How To ROCK Your Business During the Cold Winter Months

 

 

Predictions of snowy weather often have many cancelling their events and parties.  How are you prepared to keep your business going?

.Since I rely on my business to pay my bills, I am always working on a plan to keep things consistent while I (and my customers) are snuggled warm at home.  Last winter, I was able to hit my goal as was my team with some planning – I always have a plan B….

Here are some tips to help you keep your sales up during those cold winter months…

1.Flash Sale Fridays (or any day)

Pick a product or a bundle of products and offer them at a discount for a 24-hour period only.  Let your customers know by sharing the products LIVE on Facebook or via an email or even in a text message.  Encourage them to share the flash sale with friends – the more the merrier.  Thankfully, Thirty One offers us a chance to give our customers a discount without it effecting our pocketbook  – an AWESOME consultant perk.  If a 40% discount off, isn’t in your budget, utilize the specials offered by your company to create bundles for your customers.  By creating a sense of urgency (today only) you can encourage people to shop.

2. Facebook LIVE parties

Facebook LIVE is a great way to demonstrate products, do drawings, and have fun. By letting your customers see you LIVE, they establish a connection with you, and see your personality shine.  Encourage attendees to share the video with friends.  Ask simple questions like where do you live so everyone checks in.  Acknowledge those who check in with a greeting or comment.  The more interaction, the more people will see it on their Facebook newsfeed.  The end result is to take orders by sharing solutions to their every day problems with your products.  This is definitely on my TO DO list for the winter months.  Even if it isn’t a party, just going LIVE to share products and tips will help your sales.

3. Show on the Go parties

Pack up some samples of your products, catalogs and share them with 6 of your friends. Encourage each of them to collect $100 in orders.  Give it a fun name and split the hostess benefits between them.  Chances are they will collect more than $100 in sales.

4. If it’s just a flurry

Have a flurry sale offering, get rid of retiring prints and products or excess inventory – we in direct sales always have excess inventory.  Have a home party, offer a discount or special gift if the party holds and guests attend or order.

5. Hold a Mystery Host party

Text, email, phone or facebook message past/ current customers for orders.  Anyone who places an order will be entered in a drawing to win ALL of the hostess benefits.  The more orders, the more benefits.

Be sure to OVERBOOK your calendar in the winter months.  One date is the party date and the second date is a snow date, just in case the original date is postponed due to weather. If a home party is cancelled, switch it to a ZOOM or Facebook LIVE party. You were scheduled to work, so work your business.  ZOOM is a fun way to get everyone on at the same time.  You can see them and they can see you.  Then you can download and share it those who couldn’t attend.

Another fun idea to get people out to a wintery party is with a theme party – have them thinking warm with a summer or tropical theme. Encourage guests to dress based on the theme and have your hostess focus her snacks (simply and easy) on it as well.  It’s a fun way to bring hope the winter will soon be over and allows everyone to dream a little.

What is your best tip for keeping your business consistent during the winter?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Building A Brand

When you are out shopping, and you see something (a cup of coffee, a wine glass, an angel, etc) does a person jump into your thoughts?  For example, when I see “wine” I immediately think of my friend Desiree. Or when I see LARGE mugs of coffee, I think of Lori.  You get the picture.  Hopefully, when you see “angels”,  you think of me. No, I’m definitely not an angel BUT angels have always been a “thing” for me.  For me, it is a sign of my efforts to give back or pay it forward to those who are struggling.  It also reminds me of my many angels watching over me.

So, where is all of this leading, right?  Almost everyone is on some form of social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and the list goes on.. The truth is having a presence for your business on social media is just smart marketing!   it allows use to share our business without pushing sales all of the time.  I’m sure you know someone who has launched their business (direct sales or store front), while using their personal social media account.  It is a way for people to get the word out about their new business.  BUT at some point, they and so should you switch to a business page. I have a business page on Facebook and Instagram (click to check them out).

Why? Not only is it just a great business practice, but it helps to keep the two worlds separate.  Believe me, your family and friends will appreciate not being bombarded by business news. Now, I’m not saying you won’t share things on your personal page BUT it will be far less than it was before your business page.  On your Facebook business page, you will have a whole range of tools to help you measure performance and to help you engage with your customers and make more connections. As your connections increase, so does your brand awareness! You want your customers to be clear you are their business (for me Thirty One) connection!

Facebook
Create a Facebook business Page so you can  get discovered and connect with people. With a Facebook business Page, you can communicate directly with customers, help them learn more about your business, offer customer service and tell visual stories. Don’t get me wrong, things can and will trickle over to your personal but personal should be personal!  There are LOTS of tools provided with a business page, so you can gain insight on how your customers are interacting on the the content you share so you can fine tune your message – and it is SEEN!

Instagram
Did you know more than 500 million Instagrammers are discovering new things every month?  I was surprised I have more followers on Instagram then I do on FB!  So, I have started to be consistent on Instagram as a business account.  Like Facebook Pages, Instagram business profiles connect people and businesses. Use Instagram to share your direct sales journey, connect with your audience and generate interest. You can even link your Facebook Business Page with your Instagram account.  I am having lots of fun sharing things on Instagram and connecting with new people.

You can actually drive sales and potential recruits to your business via social media.  With your personal brand, your audience will grow – I was shocked how fast mine did.   The law of averages works great in direct sales – and as your followers increase your sales and team will also.

If you are like me, you want to know how can all of this turn interest into sales, right?  First, make sure ALL of your upcoming events are on your business page.  Hosting a fundraiser, be sure to add it as an event.  Then make sure there is a link to your website for people can order.  I have a “mystery host” party link on my site all of the time.  WHY?  Because, people like a chance to win. My disclaimer is “the party must reach at least $300 in sale” before a winner is selected.  WHY?  Because if it doesn’t reach the level you set,  you can benefit from those Hostess Rewards when you close out the party for the month.  Flip those Hostess products into incentives if you want to generate more business!

Once your business is setup on social media, you have another way to provide friendly, helpful customer service for your customers.  It is also easier for your customers to tag you and share your business with their friends and family.  The ultimate goal is then reached by you gaining more customers!

Share your brand/logo with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Bingo Fun for Your Business

How many of you like to play BINGO?  Be honest, do you have your good luck charms you always take with you?  Many years ago, I started playing BINGO at home parties and then moved to events and now with the surge of Facebook Parties, it is going to be another way to hold a Facebook LIVE party.  Yes, I said LIVE.  Of course, you can do it with lots of posts BUT wouldn’t your guests like to see you and the products up close?

First, you need a hostess or maybe a Mystery Hostess party or a battle of the hostesses… In April, I am going to do a Mystery Hostess BINGO party online playing  BINGO.

If you have a hostess, then you will begin by hostess coaching her on how to get people to join her party.  I do multiple forms of invites – snail mail, VIP invites with incentives to help the hostess collect orders, email and of course, Facebook.

Then you will need a BINGO board for YOUR business… This is for Thirty One, I’m not sure who did it but  I wish I could so I could thank her.  Set up a Facebook party (an event) for a 2 to 3 day period with the actual event happening on a specific time and day.  For example, the party may run from April 3 – 5 with the event actually happening on the 4th at 8:30PM.  Just because the event is actually only for a few days doesn’t mean you can’t post some fun things leading up to it.  I don’t usually go more than a week out with a Facebook party.  When I create the event in my VIP group, it will be for one night only.

The night before the party, you post a grid of products – your BINGO board and tell your guests to pick 5 numbers, and meet back at the designated party time. Then at the designated time, you meet back on FACEBOOK to pull numbers and share about your AMAZING products.  Now the prizes don’t have to be big BUT I would encourage you to do something that adds to your personal volume increasing your sales.

This is a great way to get interaction and share about your products.  The guests are all there hoping to win but they are also learning about the products.

Yes, the guests may pick some of the same numbers.  The directions are to choose 5 numbers BUT they do not have to be in a row or column.  Do you know what they will do?

When they are told to pick any number, they will subconsciously pick items they LIKE! A total AH-HA moment! Right?  You are starting to build a relationship with potential customers to help them shop for products they like and want.

This game works for you in so many ways!!

1. It gets people excited and interacting in your FB party or VIP group.
2. If you post it the night before the party, you can also remind them to come back the next night to join in the fun LIVE.
3. Each time you ‘call’ a number, you are telling them about the product.
4. You now have a WISH LIST for your customers and guests!!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Post the Bingo grid, tell them to pick 5 numbers, any number, they do not need to be in order, give them a time frame and tell them when Bingo will be played.  I am playing the next day BUT you may want to post the board and play the same day.
2. They need to post their numbers in the comments of the post with the Bingo grid
   I remind them a little before Bingo time
3. You can post the grid again, say let’s play Bingo!
4. If you are just posting pictures, in the comments of the post, you can post theI ‘called’ numbers.  You can pick numbers from a hat or post random numbers.  If you are doing it LIVE, you can post an album of the products so they can see the details without going to another link.
5. When all 5 of their numbers have been called, they post BINGO!
6. I give away a prize – something small and I will mail it to them.

The next day, send a message to everyone who played,  and thank them. If you are playing in your VIP Group, DO NOT sell or offer anything, just reach out to say thanks.  If you are doing this as a party for a hostess, then of course, in addition to thanking them, share the link for her party.

There are so many ways to change this up to fit YOUR business.  Can’t wait to see how it works for you….

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

 

May Excitement

Who’s ready to hear more about the 12 weeks of Thirty One summer?  With one week almost down and it has been fun seeing the excitement over the mystery hostess bundles.

Want to be a hostess?

Here are the Mystery Hostess bundles for the month of May.  Thank you to Christina’s Creations for such a great visual.  If you are interested in hosting a party in say June or July, I may know what the upcoming specials are so let’s talk.

 

Do you just LOVE to shop?  Do you like surprises?

The product or products contained in these “surprise bags” are valued at double the cost.  I can guarantee that you will LOVE whatever you get.

Want to join my team?

Here is the BONUS if you join during the 12 weeks of summer:

For the first six-weeks (May 11-June 21), if you submit 6 parties OR $1,800 PV over that six week period, you’ll receive special recognition at the August field event.

For the second six-week period (June 22-July 31), we’ll recognize those who submit 6 parties OR $1,800 PV over this six-week period at the October field event.

PLUS:

If you submit either 6 parties or $1,800 in PV during both six-week periods, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an ONLINE SHOPPING SPREE! AND

Thirty One will also be randomly selecting a few of those winners to come visit our Home Office for a tour, meet with familiar Home Office faces (including Cindy & Scott!) and have another shopping spree through our warehouse!

So, there are THREE opportunities with Thirty One this summer:

Which opportunity is for you? Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!