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                    In a Nutshell
   Information and Tips for your Image Consulting Business

 7/05/03                                          Issue #15
 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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    =>  Inventory Updates for July
    =>  Blue Flute News 
         NutShell class during Celebration
    =>  ‘In a NutShell’ archives 
    =>  Feature Article
         10 Tips to Overcome your Fear of Selling
    =>  In my business, how do I…
         Sell Product out of my Case Correctly?
    =>  NutShell Tip –
         Create Add-on Sales on Client Reorders
    =>  Game –
         The Worm Game
    =>  Recognition Corner
    =>  Subscribe/Unsubscribe information
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Inventory Updates for July
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Your inventory updates for July are ready. If you have
 subscribed to this service, you can get your updates here:
 http://www.blueflute.com/btyupdt1.htm

 Hint: The inventory updates are usually posted online
 about 24 hours before the newsletter is published. Bookmark
 the above link and then, if you are anxious for your
 updates, you can check and see if the updates are ready.
 The title of the page will tell which updates are
 available.

 If you lose this link, you can always download your updates
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 sign up for another year online here:
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 Blue Flute News
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 NutShell Class during Celebration – I am excited to be
 presenting a class on NutShell during Celebration! The
 most commonly requested time for the class is ‘Thursday
 night’. When you go to the download page for your July
 updates, please let me know what time on Thursday will
 best fit your schedule. Based on the feedback you provide,
 I’ll decide on a class time and let you know in about
 10 days.

 The class will be about 1 ½ hour long. We will spend
 the first 30 minutes discussing NutShell basics. During
 the last hour, we will go over some of the features in
 NutShell that you may not have discovered yet!

 The cost for the class will be $20 with advance
 registration by July 25. If you register in advance and
 bring a guest, you will get a $10 refund at the door!
 Registration after July 25 will be $25. Please note that
 you must register in advance to get the $10 refund
 for bringing a guest.

  July NutShell Price - Consultants can get NutShell for $84.99!
 This price includes 30 days of tech support and an
 online User’s Guide (Adobe format).

 An even better deal is the NutShell Combo, which provides
 the software, a year of updates and lifetime support –
 all for $144.99!

 For all the details, you can view the order page here:

 http://www.blueflute.com/orderpage.htm  
 Learn more about the software here:
 http://www.blueflute.com/btynut.htm
 Download NutShell here:
 http://www.blueflute.com/ordrform2.htm

 When you refer a consultant to NutShell, you win, too!
 Not only will your consultant will have more time for
 selling and recruiting, but you will receive 3 months of
 free inventory updates, as well!

 Entire Newsletter - To read this month’s newsletter in
 it’s entirety, go to  this page:
 http://www.blueflute.com/Newsletters.htm
  
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 ‘In a NutShell’ archives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Feature Article –
  10 Tips To Overcome Your Fear Of Selling
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 by Rachna Jain

 

 Ahh. Selling. Sometimes, this is a word that is dreaded and
 feared by all but the most intrepid business owners. It
 seems that, even though we all know we need to "sell" our
 products and services, many of us feel fearful or anxious
 about actually doing so.

 

 These 10 tips are designed to help you shift out of your
 fear, and into excitement, about sharing your product or
 service.

 

 1) Know the source of your fear. This tip reminds us that
 it is necessary, first, to know what we're afraid of. Most
 often, fears of selling come in several forms. Either we
 worry about not being liked, or being perceived as pushy,
 we (secretly) worry that our product or service might not
 perform as we say, or we struggle with the idea of
 rejection. Knowing the source of your fear (sometimes it
 can be a combination) is an important part of overcoming
 your fear of selling.

 

 2) Take action to address the source. In this way, you are
 taking action to overcome your fear. In some cases, this
 might mean that you improve your product or service (you
 can use customer feedback for this), or you can find ways
 to share your product/service in a way that feels more
 authentic and natural to you. You can also find ways to
 "bounce back" after rejection which is easier to do, by
 the way, if you don't take "no" personally.

 

 3) Find enthusiasm for what you offer. One of the best
 techniques I've ever used to overcome my fear of selling
 has been to tap into my passion and enthusiasm for what I'm
 offering. I make a list of all the really wonderful benefits
 and successful outcomes of past customers. I hang this list
 nearby where I can see it everyday. Try this for yourself -
 your confidence will skyrocket.

 

 4) Shift your perspective. How would it feel to think of
 yourself as "sharing information" about what you do? Or
 "showing benefits" or "sharing your passion?" If you feel
 uncomfortable or anxious about "selling"- find a way to
 shift your perspective to one of sharing information rather
 than "convincing someone to buy."

 

 5) Start small. Very often, people tend to tackle projects
 much larger than they can comfortably handle. When you want
 to overcome your fear of selling, start small. Maybe you
 will share your new business with a few trusted friends
 first and then gradually find ways to expand your sharing
 to include a larger circle. The most successful business
 people are those who interact with others in an authentic,
 passionate way so find a way that feels comfortable with
 you and stay with it.

 

 6) Keep track of your successes. Keep a "wins" or success
 journal nearby and record your achievements in it each day.
 This will help you stay aware of just how much you do right.
 We sometimes forget this.

 

 7) Have fun with it. Rather than approaching this from a
 heavy "have to", "doesn't feel good" perspective find a fun,
 interesting way to share your knowledge or passion. Some of
 my clients have thrown parties, offered free giveaways,
 donated products/services to charities - all of these were
 easy, fun, and income generating. What would be fun for you?

 

 8) Stay focused on your desired outcome. Most people take
 actions and reach their goals because they stay focused on
 the benefits of doing so. Sometimes, reminding yourself
 what you want, why you're doing this can help you take the
 next action and the next.

 

 9) Detach from how the outcome shows up. Very often, we get
 really attached to "making the sale" or having a situation
 turn out a certain way. Instead, why not focus on efforts
 "I will give a great, enthusiastic, and passionate
 presentation" rather than outcome: "They will buy X number
 of this." Very often, if you stay focused on the effort -
 doing a great job- the outcome turns out better than you
 ever imagined.

 

 10) Keep practicing. Like any other business skill,
 "selling" gets easier the more you do it. So get out there,
 start small, and keep practicing.

 

 © 2003. Dr. Rachna D. Jain. All Rights in All Media Reserved

 

 Dr. Rachna D. Jain is a sales and marketing coach and
 Director of Operations for SalesCoachTraining.com.
 Sign up for her free email newsletter, "Sales & Marketing
 Secrets" To learn more or to contact Dr. Jain directly,
 please visit http://www.SalesandMarketingCoach.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Fun Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Women love to get things for free. For example:

 Jayne Mansfield decorated her "Pink Palace" by writing to
 1,500 furniture and building suppliers and asking for free
 samples. She told the donors they could then brag that their
 goods were in her outlandish mansion. The pitch worked, and
 Jayne received over $150,000 worth of free merchandise.

 http://www.absolutetrivia.com

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 In my business, how do I…
  Correctly sell products from my case?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 There may be a time when you give a client product directly
 out of your case. Possibly this could be a product that you
 don’t sell very often (thus, don’t keep in inventory), or
 the client may urgently need the product and you give it to
 her right out of your case, planning to order it later.

 Since you are taking the product out of your case, rather
 than off your inventory shelf, invoicing your client for the
 product may be a little confusing.

 If you are planning to replace the product in your case,
 then it is pretty easy. Enter the client invoice and let it
 show as a client backorder. Make a note on the invoice that
 the client already has the product and that the product in
 your case needs to be replaced. When you order and receive
 the product, put it in your case, show the client invoice
 as filled and remove the note from the invoice.

 Possibly, though, when selling a product out of your case,
 you won’t want to replace it. In this case, your objective
 is to get the product into your inventory so that the client
 invoice can be filled.

 To get the product into your inventory, ask yourself how the
 product got into your case (book-wise, that is).

 (A) Did you invoice your business for the product?
 (B) Or is it in your case because you got it in your
     startup kit?

 A. If you created an invoice when you took this product out
 of your inventory to put in your case, then you will want
 to ‘undo’ the invoice by creating a ‘credit’ invoice. This
 is a negative invoice, similar to what you see when you
 return an item to the store. Make your order quantity
 negative, so that the product will go back into your
 inventory. Be sure to mark the credit invoice as ‘Product
 for Business Use’, just as you did when you originally took
 the product out of inventory.

 B. However, if the product is in your case because you got
 it in your startup kit, then you will want to do a ‘zero
 dollar’ PO. You will do the PO to get the product into your
 inventory and it will be ‘zero dollars’ because you have
 already accounted for the money you spent on it when you
 entered the cost of your case. Make the PO show a total of
 zero by entering a 100% discount and also zero out the tax
 and shipping. It will be helpful to put a note on this PO,
 reminding yourself of the details. It may be hard to
 remember later, exactly what happened.

 Once you have done either (A) or (B) above, the product
 will be listed in your inventory and you will be able
 invoice your client for the product.


 
         *-----------Quote of the Month-------------*
          “A few steps forward, a few steps back.
           Perhaps the purpose is not so much to
           reach heaven, but to learn to dance well.”

              - Melanie Gendron
         *------------------------------------------*

 
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 NutShell Tip –
  Create Add-on Sales on Client Reorders
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 This NutShell tip is suggested by Tonna James, Director
                                   Godley, Texas

 When a client calls you with a reorder, sit right down at
 your computer and enter the order while you are on the
 phone with her. You can add on sales to the order by
 suggesting refills on products that she has already used.

 Quickly find out what to suggest to her while you are
 entering her order by clicking on the History button on the
 invoice screen. NutShell will display a list of all the
 products the client has purchased and will show you the
 date of last purchase for each product. The date of last
 purchase will tell you if the client has had time to use
 all the product.

 The History list will give you many ideas about what to
 suggest to your client if you have had your business on
 NutShell long enough to include her last few orders.
 Tonna says her most often suggested add-on item is
 mascara.

 
      *---------------A Good Laugh--------------*
        From an actual newspaper contest where
        entrants ages 4 to 15 were asked to imitate
        "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey."

        -The only stupid question is the one that
         is never asked, except maybe "Don't you
         think it is about time you audited my
         return?" or "Isn't it morally wrong to
         give me a warning when, in fact, I was
         speeding?" --Age 15      
         
           http://www.womentodaymagazine.com   
       *-----------------------------------------*

 
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   Game – Worm Game
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Put a small gift in a gift bag and seal.

 To play the game, start out by introducing yourself, then
 tell what you like about Summer (or any topic of your
 choosing), using the first letter of your name.

 Explain that as you go around the room, each guest is to
 tell the name of the person before her and what they like.
 Then they tell their name, and something they love. Each
 guest finishes by saying "This is a worm" as they pass the
 gift to the next person.

 
 I would start with:
  “My name is Linda, I like ‘laughter on a summer evening’
 and this is a worm.” (pass gift to first guest).  The first
 guest will repeat your name, tell what you like, then tell
 their name and what they like. At the end of each guest’s
 turn, she is to say "This is a worm." and pass the gift to
 the next guest. You will be surprised at how many people
 forget their own name!
 

 When the last person finishes, take the gift, ask "Who was
 the first guest to arrive?" Give the gift to that person
 and tell them, "The early bird gets the worm!"

 (Don’t forget to use discontinued or hard-to-move products
  for the gifts in your games!)


 -------------------
 Do you play a game that is a big hit? We would love to
 hear about it: mailto: Games@BlueFlute.com   

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

 ~ $25,000 Director ~
  Karen Watson

 ~ $15,000 Director ~
  Joanne Harder

 ~ $10,000 Director ~
  Judy Byrum
  Nancy Forrest
  Gina MacBeth
 
 ~ Mustang Director! ~
  Karen Fritschi
  Karen Hayes
  Robi Rogers
  Pam Vanden Bulk

 ~ Director ~
  Wendy Zukowski
 
 ~ New DIQ ~
  Marie Garrett
 
 ~ Unit Manager ~
  April Iwan
  Nedra Kanavel
  Leann Mezzacapo
  Alanna Stachniak
  Jane Zimmerman
 
 ~ DIQ ~
  Valerie Altman
  Anne Arnes
  Linda Bennett
  Sherronna Bishop
  Leslie Boyd
  Gail Broussard
  Rita Byrd
  Patricia Crowley
  Roxanne Dufort
  Christine Engelbrecht
  Carissa Evans
  Pamela Fowler
  Terri Grahlman
  Nedra Kanavel
  Kimberly Lengenfeld
  Sue Light
  Tressa Malone
  Debra McComb
  Laura McLand
  Sandra Mozey
  Alice Penner
  Heather Richter-Egger
  Chimene Ross
  Claudette Sealy
  Wendi Lawson-See
  April Stafford
  Tina Stock
  Anne Teran
  Beverly Williams
  Linda Williams
  Karen Witt
  
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Copyright Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
 Please pass this e-zine along to your friends. Just click
 the Forward button on your email screen to send this
 newsletter to other consultants who would enjoy reading
 it! However, please keep it intact and forward it in its
 entirety.
  
 Copyright 2003 Blue Flute Software Creations, Inc.

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 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