Ask Victoria: What Are The Characteristics Of A Successful Catalog?

August 1, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

A successful catalog is a catalog that captures the attention of the buyer and encourages that buyer to order from your company.

Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years that can help you to create successful product catalogs:

Avoid small non-representative pictures of your products. Make all photos large enough to show details.
Photographs and images should be clear and crisp.
If you don’t have the space to show an entire product clearly, display a close-up of a portion of a product.
To attract the eye, use bright and contrasting colors.
Backgrounds should complement the product, not fight for attention with the product.
Each product should be named, not just numbered. People buy on emotion, so look at each product, and give each a name to which others can relate. Well-named products sell well.
Feature one or more new or popular products on the cover.
Avoid clutter. Let each piece or collection of pieces shine on its own.
Build a story around each item. For example, “Other shirts will just have to work harder for your affection. This crushed velvet…” Use pairing. Show other looks/items that will go together (earrings, necklace & bracelet; eyeliner, shadow, and mascara; multivitamin, D3, and Calcium).
Always offer your opportunity in your catalog.
Include a welcoming page from your president telling his or her story and explaining why the reader should join your great organization.
Remember that keeping the customer’s attention and interest is important. If you have too many “look-alike items” or “look-alike pages” throughout your catalog, the buyer will lose interest in your products.
If your catalog has too few pages, buyers will go elsewhere for a better selection.
Make sure there is sufficient room for your consultant’s information on the back of the catalog. It’s best to leave a spot for this.
If yours is a party plan company, be sure to explain your hostess rewards program.

If your company sells more than just a few products, you should publish a catalog. Whether your catalog is in print and/or digital formats is up to you.

Jay Leisner, the President of Sylvina Consulting, is a top compensation plan and direct selling expert, a trusted adviser to new and established network marketing and party plan companies. For more than 30 years, Jay has enjoyed assessing and improving network marketing, party plan and referral marketing companies across the globe.

Jay Leisner and Victoria Dohr authored the top-rated book for new and young network marketing, referral marketing, and party plan companies, "Start Here: The Guide to Building and Growing Your Direct Selling Company".

Available in English and Spanish. This startup guide contains 250 pages of wisdom that will guide you through the right steps to start and continue on your journey to build a successful direct selling company.

You will save thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of your time using the information you will read in our book.

In 1986, Jay began his career in direct selling by working for a major direct selling software provider. First as a software developer and later as a project leader and a business analyst, Jay worked closely with new and established network marketing and party direct selling companies to provide them with software solutions to meet their unique requirements.

Jay contributed in many ways to the success of large implementation projects for many companies. Jay also worked with dozens of smaller companies to assist each of them in various capacities to provide them with the systems they needed to help their businesses to grow faster.

Along the way while working with them, he learned the secrets of successful direct selling companies and the challenges faced by them. In true entrepreneurial spirit, Jay’s decision in 1999 to start Sylvina Consulting as a direct selling consulting company was driven by what he saw was a need for answers, advice, and solutions.

In 2004, 2006, 2009, 2014, and 2018, Jay gave presentations on compensation plans, recognition, and field leadership development at conferences held by the US Direct Selling Association.

He traveled to South Africa in 2015, 2016, and 2017 to conduct workshops on compensation plan design and recognition programs for member companies of the South African Direct Selling Association.

In 2017, Jay spoke at the Canadian Direct Sellers Association Meeting on the importance of recognition.

More than just a compensation plan expert, Jay is exceptionally skilled at advising new and established companies on business strategies. Before offering advice or solutions, he asks important questions to understand each client’s specific concerns and goals.

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