Rising Petrol Prices? Kleeneze Can Help

I filled up my petrol tank on Monday and discovered that, even using the cheapest petrol I could find (133.9p per litre), it now costs me £82 for a full tank of petrol.

Makes the £10 a week I was getting from the girl I was giving a lift to seem paltry, really.

It's getting to the point where I need to consider my day job options. I can't afford a new car - I get 36 mpg with this one and can't do better unless I spend money I haven't got on a much more up-to-date model. I may have to find another job closer to home.

At this rate, anything I earn in retail profits from Kleeneze will be topping up the tank!

When I started work at the fashion retailer's Head Office in December 2009, petrol was 108.3p per litre, or £4.82 per gallon. By August 2010, it was 116.5p per litre, or almost £5.30 per gallon. In January 2011 it was 128.3p per litre - £5.83 per gallon. The latest figures, for April 2011 are horrific. At 135.8p per litre, we're now spending £6.17 per gallon of petrol.

It really doesn't matter what has caused these price increases; what matters is we're currently stuck with them.

That's where Kleeneze comes in. It's extremely simple to earn the cost of a tank of petrol every week - all it takes is consistent action and a little self-discipline. How much peace of mind would an extra £80 per week give you?

Reinvesting in Your Retail Business

During the past two weeks, I've been expanding my Kleeneze business into a new area - an area which doesn't seem to be overpopulated with Kleeneze distributors.

That means I'm training my new customers to trust me and leave my catalogues out when I say I'll call for them. It also means I'm learning which houses/maisonettes to avoid.

That learning experience has a cost, both in time and replacement catalogues. It's taking twice as long to collect my catalogues and twice as many visits to actually get 95% of those catalogues back.

I happen to think that's worth it.

It does mean, however, that I need to invest more of my retail profits into replacement catalogues, to make sure I keep up the average number of catalogues out at any one time.

I also need to invest more time in accurately tracking where and when I collect and deliver catalogues, so that I can reduce my catalogue losses over time.

I know that this initial investment will pay back a hundredfold, as I increase my customer base and reduce the number of catalogues I deliver to those who have no interest in home shopping. Plus, I get to improve my retail skills to the point where I can claim not to be an apprentice anymore.

I'm convinced that, on retail profits alone, I can replace my regular income with Kleeneze. The evidence is there - all it takes is a solid customer base. That's why I reinvest my retail profits in my business and save my bonus payments to fund a better lifestyle.

Rejected Catalogue Bags £33 Order

Yesterday, I blanket dropped my old catalogues one last time into a new area. It's a typical old-fashioned council estate, derogatively referred to as "Tin City" by residents who live in much nicer parts of my town. It's also the sort of area where you spend a lot of time getting your straggler catalogues back.

Whilst putting out around 230 catalogues, I had a couple of people hand them straight back, but no mention of an existing distributor. One passer-by asked if we'd deliver in their road soon - no surprises as to what my answer was. I also came across several catalogues that had been put out on the doorstep as soon as they'd been picked up off the doormat.

All told, my rejected catalogues allowed me to add a little close of 6 houses to my blanket drop and I am so glad they did.

This morning, a new customer phoned me, placed an order for £33 as she wasn't going to be around when I was due to collect the catalogues, and wanted to know if she could keep a permanent copy as a reference for future orders! She'll be getting a pack of the new catalogues with her order this weekend.

It just goes to show that it's worth doing a quick walk along your route immediately after you've done a blanket drop in an area - that 15 minutes extra earnt me £132 per hour pro rata, just by putting out the rejected catalogues straight away.

Every day that I spend retailing with Kleeneze, I am building up a group of dedicated customers who will, in time, refer their family and friends to me. Today, I added another customer to that group and I'm delighted.

Kleeneze Lady Hurt by Blanket Dropping

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction - Isaac Newton

I learnt that at school, 35 years ago. I learnt it again last week.

Kleeneze are currently running a number of distributor challenges, all designed to improve distributors' sales and maximise product movement. That's exactly what you'd expect from an ambitious and dynamic company that wants the best for both its shareholders and its distributors.

The net effect in the local area I am trying to build a reputation in has been negative, unfortunately.

Due to many distributors trying to get 4 weeks' worth of sales done in 2 - 3 weeks, I have spent the past two weeks being told by regular customers that:

1. They've already ordered something off Tina/Ian/Alastair/Chris/Melissa a couple of days previously
or
2. They're sick and tired of receiving catalogues this week and can I please not leave any more.

I have 3 hours per evening to do my best; this month I appear to be competing against at least 3 full-time distributors who are blanket dropping a couple of thousand catalogues per week. Last week we all converged on the same dozen streets. My sales plummeted.

So I should be totally downhearted and ready to give in, right?

Wrong.

My sales were 50% of my targets, based on previous retail spend in this area. I still received orders for over £200. That's a minimum retail profit of £40 for this week and I'm only £180 away from my 10% bonus with 2 weeks to go.

I will keep finding customers, I will retain them through good customer service and referrals and, when others in my area give up, I will still be there.

Which leads me to the title of today's piece and it has nothing to do with my sales targets. The hatchback hinges on my venerable Volvo are no longer interested in keeping the boot lid up as I load catalogues into the back of the car. Residents in a very snowy sidestreet were treated to the entertaining sight of "Car eats Distributor" as the lid descended. I now have a nasty bruise near my lower spine - anybody got the phone number of a decent mechanic?

Base Camp - Living in the Foothills of Success

Building a successful business is often likened to climbing a very steep mountain. Both require foresight, advance planning and a continual review of both the goals and the best route to those goals.

My progress with my Kleeneze business is a case in point. Like most people who need an extra income, I had very specific short-term goals, including paying bills, replacing my cooker and fixing up my house and garden. Luckily, I wasn't in the position of having to survive on my retail profits, which meant I could happily invest those profits back into my business and thus generate more sales.

Last month, I got my first certificate of income. As a Kleeneze distributor, you get these once you reach your 10% bonus level; they're a physical reminder of the level you've reached. I've never been so happy to see a picture of a cheque in my life!


This month, I consolidated my position and hit my 10% level in the third week. From now on, it's my target to achieve the 10% level by no later than the third week in every period.

Running my Kleeneze business is remarkably simple; it just requires a little discipline at times. I know there are cars and holidays as major incentives, but for me, a regular incentive is to improve on last month's Kleeneze bonus cheque.

If you would like to join my team, or want more information about Kleeneze as a business opportunity, enter your details on my Kleeneze page and I'll get in touch as soon as possible.

Tithing for Profit

Tithing is an interesting concept. To many, especially devout Christians, it's a form of charitable activity that involves donating 10% of your income to help others. To mediaeval history buffs, it's a noun for a group of 10 men who were collectively financially and morally responsible for each others' actions.

I'd like to propose a new definition.

Many join Kleeneze, Avon, etc. because they need extra income to pay off debts, to pay bills, or to buy essentials for themselves or their family. They assume that their retail profit is equal to ready cash, that they can spend that money in perpetuity without reinvesting in their business. They then get upset when catalogues are not returned, or become unusable over time due to weather, wear and tear, etc. If they get upset enough, they are liable to decide not to carry on, which wastes not only their previous effort, but also wastes the time that their sponsor has invested in them.

That's where the concept of tithing comes in.

If you are running your own Kleeneze (or similar) business because you have an urgent and immediate need for regular cash, stop how you are treating that retail profit and change to this method:

Every week, when you've paid in what you owe to Kleeneze for the goods ordered and sold, take 10% of your retail profit, rounded up to the nearest pound, and stick it in a jar.

In other words, if your retail profit for a week's orders and sales is £61.26, your tithe would be £6.21. Round that up to £7 and put it somewhere safe. Remember, you still have £54.26 to spend on your own needs.

That £7 is your seed money towards reinvesting in your retail business. In 5 weeks, you could pay for a new set of catalogues to replace any which are lost or worn out. In 1 week, you could buy new bags for your catalogues, new carrier bags for your customers' orders or a branded hat/polo shirt.

When you're building your business, you should be tithing for profit.

Invest your retail profits in your business, invest your bonuses in your lifestyle. That way, you have two stories to tell, rather than one.