Review of 2011
Review of 2011 for a Sane and Successful 2012
2012 is almost here! The New Year is a good time to look at new ways of doing business. But before you look forward, it is good to take a look back. Look at what areas of your business are most successful. Ask yourself questions about what is and isn’t working well for you. What classes get the best attendance? What new product lines do you want to feature?
We do this type of review for Class in a Flash twice a year, at Convention and at Leadership. We usually start out with a sinful dinner and then grab a couple cups of coffee while we look over our sales data and feedback we’ve received from you. Then we plan our future class planers and Club in a Flash projects based on that information. Sometimes we are really surprised by what we find! Some of the things we think will be most popular are and some aren’t. Sometimes the popularity of a planner will surprise us, like our 6 Ways to Watercolor class, which has quickly become one of our top sellers. What we’ve learned over the last four years (yes, we are celebrating 4 years this month!) is that if we take the time to look at what is working, we can make our services better for you. You can use the same type of review to make your business better for you and your customers.
What we look at:
1. What have we offered? We look at what types of classes we did in the last year and make a list. We list if they were card projects, scrapbooking, décor, Big Shot, etc.
==> You can do this by looking back through your schedule, calendar, newsletters, and/or blog entries to make a list of what classes and clubs you offered.
2. How successful or popular where those classes and Clubs? We pull sales reports and look at the financial side. (Amy’s least favorite part, thank goodness Debbie is so organized!) We also look at feedback we’ve received from you.
==> You can do this using your accounting software, bank statements, or by looking back over your calendar and email to see what type of response you received. Are your scrapbooking classes always full, but card classes need more attendance? Or do you fill-up your classes and need to add more to your calendar? Are certain clubs needing a facelift?
3. What should we offer going forward? Based on the sales data and feedback we start planning the types of classes we will offer. Since card classes are some of our most popular classes we plan more of those into our schedule. We also look at things like holidays or events such as National Scrapbooking Month and plan projects accordingly.
==> You can use the information about what works best for your schedule and your customers’ interests to make a plan for the year. If something is working really well do you want to add a second class or group? If something isn’t working, maybe it is time to change the format or replace it with something else. If a year seems too daunting try making a plan for 6 months first.
Once you know what is working for you and what isn’t then you can decide how you want to move forward. If card classes are really popular you may decide you want to add another one each month. If you haven’t done scrapbooking, maybe add it to your schedule. If your customers really like the techniques you teach at card classes maybe it is time to add a Technique Club. Maybe your schedule of classes is good, but you need to reduce the time you spend planning or have a better idea of what your classes will cost.
That is where we can help! Because we know that variety and options are good for business we have lots of class and club planners that will help you save time and sanity for 2012. Below is a list of resources from Class in a Flash for any type of class or club you want to offer.
• Scrapbooking Class/Club
o Scrapbooking Club – Volume 1
o Or visit our Clearance Bin for a variety of scrapbook projects you can re-create with current products: Year in Review, Always Accordion Album, Scrapbooking in the Box, Baby Scrapbook Album, and Brag Book.
• Card Class/Club
o Easy Events Stamp-a-Stack
o Mocha Monogram Purse Set
o Spotlight on Style
o and many more, some with 3-D items like purses and some that are only cards
• Technique Class/Club
o Technique Club (Volumes 1-4)
o Bow Boutique
o 7 Watercolor Wonders
o 6 Ways to Watercolor
• Décor & Gifts
o Sweet Centers Card Treats
o Handmade Holiday Gifts
o There are even more ideas for décor and gift projects in our Clearance Bin
• Big Shot
o Holiday Stocking Club
o More ideas for Big Shot projects in our Clearance Bin
o We’ve received a number of requests for a Big Shot Technique Club planner. Let us know if that is something you’d be interested in!
We hope that sharing our planning process will help you plan for a sane and successful 2012! Thank you for all your support for the last 4 years and the years to come!
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