New twitter bud, Ann Vertel, made a blog post today that I had to comment back on.
As I thought more and more about it. I figured I could blow this bad boy up into a full blown post of my own. So here it is:
Ann writes that if you look at kids that trick or treat, they don't get all worked up about which houses don't have their lights on. The direct sales correlation is that we as direct selling consultants shouldn't get worked up over the people that don't want to participate in or business - either by booking buying or recruiting. In essence, they've "turned off their house lights" and we shouldn't take it personally - just move on to the next house and collect our goodies elsewhere.
But as I thought more about the correlation to Halloween, there's even more you can cull from this:
1. Those parents at the curb.
On your first Halloween, a trusted adult probably walked the whole neighborhood with you, holding your hand, walking you right up to the door and showing you exactly how to say the magic words that opened the door to candy paradise. As we mature in our business and "get better at trick or treating", these parents and adults stand at the curb, so we don't look "uncool".
You've either been one or had one - a leader that guides you down the path, watches your actions, and helps you be the best you can be. On your first few attempts at working your business, they might have even held your hand and walked you straight up to the door - even did the knocking for you. They're not doing the work for us. But they've got their watchful eye on us, helping us along the path to the next door, giving us tips on how to make the next house even better than the last. Don't be ungrateful, but don't expect them to do the work for you. If you want the goodies - you've got to get the training (from your leaders) - then you've got to say the words to get them!
2. Those "Candy Grabbers"
Every Halloween has it's share of killjoys that run around the 'hood snatching the bags of little kids. Those bullies get their kicks takin' candy from babies and making mischief on Hallow's Eve. Do the other kids stop going from house to house? Naah. Do the homeowners stop passing out the goodies? Of course not!
Whether we want to admit it or not, there's a crowd of people in direct sales that gives the industry a bad name - but it doesn't mean that everyone is going to give up and go home. On the contrary. I know for myself that when I was confronted with a bully on Halloween night, I just went back and tried double hard to recover my losses. Now that I'm older and wiser, I know there are plenty more neighborhood to visit when searching for direct sales gold.
3. Sorting the Goodies from the Maple Buns
Oh how I hated the Maple Bun as a kid. We'd trade those things away as fast as we got them - if we could. We took notes each year about which houses had the best candy, and which ones weren't worth the trek up the long driveway for the tiny little maple bun they'd drop in your bag with a toothy grin. Mom would, of course, check out each wrapper to ensure safety and collect her obligatory fee for so doing.
As network marketers, we have to do our own sorting. Some "goodies" will be great additions to our team, and others will start out looking good, but you'll find the wrapper's not all there. And of course, you'll end up with a Maple Bun or two, but realize that the better you get at identifying the King Size candy from the Maple Buns, the easier the sorting becomes. The only way to get good is to keep practicing.
So this festive holiday, as you're standing at the curb with the little tykes, perhaps do some trick or treating of your own. I frequently pass out free samples to the moms as we're trekking the 'hood together. It allows us to strike up conversations while we shiver in the cold with our little trolls, princesses, and ninjas. Do they all book a party or join my team? Nope. And we all just keep moving on to the next house.
Direct Sales Guidance: One Company or Two?
I got an email from a subscriber the other day asking me about "chasing rabbits". In direct sales, sometimes we move from company to company, or pursue more than one company reaching for success. A good leader will tell you to find one company you love and stick with it. But sometimes, that's not always great advice.
Take a guy like Sir Richard Branson for example. Here's a multi-gajillionaire that owns dozens (possibly hundreds, I didn't look it up) of companies all under the now-iconic Virgin brand. That would seem to say that yes, you can in fact own and operate multiple companies.
There are a couple of instances where operating more than one direct sales/home party business can be a good thing. But there's a sticky wicket here I want to address.
On the whole, I would say start with one company and work it like a business before you move on to another company. I have invested in at least a dozen different network marketing/direct sales type companies in my lifetime - very few did I run like a business. The ones I did run like a business, worked well for me, and the others, not so much.
When my subscriber asked me about whether or not to start with another company, I remembered the old adage: "you can't chase two rabbits". But like most adages, there are some exceptions. You can chase two rabbits if they're going in the same direction towards the same destination.
Here are some questions I ask myself before moving into a new company:
1. Am I doing this just for the kit or discount? If so, make sure to let your recruiter know. And then don't set yourself up with any false hopes of winning any trips, prizes or incentives.
2. If no, do I have the time to commit to building a new business properly? Meaning, since you've decided you want to build a business with this, determine how much of your life (on a daily basis), you're actually going to spend working on this business instead of your others. If you can't commit the time, wait - no mater how good the kit opportunity might be.
3. If I can commit specific amounts of time, what are my expectations from this company? You need to get clear about what you want from the company in terms of pay, support, recognition and any other issues that are important to you. It can be as simple as wanting timely shipping of products, or superb consultant support from the Home office. Whatever it is, get clear.
4. Can they deliver on those expectations?
Not every company can meet your expectations. That's one of the reasons I encourage a new recruit to have a show BEFORE they sign the papers. Because then you can see what it's like to be a hostess, a guest, AND a consultant. It gives you a better idea of how the company behaves on a day-to-day basis. Remember, your recruiter may be a great consultant that takes very good care of you as a customer, but the company may not be so great, and she's bending over backwards to be of assistance to you. You won't realize that until you are the consultant, having to do all the bending yourself.
5. Am I doing this because I'm dissatisfied with my current company?
If you have issues with your current company, or you're in a slump right now, the natural tendency for most people is to develop a "grass is greener" mentality. Make sure you're looking for another company for the right reasons. I decided I wanted to be more of a full-service image consultant and personal shopper, not just a "spa lady". It took time to carefully lay out what I wanted to accomplish - and find companies that would work with that vision.
Being dissatisfied with your current company is usually a symptom of something else - perhaps low commissions are because you're not follwing through, or the market is saturated in your area, etc. Perhaps it's a leader that grates your toast or doesn't try to understand you and just slaps her standard prescription on your specific problem. Being dissatisfied can be a great way to improve your business, but it can also be frustrating. You need to look at those issues and grow from there.
Ultimately, you have to know your true motives, needs and desires. Once you know WHAT you want, it's far easier to get it.
==========
Want to use this article in your ezine or website?
I'd be honored - so long as you include this complete blurb with it: Lisa Robbin Young is Editor and Founder of "PartyOn!", a free newsletter for party plan professionals. A personal branding coach, Lisa is on a mission to educate consultants on big business ideas they can apply to their small business enterprise for stellar success. Get your free tips at http://www.homepartysolution.com.
Take a guy like Sir Richard Branson for example. Here's a multi-gajillionaire that owns dozens (possibly hundreds, I didn't look it up) of companies all under the now-iconic Virgin brand. That would seem to say that yes, you can in fact own and operate multiple companies.
There are a couple of instances where operating more than one direct sales/home party business can be a good thing. But there's a sticky wicket here I want to address.
On the whole, I would say start with one company and work it like a business before you move on to another company. I have invested in at least a dozen different network marketing/direct sales type companies in my lifetime - very few did I run like a business. The ones I did run like a business, worked well for me, and the others, not so much.
When my subscriber asked me about whether or not to start with another company, I remembered the old adage: "you can't chase two rabbits". But like most adages, there are some exceptions. You can chase two rabbits if they're going in the same direction towards the same destination.
Here are some questions I ask myself before moving into a new company:
1. Am I doing this just for the kit or discount? If so, make sure to let your recruiter know. And then don't set yourself up with any false hopes of winning any trips, prizes or incentives.
2. If no, do I have the time to commit to building a new business properly? Meaning, since you've decided you want to build a business with this, determine how much of your life (on a daily basis), you're actually going to spend working on this business instead of your others. If you can't commit the time, wait - no mater how good the kit opportunity might be.
3. If I can commit specific amounts of time, what are my expectations from this company? You need to get clear about what you want from the company in terms of pay, support, recognition and any other issues that are important to you. It can be as simple as wanting timely shipping of products, or superb consultant support from the Home office. Whatever it is, get clear.
4. Can they deliver on those expectations?
Not every company can meet your expectations. That's one of the reasons I encourage a new recruit to have a show BEFORE they sign the papers. Because then you can see what it's like to be a hostess, a guest, AND a consultant. It gives you a better idea of how the company behaves on a day-to-day basis. Remember, your recruiter may be a great consultant that takes very good care of you as a customer, but the company may not be so great, and she's bending over backwards to be of assistance to you. You won't realize that until you are the consultant, having to do all the bending yourself.
5. Am I doing this because I'm dissatisfied with my current company?
If you have issues with your current company, or you're in a slump right now, the natural tendency for most people is to develop a "grass is greener" mentality. Make sure you're looking for another company for the right reasons. I decided I wanted to be more of a full-service image consultant and personal shopper, not just a "spa lady". It took time to carefully lay out what I wanted to accomplish - and find companies that would work with that vision.
Being dissatisfied with your current company is usually a symptom of something else - perhaps low commissions are because you're not follwing through, or the market is saturated in your area, etc. Perhaps it's a leader that grates your toast or doesn't try to understand you and just slaps her standard prescription on your specific problem. Being dissatisfied can be a great way to improve your business, but it can also be frustrating. You need to look at those issues and grow from there.
Ultimately, you have to know your true motives, needs and desires. Once you know WHAT you want, it's far easier to get it.
==========
Want to use this article in your ezine or website?
I'd be honored - so long as you include this complete blurb with it: Lisa Robbin Young is Editor and Founder of "PartyOn!", a free newsletter for party plan professionals. A personal branding coach, Lisa is on a mission to educate consultants on big business ideas they can apply to their small business enterprise for stellar success. Get your free tips at http://www.homepartysolution.com.
Convicted: Whirlwind Weekend Ends Fireproof
File this one under TMI, but it's important and it's good.
By Friday, I was so excited about the Vampire Ball in downtown, that I was twittering every few minutes as I was finishing up the program. My costume was all picked out, I had a great makeup artist to do my vampire face and I was rambling!
Then the day of the ball, I had all I could do to wait around my home for the witching hour. So I troddled up to the theater to assist in anyway they'd let me so I could be not at home for the remains of the day.
But it wasn't because I was excited about the party. No.
I was tired of being me.
Do you ever have those days? Where you just want to crawl into a shell or disappear and pretend you're not who you are?
My husband was tired. He lumbered into my office and announced his fatigue, and then asked (rhetorically, I think), "Why am I always so tired?"
Flippantly, I replied "It's the weekend, it's your M.O. You're always tired." I resumed my clickety clack on the keyboard.
I flashed a cheesy "I'm teasing you" grin, and he replied "WHy am I always tired on the weekend?"
I really should have held my tongue, but it was an open door to disaster. "Good question." I replied.
But I think he heard the coldness in my voice. Because he went upstairs to take a nap.
In my defense, I have told him repeatedly to see a doctor about what could be apnea, but he refuses. I get tired of "playing the game" with him. I love him, he needs help, he won't get it, don't come whining to me.
See? It was a day I didn't want to be me.
The baby had pink-eye. The oldest was grounded because he's failing at school.
I just didn't want to be me.
So after he slept for a couple of hours, I woke him, told him I was going down to the theater to help, and left.
That was around 1:30 on Saturday Afternoon.
I didn't get back home until almost 7 the next morning.
Don't roll your eyes. I was 3 minutes from home the entire evening. At 1:00 there was an "after party" and because I was such a good helper, I got to stay. I rubbed elbows with the headlining musician at the party, and because I was the unofficial DD, I got the honor of helping Voltaire load his gear into my pal's Hummer and chauffeur him back to the hotel.
He was every bit the gentleman - we talked about our kids, music and branding. He wouldn't even let me help him unload his gear from the car.
That was 3:30 in the morning.
But I still didn't want to go home. So I drove the Hummer back for my friend and helped clean up at the theater. By the time everything was wrapped it was 6:30 in the morning. I sad a few last goodbyes to Ted and JAcque and drove as slowly as I could to get back home.
It took me about 15 minutes.
My baby was up eating breakfast. My husband had already showered for church. All I wanted to do was sleep.
I wasn't even naughty in the traditional sense of the word, but I felt so bad about how I felt. I hoped sleep would "fix" me somehow.
Sunday afternoon, I wake up, as my husband is returning from church. I'm usually a church-goer myself, but not today. He also didn't take my oldest and left him home with me. Good thing he didn't set the house on fire - I would have slept right thru.
But my oldest noted that Dad took the baby to McDonald's - and he didn't get anything.
Argh! Inequity rears it's ugly head AGAIN this weekend. Where's that rock I want to crawl under?
So as my husband once again ascends the stairs for another nap, this time with baby, I move to appease the oldest with lunch and a movie.
We made a good lunch choice and a horrible movie choice. The kid will probably have nightmares, because I didn't take the time to listen to my conscience on this one.
And I came home ready for something else to fall apart.
My check engine light came on.
But then I saw another movie I really wanted to see: Fireproof
You know, that new Kirk Cameron movie from the makers of Facing the Giants and Flywheel. I'm starting to think every one of their movies is going to start with the letter F.
At any rate, it took some finagling - and of course I was the one that had to finagle - but I found a sitter for the 9:40pm showing of the movie.
And hubby and I went to an empty theater - we were literally the only two people in the whole theater for the film.
It was like God had set it up just for the two of us.
The story echoed through me like a recent memory: a couple drifted apart, a spouse wanting to save the marriage, the other not so sure, God's intervention and the obligatory happily ever after for which Hollywood is famous.
I wanted to see this movie because I thought - no, I KNEW, my husband needed to see this movie. He was excited about seeing it, so I had that in my favor. But I just knew that if he saw this movie, he'd change his behaviour, his attitude, his disposition. Like some kind of magic wand, he'd be all fixed and I'd stop wanting to be someone somewhere else this weekend.
But it didn't turn out that way.
It turned out better.
I realized that God can do anything, but I can't. All I can do is work on me. I can be the change I want to see in the world. In my husband. In me.
Why is all this in a marketing blog? Two reasons: First, this movie very cleverly comes wrapped in a pitch for an upcoming book: The Love Dare, and second, because this is a "real life" marketing blog, and in revealing things about my real life, I hope to share ideas, concepts and beliefs that will empower you to make yourself a better person, not just a better marketer.
By Friday, I was so excited about the Vampire Ball in downtown, that I was twittering every few minutes as I was finishing up the program. My costume was all picked out, I had a great makeup artist to do my vampire face and I was rambling!
Then the day of the ball, I had all I could do to wait around my home for the witching hour. So I troddled up to the theater to assist in anyway they'd let me so I could be not at home for the remains of the day.
But it wasn't because I was excited about the party. No.
I was tired of being me.
Do you ever have those days? Where you just want to crawl into a shell or disappear and pretend you're not who you are?
My husband was tired. He lumbered into my office and announced his fatigue, and then asked (rhetorically, I think), "Why am I always so tired?"
Flippantly, I replied "It's the weekend, it's your M.O. You're always tired." I resumed my clickety clack on the keyboard.
I flashed a cheesy "I'm teasing you" grin, and he replied "WHy am I always tired on the weekend?"
I really should have held my tongue, but it was an open door to disaster. "Good question." I replied.
But I think he heard the coldness in my voice. Because he went upstairs to take a nap.
In my defense, I have told him repeatedly to see a doctor about what could be apnea, but he refuses. I get tired of "playing the game" with him. I love him, he needs help, he won't get it, don't come whining to me.
See? It was a day I didn't want to be me.
The baby had pink-eye. The oldest was grounded because he's failing at school.
I just didn't want to be me.
So after he slept for a couple of hours, I woke him, told him I was going down to the theater to help, and left.
That was around 1:30 on Saturday Afternoon.
I didn't get back home until almost 7 the next morning.
Don't roll your eyes. I was 3 minutes from home the entire evening. At 1:00 there was an "after party" and because I was such a good helper, I got to stay. I rubbed elbows with the headlining musician at the party, and because I was the unofficial DD, I got the honor of helping Voltaire load his gear into my pal's Hummer and chauffeur him back to the hotel.
He was every bit the gentleman - we talked about our kids, music and branding. He wouldn't even let me help him unload his gear from the car.
That was 3:30 in the morning.
But I still didn't want to go home. So I drove the Hummer back for my friend and helped clean up at the theater. By the time everything was wrapped it was 6:30 in the morning. I sad a few last goodbyes to Ted and JAcque and drove as slowly as I could to get back home.
It took me about 15 minutes.
My baby was up eating breakfast. My husband had already showered for church. All I wanted to do was sleep.
I wasn't even naughty in the traditional sense of the word, but I felt so bad about how I felt. I hoped sleep would "fix" me somehow.
Sunday afternoon, I wake up, as my husband is returning from church. I'm usually a church-goer myself, but not today. He also didn't take my oldest and left him home with me. Good thing he didn't set the house on fire - I would have slept right thru.
But my oldest noted that Dad took the baby to McDonald's - and he didn't get anything.
Argh! Inequity rears it's ugly head AGAIN this weekend. Where's that rock I want to crawl under?
So as my husband once again ascends the stairs for another nap, this time with baby, I move to appease the oldest with lunch and a movie.
We made a good lunch choice and a horrible movie choice. The kid will probably have nightmares, because I didn't take the time to listen to my conscience on this one.
And I came home ready for something else to fall apart.
My check engine light came on.
But then I saw another movie I really wanted to see: Fireproof
You know, that new Kirk Cameron movie from the makers of Facing the Giants and Flywheel. I'm starting to think every one of their movies is going to start with the letter F.
At any rate, it took some finagling - and of course I was the one that had to finagle - but I found a sitter for the 9:40pm showing of the movie.
And hubby and I went to an empty theater - we were literally the only two people in the whole theater for the film.
It was like God had set it up just for the two of us.
The story echoed through me like a recent memory: a couple drifted apart, a spouse wanting to save the marriage, the other not so sure, God's intervention and the obligatory happily ever after for which Hollywood is famous.
I wanted to see this movie because I thought - no, I KNEW, my husband needed to see this movie. He was excited about seeing it, so I had that in my favor. But I just knew that if he saw this movie, he'd change his behaviour, his attitude, his disposition. Like some kind of magic wand, he'd be all fixed and I'd stop wanting to be someone somewhere else this weekend.
But it didn't turn out that way.
It turned out better.
I realized that God can do anything, but I can't. All I can do is work on me. I can be the change I want to see in the world. In my husband. In me.
Why is all this in a marketing blog? Two reasons: First, this movie very cleverly comes wrapped in a pitch for an upcoming book: The Love Dare, and second, because this is a "real life" marketing blog, and in revealing things about my real life, I hope to share ideas, concepts and beliefs that will empower you to make yourself a better person, not just a better marketer.
Tweet me, baby
Yep, I'm finally on twitter.
After much dawdling, I'm there, now.
Look me up when ya get a chance!
After much dawdling, I'm there, now.
Look me up when ya get a chance!
Ali Magazine: Inconsistent Messaging
I've been an Ali Brown afficionado for a few years. Her rise to nearly celebrity status as the darling of Internet Marketing, more commonly known as "the Ezine Queen", has been almost metoric in nature. In fact, during a teleclass this summer, she credited the law of attraction and the power of manifestation for her quantum leaps in business over the past few years.
So when I heard tell of a new magazine that was on the way, I was very nearly salivating. My mind traversed the possibilities: powerful interviews and articles on business building and attraction principles. Profiles on Ali disciples that had made good and gone "big time" with their business. Even the possibility of some lifestyle and travel tips. The horoscopes...
... Wait? huh? HOROSCOPES?
You heard me.
In my perfectly blunt style, I wrote my letter of disbelief to Ali. She of course did not reply (she's far too busy for that these days) but one of her assistants did.
"Thanks Lisa - We appreciate your feedback. The reason why we included a horoscope section is because horoscopes are FUN! People like them, Ali likes them. It's good to have fun with your business and enjoy it. :)"
Well, I don't dispute that FUN should be a part of your business. Countless pages in Ali's new magazine outlined style, fashion and travel ideas. And I even appreciated the tip sheet articles and guest spot on Heidi Klum. heck, I'll even give her props for the layout of "behnd the scenes" pictures from her cover shoot. That's fun stuff!
But Horoscopes, to me, seem to go completely against everything Ali spoke about during the summer teleclass on Manifestation with David Neagle. In a class all about setting your sights on a goal, learning the right way to goal set, and how to attain those goals through attraction, putting your "faith in the stars" just seems incongruent at best and insulting at worst.
To say "people like them, Ali likes them" is a means of justification without addressing the issue of congruence.
It draws to mind those old Venn diagrams from logic class.
If people like horoscopes, and Ali likes horoscopes, then Ali is people, too.
...Talk about lowest common denominator.
Don't get me wrong. I still like Ali's work, and she has some valuable content that has taken my business in a new direction, but to lower the qualty of the content to appeal to "the masses" is a bit heartbreaking.
A good magazine - a FUN magazine - doesn't need tawdry little, mind numbing horoscopes.
So when I heard tell of a new magazine that was on the way, I was very nearly salivating. My mind traversed the possibilities: powerful interviews and articles on business building and attraction principles. Profiles on Ali disciples that had made good and gone "big time" with their business. Even the possibility of some lifestyle and travel tips. The horoscopes...
... Wait? huh? HOROSCOPES?
You heard me.
In my perfectly blunt style, I wrote my letter of disbelief to Ali. She of course did not reply (she's far too busy for that these days) but one of her assistants did.
"Thanks Lisa - We appreciate your feedback. The reason why we included a horoscope section is because horoscopes are FUN! People like them, Ali likes them. It's good to have fun with your business and enjoy it. :)"
Well, I don't dispute that FUN should be a part of your business. Countless pages in Ali's new magazine outlined style, fashion and travel ideas. And I even appreciated the tip sheet articles and guest spot on Heidi Klum. heck, I'll even give her props for the layout of "behnd the scenes" pictures from her cover shoot. That's fun stuff!
But Horoscopes, to me, seem to go completely against everything Ali spoke about during the summer teleclass on Manifestation with David Neagle. In a class all about setting your sights on a goal, learning the right way to goal set, and how to attain those goals through attraction, putting your "faith in the stars" just seems incongruent at best and insulting at worst.
To say "people like them, Ali likes them" is a means of justification without addressing the issue of congruence.
It draws to mind those old Venn diagrams from logic class.
If people like horoscopes, and Ali likes horoscopes, then Ali is people, too.
...Talk about lowest common denominator.
Don't get me wrong. I still like Ali's work, and she has some valuable content that has taken my business in a new direction, but to lower the qualty of the content to appeal to "the masses" is a bit heartbreaking.
A good magazine - a FUN magazine - doesn't need tawdry little, mind numbing horoscopes.
Deb Bixler's Only Half Right: Boost Your Power in Your Home Party Business
Party Plan coach Deb Bixler has a great quote that she uses in her direct sales articles and live home party training events:
"Smile like a tiger and show your teeth."
According to Deb's direct sales training article, tigers show their teeth as a menas of intimidation and a show of power. The tiger could just as easily pounce first, but by 'showing his teeth', he's displaying control, confidence and power.
Thus, Deb says direct sales consultants/party plan reps should smile to increase their power in any situation.
I think Deb's only half right.
Home Party Consultants SHOULD Smile
Smiling is very important. In fact, a good smile goes a long way toward helping a home party consultant feel more confident and in control at parties. It's a great way to express a little intimidation: Smile, people will wonder what you're up to!
But we can take Deb's Tiger example even further.
Direct Sales Consultants should dress for success
I'm not saying a home party consultant should throw on her husband's hunting clothes before she heads out to her next party - although that's definitely BOLD! But having "power clothes" - clothes in which you feel fantastic - no, UNSTOPPABLE - also adds to your level of confidence and self esteem. Find good fitting clothes that look attractive and make you feel attractive. The way yo feelis psychologically linked to your confidence level as a home party consultant.
Home Party Reps should 'put on their face'
The "eye of the tiger" is symbolic of the fire and drive - the passion - burning in the tiger's heart. What's your passion? Are you working from your passion? This could be your "why", but in direct sales, it can also be a love of the product, enjoying doing home parties, etc. The point is to find the element that you are most passionate about, and work from that space. That way, at each of your parties, you'll find that you're "on fire" for the work you're doing.
"Eyes on the side are animals that hide; eyes in front are animals that hunt". You have to not only keep your eyes focused ahead (on your goals), but also be aware and ready for opportunities as they arise. The home party guest complaining about her job is potential "prey" for recruiting. The home party guest that's having a blast is a potential hostess. Be alert to these possibilities.
Home Party Consultants should be seen!
Further, you want to look your "prey" in the eye. In the wild, tigers rarely attack from behind (unless they're in a chase). They always face their prey, look them in the eye and show their teeth to convey power. They make a point of being seen.
Be a home party tiger! Show your direct sales power by not just showing your teeth (smiling), but also by putting on your best colors, looking prey (prospects) in the eye, and keeping the fire (passion) alive in your eyes.
THEN you'll be sharing your REAL power with all your home party guests - and your profits, bookings and recruits will soar.
"Smile like a tiger and show your teeth."
According to Deb's direct sales training article, tigers show their teeth as a menas of intimidation and a show of power. The tiger could just as easily pounce first, but by 'showing his teeth', he's displaying control, confidence and power.
Thus, Deb says direct sales consultants/party plan reps should smile to increase their power in any situation.
I think Deb's only half right.
Home Party Consultants SHOULD Smile
Smiling is very important. In fact, a good smile goes a long way toward helping a home party consultant feel more confident and in control at parties. It's a great way to express a little intimidation: Smile, people will wonder what you're up to!
But we can take Deb's Tiger example even further.
Direct Sales Consultants should dress for success
I'm not saying a home party consultant should throw on her husband's hunting clothes before she heads out to her next party - although that's definitely BOLD! But having "power clothes" - clothes in which you feel fantastic - no, UNSTOPPABLE - also adds to your level of confidence and self esteem. Find good fitting clothes that look attractive and make you feel attractive. The way yo feelis psychologically linked to your confidence level as a home party consultant.
Home Party Reps should 'put on their face'
The "eye of the tiger" is symbolic of the fire and drive - the passion - burning in the tiger's heart. What's your passion? Are you working from your passion? This could be your "why", but in direct sales, it can also be a love of the product, enjoying doing home parties, etc. The point is to find the element that you are most passionate about, and work from that space. That way, at each of your parties, you'll find that you're "on fire" for the work you're doing.
"Eyes on the side are animals that hide; eyes in front are animals that hunt". You have to not only keep your eyes focused ahead (on your goals), but also be aware and ready for opportunities as they arise. The home party guest complaining about her job is potential "prey" for recruiting. The home party guest that's having a blast is a potential hostess. Be alert to these possibilities.
Home Party Consultants should be seen!
Further, you want to look your "prey" in the eye. In the wild, tigers rarely attack from behind (unless they're in a chase). They always face their prey, look them in the eye and show their teeth to convey power. They make a point of being seen.
Be a home party tiger! Show your direct sales power by not just showing your teeth (smiling), but also by putting on your best colors, looking prey (prospects) in the eye, and keeping the fire (passion) alive in your eyes.
THEN you'll be sharing your REAL power with all your home party guests - and your profits, bookings and recruits will soar.
Make it about YOU
I know I harp on this, but it's just so DANGED important:
YOU are the most important product your company has to offer - not your candles, night creams, fancy jewelry, kitchen gadgets or even the compensation plan.
It's YOU.
You are the only product that people will experience the entire night of your party. You are the first product they experience when you begin your elevator speech. You are the last product they experience when you're packing up and leaving - or doing the customer care follow up calls that are so routinely missed in this industry (even I fall prey to this from time to time!)
You.
So what are you doing about it? How do you make "product you" the best possible experience your customers will encounter? How do you make YOU so good that customers come back time and again - because they are loyal to you first? How do you make YOU so fantastic that even if you change companies, they still want to work with YOU?
Practice.
Practice being the kind of person that people want to be around. Practice providing the customer service everyone says they want and never get. Practice your scripts, your demos and all the "elements of style" that boost your credibility and give people a desire to "buy" YOU.
Jeffrey Gitomer says it all the dang time: "People hate to be sold, but they love to buy".
What are you doing to give them reasons to want to buy YOU?
I talk about "affirmative buying decisions". That means getting clients to say "yes" to your offer. A "no" is also a buying decision - a negative one. It's also usually an affirmative buying decision somewhere else for someone else.
But this isn't about someone else - it's about YOU.
Sales is one part performance and one part handiman. You have to be helpful, and you have to put on a great show. In direct sales, the show's the thing. The show sells your products, but it also sells YOU.
So get crackin'.
YOU are the most important product your company has to offer - not your candles, night creams, fancy jewelry, kitchen gadgets or even the compensation plan.
It's YOU.
You are the only product that people will experience the entire night of your party. You are the first product they experience when you begin your elevator speech. You are the last product they experience when you're packing up and leaving - or doing the customer care follow up calls that are so routinely missed in this industry (even I fall prey to this from time to time!)
You.
So what are you doing about it? How do you make "product you" the best possible experience your customers will encounter? How do you make YOU so good that customers come back time and again - because they are loyal to you first? How do you make YOU so fantastic that even if you change companies, they still want to work with YOU?
Practice.
Practice being the kind of person that people want to be around. Practice providing the customer service everyone says they want and never get. Practice your scripts, your demos and all the "elements of style" that boost your credibility and give people a desire to "buy" YOU.
Jeffrey Gitomer says it all the dang time: "People hate to be sold, but they love to buy".
What are you doing to give them reasons to want to buy YOU?
I talk about "affirmative buying decisions". That means getting clients to say "yes" to your offer. A "no" is also a buying decision - a negative one. It's also usually an affirmative buying decision somewhere else for someone else.
But this isn't about someone else - it's about YOU.
Sales is one part performance and one part handiman. You have to be helpful, and you have to put on a great show. In direct sales, the show's the thing. The show sells your products, but it also sells YOU.
So get crackin'.
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