Daily Five for Busy Merchies

I’ve heard from a lot of ladies who started school this week (go college students!) and are feeling overwhelmed with school, their C+I business, their jobs, their families…ah!!! It can get crazy! The key to maintaining your business during any overwhelmed time is to get organized.

 

Some tips:

Stay organized with your time – use a schedule book and schedule everything you need to do (school, work), then schedule in study/reading time for school.

Once you find your “spaces” in your schedule, work in your Daily 5. This is going to be your way to stay connected with your business even during busy times.

When possible, set aside one day where you can pop up each month. Box that off on your calendar and then get out there to find a hostess!

 

Daily 5?

          What is the Daily 5? It is your opportunity to reach out to your customers/potential customers. This is your daily reach out to five (or more) people who may be interested in buying or hostessing. It’s a good idea to do this at the same time every day so that it becomes habit. Here’s a possible list of small things to do for you busy ladies:

1)    Right before you walk out the door, decked out in your bling, SELFIE girl! Post it to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and anywhere else you may post pics. Post it to your FB page, your personal page, wherever people will see it. Lots of people view FB in the early hours (before work hours) so you’ll get some great exposure. Hashtag #chloeandisabel, #jewelry, and anything else that fits. And this includes the most obvious suggestion: WEAR YOUR JEWELRY EVERYWHERE. Anyone is a potential customer.

2)    When you have a chance during the day, monitor the responses to your pics. Message people who liked your selfie and chat with them about the piece. “That’s such a great necklace isn’t it? I wear it all the time, it matches so much. What would you wear it with?”

3)    Use Pinterest to post your favorite pieces. Include the price for the piece so that viewers know how much it is without going back to your link. But don’t just Pin jewelry – Pin a lifestyle that goes along with the jewelry. Pin at least one thing per day to maintain a presence.

4)    Text/call/message/chat up at least one person per day to ask about hostessing. Remind them that they don’t have to have a big in-home pop up – you can do an online pop up, a 1 hour pop up at a coffee shop with look books, or you can even come to a party they already are having (Superbowl, baby showers) and bring jewelry.

5)    Find a piece that you think a particular person might like, download the picture, and text/message the photo to someone you think will be interested in it. You can say things like, “I saw this and thought of you – what do you think of it?” This will give you some feedback about your customer base and what they like. Holidays are great to do this – for example, Valentine’s Day is a great time to message guy friends and suggest pieces for their significant other/daughter/Mom.

 

Now tell me some other quick suggestions – what else can you do even when you’re busy to make connections and sell?

 

XOXO,

Liz

 

It’s your friendly neighborhood Chloe + Isabel MM with some business tips! Have questions, want to set up a chat with me, or want me to talk about certain things in these weekly emails? Let me know! Send me a text or call me at 210-465-1894, Facebook message me, or email me! I want to hear from you and help you be successful in your business!

 

What if they say no? Expanding Your Chloe + Isabel Business

            As a merchandiser, you will hear “The Dreaded N Word” a lot. No. I don’t want to buy your jewelry. I don’t wear jewelry. I don’t buy from direct sales companies. I can’t wear anything that isn’t gold or silver. It’s too expensive. It looks X. I don’t want to pay for shipping when I could go to a store and get it without paying shipping. No, no, no. You’ll feel like a parent of a toddler!

What if they say no? Dealing with rejection in sales

 

            A lot of ladies I talk to who are just starting out are afraid of this; they’re afraid of The No. They want people to like them and they worry that by a potential customer saying no, they are saying they don’t like them. If this is you, if you are afraid they’ll say no, then I have something to tell you.

 

The No has nothing to do with you. So breathe, go for the sale, and smile at the outcome, good or bad.

 

Here’s the thing – if you worry that people will say no and they won’t like you when you ask, then you’ll never make any sales! For every 10 people you ask, 1 person (or more) will say yes. Sometimes 1 in 3 will say yes, but those would be some awesome numbers. So if you ask 10 people for a sale today, more than likely, 1 will say yes and the others will say no.

 

And that’s OK. Because with every no, you’re closer to that one yes.

 

  
And the no isn’t about you. It doesn’t mean that this person dislikes you or will now dislike you. It means they don’t need your product right now. It means they don’t have the money for jewelry right now. It means…well it could mean a lot of things!

 

Some of the nos you hear will be what I call “terminal nos” – they will never buy from you. Ever. They don’t wear jewelry. Or they only wear fine jewelry. And that’s great! One person off your list that you never need to follow up with. You can smile, thank them for their time, and ask them to give your card to someone who might be interested. While people may not be interested in buying, they will most likely do something small and easy such as taking your card and sending it to someone else (or sharing your post on Facebook).

 

Others are “conditional nos” – these are of the “not right now” type. Keep them on your list of possible customers and contact them every once in a while. There are some people who need 8-12 contacts from you before they buy for the first time. Let them know about promotions or when something new is available that you think they may like. If someone tells you, “Maybe next month,” then follow up with them next month. Put it on your calendar to contact them and do it. Be consistent with your follow up and your “conditional no” may turn into a “yes.”

 

What can you do to avoid the No? Product knowledge is key. “I only wear sterling silver.” “My aunt does too! And she is in love with the Best of Luck sterling set – here let me show it to you!” “I’m allergic to nickel – is it nickel free?” “It is! All of our jewelry is nickel free and hypoallergenic.” Where can you learn this information? In the Academy click Our Jewelry and immerse yourself in product knowledge. Your business will thank you for it and you’ll feel more prepared to deal with questions from customers!

 

When did you stop worrying about The No? How did you feel after you stopped worrying? Let me know! I’d love to hear your story!

XOXO,

Liz

 

It’s your friendly neighborhood Chloe + Isabel MM with some business tips! Have questions, want to set up a chat with me, or want me to talk about certain things in these weekly emails? Let me know! Send me a text or call me at 210-465-1894, Facebook message me, or email me! I want to hear from you and help you be successful in your business!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net