon suppliers.
Unless you are committed to be the very best you can with an attitude of constant and never-ending improvement don’t expect success and adulation! Please don’t waste your clients time if you don’t sincerely believe you are offering a better service and a better outcome by their choosing you. If you don’t unconditionally believe in yourself, why should they? You must be committed to producing an experience beyond the norm, so your client becomes your raving fan and YOU MUST ask for referrals. There is no better advertisement that a satisfied customer.
Talking about satisfied customers, also realise that not everyone is going to love you, this can be quite difficult for some of us to accept, but as long as we sincerely believe we are doing the very best we can, for the right reasons, don’t let the haters hurt you. We’ve become a nation of complainers and certain customers would have you believe a popped balloon is Armageddon, and that we should sell our soul to make recompense for the disaster we have caused! Learn to put complaints into prospective, and do your best to resolve them, but certainly don’t allow your client to blackmail you into unrealistic submission with threats of telling the World about your incompetence on social media!
I think I’m going over my allocated space, so regrettably I’ll have to wrap this up soon, but apparently very few of you read my blog and just go straight to the pretty pictures anyway! So, in closing your greatest attribute has to be your willingness to serve better than anyone else, control your world, understand you are your only competition, never lower yourself to everyone else’s standards, but raise above them in ways they will never understand. Make it very clear you are playing at a far higher level. You are very capable of growing and succeeding in what at times seems like an overcrowded industry. When you truly realise how much more is possible your head will burst with ideas, and the question will be not am I worthy of this goal, but is this goal worthy of me! Remember, the things you do when no one’s looking are the things that define you.
George Oustayiannis
Director Of GO International the UK’s Leading Balloon & Party Wholesaler.
george@gointernational.co.uk
