Ok. So you have picked a goal you want to achieve with Alison’s Pantry. Let’s say your goal is to sell $3000 every month. What are you going to do to get there? First of all you need to know where you are now.
Take your last month’s total sales (or average the last 3 months if you want to be really accurate). Count how many customers you had order. Divide the sales by the amount of customers.
So let’s say your order was $2,250.00 and you had 28 customers ordering.
2,250.00 ÷28= 80. This means your average customer orders $80 per month.
Do one more math problem: 3,000 ÷80=37.5
If you want a $3,000 order you will need to get 37.5 customers to order every month (increasing your customers ordering by 10) or you need to get your customers to spend more money each month.
Let’s make a plan for both. How can you get your customers to spend more money each month? Here are some ideas. Pick a few you like:
- Tell your customers about special offers. In catalog #1 if a customer ordered $75 they received popcorn chicken for $4.99. If your customer’s order is $65 or $125, tell them about the special offer. “We are offering our yummy popcorn chicken for $4.99 and I see you almost qualify. Would you like to bump up your order so I can add a bag (or another bag) to your order?”
- Hot deals. Post on Facebook. Send an email. Offer to reserve them for your customers.
- If your customer orders a cookies sheet, tell them about our awesome parchment paper. If they buy spices, they will need the spice jars to store them in. Upselling is Not about being a pushy salesman. It’s about giving your customer a better experience with their products.
- Have a contest, a drawing, or give a free gift to someone who orders $75 or more. Or $100 or more. Get creative.
- Point out sales and new products in the catalogs.
- Do what Jamie Ashcraft from Sugar City, Idaho does: tell all your customers what you are ordering this month and why. They will want what you want.
There are a million and one ways to get new customers. Here are just a few ideas. Pick one. Or two. Plan to do them this month.
- Make a new list of people to give a catalog to and tell them about AP.
- Post on a Facebook classifieds group.
- Ask current customers for a referral with an incentive. It looks like this, “Cindy. You are such a great customer and I am really trying to grow my AP business. Do you know anyone who might want to buy Alison’s Pantry? Will you share this catalog at work? Or will you share this catalog with your mom? For every order you give me over ___ amount I will give you free shipping, or a gift, or a discount.” Then FOLLLOW UP is key. After a week or so say, “Cindy. Did you have a chance to take the catalog to work? Did anyone want to buy? Or did you give the catalog to your mom? What did she think?”
- Carry extra catalogs in your car and give them to people who you can contact again for an order.
- DO NOT place a pile of catalogs in a store or office randomly. People want to order but if you have no way to call them or text them you won’t get an order and you have wasted a catalog.
- DO take samples into your doctor’s office at lunch time when everyone is hungry. Do tell them about AP. Do tell them you will call back in a few days or come in and ask for their orders. Then do it.
As RSMs our job is to help you grow your sales. Please call your RSM for more help and more ideas to reach your AP goals.
Julie