April 2014 Inventory Updates

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SUPERMAN SHAPE

When a Superman mylar shape is ordered, partners are free to use the shape from 2013 or this new 2014 shape.

SUPERMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY

When a Superman Happy Birthday mylar is ordered, partners are free to use the design from 2013 or this new 2014 design.

THINKING OF YOU

The design from 2013 has been discontinued by the manufacturer. We have selected this specific new design as a replacement because it is ideal for both genders and comes closer than any other design to resembling the 2013 design. Please use the original design from 2013 or this new replacement.

FIRST BIRTHDAY SHAPE – LOOK WHO’S ONE

This design has been discontinued by Betallic but remains in stock, and should be available through 2014. Rainbow and Loftus have committed to carrying this balloon as long as stock remains available from Betallic. US partners should rely on Rainbow and Loftus when other suppliers run out.

CLASS OF 2014

This has always been a tricky balloon to keep in stock because of it’s limited life span. Consequently, partners are free to use any Class of 2014 design that they are able to procure. This balloon is being sold as an add-on only. Once you run out, please let us know so we can disable this selection in your account.

 

Love The Big Red

In Zones where 3ft latex balloons are sold (USA 3 and 4, plus Toronto), Balloon Planet now offers Big Red, a 3ft Ruby Red latex balloon, anchored with a Silver hand-crafted foil weight, to which a helium-filled Valentine’s heart mylar is anchored. A separate gift bag, tied to the weight, includes 1lb of Hersey Kisses. Red satin acetate ribbon is used for a bow and streamers attached to the balloon. Total height of this display is 5-6 feet.

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Clarification for Valentine Bubble Balloons

I apologize for any confusion related to our Valentine’s Bubble Balloons. These Bubble rules should clear things up.

1. The three Bubble Balloons in the top row are interchangeable with each other. Do not use any other Bubble Balloon designs in their place.

2. The three Bubble Balloons in the bottom row are not interchangeable and cannot be substituted with each other or any alternate design.

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TV Time – The Unpoppables

Many of you know Addi Somehk, balloon hat creator extraordinaire. And if you don’t, you’ll enjoy visiting his web site, www.balloonhat.com. Without a doubt, Addi and his traveling companion/photographer, Charlie Eckert, have taken balloons to more exotic places than anyone else on the planet. Even if you’re not a twister, this site will leave you amazed and smiling.

Now Addi has teamed up with Brian Asman and Katie Lalbstain  to bring us The Unpoppables, premiering February 7th on The Learning Channel. Each episode has the team transforming a plain venue into a balloon wonderland. Trailers can be viewed now on the TLC web site. Congratulations Addi, and thank you for introducing even more people to balloons. This looks like a hit!

Here comes the Hound!

You’re all doing a great job confirming the receipt of your incoming orders, and this has increased our operating efficiency enormously. But we still have a ways to go with delivery confirmations. Only half of our partners have adopted this procedure. Half! So, after a year of politely coaching, we’re  going to take coaching up a notch. Tonight we launch the hounding campaign heard round the world. And it will continue until every partner is regularly confirming the delivery of their orders. Prepare to confirm or prepare to be hounded. Whoof! Whoof!

When you send us a DELIVERED confirmation three things happen. And they are three good things.

1. The customer gets a copy of the confirmation. That relaxes them and makes us look like we’re on top of things. And it means they won’t be calling us to see if their order has been delivered. In addition, your message includes an invitation for them to rave about your service.

2. Balloon Planet gets a copy of the confirmation. That relaxes us and makes us think you’re on top of things. And it means we won’t be calling you to see if that order was delivered. It saves all of us time.

3. A portion of your account screen goes from gray to green. And the same thing happens to our screen. It’s a nice color these days. And I’ll take green over gray any day.

Have a good night. And beware of the dog.

Cheeeeeeers!

Jim

Filling the Gaps

Not long ago the web site page size was widened at BalloonPlanet.com. The wider size allows us to position more images per page, providing a more efficient shopping experience. However, a side effect was the creation of gaps flanking the branded web site banners. An example is shown below. Filling these gaps is a project we are steadily working on, and at the current rate we should be finished by May. Thank you for your patience.

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