Networking Events

Do you use networking events to further your business?

I never have before, but I recently moved across the country & needed a way to meet new people. There are lots of networking groups here in Colorado that I've found so far & I've learned a few things by attending. I've only attended women's groups so far as they seem less intimidating to me. I'm certainly not an expert, but thought I'd pass along the few things I've picked up along the way:

1. Be Memorable! Instead of taking just business cards, I carry little boxes that have a tealight sample in it along with my business card. It helps people stop & take notice of me. I even had one lady tell me she saw all these people with little boxes & so she was looking for the person who was handing them out.

2. Connect! Rather than just handing out your business card to 50 people, stop and connect with them. Have a real conversation & find a connection, something you have in common or that you can do to help each other.

3. Give! Always look for ways that you can help the other person in their business. Maybe your products or services can help or maybe you know someone you can refer them to or refer to them.

4. Realize that every person isn't going to be a golden contact for you. I figure if I can get one or two new contacts that I can really connect & plan on future business with then it was worth it to me.

5. Follow Up! Send an e-mail or make a phone call the next day. Find them on facebook, visit their website or subscribe to their newsletter. Connecting after the event is what is going to build your business, so spend some time cultivating your new relationships & find out how you can help each other.

Facebook Pages

My favorite new tool for my business is using a Facebook Page (not a "group", but a "page"). You can create a facebook page for free & use it as an advertising tool. People sign up as "fans" of your page and then all your updates are posted for them to see. What I'm trying to do with my page is to keep it fun, interactive, and useful . . . not just little blurbs trying to get people to buy my products. I post useful product information, fun pictures of products, trivia questions about our products/company, motivational thoughts, and more. I also post several times a day so that someone who is only on facebook once during the day will have a better chance of seeing what I've posted. If your content is good, people will "share" it with their friends & your "fan" base will grow. If people comment on your posts, their friends will see it & may become a "fan" as well. This will help to increase your base of "fans" to more than your current friends & customers and when those new people want to buy your products, they'll come to you if you've established a good relationship with them.

Party with Your Kids Week

I love this concept from the DSWA . . . "Party with Your Kids Week"!

I thought it would be fun to suggest some activities to my team for that week that they can do with their families/kids. Any ideas of some fun activities for that week?

Halloween Treats

I always like to do a treat for my party guests to take home. For October, I decided to put together some little baggies of candy corns. As I was putting the bags together, I had the idea to add a tag printed on orange cardstock. I printed it in a format that would fit inside the little 2x3 ziplock style craft bags. Here's what it says:

Its no “trick”, just a “treat”!

Choose your treat . . .

--FREE products (home or catalog party)

--Additional Income (when you become a demonstrator)

--Fundraising for your organization!

Candle Party Concepts -- CLOSING!

For those of you that have used my Candle Party Concepts website in the past, I wanted to let you know that I will be shutting the site down in the next month or so. Over time, I will be adding those ideas to this site, so please make sure you start using this site instead and if there's something specific you want off the other site, copy it down now!

So, thanks to those who have supported that site in the past. I'm just moving things over to this FREE blog to save some money on the website costs. Also, the blog is so much easier to update than the website was so with my limited time (now that I have a toddler running around and another baby on the way), I'll be able to update the blog more often than I could update the website.

Phone Calls AFTER the Order

What a great service it would be if you purchased something (especially if you spent a lot of money) and someone actually called to make sure you were happy with the product and to see if you had any questions.

I've started doing this and because I get mostly voice mail messages, it really only takes 5 to 10 minutes to get through a whole list of people who purchased at a party. I just leave a quick message to tell them I wanted to make sure they were happy with what they ordered & that if they have any questions or if there's anything else I can do for them, to just let me know.

When I do get to talk with someone, I almost always get a VERY positive response & they usually thank me for calling. I also usually get very positive reviews on the products they ordered, which makes me finish the calls feeling even better about the great products I sell. And on the occasional call where someone has a problem with a product, it allows me to fix it quickly for them so they don't get a bad taste in their mouth for our company because a lot of times they might never have contacted me & instead just felt like the product didn't live up to their expectations.

Try some phone calls this week. Call those who have received their product in the last week & see what results you get. Remember to have their receipt handy so you know exactly what they ordered when you are talking with them!

Keep in touch with customers using Postcards

I have an e-newsletter that goes out to my customers each month & send out additional e-mails from time to time. I also keep in touch with customers by phone for those who have ordered recently, but I noticed a while back that I had so many customers in my database that didn't have an e-mail address listed (or the e-mail address was no longer a good one). I could've called each one, but I can tell you that I wouldn't have known who most of them were, if they had ever purchased from me (or just expressed interest), & would, therefore, not have a clue as to what to say to them!

I decided to reach out by mail, using postcards! I designed a postcard on www.vistaprint.com. For me, I shared a recipe that was the same as one of our candle fragrances -- so it went WITH my business, but was also something that I was giving for free & not just using to advertise. With a recipe card, I was hoping they'd also add it to their recipe files (instead of just throwing it away) & ALWAYS have my contact information handy.

I purchase 1 pack of FREE postcards from vista print each month (paying just for shipping) & send those out. It does take time to hand-address them and it costs to pay for postage, but I have heard from at least one customer with each mailing. I have received leads for vendor events & even gotten straight out orders from people who I hadn't had contact with in quite a while.

With my huge list of customers, it will take me several months to send a postcard to each person (doing 100 a month). And when I get through the whole list, I'll design a new recipe postcard & start at the beginning again. Customers will hear from me by mail at least once a year this way & I'll be able to reach out to those who don't hear from me through e-mail.