Preschool Book Fairs
Preschool Book Fairs are a fun way to get books into the hands of our littlest readers! It's also a great way to meet new people, possibly gain leads and spread the love of Usborne Books!
IMPORTANT: Any consultant can work with a preschool or daycare as long as a Kindergarten is not attached in any way. If they have a Kindergarten then you would need to be an Educational Consultant (EC) and list the school.
Ways to find a preschool:
- Google
- Talk to your friends with preschool aged children
- Keep your eyes open while you're driving around
- Local newspapers
- Facebook online yard sales
Who do you contact?
When you contact a preschool the person you want to talk to is the director. Most times you can find that information on the website, but if not, when you call, just ask for the director. I personally call as my first contact. I do not call on a Monday or Friday because those are usually busy days. If I can't get in touch with the director or they seem to be on the fence, then I'll go in with a catalog and some books for the contact.
Wording to Use:
The usual... "Hello, my name is _________ with Usborne Book & More, how are you?" "Have you heard of Usborne Books & More?" If not, I go into a very short spiel about it and then I go into how we do book fairs and I ask them if they would like to earn free books by doing a book fair with us. Don't forget the super duper important question of... "Are you currently working with an Usborne rep?" We always want to be considerate of other consultants. Then set up a meeting, if they want to do it, then the meeting is to introduce yourself, give them a catalog and talk logistics. If they are unsure, set up a meeting to show them a catalog and books. If they're not interested, majority of the time I'll tell them I'll drop off a catalog anyway. Another important thing, smile when you're talking to them! They can tell!
Setting up the dates
When you do a preschool you usually want to do two days minimum. Most preschools have students who only come MWF or TTH, so you want to make sure you're there to catch all the students. I normally do a Thursday and Friday but whatever works out for you and the preschool. The preschool will also know the times for you to be there depending on their busiest pick up times. Coming at 11a because 2 children get picked up then and staying still the next pick up time at 1:30p probably isn't the best use of your time.
E-Fair?
Should you do an efair with the book fair? I give the preschool the option. I haven't gotten many sales from efairs along side my book fairs but it's up to you. There's 2 ways to look at it, it gives some parents a chance to really look and see what they want to order online at home if they didn't have time OR they give parents an out by saying, I'll order online although they do not intend to. Which scenario do you think happens more often? Another option is to have the efair open but only give the option to parents who are very motivated to get a certain book, parents like that will take advantage of the link.
Books on hand or order only?
Cash and carry is a great option as kids and parents love being able to take the books right then. However, doing order only is a great option for those of you in your incentive period as you are not able to consign books yet. (Consignment = books you order from Usborne that you don't pay for up front, but that you have to pay back as you sell the books). Other options if you would like to have cash and carry is to see if there's someone in the area you can borrow consignment from or you can use your own inventory that you have built up.
What books should I have on hand??
If doing cash and carry... what books do you want to have on hand? Well you definitely want the books that meet the needs of your kids (0-5 year olds)! If you have time to place an order before their event, ask the director what types of books they are interested in because a lot of the times the preschools will have "themes'" so the kids will also totally be into those subjects... maybe space, maybe dinosaurs, seasons etc. Also have books for other age groups because most of the time they have siblings so they may pick up something for them too. Books from the Top Sellers list are usually on there for a reason, take advantage of that list too!
Booth Placement
Make sure your booth is in a spot where everyone has to pass by you. Do not let the preschool put you in a separate room where parents have to go out of their way to get there because most will not. Also, to everyone walking by... say hello and tell them there's a book fair today! Sometimes that's all I'll say... "Book Fair Today!" It's amazing but people will see your whole set up but still walk straight by. By simply saying "book fair today," it forces them to stop and acknowledge you. Some will keep walking, but most will stop to look. And the kiddos are always great about wanting to stop by and look at the books! (That's why you want to be visible!).
Booth set-up: Everyone sets up their booths a little different, but don't worry it really doesn't have to be fancy! Some use milk crates, some have racks (a lot don't though so don't worry if you don't!), some might just use boxes to get a staggered feel. You just want your books to be seen and presentable, you want them to catch the eye of those walking by. A lot of the times it might be organized by age group so it's easy to direct people to the appropriate age or maybe by type of book. You'll figure out what you like the best and then it'll be perfect for you!
Random advice: Some consultants will set up a story time with the kids beforehand so the kids know you and they know a book that they already love! What do you think would be a good story time book for a preschool?
Teacher Wishlists
Inform the director that you'll have teacher wishlists sheets available so when you're all set up, they take turns coming out and filling out their wish lists with the books that are on hand. (If doing order online, they can make in advance with catalog). Parents really like buying books and donating to their class. One option is to take the donated books home and put a label on them: Donated to so and so's class by so and so. (Have a form they can fill out so you know who it's being donated to and by who). Some people will donate to their class and not buy their own child a book. It's also important that people know that this is benefiting their school. People like to support their school so if they know the school is earning free books because of their purchase, some are more apt to purchase.
Preschools are so fun to work, it's awesome to see the little faces of these kids light up when they see the books! Preschools also love that we do most of the work so make sure they know that you will do the set-up, you will man the tables... they just need to advertise and then tell you what free books they want at the end! Good luck!
