A great resource

http://www.barefootbooks.com/story/about_us/media/

The page on Barefoot that reflects the articles and buzz that Barefoot has generated is a great marketing tool!  Take a look at the media regarding Barefoot often times, if a customer hasn't heard of Barefoot or aren't interested, they may be more interested if say - Mothering Magazine has done a write up regarding the products.

It's a great day to do extra reading today anyway - cold, damp and yes, more RAIN!

Yesterday's Community Update Conference Call

Some great information came out yesterday during the community update meeting.  Some highlights:

• We talked a bit about the Ambassador initiative and getting the right types of ambassadors who are interested in the business and growing with Barefoot.  Don't just sign up everybody you know.  For every ambassador who signs up under you and joins your team, you'll get 10,000 loyalty points and will work toward the teambuilder competition.  The grand prize is a trip to the 2010 conference.  
  As a reminder, new ambassadors are eligible for the starter kit at $99.99 and will earn 20% commision on that as well. 
  An Animal Boogie Digital Short is coming in the not too distant future.  It will be similar to the Driving my tractor digital short that came out last year.  An ambassador asked about the possibility of these coming to DVD and Rebecca stated that it was something they talked about but no concrete plans to do that yet.
• Barefoot's very first official PODCAST will be coming soon!
• Barefoot is working on seasonal themes that they hope to get out to all ambassadors about a month ahead of time so that we can plan our business around special events, incentives and promotions. 
• They have hired a new director of IT, communications and community relations team.  So, some shuffling at the corporate level.
• The loyalty points report is now available, which will let us know where our points are coming from and how they are spent. 
• They are working on the team member sales report. 
• Coming soon:
• Updated marketing materials (including new catalogs)
• Information regarding approaching trade accounts, which will now be something that ambassadors can offer to stores, gift shops and specialty stores.    

Please let me know if you have any questions!  Definitely an exciting time to be an ambassador!

Today's Meeting

Today's meeting is a good one to attend if you have the time.  The monthly conference seems to be a good way to get some new information and of course, ask any questions that you may have.  If you can't attend, I'm planning to post the notes from the meeting on the blog later this week.  

Ambassador Community Update Web conference

Wednesday, 24 February at 10a PST/1p EST/6p GMT
All Ambassadors are welcome to this monthly web conference. We’ll discuss new developments and important issues...a great opportunity to ask questions!

Participant Passcode: 199753 

Toll-Free Phone Numbers:

When available, please use local toll-free numbers for your area. 

NORTH AMERICA:  1 888 619 1583

Emily's Tiger

Yesterday, Riley was having "A DAY".  She is still recovering from her cold, was tired and a wee bit growly.  After opening my latest stock order, she was upset that I wouldn't let her put a sign on the door that read, "Book Sale".  I literally grabbed Emily's Tiger and it couldn't have been more perfect!  She immediately joined me for the read and loved to hear about disgruntled Emily and how she learned, via her Grandmother, how to put her "growly attitude" into perspective.  I would highly recommend this book for those parents who are looking for the perfect book to tame the "beast" in their children.  Worked for us, calmed the mood and we walked away smiling (she still wants me to put up the sign though.)

Ages 3 to 7 years
Illustrated By: Miriam Latimer

No Wednesday meeting this week but next week's will be a monthly recap!

Ambassador Community Update Web conference

Wednesday, 24 February at 10a PST/1p EST/6p GMT
All Ambassadors are welcome to this monthly web conference. We’ll discuss new developments and important issues...a great opportunity to ask questions!

Use the free resources!

Sometimes it's easy to get overwhelmed with all the advice and resources that are out there for Barefoot ambassadors.  Try to take it one step at a time as you learn more about the business.  One excellent resource is the Childrens Craft and Activities tab on Barefoot's homepage.  Here's where to find it:

Along the top of the home page on Barefoot.com, click on "Our Story".  Along the left, scroll down until you see "Children's Crafts and Activities".  Here, you'll find various activities, audio books and songs that are perfect for you to get to know the stories and utilize at vendor events, parties and fairs.  Feel free to modify these as needed.  This past Summer, I utilized the Creepy Crawly Calypso activity after reading the story and listening to the song.  The preschoolers loved drawing their creepy crawlies and learning more about the creatures.  This would also be an interesting activity to pair with the new book, Who's In the Garden. 

I've also handed out printables such as the Zig Zag Zebra activity and the Cleo the Cat activity at various events.  These are an excellent way to showcase the books and get the children interacting...and their parents shopping!

Stay in touch...

No, you don't want to bombard your customers with constant emails and reminders but you do want to stay in touch with them.  It's a tricky balance, I found that over the busy holidays I was emailing my customers quite a bit because the promotions from Barefoot were always changing.  Then again, remember that your customer joined your mailing list so that they could be informed about new products, sales and events in their area.  You'll find that customers appreciate the knowledge of a sale, who doesn't like to save a little money.  It's also nice to remind your customers prior to a holiday that books really do make lovely gifts for the children in their lives.  I like to email my customers updates about once a month but if you don't feel comfortable with that, you can do what works for you.  I also know successful ambassadors who have monthly newsletters and those work well for them too. 

I used to send my email and marketing campaigns via gmail however, recently, I signed up for Mailchimp.  Mailchimp is an email marketing and list management website.  It's simple to use and free for your first 500 subscribers.  The features include list management, creative marketing campaigns and tracking which is essential when you want to see who really is paying attention. It also allows people on your list to unsubscribe, if desired.  Really, it isn't helpful to you or to them if they are not interested in the product.  I highly recommend visiting Mailchimp or Constant Contact to see if one of these email marketing companies would make your business run more smoothly and your campaigns more effective. 

Good luck!  Please feel free to leave a question or comment that you want to share with the team.

Reminder - meeting today at 1pm EST

Wednesday, 10 February at 10a PST/1p EST/6p GMT
and again at 6p PST/9p EST
We’ll discuss social networking and ways to reach out in a personal way in the online world.