Friday, July 25, 2008

Genuinely sensitive skin? Do write in!

As the temperature rises, we are still wading our way through the massive influx of emails which resulted from Queen being mentioned by a host of sites which list companies which offer free samples.

Having found ourselves unable to meet the demand and doubtful of the genuine nature of most of the requests, we have emailed as many people as we can asking them to give us more details about their skin so we can ensure they get the right samples.

As well as not wanting to ignore all the emails we received (whether or not they are freebie hunters, we also feel we should let people know what's going on and we do believe we generally have exceptional customer service!), this seemed a good way of identifying the truly genuine enquiries. It's good to know that there are some out there.

Writes one lady:

'Hi, I am still interested in your products and would love the chance to sample them to see if they would be ok with my skin.

'I suffer from seborrheic dermatitis that affects my face, around my ears and my scalp. I would be most grateful for any help you could offer.'

Another says:

'Dear Customer Service, I have sensitive skin which is combination in nature ( an oily T zone and dry everywhere else). I am allergic to AHA and all other related components but am fine with everything else as far as I know.'

and quite a few men have got back to us. Says one:

'Well I would say my skin is both oily and sensitive. I have found it hard to get something that's right for me as the wrong products do cause me to get spots or make me dry in certain areas.'

The skin conditions or issues mentioned in these three emails are fairly representative of the sorts of skin conditions Queen specialises in helping. Unfortunately, our profile is still so low that people are spending a lot of time and money buying products that don't work when Queen could have helped them all along! Hopefully, all that will change when we get a public relations programme up and running later this year.

We've just managed to get the late Friday orders packaged up. Every week, we get to 4pm and think we are in control. The post is all ready to go out, the pumps have been cleaned down and the stirrers turned off when a flurry of orders comes through. Fortunately, today's were mostly straightforward - our bestsellers such as Medicated Cleansing Lotion, Moisturiser, Sensiderma Day Cream and Enriched Moisturising Lotion. It's now 4.30pm so I am hoping that if we get any more orders they won't be needed before Tuesday.

I have to say that I am loving our new organic moisturiser. It's only at the trial stage but it really is amazing and I do have high hopes for it. It uses a combination of certified organic ingredients and ingredients which are approved for use by the Soil Association and Ecocert. We are working on an organic cleanser and a body lotion so that we will have a small, but perfectly-formed range. We would like to move towards a Soil Association accreditation for these products once we have finalised their formulations. There are not many ranges out there which offer organic products for sensitive skin. Most rely on essential oils and extracts making them far too highly perfumed for truly sensitive skin.

Not much else to report here really. A swarm of bees which appeared like a small, black cloud at the beginning of the week has finally gone. There are still a few bemused creatures flying around wondering where the rest have gone. Otherwise, the farm is looking beautiful - hanging baskets in full bloom, sheep, donkeys and horse grazing peacefully, a gently breeze rustling through the elderflower bushes. It's a shame that it's about 500 degrees up here in the office!

Oh, we've just put the Free Sample 'offer' back on the website so genuine enquiries please do apply.

Have a good weekend.

The Queen Team

Friday, July 18, 2008

Freebie freefall

What a week. You may have noticed we hadn't posted last week. This was due to a complete collapse of our email system (and our nervous systems) as we were flooded with emails requesting free samples. Only used to a handful of these a day, the appearance in our inbox of hundreds and hundreds at a time was a huge shock. We were already having problems with our broadband service so normal business was proving difficult as it was.

I can't believe that the week before last I was bemoaning the fact that we get a small number of spurious-looking requests for free samples via the post. That was nothing compared to this onslaught. At first we were elated - something was driving all this marvellous traffic albeit not advertising or PR or any other marketing as we're not doing anything at the moment. The emails didn't look spurious, we mused. We were offering free samples via our website and have done so since the site was launched at the beginning of the year and these people had all clearly been to the site and followed the instructions as to how to get hold of a free sample of Light Night Cream or Sensiderma Day Cream.

We were scratching our heads about was how they had found us, nestling sleepily in the world wide web backwaters as we do. Thank goodness for good old Google Analytics. Once normal internet service had been restored, I immediately went to the referring site section and discovered to my horror that we'd been listed on a whole host of sites advertising companies which give away freebies. The main one was called magicfreebiesuk.co.uk. I have no idea how they came upon us. To their credit, they did say that genuine enquirors only should apply.

The thing is how do we tell which are genuine, by which I mean have sensitive skin. We literally cannot cope with this volume of demand. As a tiny three-man (well, one man, two women) band, we are barely able to keep up with normal demand. We don't hold lots of stock - we make all the products regularly and in small batches - and we don't hold lots of packaging (the mini jars we need, jiffy bags, foam wrap etc etc) as we don't have the space. In addition, the postal costs would bankrupt us. Yet, we do want to reach genuine customers.

Our current gameplan - such that it is - is to keep plodding through the requests and send out as many as we can without normal business grinding to a halt. I have, however, had to email many people saying we just can't send out samples at the moment. As a gesture of goodwill, we have offered a discount on any orders and we are happy to supply alternative products if someone can email us back with a little bit more information about their skin.

In the meantime, I have had to take down the free sample offers from the website until we can get things under control. It's a real shame as this has been a regular source of bona fide customers for us. If anyone has any ideas as to how we can resume this service without falling prey to freebie hunters, I would be grateful to hear them.

This aside, it's been a good couple of weeks. Sales at John Bell & Croyden have been great and we have had lots of new customers via our online store www.queen-cosmetics.com.

Oh, just had to take a break to answer a call from a chap who has a client who wants to buy the domain names www.queen-cosmetics.co.uk and www.queen-cosmetics.net and would we object. Well, we realise we can't stop someone buying up domain names but why would they want them, especially when we hold the trade marks for Queen and Queen Cosmetics? All very odd. He wouldn't reveal who she was and what her business was so it is all rather bemusing.

Are dark forces at work, we are beginning to wonder or are we just being paranoid?! I hate to think what it must be like if you're running a multi-national. It's hard enough keeping a small, family-run business free from attack!

I am off to lie down with a cold flannel over my head.

Have a good weekend.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Organic products for sensitive skin coming soon

Great drama here at our bucolic HQ this week. I arrived on Monday to find a fire engine, firemen and various employees of the businesses based here turfing cardboard boxes into the courtyard while smoke poured out of the roof of one of the units.

The farm owners were looking on with ashen (no pun intended) faces, clearly concerned that not only was one unit going to go up in flames but that the rest would follow.

Not wishing to get in the way but desperate to know what was happening (and to ascertain whether Queen was in any danger and I whether I should therefore stop gawping and start heading across the fields with vats of lipstick, moisturisers and cleansers), I asked as casually at possible what had happened.

"Boxes piled too high and caught fire from a light bulb," was the reply from the owner's son as he dashed past with a fire extinguisher.

Once the 'blaze' was under control and people started to gossip, we found out that it was The Tiny Box Company whose boxes (of boxes - are you with me?) had been set alight, packed as they were up to the ceiling in a far too tiny space. Fortunately, they didn't lose too much stock but the farm is now dotted with piles of boxes airing in the sunshine.

The rest of the week has been rather less dramatic. We have been busy perfecting formulations of our new organic range which we hope to launch in a few months. It's been quite difficult to make the products without relying on the essential oils, essences and perfumes that most ranges use. We want to stick to our philosophy of using as few ingredients as possible and for making the products perfume and fragrance free. We think we now have a really lovely product and hope that it will be the answer for sensitive skins who prefer to use natural ingredients. I want to call it OrganiQ with a little crown over the Q like our main Queen logo but I need to do some research as the name is bound to be taken.

Elsewhere, compliments on Queen products continue to come in as our reputation spreads (I want to say 'like wildfire' but that seems a bit tactless). Says one lady:

"For some years a small patch of skin on my face near the hairline has been flaky and very rough, but with using your day cream Moisturiser, it has now healed and I have great hopes it will not return."

She ends: "Long may Queen exist!" A sentiment echoed by all of us here!

A lovely woman who bought some samples a few weeks ago came in to buy full sizes of Moisturiser, Light Night Cream, Medicated Cleansing Lotion and Non-Alcoholic Toning Lotion. She was full of praise: "I just love the products and can't believe how good my skin feels."

She was holding a lovely red handbag which I admired and which she said was from a new shop opened locally by a friend of hers. Of course, I thrust some brochures in her hand exhorting her to tell her friend how marvellous Queen products were and that she should stock them in her shop. Well, in these difficult economic times, one must take every opportunity to spread the word...

At the other end of the spectrum are people who keep writing to us requesting samples with no intention of buying or just sending us mad, rambling letters. We are happy to send free samples. We make this clear on our website - current free samples for your information are: Sensiderma Day Moisturiser and Light Night Cream and, if people telephone us, we are always pleased to discuss what products might be right for them and to send them samples free of charge. A letter scribbled on half of an old envelope arrived today in a familiar hand:

"I would like to try again free samples of Queen anti-wrinkle cream, Non Alcholic-Toning Lotion, Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream, Sensiderma Cold Cream and Eyelash Cream. I would like to try it. Please, please send send it to me please!"

I suppose at least this person is honest and says 'try again' and maybe she thinks we will be flattered by her interest. Sadly, we can't afford to send out what would amount to more than £10 worth of samples on a regular basis!

Well, we have to get the orders up to the post office so had better get on. No time to tell you about this week's John Bell & Croyden visit. There were no celebrities yet again so you're not missing too much.

Come back soon.