FORM

This is one of my favorite sayings…it sums out what my purpose is when it comes to my business.  I want to help others get what they want – from a simple smile to their own business.  Large or small, I want to help.

During last week’s Better Together meeting, we talked about the party.  In a party plan business isn’t “face to face – heart to heart”?  How can you expect to grow your business if you don’t connect with other people?  One of the things that we all said that we did 100% of the time was “ask open ended questions”.  Can I tell you that I was skeptical?  I wasn’t 60 seconds into the discussion and I asked a yes or no question.  We may think we ask open questions but the reality is that in our business we usually only ask just 2 questions of each person we are in contact with.  I was shocked!

Think about it.  You are talking to a customer and you ask her “Would you like to host a girl’s night out?”.  When she responds “no”, you are done!  No way to bring it around or encourage her.  What if you were to ask “Describe your ideal girl’s night out”.  Now she is going to share with you her vision and you have a chance to offer the party experience to her.  It sounds easy but the truth is that it isn’t as easy as we think.

One of the tips that was shared was to use FORM when talking to someone to ensure that you ask open ended questions.  This acronym stands for:

F = Family: tell me about them

O = Occupation:  tell me about your job/business

R = Recreation: what kinds of things do you like to do – sports, crafts, hobbies, etc.

M = Messages. what are the things that are close to your heart.

When we ask these types of questions we engage in a conversation and begin building a relationship.  Questions like this give us topics for future conversations.  Lead ins for booking and recruiting seeds.  Lead ins for future orders, parties or fundraisers.

So, do I have you thinking about whether or not you ask open ended questions?  Have someone ease drop on your conversation and then give you feedback  Let me tell you it was a true wake up call when I had attendees stop me during the meeting every time I asked a yes/no question.  Of course, I kept pushing to get more details but we don’t always have that luxury when we are talking to customers, hostesses or potential recruits.

Just some food for thought….Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Time to CELEBRATE

WOOHOO Wednesday!  I LOVE when I wake up in the morning with an AHA moment.  I haven’t even finished my second cup of coffee and already my mind is in overdrive.  This week is about reflection in my Thirty One business and setting goals for the NEW YEAR!

First, let me recap 2013 – 2014:

• Personal Volume: $26,028
• Recruits: 4
• Parties Held: 48
• Average Party: $542
• Team Sales: $104,112
• Total Downline: 22

Now, here is 2014 – 2015:

• Personal Volume: $21,834
• Recruits: 4
• Parties Held: 37
• Average Party: $590
• Team Sales: $191,795
• Total Downline: 40

You are probably wondering, why WOOHOO?  Because I learned from this comparison.  First, the obvious – the money is in the parties.  Not as many parties, not as much personal volume.  Okay, this is a no-brainer right, especially in the party plan business.  You have to work your business like a business for it to be successful.  You need to put yourself out there, try new things and keep showing up.

This past year was full of personal growth and challenges for me.  I CELEBRATE that I was able to maintain my business while dealing with my depression.  I CELEBRATE that I was able to ENCOURAGE my team to reach for their goals despite my difficulties.  I CELEBRATE that my I have a 90% retention rate with my recruits which means not a lot of kit nappers.  I CELEBRATE that I increased my party average which means more FREE products for my hostesses.

Along wit a NEW year full of excitement comes NEW goals.  Those goals won’t just be written on paper but there will be ACTION steps to go along with them.

I am going to share my journey on how I work my business with you.  I hope that no matter where you are in your business or with what direct sales company you are with, we will be able to CELEBRATE together when goals are achieved.

Today is going to be AWESOME… not only am I meeting with TWO potential recruits BUT I am also working with Eryka Peskin.  Eryka is an Abundance Coach and a Fierce Cheerleader.   She is committed to freeing you from the limiting beliefs and scarcity mentality that keeps you locked into unfulfilling, uninspiring and soul-sucking situations.  WOW!  Doesn’t that sound exciting?  Check her out on Facebook.  Like her on Facebook so you can hear about some of her programs – the last one was a Celebration Challenge for 14 days.  It was FREE and it helped me reframe and CELEBRATE all areas of my life.  What a great way to kick off the NEW YEAR!

Do you have your business or personal goals written down?  Maybe you can’t think past this week, that is okay.  Write them down.  Ready to leap to the BIG goals, don’t just write them down put steps with them.  I will share some of my steps this week along with my goals to not only help you but to keep me accountable.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

It is More Than a Purse Thing

It has been almost 4 years since I made the decision to become part of the Thirty One.  I LOVE the bags.  I wanted the discount.  I had no intention of ever selling the products.  I know you have heard me say this all before, right?  This isn’t a pitch to join my team, although, I would love to have you as a Ray of H.O.P.E.

I want to thank Mary McLoughlin for this article because I hear so many people talk about how difficult recruiting is during the holiday season.  Here is the Top 10 Reasons that Mary gave that people DO join during this time:

1. They like you!
2. They love your product!
3. They can include the ‘big news’ about their new business in the annual Christmas letter.
4. They see lots of people in November and December and it’s easy to share their new business with friends and family.
5. They have time off during the holidays to ‘learn the business’.
6. November and December are big Shopping months and it’s easy to earn those first month bonuses!
7. They have Christmas gift money to spend.
8. They need money to pay the January’s Christmas bills.
9. They want to earn their Christmas gifts for FREE.
10. Someone (like YOU!) offers them the gift of a new business.

I am sure that you have heard many “cues” from friends and family that could start the recruiting conversation.  Why not share all that YOU love about your company with them?

If you are curious about how Thirty One can make a difference in YOUR life, contact me.  I would love to share the gift of Thirty One with YOU.

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Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

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Kids And Direct Sales

Happy Monday!  I hope that everyone had a GREAT weekend.  It was a ThirtyOne-derful one for me with a Leadership training in Radnor, PA on Saturday (more about that in my next blog) and a party in Morristown with some AMAZING women.  I LOVE road trips and the chance to share Thirty One with so many women.

As you know, I have set a goal to PROMOTE; with that comes the need to recruit more team members.  I want to thank JulieAnn Jones for another AWESOME blog.  If you asked my daughter what it was like having a work at home mom (a solo-preneur at the time) she would have said “you get used to her working all of the time” or the other side of that is “my mom is always able to go with me to practice, games, etc.”.  Our life during Belinda’s high school days had a wide range of highs and lows.  It was great that I could be a part of her life but on the other hand, it meant that many times I took work with me.  Remember me talking about the workaholic side of me, right?

Finding balance is tough but most days, I have it down.  I mean I even left the phone alone while we were away in North Carolina as amazing as it was to some…  JulieAnn talked about “what kids gain by having a direct sales mom” so if you even considered doing what I do (or with any other company) here are some things that are an added plus for your kids:

• Your kids know what you do for a living because they see you do it every day. I think this gives them a greater appreciation for where the money you use to buy them things comes from.  I don’t know about the greater appreciation for money but it did create the desire to be her own boss.
• They learn the meaning of commitment and see the payoffs for the time you invest in your direct sales business.  Belinda acquired my work ethic and thankfully, she is NOT a workaholic.
• If you’re earning company incentive trips, they get to go on some pretty cool vacations.  We are working on this one but going to National Conference was a fun free trip too!
• If you work your direct sales business exclusively (meaning you don’t go to another job), they have the benefit of a full time mom. You’re there for school activities during the school year and camps/swimming/play dates, etc. during the summer.  Think of the money you are saving on child care and all of the fun things you get to do with your kids.

So, what do you think?  Would you love to be a stay at home and still make some extra money?  Would you love to earn FREE trips, meet new people AND get paid?  Why not look into direct sales – of course I would say Thirty One because I BELIEVE they are the BEST!  Okay, so I am a little partial….

Would you like me to share more information on the gift of Thirty One?  Contact me and I will be happy to talk with you about all that we have to offer.  If Thirty One isn’t for you, check out many of the other direct sales companies – I have LOTS of connections and would be happy to share your name with some of my friends…

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!