WAHM Forums

What do you do to work the biz daily to see results. I study for hours & tend to overwhelm myself w/info. I also design alot of marketing cards & get them printed at Vista Print but they seem to end up not geting sent out!!!! smileys/smiley5.gif

I think the most important and simplest daily action you can take is to get
your products OUT THERE. Take brochures with scent samples
everywhere you go, and be ready to hand them out if people ask what you
do, if you notice someone shopping for high end candles, or any other
way the conversation starts.

Try sending a brocure with a sent sample along with your next bill
payment or through the tube at the bank with your next deposit.

I keep votives with labels in small (snack size) ziplock baggies in my bag.
When I encounter a particularly helpful person through my day (sales
clerk, waitress, etc.) I give them a free votive candle.

When I am spending some time at a coffee shop, say, working online or
reading, I keep a jar candle or a pillar out beside me. People who love
candles with be draw to it and come over to smell it and ask questions.

Someone on the message board had a great idea- take some votives to a
coffee shop or cafe during their slow time, and ask for a bowl when you
order your coffee. Then begin grating your votives and packaging them
into your sample baggies. This will generate a LOT of interest- we all
know how strong our candles smell when we chop 'em up! smileys/smiley36.gif

My favorite daily activity is to give my 2 year old (who LOVES candles,
LOL!) a votive (in a baggie). While we're shopping, she'll play with it and
sniff it and declare loudly, "MMM! MOMMY'S CANDLES SMELL GOOOOD!"
It's my favorite form of advertising my biz!

I love using these "passive" selling techniques. I just include the products
in my every day activities when I am out & about.

Kitt's got some great ideas there!


This is what I do:


Attach those scent samples tobrochures and business cards - and carry a batch with you everywhere you go! Anytime you interact with someone, just ask "hey, let me give this to you - there's some wonderful things in here you can check out in your spare time!" and let it be at that. Keep jars and votives in your car if possible so you have easy access to them should you have the need.


I also wear the Mia Bella logo pin wherever I go, and have another pin on my purse that says "I'd Love to be your Candle Lady!"


Those are the things I traditionally do daily. Now, there are things I do "as time allows" or "as needed" such as include brochures and scent samples when paying bills, create little baskets to drop off at businesses to try to drum up some more retail business. Work on creating a postcard mailing campaign introducing your business in your local area!

sandy,
can you elaborate a little on your postcard campaign to give some of us the idea you use? I have been meaning to do this also, so any ideas you would care to share with the rest of us would be great. Thanks,
Tammy

The postcard campaign is really just a form of targeted mailing. I know there are businesses that have mailing lists, but I don't buy one of those.


This is something you can build if you have autoresponders that collect addresses, for those that sign up in your "free candle" page on your website, those asking for more information on your personalwebsite, etc. Your self-made warm leads. Many (most) do give you their address. Keep these addresses on a list for a trickle campaign via the mail.


I use this to announce "specials" I may be running personally, or when the pillars fist came, I used them to "announce" the new product.


One thing I'd suggest to put on there is "if you know anyone that would love to buy our candles, please give them this post card and have them let me know that you referred them, I will give you ____% off your next order!!"

ok Sandy, thanks for sharing the info. I had an autoresponder for a year and a half and had one sign up from it who lasted one month and became inactive and less than five responses the whole time I had it. Needless to say I did not get contacts from that at all and dropped it. I do use other forms of advertising that have my business going good but I think I will venture down the road of sending postcards and flyers. We can never try too many things to increase our business right? lol......Thanks again.
Tammy

I study for hours & tend to overwhelm myself w/info. I also design alot of marketing cards & get them printed at Vista Print but they seem to end up not getting sent out!!!! http://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gif


earthlydream,


Some people might call what you've described, "Analysis Paralysis, a fancy way todescribe Over-Thinking and Under-Doing.Perhaps you're making it too difficulton yourself. I can tell you're putting in a great deal of thought and effort into the process (designing and printing the marketing cards) but for some reason failing to complete the action step (mailing the cards). Do you think you're afraid of succeeding?


One of the things I absolutely LOVE about this business and one of the reasonsI can promote it wholeheartedly is that it's only about one rung abovea Kool-Aid stand. It's that simple.It's simple enough that evenI can do it (with the help of my kids, of course!). And YOU absolutely can, too!!


Please do me a favor and mail me one of your marketing cards.I would like to see one. AND since you'll be stamping mine and taking it to the Post office, why don't you throw about 500 more of 'em in the mailbox and see what happens? OK? smileys/smiley17.gifAll The Best!!

Thanks for comments & advice! I did start putting up the postcards & I already got a Call! A message therapist wanted some candles to sell & burn in her place!