10 Ways To Grow Your Barefoot Business

Shay Farnsworth shared some great tips for getting the word out about your Barefoot business.  Doing something to grow your business every day DOES add up and have impact!  Thanks Shay for these ideas!

Get your business moving forward. Here are some ideas to increase your sales and remember that sometimes you just “gotta do it!”

1) Place your business card (at eye level) inside the door of your bathroom stall at restaurants, grocery stores, Wal-Mart, or wherever the “urge” hits you. Vistaprint is a good source for business cards and they also have post-it notes you can use too!

2) Make it a goal to give out a certain number of business cards each day.

3) At restaurants leave a business card with your tip.

4) Everyone on your Christmas card list should know what you do! Be sure to enclose a business card in each envelope.

5) Doing donations? Always have several business cards in your basket.

6) When giving a card to a new contact, hand write a note on the back offering 20% off their first order and include an expiration date. Use the code TWENTY13.

7) Have a message on your phone and on your email address to let everyone know you sell Barefoot Books.

8) Offer friends and customers a free book if they get a friend to book a party or fundraiser with you.

9) Do you use the drive-thru at the bank? Leave a Best of Barefoot flyer and your business card in the clear plastic tube and press send.

10) Brand everything! Be sure to have all of your Barefoot information on any and all things Barefoot when you leave the house. You can also put bookplates in all the books that you personally sell with your info on the plate so when they are ready for a new book they know who to contact.

How much inventory to carry?

I hear this question a lot- How much inventory do you keep for events? Well, that really depends on what kinds of events you plan on doing, and how often you plan on doing them. :) 

I know, I make it sound so simple, don't I? But really, if you think about it from a numbers perspective, that's what it comes down to.  If you plan on working every week/weekend, then you will need far more books than if you only work one event per month.  I know I carry more than I would like to, but I just cannot seem to whittle my inventory down much lower than about $8000 retail. I know it's more than I need, but when I do a bigger event, it's nice to have at least two of the books I sell often, and then a few extras of the really good sellers- like sing-a-longs and Yoga Pretzels.  A friend and fellow Ambassador has offered to help me make some cuts, so hopefully soon I will be down to about $6000- right where I want to be. I don't expect most Ambassadors to carry that much in inventory, but I tend to do some larger events in Chicago, so I need to be ready in case my replenishment order from last week's event doesn't make it to me before my next event.

So back to deciding.  First of all, I recommend building your inventory organically and slowly.  You don't need one of every book, just one of the ones that you sell well.  Start small, see what sells for you, then buy a few more of those items.  Keep a spreadsheet of each item and how many you have sold, so at the end of 6 months or a year, you can look back and see what is moving, and what is not.  Don't reorder things that are not selling.  There are too many other great things that will move- invest your money there.  On the "Shop" page on the website, click on "Our Best Sellers" and choose from there.  It's a good place to start.  I also have a list of books that I stock heavily because they move fast.  I am happy to share it with you, just email me.

Now, consider the types of events you will be doing.  How many people will be there?  Hundreds or thousands?  How much does the event cost?  How much do you need to sell to break even? To make a profit?  To make the profit you WANT to make?  Add about $500-1000 to that number to give people a bit of a selection, and you should have a rough idea of how much you need to carry.  Also, consider whether you are going to be taking orders at your event (like a home party or book fair), or if it will be a "cash and carry" event.  If you are taking orders, you only need one display copy of the books and items you want to sell.  It's a good place to start because you don't usually have to pay to do a home party or book fair.  It's all based on giving the hostess or school a percentage of sales- so no money outlay up front.

As much as you can, order your books through the Barefoot website.  Sometimes there are some great deals from retiring Ambassadors online, but keep in mind that you get no QV (qualifying volume) credit when you make these purchases.  It's ok to get an out of stock item here and there from another Ambassador, but keep your purchases through the system so you can get the credit you are due and work your way up the levels to bigger and better discounts.  
 
Also, keep in mind that the new compensation program begins in a few weeks on April 1, 2012.  I will be sharing a bit more about that in future posts, but right now I think we all need to settle into the changes a bit and give it a chance.  We will understand better how it benefits us once we've had a few months to get used to it.  If you have any questions about it, feel free to get in touch with me so we can discuss it.

Happy Holidays!

Hello there!
I hope you and your family are doing well this holiday season! I become overwhelmed with a sense of love and thankfulness that lasts through the season.  Thank YOU for being a part of my growing Barefoot team.  I've loved getting to know all of you and feel honored to work with and support you. 


I hope you are helping your friends and customers find those very special and perfect books for the kids on their lists!  Nothing makes me happier than finding the PERFECT gift for someone I love!  And watching that person open their gift?  There's nothing better! Be sure to read all the newest titles so you can give your customers a quick synopsis of all the great details of each story.  You are the expert!  Be confident, make suggestions, and you will make sales!
I have had to get creative this year in selling books.  I have three events booked in six days (all back-to-back), but I wanted to get some other passive sales too.  I wanted to share a great idea I had!  There's a group of moms in the suburbs around my home that have created a co-op for ordering things in bulk or at wholesale prices. I joined it before my first son was born to get some great cloth diapers at cost. I decided to offer a Barefoot Co-op to these great mamas.  
Since our group is on Yahoo! Groups, I created a database where members could add in their items and total them up.  I offered them 20% off if our total was under $500, and 30% if we were over $500.  I'm hoping to win the iPad contest this quarter, and I am more than halfway there!  Every sale helps at this point! :) The co-op will be closing in a few days, but so far we are at almost $250 in orders!  Not bad for not doing much work, and not having to carry my books around!  And I will ship the books directly to one of the moms, and people will pick them up from her home!  Even better!!!
So, you might want to search around and see if you have any local moms' groups that do co-ops such as this.  Or, try pitching the idea to some of your local moms, and maybe you could start one near you.  It's worth a shot!  Even if you offer them a big percentage off, you are still getting the QV for yourself, and some new customers too!

Happy Holidays and Happy Sales!

New Training Videos Launched!!!

Wow, I can honestly say I have not been THIS excited about Barefoot news in a while!  Have you seen the new training videos yet???  Or the new Starter Kit???  It's going to be easier than ever to get your business going, and to recruit new people to the program!  We have been asking for this for as long as I have been an Ambassador, so this is BIG NEWS!!!!  So when you have some time, start watching the new videos!  There's something for everyone to learn there!  Share them with your team too! :)

Finding Events and Staying Busy

What does it take to be successful with any business?  Customers to buy and use your product(s)!  Finding those customers, and keeping them returning while constantly finding new ones to add is what makes for a successful business, especially with Barefoot Books and other direct sales businesses.
I think the number one reason some folks are not successful with Barefoot Books is they never build their momentum with the business.  They might have a Kick-Off party, or book a few events, but they don't hunt down more events to keep their calendars as full as they would like, then they give up.  I had a friend who used to sell food products via home parties tell me just last week that she had given up because she was only busy for a few months.  Later in the conversation, she told me she was starting a new direct sales food business.  I wanted to ask her what as going to be different for her this time around?
There is no science or magic to finding events.  Yes, it can be hard work.  You have to be one part super sleuth, and one part networker.  I've heard about new events talking to some of the other vendors at different events.  I've also learned what events to avoid!  You might hear of a great event going on in the community, but learn that they don't have vendors.  Ask if they are willing to have one, or give it a try that year.  Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.  
First, you have to be really honest with yourself about the kind of events you would like to do.  Consider how much inventory you have to sell, and how many people will be attending.  What is the fee or requested percentage of sales donation?  How much will you need to sell, at a minimum, at your current step level, to at least break even?  How many times has this event been done?  (First events are usually under-publicized and can be a little risky).  What is your target audience?  Will they be there?
In the beginning, craft fairs, community events and lower-priced events are what you might need to start with to get your feet wet.  Be sure to collect email addresses at these events, and let people know if you do home parties, book fairs, etc.  Sometimes an event can be successful because of the value of the contacts you made there, and not necessarily the sales that day.  
Where to look?  Craig's List is a place to start.  As is EventLister.com.  As is your local paper.  If you want to break into the School Book Fair market, it's time to start talking to local preschools and schools about what you have to offer.  Be sure to bring a sample bag of books with you to drop off with them for a week so they can use them in their circle times, etc.
Do a search online for local educational conferences in your area.  Some of them have higher booth fees, but you might be able to share the booth with another Ambassador or team member.  You might also be able to negotiate a lower booth fee just by...asking! ;)
Whatever you decide, it's probably a good time to sit down and think about how busy you would like to be with Barefoot, and how many events you would like to do each month.  Good luck to you!

Finding Team Members

This past week I met with one of my newest team members, Renee.  She asked such a great question, I felt it was worth sharing- How do you find team members???  I don't know that there is any "right" or "wrong" way to go about building your team, but I do think it helps to get your bearings yourself first.  Building a team requires a lot of leading and teaching, and if you are just getting started yourself, it can be hard to do that.  When I first joined Barefoot, the person I joined under admitted that she was just getting started, and suggested I join her leader's team, and I'm so glad I did that.  Although everyone is responsible for their own success (or lack thereof), having the right Team Leader can really impact your Barefoot experience and overall happiness with the program.  A great leader can help you avoid some poor choices with events and inventory, and might even be willing to loan you some books when you need them.  

Personally, I was not very successful in building my team my first year.  I was a little unsure, didn't mention the program to many people, and really just focused on my selling and learning the ropes.  After my first year, I noticed that a lot of people were joining my team through my profile.  Many of them were in other states, which has never been an issue thanks to email and phone calls!   I do believe very strongly in the "build it and they will come" philosophy of Field of Dreams.  When you are enjoying yourself, confident, and know what you are doing, it really does radiate.  Plus, it takes a bit to get comfortable explaining the compensation program to people, even though it is not very complicated.  

I had an interesting experience this weekend at a homeschooling conference I have been doing for three years.  Sales weren't that great, so I decided to start telling people about the opportunity, in hopes that I might be able to get some new team members and make it all worthwhile.  I mentioned it to two women who were both in great situations to start selling our books.  One teaches music classes with babies and toddlers, and the other already sells books for several other publishers.  I was very open and honest with them.  I did have information on hand to give them, and I do plan on following up with them later this week.  But it's amazing what happens when you put your mind to something.  Allison Diehl, a fellow leader in Tucson, said she always mentions the Barefoot opportunity to her customers, suggesting that if they have friends or family that would enjoy selling these books, that they have them contact her.  I love that she doesn't direct it right to the customer, but more to their friends and family, because just hearing it, they ARE included, and it just might make them think, "Hey! I want to do this myself!"

I have known some Ambassadors who put ads on Craig's List for the opportunity.  I'm not sure how that turned out, but I'm a little leary.  I have a pretty big team under me, but only about 25% of them are active.  There are many, many, many people who sign up, and never place an order.  There are even less that actually create a successful business after signing up.  So, for me, I want to be sure that someone is REALLY interested before they join my team.  I'd trade 10 people who only ever place one order, for one go-getter.  It's more fun to work with people who are making things happen.  I get inspired by their energy and it helps keep me going.  It makes me wonder why some people join and never do anything more.  I'd love to ask them why they did it but never followed through, if I could get them to return one of my calls or emails. ;)  

So the moral is, I guess, that you will know when you are ready for the responsibility of leading a team.  You'll just know.  And, your confidence will be high, and you will attract people that are excited about starting their own business because of your energy.  I know, it's not a magic answer...but it's an honest one! :)

A Barefoot-Style Kick Off Party!

So you joined Barefoot Books as an Ambassador, but you've yet to really launch your business.  It's time to host your Kick Off Party and get things going!  Now is the time to contact all your friends, family, and anyone who has ever invited you to their own home party or kid's birthday party!  No, really!  It'll be a blast!  Here's what to do...

If you don't have books to show, consider placing a bulk order so you can do a "cash and carry" event and sell what you have (you can always fill orders for what you don't have too).  If your upline (Leader) lives near you, contact them and ask to borrow their stock. (I do this for all my local team members- it helps you get started on a shoestring!).  If you have to, go to your local library and check out some Barefoot Books to show.  This would be my last resort (because the books aren't always in the best of shape), but it's better to have something to show, than nothing.

Practice setting up your display.  You can use baskets, bins, bookshelves and anything interesting to dress up your table.  Have fun with it!  The more colorful and unique it is, the more it shows off the beautiful books.  Try to keep colors to the Barefoot colors of red, orange, teal, green, yellow.  Play with having different levels in your display.  I actually use the bins I carry the books in turned over, and covered with a table cloth to display some of my books and puppets.  Take some pictures, so you can remember how you set it up for later, and what you would change.   Make sure to have order forms on hand, and catalogs, or Best of Barefoot fliers. 

Don't be shy when it comes to inviting people!  The more, the merrier, and the more successful you will be!  Don't forget to invite your kids' teachers too!  They might even be willing to post an invite or flier in their teacher's lounge at school.  Also, don't forget friends from church, your play group, and work!  Invite everyone you know.  The worst they can say is "no thank you". :)

You might want to consider offering an
incentive to people who spend a certain amount, or bring friend(s).  I usually offer 20% off that night for anyone wearing flip-flops (to make it fun), or anyone who brings a friend.  Be sure to print some of the activity sheets off to keep the kids busy during your sale.  If you have a friend who can "watch" them and keep them busy, even better.  An older child (teen) can be great for this too.  You can also put some Barefoot tunes in your CD player, and offer to read a book to them. Animal Boogie is a great choice. 

So, get ready to take that first step!  You'll be so glad you did!  Pick your date and put it on the calendar, then send out those invites!  I'm happy to help with ideas, if you need them.  Just let me know!  Good luck- here's to your success!!!