The Sanders Team: XS Energy, Exceeding Synergy

For Kyle and Christy Sanders of Chicago, XS Energy Drink is the engine that drives an array of First Circle retail sales that go well beyond the drink itself. During a recent three-month period (April 1 through June 30), the Sanders’ Platinum organization created 304 online retail customer orders. One-quarter of those orders (77) contained XS Energy Drink, for a total of 173 cases of the 12-pack cans and 13 cases of Blast! Energy Mixers.

Undoubtedly, XS Energy Drink captures the imagination—and the attention—of the general public and has been instrumental in developing business in other product categories, such as Artistry, Nutrilite and Home Care.

A key ingredient in the XS buzz potential is its easy-to-sample status and its ability to engage the senses. There’s the sight of the brightly adorned can, its ice-cold touch, the cracking sound from opening its tab, punctuated by a great aroma and, finally, dynamic taste.

“This creates emotional excitement, which either leads to sales of XS or opens the potential customer up to hearing about other products that might fit their needs better,” said Kyle. “Without that emotional excitement, it is difficult to gather interest in looking at our other product offerings.”

Among the Sanders team’s success stories:
• The East Bank Club is one of the largest and most prestigious health clubs in Chicago. Oprah and Barack Obama are among the club’s more than 12,000 members. After a meeting with the Director of Catering and following nutritionist approval, the club began using the Blast! Energy Mixers in their juice bar. Soon thereafter, they added the Mixers to their four on-site restaurants. The club went through about two cases a month during the winter, and sales doubled starting in June.
The biggest lesson gained from the East Bank Club experience:
“Being professionally persistent and after showing the product, asking EBC staff how they saw it as a benefit to their members, rather than us telling them,” said Kyle. “That way, they own it more.”

• In Phoenix, an IBO couple in the Sanders’ organization, Ralph and Jovita Hernandez, approached their church’s juice bar. The Blast! Energy Mixers have been a smash, with the congregation consuming four cases per month and recently adding one box of each of the four Twist Tube flavors to their orders.

• The Sanders Team has done four event sales in the last month, including the Madison Marathon, the U.S. Women’s Triathlon Series race in Naperville, Ill., Louisville’s 5K Race For Empowering Women, and the Kansas City Ironman.
At each event, IBOs provided free samples using the Blast! Energy Mixers in order to attract potential customers. In total, they sold 209 XS Energy Drinks as well as two liters of Blast! Energy Mixers.
In addition, said Kyle, “XS opened the door for us to up-sell the customers on Nutrilite Energy Bars and Nutrilite Twist Tubes.”

• An IBO couple in Slippery Rock, Pa., John and Carolyn McCall, have son who is a competitive roller hockey player. His team is called XS Energy and about half the parents purchase cases of XS for their family.

• Building on the “family business” theme nurtured by Amway Global, IBOs William and Asinna Bennett in Phoenix provide the Electric Lemon Blast! Energy Drink Mixer for their kids to set up an Energy Lemonade Stand. The Bennett kids use their profits to buy the games they like to play.

So what’s your Retail Sales story? Got one…please send it to us at success@xsgear.com