Blue Flute Software- 'In a NutShell' Newsletter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                    In a Nutshell
   Information and Tips for your Image Consulting Business

9/05/03                                          Issue #17
Linda Gerloff, Editor, linda@blueflute.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   IN THIS ISSUE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    =>  Inventory Updates for September
    => Feature Article
         A Dozen Good Reasons To Keep in Touch With Your
        Hostess
    => In my business, how do I…
         Use Give it up Girl lip colors correctly?
    => NutShell Tip –
         Easily grow your business using your Prospect List
    => Game –
        Alphabet Game
    => Recognition Corner

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inventory Updates for September
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your inventory updates for September 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
from the main Blue Flute web page. Just click on the
'Pre-Paid Updates' button.

If your subscription to the updates has expired, you can
sign up for another year online here:
http://www.blueflute.com/orderpage.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blue Flute News
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September NutShell Price - Consultants can get NutShell
for $89.99! 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 at a discount - only $144.99! New consultants who sign
up for NutShell within 30 days of their training date will
receive an additional $30 off.

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

12. So she won't forget about her party/spa and cancel at
    the last minute. (See number 8)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fun Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Club Med survey found that couples who dieted while on
vacation argued three times more often than those who
didn't, and that those who didn't diet had three times as
many romantic interludes.

http://www.absolutetrivia.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my business, how do I…
Use Give it up Girl lip colors correctly?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In September, certain of the lip colors are being sold as
Sales Aid items. If you place your order in the first 3
weeks of the month, you can get them for $2 each. This is
equivalent to $4 retail! What a price!

As you know, the purpose of this promotion is to encourage
clients to try BeautiControl products, and the lip colors
are meant to be given away, thus they are Sales Aids.

It may turn out though, that you don’t give away all of
the lip colors that you purchase as Sales Aids. What else
could you do with them? One thing we talk about often is
using products that we get at discount as prizes or
hostess gifts. Once the Give it up Girl promotion is over,
you may want to use your left over lip colors in this way.

Another option is that you can sell these lip colors. If
you end up selling the Sales Aid lip colors (they are
identical to the Retail lip colors), don’t be stumped
by the record-keeping aspect. If you buy them as Sales
Aids, go ahead and carry them in your inventory as Sales
Aids. When you sell them, invoice them from the Sales Aid
item number. This actually isn’t any different than selling
any other Sales Aid, as we sometimes do. The thing that
can make it confusing is that we don’t usually have Sales
Aid items that are also Retail items.

So, the bottom line is – don’t make this hard! If you buy
a lip color as a Sales Aid, carry it in your inventory as
a Sales Aid. If you sell it, sell it from the Sales Aid
item number. There is no need to do any fancy footwork,
like moving your inventory from the Sales Aid item number
into the Retail item number. Happily, you do nothing, and
your accounting will work out just fine!

         *-----------Quote of the Month-------------*
         'In our daily lives, we must see that it is
          not happiness that makes us grateful, but
          the gratefulness that makes us happy.'

               -- Albert Clarke
         *------------------------------------------*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NutShell Tip –
Easily grow your business using your Prospect List
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This NutShell tip is suggested by Lois Ann Royer, Director
                                   Ragley, Louisian

NutShell can help you manage your prospect lists. One of
the fundamental facts of our business is that without
follow-up, nothing will happen. By repeatedly contacting
your prospects and clients, you build a relationship with
them. They see that you are knowledgeable in your field,
you run a professional, sound business and that you can be
trusted to meet their needs. All these things can only
happen with frequent, repeated follow-ups.

To provide this kind of care, you need a system to manage
these names/phone numbers and follow-up schedules. The
NutShell reminder system can help. There are two approaches
you can take:
1. Enter each prospect into NutShell on the Client screen.
    Set their Client Type to ‘Recruiting Prospect’ if you
    are wanting to recruit them as a new consultant. Set
    the Client Type to ‘Client Priority 3’ if you want to
    recruit them as a new client.

    Then, tell NutShell that you want it to help you with
    your follow-up. Click the Notes button and type a note
    to yourself about this prospect – her concerns and needs.
    Be sure to include information about her problems that
    you will be able to solve for her as her consultant or
    recruiter. Enter a ‘Reminder Date’ for the next time
    you want to call this client. Then click the red Reminder
    alarm to turn the reminder on. This will put a reminder
    on your Datebook with all her contact information, plus
    the notes that you made.

    Check your Datebook often to see what NutShell reminds
    you to do each day. When you call the client, you can
    make additional notes about your conversation and then
    set the date of the reminder to the next time you want
    to call her. This will keep you on the ball and
    up-to-date with your follow-ups.

2. You can put a slight twist on this if you don’t want to
    enter every prospect into your system. Instead, on the
    Client screen, bring up the entry that you have put in
    for your business. This is the ‘client’ that you use
    to invoice demo products and give-aways.

    Click the Notes button and enter your prospect list.
    These are the people that you want to stay in contact
    with, but don’t want to enter into NutShell individually.
    Include their name, phone number and a brief note.

    Then, use the NutShell reminder system to help you stay
    on top of these follow-ups. For example, if you want
    to call your prospects weekly, go ahead and set the
    reminder date for this note to the following Monday.

    When Monday gets here, you will check your Datebook
    and see that you have a reminder to work your prospect
    list. To be reminded to work this prospect list
    regularly, bring the reminder up on your screen and
    set the Frequency fields. You can set this reminder
    to show up ‘Every Monday’, ‘Every Other Wednesday’,
    ‘Every Month’, etc.

Stay on top of your follow-ups and you will see your
business grow and grow. When you have hard times, all
the relationships you have built will help you through.
The relationships you build with your clients will bring
you a strong reorder business. The relationships you build
with your consultants will bring you an active, vibrant
unit!

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

        -For centuries, people thought the moon
         was made of green cheese. Then the
         astronauts found that the moon is really
         a big hard rock. That's what happens
         to cheese when you leave it out. --Age 6

           http://www.womentodaymagazine.com
     *-----------------------------------------*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Game – Alphabet Game
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before your party, prepare index cards. Put one letter of
the alphabet on each card. If you don’t want to take the
time to do all 26 letters, just pick a few.

Ask your guests to think of someone they love (or that makes
them laugh, or they haven’t seen in a long time, etc). Hold
up one of the index cards and tell them to yell out an
adjective describing the person they are thinking about.
The adjective should start with the letter on the card you
are holding. For example, you show the ‘S’ card and they
would say ‘Smart’, ‘Silly’, ‘Sexy’, ‘Stupid’, etc.

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

~ $20,000 Director ~
Rita Kay Isaacs

~ $10,000 Director ~
Cheryl Ashworth
Tawnya Feldman
Jo Ann Goodman
Jeana Jacob
Saralyn Ostwinkle
Laura Pantzlaff
Sara Pruisner

~ $5,000 Director ~
Christy Sarosdy
Mary Wozniak

~ Mustang Director! ~
Carolyn Barlowe
Linda Guthrie
Mary Hamala
Nancy Johnson
Karen Mosteller
Denise Newsome
Barbara Sloan
Jean Thompson
Kelly Wofford

~ Senior Director ~
Christy Sarosdy
Theresa Toohey

~ Director ~
Valerie Altman
Linda Croft
Carissa Evans
Norma Holland
Deborah Hunt
Debra McComb
Sandra Mozey
Diana Perez
Melanie Peterson
Linda Williams
Mary Wozniak

~ New DIQ ~
Diane Baker
June Beazley
Sherri Cassidy
Tanya Caudle
Myrna Cotton
Davonnia Cox
Patricia Crowley
Michelle Duffy
Christine Engelbrecht
Pam Fowler
Patsy Franklin
Susan Furrow
Connie Glenn
Barbara Gordon
Alice Gray
Valerie Green
Deborah Harrell
Marilyn Hillman
Tracie Jones
Tania Kinzinger
Donna Kistler
Roseann Lange
Wendi Lawson
Leann Mezzacapo
Karen Murphy
Janet Okray
Jeanne Saxon

Mary Ann Smith

~ Unit Manager ~
Tonya Caudle
Holly Smelcer

~ DIQ ~
Leslie Boyd
Faye Bullock
Cathie Crate
Gillian Greer
Sue Light
Barbara Matich
Chimene Ross
Anna Sessoms

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   List Maintenance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscriptions to this e-zine are FREE.
Newsletter 'In a NutShell' is published monthly.

To subscribe:
Simply send an email to subscribe@blueflute.com
Be sure to include your name.

To unsubscribe:
Send an email to unsubscribe@blueflute.com
Please note that this newsletter serves as your
notification that Inventory Updates are ready. If you
unsubscribe this newsletter, you will not receive
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

Blue FluteSoftware Creations, Inc.