Hello Team!

I'm excited about our edition of the 3rd Quarter Grapevine. We have lots of info for you and fun numbers to look at. Brew yourself up a pot of tea (or coffee) and check out the pulse of our team!

The Holidays are near yet this is our busiest season! We are going strong in November! Below you will find some tips that I found helpful in Director Karen Hohman's (love her!) newsletter…check ‘em out!

Cheering for you!

Business Quick Tips
by Kathy Towne

Many of you have already started doing your Christmas shows, with festive displays and holiday catalogs. As you meet new customers and hostesses, remember that money and time are the two most important aspects to consider when sharing your opportunity . . . especially at the time of year when most people are short on both!

So, why not try some of these "Business Quick Tips" and ideas for a solid November!

For Recruiting/Sponsoring:  

• "What would you do with an extra $1000?" Pass out $1000 bills to everyone you meet: your waitress with her tip; the clerk at the drugstore and your teller at the bank. Print on the back side of the pretend $1000 bills, your name and phone number for contacting, plus a simple message that gets big results: "Sell Creative Memories and make $1000 in the next 4 weeks!" When they call to find out more, explain that although the $1000 bill you gave them is just pretend, the opportunity to legitimize it is very real. Tell them you'd love to sit down and show them how easy it would be to have a debt-free holiday this year! Pass these out at all your shows and tell everyone to put them in their purses. When you're ready to turn those bills into real money , "Just give me a call!" And they will!
  
• Listen for "hot buttons!" It's simple. Find out what they want, and show them how your opportunity can give it to them. At shows, a good way to do that is to ask what they would do with an extra $500 every month, and they can't pay bills with it. Once you find out exactly what they want, talk about it while you're sharing the opportunity. If you talk to at least three people at every show, two shows a week, you'll have two to three new recruits (maybe more!) every month. Remember to be simple. Be interested in them. First, show them how your company can satisfy their needs; then tell them all the other wonderful advantages of a career with your company.

For Bookings:

• Begin your shows by asking your hostess and/or any guests who have held shows in the past to share their experiences. Sharing testimonies and positive experiences is very effective in influencing others to have a show of their own. It can put your hostess program in a positive light right from the beginning. Ask hostesses and guests to share: "Tell us how much fun it was to be a hostess!" or ask "How easy was it to hold a show?" "What products did you receive for free (or discounted)?" "What booking gifts did you get?" Build on these positive experiences as you drop bookings seeds throughout the rest of the show.

• There are three areas to book shows: at shows, on the phone and in our everyday lives. At shows: If someone writes "maybe" or "later," on their door prize slip, say something like: "Mary, you wrote 'later' on your slip here. When would be a good time for me to give you a call?" She may respond that she is very busy right now or that she doesn't think she could get enough of her friends together at this time. Response: "I know how you feel. This is a very busy time of the year, but you don't have to book your show right now. Why don't we select a date in a late September?" or "Why don't we just pencil you in to reserve your date and if we need to change it later, we can. Would a week night or weekend work best for you?" 
  
• When booking on the phone, start with the easy calls first: people who are expecting your call or those who are more likely to book shows, i.e., friends, family, customers who asked you to call them later in the year or for a holiday show, etc. When you experience success in the beginning by getting a "yes," you'll be more likely to continue making calls. "Hi Bev. This is (you) with Creative Memories. It's been a few months since we've spoken, how are you? (Response) Great! Listen, Bev, the reason I'm calling is that (her favorite item or grouping) is available right now just for having a show, so I wanted to call you first and let you in on this before my calendar gets too booked. What would be better for you, a week night or weekend show?" 
  
• Always wear your "Business Is Great" pin or something with the logo from your company. Bookings are virtually everywhere you go, in every aspect of your everyday lives. When wearing the "Business is Great" pin, it's only natural for people to ask you: "Oh, what business are you in?" When you tell them what company you're with and/or what it is you do, you can follow with: "Do you have a consultant?" or "Have you ever heard of us?" or "I'd love to show you what I do!" Ask for their name and phone number and give them a follow-up call. Easy does it!

For Sales/Follow-up:  

• 'Tis the season when everyone will be shopping for gifts . . . what better place than at your store? Coach your hostesses to remind their guests that they can get a jumpstart on their holiday shopping. Give them the words to say: "Don't forget to bring your holiday list, Susie, because you'll see beautiful things that I know you'll love! It beats spending hours at the mall!" Or, "Get your holiday shopping done early this year. Bring your lists with you!" Of course there are many colorful stickers and catchy reminders available that can be stamped or affixed to your invitations, such as "Shop from your seat, not from your feet," or "Don't forget your holiday [or Christmas] lists!"  
   

Click here to see all the fun pictures from the Third Quarter of 2003