No excuses!

A few months ago, I posted this blog about making excuses and procrastinating. And it's easy to fall back into the same boat. Rally is coming up, and so is the new year! Premier is AWESOME! It's an awesome opportunity to make extra money to support your family. And, as they say at every rally and training, YOU GET OUT OF IT WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT. If you are not getting the results you want, are you REALLY giving the effort you should? YOU CAN DO THIS. But it means taking those baby steps to be disciplined and decide: I'm worth this. My family is worth this! And the best part is: Premier is NOT hard. The most difficult part is training YOURSELF to do the things you should! 
So. GO TO RALLY! No excuses. 

PS. Registration is extended to January 2. AND! If you go, you get 30% off of the new line! It's worth spending the $48 on Rally JUST to get that discount!! 

Happy Belated Birthday, Granddaughter/Mom! :)

Whoops! Sorry I'm late, but I wanna wish a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Mommy, Diane, who also happens to be my Premier Granddaughter! Happy Birthday Mom!

YAY! Renewal!!! :)

Woo Hoo! Several of you girls have an anniversary coming up! CONGRATULATIONS! This morning Diana emailed me with a couple of questions and I was SO excited to share all of my ideas! I LOVE renewal shows! They are great for SO MANY REASONS! They're an awesome way to:

• Thank your hostesses from the past year
• Generate new business
• Restart your business for this year
• Get FREE jewelry for yourself!
• Earn money to pay for your renewal

And SO MUCH MORE!

So. Here's the rundown on renewals: You get to have ONE show a year just for yourself. This renewal (which I call "Anniversary") show can be held the month OF your renewal or up to 5 months after your renewal date. Now, the payment for your renewal is DUE about the same time as your renewal date, so I recommend holding your renewal show as early as possible to pay for that renewal fee. However, if you have the cash set aside to pay for it, then you have the flexibility to wait for the prime time (like an awesome promotion) to have your show!

So. I recommend making this show VERY different form your traditional shows. This should be fun and unique. Below are some ideas. Please feel free to tweak them and make them your own!

• Call it an anniversary. Put on the invitations, "Join me in celebrating my FIRST anniversary as a Premier Jewelry Lady"

• Keep it personal. Let the girls know how much you've loved being in Premier, and what an honor it would be if they'd join you.
• Change everything to make it special and different. Usually, your show should revolve around the hostess, and make her feel special. This time, make it revolve around your special year: the highlights, the great jewelry, and how much you appreciate your hostesses! 
• Use tickets and have a drawing. Let them know they'll earn tickets for bringing friends, RSVPing, arriving on time, wearing a solid color shirt, and for every $10 they spend (or however much you want the amount to be), etc etc. The more tickets the better! 
• Have your drawing be something PREMIER related. We want to celebrate and highlight out own product. :) Last year, I gave away my #1 selling item from the previous year (Lady Fair) and show many ways to wear it throughout the show. You could also consider giving away a Premier Designs gift card. I just make these out of card stock. Remember to put stipulations on when and how they can use it. 
• Celebrate the past year. I told ALL of my past hostesses they would be given a special gift at my show, as my way of thanking them. They ONLY received the gift if they CAME to the show! I created a $10 gift card for each girl. They had to spend it AT my show (I didn't want to deal with profit loss later) and it could not be used toward shipping or tax. 
• Have special hostess prizes! I created special award categories to honor my special hostesses. They were things like: most pre-sales, most guests at the show, most free jewelry earned, highest show retail, yummiest food, most creative theme, etc. These girls received a $20 gift card! And each girl could only receive one, so I created the awards to suit that. Not every hostess received an award and again, they HAD to be at the show to receive it! I actually was able to call a couple of girls who were not planning on coming and tell them, "I wanted it to be a surprise, but you are one of my award winners! I'd really love to be able to recognize you at the show. PLEASE COME!" I put the gift cards in little bags with tissue paper (all from the dollar tree) and had them as a centerpiece at the show.
• Have a special game. I did the boxes game. The top of the paper says, "Find Someone Who..." and then there are boxes that each have something different inside. I would make the number of boxes comparable to the number of guests you expect. Some ideas are: 
• has never been to a Premier Designs Jewelry Show
• has been to more than one Premier Designs Jewelry Show
• earned more than $200 in free jewelry at her Show
• owns the Lady Fair necklace
• plans to book a show today
• love Premier Jewelry
• has hosted a show
• Consider having a theme. Since my anniversary is right before Valentines day. I like a romantic/anniversary theme. Everything was pink & red with hearts and I did chocolate fondue and sparkling grape juice. 
• Invite everyone you know! Anyone who has been to any past show or placed pre-orders, your friends, neighbors, church people, kids play date moms, in-laws, people you meet in the grocery line, people who intimidate you... everyone! The year I got married I even invited one of my photographers and SHE CAME and BOOKED a show! :) 
• Have a special sale! Consider having 20% off for all past hostesses OR the entire spring line for 10% off OR 30% off for anybody who books a show, OR 50% off everything after you spend $100, etc. I put my favorite ensemble from the new line on sale. If you buy the necklace, earrings, and bracelet, you get 30% off the entire ensemble. Don't do ALL of these! Think about which one works best for you. Don't cut completely into your profit! And you may want to have a rule about the gift cards... Don't end up paying for their jewelry! :) 
• I changed my survey slightly to make them "anniversary-y." I printed them in pink and changed all of the wording to highlight this special event. [Email me for a copy].

• Change up the way you show jewelry. Consider showing JUST the new line as a special coming out party, show JUST the top selling pieces from the year before, or ask all of your hostesses their favorite pieces and show them. Find out in advance and turn it into a game by showing the piece and asking the girls to guess who's favorite it is. Consider asking the hostess to model the piece or tell what outfit she loves to wear it with.
• Be a good hostess! Remember, it is the hostess' job to invite in advance, follow up, and get pre-sales. YOU know how to be a good hostess! Don't use Facebook - create real invites! Follow up with phone calls, not just text messages. Carry your catalog and collect some pre-orders! Work toward those bonuses! 

OK! So these are just a few ideas! Please comment if you have more to share with the group! I'd love to see what you come up with!

Gift for US!

Hey girls,
In case you haven't  checked out the newest awesome gift for us jewelers, make sure you hit the website and see the details! You can have a PERSONAL home show on Premier's anniversary weekend, and keep all the free jewelry for yourself! This is a great time to get some shows for the month of November!
Here's my game plan: I'm going to work the catalogs, especially the new Christmas line, and advertise the purchase with purchase. This is a great opportunity for our ladies to knock out some Christmas shopping. Now is a perfect time to drop off some catalogs with your favorite customers and encourage them to do a show in November! Remember to check out the Christmas Shipping Schedule to make sure your orders arrive in time for Christmas! 
I hope for lots of presales, because ladies are most likely to purchase then... but I also plan to host a show & invite everyone I know! Use evite or punchbowl to save some time, and then make sure you make those follow up calls! I'm going to do a "Drop & Shop" instead of an actual show, but make sure you create a special routine or survey for sharing the hostess plan & asking for a show. I like putting out picture frames that say, "No tax today if you ask me about our hostess plan!" or something like that! :) Then you just go from there. 
Good luck girls! Let me know if you have questions! :) 

Fill Your Calendar for the Christmas Season!!

Hey Girls!
So I see a common trend - lots of people are struggling for shows right now. Well I wanted to encourage all of you with a few ideas you can use with resources you already have on hand! So. Here's what you're going to do.

1. MAKE A LIST. Check your phone, Facebook, your church directory, the people at work, your neighbors, your play date parents, past customers and hostesses, hostesses who have recently cancelled or rain checked... ANYONE you can think of! 

2. PREPARE & STUDY YOUR SCRIPT. Vickie recently sent out some great verbiage. It's attached in the email I sent you, copied below, and you can also access it here. I plan on editing it to fit my personal situation and using it! Be sincere: tell people WHY you're in Premier. Are you paying off debt, supporting your family, trying to stay at home, just having fun? All of the above?

3. SET ASIDE TIME TO CALL, CALL, CALL! I know this can be intimidating. If you have to, promise yourself a reward. OR, put your goals/reasons for being in Premier right in front of you. Think about how much you would actually make if you did a couple shows per month. What would you spend that $400 on? Remind yourself: "This is so I can ___." Me personally? This is so I can pay off the rest of my student loans (I need another $25,000 this year) and be a stay at home mommy next year!!!

No matter what, make sure you mention the specials AND the new jewelry!

If you do those things, WITH CONFIDENCE, I promise you will come away with bookings. And you will be SO GRATEFUL you did! 

Now, those are the basics. But here are some more INCREDIBLE tools that Premier has provided. Here are just a few ideas for using them (I recommend choosing 1 or 2 ideas, not all of them! :). Let me know if you have more!

The Post Cards

- Notice you can type right in them before you print them. Print them on card stock and use post card stamps - they're cheaper!

- Print a few to keep in your purse. Use them as a tool when someone compliments your jewelry.

- Send them to people on your list. Write on the back: "Hi ____, I am so excited about the upcoming Promotions! And Premier is releasing their Christmas line on SEPTEMBER 20! I knew you would want some of the new jewelry for free. Check out your calendar and I'll call you soon!"

- Check out your hostess from this time last year. Send them one and on the back write: "Hey ___, Since you had such a successful show last Christmas, and had so much fun getting FREE Christmas gifts, I knew you'd want to see the awesome promotions Premier has out right now. The new line will be released THIS WEEK, so check out your calendar and I'll call you soon!"

- Check out your hostess who have told you verbally they would have a show, or who have cancelled and said they'd reschedule. Write on the back, "____, I know you've been looking forward to your Premier show. When I saw this promotion I thought of you! I am SO excited Premier has such a great deal for hostesses this time of year. You are going to LOVE the new Christmas line and be sooo grateful that your show falls during gift season! Check out your calendar and I'll call you soon to schedule your date!"

- Put a post card in a picture frame at your upcoming shows.

- Print some and put them in your customer folders during shows.

- Post it (or the flyer) to your Facebook. I've already tagged you in mine. 

- Blast it on your Twitter. 

- Put a copy of a post card (or flyer) in your break room at work. Make sure you contact info is on it!

- Take a Christmas catalog & postcard with you into the bank, post office, etc. 




The Invitations:

- Notice you can type directly on these too. And you only have to type it all once!

- Offer to send invites FOR you hostess. Tell her you'd LOVE to send 20 invites for her - she just needs to give you her guests contact info. (If YOU send them out, it's more likely to get done!)

- Put a couple blank ones in hostess packets so the hostess knows what to expect. 

- Host an open house or mystery hostess show for your neighbors & use these as invites. 

- Take a picture and send it to your hostess to use in email & Facebook. Remind them, of course, that it's important they make more personal contact as well! 

Ok. That's all the ideas I have for now. If you have more, COMMENT BACK! Share the wealth! :)

Now remember: No matter what neat things Premier puts out, none of it will work if you don't GET ON THE PHONE! So make that list & let me know how it goes!! :) 




Booking Boot Camp Verbiage: 

Re-Starting Your Premier Business

Hi ___________ this is Kim, do you have a second?  I won’t keep you but a minute, but I am actually calling to ask you for a HUUUGE favor. (pause) I am re-starting my jewelry business (tell why) example… (Ray and I have experienced a minor financial setback and I really need to use my business to help out) Here is my favor…  I need 2 friends who could let me come over and set my jewelry out on their kitchen table and   invite a few friends over to play in jewelry.  It doesn’t have to be a big deal, just you and a few friends.  I can give you some jewelry just for helping me out…what do you think? ( If she says yes, continue with this)… Oh Wow, thank you so much __________!!  I really appreciate it.  Ok, the first 2 dates on my calendar I really need to fill are… Thursday August 4^th and Friday August 5^th.  Could you look at those dates and see if either would work for you?  Friday, great!! That is a great night to have some friends over!  (get the date penciled in…if she says she needs to “look” first and she doesn’t have her calendar in front of her, you ask if you can just pencil her in on one of those dates and when she gets a chance to look at her calendar she can call you back and if that doesn’t work you will glad ly work with her to find another one because you really appreciate her helping you)

If she say’s “no”.  You say this… “ Oh __________ that’s ok!  I totally understand!  There is another way you might be able to help me out though.  I am hosting a Mystery Hostess Show on ________________ and I would love it if you could maybe come and bring someone with you?  It would bring new contacts for my business and it would also increase your chances on winning the free jewelry because I give the most tickets for bringing guests and booking a show.  Could I send you an invitation?  What do you think? (if she says yes, get a good email address for her and let her know she will be getting that in the next couple of days…make sure you follow up with reminder calls…just  like a good hostess!)  If she says she can’t make that night you go to plan c…

“Oh I’m sad you can’t make it.(pause)  Listen, do you think I could just put a catalog in the mail to you?  I love referrals and if you just set it out and someone either wanted to order or get free jewelry I would give you 50% off any item anytime you refer someone to me.  Is that something you could do?”  “Great, I will get that out in a few days and again ______________ I really appreciate you helping me!” (confirm her address)

LEAVE A MESSAGE!!!!!!

If NO ONE ANSWERS--- Leave THIS message!!!  “Hi ______ it’s Kim Adams (do NOT say with Premier Designs!!) I was calling to ask you for a quick favor.  When you get a chance could you call me back at 996-0227?  It’s not a big deal…just a quick favor. Thanks!” 

If you say “with Premier Designs” she KNOWS your favor!  Curiosity killed the cat, you will get more return calls than EVER before!  Don’t say “HUGE” favor because it may mislead them to think you are in some kind of trouble and will be frustrated when you are just asking for a show.  Their curiosity will get the best of them and when they call you back use the above script as normal.

Plan A- You book the show and set the date----seize the moment…you may not catch them again

Plan B- You are personally inviting them to your Mystery Hostess show and they are more likely to come because they feel bad they didn’t book a show, they can bring a friend and will know someone, and they can win the free jewelry!  If they come to the show you have a second chance to book them when they see the jewelry and if they bring a friend you have a new contact who may want to book.  If 5 people say No to a show but agree to come and bring a friend to your Mystery hostess, you will have 10 people attend!  Be ready to book more shows!  It’s NOT about the retail!!!!!

Plan C- If you send them a catalog,,, they may see that they really like the jewelry and change their mind about booking, or they may get up a catalog show or really refer someone.  Either way you are giving them options to help you out and it is not awkward when they won’t book a show and you just say thank you and hang up.  

How to Subscribe to a Blog:

Step 1: Look for this little black bar to the side of the blog.

Step 2: Scroll over it and hit the Subscribe button.

Step 3: Enter your email & follow whatever steps it tells you to. :)

Picking out more jewelry?

I have a certificate left from the May promotion that I still need to use. While I was shopping, I thought I'd share this little tidbit with you. In case you haven't ever noticed, there is usually a little link at the bottom of the Premier jeweler page that says "Top Sellers for Last Month." It looks like this:

If you click there, it lists the top 10 rings and the top 25 "other." When I'm wanting more jewelry, but not sure what to order, I like to check this list. It helps get an objective opinion on what the ladies like! :) Just an idea!

Regional Rally!

Hey girls! It's been a while since I've had a free minute to blog, but I wanted to make sure you had MARKED YOUR CALENDAR for regional rally! This year, regional rally will be SO MUCH MORE convenient than in the past. There will be a rally in both Chicago & St. Louis for you northern girls. For us down here, I plan to attend the Nashville event so we can be with Dave & Vickie and our other Premier Sistas! :) It's also only one day this year, as compared to two in the past. So PLAN TO BE THERE. Excuses or Results, ladies!

Coupons for Coworkers

Here's an idea. I wanted to remind my fellow teachers that I am their jewelery lady, and give them an excuse to come see the new line. So I passed out mini-catalogs with these coupons.

Here's the front:

And the back.

Golden Guarantee Reminder

At Rally, a trainer suggested calling all of your customers before their golden guarantee time is up. I think that's just wonderful, but honestly cannot squeeze in that many phone calls. So I am using punch bowl. The awesome thing about punchbowl is you can just click the names in your hood & house, save an evite file, and upload it directly to punchbowl. Then you can save the email list in your punchbowl. I save mine by hostess name. You can also schedule your cards! So when I have time, I sit down and make out cards, then schedule them to send when I want to. Here is the card I'm using for Golden Guarantee reminders. Obviously this only works if you have their email addresses, so make sure they are filling out those surveys!

New Mommy Packets!

Today's project is a "new mommy" packet! I have several hostesses and customers that have had babies this past month. I can think of SEVEN in the last few months. That's a lot of new mommies! Several of these mommies have expressed the desire to me to stay at home. So I am making new mommy packets! :) The new mommy packets include:

1. A letter from me about Premier for new mommies. This is simply to congratulate, get the girl thinking about Premier, & explain what the packet is about. Here is the letter. 

2. A copy of My Last 5 Home Shows. If you have Hood & House, this prints with just the click of a button! If you don’t have Hood & House, you can create the exact same document using your CV report. 

3. An opportunity brochure. Make sure your label is on the back! 

4. My business card. I always include this in any mailing. It’s good for them to have around!

5. A greeting card. I buy greeting cards in bulk from the dollar tree. They are 2 for $1 there. I always keep on hand cards for weddings, birthdays, and babies. I try to always send a card for weddings and babies. It’s a good way to say “I care!” I don’t keep up with hostess and customer birthdays unless it’s significant (like one time I had a jewelry show as a girl’s birthday party). If you don’t want to include a greeting card, you could just include a handwritten note of some sort! I use these from Premier Incentives a LOT. I personally recommend writing in hot pink sharpie. :)

I package the whole deal in a zebra print envelope/bag from Premier Incentives. Then I use Hood & House to print labels. Flop it all together, and voila! 

One more note: I try to keep notes of how and when I contacted premier hostesses & customers. If you have Hood & House, you can enter the information in there. Before Hood & House, I just kept a Word document!

Hostess Appreciation Dinner

Here's an idea you might like in the future. Next month, our local training is pulling together to organize a hostess appreciation dinner. I've heard these trained on before, and have always liked the idea, but have never done one. Some jewelers do them by themselves - host a brunch or dinner at their house or a local restaurant. 

Our local Mexican restaurant (which happens to be owned by Diana's family!) is allowing us to have a banquet for only $8 per person. Our entire training is hosting together, so it will be a large group/party atmosphere. We are presenting each guest with the new catalog and a gift: a jewelry cleaning kit. Plus they will also get to order an item for 50% off from the new catalog. 

Here are my invites. I found the paper & matching envelopes at Hobby Lobby, but I've also seen similar stuff at the Dollar Tree or Walmart. 

I'm working on a assembling my gift cutely. When I'm done, I'll be sure to post a pic. If you are looking for cute gift ideas, the cleaning kit includes a cleaning cloth, toothbrush, piece of chalk, and a recipe for cleaning their jewelry.

We're Going to Disney!!!

The details for the disney trip are officially up! Make sure you go read them!! I am SO excited about this trip. In order to attend, you must be a DESIGNER with a minimum CV of 10,000 during the qualification period (now through March 29). Remember CV is wholesale - the amount you turn into Premier, so even your hostess half price items count toward that amount.  Your new jewelers you sign also count toward your CV! You earn 450 CV if they buy the silver package and 750 CV if they buy the gold package! So if you don't have ANY jewelers, and you sign the 7 you need to qualify for the trip, you're almost guaranteed to have at LEAST 3,000 CV (if they only buy silver) or 5,000 CV if they mostly buy gold! So. Set your goals, break them down by month, and you'll know what you need to do every month through March!


If you have your 7 jewelers and 10,000 CV, you qualify for Buy On. Which means you pay 1,200 for you and your spouse to go. Children under 3 are FREE an children/guests over 3 are only $100! After 10,000 CV, you start lowering the cost of your trip. The tracking sheet is a great way to print and track your progress! When you get to 20,000 CV, your trip (for you and your spouse/guest) is COMPLETELY FREE! :) And after that, you start earning SPENDING CASH!! You can do it! :)

2012 Fall/Winter Line!

Hey girls! So at rally, they have a boutique set up so that you can get ideas for different ways to wear the new line. It might help as you choose which pieces to order. The lighting isn't great in there, but I've put the pieces and names here so that you can check them out yourself and get ideas for the new line.

Some important reminders about our catalog:
- Everything is actual size.
- Our "Crystals" are Swarovski
- Fall/Winter detailed descriptions to use for your verbiage can be found on the website. Go to Jeweler Resources > Business Forms > Business Tools
- The pieces on the back of the catalog are intended to depict how much the average hostess receives in free jewelry. The items here add up to $283.

Heavy Metal, Page 8.

Heavy Metal, as shown in catalog.

Heavy metal, unknotted & twisted tightly

Heavy metal, unknotted & worn loose

Very Berry, page 17

Very berry, clipped in the center, & shown as a belt.

Doubled & layered with Moonlight (p15), doubled

Nightingale, page 19:

Doubled and enhanced with Golden Girl (p94)

Tripled 

Doubled and layered with Shake it Up (p 98), doubled

Clipped to Upscale (p44)

Tripled & enhanced with Notting Hill (p87)

Hot, Hot, Hot, page 20:

Left: Doubled & layered with The A-List (p54)
Right: layered with Pearly Drops (p34)

Layered with Urbanite (p16)

Easy Living, page 30:

Enhancer Removed & Layered with Night Life (p28)

Worn long, without enhancer.

Left: Metal accent twisted to back, enhancer on front
Right: With Romance enhancer (p22)

With metal piece doubled

As shown in catalog

    

 Passionista, page 79

Passionista, layered with Harmony (p24)

Layered with Opening Night (p37), doubled

Left: Doubled and layered with Fuchia(p77), doubled
Right: As Shown in Catalog

  

 Sedona, page 109

Knotted

Doubled & enhanced with Notting Hill (p87)

Doubled & layered with Shake it Up (p98), doubled

Twisted tightly with Barcelona (p105)

L & R: Paired with Resort (p102); Center: Layered with Promenade (p101)

Left: doubled and layered with Embellished (p90); Right: Enhanced with Luminous (p110)

      

Ritz, page 92:

Center removed & paired with Opening Night (p37), doubled & twisted tightly. 

Left: Ritz worn short & held with clip it.
Right: Ritz worn long and enhanced with Golden Girl (p94)

Left: Pearls removed from Ritz & chains worn with Tangerine (p88)
Right: Pearls removed & chain worn with Razzmatazz (p94)

Right: Pearls removed and worn as a choker. Remainder of necklace worn as a belt.

Left: Pearls Removed from Ritz and worn with Golden Girl (p94)

Left: Pearls removed & chain worn with Promenade (p101)
Right: Chains doubled with Upscale (p44)

Left: Pearls added to Daydream (p36) opened up & worn long.
Right: Pearls added to Daydream (p36)

 Bubble Bath, page 107:

Opened up & Worn Long.