Welcome to our LuLaRoe Team!
New Consultant To Do List
Together Everyone Achieves More
I am a firm believer in the Mantra LuLaRoe has for TEAM:
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
I expect those on my team to be supportive and open to one another's ideas, thoughts and opinions. There are no silly questions, just those that went unasked. We learn from each other's successes and learning moments so please share freely and often.
The BIG To DO List
Do Not get Overwhelmed! Break this list into manageable chunks.
1) Review the LLR Polices & Procedures document as well as the LuLaRoe Etiquette & Ethics document. If you need a copy of these documents, please let me know! Do not assume just because you see others doing something that it adheres to P&P.
2) Mark your calendar for the weekly Monday Queue Club Calls at 3pm. You should get an email reminder every week with a link to join. They have been known to pick out people from the Queue and onboard them that very day no matter their place in line!
3) Contact your City to see if you need a business license. Some may also require a tax license, as we are required to collect sales tax. If you run all your invoices through BLESS (the LLR system), LuLaRoe will remit the sales tax collected on your behalf.
4) Create a Business e-mail account, LLR prefers you to use Gmail and asks you to set up the account formatted as: lularoe(first and last name)@gmail.com. For example my email is lularoejilliancarter@gmail.com.
5) Create a Facebook Business Page (not a group). It should be titled LuLaRoe (first and last name). You do not need to list your home address for location unless you want to. You also can get a free Google Voice phone number if you prefer to keep yours private.
6) Create a Secret Facebook Group. You'll change the Group to Closed once you've finalized your public policies and are ready to start promoting your business. The Group should be titled LuLaRoe (first and last name) then anything else you'd like your Boutique to be named. Many go with "shopping group", "boutique", "VIP Sale Page", use whatever fits you best.
7) Set up a Work Instagram, your user name should be LuLaRoe (first and last name). You will want to link this account to post to your Facebook Business Page. If you already have Instagram, there is a setting that allows for multiple accounts making it very easy to switch back and forth from your personal and business account. Instagram is strongly encouraged for promotion and is the simplest way to bring in new customers. Caution #lularoe should be reserved for high quality images representative of the brand.
8) Optional. If you plan to utilize YouTube, Google+, Twitter or Periscope, set up these accounts as well using the LuLaRoe (first name and last name) format for user accounts. Twitter does limit the # of characters in a user name, so do what makes the most sense. Periscope will use your Twitter account as user name, or you can sign up with your phone number. Periscope is another great avenue for selling live if you so choose.
9) Create a LuLaRoe Paypal account as backup for Audrey Invoicing in case the system is down. You can also ship through PayPal at no additional cost. Some other options for shipping are Stamps.com & ShippingEasy, but you will want to wait to sign up for those as both offer free trial periods. Shipping Easy Free Trial: http://shippingeasy.com/easyreferral?c=AFAB4A58&_s=M
10) Create a UPS Priority Account and sign up for text message notifications. They have a calendar view called MY CHOICE to see when all your packages are scheduled to arrive. Your inventory shipments are not insured, so you definitely want to be home when they arrive. This account will also allow you to change the delivery date or ask them to hold at the station if needed.
11) Optional, but recommended, to set up a separate bank account for your LLR payments that will be exclusively used for your business. This makes things much easier come tax time.
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Recommended Supplies (tailor this to your own needs)
1) Create an online account with USPS and order as many Priority Flat Rate Padded envelopes as allowed (usually 100). You will also want to order a smaller order of Medium Flat Rate and Large Flat Rate boxes for bulkier items or larger orders. You may also want to consider a PO box for customer returns if you prefer not to use your home address.
2) Order Polymailers for shipping items under a pound at First Class. You can find them in lots of colors on Amazon. I recommend plain packaging as it is more likely to deter theft. If you prefer not to weigh, many consultants charge a flat $6 and ship everything Priority. Order lots of flat rate padded envelopes if you go this route! :)
3) Order 4x6" labels for printing your postage. Many consultants have purchased a DYMO Labelwriter 4XL which uses thermal labels for shipping. However starting out a package of labels from Amazon and your own printer does the job just fine. If you do go the DYMO route watch Staples and other retailers as it often goes on sale.
4) Clothing Racks & Hangers. If you plan to do in person Pop-Ups you will want 3-4 Commercial Grade Single rail collapsible clothing racks and 300-400 hangers.
5) Inventory storage. This is going to vary greatly from person to person. Some have dedicated rooms to turn into a boutique with built in racks, bins and shelves. Others have setup the same racks they take to pop-ups and taken over the garage with a few Rubbermaid totes as well. Get creative. Where there is a will there is a way, But just know that you do not need to hang your inventory, unless you want to.
6) A dress form is great for taking photos of inventory or taking along to Pop-ups to feature an outfit. It is optional though and many successful consultants shoot photos right on the hanger. I purchased both a small (2-4) and large (12-14) and have found the two sizes useful along with some plastic clothespins to shoot the full range of sizes. Many consultants just go with a medium though you will find XXS and some XS dresses and skirts to be a tight fit if not possible to put on the dress form.
7) For in home shopping or live pop-ups you may want an inexpensive lightweight full size mirror.
8) Order Business Cards. You can get them through LuLaRoe Custom or make your own by downloading one of the approved templates from your Back Office Assets.
9) I recommend also printing a Thank You Card of some sort. I like to include my exchange policy and wash instructions on mine and I order them through VistaPrint. Templates are available in you Back Office Assets for these as well.
10) In-home pop-ups should always have music, so invest in a portable speaker to hook up to your iPod or phone. You can also rely on your hostesses to provide the music.
12) You'll need something to haul all your clothes to and from pop-ups. Many find the Frakta Ikea Storage Bags to work great in place of garment bags, but rumor is these are being discontinued. You will need 3-4 bags per 100 items. LuLaRoe Promo has started carrying a larger version that holds more than the Ikea bags maybe 2 -3 bags per 100 pieces. I prefer them for dresses. Others just use large Rubbermaid totes. You can leave the hangers on the clothes and stack the clothes in the bags or totes.
13) For selling online you can easily just shoot pictures on your phone. But investing in a basic lighting kit and a tripod will step up your game. You can also get an adapter for your phone to hook up to the tripod and a remote makes taking photos even faster. You'll want to shoot on a plain light colored wall or curtain as a background. If you don't have a good wall you can also find inexpensive paper backdrops on Amazon, but you won't want to go moving them around too much. Short on space? You may prefer a Ring Light to the umbrella light kits.
Get Organized!
I know you're anxious to get your inventory, but you'll appreciate this extra time to get organized! Trust me!!!
If you plan on selling online, here are some tips I recommend:
- Create folders on your computer or in Google Drive for each style or size. Think about how you want to post your inventory online and create folders using that same method. It will make your life easier whey you go to upload your inventory. I also have a "Sold" folder that I use to save pictures of inventory that has sold, just in case the customer returns it and I need a picture again. I also use this method to tell me what to re-order. Once 33 pictures are in the folder, I place a new order and start a new folder. I delete the archived folders periodically.
- When you take pictures, make sure they are QUALITY ones with good lighting. Put as much information into your photo as possible (style, size, special aspects of the fabric, pattern or color) to save yourself time in editing and in answering questions from customers. You can print signs out from Assets if you like or use an App.
- Use PhotoGrid, PicMonkey or other free shareware photo editing programs online for your pictures. And format your pictures in a square (or shoot them in square mode on your phone). This makes it easy to share on Instagram and in the thumbnail views on Facebook.
- When you post into your online groups, make sure to do it by “albums”. It makes shopping a much easier and more pleasant experience. How you sort the albums is up to you. Some consultants like it by size, others by style.
- Watch the videos in the files section on Team R.I.S.E.: If you are still lost, schedule a call with me and I can help answer any other questions you may have.
- Think about scheduling a box opening party with a few close friends or family that can help you sort, count and hang your items.
- Think about a good date for a launch party. You can do one open house style and one online.
When you get your inventory (5-6 large boxes), it is trial by fire to see what will work best for you with organizing and taking pics/getting them ready to upload. It will take forever at first but gets easier over time. Shoot a few and test out your process before doing the whole batch to ensure you like the results. Give yourself TIME to get your initial inventory photographed. Many of us that went at it alone needed 40-60 hours. Give yourself at least a week before scheduling your online launch to ensure you have adequate time to finish photos.
COUNT YOUR INVENTORY! When they send you large orders, it's quite possible that they missed an item or two. Be sure to count your inventory and make sure they sent you everything you ordered. If they were short on a size, they may swap it for a different size and that's okay, but make sure you still have the correct total for that style. If not, you will need to create a ticket for a missing item. Include your order number, order date, consultant number, and an itemized list of the items missing (style, size and quantity). They will ship out the missing items ASAP or issue you a credit so you can reorder. Once you are sure everything is here, you are ready to "receive" your inventory on BLESS.
If you have any other questions, please let me know! I am so excited to be on this journey with you. I've already shared with you all the reasons why I love my job and I hope you too will find that same joy and success!
Thank you for being a part of my team! We're going to do amazing things together!!!
Jillian Carter, LuLaRoe Consultant
Email: lularoejilliancarter@gmail.com
Website: mylularoe.com/join/jilliancarter
Location: Bondurant, IA, United States
Phone: 515-865-9081
Facebook: facebook.com/lularoejilliancarter
Twitter: @lularoejilliancarter