Bank holidays usually mean we are deluged by a backlog of mail (we have a freepost address which goes to a PO Box) mid-way through the week which then sends us into panic. Sure enough, this proved to be the case following the May bank holiday. While Tuesday and Wednesday were relatively quiet, Thursday and today have brought a flurry of responses to our current mail-out. What with the heat and activity, it has been a rather sweaty day and I am only just able to sit down and write my weekly missive!
We mail our customers three times a year with news and special offers. I always find it interesting that the majority of customers do not take advantage of the special offers but that the letter they receive serves to prompt them to place their usual orders. It is as if the mail-out reminds them that oh yes, they need to replenish their stocks. Perhaps this is an accepted response/behaviour and direct mail experts would be nodding their heads sagely.
Today's panic has been further heightened by a lack of packaging. We were poised to fill some new batches of Moisturiser and Sensiderma Cold Cream this morning but have been scuppered by the fact that the 100g jars we expected to arrive yesterday or first thing today have gone AWOL. We've just had a call from a company on the other side of town saying they've received a box of lids labelled Queen. This doesn't bode well. The jars are nowhere to be found and the lids are languishing at a completely different company. We have been desperately hunting down stray empty 100g jars to get this afternoon's orders out.
This balmy summer weather (I do hope you took note of my tips last week to get skin ready for summer clothes) is just amazing and puts everyone in a good mood, from the chap who delivers our stationery to our customers who, it has to be said, are generally very good humoured. I have just put the 'phone down to a lady who called to place her usual order of two 100g Moisturisers (fingers crossed the jars arrive on Monday).
"I think there is something wrong with me,' she revealed. 'Every sunny morning this week, I can think of nothing else but getting washing on the line. I'm ripping clothes off my family's backs. Even the dog isn't safe."
When I said that I'd been listening to callers to radio station LBC extolling the virtues of ironing and surely that was rather more worrying she had to admit that she never let anyone else touch her ironing. "I like to do it my way." As the old adage goes, there's nowt so queer as folk.
Following a visit two weeks ago from a very nice lady who lives up the road from Queen's farm HQ, her husband came to see us today. "My wife has sent me down here to buy some cream. What do you recommend?" He told us he uses an anti-wrinkle cream and his skin did look amazing - very smooth and youthful. I cheekily asked him how old he was and was amazed at his response. Incredible! We have been trialling an anti-wrinkle cream for the last few months so we sent him off with a sample. I just hope it keeps him looking as good as he does at the moment.
It was a timely visit as we had just been reading about a well known actress who we know lives locally. There was a photo and a glowing report about her in Baz Bamigboye's column in the Daily Mail today. We have long wanted to get in touch with her to give her a sample of our Theatrical Cleansing Cream. I asked our visitor if he knew her. He said yes and that he would alert her to our existence and give her a brochure on our behalf. It would be great to meet her and see if she would be willing to try the products. She is due to appear in theatre this summer so Queen Theatrical would be ideal.
This week's John Bell & Croyden visit was enjoyable. I have given two of the girls who work there some samples and they have promised to try them, having complained that they can't find anything to suit them. I warned them that I would be able to tell and would be watching for them developing what I call the Queen glow. It would be good if they do get on with the products as I will be able to point to them as living examples of what you can look like when you use Queen.
Of the women I spoke to, at least 20 said they considered themselves to have sensitive skin. As usually happens, I was in the stockroom or grovelling in the warehouse whenever someone actually bought a product. I have come to the conclusion that not being on the shop floor is a sure fire way to ensure a Queen customer will come in.
I didn't do well on the celebrity spots. Jonathan Meades came in apparently but I couldn't see him. I do like his writing and television programmes and know he is a fan of Rodez in the Aveyron region of France where I have spent quite a lot of time. Someone said that Yoko Ono was in the store but I can't believe it was her. I must check the news to see if she has been in London this week....
Have a good weekend and enjoy the sunshine (sensitive skins take care though).
No comments:
Post a Comment