Summer Sales Trends

Natural is in this year, along with dips, BBQ sauce, and who bought up all that potato salad mix?

It’s been another one of those hectic months here in Big Bear Lake, California. While the rest of the nation has been hammered with an assortment of weather calamities, we continue to enjoy mild 70-to-78-degree daytime temperatures, combined with cool breezes off the lake, and an occasional afternoon summer shower. Somehow, it’s difficult to convince family that life is a challenge here at 7,000 feet above sea level!

The challenge comes because of the lingering sluggish economy. Our vacation rental business has suffered, since there are a limited number of families with enough disposable income for a summer vacation this year. Therefore, we are fortunate that people continue to buy Watkins products.

In fact, they are buying in big numbers, thanks to the power of Internet marketing and advertising. Even though we hear that 100s of websites are cropping up every day, the number of our new Watkins customers continues to grow. Just recently, a customer from Washington state ordered 12 jars of Watkins Ultra-rich Hand Cream (our top selling product last year; yes, even more than WatkinsOriginal Double-Strength Vanilla). Yet another big sale came from a gentleman back east, who ordered a gallon of the Watkins vanilla. Perhaps he is a baker or food industry professional involved in volume food production.

Big Bear locals have come to view our Watkins booth as a constant fixture at the weekly Big Bear farmer’s market, producing a steady flow of customers every Tuesday. But sales slow toward the end of the month, then pick up at the start of the following month as payroll, pension and Social Security checks arrives in the mail. Even though we accept credit cards, farmer’s marketeers -- as we like to call them --tend to be a cash-and-carry bunch. What are they buying? Dips are big, particularly the cool Cucumber Dill, but closely followed by those Blazin’ Cajun fans. We have had so many requests for the Manderan Orange Dip Mix, that we are encouraging disgruntled locals to begin a call-and-write-in campaign to bring it back next summer.  Our fruit salads haven’t been the same without it. The BBQ sauce, of course, is always a big seller. And we all know that the Potato Salad Seasoning has already sold out, with a full month of summer still ahead. Let’s hope they produce next year to make it all the way to Labor Day.

Watkins food and spices continue to be our top sellers, and it’s usually those we can let customers taste that end up in their shopping bags. Pointing out the reduction in sodium, or the lack of harmful preservatives helps customers realize the benefits that come with Watkins’ continuing drive toward natural products.  We also have seen a growing interest in the all natural body care and home care product lines. People have to eat, and use shampoo, and home cleaning products. Isn’t it great when they starting thinking about leading a healthier life style as well as recycling their trash?

It’s also great to see some of our new associates moving up the ranks to bronze status in the last month. Sandra McLaughlin of Hesperia is already building her own team, and finds that selling the Watkins story in a “natural” after struggling to maintain sales in another MLM endeavor more intent on recruiting than selling its product line. Estelle Green of Lithonia, Georgia, fired up after attending the annual Watkins leadership conference in Las Vegas in April, is lining up a string of public events that will take her through the state of Texas, where family and friends are eager to support her in her new business.

Yes, it’s a challenge to make a buck these days, but when you have a solid company behind you, with a track record of delivering quality products for nearly a century and a half, well, we can all feel that we are on the right track for something even bigger and better down the road.

Are You a "Boomer?"

Do You Want to March to the Beat of your own Drum?


Before the Fuller Brush man and Mary Kay, there was the Watkins door-to-door salesman.

Sounds sexist, I know. But back then, women just didn't just take the reins of a horse-drawn wagon carrying a heavy load of products to distant farms in rural Minnesota where the J.R. Watkins company is still based today.

J.R. was in tune with his market by offering door-to-door service to homesteads far from the Winona general store, as well as offering a 30-day money-back guarantee on his patented pain liniment “trial-mark” bottle.

Today, the company continues to utilize nostalgia to retain multi-generational customers, but now also appeals to today's health-minded young adults by promoting its long-time goal -- producing products with the most natural ingredients possible.

I will turn 65 in September. Ever since I was old enough to have a credit card, I have been bombarded by advertising messages from companies attempting to sell me numerous products aimed at the baby boomer population. Now, as we boomers approach retirement, we are the marketing focus for supplemental insurance companies, financial planners and related industries.

We boomers are excellent candidates for direct sales teams. We have a strong work ethic, drilled into us by our parents who survived the Great Depression. They taught us that if we worked hard enough to become the best that we could be, we would succeed.

We have discovered, however, there are many things beyond our control. The real estate market crash, the Wall Street mess and the bank debacle eroded many anticipated pensions, 401Ks and retirement savings plans. Therefore, many boomers are in search of other ways to supplement monthly Social Security checks, when the future of even that cornerstone of US financial stability is being debated in Washington. In other words, we baby-boomers want to regain control of our financial future, rather than leaving it up to the political party in control of the House and Senate.

I spent the first 35 years of my career in university advancement and publications management, collecting a steady paycheck from such institutions as the University of Arizona, San Diego State University, United Way and the City of Hope National Medical Center. But a work injury forced me into another field where I wouldn't spend all day pounding on a computer. When I mentioned to my rehabilitation counselor I had been investing in Southern California real estate for nearly a decade, she suggested a private business school, where I could prepare for the state real estate license exam, and begin a new career.

After passing the exam, I was offered a position as an academic advisor to help others prepare for the same exam. Again, that steady paycheck was too enticing to pass up. Enrollment was booming at the school as hundreds of new college graduates and bored housewives with grown children figured they could become millionaires by passing the state exam.

As quickly as the real estate market exploded, it fizzled just as rapidly when properties became so over-inflated that only a few buyers could qualify for a mortgage on a small condo, let alone the home of their dreams. School enrollment plummeted, and the administration – concerned with its own bottom line – slashed staff to keep its doors open.

Fortunately, I was friends with Alan Lukes, whose career path had taken a different direction. He had the experience of running his own business in Big Bear, plus several years as a leading Tupperware salesman. As Alan was approaching 50, however, he decided to settle down, obtain a certified rehabilitation counselor license, and take a steady position at a local social service agency.

However, the agency was dependant on the state Department of Social Services for funding. The position was extremely rewarding for Alan, who helped countless individuals and families during his first five years with the organization. But property tax revenue dropped dramatically during 2008 and 2009 as California home values plunged 50% during the two-year period. All state-funded agencies had to make drastic cuts in operational budgets. And Alan soon found himself on unemployment.

Being a transplant from a Chicago suburb, Alan remembered his mom purchasing an assortment of products from a door-to-door salesman associated with a company called Watkins. He also had become quite a computer guru with his own web site long before it became fashionable. Alan assumed today's Watkins sales force had traded in their door-to-door sales routes for their own websites.

Alan was right. In fact, the Watkins main website states that now is an ideal time for anyone who grew up with these products, and is considering a part-time business as they wind down a long career, to become a Watkins Associate. Alan clicked on the link for more information. A few days later, he was called by a pleasant-sounding woman in Southern Florida. Today, Tracey Palmer is our direct upline manager, who helped us achieve Watkins “manager” status in a few short months.

Now in our fourth year as managers of our online “Big Bear Country Store,” our initial 25% sales commission has grown to nearly 40%. We are helping a number of our associates make that transition from a steady pay check to the sometimes scary world of private enterprise.

We believe our success is due to finding the perfect company for baby-boomers. Just looking at those classic Watkins labels has many of us nostalgic for those “good ol’ days” when product quality and outstanding customer service made that trip to the corner grocery a highlight of the week. 

In January 2012, we launched a marketing program to spread awareness of our Big Bear Country Store website. As a result, online sales have doubled, and new associates from across the country have been drawn by our “country store” philosophy. With customers from coast to coast and throughout Canada, we are transitioning to an expanded domain name, the "All Natural Country Store." It brings attention to Watkins’ continuing effort to reformulate its traditional products so even more can be classified as "J.R. Watkins Naturals."

I know blog postings aren’t to go on this long, but Watkins has helped us realize that it is possible to reinvent oneself long after passing that “5-0” milestone, or even the big “6-0” number! I’m able to use my degrees in journalism and communications in a way I never envisioned when I sat through those graduation ceremonies many moons ago. Alan has found his counseling abilities can help even more individuals overcome obstacles – sometimes their own self doubts about taking a new path at a “certain” age – to gain greater self-confidence in their own abilities.

Some of our new Associates are boomers about to retire, or had their hours reduced or jobs eliminated in this economy. Some are new moms, who prefer to work from home rather than turn the rearing of their pre-school children over to a nanny. Some are young men perfectly happy to be stay-at-home dads because mom is on the fast-track to management with her full-time employer. Direct-marketing is perfect for these non-traditional families, as well as us aging boomers!

If you consider yourself non-traditional, but have a love of the Watkins quality tradition handed down from generation-to-generation for nearly 145 years, perhaps this is the road less traveled meant for you. March to your own drum beat. Set your own pace. Become your own boss. We’re here to help you every step of the way. Just call our toll-free All Natural Country Store phone number, 888-881-7372. We can assist you through some of those barriers that are blocking your path to a fulfilling future. 

David Gurzenski

The Conservative’s Guide to Becoming a Risk Taker

As Nancy Reagan might have said, “Just Do It.” But we offer a money-back guarantee! So, what’s the risk in that?

I turn 65 in less than four months.  Any regrets?  Yes.  I only became a risk taker four years ago.  And I was forced into it.  After four decades of a "safe" career, answering to a boss and collecting a steady paycheck, I found myself unemployed.  Scary?  You bet.

But I was very fortunate.  Someone much braver than myself, but a person I trusted very much, suggested I join him in launching a home-based business – in the middle of the recession!  It was so very much against all the principles I had been taught in those many economics and business courses.  But where did that undergraduate  and advanced degree -- plus 35 years of continued management experience -- get me? Well, a pink slip because I was overqualified and overpaid for a position that could be assumed by a college graduate willing to accept minimum wage just for the experience needed to build a resume.

Now, four years later, my only regret is that I didn’t get that “push” much sooner. Today, our Watkins home-based business is thriving, thanks to the Watkins name – a household word known for quality by some three generations – and the Internet, the perfect medium for my generation of baby-boomers intent on staying in touch with our children and grandchildren, who were playing online games at the same time they were mastering their multiplication tables. Besides, the bugs are out of online shopping, so why not save all that gas and frustration fighting the mall crowds on busy weekends?

Not only was the Watkins company founded on a pain liniment, of all things, (oh, that aching back from arthritis, bursitis, a bad mattress – you name it, I have it), but they offer four product lines, all of them reformulated over the last 100 years to be considered 95% all-natural or better. In addition, some 350 products are extremely cost-competitive with many of the household brands Americans have been blindly grabbing off grocery and drug store shelves for years, without even reading the labels showing the harmful chemicals they were drinking, rubbing on their bodies, or using to clean their homes.

Enough of preaching to the choir. Many of you are already sold on the all-natural concept, or you wouldn’t have clicked on a link that took you to the Watkins All Natural Country Store. I know you will love the products. That’s a given. But if you are unemployed, under-employed, wanting some type of part-time income in this economy to pay bills, or just would like to save 25% off the all-natural Watkins products you purchase through this site, consider investing the $39.95 in yourself, before you are approaching 65 and sorry you waited so long to become a risk taker!

Actually, there’s not much a risk in this venture. Your Watkins Associate membership, just like every product you buy, comes with a 30-day, no-risk guarantee that you will be completely satisfied, or your $39.95 purchase price will be fully refunded. That’s why J.R. Watkins has been around for some 144 years. It’s the only direct-marketing company that can make such a claim.

Not much of a risk, but so much to gain. Call Alan at 888-881-7372, or David at 888-424-5211, the co-managers of the Watkins All Natural Country Store. Either one of us can answer any questions you have about how you can use this proven formula to start your own all-natural home-based business.

From Face to Feet, Watkins Has You Covered

You Can Look and Feel Your Best this Month

With our Online Special Bargains

First of all, let’s get something straight. Just because we’re guys doesn’t mean we don’t know a thing or two about Watkins super body care products. We, too, have to be concerned about those "laugh" lines that appear at the corners of our eyes, and those "frown" lines that can start forming between the eyebrows after hours of countless, difficult, smart phone games!

After all, we are no spring chickens. One of the Big Bear Country Store managers just celebrated his 57th birthday, the other one is speeding toward his 65th birthday bash (the daughters and grandsons better not forget this milestone)! Thank goodness there is big savings on Watkins Day and Night Face Care products this month.

Both of these 100% natural, age-erasing formulas are on sale. Normally, $15.99, add either one to your online shopping cart for just $13.99.

We could go on and on about the pampering body care products that also are available this month at great savings, such as the Natural Peppermint Foot Scrub and rejuvenating Foot Cream guaranteed to tingle and revive dry, aching feet. Both are now available at a buck off their normal $10.99 price. Sure, ladies will love how they work together to make feet smoother, but we dig how they can remove the aches caused by running through large hotel shopping malls on the way to a business meeting, or manning a Watkins booth all morning, always on our toes greeting customers eager to hear about our bargains.

Having trouble getting your discounted prices to appear on your Big Bear Country Store check-out total? Just call Alan at 888-881-7372, and he can speed you through the process before any of those frown lines start forming!

Major Study Finds More

Dangers in Many Home Care Products

Watkins All-Natural Home Care Products are a Safe Alternative to chemicals that are dangerous to you, your family and the environment.

What's lurking in your household products? According to a recent study of more than 200 cleaning and personal care products, researchers have discovered estrogen-mimicking chemicals that can cause hormone disruption.

“These endocrine disruptors may disturb the way hormones work by mimicking estrogen, androgen or thyroid hormones, thereby stimulating or blocking production of these hormones when absorbed into the body,” according to Robin Dodson, a researcher at the Silent Spring Institute, who led the study. "This is the first large, peer-reviewed study that looked at hormone-disrupting and asthma-related chemicals in a wide range of consumer products," said Dodson. The results were published in a recent issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

Some industry groups, such as the American Cleaning Institute, have raise issues with such reports, stating that they just “alarm consumers unnecessarily. " The study's authors, however, argue that they aren't instilling fear but raising awareness. “Something as simple as better labeling on products allow consumers to be more informed and make their own decisions,” believes Dodson.

J.R. Watkins is a shining example of such a practice. Way back in 2009, J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care product line received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Designed for the Environment (DfE) program. Products meeting the DfE’s high standards are granted approval to display the seal on packaging. The DfE seal ensures consumers that cleaning products displaying the seal have been formulated using the safest ingredients for human and environmental health. By working closely with cleaning product manufactures, the DfE has diverted the use of more than a billion pounds of harmful “chemicals of concern.” in the last five years. Look for the DfE seal on J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care packaging.

Why are natural home care products important?

• Cleaning products are released into the environment inside your home and down the drain to the outdoors.

• 37% of Americans suffer from chemical sensitivities, skin rashes and allergies, many of them provoked by chemicals in cleaning products.

• Reactions can include; eyes watering, breakouts, skin rashes, coughing or sneezing uncontrollably.

• Asthma is the leading cause of emergency room visits and absenteeism in schools.

• Children breathe faster in proportion to their body weight than adults, making them more vulnerable to chemical exposure.

• Warm baths and showers open pores so that what we have cleaned with is more readily absorbed.

Clean out those harmful chemicals lurking in products under your kitchen and bathroom sink

For further information about all of Watkins All Natural Cleaning Products and how to order them in time for your spring cleaning ritual, click on the following link. It will take you into that section on the online catalog:

http://www.watkinsonline.com/productsgroup.cfm?Parent=6&family=250&gCatalogLocale=USA&ECredit=383372&group=616