Selling Tips
Methods
Sell Direct
You order 5-10 items per seller or family in your group. Make a prospect list which includes family, neighbors, friends, church members and co-workers.
Pre-Sell Using a Sample
Order enough items to provide each seller or family with a sample. Sellers take orders and collect money (to guarantee your sale) for approximately two weeks. Compile orders and place your order. Once your order arrives, distribute product to seller.
Ideas
- Sell in the church foyer before and after Sunday services.
- Encourage parents to place a sample and/or a pre-sale form at work.
- Require each seller or family to purchase and sell a specific number of items.
- Place a sample with a sign-up sheet on the church or school bulletin board.
- Organize a mailing campaign; request a donation and in return give a calendar or card set.
- Contact prospective customers using email, text-messaging and social media.
- With permission, set up a booth in front of a large discount store or other area retailer.
- Sell in your church bookstore.
- Sell at a church-sponsored yard or rummage sale.
- Sell at a church breakfast, supper or bake sale.
- Sell at a church picnic or other social gatherings.
- Sell at school functions such as concerts or sporting events.
- Display in the church or school office with a donation or payment box. List the suggested donation or selling price.
- Sell door to door in area neighborhoods and in neighboring towns.
- Sell in local malls.
- Sell at local spring, fall and holiday craft fairs.
- Sell at local town festivals and other locally-held civic events.
- Contact businesses in the community to request permission to display and sell in their stores.
- Contact businesses in the community to propose they give the calendars or card sets as appreciation or Christmas gifts to their customers and employees.
Promotion
- Make announcements at church services and in the weekly church bulletin or in the monthly newsletter to notify of your fund-raising campaign. (Contact YGP for promotional images.)
- Encourage repeat business by making and placing a label listing your group name, address and phone number on the back of each product sold.
- Use free posters included in each carton of calendars to advertise your fund-raiser.
- Email/text family and friends with details of the sale and product images. (Contact YGP for promotional images.)
- Offer a discount for multiple items or products purchased.
- Create gift sets using two or more different products. Creatively package using gift wrap, boxes, cellophane, ribbon, raffia or bows.
- Promote products as Christmas gifts for friends, family, parents and grandparents, neighbors, co-workers, daycare providers, exchange gifts, teachers, coaches, and volunteers.
- Give customers ideas of whom to give gifts or places and ways to use the calendar, card set and notepads using posters, table tents or note cards placed with each item sold.
- Keep a list of customers and revisit them each year.
- Divide up your city and have teams of sellers cover each portion.
- Write a "Thank You" with each item sold that includes your name, group name and phone number. Customers will appreciate your gratitude and have your information when more product is needed.
- Advertise and make product available for sale on the organization's website and Facebook page. (Contact YGP for promotional images.)
Incentives
Allow profit earned by the seller to go directly into seller’s personal fund. Money accumulated will be used to defray cost of tuition or trips.
Have contests and give prizes (event tickets, gift certificates) to individual sellers or families who sell the most items.
Reward the entire group (pizza or ice cream party, bowling) as a whole for meeting a group goal.
Ministry / Gifts
- Purchase products as ministry tools and distribute. Consider missionaries, those who are in health or elder care facilities, institutions, or on assistance programs.
- Purchase the calendars and card sets as appreciation or Christmas gifts for church members, teachers and staff, school families, board members, church and school donors and volunteers.
- Purchase card sets to use for your church or school card ministry to recognize birthdays, anniversaries, visitors, shut-ins, sympathy, volunteers, donors, thank-yous.
- Purchase notepads as incentives, prizes, gifts (children or staff) or for general church pew or office use.
- Sell and give proceeds to missions, charities, or use to sponsor a needy family at Christmas.
