Despite building works at our farm HQ which led to me ripping the front bumper off my car (I got lodged on a boulder as I tried to get out of the way of two huge lorries which were careening down the small private road where the farm is based), it has been an encouraging week at Queen with a higher-than-usual number of new customers joining our band of followers.
Due to the fact that, until recently, we had done little or no marketing or promotional activity, we have a loyal and longstanding customer base whom we know well, so well that many will 'phone up saying 'hello, it's X and I'd like my usual'. I confess this does sometimes leave us scrambling through our records to discover what the 'usual' might be but, for the most part, we do tend to have a good idea.
Just as with our promotional work at our stockists such as John Bell & Croyden, it has been sampling which has proved the best method for converting interest generated by our recent marketing programme into sales. It is hardly surprising that women with sensitive skin want to try new products before they buy so we do make free samples available. On our website www.queen-cosmetics.com, we have a 'Product of the Month' (currently our luxurious Sensiderma Rich Cleanser for very dry or mature skin should you be interested!) which is available to sample free of charge and we hand out samples of some of our best-selling products such as Queen Moisturiser & Medicated Cleansing Lotion every Thursday at John Bell (so do get yourself down there if you can!).
John Bell & Croyden was much busier this Thursday and, with many staff members off sick, promotional 'independents' such as myself were drawn into directing and advising customers which of course offered further opportunity to ply them with Queen samples and to bend their ears with my sales patter. I met a very nice lady called Caroline Pyecroft who runs an agency for make-up artists. She made some helpful comments and said she would look into getting some Queen samples to her clients who would then trial them in their TV, film and magazine work. As per usual, I extolled the virtues of our Theatrical Cleansing Cream which was designed for removing stage make-up. Another woman commented on our packaging and said that it had caught her eye whilst she was browsing (and that was before I had buttonholed her).
A delightful lady from Dublin introduced me to her daughter who said her name was Paula Keogh and that she was an actress who had appeared in Eastenders in a 'minor role'. I didn't confess that I never watch the programme and am now thinking perhaps I should change my ways and tune in.
Our Summer mail-out continues, somewhat stalled by the fact we have run out of brochure and our new ones have not yet arrived. We have asked our customers to let us know if they are interested in our anti-wrinkle cream which is currently undergoing trials and the answer seems to be a resounding 'yes'. One customer called to say that she has always got away with saying that she is 10 years younger than she really is but that someone had recently guessed her real age. 'It was quite a shock,' she said. 'I have decided that the skin around my eyes looks like a rhino's skin and I have to do something about it.' I promised that I would rush her a sample of our anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin as soon as we go into production.
Having just visited the hygienist at my dental surgery, I thought I ought to pass on what I had learned about keeping teeth in pristine condition. Apparently, the four culprits for staining teeth are smoking, coffee, tea and red wine. I am not guilty of indulging in the first two so it must be all the green tea I drink. Oh, and the red wine! Fortunately, with summer on the way (or here already?) I can start to cut down on the hot drinks, up my water intake and switch to refreshing white wine. I must also invest in an electric toothbrush so any advice on the best one is gratefully received.
Time marches on and we have orders to despatch. Have a good weekend and an enjoyable bank holiday.
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