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Products leaving after Catalog #9

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Beautiful autumn is around the corner, and we’re making room for delicious seasonal and holiday items. The products below will be leaving after Catalog #9. Please let your customers know so they can stock up before they’re gone.

04-7342 CAMP CHEF Popcorn Popper 3.5 Qt. EACH—will be offered again next summer. 

04-1181 Camp Chef Single Square Cast Iron Cooking Pan—currently unavailable through our supplier; will be offered again when available

04-7340 Camp Chef Extendable Roasting Sticks Set Of 4 Each—will be offered again next summer.   

01-1139 Victorio Deluxe Kitchen Crop Sprouter –will be offered again next year.

04-7154 Handy Pantry 3 Part Salad Sprouting Seeds 4 Oz. Each

04-7156 Handy Pantry Alfalfa Sprouting Seeds 4 Oz. Each

01-5884 Davinci Gourmet Peach Syrup 750 Ml/25.36 Oz—syrups will be offered again next year.

01-5881 Davinci Gourmet Strawberry Syrup 750 Ml/ 25.36 Oz

01-5882 Davinci Gourmet Raspberry Syrup 750 Ml/25.36 Oz

01-8602 Monin Flavored Syrups Coconut 1L Each

01-8654 Monin Flavored Syrup Pump 1L Each

01-1136 Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Crackers Family Pack—will be offered again next year

01-5239 Shirley J Gluten Free Cream Sauce & Soup Mix 16oz EACH –removed due to low sales.

02-1045 Scrumptious Mountain Defiance Trail Mix 16 oz —will be offered again next year

02-1047 Scrumptious Swiss Goodie Trail Mix 16 oz —will be offered again next year

02-9042 Pioneer Valley Salted Butter Caramel 8 Oz Bag—variety pack of Pioneer Valley Caramels is still available.  We are planning to offer some additional smaller-bag caramel products for the holidays.

02-7898 Pioneer Valley Butter Caramels 8 Oz Bag

02-7899 Pioneer Valley Pecan Caramels 8 Oz Bag

04-1048 Camp Chef Browning’s Cast Iron Set—currently unavailable from our supplier; will return when available.

04-8631 Camp Chef Square Skillet With Ribs Each—currently unavailable from our supplier; will return when available.

02-1210 Kirkland Dried Tart Montmorency Cherries 20 oz. bag—discontinued by supplier

02-1211 Kirkland Signature Whole Dried Blueberries, 20 oz. bag—discontinued by supplier

11-4846 Fiesta Supreme Shredded Beef Chimichanga 12/5 Oz Case—discontinued by supplier

Webinar: Janey Lou’s, Milford Valley Farms, and Tips from a Top Rep

There’s a reason why Reps are talking about this month’s webinar.  The recipes are mouthwatering, and the customer service tips from top Rep Casey Ragle will help you move your Alison’s Pantry business to the next level.  If you couldn’t attend a webinar this week, be sure to enjoy the video here.

 

Janey Lou’s recipes

Tips from Casey Ragle

Hang Up On Your Phone Phobias

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“The number one Phone phobia is manifested in this fear: “Customers will think I’m pushy.”  Guess what?  If a customer gave you her phone number, she gave implied permission to call her!  Follow through on your implied promise to keep connected.”

  • Ask her how she would like to be contacted. Does she prefer a text, Facebook message, phone call or email?  Knowing the right way to contact her will make her more comfortable and you more successful in reaching her.

Maybe you are worried about interrupting your customers or catching them at a bad time.  When your customer answers the phone and you’ve identified yourself, simply ask, “Am I getting you at a good time to chat for two minutes?”  Giving yourself a time limit of two minutes alerts her that you’re respectful of her time.  Keep your promise to be brief and concise.

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The secret to getting the orders is in the follow up.  People love our catalog!  They love our products!  They are busy though, and they need a reminder; just like your doctor’s office calls you to remind you of your appointment.  You appreciate that reminder, don’t you?  A quick phone call asking them how they are doing and reminding them that the order is going in is great customer service.  And it’s the difference between an okay rep with okay sales and a great rep with fantastic sales.

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Are you afraid you don’t have time to make reminder phone calls? Look at your schedule ahead of time (like a month in advance)and write on your calendar when you will be making your reminders.  Then don’t plan anything else in that time slot.  The best way to do that is to set aside 15 min. at a time.  Everyone can find 15 minutes to make reminder phone calls and texts.  And over a week’s time those 15 minute increments add up fast!

Don’t be afraid of picking up the phone and calling your customers.  It’s a great way to nurture friendships and grow your business at the same time.

You can read more great ideas about this here

Julie

Kristin Beckstead- Orem, UT

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Hi All!  My name is Kristin Beckstead and I am one of the fabulous AP reps in Orem, Utah. I remind my customers often that we (my family included) are their favorite reps in Orem. It is a family affair at our house with my face being the most well recognized, but everyone in the family pitching in and helping with all aspects of the business, including taking orders, entering orders into portals, picking up at the warehouse, doing inventory, helping customers at pick up, printing invoices, distribution lists and tax reports, and doing taxes. Fun, fun! Family includes my husband of 25 years Ryan, 24 year old son Trevor and his lovely wife Angela who are also giving us our first grandbaby soon, 21 year old son Xane, 18 year old daughter Korin, 13 year old son Sam, my mother Vicki and my in-laws helped us too before they passed away.

 

I fell in love with the Alison’s Pantry products many years ago as a storefront customer.  I actually found them when it was called Wholesale Foods and I’m thinking it was 18 years ago or so. I would pop in every few months and buy hundreds of dollars worth of spices, mixes, utensils, etc. I always took out of town family with me whenever they visited and usually some friends tagged along too.  I remember one day seeing the Alison’s Pantry booth at a Taste of Home cooking class in Lehi. The employee recognized me and introduced me to Alison as a loyal customer.  She was kind and gracious and suggested I become a rep for the company.  I panicked and said no way!!!

 

Change arrived again and in January 2010 the business plan for AP was changing.  The storefront was closing forever and I panicked again.  “How will I get my favorite products?” I asked. “You can get them through a rep or become a rep yourself,” was the immediate reply.  Hurrumph! I chose to finally become an AP rep and have enjoyed it for the last 6 1/2 years. My initial driving force was to use any commissions earned to support our oldest son on his LDS mission for two years. Since then, I have used this business for preparing before, supporting during and later helping missionaries after their return home.

 

Several times a year, I review all the craziness/unbalance in my life and try to get rid of something.  Usually this introspection occurs right around pick up time and as I consider saying good-bye to Alison’s Pantry, I realize how much I love what I do. I love figuring out samples, I love visiting/emailing with all my friends (AP customers), I love serving my family great food, I love going to the bank with a stack of checks and a wad of cash and making a nice deposit, I love sharing AP products with others as birthday gifts, wedding gifts, welcome to the neighborhood gifts, just because gifts, etc, I love going to the food shows, I love learning more about the products during any kind of training, I love looking through the beautiful catalogs –  I just love it all!!! I keep doing it because it’s fun for me and I committed to my husband that when it stopped being fun, I would leave it behind. Hopefully I pass that joy, enthusiasm and excitement along to my customers. I’m happy to help them fill their pantry and freezer with great, quality products.

 

I don’t believe I am a very good “sales rep.” However, I am a very nice person and an excellent facilitator.  If my customers want a product, I will bend over backwards and go the extra mile to get it for them. I send an email every month to customers reminding them when orders are due and when pick up is scheduled. I invite my customers to my home on a certain day to pick up their items and pay me for them and if it works out, great! If it doesn’t, we plan a better time for us to get together. Some customers prefer that I deliver which I am happy to do. I always have food samples at pick up (but only on the scheduled pick up day. If they miss it, I don’t worry about it later). I like to try to do my own food show at my home once per year with about 50 products to see or sample.  I also like giving a holiday thank you with their orders. Some customers order every month, others several times a year, and still others order once every several years. I am grateful for them all!

 

Good luck to you with your business ventures. Remember some months are better than others and don’t worry. Work hard, love what you do, have fun serving your AP friends and be grateful that there is still a company to work with that actually cares about you, the rep.  Alison has passed the baton to Jesse and Josh and they along with all the amazing support staff in the office, in the field, and in the warehouse, care about me personally.  They work hard so I can succeed.  It’s an amazing feeling and I am thrilled to be an AP rep!

Products leaving after Catalog #8

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As we transition to autumn offerings in the catalog, the products below will be leaving after Catalog #8. Please let your customers know so they can stock up before they’re gone.

Fieldstone      01-5769       Fieldstone Premium Original Granola 25/2 Oz Pack–removed due to low sales

Milford Valley Farms     11-7918  Milford Valley Farms Chicken & Waffle Bites 12 lb. case–will return next year

Pioneer Valley                 01-7678              UNCLE DENNY’S Hot Fudge Topping 17 oz JAR–will return

Cornaby’s                         01-1069              Cornaby’s Savory Raspberry Chipotle Sauce 12.5oz bottle

                                           01-1070              Cornaby’s Savory Peach Habanero Sauce 12.5oz bottle

Wyman’s                          11-8852              Wyman’s 4-To-1 Sliced Strawberries 6.5Lb Tub Each

J&J Snacks       11-6508   Minute Maid Soft Frozen Lemon Lemonade 12/12 Oz Cups–will return #5, 2017

              11-6509              Minute Maid Soft Frozen Strawberry Lemonade 12/12 Oz Cups

              11-6510              Minute Maid Soft Frozen Cherry Lime Lemonade 12/12 Oz Cups

              11-8801              Minute Maid Soft Frozen Orangeade Lemonade 12/12 Oz Cups

              11-5778              Barq’s Frozen Root Beer Floatz 24/3 Oz Tubes

              11-6511              Luigi’s Real Italian Ice Cherry 24/4 Oz. Tubes

              11-6512              Luigi’s Real Italian Ice Lemon 24/4 Oz. Tubes

              11-6513              Luigi’s Real Italian Ice Strawberry 24/4 Oz. Tubes

              11-6514              Luigi’s Real Italian Ice Mango 24/4 Oz. Tubes

              11-7374              Whole Fruit Tubes Variety (Straw Cherry Grape) 24/3 Oz. Case

              11-7375              Icee Wild Cherry Cups 48/4 Oz. Case

              11-7376              Icee Blue Raspberry Cups 48/4 Oz. Case

              11-8853              Icee Tube Variety Pack 30/3Oz Tubes Case

Palmer Wholesale          04-5708              Victorio Summer Flavors Snow Cone Syrups 3/16 Oz Each–canning and snow cone items will return next summer

              04-6503              Victorio Famous Variety Snow Cone Syrup  3 Pack  Each

              04-7477              Victorio Stainless Steel Multi Use Canner W/Glass Lid  7 Qt.  Each

              04-7482              Victorio Snow Cone Combo Pack  Each

              02-1760              Ball Regular Canning Lids 36 Ct Per Order

              02-1761              Ball Wide Mouth Canning Lids 36 Ct Per Order

S & S Innovations Corp  02-8181              Tattler Reusable Plastic Canning Lids Regular Mouth 12Pk Each

                                           02-8182              Tattler Reusable Plastic Canning Lids Wide mouth 12Pk Each

Alison’s Pantry Spices        Seasonal canning spices removed until next #4 or #5, 2017.

              04-1439              AP Alum Powder 1 Lb. Bag

              04-1429              AP Celery Seed Whole  1 Lb Bag

              04-1530              AP Dill Seed Whole 1 Lb. Bag

              04-1856              AP Dill Weed Premium 1/2 Lb. Bag

              04-1853              AP Pickling Spice Blend 1 Lb. Bag

              04-1857              AP Mustard Seed Whole Yellow 1 Lb. Bag

Dawn   The following mixes were removed due to low sales.  Watch for new Krusteaz mixes.

              02-1834             AP Chocolate Creme Cake & Muffin Mix 4 Lb. Bag

              02-5873              AP Papa’s Pizza And Bread Stick Dough Mix 4 Lb Bag

              02-1964              AP Wonderful Wheat Bread 4 Lb. Bag

              02-6733              AP Heavenly Basic Cookie Mix  4 Lb. Bag

              02-1900              AP Soft N’ Chewy Pretzel Mix 4 Lb. Bag

              04-1901              AP Chunky Pretzel Salt 1 Lb. Bag

Rosina  The following products were removed due to low sales and sourcing challenges with the manufacturer. 

             11-8028              Celentano Jumbo Round Mushroom Ravioli 3.75 lb. bag

              11-8033              Celentano Jumbo Round Garlic Florentine Ravioli 3.75 lb. bag

              11-8076              Italian Village Mini Round Cheese Ravioli 42 oz. bag

              11-8923              San Rallo Lasagna Rolettes 50/3oz Rolls 10 lb Case

              11-9141              Rosina Homestyle Meatballs 52 oz. Bag Each–Watch for a 26 oz. replacement bag (same exact product) that we’ll be offering instead of this bag size.

              11-9143              Celentano Cheese Ravioli 44 oz. Bag Each

              11-9144              Celentano Cheese Tortellini 38 oz. Bag Each–Watch for a new Tri-Color Tortellini case.

Scrumptious      These candy items are seasonal, and most will be back next year.  Watch for new candy and nut products for fall.

             02-1174              Scrumptious Mini Gummi Bears 14 oz tub

              02-1176              Scrumptious Gummi Blue Sharks 16 oz tub

              02-1203              Scrumptious Sour Gummi Watermelon Slices 16 oz. tub

              02-1206              Scrumptious Gummi Grapefruit Slices 16 oz. tub

              02-1208              Scrumptious Gummi Foam Strawberries 16 oz. tub

              02-1209              Scrumptious  Gummi Butterflies 16 oz. tub

Norpro These items are seasonal and most will return to the catalog.

              04-2184              Norpro Stainless Steel Scoop

              04-2185              Norpro Mini Angel Food Cake Pan

              04-2186              Norpro Cake-sicle Pan

              04-7256              Norpro Stainless Steel Steam Cooker  3 Pc.  Each

              04-7361              Norpro Tortilla Keeper 8.5″ Each

              04-7756              Norpro Red Mixing Bowls 3Pc (5 7 10 Cup) Set

              04-8804              Norpro Stuffed Burger Maker Each

              04-8820              Norpro Ice Cream Spade Each

Zyliss    These items cycle through the catalog and most will return. 

              04-1049              Zyliss 3 Piece Vegetable Peeler Set

              04-2401              Zyliss Burger Press

              04-7417              Zyliss 3 Piece Knife Set

              04-7485              Zyliss Right Scoop, Red, Each

              04-7951              Zyliss Bread Knife 8.5″ Each

              04-8065              Zyliss 4-In-1 Slicer Grater Each

              04-8068              Zyliss Salad Knife Each

              04-8322              Zyliss Sandwich Knife 4.5″ Each

              04-8403              Zyliss Lock N Lift Can Opener Each

              04-9009              Zyliss Stainless Steel 10″ Whisk

La Flor  These products will not return, due to challenges with the supplier.   Watch for the Mexican Original brand flour tortillas in upcoming catalogs.

             05-1868              La Flor 8” Flour Tortillas 4 / 30 ct. pack (120 tortillas)

              05-1864              La Flor 8” Flour Tortillas 30 ct. pack

              05-1869              La Flor Mini White Corn Tortillas 100 ct.

 AP Kitchen Tools   04-4822              Utensil Stainless Steel 4 Pc Measuring Scoop Set Each             

 Minh   11-4076              Minh Steamed Pork Potstickers 18 Ct Box–Removed due to supply issues from the manufacturer.

Pilgrim’s  The below items were removed due to supply issues as a result of the Pilgrim’s chicken recall.           

              11-6221              Breaded Chicken Breast Patties Fully Cooked 10 lb Case

              11-6587              Wing Dings Breaded Breast Chunks Fully Cooked 5 Lb. Bag

              11-6588              Wing Zings Breaded Breast Chunks Fully Cooked (Spicy) 5 Lb. Bag

Fernando’s      11-4846              Fiesta Supreme Shredded Beef Chimichanga 12/5 Oz Case

Grow Your AP Business with Contests!

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Almost everyone loves to win things and your AP customers are no exception!  Contests are a great way to get your customers excited about buying our products.  There are so many ways to do contests that I will only cover some basic ones but the sky is the limit as to how many you do and what kind you choose and what prizes you provide.

How to Have a Successful Contest:

Plan ahead.  Decide what contest you are going to do and what prize(s) you are giving away.  Ideas for prizes:  a % off their order, FREE shipping, an AP item (if you ended up with an extra item and couldn’t sell it, buy it and give it as the drawing prize), a certain amount off their order ($5 or $10).  Give something to everyone who qualifies or just to the drawing winner.  Give away an item that you learned about in a training webinar and promote how great it is so customers will want to qualify to win it!

Give your customers plenty of time to participate.  Make sure to post your contest on Facebook, send out to all customers on email, send a text, let your customers know when they pick up their order from the previous month by telling them verbally and/or handing them a flyer explaining the contest.

Remind your customers about the contest and how they can qualify.  Do this several times throughout the two-week order period so all your customers know about it and can participate if they choose.

Announce the winner(s)!  Once the winner(s) have been chosen, advertise who they are and what they won. Make a big deal about it!  Get your customers excited for your next contest by seeing that people they may know have won something!!

Contest Winners

Ideas for Contests:

CUSTOMER BINGO – Whether you choose a certain time frame to run your Bingo game or have it run until a certain number of people get Bingo, make sure it is very clear how many winners there will be.  IDEAS:  The first customer to get Bingo?  Everyone who gets Bingo on Catalog #4?  The first 5 who get Bingo?  Find a Bingo card and more ideas for using it here:  AP Bingo

EARLY ORDER CONTEST – Use this type of contest to encourage customers to get their order to you sooner than the last day!  Have a different prize each month – FREE shipping, $10 off next order, FREE item, etc.

$100 CLUB – Customers qualify for this drawing when they order $100 that month or when their accumulated orders reach a $100 increment.  You could give customers one entry for every $100 they order that month too.  Give away one item of your choosing or let the winner choose one item up to $10 they would like to have.  You could even have a box of 5-10 items they can choose from.

FIND AN ITEM – This one is fun because you can choose any item in the catalog that you want to give as the prize and then you give your customers the item number and they have to find the item and tell you what it is and what page* they found it on when they place their order to get entered to win that item.  (*Ask them to provide the page number so they don’t just look it up on the website and never look through the catalog to find it.)

3-MONTH CONTEST – To qualify for this contest, your customers would need to place an order each month for 3 months in a row to qualify.  I usually offer a larger prize like a case of Flat Iron Steaks for this contest to make it something customers will want to win by ordering 3 months in a row.  I also usually require an order of at least $25 to qualify.  **This contest is a good one if you have a lot of customers who are only ordering every other month or every three months.  It could help them to start ordering every month.

$50 ORDER DRAWING – Choose an item to give away and for every $50 a customer purchases, they get one entry to win the item.  This encourages bigger orders from your customers.

SPICE CLUB – (or Frozen Veggie Club or Frozen Soup Club)  This contest encourages customers to buy more of that particular product line and when they have bought 10 items, they could get one free.  Create a punch card for your customer to present each month or keep track yourself.  (VistaPrint has business cards you can order that have a punch card template on the back or you can create your own.)

CUSTOMER REFERRAL DRAWING – Offer a larger drawing prize to all customers who refer a new ordering customer.  They would get one entry for every new customer they refer.  This could cover one month or 3-6 months so there are more chances for customers to enter.  *It would be a good idea to have extra catalogs for customers to share or a flyer with the company website listed so potential customers can go and look at the online catalog to be able to order.

Enter to Win (3)

Depending on the type of contest and the prize(s) you offer, it will cost you to do them but please remember that you are investing in your business when you do these and the prizes that you give away are a tax write-off for your business.  Give these contests a try and do them for more than one month.  Sometimes it takes a couple of months for customers to catch on that someone is going to win!!

Please contact your RSM if you want to do a contest and need ideas or want to run your idea by them.

Good luck!!  Becky Price, RSM