Sunday, January 6, 2008

Back To Work


It has been a week and a half since I really worked or blogged and I am itching to get back. When we coasted into this holiday with the kids being off of school and family in town, I didn't want to stop working.  I was ready to storm in and get pumped for the new year.  Sell, sell, sell, get more press, make new products, be more influential, involved, business savvy, etc.   I have a lot of formulating to do tomorrow as the pile of orders call to me, but the real work lies in my ability to sell.  I have to start getting on the horn every day calling spas and boutiques and getting my products prepped for the press.

I do not make resolutions every year as many people do, but I try to make goals and meet those goals.  My goal for January is to bring in business like no other month yet.  This is hard for me because I keep thinking, "I'm not good at this."  But I don't give myself enough credit. Honestly, I realized in a discussion I was having with a family member that well over half of the wholesale customers we have came to us.  I had never contacted them initially.  Ok, you are probably scrunching up your nose and thinking, "how does that make her good at...?" 

I always thought that it is easier to have people come to their own discoveries rather than being pushed into them.  Using the press has been far better than free advertising because consumers take people's product reviews as found gold.  Who can really trust anything an ad tells us anyway?  I know I don't believe anything an ad tells me.  (This all came to me when was 13 years old and I ordered breast enlargement gel and nothing happened.  I was convinced it would make my flat chest grow because it promised it would.  Silly me....and thank goodness).

In addition to selling and creating relationships with the press, I treat my retail customers very well and it pays off in many ways.  Typically, I think it is hard to get companies on the phone to begin with but then to be treated with the respect they deserve?  That is priceless.   I love every one of the customers  I have had contact with.  Every single person I deal with is so nice!!  And the compliments stream in about the products, thank goodness... because what a bummer it would be if it didn't work on others the way it works on my family and friends!

Business building... always a challenge.  I think I'd be feeling far more confident if I had myself an MBA, but my schooling background is Education.  I have to learn from others and from my own mistakes.  So be it.  Once I get caught up on my orders, I'll be back-a-bloggin' and working me arse off to revv up business for El Product Body.  The selling nerves I feel?  Maybe those jitters will just turn to adrenalin and I'll be off like the Roadrunner with only dust in my trail.  

poof

2 comments:

Anne-Marie said...

Over half of your wholesale customers come to you? That's HUGE! Awesome job - you need to stop and relish in your amazing formulations and product design and bring people to you - rather than you going out and needing to beg for customers.

Talk about something to be thankful for!

Joanna Schmidt said...

That is pretty amazing, I am truly thankful. Thanks, AM!