FOUR FOUNDATION SYSTEMS NECESSARY FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS

Taken from John Sanpietro's "Two Week Tune-Up" to start the new year.

It's easy to make money with Stampin' Up!, the cost to start and run the business is low, and if you follow good business practices you can be successful. Too many demos spend all their profit on SU products!

1. CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
This business is customer driven and if you are not running your business efficiently you are leaving piles of money on the table.
You need individual records on customers and prospects, with space for notes including: Birthday, Spouse's name, kids' names, interests, record of phone calls, future calls, and tasks. (Recommends Microsoft Outlook not Outlook Express)
It's recommended that you call each of your customers every 90 days. Once you have called, put it on your schedule to call them again in 90 days.
A good system allows you to seem a much better business person than you are. Don't bring new customers into a flawed system.

Comment: I don't want to seem like a pest?
John's response - call 90 days apart, 2 emails a month (one a newsletter)
If you get no response keep them on your calling list until they ask you to take them off.
A good Customer Management Program will make you money. Update information while you are on the phone with the customer.

Comment: No one answers, do we leave a message?

Response: 1st call, leave message: Hi this is ________ from Stampin' Up!. Sorry I missed you, I'll call back on ____________ (two business days later). If you want to call me my number is __________

2nd call,  leave message: Hi this is ________ from Stampin' Up!. Sorry I missed you, I'll call back on ____________ (two business days later). If you want to call me my number is __________

3rd call,  leave message: Hi this is ________ from Stampin' Up!. Sorry I missed you. If you want to contact me my number is ____________
Schedule to call again in 90 days.

2. TIME MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

You need to have a set schedule the same as if you were working at an office. How many hours per week will you committ to your business? What hours per day? Write down a schedule. Start on time, end on time. Take no personal phone calls, no errands, no Internet surfing.

Consistency is the #1 most important thing - your business will gain momentum

Start filling your calendar - plan an event/class/club, write the date on the calendar. Work backwards and decide when you will need to put it on your blog, prepare a blurb for your newsletter, make phone calls.
Each month list your monthly tasks and when you will do them: for example - when will you send out your newsletters? (Tuesdays and Wednesdays are best, according to studies) When do you need to prepare it so that it's ready to send.
Each week list your weekly tasks and when you will do them; for example - update your blog
Each day make your to-do list: phone calls, marketing, etc.
You need routine and structure to make your business work. Slow and steady does win the race.

3. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
You should know your MARKET, your COMPETITION, your NUMBERS. What are your year to date sales? How much have you sold this quarter? How much left to make your minimum? How much profit/loss?

This is actually the easiest system - 3 minutes per day. You must record how much you made and how much you spent.
There are only 6 ways to make money with Stampin' Up!
1. Instant Income
2. Volume Rebate
3. Downline Commissions
4. Classes, Clubs
5. Sale of Finished Product
6. Sale of Retired Product

Probably 600 ways to spend it, but use the most obvious:
1. Stamping Supplies
2. Office Supplies
3. Postage/Phone
4. Internet/Blog/Constant Contact
5. Memberships/Training

Use Quicken if you have it, or a regular spread sheet to enter your daily numbers. (Use a notebook if you prefer, just keep the records!)

Once you see where money is coming from you can adjust - do more of the money making things, do less of the ones that aren't as popular.

Don't try to backtrack to fill in your numbers, just start TODAY.

All three of these systems are necessary for a good business, BUT none of it matters if you don't have customers, so:

4. MARKETING SYSTEM
The first thing you must do is build your mailing list/customer list, and you must keep adding to it. Recommended to add 20 new names every month. Customers have a shelf life, eventually they become less active...not as interested...fade away.

The average demo lasts 1 -2 years if she doesn't continue to expand her list.

Marketing is straight forward - It Must Be Consistent
Everyday you should be doing some type of marketing - preparing newsletter, researching target markets, blogging about classes, phone calls about workshops, classes, did you receive your order, etc.
For example: Say you're having 10 events per month including workshops, classes, etc. You plan for four different pieces of marketing for each - phone, newsletter, blog, poster. That is 40 separate pieces of marketing you have to do - schedule it on your calendar.

Blogging everyday increases traffic.

Phone Calls - nothing replaces them, everyone who makes phone calls walks away with sales and bookings.

The more phone calls you make, the more people you ask, the more blogs you post, the more of anything gives you a better chance of succeeding. You have to work the numbers game. 10 % of 10 is one. 10 % of 50 is 5. The more contacts you make, the greater number of positive responses.