N E W S L E T T E R MARCH 2018
Purses 50% off THE SWIPE FACTOR 5 Factors to Consider in Selecting Card Processors
SPONSORING
Are you a whimpy sponsor? How to fix it!
BACK 2 BASICS
Double Hostess Credit is a BIG DEAL!
MARKETPLACE
Wrapping your mind around this new order type and making the most of it
Gerri Clark Director 443-527-1985 gerriclark31@gmail.com
Join the Conversation! www.facebook.com/thirtyone
MAKING THE MOST OF
March to setup April
Well! February was a doozy of a month and a great start to our Spring/ Summer season - but let’s not stop now! We’ve got lots of great surprises in store for our customers all season long - and we are just getting started! March is going to absolutely rock with the Customer Special! It’s the perfect opportunity to start setting up April!
NEW product collections plus two great specials to get her ready for barbecues and the beach! The Summer Essentials Guide has everything your Customers need for summer fun – from beach bags to road trip-ready thermals. Plus the debut of Baby by Thirty-One!
Use March to sponsor and book parties well into April and even into May! It’s an exciting time to be part of Thirty-One right now We’re kicking off summer ladies - capitalize on that early this April with two excitement!
March 2018
! ff o % 50
Monthly
specials
v
D â „5%! Save 7
Your Customers can get half off the crossbody or shoulder bag of their choice with every $35 US/$40 CA spent, including NEW styles like our Studio ThirtyOne Collection and the NEW Retro Metro Hobo Crossbody.
She can also choose from other popular styles like Midway Hobo, Retro Metro Bag, Organizing Shoulder Bag, City Chic Bag, Demi Day Bag and the Little Dreamer in either fabric or NEW Diamond Straw for spring.
March 2018
1 5 6 8 10-17 13 19 19-20 20 23-24 27 30 31
Dates to Watch
March Specials Live Watch Inspire with Kate New Consultant Webinar Conference Registration open for ALL Consultants National Woman’s Day Celebrate & Connect Week New Consultant Webinar Watch Inspire with Kate Leadership University for Directors New Consultant Webinar Leadership University for Senior Consultants New Consultant Webinar Home Office Closed LAST DAY: March Monthly Specials
calendar MARCH 2018 Celebrate & Share
Are you new to Thirty-One? Join one of our New Consultant Webinars every Tuesday at 1 & 9 pm EST! You’ll be glad you did!
Watch Online! Visit ThirtyOneToday and view archived calls!
Opportunity Webinars first Thursday of every month at 12 pm EST!
MARCH 2018 CELEBRATION TOUR DATES 3-4 Wichita, KS
13 The Woodlands, TX
22-23 Memphis, TN
5-6 Tulsa, OK
14 Houston, TX
24 Hoover, AL
7 Oklahoma City, OK
15 Lafayette, LA
25 Huntsville, AL
9-10 Grand Prairie, TX
17-18 Little Rock, AR
26-27 Chattanooga, TN
Why should you attend a Celebration Event? Is the 31 Celebration Tour coming to your neck of the woods? You’ll want to attend this exclusive traveling event to help share the excitement of your personal business with your family and friends!
Everyone’s invited to join us and attend! Consultants, Customers, potential recruits, leaders, new team members and friends. There will be giveaways and daily prize drawings for your guests.
There’s no cost and you don’t need an invite or need to register. Just come, bring a friend, and celebrate! We cannot wait to see you and your guests!
March 2018
Swipe
S M A RT
5 Factors to Consider in Selecting a Card Processing Option
The ability to take a you might be looking at a customer’s card payment few days or more to get a while sitting in the middle merchant account setup. of the ocean continues 2. Rates: These vary widely to develop! With our new too! Those ‘card present’ Marketplace Order Type, this to ‘keyed’ rate differences has now come into play as may be just pennies for those orders will be collected that transaction, but over outside of the Thirty-One the course of a year, or payment process. But what with large orders, it starts should you look for when to add up! Swipe rates choosing the best option for ranges from as low as your business? It’s best to do 2.3% to over 3% plus a a little research before taking flat 25-30 cents on top of the plunge. Here are a few that. Make sure you know factors to consider! what rate you’re paying for processing payments. 1. Equipment cost & setup: 3. Fees: Add up and quickly Some payment gateway eat up profits if you aren’t providers offer free careful. From monthly magstripe readers that minimums to access fees, can turn your iPad or cell setup fees and the like, phone into a credit card know up front what you’ll machine. Others charge be charged to avoid any a pretty hefty price to unwelcome surprises. get your hands on their 4. Posting delays: When equipment! Weigh your you swipe that card, it options. Do you need to be might hold funds on your mobile? If so, that may be customer’s account, the primary factor for you. but that doesn’t equate With online processors, into an instant ka-ching setup may take a matter in your bank account! of minutes, but with more Some processors take up traditional bank solutions, to 5 days to collect and
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deposit your cash! How will that delay impact your customer service? A few providers (Square 1% and PayPal $0.25) charge a small fee to do an instant deposit. But again, that’s another fee dipping into your funds. 5. Payment Methods: Ever had a customer say, “but there is money on my card”? Some card processing companies don’t play well with prepaid cards. Others do. The same thing is true with digital wallets, such as Apple and Android Pay. If your customers use them, you need to know what you can accept - and what you can’t! Whether you use your local bank or an online provider or a blended approach, the details of cost, service, setup, and support vary widely. Be an informed small business owner and educate yourself on the options available, compare costs and your specific needs.
WHAT’S NEW? Have you heard? Several new personalization options are here! Just in time for spring, we’ve added five NEW printed options to our Statement Canvas Pillow options. Help your Customers refresh their homes with these bold designs featuring bright colors and watercolor details. We’ve also added a new Caramel thread color to our selections. This warm shade can match back to the Caramel Charm Pebble fabric for a monochromatic look or complement any Studio Thirty-One flap. Get in touch with customers about these great new options! They’ll love hearing from you and learning what’s new in 31!
Tech Tip: Is there an app for that?
Today there is an app for just about anything! With the IRS Standard Mileage Deduction for business use in 2017 is $0.535/mile, we went looking for a few great options to help us track our business mileage and here’s what we found! Stride Drive A FREE mileage and expense tracking app that allows you to record your mileage by running in the background as you drive! You can also start/
stop recording by tapping the start button for each trip. You can also log receipts/ expense records so all those biz deductions are in on place come tax time!
Not into apps? Got a not-sosmart phone? No problem! Go old school! Grab a simple notebook from the dollar store and a pencil and create yourself a trip diary that you store in your car. Simply record odometer readings at start and end of each trip (or use that trip odometer to make it easy).
Hurdlr A solid and FREE mileage and expenses tracker with nice features that presents you with a bigger picture over time. This app gives you a little more control over your Lo-tech or high tech - there’s “automatic” mileage tracking. no excuse NOT to track!
March 2018
Marketplace
MAKING THE MOST OF IT
The new Marketplace order type provides a new level of flexibility for Consultants who choose to have products on hand to sell.
wants matching team bags. Fundraiser? They are a total breeze now - no more “how many specials” nightmare math!
Marketplace replaces the practice of ordering core product as a Business Supply Order at a 25% discount with a 40% discount on Marketplace orders. (The Business Supply order type remains, but core Catalog product is offered at full retail price as of 03/01/2018).
So let’s go through the basics!
Why? Flexibility! This new order type provides added flexibility for your business. Think about these scenarios in your business: Perhaps you plan to attend a bridal fair and want bridesmaid gifts to sell at the event. Or you have a corporate order and don’t need the monthly special. Maybe you tend to purchase batches of the same item at a time, such as realtor gifts, or your local softball team
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New Order Type Marketplace orders can be submitted through the Consultant’s Virtual Office under “Orders” > “New Order” > “Select Order Type” > “Marketplace Order”. You cannot place a Marketplace order on your consultant site.
Hostess Rewards or qualify for customer specials with Marketplace Orders. Making Money Consultants will not earn 25% commission on Marketplace orders. Consultants receive a 40% discount up front when ordering. The consultant then can resell that product for a profit.
Taking Payments Consultants can accept any payment types in their discretion. If accepting credit card payment, Consultant Discount & PV will need to be set-up as their Consultants will receive a own merchants. If accepting 40% discount on all regular a check, the check should be retail price items and made out to the Consultant. personalization through the Marketplace order type. What about sales tax? Local tax law typically Consultants will earn requires resellers to register Personal Volume on their as a reseller with the state Marketplace orders, based or provincial government. on the sale amount after the Consultants should then discount has been applied. collect sales tax [GST/HST/ PST in Canada] based on Specials & Rewards the retail price charged to the >>continued Consultants will not receive customer.
The applicable sales tax rate [GST/HST/PST rate in Canada] is typically based on the location where the sale occurs, or, if the Consultant is shipping or delivering product to a customer, based on the customer’s location.
One Marketplace orders based on the 40% discounted price. When selling for resale, US Consultants can request that this tax be overridden on a Thirty-One Marketplace order by contacting Consultant Support and providing a reseller certificate issued By default, Thirty-One will by their state government. collect sales tax [GST/HST/ Some states also allow PST in Canada] on all Thirty- Consultants registered as
resellers to request a refund of tax charged upfront by Thirty-One. Consultants are encouraged to use the sales tax calculator at this website to assist in determining the proper sales tax rate for the location of sale or the end customer’s location.
https://www.avalara.com/community/sales-tax-calculator-smb/
Recordkeeping & other things to consider Consultants must keep a written record of their resales of Thirty-One Marketplace product and report this on their personal income tax return.
sales and inventory purchase records to be kept for at least three years. Consult your tax advisor for additional guidance on personal income tax compliance.
====================== Beginning Inventory plus purchases during year less returns less personal withdrawals less ending inventory equals cost of goods sold ====================== Keeping a log of purchases and sales (whether it’s a spreadsheet or a simple notebook) will be essential in tracking inventory - and Also, please note that the reconciling inventory monthly government typically requires or quarterly will help catch The product you purchased for resale from Thirty-One is considered “cost of goods sold” and is a deduction you can claim against your Marketplace sales. The difference, after counting any other expenses you incurred to sell the product, is your profit on the sale that is considered part of your taxable income.
errors early and eliminate end of year backtracking if you run into issues. Maintaining huge inventories should not be a consideration! Don’t over order and return what’s not sold to minimize inventory. You should also consider how you are going to provide receipts to your customers will you do electronic receipts by email or will you need a sales receipt you write or print out and hand deliver. Finally, you should check with your local tax authorities to determine what licenses, resale certificate or permits you need. This new order type is going to be great!
March 2018
mastering LEADERSHIP Are you a
whimpy
SPONSOR? Yeah, I said it! So, are you? Do you get her signed up and then do a disappearing act unless she hunts you down - or worse - goes over your head to YOUR SPONSOR to find out the answer to her questions? Your team is going to get no where if you are a whimpy sponsor! You need to be active. You need to be visible. You need to lead by example! If you ended up sponsoring a kitnapper - convert her! Hold her accountable! Let her know in advance she has a wonderful opportunity, but it won’t work if she doesn’t. If she tells you she wants to
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ranks in your team. The more complete your system the greater chance you’ll have in helping your team members succeed. Remember, her success will be your success. Provide her with simple Develop the team that you incentives for reaching “her are proud of! goals” early on. At the end of the day, the only Discourage only going after way to truly help someone is minimums and being content to empower them to do their with mediocrity from the best and help them reach beginning. Always focus on their goals and dreams. But “HER GOALS” and not what you have to do it. Don’t be you think she should do. whimpy! Trust me, I don’t It’s not about you! You are growing a 31 pro! Act like it! think anyone will show up at the end of the month and say Have systems in place to “Hey! How dare you help me train, motivate and move make too much money this consultants up through the month!” Right? hold 2 parties per week so she can earn $300 each week, provide her with the formula, training and accountability to insure it happens more often than not.
Senior Consultant
Corner
Keep growing! There’s really only one way to do it - sponsoring! Having conversations, planting the thought, following up, and nurturing the relationships you develop. It’s a process! Volume is your friend in that regard - the more people you are in front of, the more ‘no’ responses you are going to get. Say what? That’s right! In order to get to a yes, you are going to hear no a lot! That’s okay! Don’t take it personal. Again, it’s a process! Once she’s on your team, it’s your job to encourage her to learn her business. Model the behaviors that you want to see from her. Help her through the rough spots. You owe it to everyone you share the opportunity with to then show them how to succeed! It’s part of growing into your new role as a leader. Get busy getting those no’s!
ConferencePrep The first step: Register!
Want to take your business to the next level? Want to get a pay raise? Want to grow your team? Want to just do more? GO TO CONFERENCE IN JULY! That’s right! We’ve studied it and the stats back it up!
those will produce the end result of a more successful business for you!
You invested in yourself once - when you joined Thirty-One! Make another investment - go register and attend conference. It will be one of the Consultants who attend most rewarding experiences conference DO BETTER you could undertake with your than their counterparts who business. do not. The Consultants who attend conference are more Registration begins March likely to be more active in their 8th. Make this commitment to business than those who opt yourself, your business, and out of attending conference. register. You’ll wonder why The numbers tell the story! you ever hesitated! Did you know that consultants who attend conference are 5 Join us for our Thirty-One times more likely to promote Conference, an unforgettable weekend of fun, inspiration to leadership? and learning alongside If you are serious about your thousands of your Thirtybusiness, think of conference One sisters! Together you’ll as an annual training that is a build relationships, grow your must! You’ll find yourself to be confidence and energize your more engaged, more active, business. Conference is the and more productive. All of can’t-miss event of the year!
March 2018
e l b u Do ostess H
CREDIT IS A Yes! It’s back again! BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT? Hostesses get to take advantage of Double Hostess Credit on any $500+ party!
complete her wish list!
BigDEAL!
Talk about an amazing booking tool for your business in March! Show me anybody who wouldn’t love to double the amount of FREE products they What’s the BIG DEAL can get! about a Double Hostess Credit month? It’s Now is the time to party! probably one of THE If you haven’t done your BEST BOOKING TOOLS Spring Launch - do it you could have! Our now! If you’ve just joined Hostess Rewards are and haven’t announced already generous - but your business - do it now! If you are in a slump and then, THEY DOUBLE! wondering if you can Let’s say her party totals make this business work $600, she usually earns - be the hostess and $100 in Hostess Credit relaunch your business! she can spend on any style in the Catalog. But Check out the March in March, we’ll DOUBLE Marketing Material page that to $200 in Hostess for resources to share Credit she can use to this special offer!
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! h t a M e h t o D
MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT OF DOUBLE HOSTESS CREDITS Get creative and maximize your impact with Double Hostess - here are a few ideas!
party - double the guests, get for a $500, $600, or double the impact! They $1200 party! Stack the cat (or the dog, the toddler, get to split the rewards when it’s all said and done. the husband) and show • Play Hostess and give your customers the value • Time for a booking blitz! the double rewards as of hosting! • Grab a duo - think BFFs, incentives for bookings. • Get last year’s Double Hostesses back on the mom & daughter, two co- • Do a live Hostess stacking workers - and have them on Facebook to encourage books for this year! additional bookings! Be be mini-hostesses! They join forces on their joint sure to show off what they
Do You Stack your Hostess?
Stacking your Hostess is a great way to show off how much can be earned by simply saying yes to hosting a party! It’s fun and a real eye-opener that equates to bookings for you! There are dozens of ways to do it, but the concept is simple show her what she’ll earn at different party levels and the true value of hosting!
At the party, have the Hostess sit in a central location and then start draping and piling product all around her. Let her guests know with a $500 party, she’ll earn everything they see and share the dollar amount of free and half price products so they too see the value. But don’t stop there! Keep going, adding more and more product up through the $600 and even $1,200 levels! With Double Hostess Credits Start off by doing a little pre- - that pile is going to be pretty huge by the time you are all party prep by tagging products done! you will show off as half price, free and Hostess Exclusives. Want to get the Hostess This makes hostess stacking motivated at the party? Stack even easier! Just pull it off the her wish list! Have her submit table and it’s already tagged. her wish list to you before
the party and have those products on hand for the stacking. Once she sees her list all around her and within reach, she will help you encourage her guests to buy! Finally, take it one step further and turn that stacking into an awesome recruiting seed! Share what your Hostess would have earned in commission and StartSwell if that party had been her launch party! You can even do a stacking video to use during Facebook parties! Stacking is a great tool for you and a fun way to build excitement at the party!
March 2018
really
Are you running your business? You know your products, prints, styles, and can quote how much plus tax and shipping it will be to get her that LUT! But there’s so much more to your business! Are you keeping up with it all? Are you really running your business or just running around taking orders? Think about that! Are you losing out on business profit because you neglect to log your mileage to parties or lost the receipt for the Hostess goodie bag supplies. Then there was that trip to the post office.... it just goes on and on! From postage to paper clips and everything in between - those are all potential supplies, costs, and deductions that will play a vital role in calculating your profit - or loss - at the end of the year!
holding yourself accountable for tracking and logging your business expenses. Once you develop the habit, it will be second nature to you!
Here are some additional routine deductions that many business owners miss. Keep your eye out for them. • bank service charges • business-related Did you know that If you use magazines and books your car for business, you can • card processing fees deduct some of the costs of • office supplies • parking and meters • postage, envelopes, labels • vendor trade show fees • Uber fares. Also, just because you didn’t get a receipt doesn’t mean you can’t deduct the expense, so keep track of those small items. Snapping a photo of the receipt also helps you capture that information to prove that expense.
Make sure you are not throwing keeping it on the road. Learning about the rules of car expense away money, have a blurry view of what your profit truly is, or Tracking business expenses deductions can be tricky, but worse, overpaying on your tax is a really important part well worth your while. bill by not taking advantage of of running your business successfully! There are tools When you travel for business, expenses and deductions. Do you can use, apps that will you can deduct many expenses, your research and talk with a help you track mileage and including the cost of plane fare, tax professional about tracking capture receipts. You can hire costs of operating your car, and monitoring your business accounting professionals or taxis, lodging, meals, shipping expenses and how to make assistants. But at the end of business materials, cleaning the most of them to keep more the day - it’s merely a matter of clothes, telephone calls, faxes, of your hard-earned money in your pocket. getting a routine in place and and tips.
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Conversation Starters
shift your thinking to tap into the market of millennials By 2020, 46% of all US workers will be millennials. That’s a number worth paying attention to especially considering that over half of that number will likely be working non-traditional jobs or looking for ‘side gigs’ as a major source of their income! Attracting the most talented of millennial team members means shifting your mindset from what you want to what they want. This starts by viewing each step of your approach to the sponsoring process through the lens of millennials. For example, that brilliant email you wrote about joining your team on your PC? It’s too long and unreadable when viewed on a millennials mobile device. It’s not 1992! They want quick, simple, and tech savvy! Shift your thinking and approach and you’ll be pleased at their response. Social Scoring & Pro Look Attracting millennials to what you have to offer means perfecting your online presence, look, and
reputation. Take a moment and put yourself in their shoes. Are you impressed with the materials you are sharing or does it look like a 2 year old put it together? They “want it now” and they “want to look good”. It’s their mindset - and we’ve got to evolve and adapt in order to attract them! Painting a Picture To sponsor successfully you have to figure out how to work with and not against their mindset. Making it personal and all about them, understanding where they want to go, their why
- these are all keys to help drive the conversation and your approach to gain and maintain their interest in joining your team. Showing them a path to meaningful career progression based on performance is crucial as well. They want to know that if they invest their time, is it truly going to be worth it. If you’ve struggled with sponsoring younger team members - or keeping them active - consider how you are approaching them and interacting with them once they join your team.
March 2018
Need a Hawaiian Vacation? Aloha! That’s what you’ll be saying when you What’s earned at each level? set your mind to earn the 2019 Leadership Level 5 Incentive Trip! Ultra Trip for 2 $2,000 USD Commission Payout That’s right - we’re headed to Hawaii, girls! Cindy & Scott experience Starting March 1, 2018 through March 31, 2019, ALL Consultants – regardless of title at the beginning of the year-long earning period – have the opportunity to work toward this exciting incentive. To earn the trip, you must reach a minimum of 45,000 points, have a minimum of five PEQAs and promote to Director or above by March 31, 2019. Points are earned through achievements in Personal Volume and PEQAs.
Level 4 Trip for 2 $1,000 USD Commission Payout Level 3 Trip for 2 Level 2 $1,000 USD Commission Payout Level 1 $500 USD Commission Payout
Even if you don’t meet the minimum to earn the trip, you still can earn a Commission Payout in September 2019 to help fund your You have a year to earn it! own vacation – or to use however you want! • March 2018 through March 2019 • PEQAs qualify through March 2019 See the chart below to see how to earn $500 USD or $1,000 USD! Trip Level Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1
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Points 95,000 60,000 45,000 40,000 31,000
PEQA Min 7 6 5 4 3
Earn points for working your business! • 1 point for each $1 in Personal Volume (PV) March 2018 through February 2019. No minimum PV. • 2,000 points for each PEQA who enrolls March 2018 through February 2019 and qualifies through March 2019. No maximum PEQAs. Minimum PEQAs by earning level. • Earners must be a Leader at the end of the program. Starting April 16, use the tracker on your TOT dashboard to track your Personal Volume and PEQAs each month during the 12-month earning period. Set a goal now to join us September 17-21, 2019, for Leadership Incentive Trip 2019, as the Pink Bubble moves to Hawaii!
Growing your 31 Garden Plant 3 Rows of peas 1. Peace of mind 2. Peace of heart 3. Peace of soul
Plant 4 rows of squash
1. Squash self-doubt 2. Squash indifference 3. Squash minimums 4. Squash gossip
Plant
4 rows of lettuce 1. Lettuce be supportive of one another 2. Lettuce be kind 3. Lettuce be patient 4. Lettuce be virtuous women
Plant Can you hear it? The waves, the warm Pacific breeze rustling through the palms, the weather is a perfect 78 degrees, low humidity, sun shining, smell of coconut in the air, the sound of the ice clinking in your drink, in the distance, the footsteps of the cabana boy bringing you another ice cold glass of... oh sorry! Let’s go girls! How many LUTs do you need to sell to qualify for this trip of a lifetime?!?! Where’s my calculator....okay, let’s do 4 parties a month plus two fundraisers...oooh, I can use that new marketplace order type for those...
3 rows of turnips 1. Turnip for meetings 2. Turnip for conference 3. Turnip for sisterhood
Plant
3 rows of thyme 1. Thyme for yourself 2. Thyme for your business 3. Thyme for your family & friends Water freely with your love of self and of Thirty-One and cultivate the fruits of your labor. Remember, you reap what you sow. Be a Proverbs 31 Woman every day!
March 2018