Representative Manual

Alison’s pantry– our name is our guarantee
Representative Manual
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 manual 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 blog www.pantryacademy.com. You may want to add some
of these ideas to your business. 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 rep support
[email protected]
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.
Catalogs. •Alison’s Pantry will mail you a free
starter packet of 15 catalogs to get you started.
Additional catalog packets cost $10 and can be
ordered through rep support
([email protected] )
Once you have filled the who do you know sheet contact those people to see if they would be interested
in ordering. Anyone that expresses interest can be entered into our online ordering program. Be sure to
get their email address, phone number, and address. Whomever you place in the ordering program will
be mailed a catalog to their home address each month for 6 months. If any of your customers have not
ordered in a 6 month period they will be removed from the mail list. It will be your responsibility to
reactivate them as a customer. Once they order one time they will be placed back on the mailing list for
an additional 6 months.
Few pointers: Customers must be added to the database
before the cutoff each month. You can find the deadline dates
on our blog pantryacademy.com in the Sales Tools—Printables
section. There is a pdf for customers and one for reps. Please
don’t get these confused as they have different deadline dates
on them. Also make sure you know which ordering group you’re
in. Red or Blue.
Alison’s pantry– our name is our guarantee
Who do you know?
Family Members:
Friends:
Neighborhood:
School:
Alison’s pantry– our name is our guarantee
Who do you know?
Community (clubs, associations, salon services, etc.):
Work:
CHURCH:
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE

Follow Up!
Our best reps know how important it is to follow up with
their customers. Some people are hesitant to bother their customers, but
believe me, they will really appreciate the reminder!
Best ways to follow up:
•Call
•Text
•Email
•Talk in person
•Facebook
•Carrier pigeon
Whatever it takes to remind your customers about placing an order!
The key to this business is reminding customers that it’s time to order. We have many
reps who used to feel like they were bothering their customers by reminding them that
it was time to order; however, the truth is that their
customers are grateful for the reminders. Never feel like
you’re bothering your customers by reminding them to
order; you’re providing excellent customer service!
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
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 $6,300.00 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.
***Alison‟s Pantry is not a tax consultant. As with any financial advice please consult your tax advisor for
the most current and up to date information.
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 sold more than $5,000.00 in product during that tax year. There is a box that
will be marked on the 1099 that states this. The amount of commission you have earned will not be on the 1099 but
can be determined by adding up the DISCOUNT % at the end of each
catalog’s invoice the driver gives you when you receive your delivery and
then you must take into account any adjustments made due to shorted
items or extra products received that were sold. You will need to add up
your commission from your invoices. This will be your income.
If you are unsure on how to handle your 1099, please contact
your local tax preparer.
***Alison’s Pantry will also send you a total for all invoices
and commissions at the end of the year
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
Proper Care Of Frozen Items
Alison‟s Pantry will ship the product to you in a refrigerated delivery truck which
keeps the frozen food at 0 to –10.
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. If you don‟t have enough freezer storage you‟ll need to purchase one
before your next delivery. If you‟re not willing to make that purchase you need
to seriously consider if Alison‟s Pantry is right for you.
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.
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 rep support and
she can help you.
Questions Or Concerns
If you have any questions or concerns about anything (products, procedures, Portals, etc.), please contact
rep support ([email protected] or 801-796-6411) and she will be more than happy to help you with
any questions you have. For any sales related questions such as Facebook marketing, increasing customer
base, increasing customer order size, ect please contact your regional sales manager and they would be
happy to discuss any sales related questions with you.
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
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.
What is a hot deal? Most of the products we run as a „hot deal‟ are called seconds. They are just as
good as the #1 product, but they have slight imperfections such as being too big, too small, breading is
not right, ect. Some items in the catalog are seconds so please make sure your customers understand
what exactly a second is. Also most seconds do not have the same labeling as the #1 product.
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. Please only hit submit once!
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.
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
Alison’s Pantry Website
Rep information: go to www.alisonspantry.com then click on „representatives‟ at the bottom of the page.
You can access information that is specific to representatives such as the rep manual, ACH form, Bank
Authorization form, Marketing Kit info, Fundraiser Info.
Searching for items– Use the search function at the top of the website to type in either the item number or
product description. Once you find the correct item be sure to look at all three tabs. Description, Specification, and Reviews. We try to have cooking directions, nutritional information, and product description on
the Description and Specification tabs. If the information you‟re looking for is not there please contact rep
support for help. The recipe search works the same as the product search.
How to join our mailing list– click this on the website
and it will take you to the sign up form. Please fill it
out completely and you‟ll receive emails with helpful
information one to two times per week.
Catalogs– Click on the „Catalog‟ link to open a PDF
version of the current catalog. They are about 12
MB in size and you can save it onto your computer
and email it to your customers if you‟d like to do that.
Newsletters– We put our newsletter information on
our blog each month. The blog pantryacademy.com
is where you‟ll find a lot of rep resources with marketing tips and past informational emails. We also post
our monthly training webinar sessions on the blog.
Rep Etiquette
As you grow your Alison‟s Pantry business, it is important to understand that you 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.
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
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 day and time you will get delivery until the schedule is sent from the office and then that
is not ―set in stone‖. If you have questions about delivery
and if the truck is on schedule or not, please contact rep
support.
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 rep support will
send out a text message and email to let you know if possible.
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 rep support 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.
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 will be unloaded first.
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. Rep support will send you
the schedule each month and you will see the next
rep‘s phone number.
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
Before Delivery Checklist
1.
2.
3.
4.
Make and print your newsletters.
Adjust your zeroed items in the portals program.
Prepare samples that you wish to share.
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.
9.
10.
11.
Unload the order.
Call the next person on the delivery route to let them know the truck is on its way.
Inventory your order.
Print customer invoices and tax report.
Call or email rep support with any problems, shorts, extras, damaged items etc.
Divide and box individual orders.
Make sure you have any prizes for contests ready.
Contact all customers and schedule a time for them to pick up their orders.
Within 2 business days please report any shorts or extras via email to rep support
Make sure the money collected matches the money you were supposed to collect.
Deposit the money into your Alison‘s Pantry bank account.
12. Set aside the sales tax you have collected in your savings account to be paid quarterly.
13. Tip for new customers– To avoid getting taken advantage of set a threshold for new orders
that you require 1/2 down when they place the order. This ensures the customer will not order
the product and vanish once it comes time to pay for it. I recommend any order over $100 for
a NEW customer that you don’t know needs to have 1/2 down. Of course it’s up to you; this
is just a suggestion.
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
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:
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
generally 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# bags, chocolate
04 – Utensil items, spices
05 – 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; BLUE TAPE signifies it‘s a cooler item,
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 (or an
extra item) within 48 hours by sending an e-mail to rep support.
With any shorted or extra items we ask that you call 1 to 2 reps in front of you and in back of you to see if
they have your product or are missing product.
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 does not need to be adjusted for. These
items will be found on the zeroed list that is emailed each month from rep support.
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
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 rep support
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 the zeroed list will let you know if you can reorder the item.
2. The invoice shows the item was shipped, you were charged for it, but you did not receive it.
These are called SHORTS. Rep Support 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 you
or rep support cannot find the missing item(s), or get them to you we will credit your account.
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.
You may reorder a zeroed item if the item is on catalog the next month. Generally the zeroed list will let
you know if the item is available for reordering.
ALISON’S PANTRY, OUR NAME IS OUR GUARANTEE
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 rep support 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. Before traveling to pick up something that was delivered to the wrong rep please make sure it
is approved through rep support. We reimburse reps for their travel expenses, but only if it‘s approved first.
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. This is because in the past
when we‘ve accepted items back on the truck they get so beat up on the return ride home they are damaged
beyond repair. If you are not able to sell something and it is not something you would buy yourself, contact
rep support 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 see if the customer
will accept it 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.
 Up to half the product has been lost. Tape the bag closed and offer it for 50% off. If no one will buy it,
let rep support know . Throw the damaged product away.
 Item cannot be sold due to excessive damage. Let rep support know the item number, description,
and catalog the item was delivered on and Alison‘s Pantry will credit your account for the damaged item.
 Please make sure you always email rep support so you and Alison‘s Pantry has a paper trail for adjustments to your orders.
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
rep support (see list below).
 If product is received in error/customer refused/etc. (Product unopened), try selling it at
regular price, to a different customer 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 and email rep support.
 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%.
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 rep support.
The following information MUST be supplied to rep support 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.
Alison’s pantry, our name is our guarantee
How Reps get paid
.
Commission Schedule
Delivered to Representatives:
$750—$999
10%
$1,000—$1,999
14%
$2,000—$2,999
15%
$3,000—$3,999
16%
$4,000—$4,999
17%
$5,000—$9,999
18%
$10,000 and up
20%
‗
Commission is based on orders before shipping and tax on a
monthly basis.
We will withdraw the money from your checking account automatically 10 days after
we deliver the product. Please make sure you‘ve collected all the payments from your
customers and deposit them into your Alison‘s Pantry checking account. When we
withdraw funds we‘ll take the amount owed on your invoice and you will be left with
your commission in your account.
Alison’s pantry, our name is our guarantee
Alison’s Pantry Policies
.
Order Minimums– Alison‘s Pantry gives you a grace period of 2 months to get your
order above minimum which is $750 if you‘re on the trucking route. We lower the minimum to $500 for the first two months and it becomes $750 thereafter. Again, this only
applies to reps who are considered ‗on route‘. If you‘re off route you will be notified
how much your minimum will be which you will be required to meet each month. If you
fall below that minimum you will need to meet the truck closer to the delivery route.
AP checking account– We require that you open a separate checking account that
you only use for Alison‘s Pantry transactions.
State Sales Tax– You will need to apply for your state sales tax permit and remit it to
the state. Most reps pay this quarterly. Use your tax report to calculate sales tax.
Freezer credit– If you get a $1,500 order within the first three months as a rep we‘ll
credit your account $100. This is designed to help you purchase a freezer. This is not
a cumulative order of $1,500 for the 3 months; it‘s $1,500 for one month.
Below minimum orders– If a rep falls below the minimum order threshold Alison‘s
Pantry does not pay commission on that order. We will still deliver it if it‘s over $300,
but we are unable to pay commission on an order that is that small.
If a rep has three consecutive below minimum orders or four within a six month period
we‘ll need to discontinue the business relationship. You may still continue as a customer, but if this happens it‘s just not working for you or Alison‘s Pantry.
ACH forms– Please fill this out with your checking account information that you‘ll use
for your Alison‘s Pantry business. It can be found on our website in the representatives area.
New rep kit- If your first order is above minimum
($750) you can order the new rep kit products and
we‘ll credit your account $100 and you‘ll also
receive a free catalog packet.
Catalog packets– You may purchase a bundle of
catalogs each month $10 for 15 catalogs. Please
email rep support to ask for those.
Marketing kit– Reps can order a marketing kit
each year. We charge you $50 for the kit, but if
you fill out the required forms we‘ll refund the $50
to you. If you don‘t go to your event you may
keep the product, but you‘ll need to pay for it.