Are You on a Team?

WOOHOO! It is Friday!  Typically, weekends are not my favorite days of the week.  I start my 3 days of “work“.  What I do get excited about is FOOTBALL!  For those that know me, this was something new when hubby came into my life (15+ years ago).  When we were both off on Sundays, it was the thing we did.  Now, he is usually at work and I am racing home on Sunday to catch the end of a 1PM game and get ready for a 4:30PM game….

Opps… I “squirreled” just a little…

So, are you on a team?  Or were you ever?  Growing up, I was not on any sports teams. I was on the Yearbook and I would consider it an amazing team.  On the other hand, my daughter, Belinda, was on a sports team from the time she was about 6 years old.  We or I should say she did gymnastics, field hockey and was an all-star cheerleader.  I am grateful for those years because it taught her many lessons she might not have learned being an only child.

As a single mom, Belinda and I were a team.  Hubby and I are a team.  So, whether you think of it in those terms or not, all of us are a part of some team.

If you have your own direct sales business, maybe you have a team of women under you but I can almost guarantee  you have a team above you.

As a member of a team (any team), you are very special to the other members.  In direct sales, the women under you feel safe enough to have YOU as their sponsor and to have YOU as the one guiding them.  WOW!  Please, do not take it lightly. I know I don’t.

I am going to focus right now on your team in your direct sales business.

Make sure you get to know each person. Find out her ‘why’. Learn about her life. Care about her. Connect with her. Legitimately join her on this journey. She NEEDS you and is dying for you to guide her. Don’t let her down. This is one of the most important aspects of your job/business.  The women on your team came to you, sought you out, trusted you and are excited about something with YOU. Be a part of their life, jump in to it full force. Be there for them. Don’t let them down.

On the flip side, don’t hold their hand every step of the way. Guide them to the available resources. Give them a solid foundation to start on. Share your wisdom and knowledge.   Encourage their desire to learn more, how to have fun, how to get in the groove of THEIR business and help them figure out what gets them stoked. Your business and their business will be totally different,  It is a BEAUTIFUL and exciting thing,

Remember to work with her – you don’t work for her. Walk along side her, don’t pull her behind you. Lead her down the path SHE wants.  

It is so not about you or what you want –  it is ALWAYS about her. Make sure she knows how much you care.

What other teams can you apply these words of wisdom to?  Share with us what kind of team you are on….

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Out of Your Comfort Zone to be Successful

Happy Friday!!

I know that many of you are ready for this weekend since it is the 50th Super Bowl.  I know that I am excited even if my favorite team, J-E-T-S, are not playing but I will be cheering on the Carolina Panthers.  

I am guessing for some, you aren’t thinking about working your business this weekend. WHY?  You will be hanging with friends.  Celebrating.  Watching football.  You don’t want to be the pushy sales person, right?  Would it be out of your comfort zone to talk about what you LOVE – your business at a social gathering?  I will admit that sometimes it is a struggle for me.  I am not quite sure how to work it into the conversation.

Here are a few things that YOU (and me) will need to do if we want to be successful in our business:

1. You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.  FEAR stops us in our tracks.  I have found if I do the thing that I am most afraid of first thing in the morning or when I first walk into my office – it gets done.  No time to think about it.  Just do it!
2. You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.  For me this has become more of a physical struggle due to some recently diagnosed health issues.  Getting up at 5AM used to be easy.  Now I struggle BUT I know that if I don’t get in  my office by 7AM – nothing gets done.
3. You have to give more than you get in return right away.  I think this goes along with the old saying “you have to spend money to make money”.
4.  You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore. Okay, so we don’t mean this physically BUT you need to keep going even when you feel unsure & insecure.
5. You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.  This is so true in DS.  It wasn’t my original goal to be a leader.  I just shared the fun & benefits and they started to follow.
6. You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.  I have to admit that I still struggle with this one.  My inner gremlins always want to battle me on this.
7. You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.  Yes, I have been there and I am sure that I will be there again.  Mistakes are how we learn and grow.  Some of the greatest people have made mistakes and kept going when people thought that they were crazy!
8. You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.  Keep your goal in front of you – no matter how big or small.  It can be as simple as some extra money to play with or it can be a career change and the desire to NOT work for someone else.

I know what does all of this have to do with hanging out with friends at a Super Bowl party, right?  If you want to succeed, you will find a way to work your business into conversations this weekend.  You won’t be pushy.  You will be sharing a part of your life that you love.  Step out of your comfort zone so that you can succeed.

You have to do the hard things. The things that no one else is doing. The things that scare you. The things that make you wonder how much longer you can hold on. Those are the things that define you. Those are the things that make the difference between living a life of mediocrity or outrageous success. The hard things are the easiest things to avoid. To excuse away. To pretend like they don’t apply to you. The simple truth about how ordinary people accomplish outrageous feats of success is that they do the hard things that smarter, wealthier, more qualified people don’t have the courage — or desperation — to do. Do the hard things. You might be surprised at how amazing you really are.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Who’s Ready for Football?

As you can guess by the title – I am excited about football season starting.  Alright, I was never really a football fan until Rob and I got together.  I tolerated the Sunday ritual in the beginning by finding things to keep me busy while the game was on. Then one day a light bulb went off – that AHA moment when I realized, why not just enjoy the time together.  So now we watch football together – I am a little more vocal than he is but it is fun times except when our teams are playing against each other.  He is a die-hard Giants fan.  I am a JETS fan.  No heckling allowed!

The Fall season brings with it lots of different outdoor activities especially football which means tailgating or cold benches as the crisp fall air comes rolling in.  Maybe you are already dreading hauling snacks, planning football parties or even thinking ahead to Super Bowl Sunday. There was a great blog by Kim of The Celebration Shoppe about the “10 Must Haves for Tailgating & Football Season”.  Numbers 7, 8, 9 & 10 involved Thirty One products!  Okay, so some of those may be retired but there are NEW ones to replace them.  Lots of options for tailgating including the NEW Family fun thermal that you can use ICE – yes I said ICE!

The large utility is  must have not only for tailgating but for all of the shopping that takes place BEFORE the event.  You can personalize it in your favorite team colors. How about adding a picnic thermal.  The picnic thermal will hold up to TWO six packs of your favorite drink.  You can add a top to your large utility tote too so everything stays neat and inside your bag.  Many customers also use their picnic thermal and their large utility tote for grocery shopping.

    

Need to convince  the males in your life that Thirty One is NOT just about purses!

What better way than using our spirit collection or the camo print in a variety of products.  My hubby swore that he wouldn’t carry Thirty One – WRONG!  He now has an out and about lunch tote for work and when asked where he got it tells everyone that his wife sells it.   What a great advertisement for your business, right?  Make sure you always have business cards or mini catalogs handy when you are tailgating for the opportunity to share Thirty One.  Who knows that tailgating party could turn into an impromptu party.

So, are you ready for football?   I am especially since pre-season has already started.  Don’t be left out in the cold, get yours today and show your school spirit!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!