With the economy in the state that it is in, and dozens of Newspapers and TV Shows recommending the Direct Sales Party Plan Industry, people are coming by the thousands to find which Home Based Party Plan Business is right for them.  But how do you know which one to choose?  How do you know which one will be a good fit for you?

Thankfully there are literally hundreds of choices of Party Plan Companies all offering exceptional products and generous compensation plans.   In fact I would even go as far as to say you can guarantee success in ANY of the Party Plan Companies available – IF it is the right “fit” for you and you commit yourself to working the business.  So how do you know which one is the right fit?  Ask yourself these questions:

1. WHAT are you passionate about?

We all have a passion for something.  What kinds of things can you get really excited about?  Were you the girl helping everyone put makeup on for Prom?  Or do you enjoy cooking home made meals for your family?  Maybe you enjoy preserving people’s memories in pictures or decorating a home.  Or maybe you are the “Bling Queen” and love to help women feel fantastic adding just a bit of sparkle.

The truth is there are going to be down days in this business, and it will be your passion that gets you through them.   Ask yourself honestly what kind of product you can be so passionate about that you keep on keeping on, even when people are telling you no.

2.  WHAT are you strengths? 

If you were applying for a job position, what would the strengths be that you are bringing to the table?  Are you organized? A good communicator?  Do you like talking to groups of people or one on one?  Can you talk about delicate subjects and clearly communicate your recommendations?  Are you a good problem solver and interested in helping others?

3. HOW will you work?

Another great opportunity that the Party Plan Industry has to offer is freedom to work your business in different avenues.  Do you want to throw fun parties for groups of women?  Or sit one on one for consultations?  Do you want to work mostly online, or hand catalogs and brochures out around town?  Can you travel?  How many hours can you really commit to building your business?

4. WHAT does it cost to be in business?

Many times the only price that is ever advertised as a “getting started” cost is your initial Consultant Kit.  However, once you have signed the dotted line, you are then made aware of all of the other fees: credit card processing, monthly minimums,catalog prices,  order processing fees, party fees, Hostess Rewards, renewal fees…. Get the facts up front and do not be surprised later.

5. HOW often are new catalogs/product lines released?

Companies continuously add and remove products from their product line, but knowing how often you will be changing your demonstration or adding to your kit is important.   “New products” is a great reason to keep in touch with your customers, but changing your demo every month may also pose a problem.  Ask other Consultants how their “cycles” tend to run, and how their Corporate Offices handle the release of new products.

6. HOW will you get paid?

To someone new to the Party Plan Industry, a Compensation Plan can be pretty overwhelming.  Sadly many companies in an attempt to “stand out” are making their Compensation Plans harder and harder to understand.  When you have narrowed down the product line you want to carry from Question #1, and you have narrowed down the companies from #2 and #3, talk to Consultants from your remaining options and ask them specifically HOW they get paid.  Do they earn commission – money paid out collectively based on sales of a certain time period, or do you get a buying discount – where you purchase products at one price, and sell for a higher price.  Also, when you are paid on your team bonuses, are you paid in cash or in product?

7. WHAT kind of support does the company offer? 

When trying to choose between Party Plan Companies, looking for the “oldest” company is not always best.  Instead look for what kind of support and tools are offered to the Consultants.  Are you allowed to sell online with your own replicating website or shopping cart?   Does the company offer business tools such as catalogs, order forms, and product brochures at a reasonable price? Are there training opportunities available – either in person or virtually?  Companies who are staying with the times and not “hand cuffing” their consultants to the “old business ways” are striving in today’s market.

8. IF you change your mind, what is the buy-back policy?

Every company offers a buy-back policy should you change your mind about joining their company.   (If they do not, or there are a hundred hoops to jump through, this is a huge red flag!)  Get clear on what the buy back policy is with the hopes of course that you will never have to use it. 

Choosing the RIGHT Party Plan Company for you is a HUGE part of your success with this industry.  When I began, some 13 years ago,  I began with a great company… but it was not the right fit for me.  I knew I was on the right road… I just wasnt in the right car!   Once I found the right company for me, I used what I learned from my first company to skyrocket me to the top.

Whether you are brand new to the industry looking for a new Party Plan Company to join, or feeling like the company you are with just might not be the right fit for you, get the answers to these eight questions and choose the company that is perfect for YOU.

Last night Mike and I dined at a local restaurant and listened in as a customer was trying to give his order to the waiter… who was just NOT understanding what he was trying to say.  Both the customer and the waiter got frustrated, and sadly when the order came out – and was wrong – instead of sending it back, we over heard the customer say “No, it is fine, we just will not come back.”

Communication is such a critical part in Leadership, that it can truly be a defining factor on whether a company succeeds or fails.  Misunderstandings, Assumptions, and simply LACK of Communication are all detrimental to even the best of businesses.  In fact, I think it may be THE #1 thing that could make a difference of whether a company succeeds or fails.

In the last few months I have seen many Party Plan Consultants walk away from their businesses stating reasons like “I never knew what was going on,”  “I felt all alone,”  “I never heard from anyone,” “I was only talked to when I was producing big numbers,”  “I only felt important when I had big sales.”  In the case of the restaurant, it is a customer who was unhappy and will probably not only not visit the establishment again, but share with his friends the poor experience that he had.  In Leadership, you simply can not afford to have this barrier.

So how do you overcome this?  How do you communicate effectively to ensure the success of your business?

Do it well.

One misconception about effective communication is that there needs to be a lot of “fluff” and “pizazz.”   With all of the junk and distractions we are presented with each day, effective communication now is more about getting the point across in a clear, concise manner as quickly and effectively as possible.   Do not try to jazz up your communications with a bunch of fancy words or phrases in an attempt to sound more professional.  Research shows that the best communication is at about a 4th grade reading level, there fore everyone understands it.  Get to the point so everyone can get on with their day.

Do it often.

In my opinion you can not OVER communicate something important to your team.  In fact I think a lot of times it is not even WHAT you are communicating as much as it is showing that you ARE communicating and keeping people “in the loop.”  People want to feel informed, they want to feel included -  the sense of unknowing leads to fear, upset, and eventually giving up.  By “touching base” often, even with small updates, you are showing that their time matters, and that you care about them enough to want to keep them informed.

Do it together.

Collaboration is the new business model in 2011.   People not only want to be in the know, they also want to be seen and heard with their opinions.   Tools such as YahooGroups, Google+ Circles, Facebook Groups, etc allow for you to not only get your message sent, but also for everyone in the “group” to be able to discuss and weigh in as well.   It gives your team a feeling of belonging, and that their feelings truly matter.

Do it now.

My pastor said this week “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago… the second best time is right now.”   Whether you are a brand new Leader, or whether you have been leading a team for years, the best time to begin great communication is right now.  Stop what you are doing right now, and send an email out to your team.  Or create a Facebook Group and then announce it to your team.  Let them know that you care, that you are there to help them, and that you will be working to keep them as informed as possible to help them succeed in their business – no matter how high or low their sales are this week.   Send a note to them that effectively communicates that you will be communicating more effectively

Keeping your team connected and informed is one of the first steps to building a remarkable team.  It is one of the easiest, and most effective things you can do to ensure the success of your business.

All this month we have been focused on Online Marketing – from Social Media to Online Parties to Email Campaigns.  But how do you know if any of your efforts are actually working!?  Are you giving yourself a “litmus test” to make sure you are not only doing the right things… but doing things right?

1. Track your time.  How much are you making per hour?  Don’t know?  This is a problem!  How much time do you spend actively WORKING on Social Media?  (Farmville and Monday Mingle DO NOT COUNT! )  Now do the math on how much you made per hour with that activity.  Are you happy with that amount?

2. Do your own website search and see where you fall.  Do you know what page of Google you are on?  (or how many?!) Search for your hot key words and see if you can “find yourself” amongst the thousands of other sites.

3.  Run different promotions – with different coupon codes – on different sites.   In other words, to track how well Facebook is working for you, run a promotion solely on Facebook, and even use the coupon code something like “FB1.”  You can do the same with Twitter and use something like “Twitter1″  – and then track each sale with by the coupon code.

4. As often as you are able, ask the question “How did you find out about us?” – whether on your email subscription registration, contact form, order form, or during customer care.   People are usually happy to tell you just exactly how they found your site!

5. Let someone else do it.  The Adobe Online Marketing Suite – powered by Omniture – provides insight into the performance of online marketing initiatives, empowers organizations to make informed decisions, and ensures the success of online marketing programs.  Their programs work within your contact management system to show you real time results from numerous different channels – all in an easy to understand format. Their search engine marketing blog will also give you ideas for increasing your online presence and effectiveness.

Whether you track your own results, or leave it to the professionals, it is important to know if your efforts are TRULY working.   Remember, the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.”  Arm yourself with the truth, to know whether or not you need to “change direction.”

Hi! Thanks for stopping by the 30 Days of Faves Blog Party hosted here at The Party Plan Coach! Each day Divas from around the World will be highlighting their favorite products from their Home Party Plan line. I will be highlighting my favorite business tips, tools, and inspiration for you to help build your Home Party Plan business. Be sure to check back every day in June to see what’s new!

Email has pretty much replaced every form of communication – fax, letter, telegram – even phone calls.  According to radicati.com, there are approximately 3.1 billion email accounts Wordlwide.   With Smartphones becoming more and more popular, it is expected there will be 531 million wireless email users in 2011, with that number growing to 1.2 billion by year-end 2015.  Even more staggering is their estimated number of emails SENT Worldwide on a daily basis – 294 BILLION.  That works out to be 2.8 million emails every SECOND.

With numbers like these, how is your email supposed to stand out from the crowd!?!?

MyeSig.com is an innovative new product that let’s you completely customize your signature with animated images and links – turning every email you send into a selling tool – no matter the topic!   For as little as $9 per month you can have an amazing email signature, with links to up to 5 different webpages.  Even better, you can track the “clicks” to your MyeSig from your account dashboard.

MyeSig has many predesigned templates for the Direct Sales Industry.  Check out a few samples:

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You can even have a signature completely customized for YOU!  Click HERE to see mine!  esig-208087

Hi! Thanks for stopping by the 30 Days of Faves Blog Party hosted here at The Party Plan Coach!  Each day Divas from around the World will be highlighting their favorite products from their Home Party Plan line.  I will be highlighting my favorite business tips, tools, and inspiration for you to help build your Home Party Plan business.  Be sure to check back every day in June to see what’s new!

Today I want to tell you about my favorite Email Marketing Tool – Constant Contact.  Constant Contact launched in 1998 and is the favorite of nearly half a million small businesses for Email Marketing, Online Survey, and Event Marketing software.   Because their focus is to help small businesses, their prices are economical and competitive – in fact, I am surprised they do not charge more for the awesome service they provide. With one monthly fee, you can send unlimited emails to your mailing list each month, keeping your name and contact information in front of your customers often.  Oh, and did I mention it all fully integrates with all of your Social Media outlets?

The back end of Constant Contact software is very user friendly, and once you “get the hang of it” you can literally produce full color, professional HTML emails in seconds.   You can include your own images, links, videos, and more! You can even send out surveys to your email list to get valuable feedback from your customers on their wants and needs, to help you run your business more successfully.  They even have an app to send and manage emails directly from your smartphone!

Constant Contact also provides “opt-in” forms like the one you see in the right hand side of this website – allowing your customers to sign up easily to receive your emails.  They also offer an “auto responder” that will send every new signup a welcome email that you can include a download for a free report, coupon, etc.  Constant Contact gives you complete freedom to take care of your customers they way you want to!

Every email you receive through Party Plan Divas – including our Quick Tips Daily, eNewsletter, Specials, Announcements, invitation to the Diva Leadership Academy, invitation to Diva Success Seminar – they were ALL created with Constant Contact.  (by the way – if you havent received these emails – be sure to sign up over in the right hand sidebar to be added to our email list! You will also receive my report- 10 Traits of a Party Plan Leader when you sign up! )

Constant Contact is a remarkable tool for keeping in touch with your customers on a professional, consistent basis, without the need for expensive software or designing.  I absolutely love it, and will continue to use it for many years to come!

Running Sales and Promotions are a huge part of the Party Plan Industry – but how do you make them a huge success?  No matter how great the offer may be – if it doesn’t generate business – what is the point, right?    Use this quick five tips to create an awesome promotion, get the word out, and keep your customers coming back again and again!

1. Decide what the objective is for the Sale. What is your goal?  Do you wish to increase your monthly sales volume?  Are you looking to gain new customers or reservice your existing customers?  Do you want to including Bookings into your Sales promotion?  Set your goal for EXACTLY what you want the promotion to achieve and then plan everything with that goal in mind.

2.  Create a Sales Promotion gives a great deal, without giving away your profit. Contrary to popular belief, you can have a great sale without “giving away the farm.”  I am a firm believer that we are in the business to MAKE money, not SPEND it… well, don’t GIVE it away either!  If you make 20% commission on sales, running a 10% off sale has just given away HALF of your earnings!   The truth is, your Party Plan Company has gone to great lengths to get you exceptional products at exceptional prices.   Get creative with your sales promotions and offer services along with product to add more value to your promotion!  Examples: Complimentary Skin Care Consultation with any order over $50.  My Top 5 Recipes with any Home Kitchen Purchase over $50. Free Gift Wrapping with any order over $50.

3.  Plan Your Promotions  ahead of time to be properly prepared. Timing is key, give yourself at least a few weeks in advance to get all of your sales tools ready. You will use this time to get some flyers, and advertising materials that will best showcase your promotion. Think about what kind of sale you will be running as well as what is within your budget.  Consider holidays, seasons, and other National and Worldwide events when planning your promotions.  Try to have all of your Sales planned out no less than 90 days in advance to have plenty of time to order and receive your promo items.

4. Create “Limited Time Offers.” Speaking of TIME – Run promotions for no longer than a week to ten days to create a sense of urgency.   People do not want to “miss out” on a great opportunity, so so create the sense of urgency with a close ending date on your promotion. Giving someone an entire MONTH for a sale will most likely allow for the customer to procrastinate (“oh I will buy that next payday”) and then forget about it entirely.

5. Get the word out! Sales promotions – like bookings – are about numbers.  The more people you tell – the more sales you will receive.  Simple as that.  So get the word out!  Send a Customer email, post on Facebook, write a blog post, ask others to share on their Facebook and Blog pages,  post on community message boards -spread the word like your life depended on it, be excited, this excitement will transfer well to your customers.

Building your Home Party Plan Business CAN be a very expensive endeavor – but it doesn’t HAVE to be!  There are hundreds of ways to build your business FREE or nearly free.  In fact – many of the FREE options will have even more ROI (Return on Investment) than many of the pricier options.  Check out my best tips for Building Your Home Party Plan Business on a Budget:

1. Customer Care - First and foremost always remember that we are all in the RELATIONSHIP business – the better the relationship you have with your customers, the better your business will be.  Whether you sell lipstick, lingerie, handbags or hair accessories, Customer Care is an absolutely FREE way to build your business in huge ways.  Keep in close contact with all of your customers, hostesses, and prospects.  Emails, phone calls, and text messages are all ways to keep in touch with your customers on a regular basis and keep them coming back time and time again.

2.  Referrals - Make it a habit of asking the Five Magic Words – “Who do you know who…” Referrals are an incredible way to build your business with no expense.  You can literally ask every single person you know or come into contact with the Five Magic Words – “Who do you know who…. would be interested in earning some free jewelry this month?”  “Who do you know who … would like to make some extra money this summer?”  “Who do you know who is in need of a fun Girls Night In?” By asking “Who do you know who” – you are asking for a NAME, not a “yes” or “no.”  You can make the Five Magic Words work for you in any situation and get the results you want – a REFERRAL!

3. Take Advantage of Free Advertising Outlets - Have you ever been in a store and saw a Community Board or Bulletin Board?  Many stores have a local “What’s Happening” cork board somewhere – even if it is in the Employee Break Room.   Take advantage of these boards by putting up Tear Tab Flyers, Business Cards, Postcards, etc.  As a member of Party Plan Divas you will have access to hundreds of Templates you can download to your computer to use any time!

4. VistaPrint – Speaking of Business Cards, Postcards, and Flyers – VistaPrint.com is an incredible resource for stocking up on these crucial marketing materials at a fraction of the price.  By signing up for their Exclusive Offers emails (bottom right hand side of the page) you will receive all of their promotional emails – offering items such as 250 free business cards, 100 free post cards, 25 free brochures, and more!

5. Party Swapping - Look up other Party Plan Consultants and consider Party Swapping – you agree to host a party for her, if she will host a party for you!  This is a great way to meet new customers who you might not otherwise meet!  Other Party Plan Consultants can also be a great resources for finding Expos, Networking Events, and just Sisterhood Support.   Remember that it is very unethical to try to Recruit another Party Plan Consultant – even if she is struggling, do not use that as an opportunity to recruit her.

6. Hold An Open House - Looking for Hostesses?  Why not BE one!?  Hold your own Open House and invite literally EVERYONE who you have ever done business with, or would want to introduce your business to.  Offer incentives for Bookings and Sales!  You can even consider making it a “Mystery Hostess Open House”  – put all of your orders in a basket after the event is over, and draw one customer to receive all of the Hostess Rewards from the Open House!  This is a great opportunity to showcase new products, introduce new collections, and highlight new Hostess Rewards Programs.

7. Social Media - The numbers for Social Media in 2011 are staggering – with nearly 600 MILLION users on Facebook alone.  Even if you are not very tech-savvy, you can begin building an online presence via Facebook, Twitter, LinkdIn, and – my absolute favorite – BLOGGING! With Search Engines all but eliminating phone books, it is crucial to have an Online Presence to keep up with today’s market.

8. Join a Networking Group – Many cities offer all kinds of Networking Groups.  Women’s Groups, Small Business Groups, Direct Sales Groups – you name it – they are all out there!  Check your local Chamber of Commerce Events Calendar to find Networking Events in your area. ( If there isn’t one in your area – START ONE!  Check out Diva Success Sisters to learn how!) Some are free and some are paid – but most all of them will let you attend a meeting or two first to make sure it is a good fit.  Be sure to take your Business Cards and other Marketing Materials, along with your Award-Winning Smile, Positive Attitude, and “Elevator Pitch” and talk to as many people as possible.

9. Gardening - Gardening is the term we use at Party Plan Divas for Marketing your business.  Gardening is like “planting seeds” of success while out doing your normal daily routine.  While you are dropping your kiddos at school, run in and offer Gardening Gifts to the teachers and staff in the office.  When you head to lunch, take Gardening Gifts for the waitstaff at the restaurant.  While you are at the Grocery Store, offer little Gardening Gifts to the employees in each department – including the checkout clerks. GO IN to the bank instead of using the drive-through, and offer all of the Tellers a Gardening Gift.  Truly ANYWHERE you go is an opportunity to “plant your seeds” with Gardening Gifts.  Keep Gardening Gifts in your car and in your purse – you never know when an opportunity may arise.

10.  Just Start TALKING! The “Gift of Gab” is a learned behavior – you are not born with it!   Talking, selling, prospecting – all of these skills are learned by repetition, consistency, and trial and error.   The more people you talk to about your business, the more Customers, Hostesses, and Team Members you will receive.  You can not sit at home and grow a million dollar business – not quickly anyway – so GET OUT AND START TALKING!

Join the Party Plan Divas Quick Tips eNewsletter for Free and Nearly Free Business Boosting Tips Every single day!

Your vehicle (aka a Rolling Billboard) = $6,000 – $30,000.00

Vinyl Lettering Advertising Your Business = $200

Car Magnet on the Doors Advertising your business = $75.00

Card Caddie stocked with new Business Cards = $14.95

Grocery shopping for your family while your car is sitting in the parking lot handing out business cards FOR you = PRICELESS!

I am a big supporter of turning your vehicle into a rolling billboard for your business whether with car magnets, vinyl lettering or a car wrap. However, there is a vital piece of marketing that is missing- a business card! Or, more specifically, something that a prospect interested in your business can take with them to call you to inquire. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year putting advertising on our vehicles, simply to be seen and only occasionally called upon. By adding a Card Caddie to your vehicle, a prospect can see your car parked, and easily walk over to take a business card to put in their wallet – increasing the likeliness of you getting a phone call drastically.

The Card Caddie is absolutely the best Marketing tool under $15! By adding a Card Caddie to your vehicle you can advertise your business wherever you are! Whether you are grocery shopping, going to a movie, or even going to a concert – your car is advertising for you, and even handing out your business cards!

The Card Caddie keeps your Business Cards clean and protected from sun and rain, giving you a terrific first impression – even when you aren’t around! You simply place your business card in the front display window, fill the inside with as many cards as it can hold, attach the Card Caddie to your vehicle, and voila! You are ready to start advertising anywhere you go!

Each Card Caddie comes with a Window Hanger to make it easy to remove or move from vehicle to vehicle if you have more than one family car. Or, you can attach the Card Caddie directly to your window with the industrial strength tape strip. Either way, your Card Caddie will be working – even when you are not.

Card Caddies come in seven different colors to match your theme. You can choose a color that will easily blend OR stand out on your car! Match your Party Plan Company’s colors, or match your car’s paint – it’s up to you! And at only $14.95, you can order extras and ask friends and family if they will put one in their vehicle windows to help you advertise all over town!

Ok, so are you ready to find out how you can win your own – FREE!?

THREE lucky Divas are going to win a set of TWO Card Caddies each! One to use – and one to share!

• Subscribe to our free Daily Tips Newsletter (in the top right sidebar of this blog) and receive daily training, tips, and inspiration directly to your email (or if you are already, leave a comment telling me so)
• Follow this blog on FaceBook by clicking the link, or on the button on the right-hand column of this blog (or if you are already, leave a comment telling me so)
• Follow me on Twitter @partyplandivas (or if you are already, leave a comment telling me so)
• Display ThePartyPlanCoach badge on your blog by grabbing the code on our sidebar
• Blog about this giveaway (and paste a direct link to your blog post in your comment)
• Tweet this Giveaway up to three times per day, but must be at least one hour apart – “Win a pair of Card Caddies to advertise your business on the go! Exclusively from @cardcaddiecom and @partyplandivashttp://ow.ly/1rY30”

You get one extra entry for each extra item above. Please leave me a comment separately for each additional entry. Make sure to leave your email address. Contest ends at 8pm CST on Friday April 2, 2010.

Oh, and in case you have any question as to what color MINE would be:

CONGRATULATIONS Keysha Davis, Lynn Anne Cutler, and Lynnecia Johnson!!  You’ve each won a pair of Card Caddies!!

The biggest shopping day of the year in just a few weeks away – BLACK FRIDAY! Don’t wait until the last minute to organize your Black Friday Specials! Companies around the country have already started “leaking” their specials out to the media… already growing a “buzz” among shoppers everywhere who are making their early morning shopping plans!

Black Friday is the official opening to the Christmas Selling Season. Though it is not always the absolute largest selling day, it is by far the largest traffic day to retailers around the world. The term “Black Friday” comes from retailers who have “suffered” over the summer months getting back “into the black” (i.e. PROFITS!) with amazing deals, specials, and sales to entice every shopper.

Cyber Monday is the Monday following Black Friday and the unofficial kick off to online shopping for the holiday season. On this day many merchants will have some great deals and these deals are only good online. There are usually great deals throughout the holidays but some of the best can be found on this day, even more so this year with the way our economy has been going lately.

Use these ideas and start planning (and “leaking!!”) your specials NOW to have an amazing Black Friday (and Cyber Monday!) sale – all the while YOU are out doing some shopping of your own!!

“Bounce Back” Discounts
With any purchase, offer a Gift Certificate or Discount Coupon for the next purchase. Like the restaurants offering the Giftcard with Giftcard – this can be a second gift, a gift for the giver, or add value to the original purchase. This will also boost your January sales!

Free Gift with Purchase
Offer top selling Free Gifts with purchase increments. Take a look at your average orders from the last few months (or last year if possible) and increase it a bit. Make sure you gift warrants that much however.

Random “Blue Light” Specials
Randomly highlight products throughout the day on your site. You can use your Social Media platforms that we talked about last month to send these specials out. Consider setting up accounts such as TweetLater which will automate the process of sending out specials at certain times. Set up your coupon codes in advance for completely seamless shopping.

Send Two Reminder Emails
For whatever promotions you tun, make sure to keep your company on everyone’s mind throughout the season. Up your email marketing efforts to help not get “lost” in the abundance of other emails everyone will be receiving.

Give Store Credit, Not Discounts
Don’t give away the farm by offering outrageous discounts on your products of you don’t have to. Consider offering store credit in the form of an online Gift Certificate that can be used towards future purchases. For example, instead of offering a $25 discount, offer a $35 store credit.

Spread It Out
Yes, the whole purpose of Black Friday being the “one day sale”- but, the new Cyber Monday is not to be overlooked! Consider running a weekend long sale, or having different specials on each day. This will also alleviate Customer Service craziness on just one day, and allows for customer viral marketing to kick in.

Create Product Bundles
Utilize what your Corporate Office has already created, or create your own. The easier you make gift giving – the more your customers will shop with you – AND refer you to their friends. The value of a product bundle can be perceived as greater then the sum of its part because you are conveniently creating a one-stop-gift.

It’s The Little Things
Gift wrapping, customization, separate shipping, alterations – these “little things” paired with excellent Customer Service will keep your shoppers happy, and the better their experience the more they will tell their friends and colleagues.

Start Advertising Now
Begin“leaking” your sales now. Use your Social Media to start creating a buzz about your Holiday Specials. Make everything you send viral – meaning they can forward to a friend, retweet, repost, etc. The most successful marketing campaigns are those that reach target consumers, engage with them, and create a relationship well before they make a purchase.

Enlist a Team of Elves
Make sure that everyone you meet or work with this season has plenty of your Diva Referral Cards to hand out. Consider making cards from vistaprint.com just for this purpose. Create a Referral System to reward your Elves for their help.

The more people you reach, the higher your sales will be this season, and with the Bounce Back incentives – the higher your January will be as well. Go get ‘em Santa!

Contact local medical offices, particularly gynecology and pediatrics offices, and inquire about leaving a Lobby Basket in their Waiting Room.

A Lobby Basket is filled with your Gardening Tools, Catalogs, Business Cards etc. This is PERFECT for those with children related businesses! Use our Coloring Book from the Template Library and tie 2 crayons to it with curled ribbon. The kids will love it and the Moms will love the kids being occupied while they wait!