What's Selling this Season??????

June Zeringue asks "What's selling for you so far this season?"

Our Fall and Holiday selling season is the busiest and best time of year for our business. Sometimes though we seem to think that we have to rely on just a handful of items to make this selling season work. I can tell you that this year it has been all over the board for me. There isn't just one thing that stands out.

In September I did well with the Soup and Sandwich plate - so well that I have quite a few on back order. I also had some good sales from the NFL baskets. The way you are going to sell those though is to have them on hand and take them to every show and let people take them as cash and carry. People that wouldn't even buy a Longaberger basket will buy an NFL version because people shop from their hearts when it comes to their sports teams and they do a lot of impulse buying when it comes to buying sports teams related items. Let someone buy the NFL items that you have on hand when you go to a home show and replace it on the hostesses show.

This month I am doing well with the Batter Bowl and the Muffin pan. Now - yeah - I did get some to have for my Open House at the end of the month but I am doing well with those two items at Home Shows as well. Everyone that bought the mixing bowl should get the batter bowl. you measure using the measuring cup and then mix in the batter bowl and then bake in the muffin pan or 9 x 13. Create baking sets with our products. You have to sell them the batter bowl and muffin pan this month anyway because both are available through the current Wish List only so get them now while on sale. I will tell you - when I was showing just the Ivory version of the muffin pan (that's the one we got free as VIP's) I wasn't selling very many. When my Tomato version came - now we are rocking!!!!

The Tree Trimming is selling well for me. I have customers that get it every year regardless but this year's they seem to really like. The lid just makes it more colorful and makes it really pop. I haven't done that great with the coaster but they ARE selling.

MAKE people add on the Holiday Sweets Basket. DUH - it's just $15. I have also let some people get more than 1 even if they only bought 1 basket. If you are at a show and someone buys a basket but doesn't add on the Holiday Sweets Basket - let someone else add it on. I had a customer only buy one basket and added on the Sweets Basket and bought the muffin pan and batter bowl and I don't know what else but her order was over $250. Another person at that show bought the "TEA" basket but didn't want to add on the Sweets Basket. The customer that had the order over $250 wanted a 2nd Sweets Basket so I let her get another one since the person who ordered the Tea Basket didn't want one. It's 1 Sweets Basket for EVERY basket ordered so if someone doesn't have their wits about them and doesn't understand an awesome deal when it's right there in front of them - let someone else take advantage of it. Now if someone doesn't buy a thing - I wouldn't let them take advantage of that offer. I hope I worded all that correctly.

I am also doing pretty good with the Soap and Lotion dispensers and wrought iron Utensil Caddy. Although the dispensers aren't considered food safe and I think it has something to do with the actual pumps I do think that you could use them for short periods of time. So if you are having an event and wanted to use ketchup in the tomato one for your party I think you could. I haven't tried it yet and maybe the pumps aren't food safe and that means it won't pump the ketchup out. I don't know - someone try it and let us know. Anyway - use the soap and lotion dispensers and the utensil caddy for soap in one, lotion in another and hand sanitizer in a 3rd one and put them in the Utensil Caddy and put where the entire family can use. Buy 3 separate colors for the dispensers to keep track of which one has what in it.

The weekly On Line Specials are working for me as well. I didn't take orders for the Pizza Pans and Plates though because of the limited quantities I couldn't guarantee that I could get them for everyone. So I bought some and will have them at my Open House. They were at a GREAT price and I don't get why EVERY Consultant wouldn't have ordered at least one set. Again - yesterday would have been one of those days where there is no way I could have been an NSL - looking at the groups sale through out the day watching so many people NOT taking advantage of such a great offer. Some of those people will probably be at Target standing in line for hours close to Christmas time trying to get something at the last minute for Aunt Millie. Too bad because Aunt Millie could use that Pie Pan as a cake plate when she's not serving up her homemade barbecued bison pizza!

So don't rely on just one or two products this selling season. Look at all the items that we have to offer. We have many New Products for those that don't buy the Holiday. We have monthly bonus buys for them to take advantage off. Take advantage of the On Line Specials. Get the NFL baskets in customers hands. Take advantage of the VARIETY that we have. Also there are some past Holiday Products in the factory store. Get some of those items and show how they work with current line items.

Good luck to everyone we still have a lot of time left this selling season. I hope you make the most of it. Now is also the time to find Holiday Bizarres to set up as a vendor. Those may or may not work great for selling BUT it's a great way to make contacts. Post a comment on here if there is something that is working for you that I have missed. Is there an item that you are showing a certain way that is helping it sell? Tell us about it!!!!!!!!