Archive for August, 2009

Why use an open ended question?

Posted in Marketing, sales, Small Business Advice, Uncategorized on August 25th, 2009 by Tracie Gilbert – Comments Off on Why use an open ended question?

Now that you have brushed up on your Listening Skills, let’s explore how to get your customers talking. Usually the easiest way to do this is to ask an open ended question.

Open ended questions simply refer to questions that can’t be answered with a single word such as yes or no. Open ended questions inspire long answers, rather than just one or two words. In a sales setting, an open-ended question, rather than close-ended questions, can be especially beneficial.

Let’s examine a common sales mistake, you are calling a customer and trying to find out what feature(s) of your product will work best for them. Quite a few out there unfortunately have the bad habit of going through each feature individually and then asking the customer, “Does that sound good to you?” In this instance, they are doing most of the talking (instead of listening to what the customer needs), have wasted time that the customer may not have (resulting in irritation or abruptness) AND have now given the customer the option of saying “NO” (an unforgivable offense).

So what does a smart sales person that knows how to listen and is a problem solver, do instead?

A good start would be to ask the customer an open ended question. “What are you looking for in this product?” This allows you to find out what matters most to them and tailor your presentation to highlight only the features that matter to them. If your product matches or exceeds their every desire or fixes a specific problem they mentioned, then the customer is going to have a much harder time finding a reason to say no and instead has been given every reason to say “Yes!”

Everyone in this current economy is busier than ever and by eliminating the items in your pitch that do not matter at all to the customer and showing that you care about their problems and would like to help them solve them, you will be more successful in your sales attempts and thus, more successful in your business.

Now, the question is, what are you going to go do with this knowledge?

This article was written by Tracie Gilbert, VP of Business Development at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Tracie direct at Tracie@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Recent CoverGirl Events Post Record Sales

Posted in Cosmetic Promotions News on August 17th, 2009 by Kristen Jason – Comments Off on Recent CoverGirl Events Post Record Sales

Cosmetic Sales at Drug and Discount Stores Rise Due to In-store Demonstrations

press-release-1Shoppers visiting Shopko stores in June were surprised to find professional makeup artists promoting CoverGirl products such as Simply Ageless Foundation, TRUblend Foundation and Loose Powder, Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner, Eye Enhancer Eye Shadow, and Eyelights Mascara.  Over 560 customers took advantage of the free makeover and that translated in almost 2000 sales in just 4 hours! 38% of the customers who had the makeover had never used CoverGirl cosmetics and were glad to be able to try before they bought. In addition, 3000 coupons were distributed which will bring the customers back, and 51% of customers surveyed intended to make a purchase.

The Saturday event was supported by an ad and the same store sales increased in these 93 stores by 17% in dollars and almost 23% in units. The chain is considering offering more such events combined with super saver ad programs.

press-release-1Over at Navarro Drugs, a small chain catering to a mainly Hispanic market, professional, bi lingual makeup artists demonstrated TruBlend Liquid Makeup, Simply Ageless Foundation, TruConcealer, Wetslicks, Lash Blast Luxe ,Eye Enhancers, TruCheeks Blush, Perfect Point Eyeliner  and Continuous Lipstick to customers. Over 267 pieces were sold in less than 4 hours in the 10 Miami area stores. Of those who didn’t purchase that day, 30% indicated intent to buy. At both Navarro and Shopko, customers could enter to win a free beauty basket filled with CoverGirl Products – one per store.

Both programs were completely coordinated and executed by Cosmetic Promotions Inc. The company secures the professional makeup artists, trains them and handles all the details to insure a successful event.

Revlon Beyond Natural Defining Mascara

Posted in Product Reviews on August 13th, 2009 by Kristen Jason – 1 Comment

We’ve found mascara that isn’t so thick that it clumps but doesn’t have so much liquid that it smudges. We liked the Revlon Beyond Natural Defining Mascara creamy formula, because you can layer without clumping. This mascara also has a unique brush so you can actually comb through your lashes. The result is very natural looking; we suggest this product for when you’re going to be outside or for work.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer

Posted in Product Reviews on August 11th, 2009 by Kristen Jason – Comments Off on Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer

Usually concealers thick enough to cover dark eye circles are creamy and not really appropriate for blemishes. We liked Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer because it hid our dark circles completely, but since it’s oil, talc, and fragrance free, we could use it on other imperfections. Now we don’t need two concealers- we can see why this product won beauty awards from Oprah Magazine and Marie Claire.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

CoverGirl LineExact Liquid Liner

Posted in Product Reviews on August 10th, 2009 by Kristen Jason – Comments Off on CoverGirl LineExact Liquid Liner

Looking for a goof-proof way to use bold eyeliner? Try CoverGirl LineExact Liquid Liner. The compact pen and felt tip makes using liquid eyeliner a cinch. We liked the polished look it gave our eyes. You can achieve a very thin line or a bold line by changing the pressure when you apply it. What we liked the most is that the eyeliner didn’t move all day, but washed off completely with our regular facial cleanser. No special eye makeup remover needed!

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

Zapzyt Acne Wash

Posted in Product Reviews on August 6th, 2009 by Kristen Jason – Comments Off on Zapzyt Acne Wash

When visiting the skin care aisle any drug store, you’ll see that you have to choose between mild cleansers and harsh products for acne. We were on the hunt for something that would destroy acne, but not our skin in the process, and came across Zapzyt Acne Wash.

Zapzyt is a line of products geared toward eliminating acne (hence the name), and they are so confident about their product that they offer a money back guarantee. We were excited to see that Zapzyt Acne Wash contains skin soothing ingredients like aloe and chamomile. Using cleansers with salicylic acid on a daily basis can take a toll on those of us with sensitive skin…but we found that we were able to keep using it without any irritation.

Zapzyt products are available at about every drug store in the nation, if you’d like to give it a try check out http://zapzyt.com/products/ to get a coupon for $2.00 of any Zapzyt product.

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers

Posted in Product Reviews on August 5th, 2009 by Kristen Jason – Comments Off on CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers

Lip gloss never tasted so good! We tried Covergirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzer in Plum Splash and liked the subtle fruit flavor. This gloss is fun but effective; it contains botanicals that improve lip condition over time.

Be sure to check your local paper on Sunday, August 2nd. There are $1 and $2.50 coupons for CoverGirl products!

This article was written by Kristen Jason at Cosmetic Promotions. For more information on Cosmetic Promotions, please check out their website www.cosproagency.com or contact Kristen direct at kcopeland@cosmeticpromotions.com.

RITE AID and Seventeen Magazine Team up to Entice Teens

Posted in Cosmetic Promotions News on August 5th, 2009 by Kristen Jason – Comments Off on RITE AID and Seventeen Magazine Team up to Entice Teens

In store events and 2 page magazine spread for Back to School

ra-seventeen-magazineHarrisburg, PA – Teen spending in the U.S. is expected to reach $208.7 billion by 2011, an increase despite an estimated 3% decline in the 12-17 year old population. Currently, Teens make up over 11% of the U.S. population and are an important target market to RITE AID with its various Glam Camp programs including sampling, a gift with purchase and in-store events all geared towards teen girls 13-19.

The September Seventeen magazine issue (on counter August 10th), will feature a 2-page Glam Camp ad announcing this year’s mega Back to School event happening at RITE AID throughout August and September. Teens can receive a free Glam Camp beauty sample bag by mail when they purchase any 3 items featured in the Glam Camp ad. Maybelline, Clearasil, NYC Cosmetics, Sally Hansen Nails, Got2Be hair, Veet, Loves Baby Soft and Phisoderm are the participating brands.  Seventeen is promoting the gift with purchase event via their website and email blasts. In addition, teens can visit www.riteaid.com/GlamCamp for more details. RITE AID will also promote the event in their August-September Circulars and it is part of the August and September Single Check Rebate Catalog.

At store level, the ad is supported with special signs and displays on tables promoting the gift with purchase feature. There will also be Teen Makeovers conducted by a professional makeup artist at 200 top stores on August 15th, 16th, 22nd and 29th. Teens can get a new Back to School look from Wet n Wild or Black Radiance brand cosmetics and enter to win a beauty basket filled with full size products at each store – 200 baskets will be awarded. Other items being demonstrated include Veet hair remover, Clearasil Pimple Pen or Vanishing Treatment and St Ives Apricot Scrub.  Teens can find a store near them by checking the www.riteaid.com/GlamCamp website.

Cosmetic Promotions, Inc – the national promotional company coordinating the entire event – is utilizing Social Networking such as Twitter and Facebook as another way to promote the event to Teens. CPI secures the professional makeup artists and vendors as well as supplying the bags and baskets. They also designed RITE AID’s in-store signage, Single Check Rebate ad, Seventeen magazine spread, riteaid.com/glamcamp landing page, secured the gift bags and handle the collating and redemption of the gift bags.