What could be more exciting than attending an exclusive Mary Kay
Collection Preview? How about planning your own? If you’ve never conducted a
seasonal Collection Preview, why not let these suggestions from an Independent National Sales Director help you get ready?
Step One: Book Your Show
Before you can hold a show, you’ll need to ask a hostess to assist you by
providing her home to you and to also invite several of her friends to the
event. Following is a booking script that you might want to try: Hi, _______, this is
________, a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. Do you have a quick minute?
I am so excited! We now have a fast, fun, new way of sharing our fabulous Mary Kay®
products — it’s called a Collection Preview and it only takes about 30 to 45
minutes! The best part is that there is no need to take off your makeup! All women love to
shop, so it just involves inviting friends, family and neighbors.
This is one event where the more, the merrier, and it is a great way to
socialize and become introduced to our newest Mary Kay® products! I’ll even
have wonderful products that will leave your guests’ hands feeling absolutely pampered! You
are one of the first people I thought to call when I learned about
this because, _________, you are so fun and I know you have wonderful, fun
friends who would enjoy an evening all to themselves. *I also know you LOVE Mary
Kay® products and would like to give you $75 in products for only $25 when you
have a $200 show, or a percentage of your show sales in free products —
whichever works best for you! How does that sound? Great! Which time would work
better for you? Day or evening? I could even come to your workplace and offer
this Collection Preview to your co-workers for a fun, pampering lunch hour.
Great! I’ll send you a hostess packet tomorrow and will need to get your guest
list by _________, so that I can mail each person an invitation. I appreciate
you so much, ___________, and am looking forward to your show and I can’t wait
to see how many things you get for yourself FREE!
*Please note: As an
independent businesswoman, feel free to offer your hostess rewards as it works
for you. This is only one approach.
Step Two: Getting Ready
Suggests you might want to create a checklist, similar to the one
provided, that will help keep you organized as you prepare for your Collection.
Preview. Simple Checklist
You’ll need to create sets. To do this, you’ll want to combine
limited-edition with regular-line products, and give each set a catchy name. As
you are selecting your products to create your sets, remember that a variety of
prices should help sell your sets to a wider range of consumers. Put each
product collection into an attractive bag and add colored tissue or shred for
added pizzazz. For some product collection ideas, please see Page 14 of the
Beauty Book, or your December 2001 issue of Applause® magazine.
Once you’ve decided what product collections you’ll offer, why not make a
flier and laminate it so that you can use these fliers at all your Collection
Previews that season? A note about your flier: a tacky flier could create a
less-than-classy perception of your Mary Kay® business. If you don’t feel
comfortable with this step, rest assured that a Collection Preview can be
successfully done by only using The Look, and skipping the flier all together.
Once you’re ready, be sure to have enough product collections put together so
that your customers can take home their favorite collections that night. Also,
you’ll want to use your Mary Kay® Custom Compact and fill it with color
cosmetics. You can display this at your presentation to further tempt your
guest.
You’ll also want to take a variety of lipsticks and place them in a lipstick
caddy to display and tempt your customers. For added impact, why not replace the
lipsticks’ solid caps with the new clear plastic lipstick caps coming soon on
the Dec. 16 Consultant order form? Watch for your January 2002 Applause®
magazine for complete details. Don’t forget to display nail color too.
For each product in your product collection, consider taking another retail size
of that product to demonstrate with. You’ll want to ensure that this is done
correctly. For lotions, allow the customer to place a small amount on the back
of her hand to try. For eye or lip creams, place a small amount on a cotton swab
or disposable applicator and allow your customers to sample the product. Do not
insert a used disposable applicator back into the retail sized product or you
have contaminated it. You should NEVER allow customers to use product from the
container and apply directly on their eyes or lips. You should ALWAYS provide
cotton swabs or applicators to be used only once by an individual customer and
then thrown away immediately. Watch for your January 2002 Applause®
magazine for more information on how to demonstrate safely in selling situations
using retail size products.
You’ll also want to bring the following to help with your presentation: Copies
of the latest edition of The Look, sales tickets, customer profiles, plus
a pretty basket filled with lipstick samples, eye and cheek color
demonstrations, lips and eye brushes, and sponge tip applicators, plus mirrors.
Place all the above items in your specially-purchased trunk (you cano find rattan
trunks at department, import, and discount stores. Or, if you plan on doing a smaller show, a
beautiful, large picnic basket might work well, too.
Be sure to coach your hostess so that when you arrive at her house, food and
beverages are beautifully arranged to create more of a party feel.
At the hostess’ home, you’ll want to conduct your Collection Preview in the
living room where there is a coffee table for display and space for guests to relax.
Place your beautiful trunk next to the table. Open the lid and arrange your
collection sets in an attractive way so that they peek out of the trunk.
On the coffee table, you’ll want to place your color cosmetic displays that
you’ve also brought along. Your guests will want to touch, look and try these
beautiful color cosmetics throughout your presentation.
You’ll want to provide disposable pre-moistened cloths that your guests can
use to remove any of the products they have applied to their skin. Approximate
set-up time once you’ve arrived at the home of your hostess: 10 minutes.
Step Three: Presentation Suggestions
First, meet and greet each guest as they arrive and are enjoying the wonderful
food and beverages.
Once the presentation is about to begin, give each guest a copy of a laminated
flier, the latest edition of The Look, a sales slip and pen, a mirror
(you can also use a Face Case).
Next, have your guests sit in chairs or on the sofa surrounding your color
cosmetics displayed on the coffee table. Sit in a low chair or bench. Being this
close will create an intimate, yet casual and professional feel.
To begin your presentation, start with your short I story and provide an
engaging story about how women and women’s fashions have changed through the
years. It could be as simple as beginning a discussion of how busy women are
today, and asking the group to share examples of how their days are busy, to
some obvious changes based upon your own life. For example, mini-skirts in the
1960s, platform shoes in the 70s, big hair in the 80s, etc. Parallel that with
the Collection Preview approach to selling — You have less time, so here’s a
relaxing evening that won’t take too long, yet you’ll walk away feeling
pampered and impressed! Plus, just as fashions have changed, you’ll be
impressed with the wide array of Mary Kay® products that have also changed to
fit the needs of the times we live in.
One at a time, bring each set out of the trunk. You’ll now talk about each
set, plus you’ll discuss each product in the set, always sharing a benefit and
feature of each product. *See below for more information on the sets.
For product features, read the back of the boxes or papers enclosed in the
product boxes for accurate information, or in the Career Essentials Products
guide. Mona also clarifies what a feature and benefit is. A feature is what’s
in each product, and a benefit is what each product will do.
Examples of Sets
You’ll want to get creative and put your mark and imagination on your
Collection Preview sets. Here are a few
of her hints to get you started:
Number One: The Miracle Set.
Allow each guest to demo each product on the back of her hand. She should put a
dot of Day Radiance® Foundation on the right hand. On the left hand, she should
apply The Miracle Set products (but don’t forget to offer your customers a
pre-moistened wipe so that they can remove the TimeWise® 3-in-1 Cleanser before
proceeding with the application of the other products in The Miracle Set). Once
The Miracle Set has successfully been applied, ask your customer to place a dot
of Day Radiance® Foundation on that hand. Now, ask the group to compare the two
hands, -- the one with Day Radiance® Foundation only, versus the hand with all
The Miracle Set products plus Day Radiance® Foundation. Ask them to comment
which feels better and which looks better. It’s important that the Day
Radiance® Foundation be a contrasting color to the guests’ skin. Pass out a
moist disposable washcloth to each guest so she may clean her hands.
If they want to purchase The Miracle Set, please instruct them to write it on
their sales slips. As you are talking about each product, please refer them to
the page in The Look, where more information is available for each
product.
Number Two: Super Supplement Set
For this set, the guest will start by placing Eye Make-up Remover on her hand to
see how easily it removes eyeliner and eyes shades. (You might ask them to
first apply an eye color to their arm and then remove it with the Eye Makeup
Remover).
Now, she should apply Instant-Action® Eye Cream to the back of her hand,
followed by Triple-Action® Eye Enhancer to the back of the same hand.
Next, with a cotton swab or disposable lipstick brush, have each guest try the
Satin Lips™ Lip Mask. While this dries, pass some lipsticks around the group
and ask them to sample their favorite by drawing a small line on the inside of
an arm. Once the Satin Lips™ Lip Mask has dried, you’ll want to ask the
group to remove it by using a moist cloth. They might also like to remove their
lipstick sample from the inside of their arm. Next, ask them to apply Satin Lips™
Lip Balm (using another disposable throwaway lipstick applicator, and then
applying Triple Action® Lip Enhancer on top).
If they love these products — including the lipstick -- ask them to write them
on their sales slip.
Number Three: Create a Color Set
You could ask one guest to help you create a quick eye look. Your hostess could
coach her to come to the event with no eye color, just mascara. Then, during
your Collection Preview, using the eye color demonstrators, you can instruct the
guest on how to create an exciting new eye look. Once her eye look has been
created, you can pass around a pretty tray or basket holding eye color samplers
so the rest of the group can select eye color demonstrators they might like to
try, if not that evening, the next morning at home. You might want to note who
took home eye demonstrators and follow up with them to see if they would like to
place an order.
For those guests who love the eye colors and want to take some home or
place an order with you that evening, please ask them to write it on their sales slip.
Number
Four: Limited Edition When limited-edition or
new products are available, remember to call your customers and let them know
about new exciting sets in your Collection Preview and book another. Approximate
Set Presentations time: 30 minutes.
Closing
Suggested dialogue: Did everyone have a great time? What did
you enjoy the most? I’m usually asked two questions. First: Is it a better
deal if I buy more than one set? And I have great news! I have a special program
where the more you buy, the greater the discount! I take MasterCard, VISA and
Discover Card. You can also write a check or pay cash. Now for that second
question. How can I get started on my Mary Kay® products? I am happy to tell
you I have everything with me today, so you can start immediately! So, smile! As
I am working individually with each of you to complete your order, please feel
free to go into the kitchen and experience our indulgence for over-worked hands.
It’s called Satin Hands™, and if you’ve never experienced this, you’re
in for a treat!
Personally close with each guest. That's it! Have fun with
your Collection Previews. Chances are, you’ll have a hard time deciding who
— you or your guests — had more fun!
