Now What?

So, you decided to join a direct sales company for some extra money, some girl time. or fill in the blank.  Now the kit or enrollment package has arrived and you are wondering what you got yourself into, right?

I love these simple steps from JulieAnn Jones that breaks down the areas you will need to master to be a success in your direct sales  business.

#1: Parties and Bookings

If you joined a party plan business, this is the lifeblood of your business.  Now, there are a variety of different types of parties – home parties, catalog/online parties, Facebook parties, restaurant parties and open houses.  Honestly the best parties are home parties because face to face is the best way to build relationships and get more business.  Sales, sponsoring, and more bookings all flow from there.  Be ready to show potential hostesses why having their own home party is a great idea.

#2: Hostess Coaching

Your hostess is the key to a successful party, and parties are important (see #1 above). So a huge part of your job is creating a strong connection and building a relationship with your hostess.  When they are excited about the party (whatever form), it will get their guests excited and then they will want to book a party.  You want to make sure that they have everything they need to make their party is a success.

#3: Sales

I think this is almost as important as parties and bookings. You have to love your AMAZING product and use it.  I mean, how can  you tell people how wonderful it is, if you are not using it.  You don’t have to be “that pushy sales person” to be good at selling it.  “The key is to figure out how to share with people in a way that peaks their interest and desire to have your product.

#4: Sponsoring

I can hear the groans and see the rolled eyes.  A million reasons why you don’t want a team are already formulating in your head, right?  The truth is that to make any real money as a direct seller, you have to grow a team of successful consultants.  No, not an MLM scheme. You to create additional income as you support others and make money based on their efforts. Your mindset around building your team are crucial to your success in this area.  Honestly, I was there – I never wanted a team in the beginning. Now, I can’t imagine a world without the friendship in addition to their valuable addition to my business.

#5: Systems

I have learned the hard way that you will work harder when you don’t have a systematic way of working. That means you have to look at not only what you do on a consistent basis, but why you do it and, most importantly, whether or not it’s truly supporting you and your dreams.  As a leader, you have to make sure that everything you do is duplicatable and easy to teach your downline. Without this critical element, you truly won’t succeed as a direct seller.

You can grab a copy of JulieAnne’s “Book Yourself Solid In The Next 30 Days” roadmap by just subscribing to her mailing list.  Click here to grab your roadmap now!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Business Health

I am busy getting ready for tonight’s Celebrate and Connect meeting or more commonly known at CnC.  What is a CnC?  It is a bi-monthly meeting sponsored by Thirty One’s Home Office and held across the country by Thirty One Directors.  It is a great chance to make new friends, share great tips, get company updates AND a FREE product!  Yes, every consultant who attends the meeting will receive a FREE product which this month will help them in setting up their business for the Fall.  If you are interested in attending one of these meetings as a guest, let me know.  We would love to have you…

Okay, so back to today’s blog which is courtesy of the AMAZING JulieAnn Jones.  It may be a little late in timing since we are more than half way through the summer but over the last week, I have heard from many on my team that are struggling. Score: Summer – 10 Business – 0.  Saying that the summer can be challenging is an understatement…

People are traveling and outdoors more, making it more difficult to connect with team members and customers. And, if you’re like me, it’s just harder to motivate yourself during the summer. I think we all have some kid left in us and feel like we deserve a few months “off.”  Does this sound like how your month is going?

I LOVE this challenge from JulieAnn: If you don’t keep your focus on your business, it could fade away or die completely. I’d like to challenge you to take proactive steps now to make sure that doesn’t happen. Go to your calendar and schedule a one hour appointment with yourself (with a cool drink on a shady patio, in your local coffee shop, or in an air conditioned corner of your home) and take stock of where you are now in the following areas:

Home Party Bookings

Sponsoring (building your team)

Home Party Sales

Time Management

Personal Development

…and if you’re a leader add:

Direct Sales Team training

Downline Support

 These six areas (eight if you’re a leader) will tell you much about the “health” of your business. Ask yourself, “On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not at all satisfied and 10 being totally satisfied, where am I in each of these areas? And what would make it a 10 for me?” Those two questions will not only tell you where you are now, but where you want to be.  I’m going to challenge you here to be honest with yourself (anything else is just a waste of time). Come on, really take an hour and do this exercise!

Yes, I took the challenge and I realized that I was not at all satisfied with the health of my business.  When I was really gut honest, my average was a 4!  I was shocked!  The next step was to start being intentional about what I was going to do to increase my business and get it back to healthy (at least a 7 but I would love a 9).  What have I started doing to make this happen?

• Watching Thirty One training videos and You Tube videos of successful direct sellers.
• Picked up the phone and made some calls (or text messages).  The goal is 5 – 10 calls per day.
• Shared a catalog with people who knew I sold but I was waiting for them to ask me.
• Putting together packets to send out (10 per month) to perspective hostesses (and recruits)
• Sharing Thirty One and ASKING if they want to host a party.  Looking for 100 No’s.

Are you willing to take the challenge and share with us about the “health” of your business?  What are you going to do to get YOUR business healthy?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!