Click here to see our current list of qualifying Ambassadors. Congrats to all those participating who are racking up their rewards!

Find the full challenge details

here.

As the busy season begins, and your calendars fill up with fairs, fetes and fundraisers, it brings with it many chances for you to share Barefoot Books with new customers and potential new team members. It also provides opportunities for Ambassadors to work together at events and in geographic locations. We'd like to take this opportunity to encourage you to try some new things this year and to continue to foster a sense of community and fair play within your own teams and beyond.

Recruiting

• Share the opportunity in an honest, open manner. Give the prospect enough information to make a good decision.
• Avoid hype and promises of easy money.
• Don't 'poach' team members from other teams. It is fine if someone approaches you to join your team, but contacting new and existing Ambassadors with the sole purpose of having them join your team isn't acceptable.

Shared Events

• Be clear up front about how you are going to split the event. Decide on how you'll handle product, working hours, splitting up leads, and how and when you'll settle up after the event.
• Compromise when things don't go exactly to plan--you may need to rethink what you're doing mid-event.
• Be kind to each other--it can be stressful working with someone else during a busy event.
• When not sharing an event, please follow the Barefoot Books policy regarding Community Events to ensure there is no duplication of efforts. This can be found in the Ambassador Reference Guide here, under the 'Barefoot Books Policies' section.

Borrowed Stock

• Find a subtle way to mark each product if you are mixing your stock with stock you borrowed from another Ambassador.
• Treat borrowed stock carefully, and return any unsold borrowed inventory in as close to original condition as possible.
• Keep track of what you sell, and settle up payment or replacement promptly.

Marketing and Advertising

• Remember to follow Barefoot Books policies around identifying yourself and using the artwork and logos--these can be found in the Ambassador Reference Guide at the link above.
• Consider expensive advertising opportunities carefully--it can take many exposures to a message before someone will take action. Is this something you can do consistently?
• Share your specials, promotions and new product messages responsibly. Avoid the temptation to inundate customers with too many posts or emails that are strictly sales-focused.
• The best way to spread the word is to get out there in person and provide opportunities for people to experience Barefoot Books firsthand.

We can't wait to hear about what you have planned. This time of year can be hectic and a lot of work, so we want to leave you with one more piece of advice: take care of yourselves, make time for your loved ones, indulge in your favourite seasonal traditions, and most of all, have fun!

We have three sessions available:

With the launch of our new training programme and Starter Kit, which has met with fantastic feedback from all you (thank you so much!), we want to let you all know that we are continuing to build momentum in the Ambassador community, which is the key strategic priority for Barefoot Books as we expand the business.

As part of that growth strategy, we are delighted to introduce a new member of the Barefoot Books family to you: everyone meet Marsha Mitchell! Marsha will be taking on the newly-established position of Director of Ambassador Sales, North America. She will be working closely with Ambassadors and Leaders to mentor, coach and motivate them to meet their personal and team sales and recruitment goals.

Marsha joins us with over 30 years of experience as a passionate sales manager and entrepreneur, working both in the field and in the head office. She started her career in Tupperware back in 1980 where she worked for 16 years and became the #1 sales rep out of 15,000 consultants in the US. Since then she has gained extensive expertise in a range of positions at companies including Dorling-Kindersley and Partylite Gifts, working in recruitment and leadership development.

As we head into the busy fourth quarter, and with all the wonderful new tools in place, this is the perfect time to gear up and really start to grow your Ambassador sales and teams . . . and Marsha is here to help! Marsha will be meeting our Leaders at this week's Leaders Call and will also be attending our Open Call. So come one, come all to meet and greet Marsha at these important monthly events. And, for our fine friends in Europe, stay tuned as we are also starting our search for someone to join our Oxford team to help you grow your Ambassador businesses.

Please join us in welcoming Marsha to the Barefoot Books family!

 

All of our UK Ambassadors, please be aware that the Welsh Single Use Carrier Bag Charge will go into effect this Saturday, 1st October. Going forward, you will be required to charge customers 5 pence for any single-use bags that you supply goods in. If you sell and deliver products to customers in Wales, these regulations apply to you whether your business is located inside or outside Wales.

Please visit the Welsh Government's website here for more information.

We are pleased to share the exciting news that Over in the Meadow book and CD has received a coveted award from NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) 2011 Children's Products competition. The title was named an honors winner in the Children's Media/Music & Audio category.

Check out this nice recent review of We're Sailing Down the Nile on the Hartlyn Kids blog:

'I like the fact that the author seamlessly talked about different places in Egypt, like the Aswan market and the Valley of the Kings. What's better is that there are great resources towards the back of the book with a map, glossary and explanation of Ancient Egyptians. My daughter . . . was easily attracted to the bright illustrations.'

Read the full review here.