1 new and improved rep manual.pub

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Alison’s pantry– our name is our guarantee
Representative Binder
Alison’s Pantry
PO Box 1019
Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
1-866-572-6879
Local: 801-796-6411
Fax: 801-796-9309
Welcome to Alison’s Pantry!
We’re excited you have decided to become a Representative. This binder is designed to be a helpful guide
to orient and help you build your new Alison’s Pantry business. New ideas and product highlights will be
coming your way through e-mails and our monthly company newsletter. You may want to add some of
these ideas to your binder. We hope you will refer to these things often for new ideas to attract customers
and serve your current ones. Best wishes for your new Alison’s Pantry business!
If you have any questions, please contact your
Regional Sales Manager (RSM): _____________________________________
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
Getting Started With
Your New Business
Welcome to the Alison’s Pantry family! We want
to help you get a running start with your business.
 Who Do You Know? The first step in gaining
a customer base is to make a list of all the
people you think would be interested in
Alison’s Pantry products. We have provided a
worksheet to help you do this.

Prepare Your Catalogs. Put your contact
information on each catalog. Some people
stamp the information, others write it and
some add labels. Labels can be a fast and
easy way to get this information on your
catalogs. The following example fits on a
return address label (1 3/4” x 1/2”):
Becky Price 307-362-2446
[email protected]
You can then pass out catalogs to customers with current orders and be sure to get catalogs to
the rest of your customers as soon as possible so you can start collecting orders.

Catalog Guidelines. Each month you will want to order
enough catalogs to take care of your customers and a few more
for growth, but please distribute every catalog so they do not go
unused. The catalogs are costly to print and are offered to
representatives at no cost (5 catalogs for every $100 in sales). If
you would like more catalogs than that, they can be purchased
for .25 cents each. It is strongly discouraged to place a stack of
catalogs at a central location because you will not know who
took them and will be unable to follow up.
Who do you know?
Family Members:
Friends:
Neighborhood:
School:
Who do you know?
Community (clubs, associations, salon services, etc.):
Work:
CHURCH:

Newsletters Are A Great Way To Personalize Your Catalogs. A
newsletter can include your favorite products featured in the current
catalog, contest winners, hot deals and bonus buys; even recipes.
Customers love to hear about the products you use and love, and they
often want to try them for themselves. Your Regional Sales Manager
(RSM) will send you out a sample newsletter that you can have your
personal information added to or you can create your own to insert in the
catalogs.

Deliver The Catalogs. Once you have a newsletter and labels on
the catalogs, they are ready to be delivered or mailed. Check with your
local post office to find out the best way to send your catalogs. Some
prefer that you fold them in half and tape both sides and the bottom.
Others prefer you do not fold them but just tape the three open sides.
Please deliver or mail you catalogs in a timely manner - about 2
weeks before order deadline.

Follow Up! Use your original list to keep track of those to whom you have
given a catalog. It is good customer service to call each customer a few days
before the order deadline to see if they would like to place an order. In our
hectic world, customers appreciate the personal attention so their order isn’t
missed. We will give you more information later on how to make a reminder
call.
Get Organized
Successful Businesses Have Business Hours
“You are not going to build a business that will pay you well
by just doing it when you feel like it . . . or whenever you
have a free moment to squeeze it in. You need to create
some structure. Whatever amount of time that you can
allocate towards building your business, schedule it. Put it
on your calendar and block out that time.”
-Jason Fisher and Eric Goldstein, timeandfreedom.com
Decide specifically what time of the day you can work
on your Alison’s Pantry business and get it on the
calendar. Then make it happen.
Monthly Folders: Use file folders to keep your paperwork organized. Label the folder with the
month and catalog number. Then add:
 A current catalog
 Your monthly newsletter
 Hard copies of orders from customers for that catalog
 A copy of your RSM’s newsletter
 Customer Calling list
 Tax report
 Truck invoice
Organization & Tracking:
You will want to set up a system for organizing and tracking customer information. This is most easily
managed with a computer program (like Microsoft Excel). Keep a file of all the people to whom you
give catalogs with their phone numbers and e-mail addresses. You may even want to make notes for
yourself of a customer’s favorite products so you can recommend others in the future.
“This customer worksheet helps me keep track of my customer orders on a month-to-month basis. I can
see how often each of my customers order and how much they order. If I have someone who hasn’t
placed an order in 3-6 months, I make a special effort to contact them to see if they are still interested in
ordering. It doesn’t pay to keep sending a catalog to someone who isn’t going to order. It also helps me
when I do contests with my customers – like the ‘100 Club’ where I keep track of monthly sales and when
a customer’s order totals reach a $100 increment ($100, $200, $300, etc.,), I put everyone qualifying that
month into a drawing and the winner gets a FREE gift worth up to $10.00.” - Becky Price, RSM
How To Organize Your E-mail
Create A System That Works For You
There are 3 styles of filing e-mails in folders.
Which one are you?
 Searchers - opt for minimal work up front on the
grounds that they can use tools to find what
they’re looking for later.
 Filers– believe everything has a place and that
it should be in that place so they can find
it instantly.
 Taggers - Somewhere in between, they depend
on searching, but like to sprinkle hints around to
make it easier for the search engine.
Feeling a little
overwhelmed by all
the messages in
your inbox? It is
imperative that you
check your e-mail
everyday!
Think about what you are most likely to remember
when you want to hunt up a message in the future.
If it’s the sender, you should build up hierarchy
based on people. If it’s the project, then a set of project folders makes sense. Avoid starting to build a
system where you have some folders for people and
some for projects; when you get that first e-mail from
your boss about the shoofly project, you’ll be frozen
in indecision as your eyes dart back and forth between the boss folder and the shoofly folder.
Stop Using Your E-mail For Storage;
The 4 Ds of Decision
The 4 Ds of Decision Making:
“When you get an e-mail
that you don’t immediately know what to with,
it’s easy to close it, and
move on to the next one.
But that “I’ll deal with this
later” attitude is probably
the reason you have
e-mail overload. Your
inbox is not storage, it’s
not your calendar, it’s not
your to-do list.”
- Peggy Duncan author of
Conquer E-mail Overload
With Better Habits,
Etiquette, And Outlook.

Delete it - If it doesn’t contain information
meaningful to current projects, information you
will need in the next 6 months, or information
you can find somewhere else delete it.

Do it - If you can't delete the email messages,
ask yourself, "What specific action do I need to
take?" and "Can I do it in less than two
minutes?" If you can, just do it.

Delegate it - If you can't delete it or do it in two
minutes or less, can you forward the email to
an appropriate team member who can take
care of the task?

Defer it - There are two things you can do to
defer a message: Turn it into an actionable
task, or turn it into an appointment.
Becky Price, RSM,
has some great ideas
on how to organize
your AP e-mails.
Create the following
folders:
Monthly Order Folder
(order #10) includes
constant contact
e-mails for the current
catalog, hot deals,
overstock items,
product issues with
that catalog, company
newsletter, rep monthly
newsletter, delivery
schedule, etc.
Procedure Folder
anything company
related; information on
portals, manuals,
instructions, reordering
procedures, return
procedures, deadlines,
trucking issues, etc.
Product E-mails
relates to products
such as information on
how to use the
products, recipes (this
is a subfolder),
ingredients,
nutritionals, product
dimensions, changes
in size, etc.
Business Basics
“Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who
achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and
careers merely following? The extra mile.”
Gary Ryan Blair
Tax Advantages for Alison’s
Pantry Representatives
A Home based business can save you substantial money on your taxes if you plan ahead and keep
accurate records.
Some expenses that you may be able to deduct from your
taxes include:

Telephone Costs

Internet Services

Mailing cost of catalogs

Office Supplies

Food Samples

Computer and software supplies

Mileage for delivering catalogs and products

Freezers used to store Alison’s Pantry products

Products purchased for testimonials to customers

Gifts and prizes given to customers for referrals, early bird contests, and etc.

Restaurant meals and entertainment (if business is discussed) are 50% deductible

According to Bernard B. Kamoroff, CPA in his book 422 Tax Deductions for Business and the
Self-Employed Individual, he states that it is perfectly legal to add your school-age children to your
payroll, hiring them to do real jobs and paying them up to $4250.00 per year (this may have changed,
so check with your tax adviser). You can write off their wages as a business expense; they keep the
funds earned and do not have to file a tax return.
KEEPING ACCURATE RECORDS IS A MUST FOR YOUR BUSINESS
 Print a tax report each month and attach it to the invoice that
you receive with your order.

Save all receipts for items purchased and used for your AP
business.

You will receive a 1099 from AP if you have sold more than
$5000.00 in products. This will be the only box that will be
marked on your 1099. You will need to add up your
commission from your tax reports or invoices. This will be
your income.

If you are unsure on how to handle your 1099, please contact
your local tax preparer.
Taking Orders
Keep Portals Updated. Customer Information needs to be
kept updated in the portals program. Please take a few
minutes to input a customer’s full name, phone number, cell
phone number and email address into the portals program.
Occasionally you will get a new customer who is a friend of
one of your regular customers. It is tempting to just put a first
name into the portals program because you don’t have any
other information. Take the time to ask for it! Many Alison’s
Pantry reps have run into problems when they place an order
for a customer they don’t know and then they have no way get
a hold of the customer for order pick up or to collect the money
they are owed.
Write Down Orders On Paper. When taking orders from your customers, it is a very good idea to write
down the order in a notebook first and then put it into the computer. Also, keep a copy of any orders that
get emailed to you. It is important to keep a hard copy of your orders in case there are any discrepancies.
Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute. Collect orders throughout the month and input them into portals as you
gather them. Don’t wait until the last minute to start putting in your orders. Unforeseen computer problems
or a family emergency can make it nearly impossible to get a whole order in at the last minute. Adding
orders as you collect them will save a lot of stress.
Order Catalogs. You will need to order catalogs each month. The product number is #1337 and you will
be ordering two catalogs ahead. (Example: you are placing an order for Catalog #7 but the catalogs you
are ordering are for #9. You can add these to your personal order.
The Overstock List. This is a list sent to you each month of
items in the warehouse that are being sold at a discount to
clear them out. These items are limited - sometimes only one
or two are available. You can forward this list on to your
customers. Overstock items are reserved through your RSM
first, then you can add them to your order in Portals after
receiving confirmation that an item is reserved for you.
How To Reserve Hot
Deal Items
Hot Deals are really good buys that are offered at any time and there is usually limited stock available.
ALL Hot Deals are reserved through the Alison’s Pantry website. On any e-mail that you receive with a
Hot Deal offer, the offer will note whether the item needs to be reserved or just “added to your catalog
order.” This is usually at the end of the product description and noted like so: “MUST RESERVE” or “NO
NEED TO RESERVE. JUST ADD TO YOUR ORDER”.
If the item needs to be reserved, click on the link in the e-mail and it will take you to the company’s
website. If more than one Hot Deal is available, click the RESERVE button on the Hot Deal wanted. As
customers/sales reps reserve a Hot Deal, it will count down until it is sold out. If the Hot Deal has already Sold Out, it will say “Out of Stock”.
You will need to have the following information to reserve a Hot Deal:

First and last name of customer reserving the Hot Deal

The customer’s e-mail address and phone number

The customer’s Sales Rep’s name and e-mail address

The quantity of the Hot Deal item the customer wants to reserve
(Sales reps can reserve Hot Deals for themselves. They would put their own contact information in the
Customer and Sales Rep fields.)
Customers can and are encouraged to reserve Hot Deals for themselves but sales reps can do it for
them, especially if they don’t have an e-mail address (rep would put their own e-mail address in for the
customer’s e-mail address). The customer and the sales rep will receive a confirmation e-mail that the
item has been reserved.
IMPORTANT: Sales Rep MUST enter the Hot Deal item on the customer’s order in Portals; otherwise,
the customer will not get the Hot Deal they reserved.
Proper Care Of Frozen Items
Legally, any meats you sell must have the USDA label on them. Please keep in
mind that you, as the Representative are not allowed to split cases of meat
(beef, chicken, pork). The customer MUST split it themselves. Adulterating the
product is when you open the product and split it for the customer. This is
against federal regulation. Please be careful when splitting cases of other items
such as bakery Items and spices. Any item that is not individually wrapped
really should not be spilt by you for the customers. The customers can split the
items once they have been purchased, and many like to do this to try a new
product that comes in a larger pack size.
Please make sure that you have ample room for your frozen items. It is very
important to keep the products frozen at the required temperature listed on
the product. Promptly get frozen items in the freezer after delivery and
inventory.
Handling Customer Questions
Often customers will have questions about product information that you
may not know. First go to the website and type the item # or product
description in the search bar at the top. When the product comes up,
click on it for information on the product. You may have to click on the
“Specification” tab to pull up the ingredients. If you can’t find what you
are looking for, you can go to the manufacturer’s website to find more
information. You can also refer to previous emails sent to you on
product information (keep these in a file in your email or print them off
and file in a binder or folder). If that doesn’t work, call your RSM and she
can help you.
Questions Or Concerns
If you have any questions or concerns about anything (products, procedures, Portals, etc.), please contact
your RSM. It is their job to help and train you so this can be a fun and profitable business for you. **We do
ask that you make every effort to find the information you need first by checking your
Representative Manual, this Information Booklet, the monthly catalog, any e-mails received from your RSM, and by
searching on the internet (Google). These are excellent resources for you.
IMPORTANT: Please do not contact the office unless directed to do so. In the past, there were too many
phone calls coming in to the office by individual representatives and it was slowing down the operations in
the office. By going through your RSM, they may already have the answer from an earlier question or can
find out. It is easier for the office to handle questions from 10 RSM’s than 300+ representatives, and your
RSM can share the answer with everyone so all of us benefit.
Late Orders
These are orders received AFTER your order has been closed on Portals.
** We really want to discourage late orders due to the additional work required to process these. However,
we realize that there are a multitude of reasons why customers didn’t get their order to you on time, so we
can process late orders but you need to understand the process.
1. You need to send a complete list of what the customer needs to order (or add to their order). Your
RSM will need the item number, the quantity needed, and the complete description of the product.
Example: #1153 – 1 – Parchment Paper, 100 ct.
2. Your RSM will submit this late order to the office and they will let your RSM know if there is inventory in
the warehouse to add this item to your order. Your RSM will then let you know.
 If the late order can be added, you will
need to do a manual Excel invoice for
that customer (your RSM will send you
the file to use) because we are not able
to add to the online Portals order once it
is closed.
 If the late order cannot be added, you
will have to order the item(s) on the next
catalog’s order for that customer.
3. Once the order is received from the driver at
delivery, you will give the customer the manual
invoice with their order (you may want to print
two copies so you have one). Print your Tax
Report and then you will have to manually hand
write the added order $ amount to the Tax Report so you have a correct total of what you sold for that month.
Rep Etiquette
As you grow your Alison’s Pantry business, it is important to understand that we do not have a monopoly
on a particular area and cannot tell people who they have to order from. It is up to the customer to decide
who they want to order from. They do not have to order from you just because you are in the same town
with them. They are free to order from any representative anywhere. It is up to you to give whoever does
order from you the best possible customer service you can.
Although you are not limited to a certain geographical area, we do ask that you grow your business in the
town you live in before you spread out to neighboring towns and areas.
IMPORTANT: As you go out and share Alison’s Pantry with everyone you meet, please DO NOT TAKE
customers from other AP representatives!!! This is a very bad business practice and a definite NO-NO! If
the customer is unhappy with the representative they are ordering from or would rather order from you
instead, please ask the customer to notify their representative that they will be ordering from you from now
on. Also let your RSM know so she is aware of the change the customer has made.
If you offer a catalog to someone who already has an Alison’s Pantry representative, tell them to
continue to order from their current representative.
Planning And Hosting A
Tasting Party
A tasting party is a gathering, usually hosted at your home, where Alison’s Pantry foods are displayed and
served for sampling. Put simply, it’s a party that’s all about the food!
Tasting parties allow you to talk up Alison’s Pantry to a large group at once. Everyone loves free food, and
people enjoy being able to try products before they order them. When you invite your current customers
offer them a free gift for bringing a friend. Current customers can help you sell more because the
environment of a Tasting Party invites people to talk about their favorite foods and previous purchases.









Choose a date that doesn’t already have a major community event. Weeknights work best. Open
houses are a great idea too.
Planning your tasting party to coincide with delivery is a good idea because customers already have
a reason to stop by your house to pick up their orders.
Invitations should be clear and help people get excited about coming to your party. Mention the fun
things that will happen such as door prizes, prizes for bringing a friend, delicious food to sample and
good ideas on how to do something.
Over invite. Fill out the “who you do you know” worksheet. Inviting friends and
family you know well will help insure good attendance at your party. Set a goal
for how many people you would like to attend. If you want 20 people to come you
should invite at least 50.
Invite early. Give people enough time to get your event on their calendar. Send
out paper invitations (or a postcard) two weeks in advance.
Follow up with a phone call to let people know you are looking forward to
seeing them at your party. Sending a reminder email a few days before your
Check out our
event is also a good idea.
Alison’s Pantry
Pinterest Board
Facebook is a great way to remind people about your party but you need to
for great recipes!
make personal contact with each person you are inviting rather than sending out
We are pinning
a mass invitation to everyone.
new ideas
Have a class, teach something at your party that people would enjoy learning
all
the time.
such as 10 things to do with our fabulous French bread, or cupcakes for any
occasion with the Classic Crème Cake and Muffin mix.
Keep it simple. The food you serve should be easy to prepare. Make a list ahead of time of things to
be purchased at the store such as paper goods. Also prepare a list of tasks to do to prepare for the
party and schedule when you will accomplish those tasks.
Delivery
Delivery Schedule
As the company continues to grow and change, the
delivery schedules are constantly changing from month to
month. We cannot guarantee which week or day and time
you will get delivery until the schedule is sent from the
office and then that is not “cut in stone”. If you have
questions about delivery and if the truck is on schedule or not, please contact your Regional Sales
Manager (RSM). PLEASE DO NOT call the office or the truck driver unless you have been told to do so.
Delivery is coordinated through your RSM and they are in touch with the driver.
On delivery day you need to be available by phone. Please keep in mind that the delivery schedule that
is sent to you can change for many different reasons. It is very important to be available at least 1 hour
before your scheduled time to 1 hour after. If the schedule changes more than 1/2 hour, your RSM, will
try and call or e-mail you and give you an update.
Backup Person
Please have a backup person who can take your order for you if you are unable to meet the truck on
your scheduled day and time. Please let your RSM know who your backup is and their contact
information so they know who to contact in case there are any changes with delivery. If your backup
person is a family member, also have another backup person who is not related so if you are gone to a
family event, you will still have someone who can meet the truck.
You or your backup person must be at your delivery location on time to receive your order. This will
greatly help to keep the truck on schedule. If you are going to have a backup person receive your order,
please let your RSM know so they know who to contact in case there are any changes with delivery.
Unloading Your Order
1. When your order arrives, help the driver unload. Your
delivery is scheduled to take only 15 minutes, so there
will not be time to carry all items to your garage or
freezer. Just unload from the semi as quickly as
possible.
2. Frozen items are unloaded first. The driver will tell you
how many freezer boxes you have with your order.
Count to make sure you have them all when they are
unloaded.
3. Refrigerated items are unloaded next. Make sure you
receive any cheese that was ordered!
4. Finally dry products are unloaded.
5. PLEASE REMEMBER TO CALL AND INFORM THE
NEXT REP IN LINE FOR DELIVERY THAT THE
TRUCK IS ON THE WAY. Your RSM will give you the
name and phone number.
Before Delivery Checklist
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Make and print your newsletters.
Print catalog labels.
Adjust your zeroed items in the portals program.
Print receipts and tax report.
Contact all customers and schedule a time for
them to pick up their orders.
6. Prepare samples that you with to share.
7. Make sure your home and garage (or wherever
customers will pick up their orders) is clean and
presentable.
When Order Arrives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Unload the order.
Call the next person on the delivery route to let them know the truck is on its way.
Inventory your order.
Call your RSM with any problems, shorts, extras, damaged items etc.
Put labels on Catalogs and insert newsletters.
Divide and box individual orders.
Make sure you have any prizes for contests ready.
Within 2 business days you must have your adjustment worksheet turned in. This is a great time to
turn in your reorders too.
9. Make sure the money collected matches the money you were supposed to collect.
10. Deposit the money into your Alison’s Pantry bank account.
11. Set aside the sales tax you have collected in your savings account to be paid quarterly.
Inventory
DOING INVENTORY
When you inventory, always use the invoice from the driver to inventory your order. It is the only accurate
record of what was pulled and shipped according to Alison’s Pantry. Check out the training video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmVq2ShMdhY
Invoice
The invoice from the office will show all items that were shipped and is printed
out by section and then in number order within each section. The sections are
as follows:
01 – Canned items, powdered items (Jell-o), some liquid items (1 gallon jugs,
etc.)
02 – AP mixes, #10 tins, fruit fillings, most candy
03 – Containers, soaps, 25# and 50# bags, chocolate
04 – Utensil items, spices
05 – Pasta, drinks (liquid), and refrigerated (CHEESE)
11 – All frozen items
These items should be packed together by section in boxes in your order making
it easier to do inventory. It may help to draw a red line separating the sections
on the invoice so you can find each section easier.
The last column on the right on the invoice reflects the amount charged. If an item was not sent, then the
last column will show a ZERO BALANCE.
When the order arrives, use the invoice to check off all of the FREEZER items first. Look in each box and
never assume there is only one item per box. RED TAPE on the freezer box means there is more than 1
item inside (unless it’s bacon).
Next, use your invoice to check off the REFRIGERATED items, then the DRY items. Work only from your
invoice. Be sure to double check any discrepancies, especially when more than one person is helping with
inventory.
A SHORT is any item that was not received, but was charged on the invoice. REPORT this short within 72
hours by calling or sending an e-mail to your Regional Sales Manager. Also, NOTE the short on the
adjustment sheet.
Occasionally an item may be received in the shipment that was not ordered and does not appear on the
invoice. If this product is sold, report the item on the adjustment sheet as an EXTRA and include this
amount with the payment.
If an item that was ordered on the original order is not found, check the invoice from Alison’s Pantry to see
if it has been charged. If it is not charged, it is NOT a short and is NOT to be deducted from the adjustment
worksheet.
Zeroed Items
Items Not Received
When your order is delivered, there may be items that you do not receive
due to a couple of reasons:
1. The item was not in stock to ship to you. You will receive a Zeroed Items List from your RSM
showing the items that will not be sent to you. These WILL NOT be listed on your Invoice from the office
that the truck driver will hand you. Only items shipped to you will show on this invoice. If your customer
still wants to get the item, you can reorder it. Keep reading for more details on reordering a product.
2. The invoice shows the item was shipped, you were charged for it, but you did not receive it.
These are called SHORTS. Your RSM needs to know about these as soon as possible because
another representative near you may have them and an attempt can be made to get them to you. If we
cannot find the missing item(s), or get them to you, you will need to make an adjustment on your
adjustment worksheet in the SHORTS section, Line 4, and subtract the cost of the SHORTED item(s) so
you don’t pay for what you didn’t receive. If your customer still wants to get the SHORTED item, you
MUST reorder it. It will not come automatically!
What to do about zeroed or shorted items:
The office will show these items as Zeroed on your customer’s
Invoices (these are created after the Zeroed Report is run). In
order for your customer’s Invoices and your Tax Report to have
the correct calculations, please do the following:
 After receiving your order and doing inventory, you will need to
make the following adjustments for Zeroed Items and any
SHORTS (missing items) that are not located and given to
you.
 Bring up the customer’s order on Portals that has a Zeroed
Item or was SHORTED an item.
 Make sure Zeroed Items show a “0” in the Quantity column,
“Zeroed” in the Status column, and “0” in the Received
column.
 If the above columns are correct, click on “Save Order”. This
updates your invoice and your Tax Report. (The changes you
see on Portals were made at the office but won’t affect your
customer’s invoice calculations until you save the order on
your end.)
If the above columns are not correct, click on the
Received column for that item and change the
quantity to “0”, tab to the next line, then click on “Save Order”.
If an item is on the Zeroed report but the invoice/invoices are still showing a quantity
amount, then you are receiving a lesser amount of that item than what you
ordered. You will have to decide which customer/customers will receive product and
which ones will be zeroed out. Make the change to the customer’s order that you
choose to zero and SAVE the invoice.
To correct the quantity for SHORTED items, pull up the customer’s order in Portals,
find the item that was not received, change the quantity in the Received column, and
then click “Save Order”. Then print your Invoices for your customers.
Zeroed Items Continued
 To REORDER items that were ZEROED or
SHORTED, add to the next order due before it is
closed. If the next order has already been closed, send
an email to your RSM with a manual invoice attached
showing the item #, quantity, and a description of the
items you need reordered and they will be added to
your order if there is any inventory left after regular
orders are filled for that catalog. If you input an item #
on the manual invoice and it comes up with “#NA”,
that item is not available to reorder on the catalog.
 If you want to print your customer’s invoice ahead
of delivery, you can print them before you receive the
Zeroed Report but will either have to make changes by
hand on the invoices (or reprint those with a change)
AND in the Portals program so your Tax Report shows
the correct amounts.
Extra Items and Damaged Items
Extra Items Received
EXTRAS are items you did not order, you were not charged for them, but you got them. Most of the time,
these items got put in your order by mistake and they belong to another representative. Let your RSM know
as soon as possible that you have extra items so that an attempt can be made to get the items to the correct
representative.
If the travel distance is too great and there are too many items to ship, the company wants you to make every
attempt to sell the items. If you cannot get them sold at full price, you can discount the items at 25% off and
then 50% off, if necessary. The office DOES NOT want any food items returned. If you are not able to sell
something and it is not something you would buy yourself, contact your RSM to discuss further options.
Damaged Items

You may receive an item that has been damaged at some point in the
delivery process. Depending on how much the item is damaged, we
ask that you do the following:
 A tear or hole where little or no product has been lost. Tape
the tear or hole and try to sell the item at full price. If the customer is
not happy about the tear, offer to give them a 25% discount if they will
still buy it. Subtract the amount of the discount on Line 7 of the
Adjustment Worksheet (DISCOUNT ITEMS).
 Up to half the product has been lost. Tape the bag closed and
offer it for 50% off. Subtract the amount of the discount on Line 7 of
the Adjustment Worksheet (DISCOUNT ITEMS). If no one will buy it,
let your RSM know (they have to report it to the office) and then delete 100% of the cost of the product on
Line 6 of your Adjustment Worksheet (DAMAGED ITEMS). Throw the damaged product away.
Item cannot be sold due to excessive damage. Let your RSM know the item number and description
of the item (for their report) and then deduct 100% of the cost of the item on Line 6 of your Adjustment
Worksheet (DAMAGED ITEMS).
Alison’s pantry, our name is our guarantee
Returns
Returns are products that the customer does not want due to a
number of reasons – wrong item ordered, refused by customer,
did not order, wrong product received, damaged/bad products, or
another reason.
Please use the following as guidelines for returns:
Two Categories:
Food Products
 Absolutely no returns (unless the supplier requests it).
 If there is a product quality problem or it’s disliked by
customer (product was opened and tried), give full credit, get item back from customer, get
codes off the box or bag, and the representative needs to report necessary information to
their RSM (see list below).
 If product is received in error/customer refused/etc. (Product unopened), try selling it at
regular price, and if it doesn’t sell, then discount from there at 25%, then 50% off.
 If product is damaged, sell at a discount or dispose.
Non-Food Products
 Damaged NON-FOOD products need to be returned to Alison’s Pantry. Give full credit to the
customer. Representative needs to report this to the RSM (See below).
 Non-Food products that are not damaged should be sold if
at all possible. Try to sell at full price, then discount 25%, then
50%. If you cannot sell the item, contact your RSM for other
options.
Returns
Our product is guaranteed 100%. We will refund any food product that is damaged beyond consumption or is not acceptable to
the customers standards. We do not want returns for food products except if the supplier wants the product sent back for testing. This is because when it comes back on the truck, the food is
damaged even more when it isn’t palletized. Returns of non-food
items are accepted in the situation of a damaged product. All
returns need to be approved by your RSM.
The following information MUST be supplied to the RSM before a return can be processed:
 Which catalog was the product purchased from?
 Full name of product and AP item number.
 Code and all information from bag/box of product.
 What is the specific problem/complaint from customer?
 Name and complete contact information of customer making complaint.
Once we have received this information, we will let you know if any food items will need to be returned.
ALL NON-FOOD items will be returned. A Return Worksheet must be filled out. One copy is sent with
the non-food item back to the office on the next delivery truck. ALL returns (food and non-food) must
have a copy of the Return Worksheet sent with the Adjustment Worksheet when paying for your order.
Returns are accounted for in the DAMAGED section of the adjustment worksheet (line 3).
Don’t forget to let your RSM know if you have any items that need to be REORDERED within 5 days of
receiving your order. They are not automatically reordered for you.
Adjustment Worksheet
The Adjustment Worksheet is found on the Alison’s
Pantry website on the Representative Page. You
can input the information to make any adjustments to
your order (Shorts, Damaged Items/Returned Items,
Discounted Items, Extras, Gift Certificates redeemed,
etc. Once you have entered all information needed,
this form should be saved to a file on your computer
and then the file should be attached to an e-mail and
sent to your RSM. Do Not send it to the office. Your
RSM will review your Adjustment Worksheet to make
sure everything is complete and correct, and then
she will forward it to the office to be processed.
(Please have this done within 72 hours of
receiving your order so the adjustment can be
applied to your account BEFORE your payment
is taken out by the office.)
Run #: This is found on your delivery schedule sent to you from your RSM and is at the top of the schedule.
(Ex. - LOADING ORDER CATALOG #8 RUN 6)
Drop #: This is found next to your name on the delivery schedule.
Example from Delivery Schedule:
Name
PRICE, BECKY
Phone
307-362-2446
City, State
ROCK SPRINGS WY
Stop
38
Time
7:45 a.m.
Rep. Name: Put your name.
Catalog #: This will be the catalog that the item that was short, damaged, discounted, or an extra was
received (usually the current delivery). If an item was returned from a previous catalog, use the current
catalog’s information.
RSM: This is your Regional Sales Manager’s name.
** Fill out all information for each section needed: Item #, quantity involved, $ amount of the item(s) (this
needs to be the total amount so if there are 2 or more items of the same item number being returned, you
need to put the total amount for all the items. Ex. Returning 2 of #1038 – Custom Real Chicken Base. One
jar costs $7.99 so the total cost to put is $15.98), description/comments (name of the item), how item was
damaged, reason for discount, etc. Make sure the total field $ amount is correct.
Representative Credit: This is the percentage of commission you received for the order that this adjustment
is being made.
**Once totals are input for each section where an adjustment needs to be made, the totals are calculated for
you. You will need to input the Shipping Amount which is 10% of the Subtotal on the Adjustment Worksheet
and needs to be a negative number if the Subtotal is a negative number.
**If you have a mileage reimbursement (approved by RSM), postage reimbursement (approved by RSM), or
a Gift Certificate to be redeemed (need certificate number and person’s name who is redeeming it listed),
make sure they are entered.
Adjustment Worksheet
The Total Adjustment is what will be subtracted or
added (due to Extra Items) from your total due
listed on the Invoice from the office that the driver
gave you when you got your order.
How your Commission is Calculated
Commission is earned based on your product sales
BEFORE shipping and sales tax are added
(Subtotal) and is based on your order amount at
order deadline when orders are closed in Portals.
The commission percentage levels are as follows:
$750 to $999
10%
$1,000 to $1,999
14%
$2,000 to $2,999
15%
$3,000 to $3,999
16%
$4,000 to $4,999
17%
$5,000 & up
18%
(Local reps commission is slightly different. Please
check with your RSM).
If your original product amount sold was in one
commission level but due to SHORTS and Zeroed
items, your total fell to a lower commission level,
you will still get the higher commission percentage
but it will be calculated on the lower new subtotal
amount.
Example: Your original product amount sold was
$3,010.00 but because of SHORTS and Zeroed
items, your new product total before shipping and
sales tax is $2,995.00. You will get the higher
percentage of 16% for an over $3,000 order but
your commission will be calculated based on the
lower new product total of $2,995.00.
$2,995.00 x 16% = $479.20 commission earned. If you need help with this, please contact your RSM.
Gift Certificates
Gift certificates are just like money. If a customer gives you a gift certificate, deduct the amount on the
certificate from their total due to you, then deduct the amount of the gift certificate from the final total due to
the office on the Adjustment Worksheet. In the Comments section at the bottom, write down the certificate
number and the name of the customer redeeming the gift certificate for the office’s records.
If you are redeeming a gift certificate received from the office or your RSM for winning a contest or referring
a representative, etc., deduct the amount of the gift certificate from the final total due to the office on your
Adjustment Worksheet. In the Comments section at the bottom, write down the certificate number and indicate what the certificate was for (winning a contest, referral bonus, etc.).
Marketing Ideas
“You do not have to be superhuman to
do what you believe in.”
—Debbi Fields, Owner of Mrs. Fields Cookies
Success Tip
Becky Price, RSM, of Rock Springs, WY Shares Her Business-Growing Tips
“I began as a representative in January 2000.
I took over from a lady who had been a representative for 6 years
and I had been ordering from her for about 4 of those. I purchased my first freezer and was thrilled when I sold
over $700.
In 2006, about two years after my last child was born, I decided it was time to expand and grow my business. I
soon had to buy 2 more freezers to handle the growth. My business took over half my living room with two
freezers in a mud room off our front door and a maze of shelves around my computer desk. We needed our
living room back for our family so we built a new 20’ x 24’ business building next to our home. I now have my
three big freezers, shelves for orders, computer, desk and files in the same room and nicely organized with plenty
of room to do inventory. My orders currently average $5,000 each month and I now have room to grow even
more. I’m in heaven!!
I did several things to grow my business, such as get catalogs into people’s hands and make order reminder
calls, which are crucial! I offered a 5% off incentive to my customers if they referred a new customer. I had an
Early Order drawing for those customers who place their order early and gave away a $10 gift certificate to the
winner each month. I kept track of my customers order totals and when their totals reached a $100 increments
($100, $200, $300, etc.), I put them in a drawing and the winner got a FREE item from my goody box which has a
variety of items in the $10 range. These incentives are ones I use every month now, which my customers love!
Everyone loves FREE things!
Sometimes, I have different contests to encourage sales and offer a variety of items (vintage mixing bowls, gift
basket of AP items, $25 or $50 gift certificates). Contests I have done are: place an order of any size for the next
three catalogs; qualify by placing an order of $50 or more; qualify by referring 2 or more new customers.
As an RSM, it is very rewarding to help my representatives grow their businesses by sharing with them what has
helped me to grow. Thanks, Alison, for bringing this opportunity to so many stay-at-home moms, like myself!”
Building Customer Base
Take part in local fairs
or shows to meet new
potential customers
and showcase Alison’s
Pantry products.
Keep records of those
who receive catalogs
and always follow up
with a phone call near
order day.
Point out Hot Deals
and specials in the
catalog, either verbally
or in a newsletter for
your customers.
Give your customers
an extra catalog and
encourage them to give
it to a friend. Offer a
discount, bonus, or
drawing for customers
who refer their friends
to you.
Get to know as much
as you can about
Alison’s Pantry
products.
Host a Tasting Party
and encourage guests
to bring a friend.
People love to see and
taste the products and
often become lasting
customers.
From one AP Rep to another, here are some terrific tips to help you
build your customer base…
“I have done vendor shows, and now will be
doing a fair for 5 days. I had a banner made for
my booth and business cards that I will apply
magnetic tape to, for handouts.
This month I’m running a "Refer a Friend
offer." For my approaching 1 yr. mark with AP, I
have printed labels and affixed them to business
cards saying if my ordering customer refers up to
3 friends that order from the August catalog they
are eligible for up to $15.00 off their purchase,
and each friend gets $5.00 off as well." I put an
expiration date on the cards and a $15.00 limit.”
—Melissa Forgey, Casper, WY
One idea is to order 5 extra catalogs and
give them to 5 prospective customers. If
they don’t want or need to order, I challenge
them to give the catalog to someone who
may need it, like someone with a large
family that might benefit from buying in bulk.
I have also given a 5% discount to
customers whose friends order and give the
friend a 5% discount as well.
—Irene Weber, Rock Springs, WY
I have always hand delivered all the catalogs to neighbors and
friends. While handing out the catalogs I have a little notebook that I put
their phone number in so I can call them when it's order week. I offer
extra catalogs to people to share with friends or family members. If they
choose to take an extra catalog I put a star by their name in my little
notebook so I know to ask them when I call who they shared it with.
I verbally tell each customer of the Hot Deals or specials that I think they
may be interested in. For instance, the Ghirardelli Dutch Process Cocoa
that has a price increase coming up. I sold 12 of the 5 lb. bags for Catalog
#7 just by letting people know.
Then a day or so before the order due date I start calling each person that I
gave a catalog to and ask if there is anything they would like to order this
month. If their reply is that they haven't had a chance to look yet, I ask if
they'd like me to call back later that evening or the next day. I never let
them get back to me because, let's face it, who remembers?
—Christine Knopp, Spanish Fork, UT
I send out e-mail reminders and make phone calls when the order is due. I
am very available for ordering and for picking up orders. I believe in
making the process as convenient as possible for the customers.
—Amy Haugen, Beulah, ND
Maintaining Customer Base
Keep a paper record
with each customer’s
name and contact
information. Stay in
contact by phone and
with e-mails.
Use e-mail to inform
about Hot Deals, new
products, and catalog
specials so customers
feel “in the know”
about AP products.
Give personal attention
by recommending
products that you
know a customer will
enjoy. Point out when
their favorites go on
sale.
Offer drawings for
customers who order
over $50 or $100.
Deliver catalogs early
enough to provide
customers time to
peruse them.
Offer to split cases so
even small households
can enjoy buying
quality products in
bulk.
Offer samples on
pick-up day.
From one AP Rep to another, here are some terrific tips to help you
maintain your customers…
I have found that I tend to get more orders from
customers that I can e-mail to remind them, or
text them a reminder on order day. When I didn’t
have as many e-mails and cell phone numbers, I
didn’t have as large of orders. And the customers,
I believe, like the reminder without an interruption
in their day for a call.
—DeAnne Carlson, Powell, WY
When I contact each customer, I try to remember items they have ordered
previously so I can let them know if those items are on special, or about
other specials that are in the current catalog. I always charge a delivery fee to
each customer because I personally deliver their order. But, on any big orders I
do not charge more than $10.00 for delivery to that customer. Most of my
customers have been long-time customers, and they have also helped to bring
me more customers. —Janet Dunn, Fairview, UT
Some months I've offered a drawing for things like a
case of steaks or a cheesecake to people who refer
someone who orders or if their personal order is over
$50.00. Each month I set a goal of how big of an order
I want to have. I sit down with my family and look
through the catalog and see what we want to order
ourselves. Then I make it a goal to have my
commission pay for it and then some. I've never had to
pay out-of-pocket for any of my orders, and my last
order was about $400. With my commission it's
amazing what a deal I can get on trying so many new
things that in turn I can let my customers know about
(not to mention get hooked on and love myself.)
—Christine Knopp, Spanish Fork, UT
I have purchased Alison's Pantry Products for years. One thing that has really
increased my orders each month is suggesting that customers divide a case of
product with another customer. Many more customers will order. The orders
may be small, but small is better than not ordering because a case is too much
for some customers. (Fern also maintains a fantastic blog for her customers at:
www.fernskitchen.blogspot.com. An AP blog is a great way to keep customers
informed.) —Fern Goodwin, St. George, UT
Encouraging Repeat Business
“A 5% improvement in customer retention rates will
yield between a 25-100% increase in profits across a wide
range of industries.” -Fred Reichheld, The Loyalty Effect.
Repeat customers spend 33% more than new customers.
- Laura Lake, about.com.
Referrals among repeat customers are 107% greater than
non-customers. - Laura Lake, about.com
Here are some great ways to encourage your customers to
continue to do business with you:

Keep it personal - Get to know your customers, ask about their lives, send birthday cards and
Christmas cards, and let them know you care.

Stay in regular contact with your customers and let them know about hot deals, sales, and new
products.

Ask for repeat business. Each month contact all of your customers and ask for an order.

Develop a rewards program. You could offer a punch card; after they order 5 times they receive a
discount. Or you could have a contest; order 3 months consecutively and get your name in a drawing
for a free product.

Incentives are an important part of encouraging repeat business. Be creative.

Include free samples with every order.

Give exceptional service; include recipes with products, add a handwritten note with an order, use
creative packaging.
6 Step Plan To Reactivate Customers
1. Determine who past customers are and what they ordered.
2. Contact past customers preferably by phone or send them a postcard.
3. Offer an incentive to come back.
●Offer to reorder what they bought in the past.
●Give past customers 5% off their next order.
●Offer one time free shipping.
4. Apologize if your customer had a reason to stop doing business with you and
ask what you could do to get their business again. “I’m sorry” goes a long way.
5. Remind customers why they like your products.
●Take them a yummy treat from Alison’s Pantry.
●Highlight in your newsletter some of our best selling products.
6. Tell your past customers about new products.
Did you
know it’s 5
times easier
to sell to an
existing
customer
than to find
a new one?
Past customers often have no idea why they stopped
purchasing from you. All they need is a reminder of why
they enjoyed buying from you and a special incentive to
begin doing so again.
Customer Contests
Contests are a
great way to get
customers to do
what you want
them to do (like
turn their
orders in on
time) and build
sales. Here are
a few great
ideas from
successful
Reps.
Early Bird Drawing: Everyone who turns their order in by a
certain date is entered in a drawing for $10 off their order, or
another prize.
Pick Up On Time: The first 10 people to pick up their order
on order day are entered in a drawing for a free gift. Or you
could do everyone that came the first 2 days are entered in
the drawing.
$100 Club: Everyone who orders $100 or more is entered in
a drawing.
$50 Drawing: For every $50 you order, you receive an entry
in the drawing.
3 months Consecutive: Place an order 3 months in a row
and get your name entered in the drawing for a prize. This
is a great contest to get people in the habit of ordering every
month.
Becky Price,
RSM, has a
prize basket
filled with items
worth $5-$10
that customers
who win a
drawing get to
choose from.
“I have lots of drawings for great prizes! People love to win something for
free and so this has been fun for me and my customers.
 Seek & find (2 drawings) for those who find my picture or testimonial in
the catalog, and for those who order the item I placed a testimonial
on. (You could also choose any product for a seek and find).
 Orders that are $50 or more for 3 consecutive months are entered
into a drawing for a large gift basket.
 When there is a company contest, my customers are placed in a
drawing for a prize when they order any of those items that are in the
contest.
 Everyone who places 12 consecutive orders gets $10 off any one item
or free shipping on any size order.” - Terrisa Berg
Referral Incentives
Hands down, the best way to get new customers is referrals from other
customers who already use and love AP products. Here are some great ways
to get those referrals:

5% off your order if your friend orders.

Free shipping if your friend orders.

Gift from AP. Amber Henrie puts a sticker on the back of the catalog
“Share this catalog with a friend. If they place an order you receive 5% off
your order.”
What Successful
Reps Do
1. Focus on who you know. Fill out the “Who Do You Know worksheet” to get some ideas on who to
give catalogs to. Give catalogs to people you can get back with. Randomly dropping catalogs off at
places and to people you don’t know rarely works. You need to have the information to call back the
person who received the catalog.
2. Get all your catalogs out in a timely manner. People need time to browse through the catalog to
decide what they want to order. If you are delivering catalogs the week the order goes in, that is too
late.
3. Treat Alison’s Pantry like a business. You need to have set times to work your business. If you
wait until you aren’t busy or it’s convenient, the important things will never get completed. Choose a
date each month to deliver catalogs, prepare your newsletter, and make reminder phone calls.
4. Get organized, stay organized. All of your paperwork needs to be filed in a way that works for you.
You need to have a specific schedule of what gets done when. A great idea is to have a folder for
each month that holds a hard copy of your orders, the company newsletter, your tax report, catalog
for that month and anything else that pertains to that month.
5. Reminder Phone Calls. People love to order AP but they don’t always remember to call you to
place an order. Customers appreciate a reminder phone call so they can order what they need.
6. Use email. You need to have all of your customers email addresses and they need to be signed up
for constant contact emails. That not only saves you time, it also builds your sales. Use email to
send order deadline reminders and other important information.
7. Upsell. If you can offer a customer a product that will enhance what they are already buying, you will
build trust and increase your sales.
8. Know and use AP products. You can’t sell what you don’t know about, understand, and love.
9. Have contests and incentives. Customers love to get something for free! Use contests and
incentives to build your sales and generate new customers.
10. Do a newsletter each month. It should contain your contact information, when the order is due,
product highlights or recipes, special offers and any contests you are having and winners from
previous contests.
11. Keep updated records in portals. Current addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses
should all be complete in the portals program. It makes it easier to get a hold of your customers and
if your computer ever crashes you will still have the information.
12. Word of Mouth. Successful reps get referrals by asking for them and by offering incentives for people to give them to you. Word of mouth is the very best way to build your business.
Niche Marketing
Create a specialty, a uniqueness, an area of expertise that everyone needs but no
one is delivering.
When you sell a common item
you are competing with every
other company that sells the
same products on two things:
product and price. You have to
keep track of what your competitors offer. You have to
match what they charge. No
matter how good you are at
keeping up with your competitors, you stand to lose this
product-and-price war on a
daily basis.
With niche marketing you can
position yourself as better,
more desirable, more capable, more professional, and
more talented than every one
of your competitors—
regardless of your expertise.
With niche marketing, you
can tell the world - in one
sentence or less– how you
can better solve its problems
and fill its needs.
Prospective buyers will always exist in a niche that you can
identify. They have hobbies, they work certain kinds of jobs, etc.
When you identify their niche, and then approach each customer
as just one person in a niche market of other like-minded
prospects, your advertising and prospecting campaigns will
become easier and a lot more successful.
4




Use Good Marketing to
change what people
believe about you.
Remind customers what
makes us special such
as:
Premium bulk spices,
restaurant quality foods,
and specialty items you
can’t get anywhere else.
Help people plan for
special occasions such
as parties, weddings and
holidays.
Appeal to customers
who cook as a hobby
with all our great kitchen
Step Process For Telling The World How You Are Superior
tools and one-of-a-kind
items.
Put yourself in your customers’ place. Make a list of the most
common needs, goals, activities, and desires that your customers
Remind busy moms
have.
about our quick-to-fix
Make a list of the products and services you provide, especially
delicious meal ideas.
the unique add-ins that you don’t usually advertise. What does it
mean to go the extra mile with AP? This includes “freebies” good
customer service and total product quality. Make a list of unadvertised Host demos or a cooking
“bonus” benefits.
class to educate
Make a list of those additional things that you don’t offer now but
customers.
should offer in the future to meet your customers’ wants. Focus
on customer service. What about offering a recipe tied to the product, People on a diet will
or a great idea on how to use it? More product knowledge? What
appreciate our yummy
about an e-recipe book with all the recipes from the website or several
frozen fruits and
recipes for one product?
Tell your customers how you will meet their needs better than
vegetables, and fruit
your competitors. How is AP different? Stop asking customers,
smoothies.
“What are you looking for?” Instead, ask them, “What are you trying to
accomplish?”
Fairs
Having a booth at a fair is a great way to get the word
out about Alison’s Pantry. At your booth you can:
 Show AP Products.
 Hand out old catalogs.
 Offer samples of our delicious food.
 Sell extra AP Products.
 Do a drawing for a gift basket of AP products.
On the drawing slip have them indicate if they
would like to see a new catalog and/or are
interested in being a Representative.
The company has a fair kit or emergency preparedness kit available for free that includes various items that
we offer. Your RSM has a current list of what is available in each fair kit. This can be used for display, for
sampling to people at the fair, used to make up a gift basket for a drawing, etc.
One kit per representative per year.
There is a Fair Kit Request Form that you will need to fill out first. It can be found on our website under
Representatives. You need to submit this information as soon as you know about the fair you wish to
participate in so that the office has time to get the fair kit, banner, company apron and/or catalogs to you on
the delivery prior to the fair. The office WILL NOT mail a fair kit so please plan ahead!
The company banners and aprons may need to be mailed to you in order to accommodate the number of
representatives wanting to use them and the time of year.
**IMPORTANT NOTE about sampling product:
Make sure to check with the people running the fair concerning sampling out product at your booth. Some
places require a Temporary Food Permit, plastic gloves and only certain types of food can be sampled;
some places require food be enclosed in separate containers/bags to be taken off site to eat; some don’t
allow any samples because they sell their own food.
Mary Ellen Sherwin and Melissa Forgey hosted an Alison’s
Pantry booth at a local fair.
Fundraiser Guidelines
Alison’s Pantry has a wonderful fundraiser that includes some of
our best selling products to help you increase your sales and
generate new customers. More information and printables can be
found at alisonspantry.com. Please work closely with your
Regional Sales Manager as you plan and manage your fundraiser.
The Best of the Kitchen fundraiser includes some of our best
selling products such as:



Private Label Mixes
Bulk Spices
Premium Kitchen Tools
Fundraising with Alison’s Pantry is a simple way to generate
funds for any cause!





Everyone loves quality food. Our products are simple to sell
because good food is always well received. You can be
confident that your customers will enjoy their purchases.
Convenience. Unlike frozen cookie dough, our fundraising products require no cooler or freezer, so
handling is easy.
Delivery is simple for students. All products are clearly labeled.
Re-orders will be high for your next fundraiser because customers will remember how they enjoyed our
products before.
Your customer sets the prices. The fundraising group can choose the price to place on each product.
To calculate the prices that will set, and the profit that will be made, just follow these simple
instructions:
 Find the current pricing for the products that will be offered in our current catalog.
 No shipping charge is added to our Best of the Kitchen Fundraiser.
 If tax is charged in your area, add this amount to the product cost. You have now figured the amount that
the organization will pay Alison’s Pantry for each product.
 Now figure the amount of profit the fundraising group would like to make on each product. Add this
amount to the pricing above, and round to a whole number for easy calculating.
 Just fill in the chosen pricing on the flyer, in the spaces provided.
Fundraising orders are submitted and received with our regular Alison’s Pantry ordering and delivery
schedule. Once the orders and payments are submitted, the order will arrive in approximately one
month. Your Representative can give you a specific arrival week.
ALISON’S
PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
How to Talk to
a Customer
When You Give Someone A Catalog For The First Time

“Hi, did I tell you I’m selling Alison’s Pantry? Have you heard about it before?
Alison’s Pantry is like the Avon of foods or like bringing Costco to the customer.
We sell premium bulk spices, restaurant quality foods, food storage items and lots
more. I can’t live without _______ (insert your favorite product here).

“Would you like to hear about how it works? Each month a catalog comes out
with great new foods. Look through the catalog and decide what you want. You
can call me or email me with your order. It takes about a month for the order to be
delivered because Alison’s Pantry doesn’t keep the food stocked in the warehouse.
They order it after you order it so it comes to you fresh. You can pay me when you
come to pick up your order. We charge tax and 10% shipping. We offer 100%
money back guarantee if you don’t like something.”


Show the catalog and point out a few of your favorite things, or tell them about a
special price or free offer found inside. Talk about the great prices and great
quality of the foods and tell them to check out the catalog (and be sure to follow
up).
You have 10
seconds to grab
and hold your
customer’s
attention.

Be simple and to
the point.

Don’t talk
louder, faster, or
with a robot
voice.

Smile when you
talk.

Be enthusiastic!

Talk about
Alison’s Pantry
in regular
conversation
with your
friends and
people you
know.

Take AP foods
to parties and
potlucks.

Tell people
about your
favorite AP
foods.
“Check out the catalog and I will get back with you in a week or so to see what you
would like to order.”
Sell Customers What They are Interested In

If they love to bake, tell them about our bulk spices, Vegalene, Cinnamon Drops,
and Vanilla Powder.

If they love camping and the outdoors, tell them about Wise Food Storage and
Camp Chef products.

If they are on a diet, tell them about our delicious frozen fruits and vegetables, and
fruit smoothies.


If they are busy, stressed out, full-time working moms, tell
them about Soup Supreme that cooks in the crock pot all
day while they are gone, and our large assortment of
convenience foods.
If they are a retired couple tell them about the to-die-for
steaks they can pull out for a quick meal for two.
Alison’s pantry has something for everyone.
Help customers find the products that work best for their families.
Love What You Sell
“We intentionally stock the catalog primarily with things that customer won’t find in the grocery store, like
bulk spices at huge savings, food service products like our frozen breads, restaurant grade vegetables,
high-quality meats in bulk cases, etc. - all at competitive prices. - Kim Henke, Marketing Director
What makes
Alison’s Pantry
different?
 Families have
access to
foodservice
quality
products,
typically only
offered to
restaurants and
caterers.
 Freshness.
Taste the
difference
compared to
products that sit
on warehouse
shelves.
 Grade A
restaurant
quality,
non-GMO
vegetables.
 High quality
meats.
 Competitive
pricing. Bulk
savings.
Higher Quality Products.
“A lot of what we offer is in bulk so you are getting more for your money. We also offer a
much higher quality product than the grocery stores, because our products come from the
food service industry which is the same as the restaurants serve. So you are getting more and a higher
quality product than what the grocery stores offer.”
- Becky Price, Regional Sales Manager
“You can rarely find better quality item for a better
price. Plus AP guarantees their items! I always point
out the spices, you can never get more quality spices
for the money than through AP.” - Brooke Heaton
Eliminate club membership fees.
Many of us pay for club memberships to have access to certain products. I feel the
shipping is reasonable and gives me access to great products and pricing that I can’t get
other places in town.” - Kim Henke, Marketing Director
Bulk foods save money.
“ After people realize how many times they have
to run to the store to buy the things they need on a
regular basis, many are really glad to be able to
buy in bulk and save that running around time to
be able to do other things they would like to get
done.” - Becky Price, Regional Sales Manager
“If you have a family that goes through a lot of staples”, Alison’s Pantry is a great
way to make sure you get the most for your money. We use a lot of tater tots,
bacon, and chicken nuggets. Having these in the freezer saves trips to the store
(where you ALWAYS buy more than you planned) and the bulk pricing is cheaper
than the store. No membership fee (like Costco and Sam’s Club), no lines of people to wait behind and the food is fresh, tasty and guaranteed.” - Gina Bridgewater
Upselling - What Is It?

Upselling is the strategy of selling additional goods and services to customers
just before they complete their purchase.

The best part of upselling is that it’s practically effortless. Since it’s done after
the customer has decided to go ahead with the purchase, the hard part of the
sales conversation has already been done.

When you offer add-ons that customers need in order to benefit more fully from fries with that?
the item that they are purchasing, you not only create more cash for yourself,
but also create happier customers who ultimately enjoy their purchase more.
Would you like
Guidelines For Upselling

Upselling is just presenting the information in a “by the way” assumptive manner; one friend to another.

Assume the customer will naturally want this.

You are simply exposing the customer to other options they might not have considered previously.

Begin the upsell with a brief benefit, then if possible add something unique about what you are selling.
To avoid sounding pushy, ask for the customer’s permission to describe it.

Focus on the customer’s needs - not yours.

Group related products. So if someone is ordering an AP spice tell them about the great storage jars we
sell to hold the spices. If someone is ordering the chicken breast, remind them about the Lemon
Rosemary seasoning that makes chicken taste divine.

Become aware of a customer’s background and budget so you can better understand their needs.

Decide in advance what products relate to each other.

Make sure you understand the products.
How To Make A Reminder Call

People love to order Alison’s Pantry products but sometimes they get
busy and forget to contact you with their orders.

A reminder phone call is good customer service, your customers will
appreciate it, and it builds your sales.

The new portals program makes it easy to keep track of what a customer
ordered in the past so you can offer to reorder it for them.

Be prepared with what you want to say before you make the call.

Smile while you talk, it will come through in your tone of voice.

No need to be pushy, just polite and friendly.

1 new and improved rep manual.pub

Transcription

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