Gary's Blog

EYE DO - The Bride Guide

 

New Tools to Support Your Sales This January

I hope you all had an amazing holiday and a great start to 2013. 

January is going to be a great month, and we have amazing new products to help make this another Extreme year.  Along with great products, come support tools to help you as you market your business to your clients.

Each of these tools are available on BeautiNet>Business Tools>Forms on File under the product section and will benefit you in so many ways:

• Learn the Features and Benefits of your new product introductions
• Use as order drops to help encourage sales
• email to clients to let them know about the new products
• Save them as an image file to post on social media channels like Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter
• Help build orders at your Spas
• Book Spas and build clients

We have new additions to our Forms on File section monthly and I want to make sure everyone is aware of them and how they can help grow and benefit your selling success.

Don't miss the opportunity to attend your January Success Meeting where you will learn about all these new products as well as receive special ordering opportunities just for you.  Contact your Director to find out more.

Have a great weekend.

My Gift to You...The Keys to Your Very Own...

..BUSINESS. 

Whenever I am asked what I love most about my job, my answer may surprise you.  Sure, I have a laundry list of incredible products that my team and I have developed over the past 21 years, but the thing that I love most about my job is that I have the opportunity to offer the products and support tools that allow others to start their own business and take control of their lives.  Just like the key board on our computer, our lives have a "control key", and we are the only ones that have administrative rights to access that function.

The job description of each of us here at your home office in Dallas is very simple, and regardless of which department we may work in, it is exactly the same across the board.  Our job is to provide you with the tools, materials, products and back-end support to help you start and run your business.  In today's world, it is easy to think of us as a "seller" or a "retailer" of products; however, in reality, we are here to support YOU as your own retail establishment. 

Our job, as a Marketing team, is not to market to you as a BUYER, our job is to market to you as a SELLER…you are the storefront, and the SPA is your sales event in which you sell your products.  Our job is to provide you with the incentive items and the training to put together incentives to offer your clients in order to help move your business.  The only time that my team will market directly to your clients, who are the Buyers, is through Client Connection and the Client E-Newsletter…but unless you sign them up, we have no way of marketing to them for your benefit…this is why our Client Marketing tools can take so much of the pressure off of your shoulders as the SELLER.  Be sure to take advantage of our client e-newsletter and Client Connection mailings…you will be amazed at what it can do for your business.

Remember, when we have a sale or discounted items each month, we are not positioning them to you as a consumer.  These discounts are one of the unique benefits that BeautiControl offers you, the seller, to stock your inventory and increase your profit potential when you turn around and sell to your clients.  These are the best times to stock your inventory with the items that you need to keep your business moving.   Buying at a discount allows you to maximize your profits when you sell them at full retail price…OR it allows you to stock up and create a limited time “Sales” or "Client Appreciation" events for your clients.  

Limited Collections are another great tool for you to generate activity and create urgency in your business.  Here's a very timely example...the BC Spa Manicure Instant Manicure on the Go.  This product was introduced as a limited life product this December.  When you think of yourself as a buyer, you may become a little frustrated at the fact that we create products that are only available for a limited time.  As a business owner, think of these limited life products as a business tool.  Rather than not ordering it because it is a limited life product, I would order as many as I possibly could and use it as an exclusive product to continue to generate client and Hostess activity throughout the year.  Everyone who has tried it has loved it, making it a product that has a very high consumer demand.  If it is not a product that they can purchase year-round, you have the opportunity to use it to control and generate sales activity.  Thinking as a seller, I would use it as a "gift with purchase" tied to an order size or as a special "Hostess Exclusive" offer tied to the sales of a Spa.  As a team-leader, I might choose to use it to reward sales or recruiting activity on my team.  Regardless of how you use it, the fact that you have this product on your shelves puts YOU in control.

When you think of yourself as a "business owner", it has a tendency to shift your perspective on things, don't you agree? 

Thinking as a business owner, ask yourself the following question:

"Am I in control of my business or am I letting my business be controlled"?

Whether you are in this business to sell and earn immediate profits for each product you sell or you are in the business to build teams and maximize both the profits from your sales and commissions for helping others start their own business, the bottom line is the same...either way, you are in the driver's seat.

You have everything, and I do mean everything you need with BeautiControl to create a business that rivals anyone in this industry.  We have the BEST product line, the BEST price-points and the BEST Profit potential in this industry.  When you know that and you believe that, you will start to see your business take flight.  Take control of your business and you will be amazed at the magic that you can create for yourself and for your guests.

Social Media Savvy - Part 2: Understanding The Consumer Mindset

Thank you for all your incredible feedback following part 1 of our Social Media Savvy series.  If you missed it, you can CLICK HERE to follow along as we take a deep dive into the very important topic of social media...what it is, what it isn't and how you can use to to best serve your business and build your brand.

 

Today, the most powerful word in consumer vocabulary…”Why”?

Marketing tactics over the years have changed dramatically.  “Old school” marketers were taught to sell a product, it was crucial to connect with the mind of the consumer:

• Your WHAT is the most important thing that you can offer…”What” is it you are selling
• HOW your product is better than the competition
• WHY you need it

Every organization knows what they offer.

Some know how to do it and how to sell their product.

Few know why they do what they do.  What is their purpose, cause or belief. 

Progressive, intuitive marketers of today have had to shift their thinking to adapt to today’s consumer mindset.  To connect and inspire today’s consumer, we must think, act and communicate from the inside out, leading with our “why”…connecting with their heart, rather than their head.

 Companies today are forced to take an insightful look at the way they communicate and connect with their consumers and ask themselves the following questions:

• Why we do what we do
• How we are doing it
• What we sell

BeautiControl has been a leader in this type of connection.  Partly due to the fact that we are a business that creates unlimited opportunity for both men and women and partly due to the fact that we have always had females in leadership roles in the company who more naturally think and act on an emotional level.

This is evident in BeautiControl’s Mission and Vision Statements.  You can see how seamlessly our Mission and Vision fits into this way of thinking:

• Why we do what we do: We inspire every woman to control and celebrate her life with style.
• How: by providing personalized services and unforgettable experiences that change women's lives.
• What we sell: BeautiControl is the #1 premium Spa brand.  Our Personal Consultants are professionally trained in skin care treatments, beauty and style.

People don’t buy “what” you do, they buy “why” you do it.  The goal is not to do business with everyone who needs what you have, rather to do business with those who believe what you believe.

Connecting With Our Social Network

In order to remain relevant in today’s world, companies must create an intimate emotional connection with the consumer’s mind and heart.

Objective:

To create a social network community by connecting with the hearts and emotions of the public, our current consumers and you, our sales force, and providing you with the tools to create that connection within your own social networks.

Strategies:

• Leverage current client-facing social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc) to attract and build loyal clients while creating a stronger loyalty and value-added benefit to our less active Consultants.
• Strengthen the use of professional social media channels (Blogs, LinkedIn) to provide information, education, connection and lead generation.
• Create a company sponsored social media channel that provides community, connection and communication.
• Educate the salesforce on how to utilize client-facing personal and professional social media channels to draw people into our internal social network and social media community.
• Provide Social Media Marketing tools to our sales force which enable you to attract and retain those within your own Social Networks.

So, now that you know the definitions of social networks, social media and social media marketing, along with a more indepth look at the mind-set of today's consumer, it is easy to see how our corporate objectives and strategies are aligned to help support your business growth and development.

Social media can be used as a tool for successful branding, attracting people you want in your business or it can be a repellant for those you may want in your business, as well as the demise of your brand depending on:

• Where you communicate (public forums, closed forums, which social media network, etc.)
• What you communicate (message content and style)
• How you communicate (attitude, branding, etc)

Please join us for our next topic in this series as we explore, what I believe to be the most important part of this series...understanding social media.  More specifically, Understanding the Split Between Personal Networking Channels and Professional Networking Channels. 

Social Media Savvy - Increasing Your Reach, One Heart at a Time

If the mere mention of "Social Media" throws you into a panic attack, don't worry...you aren't alone.  The fact is, however, that in order to most effectively reach the clients, Hostesses and Consultants of the future, as well as communicate with our current social groups, we have to adopt a Social Media strategy and adapt to the way that consumers of today choose to communicate.

This series is designed to show help you understand the definitions, touch-points and strategies for Social Media marketing to help expand your reach and increase your communication effectiveness.  You don't have to work harder, just smarter, to take your business viral.  More exposure equals more clients, more Hostesses and a stronger brand identity and connection.

Lets get this party started...

 

What are Social Networks?

Social networks are groups of individuals who share a commonality. Their common bond of social networks may be the community in which members live, their religion, subdivision, career interest, social interests, common friends or shared beliefs. In short, social networks can arise from nearly any commonality or even a desire to make friends among their individual members

Direct Selling is the original social networking business.  Long before we even knew what a computer was, people were getting together for fun, socializing and shopping. Add in technological power and globalization and you have a winning formula.

Think of Direct Sales companies as a master social network comprised of inter-connected micro social networks connected for the purpose of generating income, connection, recognition and personal development

What is Social Media?

Social Media: is a type of online media that expedites conversation as opposed to traditional media, which delivers content but doesn't allow readers/viewers/listeners to participate in the creation or development of the content.

• Examples of Social Media Technologies:  Some of the most commonly used Social Media technologies include Internet forums, message boards, wikis, blogs, file sharing tools (video, pictures, documents), instant messaging and chat functionality, virtual reality environments, email, automated alerts, calender sharing, and synchronous gaming.  Note, however, that the most popular Social Networks  utilize a combination of technologies to attract and retain members.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing consists of the attempt to use social media to persuade consumers that one's company, products and/or services are worthwhile.  To use social media marketing effectively, businesses have to be perceived as members of the social media community, willing to interact with other members. The main goals of social media marketing are to build a business' customer base and to develop and manage a company's reputation.

To be effective in marketing through Social Media Channels, a company must recognize the need to develop deeper relationships than ever before with their current and future customers.  In order to do this, we must:

• Establish an emotional connection with your audience
• Understand the emotional split between Personal Networks and Professional
• Segment audience and messaging

Check back next time where we dive into  the mindset of today's consumer and how to communicate with them most effectively.

Ciao.