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YOUR Great Ideas from our Rep Only Webinars in June

We’ve compiled all of your great ideas and responses from our June rep forum webinars in one place. They are organized by topic for easy reference.  If you have further questions about an idea you can ask that rep on the rep Facebook page.

Thanks again for all of your great feedback and ideas!

Social Media

 

Amanda 

 Hi guys! I don’t know if other reps have a separate group for their AP customers but I’ve had one for a few years. Just last month I made it PUBLIC and I have had 3 new customers call me and people ask to be added to my group. It was a great tool to start the conversation for new customers.
Jennifer  I have a Facebook page for my AP too and I post on it a lot and I also post on my personal page.
Heather  I’ve put an ad on the local online FB yardsale pages and have gotten 5 new customers in the past couple months. The flash sale was good too! I had 2 customers who hadn’t ordered in 6 months. I’m still brand new at this, so still learning.
Cassey  I think we as reps need to be the best advocate for the products. I did a LIVE video on my AP Facebook group this catalog and had several customers say that they liked being able to see how products were packaged and it encouraged them to possibly try new products.
Paula  Love being able to share facebook pages that are created by Alison’s Pantry.
Jennifer Whittle One thing I do is going live on My FB page when I get the new catalog or when the list of Items Leaving comes in.
Amanda Maine I went live in my group when I got my cast iron set and I already have 2 maybe 3 who want the set!!!
Jennifer Hilton I told my husband if I didn’t send reminders I would not get orders
Jennifer Whittle I despise calling… I use to before cell phones LOL but now I despise it. I write down what I’m going to say, then that makes me less nervous.
Danielle Sayler I do know that FB is a great tool but have a real love hate relationship with it so honestly only use it for updates on the rep page and group page but have found the face to face interaction works as well if you are willing to put in the time.
Amanda Maine In my group, I share recipe videos and suggest the AP items to buy to make that recipe (with the code & cost). I get more likes on those posts than just sharing a picture.
Debbie Johnson You could remind everyone of the search function on the FB page.  Great tool for finding answers to common questions.
Jennifer  I like to take pictures of meals I have made using AP products and post them on FB.

Incentives/Rewards

Jennifer  I’m doing a drawing for my customers that give me new customers this month and the new customers will also be in a drawing.
Sara  I think having some sort of incentive as a rep every so often helps to get customers. I know last month on my own I did a drawing for an item if they place a $50 or more order, and my customers loved it. It wasn’t a spendy item by any means. Also, give your customers a reward for customer referrals. I know someone for a different company did a punch card for if you ordered x amount of times you would get a reward.
Cassey  What about a customer appreciation incentive? Sort of like a punch card type thing. ..after they spend so much they receive a gift card or code to get $5 or $10 off their next order.
Debbie  You can barter with other personal business owner.  Ex:  buy Mary Kay from someone if they will buy AP from you.  I do this with my massage lady too.  I pay her shipping and don’t give her a tip.
Mindy  I run my own punch card that I use for my customers.  I keep track for them.  They get one punch for each time they order and an extra punch for ordering over $100.  For every 10 punches I put a $10 credit on their account for their next purchase.
Shasta  I had a friend tell me to do a featured product each month and give the customer something cool for ordering it.
Joyce  One idea is to offer to do the food for birthday parties for kids, etc promoting AP products while trying to pickup new customers while they test the food.
Mindy  I have two suggestions.  I use a punch card system that I keep track of for my customers and I give them one punch ordering and an extra punch for ordering over $100.   For every 10 punches they get a $10 credit added to their account for the next order.  They love it .  I try to order my sample products a month before so I can get the samples ready ahead of time.
Fern Goodwin I have a referral incentive where I will give the referring customer 10% off the new ordering customers first order. It seems to work well.
Sharon  johnson I do a drawing each month for a gift certificate and an Alison’s Product from my gift basket.  I give anyone who brings me a new customer an Alison’s Product from my gift basket.  Working well.  The items range from 4 to $10.
Jeannie Sykes I do a basket also for any referrals plus they get free shipping or $5 off their  orders.
Troi Williams The best way I’ve found to get new customers is to do contests and go to craft and vendor fairs.
Becky Price Would love help from any of you reps who would like to earn the $100 referral bonus by helping us find new sales reps or replacement reps…I am looking for replacement reps in Lander and Afton, Wyoming, and Tribune, Kansas, for my area.

Sampling

Ceptember  I plan, when school starts again, to see if I can set up a sample table with catalogs in the local teacher lunch room.
Becky  I always try to sample something that is prepackaged or easy to separate out.
Shasta  I like the prepackaged stuff for samples.
Amanda  ok. so what if YOU don’t do the sample sizes, how about making the baggies available to us & we can do it ourselves?
Jala  I like the idea of putting together my own sample bags of the spices! That would be a great addition for customer orders on pickup day!
Jennifer Segler  Bringing samples like muffins to businesses has helped me get new customers!
Jeannie Sykes I’m sampling the bread this month. Spices, muffins, etc
jennifer Hilton a lot of times if there are kids I will give them an Icee 🙂
Kim Henke Use a sample that doesn’t require preparation–Fieldstone items, fruit snacks, nuts/candy, or other dry products and J & J Snacks treats…
Jaynee Metcalf  Your right, it is huge, and you would be amazed at how many people haven’t even heard of Alison’s Pantry but not sampling is a hold up.
Danielle Sayler Things that are already prepackaged are great like the fruit snacks.
Kelli BONE I bake all of my samples the morning before my order gets here.
Erin Brimhall I had the frozen root beer floats at my baby shower and got a lot of interest in them that way.
Danielle Sayler Dry products are much easier to sample,  plus if your sales skyrocket on that product you don’t have to have freezer space
Jennifer Whittle The Whole Fruit tubes is what I sample with the Uncrustables

Ordering/Customer Service

Lisa  I’ve been getting some of my previous (before the new ordering online) customers back by saying that I can order like before and they can pay me when they pick up.  I had said that many times before but it’s taking time to get it across!!  
Lauri  I agree with Lisa! I think reminding customers of the different ways to order would be GREAT!
Ceptember  All of my reminder texts say “order online or through me, pay online or at pickup” – just because I don’t trust that they remember
Lauri  I think the success of Alison’s Pantry is the personal contact with customer! The months I do best is when I take the time to text or call customers.
Allisha Hughes  I asked one of my customers to take over for me when I moved.  She jumped at the chance!
Jennifer   I agree that the success of Alison’s Pantry is the personal contact. I LOVE the online ordering, I think it’s fabulous. But I kind of miss people calling me with their orders. haha.  I guess I just need to be better at reaching out more to my customers to keep that personal feel even though they are ordering online.
Jennifer  I deliver a lot of my  customers orders and they appreciate it so much. One time I was asked if I had a delivery fee and I said no and they were surprised.
Paula  Customers that talk to each other are more willing to try a product that someone else has already tried. Even though everything is 100% guaranteed it still intimidates them to order something new. Especially if it is a higher priced item. We need to get our customers talking to each other. AND WE NEED TO TALK TO THEM TOO. Be personal!
Lisa  You guys do a great job, keep on keeping on!!  We need to work harder, customer service on our end is key and people order from US to help US so we need to do our best and let customers see our hard work!
Heather  When I text the week before closing day to the customers, I put the Flipbook link in and it seems to help.
Paula  Every month I try a new product. That way I can recommend that product to my customers.
Fern Goodwin The only way I have found to get new customers , is through referals. I have tried so many other options, and nothing worked.
Amanda Maine I’ve always asked my customers (who are not in my area) if they or someone they know might be a good fit for being a rep. It opens the conversation about the opportunity of getting a truck in that direction.
Kelli BONE In my reminder text a few months ago I just put in my text “I always love referrals” and I got 5 new customers from them.
Troi Williams I get most of my new customers from my existing customers.
Becky Price Don’t be afraid to ask them if they know about Alison’s Pantry.  If they do, ask if they are currently ordering from another sales rep.  If they are, move on.  If they aren’t and haven’t for over 6 months, then ask if they would like to start ordering again.
Sharon  johnson The best thing to get new customers, and new sales is just beat the bushes.  Tell everyone you see and encourage your customers to bring in new customers and reward them.  I treat my customers like family and they enjoy coming to the shop, enjoy the visit.  I give away a lot of freebies, but I don’t really have to, they just love to come and visit and try new samples.  Service sells. I don’t find big rewards with social media but I try to put recipes and info out to my FB Group.
Danielle Sayler Vendor fairs has been the number 2 source of new customers for me next to referrals
Haley Notter I just used the snipping tool to post all the sale items that were on overstock. Sold over 20 items!! IT WORKS and I plan on doing it often.

Shipping/Tax

Jala  So you know, I am in a rural area and EVERYTHING charges at least 10% shipping, except Amazon. And all home businesses that I have ever been involved in have charged at least 10% shipping.
Laura  I just had a customer get shopping and then left it in the cart when she saw the shipping fee!  But, to get groceries at this price to our area you have to travel and shopping online is cheaper!  Customers don’t think of that.
Paula  I remind my customers that they pay a membership fee to Costco and that should be figured into the price comparison.
Paula  I figured out what I bought at Costco and how much my yearly membership fee was. It came out to about 10%
Cassey  I think the commission structure works well for me. But I also think you get what you put into your business!

Freezers

Debbie Johnson I added onto my homeowner insurance a business policy in case my freezer would go out when full of products.
Irene HENDRICKS I guess freezer is not a problem.  I have a large order and we sort and customers pick up within a couple hours of delivery.  I do it in an event center that has no freezers.  Customers know that they need to be there.
Kelli BONE I just turn them off when I’m done.
Jeannie Sykes I power up my freezers the night before the truck. They are down or off the rest of the month after all are picked up or delivered.
toni ohrman My freezers I plug in a day or two before the truck comes, I check the temp, and then unplug when empty, easier on freezer when empty.

Misc.

Lisa  I’m glad you aren’t MLM, I love the new catalog pictures and layout…love the lower prices.  We might just need to keep working harder as reps?  I liked giving my customers a freebie with $100 orders, I miss it but don’t expect you to do it if it isn’t worth it!!
Joyce  I have had a great response to the smaller quantities being offered on the different products.  Hopefully there will continued to be more items added to this.
Sara  I have been tossing around an idea of a Tasting Party at my home to gain more customers. There aren’t a ton of vendor shows in my area sadly.
Jala  I never get out of town and I am 250 miles from the nearest Costco, Walmart or Sams Club so I LOVE AP and it saves my budget every month. Plus my kids love getting surprised when the truck comes as to what is ours.
Elizabeth  I found smaller packs of Flavor-Pak veggies at my local grocery store.  I can get more for less.
toni ohrman When looking for new customers, an option is to volunteer for your fair, a funeral dinner at church, anything you can do do be in the public.  Always carry catalogs in you car. I always do our county fair with a contest for if you bring your order there, or tell me you ordered online. People will ask what I am doing, it is an opportunity to get new customers, and explain what Alison’s is, it is great for making contacts.  Helping with events is a great way to help your community, and get the word out on Alison’s Pantry.
Kim Henke  Have you attended the webinars? If not, we have a lot of recipes in our webinar handouts, and some recipes on our blog as well.
Haley Notter Get yourself a new phone and use it as a tax write off. 😉
Shellie Christensen I always have myself listed in the mass text that I send so I know that it goes out ok.

Nichole Henderson, Bowman, ND

Hi, I’m Nichole Henderson and I live in Bowman, ND with my husband, Drew. We have to wonderful children, Ella (5yrs.) and Weston (4yrs.). I have been an Alison’s Pantry Rep since October 2017. I ordered Alison’s Pantry before I became a Rep and we liked the products. Our previous Alison’s Pantry lady had sold AP products for 12 years and was retiring. My husband and I talked about selling AP and decided to give it a try!

We have a lot of favorite AP products and continue to try new ones each month! We always have the Old Trapper Jerky on hand and love this product for snacks and fishing 😉 We also love the frozen vegetables!!

Each month I send out reminders to my customers via email, text messaging, facebook, and phone calls. I ask my customers if they are ok with my reminders. I have found making my own facebook page has been extremely helpful whether it is for reminders on due dates, pickup times, hot deals, or new products!

Meet Allisha Hughes from Orangeville, UT

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Hi! I am Allisha Hughes from Orangeville Utah.  I was first introduced to Alison’s Pantry when my mom was a rep while I was in Jr. High and High School.  My job was to deliver the catalogs with my siblings, and I hated it! (So glad we have the option to mail our catalogs now!)

When we lived in Green River, Utah, I found Alison’s Pantry again, and began ordering from the rep there.  When she started working full time, she asked if I would be willing to take over for her.  I was excited for the opportunity!  I also loved feeling like I could help contribute with our family’s income and grocery budget. That was in 2012. Two years later, we moved our family to Orangeville, Utah. I was worried that I would have to give up being a rep, but when I found out there was not a rep here, I contacted the office. They were happy to have a rep in Orangeville, and the rest is history!

My husband, John and I have 7 children. 6 biological children and another son we adopted in December. Our oldest two boys just graduated high school! They are an adventure and keep us on our toes. We love this crazy bunch!

family pic 2018.JPG

My husband is the principal of the elementary school here, so I get asked to help provide a lot of lunches for the faculty and staff.  They always ask which products Alison’s Pantry are. I love that we provide excellent quality products that speak for themselves. People can taste how good they are!  My pantry and freezer are full of our products.  They get used to AP daily in every meal I serve.  Some of my favorites are the boneless skinless chicken breasts, the Milford Valley chicken products, the Sweet Yeast Stake House Rolls, the Bosco Pizza sticks, our seasonings…I could go on and on!

One tip I have, is to contact all your customers multiple times.  I contact the Monday of order week, then again on Wednesday or Thursday and then again, the day of my ordering deadline. I don’t give up on contacting anyone until I get an order or a “no thanks” from them.  I used to think I was bothering people too much, but then I realized that they are as busy as I am! I sometimes put things on the back burner thinking I will do it later, and then forget. I figure my customers are the same. It always pays off and I end up getting orders from those who I don’t think will order.  Keep contacting, they really do appreciate it!

Monthly Marketing Helps: Catalogs 7 and 8

Retaining current customers and growing your sales is easy if you use these helpful tools each month!

Marketing Focus

 

We’re kicking off summer and promoting products for grilling and backyard barbecues.  We’ve also provided marketing materials to address some of our survey responses, specifically requests for smaller pack sizes and ideas for cooking for smaller families.

 

 

 

 

 

grow-tag

During Catalogs #7 & 8, we’re focusing on gaining new customers and offering Reps a chance to win cash prizes.  Here are 3 great resources for oodles of ideas to help you grow your customer base:

 

 

Sample Suggestions

Suggested Products for Sampling During Catalog #7 & #8:

Allowing your customers to sample products can really help your sales!  Here are a few products that we suggest sampling to help your summer sales:

Products Leaving

Please remember to let customers know about the products that will be leaving our catalogs after #8 when the new list is posted. Be sure to check this link to see which products will be unavailable after Catalog #8.  Then you can share this information with your customers so they can stock up on personal favorites before they leave the catalog.

There will be quite a few products leaving after #8 to make room for new fall items.  The complete list will be posted before the #8 catalog is live, but for now we can tell you that the following lines will be leaving after #8:

  • Zyliss
  • Camp Chef
  • TR Toppers
  • Twist Drink Mixes
  • Mason Jar Mugs
  • Miss Essie’s Meats
  • J & J Snacks
  • JJ’s Bakery Pies

 

Text Scripts

Duplicate this text script and send to your customers to round up better orders.  We’ve included shortened links to make it easier for you.

Copy for Catalog #7…

Today is your Alison’s Pantry Catalog #7 order deadline. Love our bestselling Flat Iron Steaks? Be sure to grab this sale: https://bit.ly/2Gg4rkq

Enjoy easy shopping with our FlipBook: https://bit.ly/2kyS7SS

Copy for Catalog #8…

Today’s the order deadline for Catalog #8 and it’s the last chance to order frozen treats like these this summer: https://bit.ly/2voPICt

Does “What’s for dinner?” drive you CRAZY?! Find your sanity in our easy-to-shop FlipBook catalog: https://bit.ly/2zwk3RQ

 

Bi-Monthly Be Nourished Newsletter: Whether you email a copy, or print it and insert in your catalogs, our bi-monthly newsletter helps you spotlight products and increase sales.  Put it to good use! Click on the newsletter below to download for Catalogs 7 & 8.

Be Nourished 7 cover

 

Marketing Images

Click here for our Catalog #7 marketing images (including the one at right).  We’ve done the work so you don’t have to!  Download these beautiful images and post them to your social media accounts or add them to your marketing emails.

Click here for our Catalog #8 marketing images (including the one below).

toppers8

 

 

 

 


Catalog Shortlinks

You can copy and paste the links below in your own personalized texts or emails to customers to link them directly to the current catalog.

Catalog #7 PDF: https://bit.ly/2sfKSnd

       Catalog #7 Flipbook: https://bit.ly/2kyS7SS

Catalog #8 PDF: https://bit.ly/2LaIWUy

Catalog #8 Flipbook: https://bit.ly/2zwk3RQ

 

email-tag

We’ll be sending a last call reminder email, similar to the one below, to all customers on our email lists the Saturday before their order deadline.  Many customers are not on our list though, so it’s a great idea to copy the info below and send it on to your customer list.

Copy for Catalog #7…

There’s nothing quite like flame-grilled steak and shrimp!

It’s the last weekend to order from Catalog #7, and the perfect time to stock the freezer with beef and seafood options for the grill.  Save $5.00 this month on each of these two AP bestsellers: Holten Flat Iron Steaks and Contessa Black Tiger Shrimp.  

Double Red Provisions (Holten) USDA Choice Beef Flat Iron Steaks
12/6 oz. 

Rich, succulent flavor! Excellent for grilling because of its uniform thickness.  Gluten Free
Reg. $49.99
SALE $44.99 | Save $5.00!

Order Flat Iron Steaks»

Contessa Black Tiger Shrimp
2 lb. Bag              

Large, highly sought after species known for their larger size, distinct sweet flavor, and firm texture. Raw, peeled and deveined. Tail-on. 16-20. Frozen.

Reg. $28.99 
SALE $23.99 | Save $5.00!

Order Black Tiger Shrimp »

Copy for Catalog #8…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes saying goodbye is hard.

But we have to do it, and we want to help you avoid all of the messy tears and running makeup. We’re saying au revoir to summer products in our catalogs to make room for our favorite fall and holiday fare. This is the last weekend to stock up on frozen treats and other items before Catalog #8 orders close.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL LIST OF LEAVING PRODUCTS 

Orders can be placed through our website, or by calling, texting, or emailing me.

Barq’s Frozen Root Beer & Vanilla Ice Cream Floatz
24/3 oz. tubes

Frozen root beer and creamy vanilla ice cream in a tube.
$18.99
Order Floatz»
See All Frozen Treats»

TR Toppers Chopped Cookies ‘N Cream
2.5 lb. Bag

Chopped chocolate sandwich cookies with a sweet creamy center, perfect for topping sundaes and brownies or stirring into thick and creamy ice cream shakes.

$9.99 

Order Cookies N Cream Pieces »
See all TR Toppers mix-in varieties

 

Susie Potter – McKinnon, Wyoming

My name is Susie Potter, and I’m from McKinnon, Wyoming. My daughter-in-law, Heather Potter, and I have been doing Alison’s Pantry together since last October, and we love it! It has been a great way to spend time together while serving the community with amazing food options delivered conveniently for our remote location.

We are both long time customers, and it has been sold in our area by a family member for quite some time. When the opportunity came for us to do it, we took it more to keep the food available for our own families. The income it has generated has been a bonus! We love the high quality foods, and in our remote area the convenience is wonderful! I haven’t missed a month of ordering for years, and we are trying to build customers that also order regularly because they love the food, convenience, and price!

We are using the money we make to pay for a family trip to Disneyland this fall – and that makes our families happy as well!

Meet Sandra Crawford, Big Timber, MT

Hello, my name is Sandra Crawford. I live in Big Timber MT, about 1500 people. I own a hair salon “Shear Chaos”, I have been sharing Alison’s Pantry through the salon and Facebook, also friends have been spreading the word. I have met new people in this small community, selling Alison’s Pantry. My first order was 1500.00, 2nd 3000.00, and 3rd 2400.00, I can’t believe how well this is going. I do set goals for myself, this last month I was not quite there, but it is ok.

I am trying something new with the order. I have been posting sale items on my Facebook page, I am hoping to pull more people and more orders with this idea. I post everyday, which does not take much time at all. I am also going to do a drawing in the next few months, if everyone that orders, can get at least 1 or more people to order, there name will go into a drawing for 50.00, in free food. My goal over all is to be at 5000.00 and up in orders.I had a very successful open house, that really helped people to see sizes and to touch and smell items.  I am loving this, it has helped with our grocery bill, bills and what I spend a week at the store! I am retiring from my salon after 29 years and helping my husband. This keeps me busy and brings in enough to help out the family. I love the food, Alison’s Pantry staff, what a great company.
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