No matter what the sales rep tells you about how you'll increase sales if you post-pay, ignore her. Always pre-pay.
We've done cookie dough and pizza kit sales in the past - both are perishable products that MUST be picked up by the parent the day they arrive at school. We just get a firm delivery commitment from the company and communicate it to the parents loud and clear. We encourage them to arrange for someone else to pick up if they can't. By mid-afternoon, we start calling people who haven't picked up. There's always product left over that needs to be held overnight but hopefully not too much. I always thought we should offer a home delivery option - for $5 more we'll deliver your product from the school to your home.
Pay up front. Another poster had something just this past summer about how much they are carrying over in unpaid debt due to one fundraiser where it was not pre-paid. Unfortunately, you never know who will try and get over on you until the opportunity arises.
For fundraisers do you have the payment when orders come in or do you do it as they take them the product? We want to do holiday greenery this year. There is a 10 case minimum and we are also doing direct ship. The thing we are worried about that if people do the non direct that they will not pick it up. My theory is that if they pay for it, they will more then likely pick it up. I am going to send out a letter stating the day and time and how important it is for them to pick up the products. I personally can't afford the greenery if we have to do all direct ship only because the prices are a bit more and I would like to get more then one thing. I have some of the board members questioning my thoughts in that there is a minimum of 10 cases and we can't sell that many or that they won't pay for it and pick it up. They want to only do direct ship and only have to worry about the 10 individual items that need to be sold. I am looking at profit margin and think that we can do it. Please give me some of your imput. Thank you
