By Jill Pfefer

I fell in love with this wrap. I liked the design and I especially like the colors in it. All my neutral colors wrapped into one accessory. My mind was swimming as to how many ways I could wear it and how many things I could wear it with. Of course, the jewelry is first to my mind for me. How many times in the past have I bought my outfits to go with the collection.

Here are some examples of outfits and accessories I thought would look good with just this one wrap and with Trixie! Here I have a chocolate brown long sleeve t-shirt, the Oh Bee-Have necklace and the wrap is tied like a scarf. The browns and the golds are picked up in the wrap and both accessories make the outfit look complete. This would look great with jeans and a pair of brown boots!

This is a black long t-shirt with the Stirred Not Shaken necklace and the scarf with the tie in the front. This looks great with a jacket or just plain as is. Again this is a great casual look and will keep you warm.

I have seen a ton of sleeveless tops for this Fall season. I loved the neckline and texture on this top. It is a little fancier and looks great with the It’s Just Black and White Necklace. I like the necklace with this top because it is not exactly the same colors but it all gets tied in with the colors in the wrap. Tie it around the waist to accentuate the waistline and show off your neckline.

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By Jill Pfefer

I fell in love with this  new store called Hot Mama-their website is www.shopmama.com. It’s a great small chain of stores geared towards helping women accessorize and feel good about themselves.  I love the assistance they give and helpful ideas to arranging outfits.  I like that they had me try on things that I never thought would look good on me- nice try with the skinny jeans but at least I tried. I really thought that this way of approaching customers with an educational angle was the way to go.  I did not feel like I was forced to buy something, I felt like they were taking the time to explain what looked good on me and how I could use these changeable pieces to enhance my wardrobe.

I think this is a great example of how you can apply education to your home party business. At your next party bring a few t-shirts, sweaters and jackets and show how one necklace can be worn in different fashions. Sydney Andrews has many pieces that are colorful and can look completely different with many outfits.  Demonstrate this with your creativity some people can’t see outside the box unless you show them.

How about on your next party invitation- invite your guests to bring one outfit that they struggle to accessorize. See what people come up with and challenge yourself and your guests to come up with creative ideas with your collection of jewelry. I think people value your opinion and if you offer something beyond the product they will recognize the value.

I would love to see and hear your ideas about how you educate your customers.

by Jill Pfefer

We all know that it is easier to maintain a current customer than to go out and find new ones. Here’s a great tip for thanking your customers and gently reminding them about you and your business.

One week after your party send a card to each guest who did not book a party that night. Send a simple postcard that says…

Dear_______,
Thank you so much for attending _________’s party. I enjoyed meeting you and appreciate your business. If you would like to have a party or a virtual party, you can earn free merchandise. Also, feel free to contact me if you would like to place another order.
Thanks again,
_________
phone #
P.S. ________ earned $_______ in free merchandise and you can too!

I am sure this is information that you already shared at your show but it never hurts to reiterate the generous opportunity your guests can take advantage of.

Have you tried something like this before? If so, please share your success!

By Jill Pfefer

I have been asked many times about my thoughts on “Matchy-Matchy.” Matchy- Matchy means wearing the same coordinates together such as the same necklace, bracelet, earrings and/or ring together. Well, I guess I would have to say it depends on your customer.

Yes to “Matchy-Matchy” if your customer

- is very tailored and all pieces of clothing are very similar

- does not mix and match gold and silver

- dresses conservatively

No to “Matchy Matchy” if your customer

- Dresses contemporary

- is confident in making a statement

- likes to think “outside the box”

- daring to be bold and individualistic

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By Jill Pfefer

It’s true, more and more I am seeing a strong trend today in providing education and letting your guests experience your product.  It’s how you can provide information and stand out amongst the rest!  The trend to sell with hard core tactics and by convincing your customer into a sale  is quite “passe”. I see more and more people explaining practical purposes for their product and how it can enhance their life.

Show your customers that by adding a simple accessory they can feel better about themselves instantly!  How great is it to get a compliment on something that they wear and get noticed by people they simply pass on the street! Teach them by adding, for example, a necklace they can mix up their wardrobe and and save money.  Instead of buying a new wardrobe, the necklace can compliment and tie into a lot of  their pieces they have had in their closet for years.

Here are some ideas you can mention at your next party….

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By Jennifer Fong

This week I asked the question on my Facebook Page, “What’s the number 1 thing you need to do this week to build your business?” And there were a lot of responses. But I found that I often had to encourage folks to be specific in what they needed to do.

You see, it’s very easy to say “find new leads for my business.”

But how?

We all know the outcome we need. But what’s more important is the road map. HOW will you generate new leads? Will you:

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By Jill Pfefer

How do you spend your time building your business? I bet some of the actions you take to build your business are direct while others are indirect. You may want to analyze and actually look at and the time you spend doing both your direct and indirect marketing.

Directly growing you business involves parties, opportunity interviews, one on one sales, follow up calls and building long term relationship with your customers. These activities directly result in making sales and having faster growth in your home party business. For example, up to ninety percent of your time should be spent on your income producing activities. Make it a goal to speak to at least 3 people a day about your home party business. This includes talking to people face to face. So many times we hide behind our computers and chat online but a solid contact is built more solidly face to face. Set goals whether they are having a party once or twice a week, 5 one on one sales or participating in a local event. Follow through with your goals by putting yourself out there and check off the milestones you have achieved each week.

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By Jill Pfefer

It’s the beginning of the year and for some, a time to reflect.  A time to look back on the past and learn from it by planning a new future. Analyze what worked for you in your home party business and what things you need to change. What ideas come to you that you can actively pursue to take control and create a strong business year ahead.  The following are some ideas you can use to rekindle and/or spark this year by starting your year off with a blast!

1. I commend you for reading this blog post! Doing research on the internet in your field can help give you ideas that you may have never thought of before.  Look at other people’s suggestions and see how they like to book, sell and sponsor.  Maybe one person’s approach has shed some light on how you can tweak your own approach.  Maybe an idea comes to you that you would have never thought of on your own.  The internet is a wonderful resource you can use to rekindle or refresh your own ideas.

2. Attend your company’s webinars.  At Sydney Andrews we have several training sessions a month focusing on how you can improve on your sales and sponsoring.  Learn from the experts who have been successful through their own experiences.

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By Jill Pfefer

Last month I took a wonderful class with Beth Jones-Schall from Spirit of Success. She gave a lecture “From Generation to Generation”based on information from researchers Strauss and Howe.  I didn’t realize it at the time but I took away so much information that afternoon that it has taken me several weeks to absorb it all. It was quite interesting when you break down the 4 generations, you can see how differently you will want to approach people with booking, selling and sponsoring .

Traditionalists (silent generation) 1925-1942 – The people from this generation are very adaptive because they have gone through so many events in their life such as the Great Depression and WW11. They are great helpers, they love their community and most of all they are loyal. It is very important for them to leave a legacy. The best way to communicate with them is face to face, on the phone or with a written letter. When approaching them, let them know that they are needed and they will make a difference.

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You just had an awesome party! You had a great turnout, with a generous hostess and you were able to drive up your sales to one of your most successful events! You had the time to explain why your product is the one of the best  and/or most unique out there and you walked away feeling that this party was a great success. Do you think the next time your customers need a similar product they will seek you out or go down the street to a store? What can you do to ensure that the repeat business will actually come back to you?

1. Explain how your product is unique. For example, Sydney Andrews jewelry is a custom designed jewelry line.  You can’t find these pieces at the local  mall or in a retail store. Therefore, if they are really enjoying their product and get lots of compliments on it and want to seek out other styles, they know that they have to come back to you to buy it.

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