Directly Successful

How Hard Do Your Clients Have to WORK to Get What They Want?

Kelly08 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:57:44 GMT

If you sell something online go through the process YOURSELF. How many clicks does it take for someone to actually BUY from you?

If you do parties, presentations or home shows how much work does your hostess/host have to do for you? Yes, you are giving free and discounted items...big whoop, THEY are doing all the work to get you your paycheck. How many steps are there?

Off the top of my head:

Plan the party
Clean the house
Figure out who to invite
Fill out all those invites
Gather addresses
Gather emails
Make follow up phone calls
Prepare food and drink
Clean up after the party
Gather orders and get them out to the guests

Think about it, that's a lot of steps! Brainstorm ways to cut down on the number of steps that your clients or customers have to take to get you YOUR bottom line! OR treat them better for doing so!

Seth Godin not only writes killer marketing books, but he has a blog entry about just this topic! Check him out!

Internet Marketing Insights Revealed

Kelly08 — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 12:04:42 GMT

Today's call on Internet Marketing is the first of a 3 part telecall series through Bubble Gum on My Business Plan (my friend Julie and I co-created this empowerment system for mom entrepreneurs). It is the Internet Marketing series in our Entrepreneureal Excellence tele-calls. What, you aren't signed up? You missed the calls? Don't worry, you can still get in on them here.

For those of you who WERE on the call, here are the links to the sites I mentioned on the call. Check them out, use them, decide what is best for you and YOUR business! The second call is on blogging, so I have included some blogging sites as well as links to help you learn more about blogging so when you get on the next call you are up to speed and maybe even ahead of the game!

Constant Contact
iContact
Vertical Response

Alexandria Brown (check out the post I did about her up coming telecall on ezines and internet marketing)

podference (if you do lots of teleconferences and want them podcast for future use and easy download through itunes)
blogger (to set up your FREE blog)
wordpress (another free blog)
godaddy (to double check business names and to buy your website url)
free conference call service

Did you know you can market your expertise AND donate to charity at the same time?

Kelly08 — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:12:36 GMT

Have you heard about Squidoo? (skweeedoo) It is a place where you (the "lensmaster") can make a page (a "lens") about an area of expertise, a topic you love, or something you are interested in. These free pages should be rich with keywords, have lots of links to other sites, blogs, you tube videos, etc... If your entrepreneureal mind hasn't kicked in yet let me jump start your creativity with some ideas on how to use yet ANOTHER free resource on the internet to build your business, boost your credibility....AND make you money while also donating to charity at the same time!

It is your job as lensmaster to create a "lens" (your page) on a topic that others might be searching to understand or to gather more information on. Its main purpose is to direct people to the information they are seeking. Basically, you do all the legwork and set up this lens to direct people to other places on the web to find even more information. Here's some blogging on squidoo.

Let me give you an example of how this might help; imagine going through the process of learning how to apply for college scholarships. Wouldn't it be fabulous to find someone who has been through this before and has already done all the research? A site where you could go and be taught the process then directed all over the web to find the scholarships? You could bookmark this ONE site as it holds ALL the information you need. Here's an example of a lens on college scholarships. Check out Horton Hears a Who (GREAT movie, by the way!!!) Here's one about buying a German Shepard puppy. How about the secret to weight loss? (This one shows you more ways to make money with your lens than the others) Notice the google ads at the bottom of the page? Squidoo splits its revenue with its "co-op" of lensmasters. 5% goes straight to charity, first. Then 50% goes to the lensmasters. 45% goes to Squidoo. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

All YOU need to do if figure out what you have to offer, whether it is a passion for something or knowledge that you can share. If your passion also happens to be your BUSINESS, you can see how this serves as a fantastic way to market!

Wild response to the Ali Brown Ezine Queen Call!

Kelly08 — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:25:31 GMT

Wow! In just two days Alexandria Brown has had 2100 people sign up for her final FREE teleconference on Internet Marketing. You are nuts if you don't get registered for this call! She is going to record it so even if you can't make the live call, at least get registered so you can have access to the play back!

Here are all the details for Alexandria Brown's free teleconference on Internet Marketing. Check her out and if you don't know who Ali Brown is, just google her and check out the Ezine Queen. Then click the link and get yourself registered before it is too late. (You can come back and post later to thank me!)

This Fr*ee call with Alexandria Brown will GUARANTEE you an increase in traffic, get on it!

Kelly08 — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:16:10 GMT

I have something very exciting to announce, and you'll want to make sure to pay special attention to this email.

You've heard of Alexandria Brown, "The Ezine Queen", right?

She's a multi-million dollar business owner who owes all her marketing power to her email newsletter, or "ezine". Since launching her ezine several years ago, thousands of other solo- preneurs and small business owners have become students of hers. (I have been on every call I can get my hands on and am a student of her Online Success Blueprint Workshop. Ali is my internet marketing mentor!)

Why does she have such a following? She teaches a simple ezine system that shows you how to publish as little as one email every two weeks to increase your sales. Also, Ali teaches email marketing strategies for real business owners -- unlike those madmen internet marketers who just want to spam people to death. Her methods have helped her students make MILLIONS more dollars in their businesses by using low-cost online marketing, and she has the testimonials to prove it. Well, here's the big announcement...
** Ali is going to be hosting her LAST free teleseminars EVER on ezines, March 25 & 27. ** (In a hurry? Sign up now)

Yes that's right. Her LAST. First of all, she hasn't offered a free live call on this topic in several years. And after this one, she won't be offering any more. You see, her business is growing rapidly and taking her in a different, exciting direction. But she knows what got her started - the humble email newsletter!

She and her students know that an ezine is still the most powerful marketing tool ANYWHERE, for pennies on the dollar. And Ali wants to give you the BEST most UPDATED information on ezine publishing on these FREE calls. So don't miss this important teleseminar series. Ali's calls are jam-packed with information you can use immediately to grow your business using email - ethically.

You'll have to see what I mean - get the scoop and reserve your spot today!

Best,

Kelly Paull, LCSW

P.S. Remember space is limited and this is the LAST TIME Ali will be giving a FREE teleseminarseries on e-zines so reserve your spot today! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Who's YOUR Mentor?

Kelly08 — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:23:00 GMT

Who's Your ~~Daddy~~ Mentor?! Don't have one, but wish you did? Depending on the culture of the company you are in; often times it is just a matter of ASKING. Send an email off to the top producers in your company. Ask them questions about how they got to where they are now. Heck, send an email to the OWNER of the company. Doing this tells you A LOT about the company. You will find out if there is a "sharing" culture or a dog eat dog, stay away from my bone culture. I did this 4 years ago when I started with my company. I sent 11 questions to about 24 women...the top 20 in sales from the previous year, as well as the 10 Advisory Board members. I'll list the questions below to give you an idea of what to ask. Guess what? Within 24 hours I had 18 responses!!

Check out the questions and use them to inspire you to new heights! There is absolutely NO reason to sit in your business recreating the wheel.

1. What is the best advice you have given or gotten regarding this business?
2. How do you organize your business (ie...keeping track of parties, past hostesses, taxes, back orders etc...)?
3. What do you include in the hostess pack?
4. What kinds of recruiting talk do you do during your show? what is in your recruiting pack?
5. What is (are) your best seller(s)?
6. How long is your demo?
7. Do you have a certain layout for your demo (ie..in the order of the catalog, order form or your own style?
8. What is your definion of success?
9. What do you like to give as hostess gifts?
10. What is your best recruiting advice?
11. What question did I forget to ask?

What happens if you find that your company has a "no share" attitude? My advice would be to ~~quit~~ change that culture by being open and giving yourself. This does not mean sharing sales totals and screwing yourself out of the monthly contest or award! It means helping another human being. It means giving your new recruits the best possible start. It means showing yourself as someone who is open to giving AND receiving. There really are plenty of customers to go around, so get out there and gather some advice!

Another tip....go to the message boards and see what other consultants in your company are saying.
Here are a few good ones:

WAHM.com
Bizymoms.com
internetbasedmoms.com

Do a search for your company, your products, direct sales, party plans...you get the idea. Then, become an expert by learning from others!

This post is dedicated to MY mentor and Friend. Linda Tallon. She answered the above questions 4 years ago and we have been friends ever since!

What are you waiting for? Get out there and stop reinventing the wheel!!!

Turning Strangers into Friends

Kelly08 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:07:20 GMT

Many people (me included) have a hard time making meaningful conversation with a complete stranger. Most people in direct sales have heard the "3 foot rule". Translate: ~~stalk~~ talk to everyone within 3 feet of you about your business. Try waiting in line for a Starbucks on a Saturday morning and slipping in the fact that you sell candles, cooking ware, or in my case..."bedroom accessories". Yup, not an easy one to slide in there before everyone has had their coffee for the day!

I met a very interesting ~~gentleman~~ ~~man~~ ~~dude~~ guy at the Jack Canfield Ultimate Life Workshop. His business card says he's a "Connection Consultant" and his name is Judson Redmond. What is that you ask? He teaches people how to have comfortable conversation and how to really engage the people you are talking to. He has these amazing tips AND he makes a living coaching people like me (and you) to success.

Here are 3 of his tips that really struck me:

1. Strangers don't know one another's names so telling the other person your name and getting theirs early in the conversation is a must.

2. Try to stick to being genuine before clever. This is a hard one for me. I'm a sarcastic smart ass much of the time so you can imagine this one is going to be difficult for me.

3. Remember conversation NOT interrogation. Using who, what, where, when and how questions are a sure way to begin the rapport with another person.

I did a teleconference with him for my team and it turned out so great that I am going to do another one that is more general and geared toward those in network marketing/direct sales/ home party plans. Sound interesting?
Let me know in the comments section and I will let you know when this FREE teleconference happens!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kelly08 — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:48:53 GMT

!

The Ultimate Life Workshop was really inspiring. We learned the "heart hug" which to many feels really uncomfortable at first. When you hug you should be left ear to left ear allowing your hearts to touch while hugging. This creates great energy in the body! We were shown a great demonstration on the lowered strength and energy when the hugging is done the "other" way.

Happy Valentine's Day...now go out there and get your heart hugs!

Speed Networking...what a RUSH! Join IN!

Kelly08 — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:23:06 GMT

One of the activities at the Ultimate Life Workshop was a speed networking exercise. I will admit that I had mild to moderate anxiety about having to do this, but once it started I was hooked. Picture sitting knee to knee and a timer set for 90 seconds. In that time you have to interview one another simultaneously, when the timer goes off you have to move one seat to the right.

Here is the format:
Your name
Your Occupation
What I have to offer
What I am looking for right now

Anyone who knows me will think I have gone nuts when I say I have a new found enthusiasm for networking! Let's start our own networking right here...in the comments section fill out the format and we'll see if we can't get this networking off the ground!

Here is mine:
Kelly Paull, LCSW
Sex educator for adult women, public speaker
I have great marketing ideas and internet marketing skills
I am looking for network marketers who have large teams to help me with a project I am working on.

More tips for talking about your business...

Kelly08 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:50:02 GMT

I just got this from the Sales Diva, I love her spunk and her words of wisdom are always right on, even if you are a man, this information is for YOU!

When I was a kid, my grandfather had a library over-flowing with gorgeous books that I was "allowed" to dive into. He too was a HUGE book lover and one of my favorites was a fat, fancy, gold book with an embossed castle on the front.

Even just holding it - felt good!

Inside the book were stories. Stories that captured my imagination, made me curious, painted pictures for me that were enthralling. I couldn't wait to find out the ending!

So What Is The Best Kept Secret For Attracting Customers?

Tell a story.

I see it all the time. Especially at networking events or functions where people are introducing themselves and their productsor services.

Just a whole lot of BLAH BLAH and nothing that makes me FEEL anything. (guess what - your potential customer feels the exact thing - BOREDOM)

Elevator Pitches Are Stuffy and Outdated

The whole elevator pitch thing has been taken waaaaaaaaaaaay too far! (I know you've run into people who have elevator pitch written all over them!)

To heck with the elevator - when someone is doing that pitch on me - I am looking for the stairs to make my get-away.

You have to be able to describe what you do without sounding like a cheeseball.

Remember - Bored Customers Don't Buy

When was the last time you bought something from someone who bored you to tears? Or they annoyed the heck out of you? (I thought so!)

t just doesn't happen.

You need to be telling A STORY lady!

So What Does A Story Involve?

PEOPLE. You're not talking about gadgets and services - you're talking about people. It is conversational, interesting to listen to.

CURIOSITY. You lead with something that captures their attention - something that they are struggling with.

YOU DON'T SOUND CANNED. Look - there's a difference between being passionate or being an actress. If you're too dramatic, or too flat - people TUNE YOU OUT both ways! Practice your introduction but don't sound like a robot.

GET TO THE POINT. What is your claim to fame? This is where you can include a little Zip ie/ My clients on average increase their sales by 50% or more

CALL TO ACTION. People should feel inspired to want more, learn more, go to your website, ask for your card...make them think!

Listen.

I know you have good stories and testimonials from your clients. You're just not USING THEM. And truly - you're huffing and puffing but not blowing anyone's house down!

Your Diva Assignment?

Think of the DRAMATIC RESULTS you've had from some of your best customers. Have a look at their testimonials, what they said to you - look for the phrase that would make your BUYING ANTENNAE go up.

Because really - making lots of money doesn't have to be a FAIRY TALE.

Love From Your Bossy Sales Diva,

Kim

P.S. If you loved this article, can you please pass it on to 3 of your sassy friends? They will receive my FREE Report: The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make when they sign up at www.salesdivas.com as well as my savvy sales tips each week! Thanks a million!

Help! I don't know how to talk about my business to strangers!

Kelly08 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:21:11 GMT

I just got this from The Success Factory. If you do not subscribe to their daily emails and you are in direct sales...go TODAY and sign up!

So often at TSF we hear that you are having difficulties talking to strangers. It seems that when we join a direct sales business - somehow all of our normal people skills are forgotten. We get the feeling that we can't talk to anyone without feeling obliged to sell them product, book a party or recruit them and so, we get tongue tied and say nothing at all.

Does this sound like you? If it does, may I make a suggestion for you for the next several weeks? Try this exercise. Start talking to people again. Everywhere you go - just strike up conversations with strangers. Do your best to find out as much about them as you can. You will be AMAZED at what people tell you when you ask them questions about themselves. FAYC (FORGET ABOUT YOURSELF COMPLETELY). Just focus on THEM. Don't worry about talking about anything other than THEM.

The goal of this exercise is just to help you remember your people skills again. You CAN talk to strangers - you may have just temporarily forgotten how. This exercise will help build your confidence and re-teach you the fine art of LISTENING. Listening for needs is the key to true success in sales.

Do You Have What It Takes To Be #1?

Kelly08 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:09:26 GMT

Watch and decide... Vince Lombardi has the words to motivate anyone!

Be HONEST, Do You Ask Everyone?

Kelly08 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:24:55 GMT

We all know the drill...ask everyone if they would a) like to host a party and b) they think they could do what you do. Those top recruiters...they ask everyone don't they? Then why is it that the rest of us don't?

What does YOUR recruiting speech look like? Take a moment to write it yours and see the difference it makes.

Thank the Hostess---
Tell everyone what she is getting---
Say your name at least 3 times in the openning---
Tell everyone what they can get---
I started doing SP because---
I find it is the perfect job because ---
I make on average --- per hour
I took some of the $ and ---
The most amazing thing about this company is ---
smooth intro into your demos---

Share your recuiting secrets in the comments below...

Here's mine: Don't get excited, it really isn't a secret, it's just one more thing the majority of us don't consistently do:

Follow up!! call them within 48 hours and answer their questions! Crazy isn't it?

More People Change Jobs in January than Any Other Month

Kelly08 — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:58:27 GMT

With that being said...are YOU looking for your next team member? Keep in mind that companies are laying off, outsourcing to other countries, and cutting back. Guess what? Direct Sales companies are GROWING, profiting and reaping the rewards!

Here are some quick recruiting tips from The Success Factory

Quick Tip #1 Never prejudge! – Ask everyone to join. You never know why someone may be interested in the business. It is not your job to decide FOR them - it is your job to share the opportunity with them and let THEM decide!

Quick Tip #2 Ask questions to reveal a potential recruits "hot button" or "need". Think about why she would benefit from working with your company and what qualities she has that would make her a good consultant.

Quick Tip #3 Your hostess is your best prospect! She has experienced first-hand what a fun and easy job you have. Parties that you book at her party can be her parties to do! Be sure you are offering the opportunity to your hostess from your first coaching call by planting seeds like "Watch what I do the night of your party, if you think you can see yourself doing the same thing, we need to talk!"

Quick Tip #4 An objection is often a request for more information. For example, when a prospect says, "I don't have enough time", she may really be unaware of how much time a job like this takes. A great response is, "How much time do you think this takes?" This gives you the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions she may have about the business.

Quick Tip #5 Don't forget to close or ask for the sale. It's so simple, just remember to ask, "So, what do you think?" Then, BE QUIET and wait for her response.

Are you duplicatable?

Kelly08 — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:25:41 GMT

Team leaders, business builders, managers...whatever you are called in your company...listen up! Take a moment to think about what your individual skills are. If you are a top recruiter, excellent at sales or great at motivating and inspiring others. No matter what your skill is, wouldn't you agree that it is nothing if you can't pass it on to those on your team or in your organization? Break it down into pieces. What exactly do you do? I am so sick of hearing people say, "I don't know, I don't do anything special." Yet they recruit 100's or are one of the top 10 in sales of the company they are in. The first thing that comes to my mind is this person is withholding information because she has the false belief that if she shares her "secrets" then she will no longer be a hot shot or she is just not very bright.

There are several things a leader needs to be able to do:

Break things down into simple, manageable steps for the newbie.
Teach the steps in chronological order.
Keep the excitement without overwhelming the newbie with too much information
Put on an informative and fun meeting.
Realize that the more duplicatable you and your success are, the faster your team will find success.

The leader who trains, supports and motivates will find her team not only sticks around, but quickly rises to success as well.

Some of my favorites are:

Sending out email campaigns to the newbies. I call them Digests and they cover important tips like what is necessary to take to the party, hostess coaching tips, how to book parties, a script for what to say when announcing their new business, how to process credit cards, etc...
Fun meetings geared around a theme or series. Some I have done are Back to Basics Boot Camp, 7 Habits of Highly Successful Distributors, and Gray's Anatomy. Really, almost anything that is mainstream (TV shows, movies, current affairs) can be made into a meeting.
Teleconferences for the team or company wide. I use www.freeconferencecall.com for my teleconferences.
Team newsletters with links to pertinent articles, videos, audios. Do a search on google or ask.com for your topic. You'll be amazed what comes up!

What are the best ways you have found to duplicate yourself, your skills, your knowledge?

How shopping for lipgloss and mascara is like direct sales

Kelly08 — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:59:18 GMT

Have you ever walked into Sephora? I usually get about 4 steps into the store then I feel completely overhwelmed and leave without buying anything to make me look less wrinkly, with longer eye lashes, and pouty lips. It is a place that has every kind of makeup known to womankind and all the "tools" to go along with it.

I had to find the perfect shade of lipgloss (or so said my friend Amy) for my TV interview (more on that later). She said something about what shade of pink makes your teeth look white. Knowing if it were left up to me wandering around in that store all alone I would SURELY come out with the shade that would make my teeth look yellow. Having a television interview is nerve wracking enough with out worrying about yellow teeth!

So, in Amy and I go. Amy approaches the first employee she sees and says, "This is my friend Kelly, she is being interviewed today on TV and she needs some lipgloss to go with her sweater." I pipe in that we also need my teeth to look white. (ok, not like I have really yellow teeth...I don't even drink coffee!) She gets on her ~~microphone~~, ~~headset~~, ~~GI Joe~~, secret service thingy and in no less than 2 seconds we have our escort. She is all business. She wants to see the sweater, she wants to know if I feel more comfortable in lipstick or lipgloss, she glances as my complection and she is off like a racehorse. She zigs, she zags she pulls lipgloss and applies it to her hand. She looks at me, the sweater and her hand one more time, eliminates 3 of the choices and plops me in the chair for the application. I kid you not when I tell you this whole process took MAYBE 5 minutes. She gives me a mini lesson on lipliner. I assume she took a wild guess just by looking at me and figured I would need this lesson. She guessed right. The first one was OK, nothing to get too excited about, but it did match that melon sweater almost exactly. The next one...ding, ding, ding hit the nail on the head! I loved it, she loved it and Amy, my super duper cheerleader loved it! Next purchase, mascara. "What kind of look do you want, long, curled, thick, heavy?" I said, "I want long." She said, "Do you want to be able to feel that it is on?" "No." Out of the gate that girl is off again! Straight to this drawer, "Brown-black or Black?" "Black"...and that's it, I'm done I'm in line at the register and it all took about 10-15 minutes, if that!

So, to the point of this hellishly long story. This woman, Nastasha, I believe was her name. She was the kind of expert we all need to be about our products. She helped guide me through what normally would be a very overwhelming experience. She took control after FIRST asking me some questions. She did not shoot off to her most expensive lip gloss, she did not try to sell me eye serum or perfume. She took an interest in me and my situation, asked clarifying questions and then pulled out the products and gave me a choice. As a consutant you need to know your products backward and forward. You need to ask the right questions. You need to listen to the answers and you need to give the client a choice. Some items require another item to make them work properly. Did I ask for a lipliner? No. Was I offended that she offered one, showed me how to use it and explained why it was necessary? No. Would I have been upset if I had gotten home without the lipliner and realized that I needed one once it was too late? You betcha Betty!

So, think about this story, your products and your clients. Many times they are looking to you to have the knowledge necessary to guide them in the right direction, offer them choices and be sure to show them the other products needed to make their purchase complete. Don't go crazy on the upsell, cross sell, over sell. Don't be afraid to show them other choices though. If you are doing so in the vein of being helpful instead of trying to emtpy their wallet it will come across and you'll be the hero like Nastasha was to me on the day of my big interview!

If you are interested in seeing what all the hype is about go here and check out Julie and my Empowerment System for Mom-Entrepreneurs, our segment will aire in February and I will post a link to it when it happens...let's hope my teeth look white!

Books to Get Your Motivation, Your Mindset and Your Mojo Going!

Kelly08 — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:06:55 GMT

I'll admit it. I'm a geek when it comes to books. I dream about books, I look forward to going to bed so I can read my books, and the perfect vacation would be one where I am on a beach with a stack of them!

Here's a list of GREAT books to get your motivation, your mindset and your mojo going! If your mindset is what needs help check out this blog for Bubble Gum on My Business Plan.

Secrets if Six Figure Women by Barbara Stanny
Little Book of Yes! Attitude by Jeffrey Gitomer
Words that Sell by Richard Bayan
The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
Top Dog Sales Secrets by Michael dalton Johnson
Build it Big from the Direct Selling Women's Alliance
The Success Principles by Jack Canfiled

Does Your Presentation Need More Cowbell?

Kelly08 — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:15:40 GMT

Understand that your "audience," whether it is an audience of one or 50, is going to respond to you and your enthusiasm. Now surely, my audience has no desire what so ever to see my belly hanging over my jeans as I educate them about my products. (we'll get to dressing for success another time) However, the level of excitement you bring to your presentation WILL result in more sales and interest. I promise. Remember back to High School and that boring teacher who spoke in the same tone? Don't be that person!

7 Quick tips to adding more cowbell:

Use voice fluctuation to keep your audience interested. I don't mean yelling and whispering. Use slow speech, soft speech, bursts of quick talking as well as pausing longer than feels humanly comfortable.
Don't be afraid to move around...explore your studio space!
Facial expressions are KEY! Are you smiling when talking about why mineral oil is so bad for your skin? Make your facial expressions match what you are talking about.
Don't be afraid to dress for success even before you have made a dime!
If you experience rowdy crowds (my parties always have women laughing and talking LOUD) have a microphone. You can use the mic to get their attention too!
Remember you are on stage, use bigger body movements than normal. Yes, you will feel like a dope, but if you get in your car afterward and feel like you made an ass of yourself...you'll know they had a good time!
Eye contact can be either comforting or creepy. Make sure you are not focusing too much on one person, it makes them uncomfortable. However, don't be afraid to actually look each guest in the eye. so, find yourslef a good balance between scanning over their heads and staring them down!

Raise Your Hand if You're Sure

Kelly08 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:22:31 GMT

I sure am a techie geek. I love trying out new things. I was one of the first in my company to begin using Constant Contact to keep in touch with my clients, as well as send out professional newsletters to my team and keep my finger on the pulse of thos prospective recruits. Now it is one of the tools the majority of the company uses for keeping in touch! I even taught a class on it at our National Convention last year. We'll get to more of that in a later post and podcast!

Here are the things I am loving right now to boost my business:

Constant Contact for those really great looking HTML email campaigns or "ezines".
Jott is this really great little program that transcribes the message you leave and then either emails or texts it to the person you tell it to. Right now I use it to keep in touch with the newbies on my team and to remind myself of things when I don't have a pen to "jott" them down. Totally cool! The great thing is you can also press the play button and listen to the voice option! I jott myself all the time when I am driving and have a thought I don't want to forget.
Free Conference Call--this one is great for team meetings, you can RECORD the call for FREE and then send the playback number for those who couldn't make the call.
This free virtual assistantis going to be my next venture her name is Sandy and she seems pretty on the ball!

What sites or service do YOU love for your business????

It's a CULT, I swear!

Kelly08 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:16:49 GMT

Have you ever met someone who is just starting their direct sales business? They can kind of resemble a member of a cult. Did any of your family members worry that you were joining a cult when you came home touting the benefits of your products with such ferver that you weren't invited to the next family gathering?

Here's my beef with many a passionate direct sales marketer. Most begin fully depending on their friends and family for support, party hosting, product sampling, referrals, purchases, etc... This is what gives direct sales a bad name. Ask anyone, including yourself. We ALL know someone who started their business and looked to us to be their guinnie pig. It is a comfortable place to start, but let's be honest, sometimes rejection from perfect strangers can be easier to swallow than from your own family.

My theory is this...especially for women, when we step out into the world and on the journey to owning our own business, there is some envy there. Our friends don't like change, they worry we will be too busy to hang out with a pretzel at the mall, chatting on the phone, laughing over a glass of wine. Let's face it you and your new "passion" are just kind of no fun to be around any more. This is also the time when you meet someone else at a meeting or maybe it is your upline...and they are DOING the kinds of things YOU want to be doing. I call this a success crush...you find yourself talking about them, dreaming of being like them, of being in their presence, of them calling you and being your friend. (Wait, that's not just me is it?)

Here are my ideas for keeping your friends your friends and your starting your business off with a bang!

It's ok to talk about your business with enthusiasm, just don't EXPECT those closest to you to be your biggest supporters. If they DO give you referrals or host a party, that is icing on the cake.
Invest in the business cards and don't be afraid to talk to everyone you meet about what you are doing.
Email or call those who are the leaders in your company. Ask them to share their success with you. No sense re-inventing the wheel!
Surround yourself with the people who are experiencing the kind of success you'd like to have.
Put your goals down on paper. (it is the new year!)
It's not a dirty little secret...you are in SALES so become a student of sales and learn all you can about it! I have read everything Jeffrey Gitomer has written...so should you!
Send a business card with every bill you pay including when you go out to dinner.
Send out a professional email announcing your business to your friends and family, if they bite, they bite. Ask them to forward the email on to their friends. It can't hurt. We'll be talking much more about internet marketing and social networking. I'm a geek and loooooooooooove that stuff!

Ok, that's a short list, but I want to see what you all have to say. Post a comment with your ideas or even just one idea that helped you get your business moving in the right direction!