Friday, June 24, 2011

I'm bad at Math: The real cost of FD Stawberries

 
So I'm bad at math.  Have I ever mentioned that?  A few days ago I posted about the cost of FD strawberries and there is good news and bad news.

Bad News:  I am bad at math and totally calculated it wrong

Good News:  Freeze dried strawberries are CHEAPER per serving than fresh strawberries (or frozen) from the grocery store.

Here is the math  (I have had 2 separate people check it this time)
Form Average retail price Cost per serving
Fresh Strawberries $2.28 per pound
(yield 2 cups of sliced strawberries)

(USDA Serving Size ½ cup)
$0.57 per serving
The Math:
$2.28/2 cups = $1.14
/cup
$1.14/2 servings = $0.57/serving
Frozen Strawberries 2.12 per pound
(yield 2 cups per pound)


USDA Serving Size ½ cup
$0.53 per serving
The Math
$2.12/2 cups = $1.06
/cup
$1.06/2 servings = $0.53/serving
THRIVE Freeze Dried $24.89 per Number 10 Can  (Gallon)  45 servings
$0.55 per serving
The Math:
(USDA Serving Size 1/4 cup)
$0.58 per serving
$24.89/45 servings = $0.55/serving

So now the big question is about serving size.  The serving size for fresh and frozen is 1/2 cup and for freeze dried it is 1/4 cup.  Why?   The United States Department of Agriculture says that when calculated dry,  freeze dried fruit serving are 1/2 the size of fresh servings. 

That is why Shelf Reliance lists their serving size for most fruits and vegetable as 1/4 cup. 
1/4 cup freeze dried = 1/2 cup fresh = 1 serving
.
I have amended the original post so it is correct.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Questions From a Potential Shelf Reliance Consultant and the Answers

I get a lot of questions from potential consultants about shelf reliance.  I thought I would share the most recent with my answers.

Dear     ,

I'm glad you are interested in becoming a Shelf Reliance Consultant. Let me answer your questions.
 
1. I want to know what level or line you are in this company.
I am on the third level. 
2.  How long have you been a consultant in the company?
I have been a consultant for just over a year.  I signed up in March of 2010.   Shelf Reliance has been selling through the home party program since April 15, 2010. 
3.   If I sign up as consultant where would I be?
You would be on my 1st level (each consultant can have 3 levels under them) or the 4th level in the company.
4.  Explain to be also how we get paid.
Shelf Reliance Consultants earn money 4 ways:
  1. Party Commissions:  10% on one time orders (THRIVE Foods, Food Rotation Systems, and Emergency Supplies)
When you conduct a Shelf Reliance Party you earn commission on sales made at the party. All orders not placed through the THRIVE Q, including Food Rotation Systems, Emergency Supplies and one time THRIVE orders, will be paid out at a 10% commission rate. You will receive 20% - 32% commission for those you set up on the THRIVE Q.
  1. Recurring Commissions 5% of ongoing Thrive Q orders
When you sign someone up on the Q.  You get paid commission when the Q processes (so often for me it is the next month).  The first month of a Q you get 20-32% of the order in commission.  That percent is on a sliding scale based on how much Q sales you have that month.  On the second month (and ever month after that) you receive a 5% reoccurring commission check monthly!
When you sign a consultant up you receive commission on their Q.  You do not receive commission on your own Q.
3.        Host Your Own Party—Receive the Host benefits and your regular commission (10% commission and 10% in free product as the host benefit).  
When you host a party with your own family and friends, you will receive the same benefits as when you conduct a party for someone else. However, since you are hosting the party, you will also receive host benefits.
Any sales that come in outside of a party (this includes online sales)  you get to count as if you were the host for a party.  You should always have a party set up for these outside sales.  I name mine after the month, or season. So I just closed a party I called “Winter” that included all of the outside sales I did during January and the first week of February.  This is a great benefit and a great way to build your own food storage or build up your party supplies.  Remember host benefits can be used on any product.
  1. Build a Team-$50 sign up bonus, and 1-2% commission on three levels under you.
Enroll others to join your team as consultants and earn $50 each time! As your team grows, you will also receive commissions from all of your consultants' parties, sales, and THRIVE Q sign ups for up to 3 levels below you.  To receive payment for the commission on those under you, you need to be the rank of Mentor or above. 

Here is the Rank Advancement Chart (in case you are wondering)
Your Personal Thrive Q minimum
Monthly Personal Sales
Monthly TEAM sales (you plus 3 levels)
Rank
Your Down-Line Earnings




Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
50
0

Consultant



50
1,500
3,000
Mentor
1%


50
2,500
10,000
Director
2%


100
3,500
25,000
Executive
2%
1%

100
4,500
50,000
Silver Executive
2%
2%

150
5000
100,000
Gold Executive
2%
2%
1%
150
5,500
200,000
Platinum Executive
2%
2%
2%


5.  What forms of payment is required?
I think you are asking how customers pay.  If so customers can pay via credit card, check, or cash

6.  How is payment taken out of our account in the thrive-Q?
When you set up a Q you enter a credit card number. The card is charged the exact amount of the purchase (not your budget amount)  on the ship date.

7.  What are my benefits to become a consultant?
  As a consultant some of the benefits that I have received are: 
  • Consultants receive commission,
  • Receive free and discounted products (from the host benefit program and the party supply benefit) 
  • Make new friends
  • Experience personal growth.
8.   How much support or experience can you help me with?
As one of the first consultants in Shelf Reliance I have a lot of experience that I try to share with my consultants.  I am currently the rank of Silver Executive.
I take training and supporting my team seriously I provide the following things to my consultants:
  • Weekly Training E-mails
  • Training Blog:  http://blog.shelfrelianceleaders.com
  • Quick Start Training: These are thing things from my experience that I have found helps get a new consultant off to a great start.
  • Team Conference calls
  • Personal phone calls
  • Help with your first party
  • Quick personal responses for questions or concerns.
  • Incentives for performance
9.   Is this worth my time and energy?

Personally being involved with Shelf Reliance has been well worth my time and energy.  It is a growing business with lots of potential.  I have had great success and have seen lots of success that others have had.  When I started with Shelf Reliance I wanted to build my food storage on the cheap and make some extra money. So far I have been very successful. My food storage is starting to be very prolific and I am making very good money.  This year with my Shelf Reliance money I have build fence around my yard, took my family on vacation, and bought my husband an awesome shed (for father’s day).  This is a real business and takes time and energy to be successful.  Any consultant can be extremely successful, if they are willing to put forth the effort.


When you are ready to become a consultant what do you need to do?
  1. Choose which starter package you want (see Consultant Material List)
  2. Define why you are going to be a consultant.  
    1. Do you want to build your own food storage
    2. Pay off a credit card or other debt
    3. Start a new hobby
    4. Change your life by getting in at the ground floor of this business opportunity
  3. Go to the website:  http://www.shelfreliance.com/parties/index/getstarted and click on the START HERE button.  It will ask for the Enroller information.
  4. Heather Lorimer, 435-535-1470, hlorimer@gmail.com, consultant number #1209
  5. Or give me a call and I will walk you through the process.
  6. Choose a date to host your first party
 If you have any other questions please ask. 

Best Regards,

Heather

Friday, June 17, 2011

Price Comparison: freeze dried strawberries compareed to fresh strawberries


**I'm bad at math and originally calculated the numbers in this post wrong.  I have changed them to show the correct values. 

How do the price of freeze dried strawberries compare to fresh strawberries?


The average cost of fresh strawberries per serving in the US is $0.57.  The cost of freeze dried strawberries per serving is $0.55.  (the cost per serving for frozen strawberries from the grocery store is $0.53 which is cheaper still but honestly I don't like frozen strawberries so I'm not going to buy them even if they are cheaper, but in case you like them now you know). *see source below.


Disclaimer:  The math to figure out the comparison is a little bit tricky. First of all grocery store prices vary from store to store and change depending on the season.  I have done some research and ended up using the pricing numbers that the USDA publishes.  This is the average over the entire US. I did do some math to figure out per serving costs so if there are any errors it is absolutely my fault.  (if you want to do your own math, good for you)  The other tricky part is that freeze dried strawberries have all the water removed and therefore you can not compare weight (which is what you would normally do to compare quantities)  The best comparison I could come up with is cost per serving and even this is not ideal.



FormAverage retail priceCost per serving
Fresh Strawberries$2.28 per pound
(yield 2 cups of sliced strawberries)
$0.57 per serving
Frozen Strawberries$2.12 per pound$0.53 per serving
THRIVE Freeze Dried$23.39 per Number 10 Can  (Gallon)  44 servings or 11.25 cups

$0.55 per serving
Source: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FruitVegetableCosts/fruit.htm
Source: http://www.shelfreliance.com

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Notes from the Shelf Reliance Conference Call

If you are looking for the notes from the conference call about training your team, you can find them here. 

Remember to print a google doc use the google menu NOT the web browser menu. 

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Thrive Package Contents

I am so excited about this!!!  You  might have noticed that on the price list there are a bunch of packages on the bottom of the packages pages that there is no information on.  They are not in the catalog. They are not online.  I have customers ask about them all the time and I always feel like a dork when I say I have no idea.  I just received a spreadsheet with all the info about the contents of these packages.  I highly recommend that you print out this Google document (remember print from the Google docs menu not from your web browsers menu) and take it with you to parties.  Then when someone asks you about one of these packages you will know what to say.

Just a note these packages are NOT available for purchase from consultant online stores.

THRIVE Package Contents
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aky9EJDOB4AUdFV4c2xUVzZPQy1aaVUyOTc5Yi10c3c&hl=en_US&authkey=CMbIt7wK

Monday, June 6, 2011

What it looks like when a new consultant is siging up.

When you have someone who is ready to become a new consultant on your team, they often want you to walk them through the process of signing up.  Since you cannot see what they are seeing (unless of course you are sitting next to them).  I have documented the sign up process to help you follow along and sound professional when you are talking to them on the phone. 

Step 1.  Get Started:  http://www.shelfreliance.com/parties/index/getstarted  This is the website that I send my potential consultant too. They can also sign up off your personal website but not everyone has a consultant website so this is the way I do it.

Step 2.  Enroller Information:  They will need your information for this part, including your name, ID number, e-mail, and phone number.


Step 3.  Application for Independent Consultant:  This is their information.  I encourage my consultants to think about this before they fill it out.  Do you want your current e-mail or a new e-mail just for Shelf Reliance? Do you want business calls to come to your home phone or your cell phone?  Are you going to use your physical address or a PO Box?

Step 4.  Additional Information

5.  Co-Applicant Information  This section is optional and only needs to be filled out if the person is signing up as a team. 

6.  W9 Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification
This is the part where most people have questions.  They need to choose if they are going to be the individual /sole proprietor (this is what most people choose), a corporation (they would know if they are a corporation), a partnership (some people put their spouse here or if they are planning on working the business as a team, they select this option), if they are exempt form back-up withholding, or other.  This can be changed later if their status changes.  If a potential consultant does not know what they want, they probably want individual/sole proprietor.

 7.  Part 1 and part 2  The consultant needs to enter their Social Security number.

Step 8.  The consultant then chooses which kit he/she wants enters their billing information, and then sets up their Q.

Shelf Reliance Shipping Increase

If you have been thinking about placing an order with Shelf Reliance now is the time!

With the costs of fuel and other economic factors, Shelf Reliance will increase their shipping rates on June 8th. All orders placed on or after that date that are over $400 will be charged 5% of the product sale amount for shipping.

Through June 7th all orders over $190 will be shipped for $15.99! Order today by emailing me or by calling me directly 435-535-1470 to take advantage of these last few days with the cheaper shipping rates. You can also order directly on my website at http://homeparties.shelfreliance.com. Remember the last day to get this great deal on shipping is June 7th.

Lets get prepared!