Here's an idea that makes a fun flyer to send to your customers or put in reorder bags. This is a calendar that has a different product on sale each day of the month. I'm going to credit the flyer to Sr. Director Julie Potts, but I'm not sure it is originally from her. (Don't you love the way we share?) It may be too late to send it for December, but again...tell them they can begin on the day they received it, and then into January for the ones they have missed at the beginning of December. Or, you could redesign it for a different month using the calendars on many design programs (Publisher, Word (go to File, then New, then Calendar Wizard), or Print Shop). One of your goals is to introduce as many new products to your customers as you can. One time at a sales meeting, my unit and I decided to figure out how much an average customer, using Mary Kay from head to toe, would spend in a year. Besides realistic amounts of skin care, customized products, and the other product groups, we allowed four lipsticks per year, a few eye shadows, one or two colognes (I can't remember), acne gel and blemish products for a teenager (before Velocity!), and shave cream and a cologne for the husband. We were very conservative in the number of containers of each product needed in a year. When we totaled it up, the amount was near $1,000 per year. And that was years ago...we've now added new products and had a couple of price increases on certain things. Can you see how you can easily be on National Queens Court of Sales by just having 32 customers who use MK exclusively and are on all the product sets? It's not having a huge number of customers, it's how many are on lots of products. That's why selling the roll-up is so great. It gets them on lots of different products which they will fall in love with and reorder regularly. But, if you don't sell a roll-up, don't dispare! Just keep introducing new products one or two at a time. Since I use a software program (Boulevard) to track my sales and customers, I have a history on each customer, so I know what they have bought and how often they buy it. My new strategy for the new year is to offer a new product (one that is not tracked on their history) at each reorder. When they purchase regular reorder products, then I'll offer them any one new product they've never purchased for an introductory price of 50% off. Now, it can't be just a new shade of eye or lip. It must be an entirely new product. I will forego my profit to get them to try something they wouldn't normally buy. Are your customers like mine and most of them reorder the same things month after month? You aren't getting a profit on what they aren't buying anyway, so why not give up your profit just to get them to try something. If it is sitting on your shelf collecting dust, you aren't making any money. But if it is in the hands and on the body of your customer, you have the potential of her loving it and reordering it and telling her friends how wonderful it is and getting some new referral sales. I'm going to post a sign in my product display room kind of like the signs you see in fast food restaurants..."If I fail to ask you if you want to add tator tots to your order, your coke is free." Well, my sign will say, "If I fail to offer you a new product that you've never purchased before at an introductory price of 50% off, you get a sponge tip applicator for free." It's a habit I must get into in order to remember to offer it to them. Here's to a new year of wonderful sales.
Love and Belief,
Donna Bayes