Direct Sales Marketing & Mentoring- Nancy Sutherland

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Mary Kay, other direct sales companies find more workers in bad times
8:54 AM CDT on Monday, April 27, 2009
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
As times get tough, more women want to make quick cash hawking Satin Smoothie Hand Scrub, Eyesicles eyeshadows and Cellu-Shape Nighttime Body Gel. After all, even with the economy in the dumps, women still wear makeup. How about some Coastal Colors Lip Gloss?

LARA SOLT/Staff Photographer
Michelle Mikulas in her home office in Flower Mound on Monday, April 20, 2009.

Mikulas now works full time for Mary Kay since losing her job last year. Addison-based Mary Kay is reporting a significant increase in the number of independent beauty consultants joining its sales ranks. Avon, another at-home makeup sales heavyweight, is also seeing a jump – as are other direct sales companies, which rely on independent workers to sell their products. Many in the new sales force are looking for solutions during these troubling times – like Mary Dawson of Mesquite.
She has a full-time job as an office manager but wants to earn extra cash. Plus, she likes the makeup.
“Everybody is looking for ways to make ends meet,” said Dawson, 32. “The economy has gone down, and I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. It’s a perfect time to start.”
The $30 billion direct-sales industry offers a variety of products, including goods in home décor, jewelry, cookware and nutritional supplements. And direct sales usually hold steady even when retail numbers drop.
Mary Kay, other direct sales companies find more workers in bad times

Rhonda Shasteen, Mary Kay’s chief marketing officer, says that more people are turning to direct sales for the “self-control factor.”
“When you’re in a job and how you’ve been supporting your family is in question and you’re not sure whether you walk in the next day and you’ll be laid off or have your pay cut … people feel out of control,” she said. “They look for, ‘How can I gain some control over my situation?’ ”
Mary Kay saw a high double-digit percentage increase in the number of beauty consultants this March compared with a year ago, Shasteen said. Avon reported a 1 percent increase of North American sales representatives during the fourth quarter last year, said Lindsay Blaker, an Avon spokeswoman. Mary Kay and Avon have even launched advertising campaigns specifically targeting women looking to earn extra money. “It’s been a way to reach out to people that Avon can … help you during this downturn,” Blaker said. The section of the Mary Kay Web site that promotes beauty consultants saw more than a 100 percent increase in traffic in March compared with numbers from January and February.
And other companies offering direct sales have reported an uptick in recruiting over the past several months, said Amy Robinson, vice president of communications for the Direct Selling Association, which represents companies involved with direct sales. Workers say they enjoy direct selling because they can work their sales around family life.
Last summer, Michelle Mikulas was laid off as a corporate recruiter. Instead of looking for another job, the Flower Mound resident decided to focus on selling Mary Kay, partly to spend more time with her three young children.
“I can be my own boss and set my own hours and spend time with my kids,” said Mikulas, 34. “I was going to make [Mary Kay] more of a full-time effort on my part and be a full-time mom at the same time.”
Stacey Griffith of Fort Worth joined Mary Kay after her sister sold over $500 of products in three weeks. For now, Griffith, 20, will sell on the side while she studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. She plans to graduate next year, and if the economy remains lousy, she might focus
on Mary Kay full time. “You’re never going to get fired” in direct sales, Griffith said. “You can make as much money as you want. … I would like to go as far as I could with it. Why not?”
At Mary Kay, some are happy earning $50 a week, while top directors can earn $1 million a year,Shasteen said. Median annual earnings for a direct sales worker is about $2,400, and 10 percent of direct sellers
work at least 30 hours a week, Robinson said. Direct sellers typically earn between 25 and 50 percent of a sale. For most, it is a job where they can earn some money on the side. To earn lots more, sellers typically need to recruit new workers in addition to selling the product.
One reason that sellers might be attracted to Mary Kay and Avon is that makeup has long been considered recession-proof. But this downturn is taking some of the gloss off sales. U.S. department store beauty sales declined 3 percent in 2008, according to NPD Group, a market-research firm. NPD reports that 26 percent of direct sales shoppers say they’re spending less on beauty products, compared with 33 percent of customers of department stores. So, direct makeup sales seem to be faring better.
“It could be an opportunity for the direct seller in terms of offering some innovative value products,” said Karen Grant, NPD vice president and global industry analyst for beauty. Direct sales of all products tend to fare better during recessions. The average annual growth for
direct sales is 3.6 percent during nonrecession years, but rose to 4.5 percent during the recession years of 1990, 1991 and 2001, according to the Direct Selling Association. Mary Kay sellers hope they benefit. Dawson sold $280 worth of Mary Kay products during a recent sales event – her profit is $140. “Pretty good for two hours of work,” she said.
Dawson has gone around her neighborhood, handing out bags of makeup samples. .
“I can go as far as I can with it,” she said. “The possibilities are endless.”

DIRECT SALES: WHAT TO KNOW
More people are testing direct sales to earn additional income. If you are interested, Amy Robinson with the Direct Selling Association offers these tips:
•Set goals regarding income generated. Someone wishing to earn only spending money will have a different approach to direct sales than someone planning to work more hours.
•Verify that the product you’re selling is legitimate and useable. Watch out for sham products.
•To start selling, direct sellers often must purchase a starter kit – usually around $100 – that typically includes product samples, catalogs, order forms and a training manual. Compare the cost of the kit to what you get in return.
•Understand the company’s compensation plan. Typically, direct sellers earn 25 percent to 50 percent of a sale.
•Make sure the company has a buy-back policy on products you purchase to sell. Companies should pay at least 90 percent of the purchase price of inventory bought in the last 12 months.
•Direct sales companies that are DSA members must comply with the association’s code of ethics. To find a list of members, visit dsa.org.
SOURCE: Direct Selling Association

For more information about my experience in direct sales and to discover if it may be a good choice for you too, fill out the contact form above.

Technorati Tags: Dallas Morning News article, Direct Sales Companies, DSA, MaryKay Cosmetics

Check out Executive Senior National Sales Director Gloria Mayfield Banks on ABC!! What a great empowering interview with one of the most inspiring success stories!

Perhaps this video will help you Re-Capture your Vision or even EXPAND YOUR VISION. Gloria Mayfield Banks was recently featured on ABC.You absolutely must watch this!

Look at what consistency in your business can do for you!So many women can benefit from this opportunity.I am so excited to be a part of this company!

Gloria is the ONLY National in HISTORY to be on the WORLD NEWS!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE NEWS STORY

Technorati Tags: GloriaMayfield Banks, Learn from the top, Mary Kay on World News

Some of my readers may have noticed that I haven’t posted as often as I usually do. That is because I just returned from the biggest trip in my lifetime to Australia! My son is a travel agent who has been living there for almost ten years now. He has tried to convince me to come visit for years, but to be honest the biggest thing that was stopping me was my FEARS. It only took my grandson Axel about ten weeks to get me on a series of planes and travel over 21,000 miles to visit them.

You see, I don’t particularly like flying. I never have. Yet that has not stopped me from flying anywhere that I wanted to go. I have been to Europe several times, all over the U.S., including Hawaii, and even accumulated enough frequent flyer miles to pay for the domestic part of this trip for my husband Alex and I.  It’s not the fear of a crash that worries me, it’s turbulence. I hate it! I also hate roller coasters and anything else that gives me butterflies in my stomach. So every other trip I had my doctor prescribe valium for me to take on the flights.

This time, my doctor was away on holiday, so I realized a few days before the trip that I had to fly “solo”. (that is, without medications) I was so busy getting ready for the trip that I did not think about it much. I was so excited about the trip that I really did fine on the two flights to California.  Then I had about six hours to think about that very long 13 and a half hour flight that came next.

What I didn’t realize at the time is that my son booked me on the inaugural flight from LAX to Brisbane on a new airline V Australia. There was alot of fanfare, a ribbon cutting ceremony, and even tons of champagne!

From Drop Box

So there were so many reasons to enjoy this flight, including the fact that it was a brand new jet! For the first time in my life, I actually slept on a flight! This was a huge breakthrough for me. We arrived at dawn in Brisbane! In just moments I would get to hold my grandson for the first time!

From Drop Box

It was an unbelievable trip. They kept us busy the entire time showing us things that I previously only dreamed of seeing! We went out on a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, and did snorkeling. The day that we took that tour the waves were 2.5 meters high and 25 knot winds. People were getting sick all over the boat. The waves were crashing up over the top of the boat. Yet, I remained calm. I knew that what we were about to witness was worth it all.  It was probably the most beautiful underwater scenes that I have ever personally experienced!

Why am I sharing all of this? Some people think that to achieve great things you are fearless. I don’t agree. I believe that it takes the ability to want something so bad that you feel the fear and do it anyway! I kept a clear vision of WHY I was doing this in my head the entire time.  You can apply this to your business.  One of the reasons that I was initially attracted to the Company that I have had a home business with for over 2 decades is that it allowed me to put my faith and my family first.  So why would I let a fear prevent me from doing anything with my family? I hope that my story inspires you too. Remember, when the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change, true change will occur.  Are you ready to make a choice to change your thinking?

Technorati Tags: Australia, fears in business, Great Barrior Reef, overcoming fear, travel stories, V Australia

Today’s guest post is from Alyssa Avant. Alyssa Avant is a Christian speaker, writer and blogger.  She works from home while caring for her 3 children.  Find out more about Alyssa at http://alyssaavant.com

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Being a work at home mom, we may have the tendency to not take our businesses as seriously at least in the beginning when it may feel just like a hobby rather than a business. However, it is important to start early beginning to treat your business like a business and that means being organized.

Some of the parts of your business, which it is important to be organized with are: finances, policies and procedures, and workload or tasks.

Each of these areas can have a huge impact over how your business will fair over the long term if not handled properly and done in an organized manner.

Beginning with your finances, this is an area where you want to be sure to know what is coming in and what is going out. If taken care of  properly you can make the most of what you make, and claim the expenses that you incur to help with your taxes as well. Use some type of software or at least a paper bookkeeping system to track your income and expenses. It is also a good idea to keep your receipts whether you do so physically or you write them to .PDF files, digitally on your computer.

Another important area of your business to be aware of and organized with is your policies and procedures, whether you are running a service based business, selling items on EBay or blogging for pay you will want to have a good idea of how you handle the various issues that can arise in running a business. What is your policy if someone wants a refund for those of you in service based businesses, or even those who sell on EBay, or what happens bloggers when you’re hired to blog and you do not get paid how will you handle the issue at hand. Deciding upon your policies and procedures for handling the different aspects of business from the get-go can help you in the days that follow.

Your workload or tasks that you will need to handle on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis are also important to keep in check. Whether you create a daily task list or write out your goals a month in advance and then break into manageable sections you will want to be organized in the way you tackle your workload, to ensure everything gets accomplished.

Finally, though your business is not limited to just being organized in finances, policies and procedures and workload or tasks these are all important areas to start out focusing on getting into shape.

Technorati Tags: businessorganization, wahm. Christian business women

This has been an exciting week for Direct Sales! ABC Nightline featured a story on Mary Kay Cosmetics that was viewed by over 6 million!  (I missed it live because I was on a flight to Australia at the time to visit my family!)

At the same time, Mary Kay launched it’s first blog called Reflections!  Reflections is written by Chief Marketing Officer at Mary Kay Corporate, Rhonda Shasteen. Rhonda has been with the Company for over 25 years and worked very closely with Mary Kay Ash herself, so she has so much to share with all of us! You can also follow Rhonda on twitter.

I am really thrilled to be part of such an innovative Company that has managed to stay abreast of the times for over 3 decades, and enriching women’s lives. They are having a contest this weekend to pick a tagline. Of course, the prize is a designer handbag! (I have entered twice.)

Don’t forget to click on the ABC link to watch the news feature. I know that you will enjoy it!

Independent National Sales Director Jan Thetford and Independent Senior Sales Director Courtney Armstrong were featured in a nationally televised story on ABC’s Nightline.(click link to view) The story highlighted the Mary Kay business opportunity, and was broadcast April 8 . Great news for Mary Kay!

Tags: MaryKay blog, Mary Kay on ABC Nightline, PInk ladies in the news

Technorati Tags: Mary Kay Cosmetics blog, Mary Kay Cosmetics on NIghtline

Have you ever had the realization that there is a greater purpose for your life than that which you are currently experiencing?
Mark Semple CCC
www.successfultogethercoaching.com

It’s not that your life is bad right now, nor that you’re unhappy or discontent. It’s more a feeling that you’re not quite fulfilled.

Does this sound familiar?

The truth is that when you open up to the possibilities that are out there, you will never be the same again.

And, the more you learn and experience, the more you want.

You develop a clear image in your mind of the fulfilling life experience that you desire. It energizes you to just think about it. And, you know that it is happening for you.

Being connected to the vision of that which you desire is a crucial step in making your vision your reality.

Until that happens, your current reality is where you exist and operate. In essence, it’s the life you’re currently living.

Although you know it’s not about being focused on where you’re at, it can be interesting to stay in the space of where you want to be, while living your current life.

Especially when time is going by and it doesn’t feel like you are any closer to that which you truly desire.

Unfortunately, too many people decide that things aren’t going to change and they give up on their dreams to merely exist in their current reality.

So, what can you do?

The key is to be in the moment. More specifically, to be in the best possible space in this moment. Your life, business or relationship may not be in the optimal space right now, but you can be.

If you are focused on what is wrong or missing, guess what happens? If you are in the space of what is right and what you have to be grateful for – right now – you are aligning yourself with the right energy.

It is imperative to be clear and focused on what you want and where you want to be. Be careful to experience it as what is unfolding for you, and not a reflection of where you are not.

Remember always that what is meant for you cannot be lost.

As Marianne Williamson says “Go where you’re wanted, go where you belong.” If you are not in alignment with what you are focused on, ie: it’s not really optimal for you, you will either struggle unnecessarily, or you will not feel fulfilled when you achieve it.

Have you ever wanted to have something specific, or be a member of a certain group? Only to find out when you achieved it, that it really wasn’t that big a deal to you?

Being in alignment with that which you truly desire – that which is truly meant for you – is a key to being in the flow of manifesting it.

To stay connected with where your journey is going, feed it. You are receiving input from your current reality and daily life constantly. You know what happens if you are constantly exposed to negativity and that which does not serve you.

The simple act of choosing more optimal inputs will assist you in maintaining your desired space. The more you align yourself with energy that feeds your soul, your passion and your vision, the less negative energy you will absorb, and the more empowered and energized you will feel.

If your vision & dreams seem cloudy or distant, it may be because you are allowing your mind to get cluttered with that which obscures it.

Essentially, this is all about you. Find time to take care of you. To clear your mind and detoxify from the negative energy. To feed yourself that which allows you to see your dream more clearly.

Be mindful of who you interact with on a regular basis. It is said that you will be like the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most. Are you interacting with like-minded, positive, empowered people who see the world & future the way that you do? Or are you around people who are essentially toxic to you?

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

It is empowering also to remember each day that you are choosing. Regardless of where you are currently at, or what is happening in your life, if you are feeling like you are stuck, you are giving your power away. When you come from a space of choosing, you remain in your power and you stay connected with the right energy.

If you are doing all of the above and you still feel that your journey is not unfolding the way you desire, then it may be time to get an outside opinion. Connect with a coach or expert who you feel synergy with and allow them to assist you get clear on your opportunity.

Know always that there is never anything wrong. You simply do the best you can with that which you have at hand. As you learn more and as your awareness expands, you simply make more empowered decisions. It’s called experience, and there is only one way to get it.

No matter what, you simply are where you are right now – in this moment. It’s what is coming next that is the opportunity for change.

Be in the best possible space & energy in this moment, be clear on that which you desire and trust the process. Which includes the timing.

Enjoy your journey.

Mark Semple is a Certified Comprehensive Coach, Founder of Successful Together Coaching and the 2007 International Coach of the Year.
For more of Mark’s perspective on the success journey, visit http://www.successfultogethercoaching.com/

Technorati Tags: business, direct sales, home, partner, success, together, vision

As women, our feelings have a tendency to get in the way of our choices that we make each day , both good and bad.  Maybe you are not feeling that good about yourself or what you have or haven’t done with your life.

Why not let someone else who believes in you give you the courage to be intentional about growth today? Every single one of us was created for a purpose. Have you discovered yours yet? When your passion and purpose are aligned you will experience joy and have the ability to transfer it to others.

May you feel the love of your Creator and model it in the relationships that you have in your life. You may not always FEEL like loving others, but make that choice to do it anyway.

Technorati Tags: Inspiration, love, passion and purpose for business

As we begin another month, I am continuing on my series of honoring those loyal women in my unit of Sutherland Superstars. I would like to recognize and congratulate Phyllis DiNicola this month who I have chosen as the “Superstar of the Month”. Behind each Superstar there is a story. Today’s post is about hers.

Some of my readers might remember my story of the first Seminar in Dallas that I attended as a new director, in my second year in business. When Karen Ann set a goal that year to be in the Queen’s Court of Personal Sales and earn a diamond ring that next year, I was so excited for her. However, at that time it was something that I had not yet accomplished myself. When she gave up on her goal half way through the year, I made a decision to make it my goal, even though I had to do over two thirds of the required personal sales the second half of the year.

I couragously announced the goal to my unit of independent beauty consultants, so I was committed. After all, they were watching me, so failure was not an option. That was the year that I believe I really sharpened my skills in the field because I saw more people and developed many new customers in the process. One of those customers was Phyllis.

Phyllis was a hostess for me in June and was so excited about my goal to earn a diamond ring. She kept getting me outside orders as we got closer to the end of the month and our Seminar year. When I suggested to Phyllis that she could do the same thing and earn her own diamond ring, she quickly said, “oh, no, I could never do what you do.” (At the time she was a SAHM with two small children)

Somehow though, I convinced her and in June of 1989, Phyllis became one of my personal team members! I knew that she wanted to earn a diamond ring too, but I had to work with her only one step at a time. She consistently held two parties a week all year as I tracked her progress towards reaching that goal. It wasn’t until the last three months that Phyllis could start to “see herself” on stage being awarded that ring.

That was the year that I first discovered the joy of mentoring another person to success was even better than achieving big goals of your own. Although I was awarded my second diamond ring for the Sales Director’s Court of Personal Sales, I was so much more excited to watch Phyllis walk down those same stairs on stage and be awarded the ring for the Beauty Consultant’s Court of Personal Sales!

The strong network of customers that Phyllis developed that year led her to achieving the Court of Sales many times again! The good customer service that she provided those customers have made them “customers for life”! I am so greatful for having Phyllis in my unit and in my life for all of these years.

To read more about Phyllis and listen to her interview once I complete it, click here.

While you are there, perhaps you can take the time to get to know some of my Superstars from previous months. If you can relate to any of those women, or have dreams that you would like for me to help YOU achieve, fill out the contact form above !

Technorati Tags: insiderscoop, Superstar of the Month

You can find posts and ads all over the internet telling you why to start a business in direct sales. What I am going to share with you today is something that not many blogs write about, that is, why do people stay in direct sales?

I have found that the reasons people stay in direct sales are often very different from why they chose that kind of business. What I am sharing in this post, is from my own personal perspective and I can’t speak for other companies or even others in my company.

I am very proud of the fact that over half of my unit of independent beauty consultants have been with me for over a decade, some two. Certainly their life circumstances have changed multiple times through the years, so whatever attracted them to the business may or may not still apply.

The constant factor in each of these long term consultants’ decision to stay is having a consumable product and a loyal customer base that produce a great reorder business regardless of what is happening in their personal life at the time.  I take the time to teach them how to sell the products and build customers for life. That produces long lasting income for them. Good customer service techniques keep those relationships strong and enable second and even third generation customers along with strong recommendations for referrals.

Another reason that they stay in business, is the friendships that are developed, and personal growth that they experience.  Of course, the flexibility that attracted many of them to the business, is still a big attraction. Depending on what circumstances in their life, they can work as much or as little in their business.

If you are considering a home business in direct sales, take a look at other people in that company. I have been spotlighting a Superstar of the Month so that you can get to know them and learn more about them. Maybe you will see something that you have in common with one of them and understand better how a direct sales business can fulfill different needs for all kinds of people.

Technorati Tags: career in direct sales, directsales home business, lasting businesses in direct sales