Category: Sales Tips

Customers are the lifeblood of our company.  Without our customers, we wouldn’t have anyone to buy our products; therefore, it is extremely important to keep our customers happy so they will come back month after month to get what they need from us (Alison’s Pantry).

A very important part of keeping customers happy is the way we communicate with them.  Below I want to share 5 communication techniques to help you increase your sales through positive communications with your customers (and potential customers)!

#1 – Start with a positive comment.

Whether you are talking to a customer on the phone or in person, you want to start your conversation with them with a positive comment and a smile.  (Example:  “Hello, how are you today?!”  “Hey, you look great! What are you doing?”  “Thanks for coming to get your order so quickly!  I really appreciate it!”  Just doing this simple thing will get your conversation off on the right foot.

#2 – Don’t speak negatively about a competitor.

In the course of your conversation with your customer, they may have a complaint or negative comment about another food retailer or sales rep in your area.  It may be easy to agree or even engage in “bashing” whoever they are talking about, but please refrain.  Listen to what your customer has to say, but then turn the conversation positive by pointing out something that you can do to fix whatever they may be complaining about.  (Example:  Customer – “I used to buy from _____ (another food service company) but I hated that they stood on my door waiting for me to look through their book to order something.”  Your reply could be:  “I’m sorry to hear that.  Isn’t it great that you get your catalog in the mail and have over a week to decide what you need to get before placing your order each month?!” OR Customer –  “I used to buy from _____(rep) but she took forever to call me back and/or never told me that she had placed my order or what my total was until it was here ready for me to pickup and pay for it.”  Your reply could be:  “I’m sorry to hear that and want to assure you that I will always respond back that I have received your order and make sure you know your total and what week I expect the order to be here.”

#3 – Give your customers genuine, positive labels.

We all love to hear compliments!  However, compliments should be based on positive truths, not ones that are fake or manipulative .  We wouldn’t tell someone they look really nice today when they really look like they just climbed out of bed and put on the first thing they found.  Genuine, positive comments (labels) to give your customers could be, “You are one of my best customers!” OR “It is such a pleasure to do business with you!”  Positive labels lift people up and then they want to live up to that label.

#4 – 60% of your communication with others is non-verbal.

When physically speaking with someone, their very first impression of you is non-verbal – how you are dressed, the expression on your face, the way you are standing/sitting.  Your body language speaks volumes!  When customers come to get their orders, are you dressed like you have somewhere to go or do you look like you’ve been laying around in bed all day?  Do you have a smile on your face and a straight posture that invites the person in or is there a scowl on your face and you are hunched over like you wish everyone would leave you alone?!  Another way to look at this is to put yourself in the other person’s shoes – how would you like to be greeted by someone you are bringing business to or seeking to help you with a need?

#5 – Always end on a good note.

Before you get off the phone with your customer or before a customer leaves your house with their order or someone leaves your fair booth, end your conversation on a good note. Pay them a compliment, thank them for their time, wish them a good day, offer them a free sample, etc.  Ending your contact with them on a good note makes them remember the entire experience with you in a good way.

People want to deal with people they know and like.  Positive communications with customers will strengthen your relationship with them, they will tell others about you and the great products you sell, and your sales will increase.

Good Luck and Happy Selling!!

Adapted from Vanessa Van Edwards’ training – “5 Killer Science Based Sales Techniques”.  You can watch her training at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blmqKqJ0BM

Becky Price, RSM

 

 

 

Do you remember the day that you were approved to sell Alison’s Pantry? Remember the excitement that you had and the drive to share this opportunity and good food with your family, friends and neighbors. You felt a passion for your dream.

In business we all start out on the same page; eager to make a difference.  Some have different reasons for starting a business. It might be friendship, loneliness, determination, a love of food, a desire for independence or last but never least MONEY! Think back on your reason. What has happened to the reason you became a rep. Have you taken it and run with it, or has it gone to the back of the pantry somewhere among the pasta and beans?  If you haven’t been having fun in your endeavor, reaching the level of success that you dreamed of, then it’s time to reconnect with your goals and dreams.

We all get stuck in the rut of life, we need constant reminders of the reasons we do what we do. Whether you do this for relationships, food, or money; if you’re not filling those cups, then the passion for your work is hard to find.  It’s time to clean out the closet and make this work for you. Besides feeding your tummies, you need to feed your souls.

passion

noun  pas·sion  \ˈpa-shən\

1. :a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something

 

The first step to success is to have a reason for the success. Remember that beginning excitement.  Create a passion for what you do.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

 

• Do I enjoy the friendships that you have created with my customers?
•  Do I enjoy the food that I’m feeding my family?
• Does it make me feel proud to cook home cooked wholesome food for my loved ones?
•  Does it make me feel good to help a friend by easing her burden by supplying her with easy, quick meals for her and her family?
• Do I take pride in the company I represent, offering a 100% guarantee for the products that Alison’s Pantry offers?

Remember a woman with PASSION, is unstoppable. She sees herself at the top of the mountain and reaches to achieve it.  Passion, drive, motivation, zeal, call it what you want it is the self-driven attitude about your business that can help lead you down the path to success.

 

What is your Passion?

Martin Luther King Jr, quotes

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.

 

How To Get Your Passion Back?

If you have lost some of your passion, how do you get it back? Remember passion is an emotion, a state of mind so the first thing you have to do is motivate yourself.  Take a look at where you are in your business and where you would like to be to motivate you into finding the passion again. Whether you want to reach the first $1000 tier or whether you are a seasoned rep and want to reach the $10,000 tier, you must set a goal to achieve it.  Share that goal with your RSM, she will help you with ideas to build sales and encourage growth. She is there for you; she wants to help you reach your dreams.

Once you have the motivation you can apply the passion. Remember it’s not about where you are now in your business; it’s about putting passion back into your work today and where that will allow you to go. Maybe you need to learn new skills by attending webinars to update you on ways to improve your knowledge of the products that AP offers, or maybe you need to fully engage yourself in your business by staying current on the information from the company, by reading all emails, Facebook posts and asking questions from other reps and RSM’s. Passion is Action!  What you put into your business will come back to you.

Passion also brings energy to your work. Instead of getting the work done just in time, turn it up and deliver it ahead of schedule. Get your orders from your customers before the last deadline weekend. Instead of waiting for the customer to call you, call them first. Offer suggestions for an easy dinner for the week or share your favorite product with them.  Your excitement will instill excitement in them.

Ultimately it is about your attitude. You may have heard “if you change your mind you can change your life”. This is a perfect example. To be passionate about anything you have to care about it. Be your own best customer! It is a fact that the most successful reps are buying from themselves. As Mary Kay used to say “you can’t sell from an empty cart”.  In Alison’s Pantry, You can’t sell what you haven’t tried! You must first convert yourself to Alison’s Pantry in order to sell to anyone else.

Remember the street sweeper?  He was determined to be the best street sweeper he could be. This is the way that you should approach your business. To be passionate about your work you must be motivated to be the best that you can be. Over time your work and determination will get noticed. Your customers will begin to see that you have their best interest in mind. The way you feel about your business will change and you will see growth!    Find your Passion!

Stacee Izatt  RSM

 

 

People love a good deal.  They especially love a good deal on a product they regularly buy.  A great way to build your sales is to tell your customers about the super sale prices and special offers in the catalog.

Alison’s Pantry is dedicated to helping you build your sales.  That is why we are promoting the refer a friend offer and the special offer; for every $75 in products you order you receive ____ item at 50% off (see pg 2 of the catalog). Take advantage of this opportunity to get new customers and entice your regular customers to spend more at no cost to you.  AP is picking up the cost of the free/discounted products; so use it!

Here is the special offer for purchasing$75 in the #4 catalog.  

There are several ways to do this.

1. Get to know the catalog!  Recently there have been some deep discounts on some of our best selling items.  Do you know which items are on sale?  Do you know what the free gift is for those who refer a friend who orders $25 or more?
2. Once you know what the great deals are; tell your customers about them! Send emails, post on Facebook, and text your customers about the awesome sales and special offers.

3. Know your customers’ buying habits. If you have a customer that LOVES Milford Valley Chicken Cordon Bleu, then when it comes on sale, send them a text and say, “Hey, I saw the Chicken Cordon Bleu is on sale this month, would you like to add that to your order?” That is just good customer service.

4. Watch the total amount on customers’ orders. If a customer order is short of the $75 needed to receive half off a product, ask them if they want to bump up their order so they can get that great deal.  Also watch to see if they qualify for other special offers and when they do, alert them to the offer and ask if they want to take advantage of it.

5. The best way to get new customers is to ask your loyal customers for referrals. The secret to being successful with this is FOLLOW UP.  So you shared a catalog with your customer and asked them to share it with a family member or friend, when you are doing your reminder calls that month, ask, “Did you give the catalog to your mom?  Does she want to buy anything?  I would love to get you that free pancake mix for referring a friend.”

Remember, special offers and sales are a fantastic tool to build your sales!

Julie

To help you grow your business, Alison’s Pantry provides a Marketing Kit to Representatives to be used at fair booths or open houses.  Hosting an event is a great way to find new customers and increase sales.

The Marketing Kit includes the following items:

• Instructions for hosting a successful fair booth or tasting party.
• Products to display and use for samples or drawing prizes ($95.00 Value!):
  • #4020 – Cookie Sheet,
  • #1153 – Parchment Paper,
  • #3318 – Lehi Mills Double Fudge Brownie Mix x 2
  • #3316 – Lehi Mills Raspberry Muffin Mix x 2
  • #2592 – Garlic Supreme, 1 lb. bag,
  • #1423 – Popeye’s Spinach Dip Mix, 1 lb. bag.
  • **Items may vary depending on availability.
  • Banner upon Request or order your own here.

In order to receive a Marketing Kit, it is mandatory that the Representative participates in a phone call with their RSM who will train them on hosting a successful fair booth or open house.

4-1-2022 – The Representative will then be charged $50 for each Marketing Kit.  The Representative can receive full credit back on their account for each Marketing Kit purchased by doing the following steps:

• Completing and submitting our follow-up report after their event.
• Posting photos of their booth/open house on our Alison’s Pantry Rep and/or Team Facebook groups.

To request your Marketing Kit and training appointment, please contact your RSM.

You want to get the word out that you are a sales rep in your area and grow your customer base but aren’t sure how or what to do.  Here are a few ideas that have worked great for other sales reps:

Business Cards – there are a lot of different ways you can design and use business cards. They can be simple with just words, you can add logos and pictures, and you can make them one sided or two sided.  You can advertise ongoing specials like free shipping on the first order or a free item after so many orders or so much product is purchased.  The possibilities are endless!  You can make your own or have a printing company make them for you.

Car signs / window decals – these are a great way to advertise your business while you are driving around.  They can be one color or multi color.  You can have them made with someone’s vinyl cutting machine,  VistaPrint, or a local print shop. Here are a few examples:

Catalogs – Get at least one extra packet of catalogs each month and carry them with you wherever you go!  I have a couple sitting on the dash of my car at all times so that when I am out, I will have one available to hand to someone who may ask for one or who I would like to share one with.  Make sure to write down who you hand catalogs to so you can follow up with them to see if they would like to place an order.

Displays – display products in your business area, at another business such as a bank or salon, or any place where people can see different things that we sell.  Make sure to have extra catalogs, information flyers, or even a signup list for interested people to be able to get a catalog.

Facebook Business Page – we covered this in a webinar, but I just want to reinforce that this is a great way to reach out to new people in your area! Have a drawing for everyone who likes your page!  Advertise order deadline and ask if anyone would like to see a catalog.  Share pictures of our products, recipes using our products, price comparisons with you local stores, pictures of meals you have prepared with our products, etc.

Fair Booths – Fair booths are one of the best ways to advertise our products to new people. You can display products, hand out catalogs, sample products, sell products, have a drawing and/or collect potential customers’ contact information!  We will be covering this in more depth in a future Webinar or contact your RSM.

Flyers/posters – Informational flyers/posters are a great way to introduce Alison’s Pantry to new customers.  These also come in a variety of options and can include lots of great information.  These can be handed out with catalogs, at fair booths, tacked on public information boards, etc.

Magnets – Magnets for refrigerators are a great way to advertise your Alison’s Pantry business.  Information that could go on magnets are – your contact information, the company logo, order deadlines for the entire year, ongoing specials like a referral bonus, etc.  I downloaded the delivery schedule the office sent us and added my contact information and had these printed by VistaPrint.

Referrals – invite your customers to share an extra catalog (or theirs when they are done placing their order) with someone new.  Offer some type of incentive to them if they do (such as a FREE item or FREE shipping or a percentage off their order) or, if the company is offering a Referral Bonus item, make sure to point that out to them.  Word of mouth is often the best way to grow your customer base and advertise your AP business.  Especially if you are providing great customer service to your customers!!

Samples – Besides offering samples of our products to your customers when they pick up their order each month, you could provide lunch or treats one day at your local school, doctor’s office, or anywhere a group of people work.  Make sure to include product information of what you sampled with a couple of catalogs for the people to look through while they are enjoying the delicious food you have provided.

Shirts – have a shirt made up with the Alison’s Pantry logo to wear at fair booths or sponsor a little league team or group and get your name advertised that way.  Below is an example of a black shirt with an iron on logo and the back of a shirt where I was one of the sponsors supporting an RSHS Cheer Squad event.

I hope these have given you some ideas on how to advertise your Alison’s Pantry business.  Good luck!

Becky Price, RSM

 

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:

1. 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?”
2. Hot deals. Post on Facebook.  Send an email.  Offer to reserve them for your customers.
3. 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.
4. Have a contest, a drawing, or give a free gift to someone who orders $75 or more. Or $100 or more.  Get creative.
5. Point out sales and new products in the catalogs.
6. 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.

1. Make a new list of people to give a catalog to and tell them about AP.
2. Post on a Facebook classifieds group.
3. 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?”

1. Carry extra catalogs in your car and give them to people who you can contact again for an order.
2. 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.
3. 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

 

This is Isaac after he reached the top of the mountain on our family hike.  Success feels so good!

Everybody knows how to set goals. I think the problem comes when you have set a goal and then it doesn’t happen right away or you run into a snag and you give up, telling yourself you can’t accomplish it so why try?  And then you stop setting  goals.

I come from a very goal oriented family and every year growing up we would make New Year’s Resolutions.  Several years ago I was discussing my New Year’s Resolutions with my dad and he was asking me how they were coming.  I told him I was discouraged because I had set so many goals and only a few of them I had accomplished.  He said something profound to me that I never forgot – “But look at the 3 goals you accomplished!”  Of the many goals I had set, 3 had been accomplished.  I was different, I had changed and I had been successful at 3 things!  What if I had never set the goals in the first place?  Changing my perspective changed everything.  Instead of concentrating on what didn’t happen, I focused on what I did do.  Now I always have several goals I am working on at a time and even if I only accomplish a little bit; or even if I am only successful for a short while; I am better than I was – and that is exciting!

Can I say a few words about starting over?  Changing anything about your life is hard work regardless of if it’s eating healthy or to stop yelling at your family.  The secret to success is starting over.  Every day.  If you have a slip up beating yourself up over it doesn’t make you better, but starting over does.  I used to feel so guilty when I didn’t accomplish what I set out to do until I changed my mind set.  We will always make mistakes.  Success is a back and forth dance; two steps forward, one step back.  When you take the step back, you don’t give up, you move forward!  There is a Japanese proverb that states “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”

My dear friend Jolene painted this picture and it hangs in my office. 

So how does this all apply to Alison’s Pantry?  Do you have a goal for your AP business or are you so busy and stressed out you just do the next thing on your list?  Set goals!  You would never get in the car and just randomly drive for days.  If you were going somewhere, wouldn’t you want to know where you are going?  Set big goals like how much you want to sell by the end of the year.  And set small goals to get there like how many new customers you need to get this month.

There are so many things to know about setting goals, but here are 3 important ones:

1. Reward yourself – each goal needs a reward for when it’s reached.
2. Set long –term goals, but break it down into manageable parts; today, tomorrow, this week, this month.
3. Schedule it on your calendar. When is it going to happen?

So if my goal is to get 5 new customers this month this is what I would do:

1. Make a list of people I have not yet given a catalog to and set a time to give it to them and tell them about how awesome AP is.
2. Choose 5 of my best customers, set a time to give them an extra catalog and ask them for referrals, offering an incentive.
3. FOLLOW UP with those new people who got a catalog and those customers I asked for referrals.

Simple.  Easy.  Straight forward.  Putting it on the calendar takes the stress out of it because I know when it’s going to happen and I don’t need to worry about it.  And the reward at the end of the month is the incentive I need to make it happen.

Good luck with your goal setting!

Julie

 

 

I was a bit skeptical when my friend Maggie told me about vision boards and how they had helped her.  I thought about the idea for a long time before I finally made one.  Can I tell you, making a vision board CHANGED MY LIFE!  I made my first one last January when I was facing a lot of challenges.  And I dreamed big!  Some of the things I put on there I knew there was no possible way they could happen but I did it anyway.  I posted it in my office where I would see it every day.  In about October I was looking at my board (again) and I started to notice all of the things that had come true from my board.   I was amazed!  By December it was unbelievable!  Not everything I put on my vision board last year happened – yet.  And I worked really hard to reach my goals.  But making a vision board brought the possibilities to life and created opportunities for my dreams to become a reality.

Do you want a great way to change your life?  Make a vision board!   “A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on a specific life goal. Literally, a vision board is any sort of board on which you display images that represent whatever you want to be, do or have in your life.”

Why should you make a vision board? “Creating a sacred space that displays what you want actually does bring it to life. What we focus on expands. When you create a vision board and place it in a space where you see it often, you essentially end up doing short visualization exercises throughout the day.

Visualization is one of the most powerful mind exercises you can do. According to the popular book The Secret, “The law of attraction is forming your entire life experience and it is doing that through your thoughts. When you are visualizing, you are emitting a powerful frequency out into the Universe.”    Elizabeth Rider

 

I put a picture of a van on my vision board in January.  Here is a picture of my new van I bought the day after Thanksgiving.

 

This is me and my Dad.  One thing on my vision board was biking.  In 2015 I biked over 1500 miles (my dad age 67 rode double that).

Steps to make a vision board:

1. What do you want? Make a list of things you want to accomplish, things you want to have, relationships, who you want to be, and what goals you have for your Alison’s Pantry business. The possibilities are endless.
2. Go to Google Images and do a search of pictures that represent your goals then save them and print them. Or cut out pictures from magazines and add family photos or other pictures of important places, things and people.
3. Cut them out and post them on a cork board, a poster board, the wall. Just make a display that you can hang somewhere that you will see it every day.
4. Look at your vision board every day and watch amazing things happen!

You can get more great information about vision boards here and here and one more here.

 

Julie