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                    In a Nutshell
   Information and Tips for your Image Consulting Business

 4/02/04                                          Issue #24
 Linda Gerloff, Editor, linda@blueflute.com 
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     By subscription only! Welcome to your next issue of
                   "In a NutShell".
 You are receiving this newsletter because you have
 subscribed to either the monthly Automated Inventory
 Updates or this newsletter.
 Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter.
 
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   IN THIS ISSUE
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    =>  Inventory Updates for April
    =>  Blue Flute News   
    =>  Feature Article
         Perseverance Really does Pay!
    =>  In my Business, how do I…

         Account for using my Sales Aids
    =>  NutShell Tips
         – For your taxes - Email reports to your tax
             preparer
         - Reminder - Inventory Report for taxes
         - Reminder – Income and Expense report for taxes 
    =>  Game –
         Fuzzy Dice Ice Breaker
    =>  Consultant Success Story      
    =>  Recognition Corner
    
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 Inventory Updates for April
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Your inventory updates for April are ready. If you have
 subscribed to this service, you can get your updates here:
  http://www.blueflute.com/btyupdt1.htm

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 Blue Flute News
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 Introducing The Blue Flute Career Builder package!
 You are the first to hear about this brand new package!

 It is designed for consultants who are building
 a career of their BeautiControl business and want to have
 complete control of their books with minimal cost in both
 dollars and time.

 This is what is included:
  - Beauty in a NutShell software
  - 2 years of monthly automated inventory updates
  - Software upgrades at no charge – ever
  - Printed, full color User’s Guide
  - Installation CD
  - Lifetime Software Support
  - Upgrade to Premium Software Support

 The only cost to start is the cost of shipping the User’s
 Guide and CD – just $8.00. If the consultant changes her
 mind for any reason, she can return the User’s Guide and
 CD within 30 days. If she decides to keep it, I’ll charge
 her card for 1, 2 or 3 payments, as she chooses.

 All the products and services listed above are worth over
 $400. The price of the Career Builder Package is $265.
 
 This package is a new concept and I am testing it to see
 if there is interest. So, during April, it is available
 for $225.

 Please understand that those who sign up for the Career
 Builder package will never pay another cent for using
 and maintaining their NutShell, as long as they
 occasionally refer a consultant to NutShell. Since this
 package is designed for Career Builders, this will not
 be hard to do; in fact it will happen almost by itself!

 To give this package a try, go to
 www.blueflute.com/orderpage.htm and select the first
 item – the Career Builder Package. The cost to try it
 is just $8 and you will receive your package in just
 3 – 5 business days.

 

 Career Builder Package Upgrade
 NutShell users can upgrade to the Career Builder Package,
 too! With this package, you can eliminate virtually all
 future NutShell maintenance costs.

 

 These products and services are worth over $245. The
 upgrade price is $165.

 During April, the introductory price is $140!
 
 To upgrade to the Career Builder package, go to
 www.blueflute.com/orderpage.htm. Look in the ‘Other’
 section for your upgrade.
 

 Find out more - If you are not familiar with NutShell, you
 can find out more here:   
  http://www.blueflute.com/btynut.htmm
 Download NutShell here:
  http://www.blueflute.com/ordrform2.htm
 
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 Current ‘In a NutShell’ Newsletter and Archives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 To read this month’s newsletter in its entirety, go to
 this page: http://www.blueflute.com/Newsletters.htm
 
 Did you miss a prior ‘In a NutShell’ newsletter, or would
 you like to review one of the articles? You can view it
 here: http://www.blueflute.com/Newsletters.htm 

 Top Articles:
 Do you have a question that has stumped you? Some common
 questions are discussed in the following issues of the
 ‘In a NutShell’ newsletter:

 Backing up/Questions about CD’s:  May 2003
 Handling Gift Certificates:       October 2003
 Selling items out of a set:       June 2003
 Ending the tax year:              December 2003
 Gift Baskets:                     February 2003

 Income/Expense Reports for taxes: March 2004

 To find the above issues, go to
 www.blueflute.com/Newsletters.htm and select the issue
 you want.

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 Feature Article –
  Perseverance Really does Pay!
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 You know all those “No’s” you get? When you ask for a booking
 and they look at you like they are sort of interested, but
 have way too many things to do to even think about scheduling
 a spa? Or they may look at you like they have no idea what
 you are talking about!

 It is said that most sales people give up trying to make their
 sale after the first or second “No”. But the successful sales
 person asks at least 9 – 12 times!

 The following is a demonstration of what a potential buyer
 goes through in the process of deciding to purchase a
 product he sees advertised in the paper. Read it and think
 about how it applies to you personally. It really is true!
 We all do this!

 So, when you ask for a sale, booking or recruiting
 appointment and you get a “No”, think of this demonstration.
 You will understand the “No” isn’t as much about you or
 your product as you think!

 With this in mind, you will feel free to ask over and over
 again until you either get a “Yes” or a “Don’t ask me
 anymore”. Either response tells you that you have done your
 job, and done it well!

 Here is the process an average customer goes through in
 response to an advertisement in the newspaper:
 
 1. The first time a man looks at an advertisement, he does
    not see it.

 

 2. The second time, he does not notice it.

 

 3. The third time, he is conscious of its existence.

 

 4. The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it before.

 

 5. The fifth time, he reads it.

 

 6. The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.

 

 7. The seventh time, he reads it through and says,
    'Oh brother!'

 

 8. The eighth time, he says, 'Here's that confounded thing
    again!'

 

 9. The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.

 

 10. The tenth time, he asks his neighbor if he has tried
     it.

 

 11. The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes
     it pay.

 

 12. The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.

 

 13. The thirteenth time, he thinks perhaps it might be worth
     something.

 

 14. The fourteenth time, he remembers wanting such a thing
     a long time.

 

 15. The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot
     afford to buy it.

 

 16. The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it some day.

 

 17. The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum to buy it.

 

 18. The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.

 

 19. The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.

 

 20. The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys what it is
     offering.

 

 Thomas Smith of London wrote this list in l885!

         *-----------Quote of the Month-------------*
         "Achievement seems to be connected with action.
          Successful men and women keep moving. They
          make mistakes, but they don't quit."

               --  Conrad Hilton
         *------------------------------------------*

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 In my Business, how do I… Account for using my Sales Aids?
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 Accounting for using your Sales Aids is actually one of the
 easiest bookkeeping tasks that you face. All you have to do
 is account for buying them. In NutShell, that means that
 once you enter your Purchase Order, you can forget about
 your Sales Aids.

 Your inventory list is divided into two major parts:
 1. Retail
 2. Sales Aids

 You purchase retail products to resell them. You purchase
 Sales Aids to promote and grow your business. To an
 accountant, this is an important distinction. For product
 that you purchase for resale, you must be able to account
 for both buying the product (purchase order), and selling
 the product (invoices). But, with Sales Aids, you only
 have to account for buying them.  It is understood that you
 will be using them in various ways to promote your business –
 and you don’t have to track how you do that! The only
 exception is that if you sell a Sales Aid, then you have
 created Income, and this, you do have to account for! If
 you sell a Sales Aid item, put it on an invoice, just like
 any other product.

 So, for sales aid products that you give as hostess gifts,
 as well as literature, spatulas and other items that are
 slipping through your fingers faster than you can keep up,
 it’s OK to let them flow right through. You accounted for
 them when you bought them, so you can do with them what
 you like!

 NutShell will show your inventory of Sales Aids, just like
 it shows your inventory of retail products. This is because
 you do occasionally sell Sales Aids, and they have to be
 in inventory to invoice them. However, for sales aid
 products that you know you won’t sell, you can clear out
 your counts (QOH) whenever you want to. A good time to do
 this is at the end of the year, twice a year or even
 monthly if you are so inclined.

 We can’t discuss the subject of Sales Aids without talking
 about neckwraps. Neckwraps are sold to consultants in sets
 of four, but you will rarely sell or give them to your
 clients in sets of four. The June 2003 issue of the ‘In a
 NutShell’ newsletter explains how to break them out:
 www.blueflute.com/Newsletters.htm

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 NutShell Tip – For your taxes - Email reports to your tax
                  preparer
              - Reminder - Inventory Report for taxes
              - Reminder – Income and Expense report for taxes
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 For your taxes – Email reports to your tax preparer –
 You can run your tax reports, save them to a file and then
 email them to the person who will be doing your taxes.
 Here’s how:
  1. Go to the appropriate screen for your report and click
     the Print button. For taxes go to the Inventory screen
     and the Income and Expense Log screen.
  2. Fill in the appropriate options. For ‘Output To’, select
     ‘On-Screen’.
  3. Your report will be displayed in a small window on your
     screen. Notice in the bottom of the window, there are
     several buttons. Click on the Export button. It is the
     one that looks like a suitcase.
  4. On the next screen, you will have two options to
     select. Choose ‘Excel 5.0’ for the Format option.
     Choose ‘Disk File’ for the Destination option.
  5. You will be asked to give the file a name. You can
     take the default. Notice the folder where the file
     will be saved.
  6. Exit NutShell and start an email to your tax preparer.
     Select the option in your email program for attaching
     a file to the email. Find the file that you saved in
     step 5 above.
  7. Include a note to your accountant and click Send!

 Reminder - Inventory Report for taxes – When you run your
 inventory report in preparation for you taxes, be sure to
 run the  report for ‘ALL’ sections. This will ensure that
 you get a listing of all products in your inventory,
 including discontinued products.

 Reminder – Income and Expense report for taxes – In the
 March newsletter, I gave you suggestions for running your
 Income/Expense reports for taxes. If you are having trouble
 following those instructions, because you can’t find the
 options that I mentioned (‘Totals Only’, ‘Expenses Only’),
 it is because you have the older version of NutShell. Go to
 this page to upgrade your software:
 www.blueflute.com/upgrade260.html.


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   Consultant Success Story
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 Margaret Ward

 Margaret promoted to National Executive Director on April 1^st!
 She has been working hard and staying very busy for a long
 time. And she has made a difference in many women’s lives!
 
 Congratulations Margaret!

___________________________________________
 Who are you proud of?

 Please help with this part of the newsletter. It can be
 motivating to those of us who are working hard, but
 sometimes get discouraged.

  Who are you proud of? (It can be yourself!) Sing their
 praises and inspire others:
 mailto:SuccessStory@blueflute.com

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   Game – Fuzzy Dice Ice Breaker
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 At a party or spa, if the guests don’t know each other, it
 can be difficult to break the ice and encourage everyone to
 get to know a little bit about each other. 

 So, purchase a pair of fuzzy car dice and cut them apart.
 Start the process off yourself, so everyone knows what to do.
 Roll the dice on the floor.  The number that comes up is the

 number of things you will share about yourself. You can
 require that one of the things shared be your name.

 You can start your recruiting at this point by including both
 personal life info and information about the opportunity.

 The ladies like this game and find it to be fun because no
 one wants to roll a 6. They can't think of that many things
 to tell about themselves!

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   Recognition Corner
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 Congratulations to the following NutShell users who have
 worked hard and achieved success in advancing their careers!

 ~ $45,000 Achiever! ~
  Blair Billings

 ~ $20,000 Achiever! ~
  Sue Torbit

 ~ $15,000 Achiever! ~
  Julie Adams
  Denise Newsome
  Stacy Wallert

 ~ $10,000 Achiever! ~
  Stephanie Curran
  Jennifer Keathley
  Leigh Ann Marshall
  Judy Overbey
  Dawn Petzak

 ~ $5,000 Achiever! ~
  Sheila Chase
  Karen Echele
  Elsie Morris
 
  ~ Mustang Director ~
  Anne Arnes
  Jane Brown
  Rita Byrd
  Roxanne Dufort
  Nedra Kanavel
  Susan Ramsey
  Heather Richter-Egger
  Anne Teran
  Beverly Williams

 ~ New Senior Director ~
  Pam Fowler
  Tania Kinzinger
  Leann Mezzacapo
 
 ~ New Director ~
  Christine Engelbrecht
  Susan Furrow
  Linda Mallog
  Heather Smith
  Leslie Strzelecki
  Cathy Taylor

 ~ New DIQ ~
  Sheri Baggett
  Linda Bennett
  Carrie Byrd
  Kim Cerimele
  Donna Childress
  Angela Cring
  Eileen Dakan
  Marilyn Hillman
  Lisa Meadows
  Heidi McDowell
  Lisa Meek
  Carmen Meurer
  Sandra Mozey
  Shannon Munsick
  Karen Murphy
  Wendi Lawson See
  Tanya Stiles
  Judy Vanderploeg
  Karen Witt
  Patricia Woodward

 
 ~ New Unit Manager ~
  Patricia Reyes
  Tamara Smith
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Copyright Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
 Please pass this e-zine along to your friends. Just click
 the Forward button on your email screen to send this
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 it! However, please keep it intact and forward it in its
 entirety.
 
 Copyright 2004 Blue Flute Software Creations, Inc.

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 notification when the updates are ready.
            
 A note about referrals and your email address – Being an
 avid hater of email spam as much as you are, I have
 never (and will never) give, sell or rent your email
 address to anybody who could possibly spam you! However,
 I will give your email address to consultants who list
 your name as their referral. I will give her address to
 you, as well. This is so that you and she can be ‘NutShell
 partners’! If you would rather not have your email address
 given to your referrals, please let me know:
  mailto:privacy@blueflute.com             
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Linda Gerloff
 Blue Flute Software Creations
 Linda@BlueFlute.com 
 P.O. Box 77882
 Fort Worth, TX 76177
 817-439-1081