Plan Ahead for a Successful Fundraiser in Direct Sales

When you book a fundraiser in direct sales, you’ll want to create a plan to ensure your success.

Order plenty of catalogs. Every organization is different. Some will ask for one catalog per person and some will ask for three-to-five catalogs per person. You want to be ready for whatever the needs of the organization are. If you are using one or two products versus the entire catalog, plan ahead with a demo of these products to show the group organizers.

Weigh the payment options. When I do a local fundraiser, I’m usually open to accepting checks. When I book a fundraiser out of town, I’ll take a check from the organization, but not from individuals. If you are going to accept checks, plan what you’ll do in the case of insufficient funds. I’m very clear up front that I will not chase down customers, that I want the organization to accept the responsibility for any check that does not clear the bank. Most organizations are very willing to do this.

You’ll want to plan how long the fundraiser will be. One-to-two weeks is just fine. I’ve hosted fundraisers of both lengths and both were sufficient. I would never go over two weeks, as it’s just too long and folks procrastinate knowing they have time.

Will you offer any type of samples? Since these need to be ordered from the company, again, you’ll want to preplan and order the products up front with plenty of time to have them available for the fundraising participants.

Will you offer prizes to the top sellers? Often if you contact a local pizza place, they are more than happy to donate a pizza to the organization. Or you might offer a free product from your own inventory. Sometimes I’ll offer one prize to the highest dollar seller and one prize to the person with the most customer orders. If you don’t have a product to offer, consider offering a gift certificate to buy products from you.

Prepare a return/replacement policy. Sometimes the product is not what the customer expected. When you have a planned return/replacement policy it ensures a smoother transaction.

Planning ahead ensures a successful fundraiser for both you and the organization.

Audrey Okaneko has been in direct sales since 1983. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or you can Become a Tupperware Consultant

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com