Ramping Up Sales & Recruitment: Twixt or Treat Postcard Ideas!

[pamperedchef.em]

We live in a PRIME Trick or Treating area and get hundreds of kids at our door every year. I really want to ramp up my bookings, sales, and recruitment efforts, so I am planning on dropping a Twixt or Treat postcard in each bag for the parents to find after their little monsters return home. I was thinking of going with the Twixt or Treat theme and stick a Twixt clip on each one with a ribbon. Either that, or change up the theme and just do a postcard... any thoughts, ideas, or predesigned postcards for this? Thanks!:balloon:

 

[magentablue]

I'm not sure that people know what the clips are for until I explain it to them (unless they've already seen them). I am giving out recipe post cards along with the candy at my place. I live in a condo of about 400 units... hope I get something from it!

 

[BethCooks4U]

I, too, am in a prime neighborhood. People drive in with carloads of kids. I have done several different things to try to get business from trick or treat. People have even come to my door while their kids trick or treat and ask for catalogs (yes I get their info) and I haven't gotten a single order, show or recruit from it. Not worth the effort in my opinion.

 

[pampered1224]

I am in a stinking area for Trick or Treats but you gave me a neat idea! How about taking the idea to my local stores! Give out a treat and recipe card to people coming or going? In a little bag maybe.

 

[jessinthekitchen]

Oh- we just discussed this at a meeting tonight and it was in an email that we received from an upper director today. A cute poem that you put in with a mini catalog and some candy that's for the Mom's... hang on- I'll copy and paste the poem:

To all the MUMMIES:
Looking for a WHOPPER of a good time this Holiday Season?
Interested in a Pampered Chef Shopping SPREE?
Why not host your own Holiday Cooking Show & earn lots of FREE, HALF-PRICE & DISCOUNTED Kitchen Tools?
After a great night of food, friends and fun, your guests will surely leave SMILING!
So, be a SMARTIE and book your Pampered Chef Party today!
Hope to hear from you soon!

Happy Halloween!

YOUR CONTACT INFO HERE

P.S. The "gHostess with the mostess" in November will receive her
choice of _________________________ or __________________________!
You book it and I'll cook it!


I don't know what you put in the blank areas though for choices... so I think I might leave that part out and/or think of something that is worth to give away- just so people try and out do other's hosts sales...especially with Sell-A-Thon being in November.

Also- in the bag with mini and this poem you put in the candy that is highlighted in the poem (Small box of whoppers, sprees, smarties etc).

 

[KaiKendall]

We got this poem in our weekly email too, and the CAPS candies is what you put in the bags (suggestion of course), and the blanks I believe you can put your choice of two products, like "choice of mini-serving spatula or petite bamboo spoon set". It wasn't specified to us either, but that's what I had assumed.

If I don't already have a newborn (if he comes early) I'll be 2 days away from delivery, lol so I'm not walking with my son, I was going to hand out candy. I was going to make seperate bags for the Mummies with this poem, and was also going to put an old Mini-Catalog in there (I have a million of them!) with the old catalog sticker on there too just to get rid of them and to maybe entice orders!

 

[KaiKendall]

P.S. I wouldnt' do a Twixt clip in each bag, that's a lot of money out for little to no return... a minicat or postcard would be just as good...even a little coupon- like $10 off an order of $50 or more, something like that... but not a product, that's a lot!

 

[MLinAZ]

I did the "to all the mummies" idea last year. I had my kids give it to the people after they got their candy or to people we passed while trick or treating. I didn't get a single response from it. I know it's a numbers game and perhaps it takes multiple exposures to the same person, but it was time and money that I don't think I'll give up this year.

I think if I did something at all I'd keep it as simple as possible. They don't trick or treat in my town (they have a big halloween party in the town) so we don't pass out candy at our house so I'm not doing anything at all this time.

 

[flemings99]

I've done pc in bags before and no return either. Here are some cute files though that you might be interested in trying.

 

[Candice]

What a cute idea! I was thinking about doing something like this, but since I am walking around with my 3 year old and almost 2 year old it might be difficult. So what I was thinking about was making up bags or just a bunch of postcards and giving them to each house we hit. Which I am sure won't be a lot, but at least it'll be something to get my name out there. What do you think?

 

[California Girl]

cool idea! i think i might do that!

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Hmmm ... thinking of just doing the postcards on a pretty limited scale. This will be the first time I've handed out candy in a long, long time because every year I've been away on this day. I have no idea how this will go over this year.

 

[KaiKendall]

I did a limited number of post cards.. i'll post mine, I tweaked something I found. It has a recipe on the back too so it's 'useful'. I also have a gazillion mini cats from past seasons, so I put a "old catalog" lable on it (the one that has the poem about it being old, call for a new one) and put that in there too with the candy.

I'm not SUPER optimistic, but figure it couldnt' hurt either... so I made up around 50 bags (we usually get around 100 trick or treaters, so give it to the first 50 that way I dont have any left over that were a loss).

 

[pampered1224]

We did a neighborhood thing this year! They planned it for tonight. I had a bunch of kids and I gave out recipe cards when I could get them in the bags! Maybe 25 tops but hey, it got something out there! I will see if it has an effect. Never know.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

I have no idea how many to expect. So I did 4 sheets of 4 ... figure the first 16 get 'em. May do more if we have a lot of kids in the first hour.

 

[barbara_anne]

I made little treat boxes. I found a box template online and used Acrobat Pro to type a recipe on one side and one of the little poems on the other and tied my business card on it with Halloween ribbon.

 

[KaiKendall]

I made little treat boxes. I found a box template online and used Acrobat Pro to type a recipe on one side and one of the little poems on the other and tied my business card on it with Halloween ribbon.

OMG! that's so cute! way too ambitious for me, but cute for a holiday party or something that's not going to be wasted on strangers! That's adorable though, I love it!

 

[ShelbyMichalek]

I just want to point out that while all of this seems like a great idea, please think of how someone like those parents feels when they're getting an ad attached to their childs candy.
We go to a few trick-or-treat events in the area, like SO many others do including trick-or-treat at the zoo and at the malls, etc. Those ads? Unless I really am excited to get the coupon for a restaurant/store I really love, every single one of them was thrown away. Now, it may be different if it's the only advertizement in your kids treat bag because you're just doing regular trick-or-treating... but it's still an ad.

 

[scottcooks]

A friend of mine who's a true artist with crafty paper label stuff, did several Haloween spice sample labels for me. About 1 tbspn of each spice goes in a tiny cello bag and a cutout gets added, with a business card behind it all. OWLCOUNT MONSTER (Frankenstein head)GHOST(no copies of the poems, sorry.) It was cute, but no responses. I think Shelby's right.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Well, mine simply contain a little poem and a candy bar ... like "this is for you, this is for your mom." I dont' expect any responses but maybe someone will be surprised to know there's a Pampered Chef consultant in the neighborhood.

Fresh out of business cards at the moment. And I'm not crafty.

 

[barbara_anne]

I only made 25. It was time consuming to cut them out and put together.

I do not expect an overwhelming response. I will be happy with just one response. If I get no response, that's ok too; at least I can say I tried. I figured the boxes are cute enough to pique an interest to at least look at what is on the box.

They can be adapted and used in a variety of ways, (place settings and party favors to name a few) not just for Halloween and not necessarily as an advertisement for your Pampered Chef business.

 

[punkie1019]

I did a limited number of post cards.. i'll post mine, I tweaked something I found. It has a recipe on the back too so it's 'useful'. I also have a gazillion mini cats from past seasons, so I put a "old catalog" lable on it (the one that has the poem about it being old, call for a new one) and put that in there too with the candy.

I'm not SUPER optimistic, but figure it couldnt' hurt either... so I made up around 50 bags (we usually get around 100 trick or treaters, so give it to the first 50 that way I dont have any left over that were a loss).

Your postcards look awesome. Makes me want to try this. You will definatly have to post you results. GOOD LUCK!

 

[punkie1019]

I made little treat boxes. I found a box template online and used Acrobat Pro to type a recipe on one side and one of the little poems on the other and tied my business card on it with Halloween ribbon.

That looks incredible as well. Definatly seems like a little too much work for me. But hey like you said if you get one great response it could start a whole new line of businees. You are very creative. I hope it works out awesome for you. Be sure to come back and post your results. GOOD LUCK!

 

[KaiKendall]

Your postcards look awesome. Makes me want to try this. You will definatly have to post you results. GOOD LUCK!

Thanks! I'm doing this at two houses too... I'll be at my mom's house, and my mother in law will be doing it at my house, so maybe that will help!

 

[KaiKendall]

Oh, I did mine on colored cardstock too... it was on sale at walmart, so I printed them double sided on cardstock. I think it being a recipe card may make the chances of throwing it away slimmer too... hopefully!

 

[barbara_anne]

Oh, I did mine on colored cardstock too... it was on sale at walmart, so I printed them double sided on cardstock. I think it being a recipe card may make the chances of throwing it away slimmer too... hopefully!

Good Luck with your recipe cards! I want to try that recipe - it sounds yummy!

A friend offered to give some of the boxes out at her house, so I will not be giving out all 25 in my neighborhood.

 

[caremmel]

I printed some of the cute postcards that were posted, and handed them out to the mummies who actually came to the door with their kids. They were very surprised when I would say that I had treats for the mummies too! Next year they may need a tiny bottle of wine, rather than a chocolate bar!

But what about the dads? I know you are shocked they were out too, but next year I will have to come up with something for them too...