Jan 2

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As we begin a brand new year, I wanted to point out that success is not an accident, nor does luck have much to do with it.

Success doesn’t just happen in direct sales, or any other home business. There is no accident when it comes to success. Success comes to those who do something, take action, and make it happen.

No one has ever become successful by sitting at home waiting for success to knock on the door. All successful people I know understand that success won’t just find them; they have to go out and find it. Success is a choice that you make.

Success is in the action, and the more you do, the more success you will have. The wonderful thing about action is that action puts you in the direct path of success. The more action you take, the more opportunities you have to discover and leverage success.

Some say that successful people are simply lucky people. Luck comes to those who are out there making it happen. If successful people seem luckier than most, it’s because they know that to create luck you have to be out there doing something. I have found that the harder I work, the luckier I get!

The great news is that you don’t have to do a lot to create success. A few active and deliberate steps a day toward your goal will move you forward faster than you can imagine. The trick is to stay in action, be consistent and persistent and stay focused on moving forward.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes either. You have to step up to the plate and swing the bat. My father (who was a great sports fan) always told me,”Don’t just stand there, do something- even if it’s wrong!” We will always have a lesson with each setback.

What have you done to advance your goals lately?
What actions do you plan to take today toward your goals?

Perhaps these quotes may inspire you today:
“Luck is when opportunity meets action.”

Anonymous
“Conditions are never right. People who delay action until all factors are favorable do nothing.”

William Feather
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Antoine de Saint
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. ”
Henry David Thoreau
“You can’t hit a home run unless you step up to the plate.
You can’t catch a fish unless you put your line in the water.
You can’t reach your goals if you don’t try.”
Kathy Seligman
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
Jim Rohn
“The more action you take, the more progress you make.”

Anonymous
Are you ready to take MASSIVE ACTION in 2009?
I’d like to end this post today with a prayer that the late founder of my company always kept in her desk drawer. I would like to share it with you and hope that it means as much to you as it does to me.

O Lord, grant that each one who has to do with me today may be happier for it. Let it be given me each hour today what I shall say,
And grant me the wisdom of a loving heart
That I may say the thing rightly.
Help me to enter into the mind of everyone who talks with me,
And keep me alive to the feelings of each one present.
Give me a quick eye for little kindnesses
That I may be ready in doing them and
graciously receiving them.
Amen! In His Hands

May you find abundance, success and love this year!

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SociBook
Posted in direct sales training | Comments
Dec 28

When you have direct sales business, if you are serious about building a strong team, we need to do a check up from the neck up and back down again! Did you know that you do not make a great team, you find them ! As a team builder it is your job to provide an environment where they can see the abundance and grow personally and professionally on their way to the top! Don’t ever forget that your team is watching what YOU do! Are YOU professional at all times in YOUR business?

When we work from home, it is easy to become comfortable in our casual clothes all the time. Now is an excellent time to pick up some professional looking outfits and accessories while they are on “After Christmas” sale! When you are seeing clients, or potential clients, it may take a few extra minutes to prepare, but looking professional will make such a difference for you! It can increase sales, and even inspire others to emulate you! (This also includes the image that you portray when you are doing a video that is used for training!)

• How is your hair? Has anyone said lately, What a great cut! If not, go to the best stylist you can find and get it done! This is well worth the money spent.

• What is the look of your best business suit? Is it out date? Does it fit? You are making a statement … what is it? I’d rather have one suit that is ‘slammin,’ than a closet full that doesn’t make me feel like a million!

• Shoes and hose … Are they comfortable? Attractive? Good condition?

• Make Up … who is especially good with product in your area? Ask for advice or have a sister consultant do a makeover. Make sure you look your absolute best!!!

• Personal … have you had your teeth cleaned recently? What do your fingernails and toe nails look like? Having a regular manicure and pedicure should be in your budget as a business woman. How is your breath? Do you carry breath mints with you when you go to conventions or seminars?

• What does your ink pen look like? Brief case or folio? Purse?

• What are your business card being carried in? How accessible are they?

• Are your earrings outdated? Cheap? Too big? Other jewelry? Too much, too little? Go for classic! If you are not sure, less is better.

  • When using social media, your photo is most important. Use a recent photo, and remember to smile. People start to identify with you if you look friendly and approachable!

Take an honest look at yourself and ask the opinion of a ‘classy’ friend who will tell you the truth. Appearance is the first element a person has to judge whether she wants to do business with you. You will get a chance at ‘heart’
later, but first your look will sell or send! Take a close look at yourself and dress for success. Remember, you will never have a second chance to make a first impression!

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SociBook
Posted in Direct Sales Women | Comments
Dec 16

Did you ever wonder why some people are incredible salespeople, but struggle with building a team and sharing their business opportunity? Although there can be many reasons for this, besides desire (or lack of it) leadership is the most significant reason.  Many people don’t have the desire to become a leader, or simply don’t believe that they have the abilities necessary for leadership.

The good news is leadership is a skill that can be developed like any other! Perhaps you have already invested in education to increase your skills within your organization. The next step is to increase your level of leadership ability. To become a leader, it requires daily choices, investing in leadership development.  It is similar to investing in the stock market. If you hope to make a fortune in a day, you may be disappointed. However, those daily choices over time add up to a lifetime success as a leader.

Do you understand the difference between managing and leading? To manage is to control movement or behavior of, direct or have charge of. Management is a position that can be appointed, but not necessarly earned. Leadership, however is to guide. “You cannot teach what you do not know. You cannot lead where you do not go.”

Your home business will begin to mulitply as you increase your level of leadership ability and increase your effectiveness in your business. Each week, I will cover a different aspect of developing your leadership. If you would like to read about the subject, the author who has had the greatest impact on my leadership growth is John. C. Maxwell.  His books are a great place to start.

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SociBook
Posted in direct sales training | Comments
Dec 9

Are you becoming frustrated with your direct sales business, particularly the quality of your customers and/or team members? If you are, that is a clear indication that you should be growing your leadership skills. Leadership is influence, it’s that simple. School is never out for the pro! In fact, it has been said that “you cannot teach what you do not know, and you cannot lead where you do not go!” Leadership training and implementation is JUST AS IMPORTANT as skill training.

One of my biggest mentors in leadership training is John C. Maxwell. I have studied his materials continuously for over a decade, including his books, cds, videos and even more.
Here is what John says about Measuring Influence-

“A person’s ability to make things happen in and through others depends entirely on their ability to lead them. Without leadership, there is no teamwork, and people go their own way. If your dream is big and will require the teamwork of a lot of people, then any potential leaders you select to go with you on the journey will need to be people of influence.

After all, that’s what leadership is - influence. And when you think about it, all leaders have two things in common: They’re going somewhere, and they’re able to persuade others to go with them.

As you look at the people around you, consider the following:

  • Who influences them?
  • Whom do they influence?
  • Is their influence
    increasing or decreasing?

To be a good judge of potential leaders, don’t just see the person-see all the people who that person influences. The greater the influence, the greater the leadership potential and the ability to get others to work with you to accomplish your dream.”

To begin using John C. Maxwell’s Leadership materials, click here and it will take you to Amazon. A good first book that I recommend is “Developing the Leader Within You.” Many of his materials will make good gifts for you or others with a direct sales home business. For even more personalized recommendations for further study from me, fill out the contact form on the right or comment on this post. What do you think?
@nancymk Is looking smashing in her Santa ensemble by Corena on TwitPic

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SociBook
Posted in direct sales training | Comments
Dec 2

Now that we are in the last month of the year, the direct sales retail sales are booming and I am making each day count. What I am hearing from my consultants and coaching clients is not exactly the same thing. Some direct sales companies are not set up to stock inventory. So there is a cut off in December when you can still receive your purchases before Christmas. Even in my business where we stock inventory, there are frequently times when the sales exceed the products on hand. So after December 16, it would be safe to say that all direct sales companies are limited to selling the products on hand.

Does that mean that it is time to stop working and take the rest of the month off? Certainly not! December is a festive time of year where many people see and contact friends and family that they haven’t seen all year. What better time to tell them about your direct sales business, and do a “show and tell” presentation!

I continue to hold personal shopping appointments all the way up until a day or so before Christmas. Time management is crucial. There is still plenty of time to bake, visit friends, attend the children’s programs at school and of course, shop. It’s a matter of prioritizing. Set aside each night the six most important things that you want to accomplish the following day. (notice I said six, not sixty) Whatever you don’t finish, put on the list for the following day.

Start to create a list of people who are want to be a hostess in January. You will hear that a lot this month. Some of them may be recipients of gifts that you sell in December. Plan to spend fifteen minutes a day on the phone the week between Christmas and New Year contacting those people. If you wait until the first week in January, your business will be stalled for about a month, making it even harder to start again.

December is also a great time to send out greeting cards or emails to your customers thanking them for another year of business. That personal touch goes a long way towards growing the relationship and building customers for life.

Does your direct sales business include recruiting as an avenue of income? December is the best month for starting a new business. There are many expenses associated with starting a home business that can be a tax deduction!

The important thing is to make a plan, a marketing strategy for this month and stick to it. I am offering a free 15 minute strategy call if you would like my assistance in putting together your plan. It would be my pleasure to help you to finish off 2008 strong and make 2009 your best year ever! I have 23 years experience with the same company. I love empowering other women to succeed by sharing my skills with them!

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Posted in direct sales home business, direct sales training | Comments
Nov 23

When you have a home business in Direct Sales, one of the biggest challenges that you have to deal with is motivation. In this Direct Sales Blog I want to cover how to be your own boss and still manage to get the job done without someone looking over your shoulder.

* 1. Have a clear and concise goal and share it with others. There is no such thing as a “secret goal”. The first time that I made a decision to attain Court of Sales in my business I started by announcing it to my unit. I had a consultant who set that goal and the year was half over and she was way off track. I picked up her goal and decided to run with it.

* 2. Find someone who will hold you accountable, not listen to your excuses. As women, we always have drama in our life. If you make a decision to allow those dramas to stop you, failure is lurking around the corner. There is always a way to work around any obstacle.

* 3. Be clear on your “why”. I have never seen a goal with a reason behind it not become a reality. The year that my youngest son started school, I made a decision to move into leadership in my company. My reason was simple- I wanted to be a WAHM. I wanted to be there when they got home from school, attend field trips with them, and spend summers at the pool with my children. A home business allowed me to do that.

* 4. Set a deadline for your goals. A goal without a deadline is just a dream. Even the most audacious goal must have an end time. The worst that can happen is that you need to extend the deadline. But be clear on when you want the goal to happen.

* 5. Use your experiences, both good and bad to train others. I give myself permission to make mistakes along the way, and document it. The year that I was first runner up in personal sales, it was not my goal. It was a result of massive effort and documentation for one of my consultants who had that goal. Every action was scripted, recorded and shared with her. Whenever you have the ability to take others to places that they have never been before as a result of your efforts, it motivates you to give more.

The challenges of a home business can easily be overcome with a network of support. Make sure that you surround yourself with positive people who understand the entrepreneurial lifestyle. In today’s economy, there is more control over your results than any job out there! So what is holding you back?

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Posted in direct sales home business, direct sales training | Comments
Nov 22

Keeping your FOCUS to just a few simple aspects of your direct sales business is one of the most powerful strategies you can use. It’s amazing the more people do not do it. I find many women get overwhelmed with the amount of marketing tips and find themselves paralyzed. Remember, a confused mind does nothing.

The year that I set my goal to be Queen of Personal Sales in my Direct Sales Company, I knew that in order to maintain focus for an entire year I had to keep it simple. This is what I learned. For me, it has always been better to keep my focus on just a few things. When I have too many things to focus on, it is more difficult for me to maintain that level of focus over an extended period of time. Since this goal was a year long one, I knew that keeping it simple was absolutely necessary

These are the Top 5 Areas to focus on for Maximum Sales

  1. One a Day- My focus was on being face to face with at least one person every day, showing the product. Some days it would be as many as 10 people, other days, only one. That consistency helped create the momentum. This allowed me to reach my sales goal of $500 per day all year.
  2. Build Your Customer Base Wide and Deep- It is so rewarding to work with customers who are actually excited about the product and wanting to use more and more of it. The second thing to focus on is broadening the usage of your customers. This can be accomplished by scheduling regular updates with your customers to show them the new products.
  3. Look for New Customers within Your Chosen Niche or Demographics- For example,I focused on finding new customers in the 25-35 year age range. That year my biggest growth in my customer base was from those women. I did this by encouraging mother/daughter appointments with existing customers and handing out web coupons. We handed out over 1,000 web coupons that year. Our goal was 10 a day, 5 days a week. Having the discipline to do this really built our customer base
  4. Provide Excellent Customer Service Creating Loyalty to You- When a consultant decides to leave her business I always ask permission to take care of her customers.(This rarely happens in my unit because I train them how to build a reorder business and most stay with me for decades!) I have a passion to serve every customer the way by “making them feel important”. Even customers who previously “died of neglect”, I sometimes have been able to revive and that too is exciting!! I was taught to lead by example and by doing this I got my unit’s attention (and also some of my customers who became consultants!)
  5. “Hitch Your Wagon to a Star” The power of a coach or a Mastermind group will make all the difference! Although we can learn something from anyone in this business, when reaching for a big goal, it is important to follow only those who have gone before you. When I was reaching for this goal that very few in my Company had reached, I found someone who had already done it, to become my Power Partner, and strategize on a daily basis. We both accomplished more than ever before because of the growth that our brainstorming accomplished!

In addition to my own retail business and the leadership position that I hold within my Company, I also do mentoring. If you are interested in taking your business to the next level, be sure to subscribe to my e-newsletter above. My subscribers are the first to be notified of any of my FREE WEBINARS. I have a really exciting one coming up soon with my Power Partner, Jacque Schumacher who has also achieved Queen of Personal Sales multiple times in my Company! You don’t want to miss this! What do you think? K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweetie)

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Posted in direct sales marketing, direct sales training | Comments
Oct 31

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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SociBook
Posted in Direct Sales Women, direct sales home business, direct sales marketing, direct sales mentoring, direct sales training, wahm | Comments
Oct 21

loading Share the Excitement from on Stage!(VIDEO)bycincopa Share the Excitement from on Stage!(VIDEO)

This is one of the highlights of my almost 23 year career in Direct Sales. In order to understand why I am qualified for Direct Sales Mentoring, I wanted to share this video with you. This was taken at the Dallas Convention Center live in front of about 20,000 people! I hope that you will be inspired and share in the excitement as I do each time that I watch it!

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