4-25-11 What to take to a party

April 25,2011

Hello Shelf Reliance Leaders,

I hope you had a great Easter holiday.  My family did, we build part of a fence, had 3 easter egg hunts (and way too much candy).  And I had a blog post featured on one of my favorite sites.  (check out the original post for Jell-O eggs here  http://cookingwithmyfoodstorage.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-traditions-jello-eggs.html)

Business
1.  Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.  If you are a  new consultants.  Over the past little while our team has had some amazing growth.  I just wanted to give some extra attention to Jeona who has signed up six consultants this month. Wow! Jeona you rock!  If you are receiving this e-mail then you are on one of my three levels.  If you want to look at past Monday training e-mails you can find them on our team blog: http://blog.shelfrelianceleaders.com/

2. Shelf Reliance Corporate Conference Call:  We have a conference call tomorrow, Tuesday April 26th, at 12pm Mountain Time. Steve Palmer and Jason Norton will be discussing the Home Party opportunity! This will be a great call. To join, please call 1-218-895-0268 and use passcode 13579.

We will also be doing a screen share for this call. To follow along, please visit: www.shelfreliance.com/meeting.html

3.  New on Cooking with my Food Storage Blog:  My blog about cooking with THRIVE foods

                a.  THRIVE Instant Milk Whipped Topping:  Make your own cool whip with THRIVE instant milk. 

http://cookingwithmyfoodstorage.blogspot.com/2011/04/thrive-instant-milk-whipped-topping.html

                b.  Pineapple Ice Cream—from  Disney Land

http://cookingwithmyfoodstorage.blogspot.com/2011/04/copy-cat-recipe-using-food-storage_24.html

Training:  What to take to a party

It is sometimes hard to decide what to take to a party. We have so many great products that I want to take everything, but that is really not practical or affordable.  After trying a lot of things below is a list of what I take. 

A few things of note:

1.       I take everything in two large bags from Sam’s club.  I like them because they fit a ton of stuff, but I can still get everything from my car to the house in one trip. 

2.       Unless the hostess tells me that there are going to be close to 20 or more then 20 at the party I always try to take 20 packets.  Why? Because I have had parties where the hostess thought there were going to be 11 and then there were more like 19.  I like to make sure I have enough handouts for everyone. 

3.       My clip boards are not really clip board but 3 ring binders that I have cut apart. They fit better in my bags, they are cheaper and they work just as well.  I really like that they have a pocket to put the papers and a pen in.  

4.       I attached the shipping costs to my clip boards using my sticker machine (it will make anything into a sticker, how cool is that?)  I did it because  was always having people ask about the shipping.  Now everyone can see it easily. If you want to print off the shipping chart go to: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B0y9EJDOB4AUYTAwMDg2YzEtMmQwZC00Y2ViLWFmYjQtYmFlOGNiOWJmZWNi&hl=en&authkey=CJHD1YQC

5.       I leave everything in the bags when I get home from a party that way it is ready to go for the next time.  All I have to do is add a few new packets (attendee, host and potential consultant) and I’m out the door.

Handouts:

                20 attendee packets

                                Price list stapled to a business card

Catalog (okay so I don’t actually have any right not but when I do I take them)

                                Order Form

                                Sale or Promotional Flier

All of that is in a black pocket board that has the shipping info stuck on. 

Food:

I serve the following dry, I use about ¼ of a cup of the following:

FD Pineapple

FD Strawberries

FD Blueberries

FD Bananas

FD Veggie Mix:  I mix them myself so I only have to take one pantry can of filled with the fix.  I usually I use corn, peas, and green beans

Chicken Salad served on crackers : I make ½ a recipe using about ¾ cup of chicken, ¼ cup onions, and ¼ cup celery

Taco TVP (I make up about  1/3 cup) served on crackers or chips

                                Brownies or Macaroons: I make ½ the recipe using 1 cup of mix

                                New products:  I like to feature the new products so people get a chance to taste them

                                                Ice cream sandwich (I use one per party and break it into small pieces)

                                                Yogurt bites (I give each guest one or 2 yogurt bites)

                                Display Sample pouches:  I don’t let the customers open these just look at the food .

My favorite Emergency Preparedness Supplies:

Sparkie Fire Starter

Wing Stove

Toothbrush

Business Supplies:

                20 pens

                2 calculators

                Stapler

Business cards

Clip board (I use this to put all the orders and checks on)

Party Binder

                3-5 Host packets

                                30-40 invitations

                                Host Letter

                                40 guest in 40 minutes

                                Price list

                                2-3 order forms (with instructions on how to do tax and shipping)

                                Host benefit form

                3-5 Potential Consultant packets

                                Opportunity brochure

                                Letter from me about being a consultant

                                Business Cards

                                My calendar (so I can schedule future parties)

                My script

Other:

                2-Mini muffin pans

                1 divided serving tray

Sample cups (I put the new products in these and sometimes the fruits and vegetables)

               

Homework: Take a minuet and answer the following questions and send it back to me:

1.        What do you need more training on?

2.       Would you like to do another Shelf Reliance Leaders conference call?  If so when is the best time of day for you?      

3.       Is there anything as your upline I could do to help you be more successful?

         

Keep up the great work! 

 Heather

--
Heather Lorimer
Independent, Shelf Reliance Consultant
heather@teamshelfreliance.com
435-535-1470
blog: http://www.cookingwithmyfoodstorage.blogspot.com
online store: http://homeparties.shelfreliance.com

Make a Party Binder

I have found that having a lot of information organized and at my finger tips helps me answer the tricky questions customers ask.  How I do it is I have a Party Binder.  I take it to all my parties and then when a customer asks a tricky question I have somewhere to look up the answer. 

How did I make my binder?  I put everything in plastic sleeves and then I put divider tabs (the sticky self adhesive ones) down the sides and across the top. 

Here is what is in my binder:

1.       Calendar—I purchased my calendar it is a 81/2 by 11 and it is 3 hole punched.  It is not usually in my binder. It lives by my computer so I can keep track of when my parties are.  But when I go to a party I put it in the binder.

2.       Goals—You know how important I think goals are.  I keep my goals at the front so I can see them.

3.       Host Information—

a.       Potential  Host List

b.      Host Letter

c.       40 Guest in 4 Minutes  It is the second page of this PDF

d.      Host benefits form—We do this online but I think it is helpful to give a hard copy to the host so she can better understand how it works.

e.      Recipes

4.       Consultant Information

a.       Potential Consultant List

b.      How much Do Shelf Reliance Consultant Make?

c.       Consultant Application-Yes I know we do this online but I find it helpful to have a hard copy of it.

d.      New Consultant Letter

e.      Consultant Materials Sheet-This has the starter packages on it and the supplies (like invitations and catalogues)

f.        Q print out—when a consultant signs up she/he also needs to set up a Q.  I have a print out (screen shot) of my Q.  It helps me to walk people through how to use the Q if I am not sitting at my computer.  I often pass it around at parties so customers can see what the Q looks like and how it works.

g.       Print out of  Rank Advancement

h.       Print out of Commission Calculator:  It is on the Consultant Materials Page of the back end  http://www.shelfreliance.com/parties/consultant/materials

5.       Thrive Information

a.       Thrive Equivalents

b.      Thrive Comparison: 

                                                                           i.      Cost Comparison

                                                                         ii.      Thrive vs.  Honeyville Grain

c.       Nutrition Facts—I printed these out 2 to a page and it worked great. Yes there are a lot of them but when a customer has a specific question it is great to have the answer.

d.      Allergen Report. I have several copies of this.  I often hand them out to interested customers at parties.

e.      Cost Per Serving—I got this from another consultant and it is out dated now as it has not been updated as the price list has changed. But I still like it. Sometimes I get a customer that has a lots of questions about how expensive THRIVE is and how it compares to fresh.  When that is the case I just look up the cost per serving of the product they are looking at.  It is great.

f.        Garden Seeds---I get a lot of questions about these. I love having all the info right there to give to customers.

6.       FRS Information- I have the sales flier that came in my kit.

7.       Emergency Supply Information

a.       Water Storage and Purification

b.      Cooking and Eating Supplies

8.       Originals of everything I copy for parties

a.       Price List

b.      Sale Flier

c.       Order Forms

d.      Quiz--My quiz is a work in progress.  When I am happy with it I will share it with you.

Homework:

a.       Make or Update your Party Binder

b.      If you binder is up to date. Make something new that will help you be more organized.  

Things you should know

Here is tonight training e-mail.  It is a Google document. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OARniEuG8GVaCES5pi9qelggVlOGbnmbbW8eZq6kqN0/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJSz0O4C

Shelf Reliance Comission Plan

Shelf Reliance’s Consultant Compensation Plan

It is critical that as a consultant you understand how the compensation plan works.  I hope you were able to listen to last week’s call about it.  I want to go over it again because I think it is so important that you understand.

There are four ways that consultants make money.  Here they are.

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.

This is what most of us think about because, in the very first check you get from shelf reliance this is what you are probably getting paid for.  This 10% is probably the majority of your monthly check. (for now anyway).

2. 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 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.

4. 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 signups 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%

I was showing this chart to a new consultant the other day. And she didn’t think she would ever reach mentor.  Those numbers seemed so high to her. And then she had her first party which was a $900.00 party (which is pretty average).  With only one great party she has almost made it to her personal monthly sales to be a mentor.  She still needs some more team sales but that will come and if not she could reach it on her own. With a couple more great parties she would be there this month. 

I don’t send this e-mail to frustrate you.  I know that this business is not a microwave, it is really more like a crock pot.  For me it has been slow going.  I signed up as a consultant last March and my business did not really take off until the late fall.  It felt like an eternity.  But looking back it really was not that long. 

Shelf Reliance has a commission calculator that if you have not looked at you NEED to.  Play around with the numbers.   I have included an example of how your commissions can work.  You won’t be able to change the number is this document to play around with it but you can see what kind of earning potential there is. 

I filled out the chart with that which I thought was reasonable to me.  I like to plan for a year in the future. So I think for me it is reasonable to have 12 consultants in a year, to do 1 party per week, to have 8 sales at each party with the average sale of $80.00 per customer.  I think it is reasonable to have 50 Q customers in the next year (remember you get to count any consultant on your first level) and to have the average Q be $70.00

Shelf Reliance Commission Calculator
Updated 6/22/2010
You				Downline (avg per conslt.)
# consultants		12		Level 1 consultants		6
# parties/week		1		Level 2 consultants		6
# sales/party		8		# parties/week		0.5
Avg $/sale		80		# sales/party		8
# Q customers		50		Avg $/sale		80
Avg Q $		70		# Q customers		25
				Avg Q $/customer		70
						Total Commission
Your Party Sales
# parties	Total Sales	% Payout	Comm
4	$2,560	10%	$256			$256
	Does not Consider:
	1st Month Q purchases
	Consultant Signups
Downline Party Sales
	Consultants	Parties	Sales	% Payout	Comm
Level 1	12	24	$15,360	2%	$307
Level 2	72	144	$92,160	2%	$1,843
Level 3	432	864	$552,960	2%	$11,059
Total	516	1032	$660,480		$13,210	$13,210
All Q Sales
	Customers	Sales	% Payout	Comm
You	50	$3,500	5%	$175
Level 1	300	$21,000	2%	$420
Level 2	1,800	$126,000	2%	$2,520
Level 3	10,800	$756,000	2%	$15,120
Total	12,950	$906,500		$18,235		$18,235
				Commission/Month		$31,701
	Sales Totals			Commission/Year		$380,407
	Personal	$6,060
	Team	$1,569,540
	Downline Commission Schedule
	Personal	Team Sales	Level1	Level 2	Level 3
	$0	$0	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	$1,500	$3,000	1.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	$2,500	$10,000	2.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	$3,500	$25,000	2.0%	1.0%	0.0%
	$4,500	$50,000	2.0%	2.0%	0.0%
	$5,000	$100,000	2.0%	2.0%	1.0%
	$5,500	$200,000	2.0%	2.0%	2.0%

The above example does not maximize my earning potential.  Look at if I make just a few changes how things change.  What did I change?  In the below example I am doing  1.5 parties a week (still doable in my book)  I am doing 10 sales per party instead of 8 (still doable).  My average sale is $100.  Yet again doable.  I left the number of Q customers the same 50. And the average Q the same $70.  On the down line consultants I change my level one to 12, and my level 2 to 24. All of which is achievable over time.  Now look at the numbers.

Shelf Reliance Commission Calculator
Updated 6/22/2010
You				Downline (avg per conslt.)
# consultants		12		Level 1 consultants		12
# parties/week		1.5		Level 2 consultants		24
# sales/party		10		# parties/week		0.5
Avg $/sale		100		# sales/party		8
# Q customers		50		Avg $/sale		80
Avg Q $		70		# Q customers		25
				Avg Q $/customer		70
						Total Commission
Your Party Sales
# parties	Total Sales	% Payout	Comm
6	$6,000	10%	$600			$600
	Does not Consider:
	1st Month Q purchases
	Consultant Signups
Downline Party Sales
	Consultants	Parties	Sales	% Payout	Comm
Level 1	12	24	$15,360	2%	$307
Level 2	144	288	$184,320	2%	$3,686
Level 3	3456	6912	$4,423,680	2%	$88,474
Total	3612	7224	$4,623,360		$92,467	$92,467
All Q Sales
	Customers	Sales	% Payout	Comm
You	50	$3,500	5%	$175
Level 1	300	$21,000	2%	$420
Level 2	3,600	$252,000	2%	$5,040
Level 3	86,400	$6,048,000	2%	$120,960
Total	90,350	$6,324,500		$126,595		$126,595
				Commission/Month		$219,662
	Sales Totals			Commission/Year		$2,635,946
	Personal	$9,500
	Team	$10,953,860
	Downline Commission Schedule
	Personal	Team Sales	Level1	Level 2	Level 3
	$0	$0	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	$1,500	$3,000	1.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	$2,500	$10,000	2.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	$3,500	$25,000	2.0%	1.0%	0.0%
	$4,500	$50,000	2.0%	2.0%	0.0%
	$5,000	$100,000	2.0%	2.0%	1.0%
	$5,500	$200,000	2.0%	2.0%	2.0%

Did you read that!  I hope that makes you as excited as it makes me.  Now do I really think that I will be there is one year.  No but maybe in 3 years.  I gotta tell you that I am much happier having a HUGE goal and not reaching it then having a wimpy goal and reaching it.  

Homework

1.       Play around with the commission calculator.  (to find it go to the consultant materials page and then to the forms table and then it is the second link from the bottom).  Put in what you are comfortable with.  And then see what you would have to change to maximize your earnings.  (Yes I do know that some of you have not even had your first party yet, do it anyway)

2.       Explain the commission structure to another adult.  Your husband, sister, mom. If you can explain it then you probably understand it.

3.       Create a script of how you would explain the commission structure to a potential consultant.  (this is hard, you only have a few minutes and it is pretty complicated) Write it down.  If you do the next time a potential consultant asks you about it you will be able to give a good answer.