Susan Gabrielson, Shop for a Cure, Vendor

Susan Gabrielson, Tastefully Simple consultant of Hawley, PA makes this event Mmmm, Mmmm Good!

Starting out as a customer first, Gabrielson decided to become a consultant herself when her own consultant decided to quit. At the time customers could not place orders online and her friend convinced her to give it a try so they could continue to buy the food they could not live without. "My kids were in college and I thought it would be nice to earn some extra money with hours I could control", says Susan. She's been with this company 2 1/2 years since.

With four members in her first downline and one in her second, Susan keeps them motivated with meetings and emails. During her slow months she spends typically 10 to 20 hours a week and on busy months she can work 35 - 40 hours a week. When asked what her favorite aspect of her business, Gabrielson answers with an enthusiastic "The Products!" She also enjoys meeting new people.

Having done two prior events with Shannon Nelson, the event coordinator, she's asked to be contacted whenever Shannon holds her events. Usually she finds out about other events such as this one by word of mouth and is on the Crafters Newsletter mailing list. Susan very wisely answered that she would bring her products to taste if she were only allowed to bring one item.

A littler words of wisdom from Gabrielson...
"Enjoy the event and think of it as a way to meet new people and maybe make some new contacts. If your sales are great, that is a plus but, since the attendance is always so iffy, you have to go into it without thinking only of sales."



For more information...

Susan Gabrielson
Tastefully Simple Consultant
suspickle@hotmail.com

Shannon Nelson, Shop For A Cure, Vendor

Shannon Nelson of Lake Ariel, PA mans her own table at the very event she coordinated.

Representing Country Bunnny Bath & Body for 1 1/2 years, Nelson is no novice when it comes to both attending and coordinating events such as the Shop For A Cure Event. She often finds local events to attend at the ever-popular CraftLister.com.

"I have an addiction to bath and body products." Says Mrs. Nelson with a million dollar smile when I asked her why she chose County Bunny Bath & Body for her business. Watching others fall in love with the products too is her favorite aspect.

Spending approximately 20 hours a week on her business, Shannon has 12 members in her downline that she keeps motivated with emails, phone calls, monthly newsletters with a team challenge and constant encouragement.

Without any hesitation at all Shannon shared that a pampering station would be her first choice had she only been able to bring one item to an event such as this one. (You can view Shannon giving a hand treatment to fellow vendor, Barbara Munley below.)

Nelson shares a few words of wisdom about direct sales...
"Direct sales is hard work, just like any other sales job. You need to be willing to stick with it through the ups and downs. In the end, it is the most rewarding job out there!"




Click Pictures for Larger View

For More Information...

Shannon Nelson
Country Bunny Bath and Body
http://www.cbunnyrep.com/7227

Shannon Nelson, Shop For A Cure, Coordinator

Lake Ariel, PA resident and Country Bunny Bath & Body Rep #7227, Shannon Nelson coordinates Shop For A Cure event to benefit The American Cancer Society in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Having organized two previous expos, Nelson had a working list of vendors to contact for this event. First she invited past vendors and then went to the DSA website to look up companies with reps local to her. Next she listed the event on CraftLister.com, Wahm.com and MommysHelperOnline.com. "Some of the vendor's participating referred other vendors to me as well." Says Nelson.

To find an outlet for her event, Shannon asked other promoters about where there were halls within her budget and she paid attention to where other craft fairs were being held.

Knowing what to charge for her event was simply figured by looking at how much it would cost her to rent the hall, advertising costs and other operating costs such as, having signs made, copying flyers (paper/ink or cost to copy at Staples) and so on. "I also charge a refundable clean up fee." Says Nelson.

Shannon recalls, [To advertise I used] "Online message boards, local blogs, local newspapers, local TV stations online community calendars, press release services, PSA's, word of mouth, flyers, radio, local tourist magazines and signs."

Shannon was filled with comments and thoughts when I asked if there was anything she would do differently next time...

"I would create an advertisement card for the vendors to give to their customers/family/friends/business contacts to bring with them to the event. Vendors would have their company name on the card so that I can keep track of which vendors are really helping to promote the event. I'll offer an incentive to the vendors to do so, by offering a prize for the vendor with the most advertisement cards returned.

I may also only choose companies who allow their rep's to sell 'cash and carry' and make this a mandatory cash and carry event. Many guests complained that half the vendors had nothing to sell 'cash and carry'. They [guests] did not want to place orders.

This was the first time that I did not allow non-direct sales companies to take part in the Expo. I am going to re-evaluate that decision and possibly allow crafters back in for future Expos."

As a continuation of Shannon's Shop for a Cure event, anyone who books a show with her in the month of May, be it an online show, catalog show or in home spa show, Shannon will donate $10 per booking to the American Cancer Society for breast and ovarian cancer. Your show does not have to take place in May, but has to be booked with her before the end of this month. This is a great way to earn some products for free, while helping contribute to a worthy charity.

For more information:

Shannon Nelson
Country Bunny Bath and Body
http://www.cbunnyrep.com/7227

Shop For A Cure, Mt. Cobb, PA

An introduction to Anita's visit to Shannon Nelson's Shop For A Cure Expo held in Mt. Cobb, Pennsylvania to benefit The American Cancer Society in Northeast Pennsylvania.

On April 29th 2006 I had the absolute pleasure of driving about three hours away to meet one of my good friends and very active message board members, Shannon Nelson. I don't normally travel this far for an event but, having the chance to meet Shannon was the icing on the cake.

I talked with many talented women in the direct sales industry who were more than willing to share a little about themselves to help us in our mission of helping others in the same industry achieve the success within in themselves.


The companies represented at this expo were Country Bunny Bath & Body, Discovery Toys, Avon, Tastefully Simple, Princess House, The Pampered Chef, Lia Sophia, Arbonne, Creative Memories, Mary Kay, Cookie Lee, BeautiControl, Tupperware, Premier Designs Jewelry, Stuff a Friend, Usborne Books, Mia Bella Candles, Stampin Up and Home Interiors.

Shoppers were charged a small fee of $3 each which was donated to The American Cancer Society. Each shopper was issued a card listing each of the companies represented there. The shoppers would then take their cards with them as they visited each vendor. The vendors would then stamp or sign each card acknowledging their visit. Before the shoppers left they would drop their cards into a drawing box for a chance to win over $500 worth of prizes. The door prizes were donated by a majority of the vendors.

This is the second event that Shannon has coordinated to benefit The American Cancer Society and plans to hold the next this fall to benefit childhood cancer. You can find out more about this event, future events and information on breast and ovarian cancer at Shannon's blog Shop For A Cure

Looking from the point of view of a shopper, this event was very well planned out and well executed. Each vendor had a beautiful display and did a very good job representing their respective companies.

I personally think charging shoppers a small fee and holding a door prize contest to benefit the ACS was a brilliant idea and very unique. As we've said time and time again ... creativity can be your very best friend.

Having so much to choose from reminded me quickly of how important it is to make sure you (as a vendor) have a plan in place for you to be able to reach the customer and in turn to have the customer be able to easily contact you. As we've mentioned before, holding your own contest to collect warm leads and having a newsletter are two of the more popular and more effective ways of doing this. Having business cards, flyers, brochures and other materials of this nature is also a great way for your customer's to keep your information. I know I couldn't have possibly purchased everything I wanted to right then and there so, I had to make the decision of picking a few items now and collect information from the rest for future purchases. (Point taken?)

As a continuation of Shannon's Shop for a Cure event, anyone who books a show with her in the month of May, be it an online show, catalog show or in home spa show, Shannon will donate $10 per booking to the American Cancer Society for breast and ovarian cancer. Your show does not have to take place in May, but has to be booked with her before the end of this month. This is a great way to earn some products for free, while helping contribute to a worthy charity.


For more information:

Shannon Nelson
Country Bunny Bath and Body
http://www.cbunnyrep.com/7227 OR
http://gottaspa.blogspot.com

Follow along for the next couple of weeks as we share the interviews from this event.

Need New Local Customers?

Summer is a time for celebration, fun, and outdoor activities. Your customers are out on the town with money in hand. Ready to buy YOUR products.

*They won't find you if your sitting here at your computer!*

Instead of waisting the summer waiting for online customers to return back to their computers, get out where the action is. Offline events are being booked as we speak - will you make money at the shows?

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Lessons are taught to you in easy to follow steps over a 4 week period via email. This means you can follow lessons at an easy pace, reading lessons and asking questions when it's convient for YOU. Questions are encouraged in this interactive group! Printable forms are also included for you to print as you need them.

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http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com

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Vendors are Customers Too

One of my problems with being a vendor at craft shows is making too many purchases. Since there are always two of us at the table, we often walk around and talk to other vendors. Which of course, leads to buying stuff. Many vendors do this, often times before the show or when they can "sneak away" for a few minutes.

A few weeks ago at a large craft show I was making my normal rounds before the show actually started. I came across a very large, nicely set up display of homemade gourmet mixes. You know the kind - dip mixes, teas, breads, etc. The table was set up for the most part, with samples already set out. There were cute signs and information carefully layed out on the table for customers to read, and at least 2 vendors working this table. The name itself caught my eye, since it's one I had thought I'd seen online, so I wanted to ask them a few questions.

I stood there for a few seconds, waiting for one of the vendors to finish her conversation with a personal friend. After a minute or so, they began to talk about a mutual friend of their's and his medical conditions, which happen to be something most wouldn't want to hear when looking at food. I couldn't get away from their table fast enough, I was disgusted! Not only did the vendor not acknowledge me in any way, but proceeded to talk to a friend about matters you do NOT want to hear when around food. Several hours later, I purchased a beer bread mix from their competition just a few tables down.

Some might say, "What's the big deal? The show hadn't started yet and you were a vendor!". While it's true the doors hadn't been officially opened yet, there were still other people around. Don't forget that vendors are customers too. There hasn't been one single show that I've been to where I didn't buy something from another vendors, or a vendor didn't buy from us. We treat EVERYONE like a customer, and because of that sell to several of the other vendors every time.

Basically what can be learned from this is don't ever write off a person as not being a customer. It doesn't matter how nice of a set up you have, if you aren't giving your full attention to every single person that walks by regardless of who they are, you are going to loose out!

Direct Sales Helpers On the Road