Alycia Cheatham, Independent Scentsy Consultant (702) 468-4744

Thu 19 Aug 2010

The Truth About Direct Sales Contests

Posted by Alycia Cheatham under Direct Sales
1 Comment

Often times you’ll see the tip “run a contest to get more sales!”, and general tips on how to do it, but there’s some facts you should know before holding your own.

I’ve seen countless “sign up to our newsletter and be entered into our monthly contest” and see them submitted to various contest sites. Have you ever ran a contest like this? If you have you know that it will probably bring you several hundred new subscribers. Sounds like a great idea right? Wrong. While you may have hundreds of new subscribers, you have very little that are interested in buying anything from you. What you have is a list of people that are looking to WIN something, and want something for free. That’s why they are on these lists you submitted your contest to – because they hope they will win free products and not have to pay for any of it. You on the other hand want BUYERS, not freebie seekers. Not to say there is something wrong with being a freebie seeker (I think we all love to get free items, and are always on the look out for deals like this!), but they are not your target market.

While contests can be a good thing and DO build your list, understand the conversion rate for a freebie seeker list is very, very low compared to one that is made up of current customers and people honestly interested in your product. While these aren’t exact numbers and you will need to run your own test, it may take 1,000 subscribers on a freebie list to gain one extra sale while a list of 100 targeted subscribers may produce 2-3 sales. Quite a difference right?

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Mon 16 Aug 2010

Direct Sales-Home Party Plan Customer Service Tips

Posted by Alycia Cheatham under Customer Service
[7] Comments

When you are in business for yourself, it is your responsibility to service your customers full circle. Always remember they are the lifeline to success in your business. How you treat your customers will reflect greatly on your success. Master your customer service skills because they will always have that sign on them saying, “Make Me Feel Important.”

Customer service begins with a schedule: It’s important that when you begin your business that you make a decision on how often you will service your customers and stick to it! Depending on your particular product it twice a year, once a quarter, once a month – decide and stick with it long term.

Offer your customers more than one way to reach you: You will definitely want to order business cards right away if you haven’t already. This is the perfect way for your customers to keep your information on file. Include your e-mail address, your cell number, your office number, your fax number, and your voice-mail number and web address. The website is the best way for them to reach you so really push that site address with them. Customers also tend to order more when they go out to a site and see all you have to offer and what’s new.

Every customer should be on a mailing list: Create a newsletter and send it out to him or her. It doesn’t have to be fancy – just keep them up to date on what’s going on with your business. If your company offers a mailing direct from them – DO IT! Nothing is more professional that what your company can produce for you.

Follow up is ALWAYS the key: Customers who have purchased products from you but have not been followed up within a 6 month time period will feel free to purchase elsewhere.

Set up a delivery schedule: If you have a consumable product, you will have reorders as time goes on – when your customers call you with an order offer them at least 2 different delivery times – if that won’t work, offer to drop it in the mail. Run your business; don’t let your customer’s orders run you! Choose in advance when your delivery days are – they will respect that.

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Wed 11 Aug 2010

Home Party Businesses : How To Boost Sales At Home Parties & Direct Sales Profits

Posted by Alycia Cheatham under Home Party Plan
1 Comment

Now do you see why a home party plans business is about you?  You are your own advertisement, your own walking billboard, your own marketing, your own promotional.  The manner in which you conduct yourself will determine whether you continue to be a struggling home party consultant or a 6-Figure home party success.

I am heard often saying that a home party plan business is not about the home party company.  A home party business is about you, the home party consultant.  I would like to explain myself.  Direct sales home parties are a great way to make sales, but not if you are going about it as I am about to describe. This particular was inspired by the movie How To Loose Friends and Alienate People, which I do not recommend you watch

1.    Verbal Diarrhea, don’t stop talking.  Just go on and on about your wonderful home party company, its’ wonderful products never noticing your prospects eyes have long since glazed over.

2.    Become a stalker, harass your friends, family and neighbors, and when that doesn’t work, take to the mall, put fliers on the windshields of cars.  Drive-by prospecting is also recommended. When the people you are chasing after say no, just ignore them, after-all what do they know! Besides everyone else is building their home party business in this manner so it’s got to be the right way.

3.    Don’t find a best fit solution.  Try and sell them everything in the home party companies catalog.  Shove it down their throats if you have to!

4.    Always be focused on yourself.  We all love a home party consultant that tells everyone who will listen that they are only doing this for the pink Cadillac, white Mercedes, or the big bonus check, or the vacation!

5.    Never deliver home party products on time. In fact, it is better not to contact the customers once the transfer of legal tender has transpired, let them figure it out on their own!

6.    Goodness do not and I repeat do not follow up with home party sales, never ask how they enjoyed the products, what they liked or disliked.

7.    At your home party demonstrations, makes sure your hostess is untrained and clueless.  Simply cut her or him out of the proceeding, after all her job was to bring live breathing and warm bodies to you!

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Tue 10 Aug 2010

The Importance Of Using Your Own Domain Name In MLM Advertising

Posted by Alycia Cheatham under Multi-Level Marketing
[3] Comments

When you are promoting your MLM opportunity, having your own domain name is essential if you want to achieve true success. The reason for this is the fact that you need to be different and not appear like everyone else. One main way to look different is to re-direct or cloak your MLM website link.

Once benefit of cloaking your MLM website link is you will be protecting yourself from the spam filters. It’s no secret that MLMers are notorious for spamming. When the ISP gets complaints about a particular spammer, they will often block any and every email from that domain. If you use a re-direct, then you can get around this filter.

Another benefit of redirecting your link is search engine optimization. If you write articles and submit them with a signature file that has your MLM affiliate website link, the MLM company site gets the back links. And what if your MLM opportunity went bankrupt or you decided to pursue another opportunity? You would lose all of your backlinks that you worked so hard to obtain. If you are using your own domain, you would just redirect them to your new business. Wouldn’t that be a much smarter method for doing business?

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Thu 5 Aug 2010

How To Profit From Your Organizations Next Candle Fundraiser

Posted by Alycia Cheatham under Fundraising
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Candle fundraiser sales are very profitable

What exactly is a candle fundraiser? Candle fundraisers are your basic order taker fund raiser, but you need to do more than just show pictures of candles. Showing samples will allow customers to sample the fragrances and dramatically boost your candle fundraiser’s results.

The basic concept is the same as all order taker fundraisers. You equip your sellers with a brochure, an order form, and a basic sales script. The only difference is carrying some samples of the best sellers.

The brochure describes the various candle selections and provides details on color, aroma, size, shape, weight, and container type. Price points are usually on the order form itself.

Unlike candy or cookie dough, it’s easy for your sellers to carry samples. Their non-perishable nature makes them a great fit for week long sales efforts.

One of the great things about candle fundraisers is how the aroma of your samples makes the selling process so much easier. Most buyers will sniff several samples and imagine how the candles will fill their homes with their pleasant smells.

Perennial favorites are french vanilla, bayberry, apple, pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, holiday pine, melon burst, and citrus breeze.

Candle sizes range from small two-ounce votive candles all the way up to giant three-pound ball or bell-shaped versions with multiple wicks.

Several fundraising companies have candles in decorative shapes like various fruits, animals, wizards, trees, and figurines. In addition, large rectangles, cylinders, half-rounds, and tapers are always readily available.

Some companies also offer container-based candles which burn more slowly and safely. They also avoid messy cleanup problems. Popular styles are Mason jars, jars with handles, jars with screw tops, and square glass containers.

Profit Tips For Your Next Candle Fundraiser

A candle fundraiser is a great way for school clubs, cheer squads, or scout groups to raise funds because the unit price is high and most sales are for multiple units. Here’s how you can maximize your candle fundraising profits.

Provide samples
Believe it or not, using sample candles doubles the sales volume. Why? Because people can see, touch, and most importantly, smell the candles.

The fragrance is what sells the product and that doesn’t come through on the brochures. Not until they start providing scratch & sniff versions anyway!

Order at least two sample candles for each seller. Get a variety of all the popular fragrances in the main styles. Your fundraising company can easily tell you which ones those are and you can use the samples to fill orders, so you’re not wasting any money.

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