Metropolitan Baskets

I have had great success by mixing and matching wood and stain choices with the medium metropolitan baskets. Many customers buy our baskets in different stains so you can mix and match the basket color with a different color lid and inserts. The Black basket with a white top has been my most popular one but I put together the others so you could see! Hope you like it! Don't forget to go below and see who the www.longaberger.com ad is.

The Dip!

Here is a dip I have been making for close to 20 years. I have it at every open house and anytime people are over. I have been getting requests for it. You don't have to have JUST TLC food at your open houses. Mix it up a little.

1 16 oz. sour cream - we don't use fat free or lite
1 Knorr's Vegetable Soup Mix
about 1/4 cup chopped pickled Jalepeno's

Mix that up good

Fold in 2 Cups (one 8 oz. bag) SHARP cheddar cheese

Don't mix too much - you don't want to break up the cheese too much

refrigerate for a few hours and serve with toritilla chips

you can add as many of the jalepeno's as you want - the hotter the dip, the more then drink and the more they shop! Of course - be responsible!

Click down on the Longaberger ad - see who is advertising on my blog. Hysterical!

TLC Food Food Products Display for Open House

Boost your business with the Beverage Barrel Retiring

Take advantage of the retirement of the Beverage Barrel. It's a Hostess Exclusive item and is retiring at the end of August. Now is a great time to get some more shows on the calendar even if only book shows. Actually it's very easy to get some last minute book shows so your customers can get the Beverage Barrel.

A $250 show in August is so easy. Sell 4 candy corn combos and then with just $14 more in sales you get to $250. Sell 9 sets of the appetizer plates. I think most consultants want 4 sets for their own don't they - that leaves just 5 more sets of the plates to sell to get the beverage barrel at 1/2.

Don't stop at the $250 level though because when you get to the $350 level and get two bookings you can purchase one of the Framed Wall Art or Mirrors (up to a $99 value).

So take advantage of the retiring Beverage Barrel. Use it to get a few more shows a few more sales. I love my Beverage Barrel. I use it all the time at my open houses. I fill it with sangria, margaritas, or water with lemon!


Hey - while you are here go down to the ads and see who's ad is the www.longaberger.com ad below.

Email Signatures

At the end of everyone's email we have our Name, our title, something about Made in America Matters, our email address, our website address and various other items. Why not add a picture of a new product to your signature when you send out emails. What a quick and easy way to start sharing all of the new products with your customers and even people that you send emails to but they don't buy from you.

Maybe when they see one of the new products it might get them interested. Also add to your signature something about how we have so many new products and to have them contact you if they'd like a new catalog.

Change the picture every week. Every Monday morning change the picture. One week have a basket, the other week maybe show a food product and the following week add a another new item. With so many new products there's always something to share.

This is a quick and easy way to share the new products with little effort, you can change it all the time and costs absolutely nothing. My favorite line "It's a No Brainer!"

Want to see how I have done it - send me an email - just say hi in the email and I will say hi back. Please don't send me tons of emails with questions because I won't be able to get back to them all. So say hi and I will say hi back and at the end of the email you can see what I have done! Basketsforbenno@aol.com

Build a Basket

Here is an idea on how you can use the Design a Basket program to get sales from people you know. Build a Bear is very popular because people get to build something that reflects their own personality. Withe the NEW Design a Basket they can do the same thing.

Have a Build a Basket Party and invite everyone you know. At the party everyone can choose one of the five baskets available. They can then choose their colors and add tack covers. They can add a tag and now even personalize the lid.

People can design a personal basket for each of their kids, add their favorite colors, the tack covers can reflect what sport they participate in and the lid can have their name on it. Someone can design their own personal basket just for their own use. People can design a basket for whatever special event they want. The ideas are unlimited which gives you so much opportunity!

You can use this idea at an Open House too which is what I am going to do. When people are done shopping I am going to have them visit the Build a Basket area. There I will have a few design a basket samples, I will have the color strips, tack covers and some of the tie ons. I will also have some plain lids for some of the baskets with the pictures of the customization that can be done that are on the back of the flyer. I will invite everyone to Build their own Basket!

Could be fun! Good Luck!

Creating New Product Excitment at the BEE

Hey everyone. I can't believe the BEE is about 7 weeks away. Where has this year gone? I was on the phone a few days ago with Jean Rinehart and we were talking about the Bee and how important this Bee will be. Having us all together at one Bee will be awesome. We were also talking about how when the company used to show us new products there would really be some screaming and so much excitement. It seems that that excitement hasn't been there the past few years. Jean and I want to help get that excitement back. If you are reading this blog - pass this message on - at this years Bee we are going to be on our feet. We are going to be yelling and screaming for new products! Let's stand together at this Bee and really show the company that we love the new products and that we really ARE excited about them! I hear they are going to be great and am really looking forward to seeing them!

Pass it on!

February Hostess Bundle Makes getting a show together easy for everyone!

As all Consultant's get ready for April when EVERY Consultant must submit $100 in sales each month why not get into that routine now. The February Hostess Flare Bundle gives all Consultants a reason to get at least a $350 show together this month. As Consultant's don't we want EVERYTHING. So since there is a Hostess Flare Bundle why not work to get that. The Bundle includes the small, medium and large flare baskets and all 3 Contour Flare Bowls. Get it as your 1/2 price item and pay just $100. It retails for $256 so getting it all for $100 is a NO BRAINER!

Here is how you do it.

Since you are working to get the Flare Bundle, on the show buy your medium and small lids for the contour baskets and the protector for the large contour basket and the liners for all three baskets. That gives you $80 in sales. Add a Summertime Stripe Travel Mug since they are only $10 for every $50 purchase. So now your show so far is at $90 and you now only have $260 left to sell. Sell 2 complete Easter Basket Sets with Tie ons and now you only have $38 left to sell. Now just sell 1 Large Contour Flare Bowl and that takes your show to $352.

With your $350 show as your 1/2 price item you get the Flare Bundle for just $100 like I stated earlier and with your $50 Hostess Dollars get the Large Flare Lid and the Med. and Small Protectors for the Med. and Small Flare Baskets.

You now have the complete set of Flare Baskets and Contour Flare Bowls for just getting $260 in sales other than the items you put on the show to fill out the baskets. You can get to the remaining $260 anyway you can but selling only 2 complete Easter Basket should be relatively easy. You can also sell the Contour Flare Bowls. A complete set of those would be just $80 so these are at a great price point for price conscious customers. Anyway just sell what it takes to get the $260 in sales. With just a little work every Consultant can get the $260 in sales .

Get Your October Hostess Booked for January!!!!!

Are you having a hard time getting your October Hostesses to rebook to January to take advantage of the Hostess Appreciation program? If so share this information with them.

As part of the Hostess Appreciation Program in January is a Hostess who did a show in October and does at least a $500 show in January can receive an extra $65 in Hostess Dollars. So at the $500 level that Hostess can receive 2 half price items AND $145 in Hostess Dollars.

By taking advantage of the BUNDLES in January - this is what they could get:

1. 1st 1/2 price item: Pie Plate Bundle which includes - 2 Pie plates, Pie Plate Server, Fancy Round Pie Plate basket and Protector. As the half price item they get all that for $51.50.

2. 2nd 1/2 price item: Sort and Store Paper Bin Basket Bundle which includes - Paper Bin Basket, Liner, Protector, Wrought Iron Paper Bin Stand, and 1 Shelf. As the half price item they get all that for $65.

Hostess Dollars of $145: Salt and Pepper Shakers and Caddy Bundle ($32), Chip and Dip Bowl ($35), Paper Bin Basket Set which includes Paper Bin Basket, Liner and Protector ($69). They would still have $9 in Hostess Dollars to use.

So your Hostess that Hosted a Show in October and a $500 one in January could receive:

Salt and Pepper Shakers
Salt and Pepper Shaker Caddy
2 Grandma Bonnie Pie Plates
Two Pie Server
Fancy Pie Basket and Protector
2 Paper Bin Baskets, 2 Protectors and 2 Liners
Wrought Iron Paper Bin Stand
1 Shelf
Chip and Dip Bowl

Retail: $594 Ding! Ding! Ding! Hostess pays: $116.50

Some Hostesses may have some of these products - SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Take advantage of this great offer and use the products that you already have as gifts throughout the year!

Good Luck in getting your January Hostesses Booked!

Home Shows - PART 2

In the previous post which is now the post after this post - I was responding to what I take to shows and what I talk about and how I tailor my shows to the crowd. I got a bit lengthy in that post so here is the part about what I actually talk about at the shows.

Before I talk about what I say at shows and what else I do let me first start off by saying that I am scared to death of talking in front of others. My friends and people that know me would not believe this. I am great in a small crowd with people I know BUT - when it comes to strangers - I am a wreck. When first asked to be a BEE Facilitator 6 or 7 years ago I had no idea how I was going to be able to do it. I took it head on though because I knew it would be good for me. You have no idea how much it has helped me and I have gained to much from doing it. BUT I am still scared to death doing it but once I get started I'm ok.

I still get nervous at Home Shows too. What I always have to tell myself though is I know the products better than anyone in the room and I love the products more than anyone in the room so it doesn't matter as much of what you say as it matters that you show how great you feel about the products. Your confidence and conviction about Longaberger is more important than anything! So - if I can do Home Shows - being afraid of speaking in front of people - then EVERYONE can do home shows.

I don't tailor my shows too much from show to show. I have a beginning - which is a brief introduction of myself. I let them know how I got involved with Longaberger because they all look at me like - A Man? What the hell are you doing selling Longaberger? So I give a quick intro of me. Then I ask them all who is familiar with Longaberger and find out how much they know about Longaberger and find out who has never even been to a show. That way I know what I am working with. Then I do tailor how much I talk about our history because if they are Longaberger fanatics then I need to spend more time showing products. If they don't know anything about Longaberger then I have to educate them. They have to understand the true value of our products and really understand that the basket they hold in their hand was made BY HAND by another human being. I sometimes ask them what they can make with their own hands only using a few tools. This shows them the value of our baskets.

So once I get all that over with i jump right in with the monthly feature. I explain to them that it's one of the things that makes Longaberger so different. We have something DIFFERENT EVERY month. So I basically get through all the products that are featured for the month that I am in and showing the rest of the products as they fit in. If I don't have some ting in hand I show it from the flyer or catalog.

I explain that our baskets come in three stains. I explain the proper way to buy a Longaberger basket is to make sure you also get the liner and protector. It needs to be complete. People always ask if the protector and liner are included in the price. I explain early in the show that all pieces come individually - a la cart just like a fine restaurant so that they can choose all the pieces the way they want them.

I talk a bit about the fact that our pottery is vitrified china and make sure they understand that a vitrified pottery is the best kind of pottery they can purchase especially for everyday use. I also explain how affordable our is compared to what they see in a department store and I also make sure they know how many colors we offer and that they should mix and match the colors and not to stick with just one. I also let them know that our pottery is the best selling casual dinner ware in the US. I heard that somewhere I hope it's true. The other thing that you have to make sure they know about our pottery is that most companies just have place settings with a few accessory pieces or they sell baking dishes and coordinating pieces but no dinnerware. We are one of the few companies that has EVERYTHING for setting the table with all the pieces needed for baking and fixing food and serving it in.

So anyway get through explaining the products with as much detail as you can without talking too much. Try to keep things under 30 minutes. A few times throughout the show you have to mention and show the booking items. I have the hostess hold them in her hand and tell everyone what she wants and they I explain how she will get them. Somewhere at the beginning of the show I explain that we have two goals to accomplish and one of them is to help the hostess have a high show total to get the most benefits and that we also have to help her get her booking items which is another benefit of doing the show. Another thing I do at the beginning of the show is to explain that we need everyone to help make the show a success and that I have something for EVERYONE! (making them all know they are expected to make a purchase - ok - It's subtle and not pushy - of course they don't have to buy - BUT if they want to help the hostess they will make a purchase)

Do an introduction if yourself, of Longaberger, show products, give details, show value, explain benefits of doing their own show and show excitement of our products. It's that easy.

Don't be afraid of making mistakes. I forget names of things, I go blank when speaking, I drop things. Sometimes I am a complete mess. When I make a mistake I correct myself, we laugh and we move on. DON'T be stiff! Show them that you are having fun. Show them that you LOVE Longaberger and the rest will come through. You don't have to be perfect. If being perfect at a Home Show was a requirement then I better stop now!

If you don't want to get up in front of people - sit on the edge of a chair and pull it up close to everyone while you talk and act like you are just being more inclusive with everyone. It doesn't have to be like a lecture or actual program. Just get to talking and get them talking too. Sometimes if I have a very small group I take things to the kitchen table and show products while they eat. So many of our products work on the kitchen table so it's a great place to show products. If it's a larger group I usually use the family room where there is more room. That is where i do most of my shows.

Again, there is no right or wrong way. Do your shows in a way that makes you feel comfortable but at the same time makes you come off looking like a professional about our products. Be casual is you have to but don't be casual about the knowledge of the products. Don't be afraid to make a mistake though and don't be afraid of not knowing something because you can always get the answer. Make sure you are having fun and everyone else is having fun too.

Ok - I could go on and on about what do to at Home Shows so if you have anything specific you want to know that I haven't covered let me know and I will get back to you. What ever you do though - DON'T use the excuse of not knowing how to do a Home Show as a reason of not doing a home show. Don't use the excuse that you feel uncomfortable either. Figure out a way to get comfortable. The Home Show is the best way to sell our products, our company and our selves. If you haven't figured it out yet - People are hungry for our products but so many Consultants aren't hungry to get out there and give them what they want! If you aren't out doing Longaberger Home Shows - someone else is in those homes selling their products instead!

Home Shows: What to Take, What to Say..............

Chantel LeMaster wants to know: "Maybe you could share with us what you take to shows and what you talk about. And/or how you tailor your show to the crowd?"


The Home Show is the best way for us to do business. It's at the Home Show where we get the opportunity to meet people and show our products in person. People get so worked up about Home Shows though because they feel they have to do it a certain way for it to be right. Guess what - EVERYONE has their own way of doing it and you should do Home Shows the way it works best for you.

What do I take? Let me first start out by saying that I take WAY too much. I just feel that people really have to see everything in person. Let me talk out both sides of my mouth though because you don't HAVE to take a ton to a show for it to be successful. I know that because know matter what I take it seems that I sell mainly things I didn't take to the show anyway. So I try to guess what I think WILL sell when I should just be taking things to show the full range of products that we offer.

Here is what I will be taking to most shows in November. I repack what I take to shows at the beginning of the month and I don't change it much through the month unless a Hostess requests something that I don't have.

For November I will be taking: Holiday Helper Treats basket, Jumbo Mugs, Mug Rack, John Deere Basket, Oval Muffin Basket, all 3 Little Gifts Basket, candles, a sampling of the rest of the holiday items, and I will take the Sweetheart Basket as a teaser for December. That's what I will take for the November Specials and highlights. I will also take items from the Wish List that are my staples. They include the Soap and Lotion Dispensers and Salt and pepper caddy as well as the Utensil Caddy. I will also take the Batter Bowl and the Muffin Pan - although they were on sale in October - people in November won't know that and they are easy items to sell. I will also take a few other items from the Wish List that are good sellers for me or new items that I don't have much history with yet. ANY of the Sort and Store Storage baskets sell well for me and so I will take a version of one of those.

Ok - so you can see - that is way too much and most people don't have that many products. So let's cut it back. What do you have to take? If you went to the Bee and got the Bee kit - use that as a base for what you take and then fill in from there. Take at least 1 basket in each stain so people can see the difference in the stains. I like to make sure I have protectors in both versions - they regular ones and the sturdier ones so people can see the difference. I also like to have at least 2 different pottery samples with me. I ALWAYS have a tomato pottery piece with me - it really stands out and it's really popular for me. I also have at least one wrought iron piece with me. The salt and pepper caddy is a great one and having the soap and lotion dispensers with me are a good sample of the pottery.

So don't worry so much about what you take. Worry more about showing the full range of the products that we offer. People don't need to see 10 warm brown baskets. They don't need to see each and every pottery piece. Our Wish List is the BEST in the industry. Customers can really get a good idea of what our products are like from it. They just need to see some things in person to get a better idea of the colors, weight, and feel of things.

If you can't get each monthly feature to show don't worry about it. Take what you have! BUT - if you continue doing Home Shows you will soon be able to afford the monthly feature as a sample and then you will have them to show in person. If you don't have the Sweetheart Basket - Hershey Kiss Basket - CRAWL OVER BROKEN GLASS TO GET IT! I can't even believe the reaction I am getting from it. The first day it came I couldn't put it down. It is just about the cutest basket we have ever had. Get it - Sell it! I challenge EVERYONE to set a goal for how many you can sell. EVERY single consultant in this company should sell that basket. Ok - don't let me get ahead of myself. Let's sell November first!

I have gone on long enough about what to take and got off track a little. If you have any individual questions please ask. I'm going to start a new post to answer the rest of the question.

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!!!!!!!!

Hostess/Booking Program

I recently have changed what I do for Hostesses when they book a Home Show with me and what I give them the night of the Home Show. In the past when someone would book a show with me I would give them their choice of one of the small tote bags that we so popular at the Homestead. I gave them that filled with everything they need for their show. If I Hostess would cancel I normally wouldn't get the tote back. Therefor - out of money.

When I go to a Home Show I like to walk in with a small token as a thank you. That usually has been some sort of jar candle that I have picked up at one of the local Craft Stores on sale. Every time I see jar candles on clearance I would grab a handful of them so I would always have some thank yous the night of the show.

I wanted to change what I have been doing though because I was losing money on totes I wouldn't get back and I was spending money on a Hostess and I wasn't spending it on anything that I would get Hostess Benefits from. So I got to thinking. We have so many items in the Factory Store under $10. Why not pick up those items and just give the Hostess a thank you the night of the party.

So when I am booking the show I show them a basket with the items in it and tell them that they get to pick one of those out on the night of her show as a thank you for booking a show with me. They don't take a tote bag in advance so if they don't end up dong the show I'm not out any money. Because I am only giving one gift I am spending less money but still giving them something nicer in the long run too.

In the basket for example I have several of the jewelry pieces that are under $10 in the factory store. I also have some of the nicer so Rachel candles that were available. I also have the bud vases and I also have the picture frames and I am adding the small loaf dishes. All these items are under $10 and I get guest sales buy purchasing them AND I get My Dream Points. My Hostesses are getting a nicer thank you and I am getting guest sales and I'm not giving out tote bags to Hostesses that don't end up doing a Home Show!

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cash and Carry Update!

Have you seen the new update to the actual Longaberger Cash and Carry Program? What a great program for those that want to offer cash and carry items but don't have the money to use to create some sort of inventory for cash and carry. This is also a great program is you need some products for an event rather quickly. There is no risk with this program. Refer to the company guidelines though for full details of the program for full accuracy of the program.

How can you make this program work for you? Determine what type of event you are having and start from there. About how many people do you think will attend? Should you pick at least 5 of the same item to have at your event or mix it up a bit? Since you can return the items that you don't sell it's a perfect way to mix things up a bit, step out of the box and try something new.

If I was going to be at a Holiday Bizarre at a school I would maybe get some of the Snowflake Jumbo Mugs and Cookie Platters. If I needed product for an Open House I would choose all different products to see what sells and what doesn't. The Cash and Carry program is also a great way to try a few products that you haven't sampled to see what sells and what doesn't. Since there is no risk you can send back what doesn't sell. Of course just because something doesn't sell at one event doesn't mean it won't sell - it just means it didn't sell that day.

So as we enter into our busiest selling season try to get some events on your calendar where you can sell cash and carry and use the new Cash and Carry program to make these a success. There is no risk involved and what a great way to step out of the box for your business and hopefully you will not only find out what will work to help grow your business but you will also get some new customers out of the process as well.

Even though there is no risk it's still a good idea to start slow as I have said in the past and work at your own pace. Ok - pick up the pace a little and challenge yourself to make things a success for your self but don't go crazy. I'll do that for you!

Good Luck!

The new guidelines are on mylongaberger.om under publications!

Are you on the bandwagon???????

When the first signs of the economy going bad so many people jumped on the bandwagon and used it as an excuse not to do business. Many used it as an excuse as to why business was bad. Many jumped on the bandwagon without the economy even really affecting them because that was the easy thing to do.

Well in the past few weeks and month or so we have had signs that the recession is over or at least going in the right direction. I'm not an economist - OBVIOUSLY - BUT- here are a few things I have heard. New housing starts are on the rise in some major markets. Retail sales in August were much higher than expected. Unemployment claims in August were lower than expected and the growth of unemployment claims have seemed to slow. The Ben Bernakey guy - ok - I know his last name was misspelled but he even said the recession is over. Of course that doesn't mean a lot has to happen though before things are great again - but it's another sign we are going in the right direction.

So now that we have some good signs for the economy and we have some encouraging news - are you ready to jump on the bandwagon of a promising future? So many people are quick to jump on a band wagon of doom and gloom because it's easier to use it as an excuse to do nothing. Let's see how many people are as quick to jump on the bandwagon of the fact that the economy IS getting better. Things ARE turning around. It may not be happening as quick as we all hope and maybe not everywhere but it IS happening.

So be like a typical politician and flip flop - jump off the bandwagon of doom and gloom. Jump on the bandwagon that believes that things are getting better. Jump on the bandwagon that believes in a great future. Jump on the band wagon of excitement for our future.

The Longaberger Company has so many things to be grateful for and has so many reasons to look to the future. We are a direct selling company that has had some hard times. There have been many lay offs. There have been cut backs. There have been some tough times. BUT - there have been many direct selling companies that haven't made it and no longer exist.

The Longaberger Company has made it though. The Longaberger Company has survived. The future has never looked better. We have continued to offer Made in the USA products. We as Consultants have continued to be able to sell innovative products. The current Team Spirit both with the University and NFL versions are a huge hit and are only gaining momentum. Those that are working their business are having great results.

So! What are you going to do? Stay on the bandwagon that so many people jumped on because it was the easy route? OR - get on board with the new bandwagon of success and one that offers a great future. I challenge you all to jump on board. Be a success and have fun. Don't get left behind because if you don't get on board - someone else will take your seat!

I'm on board and I am enjoying the ride!

NFL Flyer Artwork

You can use this to create your own flyers to promote Team Spirit. Use the middle white space for your message!

I don't know if you can do anything with it from here so leave a comment and I will forward it to you. I will keep trying to change it to a format on here that you can use.

New Customers and Open Houses.

At my Open House last weekend I had 8 NEW Customers show up.  Judy Jasper and I emailed back and forth a few times and she wanted me to share with her what I do to get my current customers to bring their friends to my Open Houses. So I am posting it here for her and so I can share with everyone that would like the information.  I hope you pass this on to your friends.  They have changed this blog and now I can't do a spell check before I post - so I will keep checking it and make spelling corrections when I see them.  Don't make fun of me.  If you have ever had a conversation with me in person - I type the same exact way with everything coming out at one time. 

Getting new customers to your Open Houses is not as difficult as you might think.  Just about eveyone that buys Longaberger has a friend or knows someone that buys it as well.  Many of those people don't have a Consultant and don't avtively go out and seek one.  If your current customers are coming to your Open Houses and are having fun and enjoying them then why wouldn't they bring a friend next time?  Aks them to bring a friend next time.  So the easiest way to get NEW customers to your Open Houses is by having your current customers help you.

I have done several things in the past though as an incentive for my customers who bring someone new to my Open Houses.  If they are going to help me then I give them a little thank you or incentive.  I tell them about the incentive and ask them to bring a friend as part of the invitation. I give the thank you or incentive to someone that brings a Buying Customer.  A new customer isn't their 4 year daughter or grandma propped up in the back seat.  Although I have had customers bring their daughters who then do become good customers as well.  I have had daughters bring their mothers too so either way I appreciate having them both as customers. 

In the past I have given a coupon as the thank you or incentive that they can use at the next Open House.  I have also given some sort of Longaberger Product.  A few years ago I got my hands on some of those holiday crocks we had a while back.  I gave those to anyone that brought a new customer.  We have all sorts of inexpensive items we can give that our customers love.  They really do appreciate the gester.  I will say though that a Longaberger notepad, pen or plastic cup really isn't enough.  I also try to find things that when I buy them I get guest sales. 

Remember to use your Home Shows as a means of finding new customers as well.  At a home show you can talk about your upcoming Open House.  Have a save the date flyer or invitation at each Home Show that you do and talk about your Open House.  I alway have one on the calendar so I always have one to talk about.  Talk about some of the incentives you have at the Open House.  Talk about the drawings that you do.  Talk about what you might have on hand that they can take with them the day of the Open House.  If you set up an area similiar to my Super Sale area - talk about that too.

If you have joined my October Open House challenge and are doing an Open House in October you have plenty of time to put someting in place that will work for you.  Remember it doesn't happen over night.  Set a goal of maybe 2 or 3 NEW customers at your next Open House.  Set it higher if you already have something that is working for you.  If you have something that is working for you please share by posting a comment for eveyone to see. 

Good luck to all of you!

Open Houses - Tax and Shipping

I have been getting quite a few questions about what I do about tax and shipping at the Open House and how I price things.

First of all I don't price anything.  All cash and carry items are the price that they are in the Wish List.  My Bonus Buys which are mixed in with the Cash and Carry have their own sign.  There are no price tags on anything.  Many of my cash and carry items are even still wrapped in the plastic bags they come in.

The Super Sale items are not priced either.  I have a sheet that has a listing of all products and then it has what they originally cost and what the price at the Open House is.  How do I come up with the price of those items?  I look at what I actually paid for them (with discount out).  Usually at the factory store things are already at a huge discount.  By the time you subtract your discount you pay even less.  So you can still add a little to what you actually paid for the item and it will still be a pretty good discount offered to your customers at the Open House.  Sometimes you just have to pick a price that you know gives your customer a nice value but you are sitll making money on it. 

When someone is done shopping I then add up everything they bought.  I add in the tax but I don't charge shipping.  It's hard to charge shipping for items that are right there for them to take with them.  Do you lose money when you don't charge shipping?  NO!  Not only did I receive my discount when I initailly bought the item but then on that show I got the Hostess Dollars and the 1/2 price items.  So you aren't going to lose money.  Then when you sell an item that you are using as a Bonus Buy item - you got that at an even bigger discount and then when you mark it up a little at your Open House you will still make money.  It can get confusing so please leave a comment if you need something explained better and I will post that too.

You are following company guidelines when you are in your own home with your own customers if you choose not to charge shipping.  Please read the company guidelines on this policy though for further details.  This is my choice to not charge shipping at my Open Houses.  It's a benefit for customers to come to the Open House and they buy more because of it.  You do what you are comfortable with. 

This is all hard to explain so if you do have questions let me know and I will answer them. 

The dog in the picture is my bulldog Tucker.  I didn't have a picture that had to do with Tax and Shipping so I thought he would be funn to have on the Blog.

Open House Successes

Last week I said I would post some Open House Successes that you share with me. Here are some that I got so far. 

Cheryl Munro:  I decided to have a "Fancy Pie Tasting Party" yesterday....Since I am still healing, I had lots of help! 19 people attended, 17 pies were brought! Sales were $350, cash and carry $200, 2 home shows booked BUT I had 10 people pay for my upcoming bus trip on 9/25-9/26! There were 2 new faces, which is awesome....MANY were impressed with the team spirit baskets....a couple of customers have not seen LB in a long time and they LOVE all the new items...The soup/sandwich plates were a hit!..the rest of the customers are waiting to order when we go on the bus...We had a great time!

Linda Cooper:  Had sales of over $1,000 and did very well with getting RSVP's and she had some new faces too.  She also got to show the new Team Spirit baskets and was able to get the new Wish Lists and September Flyers in her customers hands.

Paul McDaniel:  Had sales of $1,200 and Cash and Carry of $700 and booked 9 shows!

That's what I have so far.  Send me your success and i will add it here.  You can also make a comment as a way of sending me your results and I will post them too. 

I did just over $16,000 in sales and booked quite a few home shows.  That makes this Open House my 2nd best ver. Had quite a few new faces too.  That is REALLY important for me.  My Customers loved the new products but it's funny to see what some love and others don't.  I gave away a So Rachel Body Wash or Lotion for the customers that spent $100 or more.

Sold a lot of Chili Bowls and presold quite a few Soup and Sandwich Plates.  I also took orders on the Soap and Lotion so can get those in on September 1st.  I took advantage of the Cutting Board on line special and my customers were buying 2 and 3 of them at a time. It was also a last push on the Fancy Pie Basket and I took orders for the Bread Carrier basket for the On Line Special for Weds.  Was woking all angles of the business!

All in all it was a really good weekend. Now time to get ready for my next one which is the last weekend in October.

Let me know your successes!

Bee 2010

The dates for Bee 2010 have been announced. The Reunion Bee is July 21 - 24 and the Homecoming Bee is July 24 - 27. I am thrilled that the dates have been announced and I love the change in that no Bee will be right at month end or right at the beginning of a month as in the past. LOVE THE NEW DATES!

Take the time right now to make a commitment to be at the Bee this year. You have 10 full months to prepare. You have 10 full months to not have excuses why you can't go and 10 full months to come up with reasons that you CAN go.   

I don't have the money! Well - get some Home Shows on the Calendar NOW and save part of your commissions for the Bee. By sharing rooms and watching for Airline Flight sales you can make the trip more affordable and you have plenty of time to make enough money to go. As you get close to the actual Bee date have your own Home Show or Open House and tell your customers that you need help because you are going to use your commissions so you can go to the Bee to learn about new products and new programs that Longaberger will be offering and that it will make you a better Longaberger Consultant. It WILL!

Something else might come up! NO! - Put it on your schedule NOW. Let all your family and friends know NOW that if they are planning something next July it can't be on those dates or you won't be able to attend. I plan my life around several dates each year - one of them is the date of the Bee. I have had to miss some other important events in past year - BUT - I gave those people notice in advance that if they planned something during the Bee - that's less beer they will need for their event.

So I am challenging EVERY Longaberger Consultant to make that commitment right now. SAVE THE DATE! (hmmmmm - who else uses those) Talk to all your other Longaberger Consultant friends and tell them you are going and make them plan to go as well. Start making plans as a group to get there!

I couldn't do what I do without the Bee each year. It's where I get re energized in my business. It motivates me to continue doing what I do. Most importantly though it's the one time of year I get so see so many members of my extended Longaberger Family!

See you at Bee 2010!

Chili Bowl Opportunity!

The On Line Chili Bowl Special this week is not just a great price for your cusomters - BUT - it's also a perfect opportunity for YOU! The Chili Bowls were originally 2 for $30 which of course made them $15 each. At $8 each your customer SHOULD be buying them up. It's great too because they can mix and match colors. AND think ahead because for all the customers that buy the Chili Bowls - they will want the Soup and Sandwich plate in September.  It's the Bonus Buy for September.

This is one of those times where EVERY Consultant has a great opportunity as well. As a Consultant these Chili Bowls are just $6 each. This is an item that is not going to go out of style. So no matter where you are in your business get a few extra of these. If you are a brand new Consultant 4 of them would be just $24. So figure out what works for you and get them ordered.

OK - now you got them - what are you going to do with them??????

Here are some ideas on how I am going to use them to create sales.

First of all I will have them as a Bonus Buy at my Open House in October. They were originally 2 for $30 and I may have them 2 for $24 and then maybe 4 for $40. That way if they buy 2 they get 20% off but if they buy 4 they get close to 35% off. Regardless - is gives you a way to create some sort of Bonus Buy for your customers.

Since my Open House is AFTER the Soup and Sandwhich Plate Bonus Buy in September I will still show the Chili Bowls at my Home Shows letting everyone know that if they buy the Soup and Sandwich plate that I will have the Chili Bowls at my Open House. This will help get NEW Customers to the Open House.

I will also take these to all of the Holiday Fairs at schools that I do. Tastefully Simple is usually there as well so when someone comes to my booth and has one of their bags I will ask them what they bought from Tastefully Simple (in a tasteful way). If they bought a dip - "Hey I have a great bowl for you to serve your dip in." If they bought a soup mix - "Hey I have a great Bowl for you to serve your soup in." These events sometimes aren't the best in selling a large quantitiy but it's a great way to meet people.  Also at such a low price point for the Chili Bowls it help you get a piece of our pottery in someones hands that may not have any Longaberger Pottery. Once they have the Chili Bowls they will want more.  So follow up after these events is key.

Good luck with this sale and I hope you all take advantage of it for yourself as well!

Woodcrafts Cutting Board On Line Special

The On Line Special for the Woodcrafts Cutting Board is at a GREAT price for your customers. Make sure you Customers get one for EVERYONE on their Holiday List! This is a great size cutting board for use during parties for cutting cheese and sausage and other snacks but it's also great at the bar for cutting fruit for drinks. This also makes a great corporate type gift.

Also sell it to your customers as a Fall Wish List PREVIEW special! Tell them to be the first to get one.

This is also a GREAT opportunity for Consultants because for you it's just $15. In my class at the Bee I spoke about having more cash and carry on hand and creating Bonus Buys for your customers at Open Houses. This is a perfect item for that. At just $15 EVERY Consultant can get at least one. I know I am going to get a handful myself and offer them as a Bonus Buy at my Open House and offer them at 20% off when someone buys an item at full price first.

This item will be so easy to sell a handful of them so also remember that when you sell at least 3 of them - you earn enough commissions to get yours for FREE!

Good Luck and I hope you all take advantage of this great price point!


REMEMBER - this is just my opinion!

Scratch Off Tickets

In my class I taught at the Bee I talked about the scratch off tickets that I have made and used at my Open Houses. These scratch off tickets I make my self on my computer and I print them on a card stock. I have an actual designer program that I design all my printed materials with but I'm sure you can make them in Word also. You can make them any size you want. Have as many on 1 sheet as you can get and then cut them out after they are all printed. Then place the scratch off label over the scratch off area.

I use the 1 inch round silver scratch off labels but you can use any size you want. There are so many options so you can really get creative with what style of scratch off tickets you want to create. I get the labels at http://www.easyscratchoffs.com/. I order 1000 at a time and they ship pretty quickly. I will tell you that it was confusing the 1st time I ordered because I thought I had ordered 1000 but the way it looked on the invoice it only looked like I ordered 100. My contact person there was Terra Williams. She can help you.

The first one here is one I did for my Open House in March. The tickets were sent out with the Open House Invitation and they had to come to the Open House to then scratch the ticket to see what they had won. Under each circle was some sort of prize. I have done $5 and $10 coupons and those are coupons they can use at the NEXT Open House. This gives them reason to come to the next Open House.

When someone scratches the card they could also see a letter A or a letter B. The letter A let's them pick out of basket A which would contain smaller Longaberger type trinket things. The letter B would let them choose something out of Basket B - larger Longaberger type trinkets. We have access to so many things that could be put in a basket for them to choose from.

What you put under the scratch off area can be endless. Think of something that works for you. You can really be creative and it can be a lot of fun.

I also created a Scratch Off Ticket for my Frequent Shopper program. I had to come up with a way for my customers to be able to earn some sort of reward for doing business with me often. It had to be easy and couldn't be an accounting nightmare. SO! I made this 2nd scratch off ticket. Each time a customer does business with me - at an Open House, a Home Show, an On Line Order or just calling in an order they one of these tickets. On each ticket is either a B, an E, an N or an O. They need to collect the letters to spell B E N N O. Once they do they get a $20 Gift Certificate to use at any time. They have to hold on the cards that they collect so I don't have any type of work to keep track of who has what.

You can use any amount for a certificate. Maybe the $20 is too much for you to give away. Then maybe use $10. My customers shop VERY well at my Open Houses though and for me the $20 is what I am using. Again - use what you are comfortable with.

I think this covers the scratch off tickets. They really are fun and gives you a way to be creative and come up with some fun ideas that your customers will like. If you have any questions - leave me a comment and I will get back to you.

Please send your Consultant friends to my blog!

Sell 3 get yours for Free - #2!

Need something to help your month of August?

The Fancy Round Pie Basket is EASY to sell this month. I am selling it as BRAND NEW item and am offering it at a SPECIAL PREVIEW PRICE of $42. (Reg. $62) Tell your customers to be the first to have this Brand New Basket and save $20 while doing so! Correct me if I am wrong but it's also the very first basket we have offered that has featured the braiding around the top band.

AND REMEMBER: If you as a Consultant Sell at least 3 - you earn enough commissions to get yours for FREE! If you went to the Bee and got yours for FREE and don't want another one - then when you Sell at least 3 - take those earnings and use them towards the Liner and Protector.

If you haven't seen this basket in the deep stain - wait until you do. Seeing it in the deep stain is what really reminded me of the history that this basket represents. LOVE IT!

Sell 3 Get Yours FREE!!!

Don't forget that when you sell at least 3 of the Blanket Baskets today you earn enough in commisions to get yours for FREE! Commisions on the sale of 3 would be $74.25 which is the Consultant Price for this GREAT basket.

Sell at least 3 - get yours for FREE!!!!!!

Welcome to my blog!

I have had so many great responses to the class I taught at Bee 2009 but there have been a lot of questions that people have had as well. SO - I thought this would be a great way to share my ideas. Although this is the first post - it really doesn't have any information yet that you need. So check back soon and hopefully I will have something useful for you out here. In the meantime let me know what you want to see me post out here. What questions to do have? What can I help you with??????

Let me know and I will post those answers and ideas on here.

PLEASE NOTE IN ADVANCE: I'm am way too busy for this to be a daily blog. So be patient in between posts!