Boost Your Neighborhood Engagement with Catalog Distribution Ideas

[chefmoseley]

What if I put this with a few catalogs and send them around the neighborhood? Any ideas? I'm at a complete loss here gals/guys...

 

[JAE]

You're at a loss for bookings? Use the phone. I know it's hard and scary, but it works. Flyers...not so much unless you plan to hand them out personally to actual people and get contact info from them.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I have to agree with JAE - it's a very nicely put together flyer, but flyers don't usually get bookings. Sorry!

 

[chefmoseley]

who do I call?This is really frustrating...I just started in Nov and I have called everyone I know and everyone who was game booked and held a show and now the only thing I have on the calendar is one show for JUNE!!! I do this part time and only need like 2/4 shows a month but I can't get no satisfaction. The problem is that the past hosts all invited from the same 3 groups!?! I have called every guest at a show and every outside order. I am just really at a loss for who else to go to. My daughters (3 and 18 months) stay home with me and I work part time for a local bank that has a very strict solicitation policy. Beyond going door to door and leaving catalogs random places I dunno what to do.

 

[KellyTheChef]

Can you pamper a business? Get a contact at a local business and tell them you will "pamper" them with some goodies. In turn, you leave some catties and OOF's. When you pick up the orders, your contact will be your "host" as long as it makes a show. Hopefully, that will cause your contact to be helpful and get people excited about it.

Search for pamper a business and there are some threads about it!

 

[JAE]

This is really frustrating...I just started in Nov and I have called everyone I know and everyone who was game booked and held a show and now the only thing I have on the calendar is one show for JUNE!!! I do this part time and only need like 2/4 shows a month but I can't get no satisfaction. The problem is that the past hosts all invited from the same 3 groups!?! I have called every guest at a show and every outside order. I am just really at a loss for who else to go to. My daughters (3 and 18 months) stay home with me and I work part time for a local bank that has a very strict solicitation policy. Beyond going door to door and leaving catalogs random places I dunno what to do.

I think it's great to go door to door, but it will work better to speak to your neighbors. They may get annoyed with paper being stuck in the door handles or wherever. Plus, it may become litter.

 

[chefmoseley]

okay so going door to do is fine? and then leave catalogs random places like pediatricians office?

 

[JAE]

If you have old catalogs then leave them everywhere if it's okay with the businesses. You could leave new ones with people working in different places and tell them you'll follow up with them in a few days. Then do it! I'm sure there are some people who get random sales from just leaving catalogs in different places, but I can't say it's ever happened to me.

 

[stacywhitlow]

I had to venture out when I moved here. I put out surveys in nearby neighborhoods (for me about 25 minutes away) and had success with it. Look under files for survey. Again, you will have to call & follow up.

 

[ted122781]

Have you tried a local craft show or fair?
Those helped me get out of my circle.
I do like that flyer, though.

 

[cwinter474]

Wouldn't do it....I personally have done the neighborhood thing TWICE... once with catalogs and once with door hangers. With the catalogs I put in a flyer with specials and rewards, and my business card. Door hangers same thing, NO RESPONSE not a singe one. Not even a don't delivery to my house again or anything. We live in a good size neighborhood with over 200 homes, I did 200 deliverys twice. Paid my daughter and her friend twice to deliver. Nothing.... I speaking from experiance would not do it again!!!! I will be setting up a small area in our garage this spring, we have a neighborhood sale every year. Hope it gets me something.

I get more response from catalogs left at the hair salons and doctor offices.

 

[marciem]

I put out fliers in my townhouse complex about 100 fliers and I got 4 orders from it. I'm lucky though because the townhouses are brand new and the ladies who ordered had just moved, loved PC but had lost their consultants in the move.

 

[dpcharlotte]

I have also done the flyer/old catalog route in my large neighborhood twice and it never brought in any business.

Fairs are a good idea - with spring there should be more in your area soon.

 

[LBurke]

I have done this once and got a small response to it. I included a catalog (left over from last season, there's a consultant in your neighborhood flyer I got on here, and an invitation to an open house/multi-vendor thing I was having at my house about two weeks out.) I got one call wanting to know where I got my door hanger bags and several came to the open house and ordered. I would probably do it again with old catty's or mini's, but only in conjunction with another open house. Otherwise I don't think it's worth the time/money for the response.

 

[stefani2]

ideasIf you have old catalogues from last season - it doesn't hurt to try - you have NOTHING to lose!

I like leaving cattys at the local Dr. office and Hair Salon.

To get new customers, you could enter in a TradeShow, or have an Open House (Spring Kickoff) or even with someone else in DS (they will have contacts that you don't know).

At Shows, offer a gift for those who bring a friend.

Or do a $1000 Mystery Host Catalogue Show and split the benefits between the people who place $100+ order.

Do you like any of those suggestions?

 

[natural]

I liked the flyer, maybe you could post it on bulletin boards, but I agree with others here don't depend on it to do much. Have you asked all the people that you would tell your host to ask to come to a show? Teachers, coaches, church members, super-market workers, bank tellers, family, etc...

 

[Michelle's Kitchen]

I think it's great to go door to door, but it will work better to speak to your neighbors. They may get annoyed with paper being stuck in the door handles or wherever. Plus, it may become litter.

I agree with speaking to your neighbors. I did the whole door to door-good exercise however not a lot of responses. It would of been great if I would spoke to the woman not the man. Recently, a woman who is selling Avon(not sure if she is from the neighborhood or not) threw catalogs in everyone's driveway. Not sure, if it helped her or not *noticing alot of the catalogs still in the driveway.

Keep on plugging away. Talk to everyone you meet.

 

[PampChefJoy]

Wear it -- get a catalog tote, t-shirt, button, whatever... it gets noticed - people will ask, and then you can start a conversation from there.

Did you make up a list of 100? I know you said you've called everyone you know... now call them back, ask them to do you a huge favor and give you the name/phone/email of one person they know that might be interested in doing a show for you. Referrals from friends are a great source of leads!

 

[StephsKitchen]

This is really frustrating...I just started in Nov and I have called everyone I know and everyone who was game booked and held a show and now the only thing I have on the calendar is one show for JUNE!!! I do this part time and only need like 2/4 shows a month but I can't get no satisfaction. The problem is that the past hosts all invited from the same 3 groups!?! I have called every guest at a show and every outside order. I am just really at a loss for who else to go to. My daughters (3 and 18 months) stay home with me and I work part time for a local bank that has a very strict solicitation policy. Beyond going door to door and leaving catalogs random places I dunno what to do.

If you have all the customers info, I would make "out of the blue calls" they are like customer care calls. I have been a consultant for 6 years, and have started going back through all my old contacts... hosts, guests, outside orders. If you need help with words just let me know.

Stephanie

 

[whitetiger]

out orf blue callsThis is a great idea
can you post your script?

 

[Chefsuzie]

I think you did a great job on the flyer! I've inserted my information on it and I'm going to post it on the bulletin boards at work. Way to go!