Paper Buffet US

"I had my event last week. The Paper Buffet™ was a huge hit. All eight of my ladies joined in. It's amazing how much they liked the paper in person. I had three orders within 24 hours and sold an additional 18 paper packs!" - Advisor Gail Hanyzewski Dillon

"Paper Buffets™ are awesome! I was invited by a friend to attend her retreat as a vendor and I sold 151 sheets of paper! Plus 12 paper packs! Thanks for the great idea, CM!" - Advisor Micki Wollenburg

"Thanks, Diane Lampert, for the Paper Buffet™ idea. Just did it at my crop and went through 17 paper packs! They would have kept going but I didn't have anymore left! Awesome!" - Advisor Jill Bauers Anderson

"So, this is my Paper Buffet™ story. I did this at my weekend retreat a couple weeks ago. And it went over pretty well. Except one customer didn't seem to get into it very much. But later she told me she just wanted to "grab" all that paper and that she would be putting together a big paper order. This is a family group, so often she puts the orders in for everyone, in groups of five. Today her order came in... in time for her to get the bonus gifts. Her order had 67 packages of paper in it!!! The moral to this story is that she would never have opened all my packs of paper just to look through them. But the Paper Buffet™ gave her a chance to see many paper packs opened up... front and back views, and she loved what she saw! So don't be afraid to try this! And, I saw a post today where someone had single papers left. I put all extras in my single sheet container and people can buy what's in there for $1 per sheet. And, if I remember next time I do a Paper Buffet™, I can recycle those right back into the mix. Thanks, Diane Lampert, for introducing us to the Paper Buffet™. It's amazing!" - Advisor Gail Hardy

"Just counted up and SOLD 49 packs of papers in Paper Buffets™ in my last six events!!! Paper Buffets™ are the way to sell paper, my friends!" - Advisor Diane Murphy Ambrose

How does it work?

You’ll want to have both new and older paper packs available. Plan on having at least one full paper pack per participant.
We suggest charging $10/participant and they can choose 10 sheets. Charge $1/sheet for any additional sheets they want to take or if you have more than one paper pack per participant.
Gather the Paper Buffet™ participants around a table and introduce the first paper pack you are going to open.
Open one pack at a time and present each sheet individually, showing both sides.
Let participants know if they like a certain sheet to say “mine” or create a system so they know how to take sheets they want. Make it fun!
Start with a new pack and then ask participants to help you choose which pack they want to open next. It makes it more fun and you learn which packs they are especially interested in.

How do I explain the event to customers who have never attended a Paper Buffet™?

Today we have a special treat and you are all invited to join! It is only $10 (or whatever amount you determine) and you will be able to choose your favorite paper sheets from several packs of new, current and vintage paper.
You get to select the papers you like most so you’ll end up with your own exclusive designer paper pack.
You’ll see on the agenda that the Paper Buffet™ is going to be offered at [time]. Participation is optional, but I’ve prepared enough for everyone to participate if you choose to. You’ll have time to decide whether you want to join in the fun.
I have a bonus Project Recipe™ I’m including for everyone who participates. (From the Advisor HQ, print a Project Recipe™ in black and white. The black and white helps participants see they are not locked in to certain paper choices or colors based on the original recipe. It is also less expensive to print in black and white vs. color copies.)
You’ll also receive extra tickets for more chances in the prize drawings if you join in the Paper Buffet™.

What type of event works best to include a Paper Buffet™?

All-day crops
Retreats
NSD or Croptoberfest events
We suggest having the buffet after you present a Project Recipe™; it encourages participants to create additional Project Recipes™ using other papers.

What paper packs should I use?

Use what you have in stock and order new packs if possible depending on the number attending your event. It is good to have a variety of paper packs.
Usually about half in a group participate; sometimes up to 75%.
Plan on at least one pack per participant. Customers typically purchase a few more than 10 sheets.
Start with new and current packs.
Move to older “vintage” papers later in the buffet.
If you have more than one buffet at an event, divide packs evenly so the first and last groups will have similar selections.

As you go through each pack, you’ll want to make comments and give suggestions to help participants make their choices:

Consider purchasing at least two or three sheets from the same paper pack so it is easy to complete Project Recipes™.
Note packs that complement each other and packs that are designed to work together such as Woodland Whimsy Boy and Girl. Advise that they might like to purchase sheets from both packs.
Suggest that stripes and dots are always a good choice and so versatile they can be used for any layouts with cardstock.
Explain the contents of the pack and the number of unique designs. For example, there are two of each double-sided sheet in Blend & Bloom.
Describe papers with subtle designs, pull papers that work well together to show and tell them you like that combination. Explain patterns like plaid, herringbone, mosaic, abstract and geometric, as well as colors used in the combinations. “Isn’t this combination of rich autumn hues beautiful? See how well it works with other papers from this pack.”
Help customers see the versatility of the paper packs. They are designed to coordinate with other papers from that pack for many themes and include subtle tones and muted patterns.
Let customers know if they decide they like that pack, you can order the paper pack for them from that collection and suggest stickers and embellishments.
It is a good idea to have Project Recipes™ completed and on display. It is easy to explain the parts of a recipe using a certain number of designer sheets and cardstock when you have a sample.

When it’s time to start the Paper Buffet™:

Ask for a show of hands of interested participants so you know how many groups to run.
It works well to have around 10 per group gathered around a large table.
Encourage participants to add the cost of the Paper Buffet™ to their invoice/order form along with other items they are purchasing or ordering. Add the cost-per-extra-sheet if they choose to take more than 10.
Remind them they’ll get extra raffle tickets for participating in the Paper Buffet™.

After the Paper Buffet™:

If any single sheets remain when the buffet is over, offer everyone at the event the option to purchase them for $1 per sheet.
For the remainder of the event, offer challenges to everyone who attended the buffet to create additional Project Recipes™ using the paper they purchased.
Give extra raffle tickets for each additional recipe completed.
When customers are checking out at the end of the event, ask about the designer papers they liked the most from the buffet. Ask if they would like to order the paper packs they sampled in the Paper Buffet™.

Paper Buffets™ and Project Recipes™:

Participants get huge satisfaction in completing pages they are proud of and that take a relatively short amount of time to create. Project Recipes™ look polished and finished without a lot of effort and customers can take credit for choosing a variety of paper and creating the layout.
Encourage and congratulate customers on their accomplishments with each completed layout.
Ask customers to bring their additional completed Project Recipe™ pages to you so you can admire them, maybe even take a photo of their completed pages that you can share in your customer Facebook Group. Give them an extra ticket for the prize drawing for completing additional recipes.
When someone asks how they can have access to more recipes, let them know that you will present new recipes at each event. Have a binder of all the recipes they can borrow at events.
Let your customers know that if they would like access to all the Project Recipes™ and more, they are welcome to join your team as an Advisor. -Just $49 per year; includes personalized link for customer shopping 24/7 - No ordering minimums -Ability to earn 10-40% from product sales and 2-8% on team members’ sales -Access to Home Office and all new products first -Being part of the CM Advisor Community -Being part of a fun and inspiring culture using CM products and helping others organize and store photos, stories and memorabilia

Expand on the Paper Buffet™ idea:

Get creative with ideas around more than paper!
Try an “appetizer” or “dessert” buffet. Consider taking packs of embellishments, stickers or mat packs and creating interest with an additional buffet either before or after the Paper Buffet™.
Decide if you would like to start with one item like a single mat pack or several mat packs that coordinate with a Project Recipe™ you are presenting.
Decide on a price per embellishment or create cluster packs with five embellishments and five gems per pack and price accordingly.
Same with stickers. Consider sales of single sticker sheets that you have from opened packs.
Scrapbookers and crafters can always find uses for embellishments like stickers, die-cuts and bling (the gems).
Have fun and your customers will too!