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Haley Notter – Stratton, Colorado

Haley Notter familyMy name is Haley Notter and I live in Eastern Colorado.  My husband and I have 3 children. Cyler is 11, Hanna is just shy of 10 and Corbin will be 6 this week.  They have us on our toes for sure!  I became an AP sales rep when I was getting out of a 15-year streak of being a licensed daycare provider.  I was used to being in the sales business prior to AP so it was natural for me to share Alison’s Pantry with people.  The food business is much better for me because people always have to eat. 🙂 I’m a food lover too so it fits!  I also LOVE the flexibility I have being a stay-at-home momma.  AP is the best part-time job any mom could ask for.  Even as young as our kids are, they are responsible each month to help get ready for the truck.  They love the little incentive of a pay check too!  AP is definitely a family business for us.  My husband is one of my best supporters!

This is my 5th summer selling for Alison’s Pantry.  I feel like AP has been a great success for me because I strive to reach new customers every month to help fill the gap when other customers’ freezers are full.  I always make sure each and every customer is contacted every order period.  If I don’t reach them the first time, I’ll try again.  I typically make a phone call to them if I have not heard back from them after the second attempt.  It feels like I’m pestering but most customers are always so thankful for the reminder call.  It is very important to do reminders.  So many forget but have intentions on ordering.  I like to do monthly drawings for free product and customers appreciate that even if it is only $10 worth of product.  One thing that has been a total hit is each month I order in a bunch of extra product and the day prior to delivery, I post it online for sale.  It is a little extra work with invoices but it definitely boosts sales by $200-$400 depending on what I buy.

I can’t thank Alison’s Pantry enough for coming into our family’s life.  It’s definitely been a blessing.

Haley Notter

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweetie)

When you decided to begin as an Alison’s Pantry rep, you had excitement for the business. Every day you watched for potential customers, and introduced them to AP. Whether you are a brand new rep or a little seasoned, the key ingredient in your AP business is customers. AP does all the rest; all we have to do is find the customers. Occasionally, we start to feel that we have found all that there are to find. But as time goes by the average rep will cycle through her customer list as some of them, move, change family sizes, and find other sources for their needs. During these changes we need to try to maintain consistency in our sales. Here are a few simple ideas to help you. I call it the K.I.S.S method. (Keep It Simple Sweetie)

*Make a list– Go back to the basics and start a fresh list. Look over the people that you meet each day and check whether you have offered these great products to them. Fill out the Who do you know sheet once again. See if there is anyone you are overlooking.  Ask your current customers for referrals. This is definitely one of the best ways to find customers. People will rely on the recommendations of their friends and your friends can be better salespersons than you are sometimes. Let them.

girlon phone

*Write yourself a script– If you feel awkward on the phone or confronting a person in person, then write a script and practice what you say in front of the mirror. Practice makes perfect as they say and soon it will feel very natural. I always say something along the lines of “ I wouldn’t want you to miss out on these great deals, so I thought I would share them with you”.  When people realize that you are focused on bringing them great deals and benefits  and truly want the best for them, they will be more receptive.

kiss scripts

*Remember your Manners – Always say “Thank you so much for your support and order. It means so much to me.”  Remember your customers have the right to do business elsewhere and they come to you because they feel special.

*Be a Brand Lover– Be loyal to Alison’s Pantry, try the new products and be enthusiastic to tell your customers about them.  Knowing about the products makes them easier to sell.  Attend the webinars to gain the knowledge that is offered.  Shop from your own store, if a customer sees you buying the products that are offered in our catalogs at the local grocery store, why would she purchase them from you?

* Listen – Learn what’s important to your customers and what their needs are. They will trust that you are there for them and this will secure the relationship you have with them.

If you will get familiar with these ideas and make them a part of your business, you will see growth and success in your future. Good luck in your sales and building a business that you can be proud of.

Stacee

 

RSM- Utah

AP food

 

Sebrina Mothershead, Custer, MT

First of all I just have to say how thankful I am to be a part of this company. This opportunity has already done so much for my family.

The first thing I do every month is print off my customer list. This is so as I talk to my customers I note by their name anything that I might need to remember later. For instance if they are going to be gone for a period of time, might like to try a new product, or any changes to their account. I also have a notebook that is just for orders. This way if I get orders while away from home they are all in one place.

Most of my customers are from previous Alison’s Pantry reps so I don’t know them personally. This adds a whole new level of providing personal service. When I talk to my customers I ask how they liked things they have ordered before. This gives me an insight to what they ordered before I was their rep, and gets them thinking about reordering their favorites.

I send out text and emails about specials. I make sure to keep in contact at least once a week. I also have a Facebook page that I post in quite often through the month. Mostly I just try to keep my customers updated on anything new happening.

I  always make sure to have extra catalogs on hand and ask all my customers if they would like one to share. Most people will take an extra. I also leave 4-5 catalogs at the local gas station, school, bars and bank.

We had VBS this last week and I made up some mini blueberry muffins for snacks. I got many complements on how good they were. My response was “Thanks its all Alison’s Pantry”. My Husband is a huge supporter, he is much better at talking to people than I am. One day we had some people that are friends of a friend and when he introduced me he says ” This is my wife Sebrina, she sells Alison’s Pantry and Avon”. All of the hard work was done and I was able to just get down to business of explaining how it works and what Alison’s Pantry is.

I am my biggest customer! When I tell people that I buy 95% of my food from Alison’s Pantry they want to know more about our food. It helps that I am 30 miles from the closest grocery store and 50 miles from a Costco or Sams Club, most of my customers are even further. When we are around other people I like to ask my kids what they want to eat when we get home. When they see how excited my kids are about our food they want to know what’s so special about it. I also have snack food on hand when we travel and have people ask where I got it, that’s when I hand them a catalog. I try to talk to at least 3 people a day about Alison’s Pantry. Food is such an easy thing to sell and when its great food it just makes it that much easier.

I’m not sure when I learned this but I always keep it in mind while making calls. If you SMILE while you talk your customer will hear it. if you sound happy and excited your customers will get happy and excited too!

mothershead72

How To Reactivate Old Customers

woman on phone shutterstock_129396746

Past customers often have no idea why they stopped purchasing from you.  All they need is a reminder of why they enjoyed buying from you and a special incentive to begin doing so again.

“A customer is still a customer, no matter how long ago they bought from you.  It’s your job to make them a repeat customer.”

  1. Determine who past customers are and what they ordered.
  2. Contact past customers preferably by phone or send them a postcard.
    1. Ask them why they are not ordering anymore.
  3. Offer an incentive to come back. (adding a time limit can create a sense of urgency and prompt inactive customers to check out your deal).
    1. Offer to reorder what they bought in the past.
    2. Give past customers 5% off their next order.
    3. Offer one time free shipping.
  4. Apologize if your customer had a reason to stop doing business with you and ask what you could do to get their business again. “I’m sorry” goes a long way.
    1. Remember, we offer a 100% money back guarantee if they are unhappy with a product.
  5. Remind customers why they like your products.
    1. Take them a yummy treat from Alison’s Pantry.
    2. Point out some of our best selling products; talk about your favorite products.
  6. Tell your past customers about new products.

conversations matter shutterstock_309260816

Just sending a past customer a catalog will not reactivate them.  They need personal contact from you. A phone call is best. Plus that gives you an excuse to reconnect and see how their family is doing.

I have included a post card idea that you could use too.  If you send a postcard or a catalog, call in a few days to follow up.  You can edit it in Adobe Reader with your personal information.

Postcard reactivatereactivate postcard

Good luck reactivating your old customers!  It will be worth the effort when you see your sales climb!  You can read more about it here.

Julie

Be Your Own Best Customer

You are a sales representative for Alison’s Pantry and sell our great products to your customers BUT are you your own BEST CUSTOMER??  Do you buy all you can and need through Alison’s Pantry to feed yourself and your family??  If you don’t, then I want you to consider this question for a moment – if you don’t buy and use what you sell, why should your customers?!

Family meal time

I am far from having meals planned out a week at a time let alone a month at a time but as I continue to improve in this area, I find that more and more of what I need to make each meal is available from Alison’s Pantry!!  And, when finances are tight, I find that if I have ordered more of what I need from Alison’s Pantry, I am making less trips to the store and then I am avoiding that impulsive shopping trap that I fall into so many times, buying things I really don’t need and shouldn’t be spending money on!  And as far as quality is concerned, our products are superior to almost anything we can get at the grocery stores which means a great deal to me and my family!  I will never buy frozen fruits and vegetables from a grocery store again!!  They are tasteless mush compared to the firm, flavorful products we sell!!

vegetables

I’m not saying you should be lining out your meals for the entire month but I am suggesting that you look at the types of meals your family likes and then buying what you need from yourself!  If you are using your commission to pay for your food, you are, in many cases, getting your food for “free” without having to put any money out of pocket and you are supporting your Alison’s Pantry business!  On top of that, you are learning about and using the products you sell!!  What better way is there to sell product than to have your customers see that you buy and use the products you sell!  That is why we are always encouraging you to share pictures of your meals with your customers through Facebook posts and emails.  This WILL help your sales!  I promise!!

Lazy Lasagna

I want to challenge you to look at your last grocery store receipt and see if there wasn’t something you had to purchase from the store because you didn’t have it from Alison’s Pantry.  I just looked at my last 4 grocery store receipts and there was only one item I purchased because we ran out of the one I buy through Alison’s Pantry.  I will definitely have to get an extra one on my next order!

So, BE YOUR BEST CUSTOMER!!  You are an Alison’s Pantry sales rep and sell amazing products!!  Use these great products, share them with your customers, and watch your sales grow!

Becky Price, RSM

 

Jamie Ashcraft- Sugar City Idaho

My husband is a farmer and I have learned to do many things on the farm. We love to play with dirt and make things grow. As part of that, we take part in several of our local farmers’ markets selling produce that we grow and source from orchards across the state. When we don’t have enough fresh strawberries or raspberries to sell to people to make their jam, I tell them I have other options if they are interested, and I introduce them to Alison’s Pantry’s strawberry bits and pieces and the raspberry crumbles. I also tell them about all the great canning spices and so many other canning products that are available, which leads me to talk about a few of my other favorite products that I order almost every month from AP. I run a fruit stand at my house and get to meet lots of new people through that as we sell produce. I have people ask to be on my email list for the produce so they know what is on at the fruit stand. Then I ask them if they would like to be on my “produce only” list or on my “Alison’s Pantry email list”, which gives me another opportunity to teach them about Alison’s Pantry.

I know these are kind of unique opportunities with the farmer’s market, but they are great opportunities. A lot of people around here love to be self sufficient with canning and preserving food. I try to find out what types of food my customers love to eat – if they have allergies, or have foods they need to avoid or if they are just more into healthy eating and steer them towards those foods in the AP catalog. I feel like customer service and a “can do” attitude are most important in my business.

I have a husband and 4 active boys who are awesome helpers with my businesses and on the farm. They could sell the foods almost as good as I can!

Summer Grilling Ideas

It’s getting to be that time again, the days get longer, the flip flops appear, and the grill is “fired” up.  Alison’s Pantry has so many items that work well on the grill. How do you make the most of the sale items in the catalog to help you increase sales with your customers? Let’s talk about a few ideas.

First of all, how about steak? We offer some of the best prices on steak and burgers out there.  Speaking of steak, there are a few different cuts of meat and it helps to know what cut will work best for the event you are cooking for. First of all let’s review the grades of beef. Here’s a simple and easy to read guide to the differences in the quality of your beef.

beef grade

At Alison’s Pantry most of the cuts of steak that we offer are in the Choice category, so you won’t go wrong with any of the items in the catalog. Let’s now talk about the different cuts of steak.

First off we offer our Holten Flat Iron Steaks # 6044, 12-6oz. they are USDA Choice, are cut from the shoulder of the beef.  The Flat Iron is one of the most versatile pieces of beef, second only to the tenderloin. It takes to a marinade like no other, it’s tender beyond belief, and you can cook it with much success in many methods. You can grill it, use if for stir fry meat, use it for fajitas, braise it, pan fry it. Really, it is a great little steak that hopefully you will want to try.

The next steak on the menu is the Main Street Quality Meats USDA Choice Rib Eye Steak # 2602, 4-8 oz. Steaks; this cut is great for grilling or broiling. Ribeye steaks are harvested from the rib section of beef. A rib steak, ribeye steak and a prime rib roast are essentially the same cut of beef, a steak that is best when grilled or broiled.

And finally we have the Main Street Quality Meats USDA Choice Top Sirloin Steak # 2603, 4-8 oz. steaks, a family-sized steak that offers lean, well-flavored and moderately tender beef at an affordable every day price. Cut from the top of the loin, it is great for broiling, sautéing and grilling; a great value, juicy and delicious. Top Sirloin works well for Fajitas, Stews, Beef Tacos, Kabobs, and a host of other items.

Here is a few ways to prepare the best steak of your life.

  1. Pick out your cut of meat, the thicker the better. A thicker steak will allow a little longer time cooking on the grill before reaching a finished internal temperature. You do not want to burn the edges before reaching the optimum internal temp.
  2. Salt your steak minimum of 40 minutes BEFORE grilling. The longer the better. This is because when you add salt to the surface of the steak, the salt draws the moisture out of the meat. As the salt sits on the meat and tenderizes the muscle, it will have nowhere to go and with time it will eventually leak back into the muscle. If you cook it before the moisture has a chance to return to the meat, it will be dry. So for this reason it is better to salt the meat with enough time to have the moisture return.
  3. Allow the steak to reach room temperature before grilling as a steak at room temperature will grill more evenly than a steak that is cold in the middle.
  4. Flip your steak often, especially if you are cooking at a low heat. Use tongs to flip as a fork will puncture the meat and the juices will flow.
  5. Use a thermometer to check to see whether your steak is finished. It is the most accurate and you want to know what the temp is in the middle of the steak.

120° F (48.8° C) = Rare

130° F (54.4° C) = Medium rare

140° F (60° C) = Medium

150° F (65.5° C) = Medium well

160° F (71.1° C) = Well done

 

  1. About 5 degrees before your steak reaches the desired temperature remove your steak from the heat and let the meat rest. It should rest about 5 minutes, this allows the juices to settle. If you cut it right after removing the steak, the juices will all flow out leaving you a dry and lack luster steak.
  2. To top off your steak with the melt in your mouth taste, add a teaspoon of butter to the top of the steak as it rests and it will melt into the meat.

steak with butter

 

Now onto other grilling items-

Our burgers can’t be beat, whether you fancy the Holten Black Angus Chuck Hamburger Patties # 5161 at $1.50 each in a case of 40/ 10lb. or you like the 100% ALL Beef Hamburger Patties # 1075 at $.95 each in a case of 24/6lb. You will win either way. We also offer the Thick and Juicy Brand, especially made for the grill and to retain the moisture after cooking. Offered in 1/3 lb patties in Black Angus #8421,  Vidalia Onion Stuffed # 8376 and Cheddar Bacon Stuffed # 8377, along with our Holten Turkey Burger #9106  all $9.99 for 6/ 2lb  box. Don’t forget the buns! Stone Ground Round Ciabatta Rolls #1051, they will make any burger a gourmet burger.

If it’s grilled chicken you like, then your in for a treat. This month they are on sale at $9.99, a price that hasn’t been available in the last year. Our chicken breast goes well with so many seasonings, pick your pleasure and sprinkle and grill. Chicken is one of the most versatile meats to cook with. It is quick to cook, easy to season and inexpensive to buy. You can grill it, saute it, fry it and bread it. No excuses here!  We love our Foster Farms 100% Natural Chicken Breasts # 5513 or Chicken Breast Tenders # 6829. Be sure and point the great savings out to your customers.

seasonings

How about kabobs and shrimp skewers, If you love shrimp may  I recommend the Black Tiger Shrimp from Contessa # 2806, absolutely the best shrimp I have eaten. It is easy to grill, a beautiful size and so good with the Baja Chili Lime Seasoning # 7664, this would be a winner with a flat iron steak. If you prefer to get the shrimp already on the skewers you can’t go wrong with the King and Prince Classic Marinated Shrimp Skewers # 8270. Serve it with a peach salsa made with our Dole Chef Ready Cuts Diced Peaches # 2833 (See Recipe) for an unforgettable taste.

shrimpskewers

 

We can’t forget the Atlantic Salmon Portions, these would be so good on the Camp Chef Square Skillet # 8631 with a little tab of butter and some dill sprinkled on the top before grilling, squeeze a lemon after grilling and serve with your homemade tartar sauce from the Dilly Dill Dip Mix # 1421.

 baconwrapped asparagus

Need a veggie to round out your dinner? Try our Daily’s Deep Applewood Smoked Bacon # 8464 in your skillet on the grill and then wrap it around your Asparagus Spears #3127.Grill it until tender, remove and season with salt and pepper. Add a few Roasted Mini Baby Bakers # 2423 to the mix to round it out.  For your sweet refreshment you can try one of the 4 flavors of Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade catalog #6, pg 33 on sale this month, and you have an evening that can’t be beat!  Take a minute, plan out your grilling ideas and get your burn on!

Happy Grilling!

Stacee

Alison’s Pantry RSM

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/05/how-to-grill-a-steak-guide-food-lab.html

http://confessionsofabutcher.blogspot.com/