Direct Sales Marketing & Mentoring- Nancy Sutherland

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Technorati Tags: business coaching, John C. Maxwell, leadershipdevelopment

As 2008, quickly comes to an end, many of us are evaluating our business and looking for lessons (or excuses) for the outcome. This is also a great time to start planning our new year and how to make it not only better, but reach an audacious goal!  There is a secret that many don’t consider in planning- it’s the power of accountability and tracking! It all comes down to repetition. Here is how it works.

1. Tracking and repetition is the beginning of new thoughts and habits! To create a new habit or replace a negative thought with a new one, you have to repeat, repeat, repeat close together to get a new image! Repetition of tracking and accountability removes the doubt of where production and new growth will come from. You no longer question why you ‘don’t have results’ because either you  have results from increased tracking or you understand why you don’t have results once you are ready to write down what you did and there’s not much to write down. Repetition gives you Fair Averages, YOUR Averages
2. Repetition brings to the conscience mind the reality of  today! Today matters more than what we think that we are going to do tomorrow! We are by nature procrastinators. We think we’re doing more, doing better, because we think about working more than we do the activity of work that counts. So, accountability brings us the reality of today,by tracking your efforts and results you can see the reality of today.
3. Repetition allows us to create better habits. We all have ‘habits’. Are you on time or late? For me, the habit of being accountable with your time is the most important one to start with. Do you practice what you teach? The habit of remaining accountable, On Time and with the right activities creates the right habits. Once you own the skills and habits, you’ll be teaching to others, your new confidence becomes an undeniable magnet. These habits allow you to grow in Leadership on new levels with stability. Show me a leader who doesn’t own these habits, she may rise, but she’ll backslide because she won’t have taken full responsibility of basic habit of the accountability of being on time.
4. Repetition contributes to your personal integrity. It promotes you as a leader. You will find that you begin to receive the accountability that you want and need from those you lead! Without this accountability from those you lead, you will hit a road block in moving them because they’ll miss results and you won’t have the ability to show them specifically what are good at and what they need to master and improve on. This leaves you without valuable and specific direction that fits into their understanding of what they should be doing to get results. Even though you’ve told them what to do, if they aren’t consistently evaluating themselves and their consistency in the form of accountability, they will not comprehend what they should be doing!
5. You will begin to see an increase due to repetition! This leading by example will preserve the integrity of your business. When your business is not doing well, in most cases, if you allow yourself to track and evaluate, you will see that your activity is not where it should be. In most cases, repetition will cause the leader to focus on the income producing activities and adjust her schedule to put the prioritize them as the most important things to do! This brings increase

Start making a list of what habits that you are willing to change with your business. If you are already in a leadership position, by growing your leadership, your production of your team will be seen as well!

For more information on private and group coaching and to sign up for your FREE PRIVATE 15 minute strategy session with me, just fill out the form below!

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Technorati Tags: business coaching, goal setting, leadership growth, personal growth

I believe that the elements of greatness are in all of us. Some of you just haven’t discovered it yet! As we are winding down the year 2008, I am looking for some women that I can empower!  Could you be one of them?

Here are some of the things that I am looking for:

1. I am looking for busy women. I have found that busy women get the most done. In today’s economy is is not uncommon to find women who work more than one job and/or business while raising a family. Busy women typically are good time managers, and prioritize well.
2. I look for women who don’t already have a huge network of friends and family. That gives them a false sense of security in building a home business because friends and family are NOT usually the best customers. I will teach you how to grow your business using those who you haven’t met yet!
3. I am looking for women who don’t consider themselves the sales type. Learning to sell is a skill that I have been very successful in transferring to others! If you associate a sales person with someone who is pushy, that is not what I look for. Pushy people have difficulty building customers and relationships.
4. I am looking for women who can use some extra income to make ends meet. Although most women are not motivated by money, having the need for extra money will keep you going when times are difficult.
5. I look for women who are family oriented. I have found that women will do so much more for their family than they ever would for themselves. (that is their WHY)
6. I look for women who are decision makers. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Implementation is vital for success, not paralysis by analysis!

If you feel that you have at least 4 of these qualities, I would love to work with you. If you already have a direct sales home business, I can provide you with either private or group mentoring that will take your business to the next level if you are willing to take action! Maybe you are still looking for additional streams of income and haven’t decided on a direct sales company. I would love to talk to you and help you decide if my business is one that I can share with you. ( my personal team members receive my private mentoring for FREE!)

Here is my prayer for today-

“Give me an ambitious, hardworking woman, Lord

One who has determination and the guts to stick with it when the going gets tough.

One who sees potential in every situation and every person.

One who can be compassionate and understanding, but tough with her love.

One who runs like a thoroughbread, charges like a rhino, is loyal like a soldier.

Lord give me a woman who has dreams, goals and a vision of total success.

And God, when you do….

I’ll give her an opportunity equal to her ambitions.

I’ll give her encouragement and education.

I’ll agree with her and share my faith in you with her.

I’ll teach her to make you her partner.

I’ll teach her that with God all things are possible.

I’ll pick her up when she’s down.

I ‘ll push her when she needs it and slow her down when she’s going too fast.

I’ll nurture her belief in herself.

I’ll help her get up one more time.

And, with what she has and what we can give her,

We’ll have a real winner!

And before long, she’ll be saying,

“Lord, give me a woman with ambition too”.

Are you an answer to my prayer? Or maybe I am an answer to your prayer? Let’s find out- fill out the contact form below and let’s talk.

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Technorati Tags: building your direct sales business, business coaching, direct sales coaching, legitimate direct sales companies, looking for business mentoring, looking for business opportunity, make extra money in direct sales

Very early on in my direct sales business, I discovered that my goals exceeded  my recruiter’s and those above me in my upline. Although I had no previous success in sales (lowest in my girl scout troop in cookie sales), I loved the products that I represent and saw that they really worked! I wanted to become a super seller, then teach others along the way!

Although recruiting is an important avenue of income in most direct sales models, in my opinion, to experience lasting success, you must master not only team building, but personal sales and training others along the way.  It’s a personal choice. Anyone can recruit who has the desire to do that, but the other components are not always available. In my unit of independent beauty consultants, only about 5% even take advantage of the recruiting avenue of income, yet stay in the business for over a decade because of the skills they received from me on selling. They built a customer base for life!

Thankfully for me, in my Company, the founder was still alive, and made herself available to us. I decided to follow her lead rather than spending time looking for other mentors. I attended every possible event where she was speaking. I listened to audios, videos, and read her books. I adopted her as my second “mother”.

By doing so, I met other leaders along the way who also learned and shared with me. Was this a “get rich quick” operation? Certainly not in my case, it was more of a “get rich slowly”! I encountered many obstacles in my personal life along the way that would have stopped many. Making a choice to be a victor rather than a victim, I persisted through each and every challenge.

As women, one thing that I have learned is that there are many dramas in our lives. If you are not currently experiencing an obstacle, or setback, you are either getting ready to start one or just coming out of one! It’s all about perspective and attitude.  I made the choice to not accept any negative situation as permanent. Instead, I used it as a life lesson, finding a way over, under, around or through it, then encouraging others to do the same.

January 1 will be the 23rd anniversary of my home business, with no other job supporting me and my family along the way.  I still have a very successful home business that I have built one customer at a time, growing relationships along the way! I have mentored many women through the years, Each of their personal victories thrill me more than any of my own. Do I take credit for their success? No, nor do I accept responsibility for their giving up on their dreams or not taking action. Leading by example works- only if you are committed to following through with implementation quickly! Click here to read a testimonial from a recent success story!

As we approach the end of 2008, are you satisfied with your business, or frustrated? Now is the time to start investing in education if you want to see massive results in the new year. I recommend clicking on the link on the top right and purchase that paperback book. It’s easy reading and anyone in business can learn from it. If you haven’t already subscribed to my e-newsletter, click on the link at the top and add your name and email address. Or if you are ready to commit to growing your business, you can schedule a FREE personal strategy session via phone or skype with me by filling out either the contact form or the hourtown scheduling link on the right.

Technorati Tags: direct sales coaching, direct sales mentoring, leadershiptraining, leading by example

My favorite social media platform is Twitter, which is a micro blog. Within the parameters of 140 characters, you build relationships, share information, and sometimes even entertain. As it’s popularity increases, there are more “tools” to help you enjoy your Twitter experience even more. One of those is a site called “Quitter”. This will show you when people stopped following you and your most recent tweet. (with the assumption that the two are connected)

Here in my Direct Sales Blog, I would like to share the connections between “Quitter” and your home party plan business. Before I begin, I want to say that I don’t use “Quitter”. My presence on Twitter is authentic. I try to reach out and encourage, inform, and amuse my followers at all times. There is no value to me to know who stopped following me and when. Nothing at all would change as a result of knowing that. Perhaps they just don’t enjoy me, and that is fine. Sometimes it’s even a Twitter technical glitch that causes us to lose followers. So why waste time with this application? The only time that I have stopped following someone, it was because of either extreme negativity or continued bad language. It’s my choice. I don’t like to be around either.

In Direct Sales, we have the opportunity to try different marketing ideas. The year that I reached my goal of Queen of Sales, (number one nationally in my company) I tried more strategies than most do in a lifetime in business. In doing that I had my share of failures as well as successes. That year I found myself a “Power Partner”- someone who had already achieved that goal in the past. Even though some ideas worked for her, they didn’t work for me, while others were almost an immediate success for both of us. So how do you know when to quit?

Sometimes success is just around the corner. In my opinion many people quit too soon, missing out on the joy of reaching a goal. For example, if you are using a success strategy to book parties in your direct sales company, how long do you continue to use the current approach? Do you change course after just one or two tries, or do you continue? This is one of the things that experience will dictate, or having your own direct sales business coach.

Have you ever tried a marketing strategy that worked really well for someone else in your company, but didn’t work for you? How soon do you allow yourself to adjust, adapt, modify or change direction? Sometimes there are many deciding factors that make a difference in the results. For example, if you take an idea from someone who has an established business and try it with your new business, the results will be different. Some strategies work differently with different regions of the country or world because of local customs, traditions, or even demographics.

If you are new in Direct Sales, I recommend that you give it a year of honest effort before you give it up. If you don’t have the leadership above you to help you to reach your goals, find it somewhere else. Look for someone who has not only accomplished what you want in your business, but is still active in the field. Some leaders sit in their office creating “ideas” and document to support them with no practical experience following through with them.

When trying a new script for booking or team building, be sure to “test” it on more than just one or two people. When I create a script for the consultants who need that tool, I give myself permission to make many calls or presentations before I get it right. Everything is a constant controlled testing process, making the results better and better!

So what lesson can we learn from all of this? Stay the course. Find leadership and direction from those who have proven success is possible. Obtain your own success strategies, and follow through with enough time to evaluate the results.

Look for motivation and inspiration when you need it, and pass it on to others. Most important of all, persist, Don’t be a quitter. Fail often because success is often the result of those lessons learn along the way.

Be sure to sign up for my email newsletter! I am planning a FREE teleseminar in the near future with my “Power Partner”, Jacque Schumacher, who has also achieved National Queen more than once herself! An invitation to join us will go out to my subscribers first before we promote it anywhere else!

Technorati Tags: booking parties, direct sales leadership, make more money in direct sales, party plan success strategies

When asking what kind of content to put on my Direct Sales Blog, I frequently get requests to share the secrets of recruiting new team members. Every Company is different, but this usually is another avenue of income. During difficult economic times more women (and men) than ever are considering Direct Sales for a home business to add another stream of income to the family.

Here are some tips on how to attract others to your Direct Sales Home Business:

1. Get out of yourself and into what you can offer others. You must be willing to ask without fear. What do you have to lose? Sometimes there are people in your path that are praying for an answer to financial problems.
2. ALWAYS demonstrate your product with your prospective recruit first. She must be sold on how great your product is before she tries to sell it.
3. Prequalify your prospective team member on three things- she likes the product, has a need that you can fill with this business, and can find the means to purchase a starter kit.
4. Don’t give snippets of career information. Take the time to go over the business and how it can benefit HER in detail.
5. Expect an objection when you first offer to share career information. Do not try to overcome her objection at this point. You only want her to be open minded enough to listen to what you have to say. For example- if she says “I’m too busy’. I would say, “you may be right, Suzy, you might not have the time for this business, but I would like to give you all the information before you decide whether it is for you or not.”
6. Don’t give her too much information and overwhelm her. Customize what you share based on her needs and personality style.
7. When interviewing your prospective team member start out by asking her to pretend that you only have five minutes to share information with her. What is most important for her to know before starting a business? Address her needs and concerns, from her perspective, not hers.
8. Ask lots of questions to determine her needs. Allow yourself to realize that it might not be the right choice for her at this time. Asking questions will allow you to determine not only her needs, but her potential as well!
9. Close the interview. Here is an example of what to say-“ At this point you probably know whether this business interests you or not. I’m not going to ask for your decision now because you may want to go home and think about it. Here is some help in making that decision. I call it the shower test. If you find yourself thinking about the possibilities in unusual and frequent times like while driving, cooking, taking a shower, that usually means that decision is a heart decision and you need to take action! On the other hand, if you don’t think about this business at all in the next 24 hours, maybe it is not for you or the right time. I have found that the best decisions are heart decisions and they are made right away. When you postpone making a decision longer than a day, it becomes a head decision and fear enters in and influences you. Do I have permission to reconnect with you tomorrow to find out your heart decision?
10. MOST IMPORTANT- Call her the next day no matter what. Don’t be afraid of what she has to say. A home business is not for everyone and there are lots of choices in direct sales. If you wait two days or more to reconnect, then her decision is no longer a heart decision. If you are in Direct Sales and you are reading this right now, aren’t you glad that your recruiter didn’t forget about calling you back? You have the ability to help others and sometimes even change lives. How powerful is that?

FOR CAREER INFORMATION IN MY DIRECT SALES BUSINESS CLICK HERE

JOIN MY MONTHLY MENTORING AUDIO CLUB CLICK HERE

Technorati Tags: direct sales leadership, direct sales recruiting, MLM recruiting, team building

With tonight’s CMA Awards in mind, I thought it would be appropriate to share the importance of what happens behind the scenes with every “star” in Direct Sales. What you see on stage or outwardly, has usually quite a bit going on backstage! In my business, I could never have accomplished my biggest goals without my husband, Alex working behind the scenes. He frequently is asked “How can I best help my wife in direct sales?”

The easy answer to that question would be to do anything that he can to free up time for her to do the tasks that only the direct sales superstar can do! Here are some ideas on how you can do this.

• Be the head of the house making sure that your superstar reaches her full potential, handling the mondane, but necessary tasks.
• Praise her to success. Learn all about positive attitude, and motivation. Listen and then encourage her.
• Stay informed on all aspects of her business by watching videos, attending meetings, reading Company literature.
• Pass out her business cards, literature, and invitations to events.
• Learn that building people takes time. Be patient through belief in her and the company that she represents.
• Help her with establishing family and business goals.
• Learn all that you can about her company, it’s compensation, and history
• Treat her direct sales business like a real job from the beginning, not a hobby.
• Assist her in creating and maintaing a business expense accounting system
• Coordinate logistics and transportation arrangements.
• Maintain her office equipment.
• Coordinate and manage her audio-visual requirements for events ( music, photos, videos,and posters)
• Assist in office management as she leads you.
• Ensure adequate office supplies and materials
• Make product deliveries for her.
• Help with managing her inventory (if applicable. Some direct sales companies don’t stock products)
• Answer the phone and handle anything that does not require her personal attention.
• Be her hero! Carry bags in and out of the car for her without her asking!

• Develop financial strategies

  o Personal strategies

  o Tax-reduction strategies

  o Investment strategies

  o Manage investments

• Help out at home in any way you can to free up time for her to do what only she can do

  o Cleaners

  o Car up keep

  o Groceries

  o Chauffeuring kids

  o Household Chores

  o Preparing Meals

  o “Parenting “ (Formerly known as Baby Sitting)

Although your backstage contributions are not a guarantee of her success, it is a benefit that may someday put you in the limelight when she achieves her goals.

Technorati Tags: direct sales husbands, logistics and support, tips for spouses in direct sales

This video exemplifies the power of a mastermind or mentor in your direct sales business. Are you looking for an opportunity to work at home as a mom? Are you not getting the desired results in your direct sales business? Maybe you are ready to take your business to the next level and achieve more success than ever before. During the month of November, I am offering a FREE 15 minute strategy call for anyone who is interested in private or group coaching and mentoring. If that is something that you are considering, fill out the contact form including your phone number and the best time to call. This can be your best holiday season ever!

Technorati Tags: business coaching, Inspiration, video

In honor of upcoming Veterans Day, this is a guest post by my husband Alex Sutherland. Alex is a retired U S Army officer who works full time with me in my business. His insight combines what he has learned in the military with what we do in my direct sales business. Read Alex’s guest post this week on EMail Our Military’s Blog!

DISCOVER THE 80/20 RULE:

What is the 80/20 rule? Fully eighty percent of your success as a WAHM will be determined by your attitude and only twenty percent by your aptitude. Some people feel that attitude is ninety percent of success in all human endeavors involving other people. People will always follow leaders who exemplify this practice. DEVELOP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE: A positive mental attitude, or a constructive and optimistic way of looking at yourself and your work, goes hand in hand with sales success in every field and in every market. The development of this unshakable attitude of cheerfulness and enthusiasm is your springboard to greatness as a salesperson, no matter what is going on around you. Never share your personal problems with your subordinates. Do people feel motivated after speaking with you; or do they feel drained listening to all your problems? LEARN YOUR PRODUCT WELL: The twenty percent of sales effectiveness that comes from product knowledge and professional selling skills is terribly important as well. It is only when you are thoroughly knowledgeable about what you are selling and thoroughly skillful in your ability to present it effectively that you develop the calmness and confidence upon which a positive mental attitude depends. Write down key points and practice a few times to polish your presentation. UPGRADE THE QUALITY OF YOUR THINKING: The quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life. Be a victor not a victim. If you improve the quality of your thinking, in any area, you improve the quality of your life in that area. By using your mind, your ability to think, you become a creator of circumstances rather than a creature of circumstances. In other words, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. You move from being powerless to being powerful. You determine everything that happens to you by the way you think about it, in advance. You may not be what you think you are, but what you think, you are! CHANGE YOUR INNER ATTITUDES OF MIND: The most rapid and positive changes in your personality and your sales results come about when you change your thinking about yourself and your possibilities. When you reprogram your sub-conscious mind so you feel a sense of unshakable optimism and self-confidence, every part of your life begins improving immediately. As William James of Harvard wrote in 1905, “The greatest revolution of my generation is the discovery that individuals, by changing their inner attitudes of mind, can change the outer aspects of their lives.” EXPECT THE BEST:

Be on time, organized and well dressed/groomed. Remember first impressions are indeed lasting ones. Have you ever noticed how different you are treated when you dress sharply? People do notice and are always more receptive when you smile. The very best salespeople have an attitude of calm, confident, positive self-expectation. They feel good about themselves and they have absolute faith that everything they are doing is contributing toward their inevitable success. They are cool, relaxed, happy and cheerful about their lives and their careers. They know, deep in their hearts, that they are good at what they do, and their customers know it as well. Often, their customers decide to buy from them even before they’ve made a sales presentation or described their product or service. They are the champions, or superstars, of selling everywhere, and you can be one of them by developing the same attitudes and attributes that they have.

ACTION DRILLS: Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action: First, resolve today to develop and cultivate an attitude of calm, confident, positive expectations towards yourself, your customers and your career. Expect the best! Put up goals and positive affirmations where you will see them first thing in the morning. Second, take complete control of your thinking and concentrate on the solution rather than the problem. Look for the good in every situation. Be positive and cheerful, no matter what happens. Remember, in the end your attitude will be instrumental in a positive outcome to any endeavor.

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Technorati Tags: personal development, positive attitude, positive thinking, self esteem

In preparing for my class tonight for the Barefoot Boot Camp, I have asked women in direct sales how I can help them the most to break through and achieve super selling success. As most of my readers know, I have almost 23 years in Direct Sales- all of it with the same Company. Almost all of that time I have been in a leadership position, giving me insight into what women need to make more money in their home business in direct sales.

I anticipated the most sought after knowledge from me in this class would be something skill based. (Of course, I will provide training on that) What I have found however, was not related to a skill, but more something that I believe holds all of us back at some time- that dreaded four letter word- FEAR!

False Evidence Appearing Real- that’s right fear. Did you know that 90% of the things that you fear will never happen? The 5% or so that may happen, you have no control over! But it can become larger than life in our mind, bringing the most talented, well trained sales person to a complete stop in their business. I have seen it more than once.

So how do we conquer this demon? It starts with your mindset. Are you surrounding yourself with positive people? Are you limiting the amount of time that you watch or read negative books, movies or television? Negativity is like a flame that can grow into a wildfire in your mind.

My solution is taking a daily Mental BATH. What is a mental bath? It’s an acronym that I use in my coaching and mentoring.

• BOOKING- Make at least one attempt per day. In direct sales, bookings are the lifeline of your business

• AFFIRMATION- Say your positive affirmation out loud several times a day, (especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night when it is most effective.)

• TRAINING- Do some skill or attitude based training each day. This can be cds, videos, mp3s- work it into your daily routine.( Listening to motivational music can also be helpful at times.)

• HELLO- Touch base with your power partner or mastermind group. This can be done via phone, email, whatever is easiest for you. Make yourself accountable to someone who is in a position to help you.

Try this plan for 21 days. That is the amount of time that it takes to develop a new routine or attitude. I promise you that it will be worth the effort. You will see an increase in your ability to fight fear. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to take action in spite of it! See YOU at the top!

Technorati Tags: overcoming fear, personal development