Surviving a Catalog Transition

Most Direct Sales companies introduce new seasonal catalogs at least twice each year.  While each company operates slightly different with individual catalog transitions, there are some universal guidelines to follow in order to survive a catalog change-over.

Expect a Few Bumps
Whether the company is young or a veteran in the industry, whether the consultants are new or experienced, a few bumps can be expected with any change.  Likely your corporate office has gone to great lengths to ensure a smooth transition, however if there are a few glitches, just go with the flow.  It’ll all work out.

Communicate Communicate Communicate
Communicate to your team members, to potential recruits and to customers.  People will be much more tolerant of slight delays or items out of stock if they know ahead of time that you’re in the process of moving out the old to make way for the new.  If you under-promise and over-deliver, you’ll minimize the frustrations.

Your Attitude Sets the Tone
If you’re disgruntled about the transition, it’ll reflect in your tone both verbally and over email.  Remember to “complain upwards and praise downwards” Don’t share your personal opinions or gripes with your downline. Rather, focus on the positive. Perhaps your company is offering a sale to liquidate items.  Who doesn’t love a sale?  Think of the supply and demand model; create a sense of urgency for customers to “get it before it’s gone”.

Patience Is a Virtue
If your home office customarily ships orders in a very timely fashion, this process could slow down during a catalog transition.  Consider all of the consultants within your company.  How many of those will be ordering new products?  Now consider all of their customers? Many of them will also want the new goods, too.  My company instructs us to tell customers that their orders will arrive within 2-3 weeks.  Generally it arrives much quicker than that.  Yet during peak ordering times, our warehouse personnel can only process as many orders as humanly possible. They still do a fantastic job, but some slowdown is to be expected.  Rather than consider it as “slow delivery”, count your blessings for all of the times they over-delivered and you were able to receive your orders in record time.

Live (and Sell) in the Present
Too often I see consultants looking so far into the future that they stop selling in the present.  For example, some companies introduce the Fall/Winter catalog in September.  Over the years, I’ve seen some consultants not do much in the summer (for various reasons) and then come August they’re already looking ahead and talking up the new products for September and beyond. Yet during parts of June, July and August they could have continued to sell out of the current catalog and earn a nice commission in the process.  Some of you may have heard the phrase:  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Or perhaps you’ll recall Van Morrison’s lyrics: Don’t worry about tomorrow. That ain’t gonna help you none. You’ve gotta live and take each day as it comes.

Left Over Catalogs
If you end up with some left over catalogs from the previous season, you can still use them in your marketing efforts.  Sticker them with “Retired Catalog, contact me for a current issue” or if you like to get a little more elaborate, make up labels or tags that read:

I’m an old [insert your company] catalog
I’ve been on an extended tour
Before I finally retire
Feel free to look and admire
Some of the products are obsolete
New ones will soon be on the street

Recycle this catalog – please pass it along to a friend

So there you have it.  Enjoy your new catalog and product offerings and most importantly make sure you’re having fun with your business, ‘else what’s the point in doing it?

“So that was somewhat of a transition coming in, but it’s something that has allowed us to grow as a team and an offense.” – Brady Quinn (all American football quarterback)