Paperly Conference: Day 2

It will be hard to beat the 2nd day of Paperly's Conference. The day started off with the objectives of Conference and goal setting by each of the attendees.  A common theme from the Consultants was "expanding their Paperly business beyond their immediate circle of friends & family".  I then spent some time on Paperly's past, present and future.  I feel it's incredibly important to understand Paperly's beginnings and its everlasting principles so we can collectively build the "right" business. Then, we were honored to dialogue with Joe Mariano, the Direct Selling Association's President.  Everyone loved hearing his perspective on the industry and Paperly's unique and compelling position within it.  After an amazing lunch (of way too much food!) we broke into small teams to discuss best practices across (1) marketing your Paperly business, (2) increasing bookings and (3) enhancing the party experience. We will soon publish the notes from these discussions.  Finally, we concluded the day with a page-by-page preview of Paperly's new Spring 2012 catalog. Now that it's "out", I can finally start sharing all of its amazing designs and products - yea.

Now it's off to a fun-filled dinner of pizza, pasta, salads and wine ;)  I hope tomorrow is as productive - and fun! - as today!

I'll write more soon.

- Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly
The leading direct seller of personalized stationery & gifts

Paperly's Conference 2012

Paperly Conference Prologue

Well... it's finally here!  Paperly's first-ever Consultant Conference. I'm currently in Atlanta staring at all that I brought: goodie bags, treats, giveaways, samples from Paperly's new catalog, and so much more. The agenda is literally packed!  (I'm keeping my fingers crossed we can fit it all in ;)  I think I'm most excited about meeting all the Consultants.  They truly are a VERY special group. I also cannot wait to get their thoughts on (1) Consultant best practices, (2) solutions to Paperly's most vexing challenges, and (3) Paperly's new Spring 2012 catalog.  I've come to learn that Consultants want to learn some about Paperly, but more importantly, they want to listen and learn from each other. So it's my job to create the right learning environment and then get out of the way as fast as possible!

I promise to blog a lot more about Conference, hopefully throughout the event, but at the very least when I return to Chicago.  And yes - we will take lots and lots and lots of pictures and videos.

Remember - Think Big!

- Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly
The leading direct seller of personalized stationery & gifts

Paperly's 2012 Initiatives

As promised in my last blog piece, "Looking Forward to 2012", I'd like to elaborate on Paperly's 5 key initiatives for 2012: team building, Starter Kit, Fast Start program, marketing & promotion, and training & development.

Team Building

Someone once told me, "Paperly will only go as far as its leaders take it." I completely agree, so I have made it a top priority in 2012 to support the growth of Paperly’s leaders’ by helping them build their team. How? By allocating inbound leads to existing and future leaders who have met pre-established monthly criteria including personal sales, attending training sessions, and subscribing to Paperly's website & e-newsletter services. I am confident Paperly's current leaders will cultivate these leads into the next generation of leaders. 

Starter Kit

On January 1, Paperly launched a new and improved Starter Kit. The new Kit contains everything a new Consultant needs to successfully start and grow her Paperly business, including catalogs, order forms, loose samples and training guides. But of equal importance, the new Kit is less expensive ($99), will arrive faster (it'll ship in 1-2 business days) and will provide the opportunity to receive more personalized products. To that latter point, take a look at Paperly's new program titled, "40% Off for 40 Days".

Fast Start Program

On a personal note, I'm aghast at how many new Consultants never attend a Paperly training session. Of course, I cannot force them, but I can reward them when they participate. Thus, in 2012 I will post a list of activities I expect all new Consultants to complete, and as they're completed, Consultants will earn Paperly Dollars.  These Paperly Dollars can then be used to purchase additional samples, personalized products or business supplies... all of which will help the Consultant grow her business bigger and faster.

Marketing & Promotion

I appreciate that not all sales will occur at a party. Therefore, I have decided to extend Paperly's Free Shipping promotion for the foreseeable future, thereby enabling easier one-to-one sales. I'm also excited to announce that Paperly will launch an e-newsletter service that'll make it significantly easier for Consultants to stay connected with their Customers. Lastly, Paperly is committed to continuously expanding its offerings - such as personalized and branded signs, car clings, banners, etc. - within its Marketing Portal.

Training & Development

Last, but certainly not of least importance, is Paperly's commitment towards training and development in 2012. We have already established our yearlong training calendar, making it even easier for our Consultants to stay abreast of Paperly's latest programs and announcements. We also will begin in February our 3rd Future Leaders Program. And finally, we're holding our first ever National Conference, plus we're hoping to hold our 2nd President's Council in the summertime.

Of course, these 5 initiatives are only the beginning.  We already have so many other amazing things planned for 2012 including a free cruise for those who earn it, new products, a completely redesigned single-catalog approach, and so much more.  I hope you decide to ride the wave, because I'm confident 2012 will be a year like none other at Paperly.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Looking Forward to 2012

Wow, 2011 was another outstanding year for Paperly - thanks to an amazing team of employees, Consultants, Hostesses and customers.  I truly appreciate everything you do for Paperly.

A few qualitatively highlights of 2011 include:

• Dozens and dozens of new, personalized products including coasters, bag tags, design kits, dry erase boards, note cubes, tri-fold photo cards, picture frames and water bottles.
• A new preview technology.  (Feel free to test a sample of our preview capabilities.)
• Graduating our first 2 classes from Paperly's Future Leaders Program.
• Conducting our inaugural President's Council in Chicago in June.
• Significantly enhancing Paperly's marketing efforts, including launching Paperly's Marketing Portal, creating a Paperly YouTube channel and being recognized by the Direct Selling Association for ethical business practices.

Quantitatively, Paperly had another blockbuster year in 2011, including:

• 142% jump in new Consultants. Paperly now has 170+ Consultants located in 34 states coast-to-coast.
• 47% increase in commissionable sales. We love bigger and bigger payouts to our Consultants!
• ~$440 in average commissionable sales per Paperly party.

However, Paperly is NOT resting on our laurels.  We know we have a TON of additional work to do to become the world-class organization we're aiming to be.  Our 2012 initiatives can be broken down into 5 key categories: team building, Starter Kit, Fast Start program, marketing & promotion, and training & development.  I plan to discuss each of these initiatives in my next blog post.

Until then, thank you again for the successes of 2011, and I wish you and yours a happy, healthy holiday season.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Of Course Money is Important!

As Paperly's CEO, I talk to a lot of potential Consultants and I have found the top 2 reasons they are most interested in Paperly are:

1. They are passionate about the product.  Most say, they love personalized paper and gift products and think Paperly's exclusive designs are gorgeous.
2. They want to be the first in their community to offer Paperly. Although we've been in the stationery industry for 11 years, Paperly is relatively new to direct selling. Fortunately, our growth has been strong & steady; we already have ~175 Consultants located in 34 states coast-to-coast. Clearly, many communities remain completely untapped, and potential Consultants love knowing they can be first.

Interestingly, very few ever ask about the money. Perhaps they're embarrassed to ask the CEO about money?  Or perhaps it's because money truly is a distant third in the above list? Regardless, I know money is important, and therefore, I wanted to elaborate on Paperly's Commission & Career Plan.

Selling, Recruiting or Both

Paperly's comp plan was built over 9 laborious months and leaned heavily on a third-party expert with over 20 years experience in direct sales/comp plans. Even though he was the expert, I was adamant that Paperly reward Consultants who were successful at selling or recruiting or both (the latter, not surprisingly, offers the biggest payout). So unlike many other direct selling companies, you can join Paperly and do well financially solely by selling products you love - you don't have to recruit. Philosophically, that was important to me. 

Incentive Laden

Also important to me is that Consultants earn lavishly for achieving success. True, Paperly's commission starts at 20% (which already is very competitive), but Consultants can quickly earn much more: a personal sales bonus up to 12%, downline commissions of 3-6% and team/generational bonuses of 2-8%.  It certainly can add-up quickly.

No Resting on Laurels

Paperly requires its leaders to stay active by selling at least $200 per month, which by all accounts is a ridiculously low threshold for a business leader. Why this active requirement? Because I do not want a Consultant to build a big team, retire, and then earn significant commissions from her downline while resting on the sidelines. You must sell - albeit a minimal amount - to stay current. That said, you always earn commissions on your personal sales... no worries in that regard!

No Inventory 

Unlike a number of other direct selling companies, Paperly does not require you to purchase inventory.  If you do the math, purchasing inventory can significantly dent your commissions, especially since you're locking-up money by pre-purchasing products you're uncertain will sell and at what price.  All of Paperly’s products are personalized, and therefore, there is no inventory required.

Cash Bonuses & Paperly Dollars

Lastly, Paperly offers cash bonuses of $50 - $1,000 when certain Titles are maintained for 3 consecutive months.  Paperly also offers Paperly Dollars - which can be used to purchase additional business supplies - when certain personal and team sales are achieved. Again, both cash bonuses and Paperly Dollars align with my desire to make Paperly's plan heavily incentive laden.

Whew - that's a lot of information to digest. Please, if you have additional questions about Paperly's comp plan, ask me.  I'm happy to help.

In closing, I readily admit that (1) passion for product and (2) first-mover advantage should be why you join Paperly, but money matters and I am proud to say that I think our Commission & Career Plan enables you to be wildly successful at Paperly.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly

Paperly: Consultant Displays

I love seeing the magic Paperly Consultants perform with the samples we provide as part of Paperly's Starter Kit.

As a reminder, in Paperly's Comprehensive Starter Kit are the following samples (not to mention the catalogs, order forms, training documents and personalized marketing materials we also include): design swatches, hard-sided coaster, memo sheets with acrylic holder, napkins swatches, placemat, self-inking stamp, clipboard, wallet and dozens of loose samples (flat, folded, labels, stickers, etc.).

Below is a recent picture from Paperly Consultant, KateC, who has accumulated many, many samples during her tenure at Paperly, as clearly evident by her gorgeous display table.  Fortunately, Paperly has recently helped Consultants purchase personalized "hard goods" (e.g. picture frames, platters, coasters, etc.) via its Consultant Sample Sale.

Paperly Consultant, KarenS, is relatively new at Paperly, but even so, her display table is amazing! Here's what she recently said about it, "This is the table I set up for a Santa's Workshop, all direct sell companies. I had limited space so I clipped samples to my mini tree and put the rest in a half size binder in sheet protectors. The binder was perfect and the tree was super cute. The "star" on the tree was the holiday wine tag, I even ordered 3 sets for one customer!"

Lastly, this picture is of Paperly Consultant, KellyB, who not only did a fabulous job with her Paperly display, but I love the personalized Paperly banner she placed behind the table. Such banners - as well as business cards, marketing materials and signage - can be purchased at anytime via Paperly's Marketing Portal.  In fact, many Consultants never reach into their wallets to pay for such materials, but instead, they use the Paperly Dollars they've earned.

As you can see, Paperly's samples make for a very compelling, eye-catching display.  Thank you Consultants for sharing your pictures with me.  I hope to share additional photos soon.

Regards,
Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly
The leading direct seller of personalized stationery & gifts

A Direct Sellers Holiday (cont'd)

Seems like my 10/21/11 post, "Direct Selling Only this Holiday Season" seems to have struck a chord. Thank you to everyone that has helped spread the word including:

• Jen Fong's blog piece titled, "Support Your Local Economy: Make it a Direct Selling Only Holiday"
• Kara Wardell's blog piece titled, "Update on the Small Business Christmas Challenge" - although I wish she had listed Paperly as one of her favorite companies ;)
• LinkedIn's "Home Party Plan - Direct Sales Group".  FYI, join the group if you're not already a member!

I even have feedback from the Direct Selling Association that they'll try to promote the idea as much as possible, although admittedly it might be a better 2012 initiative for them, given their need for more lead-time to get their PR machine moving forward.

I also have a number of direct selling executives who are willing to pledge and promote this initiative to their representatives.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

But (isn't there always a but).... now what?  How do we continue to gain momentum?  In my opinion, this is a grassroots effort.  We need every direct seller to commit or pledge that they'll try, whenever possible, to purchase their holiday gifts from other direct sellers.

So I ask you - what should such a pledge say?

Please send your ideas to jay@paperly.com. I'll compile your ideas into a "Direct Sellers Pledge" (clearly, it's a working title) and send it to you for distribution.

So again, what should our "Direct Sellers Pledge" say?

Thank you in advance for your ideas.

Regards,

Jay Rudman, CEO, Paperly
The leading direct seller of personalized stationery & gifts