Happy Birthday to You

A good friend of mine had the cutest idea for her birthday party that we can all utilize in our businesses! She is having a home party and inviting all her friends to come buy themselves a gift and she'll use her host credit to get herself a gift! It is going to be so much fun!

Decorations, invitations, games and refreshments for a Birthday Candle Party are "a piece of cake"! The possibilities are endless.

If you haven't already, start noting your host and guest birthdates in your customer database, then give them a call a few weeks ahead to plan their Birthday Candle Party with you!

Another idea is to mail a card to your hosts/guests on their birthday with a discount coupon and/or a free tealight, Auto Gold or other small gift. Have fun and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Do YOU Avoid Asking For Referrals Because...

... you're afraid to IMPOSE?

Do you have team members that are out of bookings? Worse yet, are you out of or very low on bookings? This weekend I was sort of complaining to my sister-in-law that business has been slow. She is a consultant for another company and she responded, "Not for me! I had a party Friday night and this is going to be my biggest month of sales since the Christmas rush!" Her comment reminded me that I can sit on the sidelines and complain or I can do something pro-active for my business. That's what I'm doing TODAY, won't you?

Here is an excerpt I enjoyed from Karen Phelps' newsletter on Asking for Referrals:

I attended a training class last night and while I was there I gave two fellow attendees the name of the sales contact for a particular service that I use. I don't get anything for it, but I like the product and the salesperson did his job so I might as well send business his way. I'm in sales! Referring people is part of what I do. Do you make it a part of what you do also?

Often, when I listen to training materials myself, I find myself asking questions that direct sellers just like you want to know the answer to. That's what happened this week as I was riding my stationary bike and listening to a training program. Wham, just like a smack in the head. We don't ask for referrals because we are afraid to impose! Where in the heck does that come from? What happens when someone asks you for a referral? Do you oblige? If not, why not? Are they imposing on you or are they really just asking you to share the names of people that could benefit from the same products or services you are benefiting from?

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard the saying, what goes around comes around. You must give in order to receive. Never has this been more true than with people who make their living in SALES!!!! How can you begin to immediately get referrals from your customers? Simple, ask for them!

"Hi Sherrie, this is Karen Phelps and I was calling to see how you are enjoying the product you purchased from Susie's party? I'm so glad it's working out for you because my business thrives on satisfied customers. You know Sherrie, our satisfied customers always refer friends or family that can use our product. I have a special gift just for you when you refer 5 people who might be interested. Who do you know that might be interested in finding out a little more?"

I was in direct sales less than a year when I figured out, if you don't ask, you don't get! Quit being a "scaredy cat" and start asking your satisfied customers for referrals today.

Customer Service

Before I post on customer service, I wanted to give a quick recognition to 3 demonstrators I know of who have fundraisers in the works. None of the 3 are GOLD demonstrators - but all will reap the lucrative rewards of a Gold Canyon fundraiser. Great job, Shaunda, Traci and Katie!!!

Recently Stephanie Rouly held an awesome training session on customer service at an area meeting. The next day her husband shared the following clip with her and she was so kind to share it with us. ENJOY and thanks, Stephanie! Click on this link to watch a 5-minute video that will remind you of why and how we can make an impact in what we do. You may even want to share it with others, and I hope you will. It's amazing how one young grocery store bagger made such a wonderful impact on his customers.

http://www.stservicemovie.com/

Email me with ideas you use to make your candle business shine.

Upselling

Laurie Hancock, from TN, shared that she ‘bundles’ products at her parties and has found that people will purchase the bundles especially if they are the type that do not like looking through a catalog or they are overwhelmed with the selections.

Make your bundles coordinate with the monthly customer promotions. For example: If you select “XYZ” bundle, you would qualify for an item at a 20% discount….etc.

Here are examples of her party product bundles:

"Simply Spring" bundle-16oz candle and a wick dipper.-$19.50
"Discover Gold Canyon" bundle-26oz candle Wick dipper and Air Fresheners or 16oz candle, wick dipper and Room spray. $29.50
"Candles, Body, Home" bundle-16oz candle, Homeology Floor, Glass, or All Purpose, Emerge Raise Your Hand Silk, and a wick dipper-$48.92


This week I did another version of upselling that might also give you an idea to build your businesses..... I had ordered one each of the Auto Gold 3-packs to have on hand for a party a month ago. The Car Fresheners didn't sell and they've just been sitting on my shelf. This week I had several deliveries to make and I grabbed that basket of Auto Golds. I took them up to each door with me when I delivered the customer's regular order, and let my customers know I had over-ordered and had these extra Auto Golds on hand for purchase. I had pre-figured the total for each Auto Gold, being $8 after tax & shipping, and I simply asked if they'd like to add one to that day's order. Every customer accepted my offer, and one customer took 3 of them - so not only did I sell off all that overstock, I introduced all of my customers to a new product line and/or fragrance choice. TRY THAT!

"Big Mac" Scripts

Okay ladies, here's some direct-sales vocabulary for you. The phrase is "Big Mac". At our training meetings my sales manager is always asking us if we make our "Big Mac" calls. You may ask what on earth a "Big Mac" is besides the hamburger at McDonalds... is the Big Morning After Call. This is what you should do the morning after your home parties.

This post is all about Follow-Up calls with your customers. This is the way you will have excellent customer service for your candle clients and it will set you apart from all the other candle girls on the block. Use these scripts and you will be AMAZED how well they increase your sales volume, return customers and sponsoring efforts. At first it feels funny, but you will quickly get the hang of it and before long you won't need your cheat sheet. Practice, practice, practice! I've done this and it truly works. Print this, open your customer database and pick up the phone. I'd love to hear your success stories!

Big Mac Scripts

The telephone is fabulous for follow-up. Don't depend on email. The more calling you do, the better you will get. Practice using these scripts and make up some of your own.

When making Big Mac calls:

“Hi, (Customer’s Name). This is (Your Name) from Gold Canyon. We met last night at (Host’s Name)’s Party. Do you have a minute? I really enjoyed meeting you and appreciated your order.”

If it was the Guest's First Party. say: “You mentioned it was your first Gold Canyon Party. What did you like best?”

If she is a Sponsoring lead, say: “You seemed to really love the product. Your enthusiasm was contagious! You really helped me sell the products. Were there other things you’d like to get that you didn’t get last night? Well, I wanted to let you know that there are two options for getting more product for a very small price or free … one is to book a Party and get all the Host Rewards and the other is to do what I do. What was it about my job that appealed to you?”

Another Sponsoring lead “I was so involved with the other guests that I realized you may have had some questions I didn’t have time to answer. What questions would you like to ask about our Host or Demonstrator opportunities?”

If she was interested in Host a Party, say: “Are you excited about getting all the items you ordered? It was hard to choose from so many great products, wasn’t it? (Customer’s Name), I’d love to do a Party for you and help you get some of the items on your wish list for free. I’m sure you have lots of friends who would be interested in what we have to offer.”

When you are ending the call, say: “As I mentioned at the Party, one of the most important parts of my business is service. You can call me with phone orders. I know how a birthday can sneak up on you sometimes. I can get you candles easily and quickly. Thanks so much for your time, (Customer’s Name). I’ll call you periodically to see what I can help you with.”

If you're calling someone who placed an Outside Order, say: “Hi (Customer’s Name). My name is (Your Name) and I’m with Gold Canyon. I wanted to thank you for placing an order through (Host’s Name). I like to get to know all of my customers and make sure they are aware of all the services we offer at Gold Canyon. Do you have a minute?”
“May I ask who you purchased your candles for? (Pause and listen.) I’m curious about how familiar you are with our products. Is this the first time you’ve purchased them? (Pause and listen.) Have you ever attended a Party?”
“I would love the opportunity to share Gold Canyon in person with you and your friends and family and help you earn free product like (Host’s Name) did. I’m also actively looking for people interested in the opportunity of joining Gold Canyon. May I tell you about it?”

You’re-Worth-Waiting-For “Timing is everything, isn’t it? I understand that you feel the timing isn’t right for you to get started with Gold Canyon. I just want you to know I think you’d be terrific and you’re worth waiting for. If things change, will you promise to call me?”

Mother's Day Flier

This flier comes from Shanda Vance, a new demonstrator in TX who used Patricia McCoy's Valentine idea from a previous post and incorporated it into Mother's Day. Shanda left the wide border around the edge to use one of the pre-printed border papers. I wish I had some of that paper on hand to show you guys how nice it's going to look. Shanda was kind enough to email this flier in a word document to share if you'd like save yourself from all the time formatting, cutting and pasting. You can double-click the image to enlarge and view. THANK YOU FOR SHARING, SHANDA!!!

Rhyme Game

Here's another fun party game idea for your home parties this month. It's always fun to try something new and keep it fresh! Keep those ideas rolling in! Bring pencils and paper for each guest to add up their score as you read this fun poem:

This little game is all in rhyme,
It’s fun and it doesn’t take much time.
So get your paper, take a pen in hand,
When you add up your score, you’ll know where you stand.

The one who is likely to score the ‘mostest’
Is the lady who wants to be a Gold Canyon Hostess.
If a Gold Canyon Party you have had before,
You may now add 55 to your score.

But, if you book a Party tonight,
Give yourself 100, which is just right
Give yourself 10 if you brought a guest,
Add 15 more if with children you are blessed.

Give yourself 20 if your name is Sue,
Now take away 10 more for a non-sneaker shoe.
There are 35 points for unmarried girls,
Take away 5 if your hair has curls.

But, before you think this game has ceased,
There will be a prize for the score that is least.
There’s a wonderful prize for the highest score,
So add up quickly, there isn’t any more.