Halloween Marketing Ideas

Here are a few great tips to get your name out this Halloween:

1. When the moms come with their children, to your door, give the kids the candy and then give a treat or sample to the mom. Say, "I have a treat for you too!"

2. If you are going around the neighborhood with your children, hand the gift or sample to the mom, (or ask if she is there) and give her the "treat." 3. If your neighborhood, school, or church does a "Trunk or treat" be sure to participate and give your samples there. Everyone loves to get a "treat," even the moms and dads.

4. Give a "treat" at your parties during the month of October. Tell your customers that this is a great time to get started in the business because they can use "Halloween" as an opportunity to tell people what they do. Plus, the holiday season is a time when people are buying gifts, so their sales get off to a great start.
Gold Canyon offers some great tealight samples- they come with little boxes and a place to put your business card. You can order them on Supply Order. They offer Ginger Lime, Fresh Orange, and Clean Sheets. The cost is $10.98 for 30 boxes and tealights. What a DEAL!
Halloween is a great time to jumpstart your Holiday business, so take advantage of the opportunity!

5. Send out an email to your customers with a special offer. This one will boost your monthly totals but will cost you your commission on minimum orders. "TRICK OR TREAT! Gold Canyon only Treats! Spend $30 and receive a 5oz FREE! Hurry, Offer Ends 10/31 at midnight"

Have a great weekend! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Demonstrators

We have a new teammate that is on fire! Raquel (AZ) stirred up interest in the business with a friend at her first party. She brought the friend, Chrissy to our team meeting and she signed up just after. Raquel helped Chrissy sign up a demo after her first party as well! They've been working together to market their businesses. Raquel is great to update me on her new team's success by email, "She is doing great and excited as ever. I'm helping her with her second party tomorrow. Her recruit is doing great, too and I believe her party is coming up very soon too. We are all pretty much an excited bunch of demo's. We let our excitement SOAR. :) We're tryin to burn some pounds by marketing twice a week in the mornings. It's nice yet I've bumped into 2 old friends in this manner. One gal is going to do a catalog party and the other I need to check in with." I just love hearing about it and feeling inspired by her enthusiasm. Raquel and Chrissy both recently attended the Tucson training meeting with me. She reports, "I encouraged myself to invest in the tealites. The tealites have helped me be stronger in the way of speaking up about Gold Canyon. In order to be successful I have to be out there with my team. We market twice a week utilizing flyers, but when I we see a individual walking into a store, or heading towards their vehicle I get there attention and let them know how wonderful our products are by giving them a brochure, and a free tealite, and I end my conversation by collecting their name, address, and phone number so I can follow up with them in a couple of days. It's a powerful little tool to utilize. From marketing Christy has received one party, and I have received one catalog party. We make action happen every week without out we will not succeed."

Another wonderful demonstrator also attended our Tucson meeting. Megan brought her good friend Eli with her.... who claimed she was just there for moral support. I really enjoyed meeting both ladies and hoped I could get Eli on board, she would be a great demonstrator!! I have since talked to Megan and Eli really is considering joining... come Eli, DO IT!!! Anyways, I asked Megan what she brought back from the meeting and she replied, "it helped me to just refocus and put more time into my business. I have 2 parties scheduled for October 3 and October 4! I have only done one party so I didn't really have anything but the samples to show. So I ordered some things a couple days ago that I think people would buy if they could see it in person. I also have another two parties in the works but one of them wants to have the party in their new home so we are waiting till that gets finalized! If I can get a good base of customers from these parties then I am going to get my website back up and running! Also, I think that I am going to try to make the toffee for the parties coming up! It was soooo tasty and would be a great way to sell the candle!" I can feel her excitement and I'm happy that she has reignited her flame with her candle business.

Thank you Raquel and Megan for sharing your stories with us, and for the amazing work you are putting in to your candle business! We all have a few things to learn from you!

Candle Helper

My apologies for a scantily clad little girl... but this week I had the cutest candle helper I had to snap a shot and share! My 2-yr old stepped in to help me place my re-order labels on a candle order. It kept her busy for a while and when she was finished putting a sticker on the bottom of each candle she started putting them all over herself...

I hope you and your families are having a great summer and enjoying your experience selling Gold Canyon!

4th of July

My kids helped me enter our local parade this year. We decorated our quad and threw tealights. It was so much fun for us and all the lucky moms who came home from the parade with a free candle! We packaged the tealights singly in snack bags along with a business card and threw about 250. I also ordered about 100 sample packets of the Emerge lotions and handed those out as well. Of course we had saltwater taffy to throw to the kids and played our All-American tunes. It was a great time!!!

I made the banners with about a yard and a half of marine blue vinyl from our local fabric store. With my 40% off coupon it only cost me $10 for all 3 banners. I bought a grommet kit from the hardware store for $15 and a friend of mine printed all the lettering for $45. The sides say "Keep America Burning Bright!" and the rear has the Gold Canyon logo with my website. All-in-all the banners cost me $70 and I can re-use them in the future.

Use this as an idea for advertising your businesses. Use your creativity and have fun!!!

It's Not About YOU

I was told a story of an experiment a man tried on an airplane. On one leg of his flight, he talked non-stop about himself to the person sitting next to him. The next flight, he asked the person next to him questions to learn about that person. Both people were interviewed after leaving the plane. The first person said the person sitting next to him was the most boring person he had ever met. The other person said the gentleman was so interesting and that he enjoyed talking with him. Hmmm. It goes to show that IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!

Dale Carnegie once shared this brilliant thought: "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

According to Belinda Ellsworth, motivational speaker and direct sales trainer, "These words have literally changed my life and the way I do business. When communicating with others, the more impressed you are by them, the more impressed they will be by you. It's not about you; it's about them!

"When you're at your shows or sharing your opportunity, always understand that you're not the star. It's not about you. It's about the people whom you're trying to reach. Stop talking and start listening. Effective listening is a two-way street. It's a dialogue, not a monologue. This give-and-take is where the greatest learning takes place."

My challenge for you this week is to take a genuine interest in the people you meet. Be positive and look for the good in everyone. The more positive you are and the more you care for others, the more people will be attracted to you -- in your business and your life.

Personal Websites

Most of the calls and questions I've been answering for you recently have been concerning the corporate-sponsored demonstrator websites. Here it is in a nutshell:

1. How much does it cost?
Quarterly $29.97 or Yearly 99.97 You choose which way you prefer and they will bill you automatically. This amount also includes Gold Canyon's monthly E-Newsletter Service for all the clients with email addresses in your Customer List. You can cancel your subscription anytime by going to Essentials/Action/My E-Tools.

2. How do I sign up?
Log in to Essentials and go to Action/My E-Tools. You pick your URL, billing cycle and payment amount, and Voila! You're ready to start your Internet business. Check out our team mate's sites (scroll down and look at right column). This will give you ideas to personalize your site.

3. Is it worth it? Absolutely! Having a personal website allows you to accept customer credit card orders -- simply enter it on your personal website, better yet, let them enter their own orders and pay with their credit card! Also, you can share your website with friends and family who don't live close to you. They'll support your business and no shipping hassles! Your customers will love being able to shop online 24/7.

4. Tips & Hints All of you that already have personal websites, please share any ideas or tips you've learned or experienced with the rest of us. My advice - you have to market yourself if you want business!!!! Customers don't just show up on there, you have to get your website "out there". Put a magnetic sign on your vehicle, add your new website to your business cards, reorder stickers and catalogs.

"Do You Love Candles?"

One of our team demos, Jenny from AZ sent me an email today. She said "I can't seem to find anyone that wants to buy anything, do you have any suggestions?"

I wanted to share my response with all of you as well.

My first suggestion for you would be to try to meet some new people with the purpose of your candle business in mind. For most people, this means getting out of your comfort zone a little, but it pays off. At conference a demonstrator who is doing remarkably well, shared how she experiences so much success. Her name is Roshonda Contee-Davis, and she had a friendly, smiley, outgoing personality. Every person she talks to, she asks, "Do you love candles?" It opens up a conversation that leads to a business opportunity. Almost always, the person will answer "yes", then you can share why you sell Gold Canyon, and tell about our products. Then, give a catalog or business card or whatever you promote yourself with. The person can become a customer, a host or a new demonstrator.

The key is, Roshonda literally asks EVERYONE -- including the person giving her the food at the drive-thru, the lady in line at the supermarket, the insurance service rep on the telephone -- anyone and everyone she talks to, she asks that same question, "Do you love candles?" So let's all give that a good try. Be brave! Just ask that simple question to everyone you come in contact with for a day and see if it opens any doors for you. I bet you'll want to do it the next day, too!

My second suggestion would be practice some of the scripts we were given to "call up" parties. To find these, scroll down to the "Labels" section of the column to the right. Click "Booking" and then scroll down to the post titled "It's a Party Out There". Be confident, you have much to offer!

While you're going about these challenges, remember this: If you want what you've never had you must do what you've never done. My piano teacher used to tell me, "Practice makes nearly perfect" - so everybody, let's start practicing!!! Please let me know how it goes.

Demonstrator Meeting 8/28

Traci, Katie, Erin

Our teammates who attended the recent meeting

Last Thursday we had a combined meeting with a few local Gold Canyon teams. Our theme was "Movin' and Shakin" and all of the convention attendees shared their "ah-ha" moment from conference. I brought home some new great ideas to share, read on!

First of all, our Regional Sales Manager, Kathleen Quirk was visiting from the home office. She announced the dates for next year's convention so you can start planning for it now. Please mark your calendar for Aug 12-14, 2009 in Phoenix.

Catalog Idea: Include a cover letter with every catalog you send out! Personalize it to your style, taste and customers. I've already incorporated this into my business, I feel great about it and I can't wait to see how my customers respond.

Party Favor: Print out little slips on your computer (or hand-write if you're neat or crafty) "Be a Smartie, have a party!" Attach each slip with stickers or ribbon to packages of smarties candies and fill a cleaned-out candle jar with them at your next party.

Another saying to use on a handout or write in catalogs, "When money's low, have a show!"

Customer Care: Remember to stay in touch with your customers. Get to know the people at your parties. You'll gain their trust and respect. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Feedback on our new diffusers: Some customers who haven't used this type of product may initially hold back because they're "too expensive". At our meeting, some of the demonstrators reported that they have shopped and compared diffusers from other companies. Pottery Barn sells similar products for $40, and Pier 1 Imports also sells expensive diffusers that aren't as fragrant. Personally, I found a $21 diffuser in ABC Distributing, with a few desirable fragrance choices, but I know from experience that the products have a tendency to be "discount store" quality. I think that Gold Canyon has priced ours well, and everyone is excited about the appliques and long-lasting 3-5months!

Product versatility: Our cute new tealight set "Tree Squirrels" don't have to hold just tealights! Home Goods store sells little acorn salt & pepper shakers that fit on perfectly. Our squirrels are only available while supplies last, so buy yours now!

Lysol vs. GC's Suddenly Scented Sprays: One of the demonstrators in attendance had a family member who works for a leading brand disinfectant spray company. All of the workers there love to purchase Gold Canyon's room sprays because the quality and fragrance is so much better than what they have to offer. Some of the employees actually attempted to break down the makeup of Gold Canyon's spray to figure out how they can improve theirs! I thought this was an exciting selling point for us!

Employee gifts: Now is the time to approach business owners and offer them ideas for their employee holiday gifts. Create a packet with a cover letter, catalog and some gift suggestions to deliver for presentation. Provide 3 price-point packages (they usually pick the one in the middle - make it count!) You may consider offering a discount on quantities and/or gift wrapping. Be sure to include your cost on gift wrap to your sales prices. Contact local doctor's offices, banks, realtors, law firms and other businesses you frequent.

Approach holiday parties this way - instead of focusing on how busy the season is. Invite your customers to party now and do their holiday shopping with you. Have wish lists, make lists of "who" their shopping for, etc. and then "save them from the mall" by helping them shop for everyone on their list WITH YOU!

Holiday Idea: Offer a 12-Days of Christmas program. Predetermine 12 small gifts from Gold Canyon and sell them in a gift bag as a ready-to-give gift. All the purchaser needs to do is slip one on the recipient's desk, pillow or doorstep each day for 12 days leading up to Christmas. (You may also wish to offer 8 days of Hanukkah).

Party Idea: Drop fliers off at businesses offering Lunch Parties where you can set up your display and have a few games in their office while it's closed up for lunch break.

Gift Certificates: You can make your own fancy gift certificates on your computer, or stop by the local office supply store the next time you drive by and pick up a pack of gift certificates. They come in so handy in this season, and it will give you another selling point to your customers who might worry about picking the wrong scent for a gift.

Advertising: Our Candle/Body/Home products are PERFECT for the person who has everything! We make shopping easy! Plaster this idea all over your fliers, newsletters, emails, catalogs, party invitations, etc.

Conference attendees at recent local meeting, sporting our "movin & shakin" t-shirts and sharing ideas and helps we brought back from convention.

Tealights - FREE Samples Idea

At a recent training with local leaders, I learned of small ziploc bags you can buy at craft stores such as Michaels or JoAnns. They are in the bead section. The ones I bought came in a box of 175 for about $4. Each is the perfect size to slip a business card and a tealight (with a reorder sticker on the bottom, of course!) Pass them out as "free samples" to potential customers and watch your sales soar! I gave it a try on the 4th of July and made up 25 of them to pass out at the parade. The next morning I woke up to notifications of personal website orders from locals - I'm sure from their free samples! The initial trial paid for my investment. I also did this at an eye appointment, as I left I asked how many ladies worked in the office and left one for each. They were all excited and I got a call with 2 new customer orders that afternoon!

Workroom Display Idea

Demonstrator Traci (AZ) is also a school teacher. Rather than just leaving catalogs in the teacher's lounge, she created a display on a tri-fold "science project" poster telling her favorite things about Gold Canyon. This sparked lots of interest from her coworkers and brought lots of orders and party leads.