Direct Sales Marketing Online

Income Producing Activites for Direct Sellers

2009-07-17T08:38:00.000-04:00

In a previous post, I discussed Pareto's Law, the 80/20 Rule. And often, as was this case with this post, the comments come back like this:

"I *know* this. It's just hard to put into practice."

So I wanted to take a closer look at Income Producing Activities for Direct Sellers, as I research your most burning questions for an upcoming free teleclass for my subscribers.

Many direct sellers don't even know what their income producing activities (IPA) really are. Simply defined, IPA are any activities that directly generate income for you.

Most consultants think of this as booking, selling and recruiting. Most consultants would be wrong.

Let's look more closely at each of these activities and see if they meet our simple definition.

Booking parties is time-consuming. Even at the show, we're dropping 3-10 booking seeds to get 3-4 shows added to our calendar. When we look at industry statistics, 20% of your shows will cancel or reschedule. But in reality, it's not the booking that generates the income. Any consultant who's failed to follow up with a hostess, or forgotten to mail the invitations, or didn't confirm the booking has invariably lost a show (or had a mostly unprofitable one). Therefore it's not the act of BOOKING the party that produces the income, but rather hostess coaching and follow up that produce the income.

Dozens of industry trainers will offer you host coaching programs. The best one I've ever seen - and use myself, is Deb Bixler's Create a Cash Flow Show - which virtually guarantees you'll have a $1,000 show every time you do a party. And yes, out of full disclosure, that's my affiliate link. It give me credit for referring you to her website. I only recommend products I use and love. Deb's is one of the best on the market in terms of content and delivery. Her no-nonsense, build it like a real business approach is in complete alignment with the way I run my business, and she's a trainer of integrity.

So booking is NOT an income producing activity, per se. Hostess Coaching is. And often, this is the area in which we suffer most.

Selling is quite obviously an IPA, since the result of selling is that you earn income. Whether you're doing custmer care follow-up, reorder calls, or the show itself, I think that IPA is fairly self-explanatory.

Recruiting can be an IPA, but you need to check your company rule book. In nearly all direct selling companies, no one is paid for recruiting someone, but rather, is paid when that recruit meets a performance goal - selling a certain amount, getting "qualified" or some other performance based measurement.

In fact, many companies have strict rules AGAINST compensating a person for adding recruits to their team to avoid being considered a "pyramid/ponzi scheme". Ponzi was notorious for paying people in the pyramid a portion of the recruiting fee and there was no real product to sell - which ultimately meant the pyramid would crumble when people stopped signing up. The DSA and the federal government have some pretty strict rules about this.

So recruiting in and of itself is not an income producing activity, rather the income is produced based on team performance. But how do you encourage consultants to perform? Coaching. Thus COACHING your team is the income producing activity.

So aside from the actual sales process, the bulk of your income is derived fom your coaching activities - either with your hostess or with your team.

But where are we told to spent the bulk of your time? Booking, Selling and Recruiting.

Don't get me wrong, these are important activities, but when it comes to the 80/20 rule, Booking and Recruiting (also known as prospecting) shouldn't take more than 20% of your business time (they likely take up 80% of your time now). The remaining 80% of your business time should be focused on actual Income Producing Activities: SELLING and COACHING your hostesss and teams.

Yet this is the very complaint I hear over and over again: I don't have the TIME. Thus the need to streamline, automate, delegate and eliminate activities that don't fall into the most productive parts of our business.

Freeing yourself to focus on IPA isn't an overnight task. It takes time, but is critical to the overall success of your business. Top Direct Sales Leaders don't try to do it all themselves. Neither should you. Begin today by looking at what you could delegate, or things you know you're not good at that you could have someone else handle for you.

Take time to develop the list. Eventually, put a plan in place to start delegating. You'll free up your time to focus on making more money, which will eventually turn into freeing up more time because you won't need to work so much!

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Want more help understanding IPA and how to apply it to your business? Use this form to Ask Lisa your questions for an upcoming free teleclass about Income Producing Activities for Direct Sellers. The only certified Direct Sales Marketing Coach in the WORLD, Lisa Robbin Young can help demystify the business side of running your direct sales business. Visit her free online community for direct sellers today.

Another Sales Tip from Vilfredo Pareto

2009-07-16T09:02:00.000-04:00

Vilfredo Pareto, that fabulous Italian Sconomist and educator I spoke of in a previous post, also made some astute observations about society beyond the 80/20 rule.

For example, he was one of the first to recognize that people assess and decide with their emotions (heart) and rationalize with their logic.

Which basically explains why we go after things we want (like a million dollar palace or a shiny new car) and ignore the things we need (like a clean home or 6 months' living expenses in our savings account).

Humans are in a constant state of assessment. We're constantly looking at what we want, versus what we truly need, and weighing the risks of putting off the need to have the want.

If we think the risk of losing the want outweighs the risk of putting off the need, we put off the need.

However, if we feel that it's too risky to give up the need, we forego the want instead.

Back in elementary school, my teacher talked about opportunity costs: the idea that every choice comes with a sacrifce - usually time, energy, or money - or a combination of all three.

In order to attain item A, we may have to give up on item B - or at least delay it a while.

Opportunity costs are all around us: when we choose to eat the frosty at Wendy's instead of ordering a salad. When we choose to buy the high end MP3 player to keep up with the Joneses, instead of buying the generic MP3 player and saving the difference for the college trust fund.

When we opt to call our hostess the day before the party instead of doing proper hostess coaching. When we don't do the upsell because we think we're "being pushy."

There are costs to every choice we make. Pareto just explained the human mechanism that allows us to make the determination.

So when you're talking with your prospects - whether you're booking, selling, or sharing the business opportunity with them, you need to uncover the wants AND the needs. Because some needs are greatr than others. They're non-negotiable. Other needs are mutable, transient and can meet oppsition when the want is stronger.

Then, simply show your prospect how your solution meets the want AND the need for best success. If you can't do both, always go for whichever is stronger - the want or the need.

It takes practice, but once you get familiar with understanding needs versus wants, you will quickly get a feel for how this works.

Some people call it "finding their pain", but whatever you call it, understand Pareto's discovery and put it to work for you.

People decide with their heart (emotions) and reationalize with their brain (logic). You are most persuasive when you can appeal to both.

Direct Sales Reps Need a Blog

2009-07-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

Blogs are a critical component to your online marketing strategy.

Many direct sellers, however are reluctant to get started for a variety of reasons:

* Lack of technical savvy
Direct Sales in general has been slow to embrace technology of any kind, and many long-term consultants are still faxin or calling in orders to their home office. The idea of having complete control over webspace can feel intimidating to someone who may only use their computer for checking email - or may not even OWN a computer at all.

* Lack of confidence
In a sea of home-party presenters, you might be surprised to know how many don't have the confidence to speak in public, and worse yet, don't believe they have the skillset to manage a blog of their own.

* Lack of funds
Many consultants believe that setting up a website or a blog can be costly and even more expensive for ongoing maintenance.

* Lack of time
Direct Sellers are notorous for spinning many platesand keeping many balls in the air. I frequently hear the "I don't have time for that" excuse.

In reality, there are simple, easy solutions to all of these issues. Blogs, like this one, are free to set up, use templates, and are quick to get up and runnig - often in less than 10-15 minutes. In fact, at my upcoming Home Party Solution LIVE Workshop, we'll be holding a race to see who can set up a blog the fastest. The point-and-click techology of Blogger and Wordpress make setting everything up a breeze.

The more important concern is one of content. "I'm not sure what to write about!" I often hear direct sales consultants exclaim.

This isn't a challenge either. Here are four tips to make blog posting a snap:

1. Write about who you are. This does not mean to post incessantly about how you're a consultant with XYZ company. What we DO is not the same as who we ARE. Maybe you're a mom, or a dog-lover, or a baseball fanatic, or a lipstick fiend. Find an uplifting passion - something that brings you joy, and you're sure to build a following of people that also share that joy, that passion, that resonate with you and want to hear more from you regularly.

2. Write about topics related to your product line. This can be a product review, but more importantly, it should reflect an area of expertise that's related to your product line. For example, one of my blogs is about skin care, and while I rarely post directly about my skin care company, I often post articles related to skin care. This is a topic we will cover in greater depth at my live workshop. In fact, we'll actually HELP YOU determine your area of expertise and get your first posts written at the event.

3. Get someone else to write for you. There are tons of online writers willing to share their content with you at no charge. This is content you can freely post on your blog or anywhere else online for that matter. By sharing guest content, you build even more credibility in the eyes of your customers, which can only help your business in the long run. Home Party Solution lists many reliable sources for free content to share on your blog or even in your newsletters!

4. Let someone else pick the topic. From reader surveys to paid endorsements for your blog posts, there are ways to post content related to what other people WANT to have you post. In fact, monetizing your blog is a great way to make it pay you for the time you spend posting.

In all, there are tons of ways to make building your online presence quick and painless. Fear is quite possibly the only thing holding you back at this point. As a Direct Seller, it is imperative that you take advantage of every possible marketing opportunity - including online tools like blogs. With over 15 million consultants in the US alone, online marketing is fast becoming the tool that distinuishes the leaders from the rest of the pack.

Blogs, like Social Media, are only ONE piece of the online marketing puzzle. You need a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes these elements to effectively dominate your marketplace. Blogs, are quick and easy, and no direct seller should be without one.

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Have more questions about marketing yourself online? Blogging is just one piece of the online marketing puzzle. Without an online marketing strategy (social media, etc), you may find yourself pulling your hair out and calling it quits before any real progress is made. Lisa Robbin Young is the only Certified Direct Sales Marketing Coach in the WORLD, and can take the guesswork out of using the Internet to promote your direct sales business. Visit the free online community for direct sellers today at http://www.homepartysolution.com

The Standing Ovation That ALMOST Never Shoulda Happened

2009-07-15T06:26:00.000-04:00

I'm big into motivation and self-improvement. Anyone who knows me knows that kaizen - the Japanese word for continuous, incremental improvement - is something I employ fully in my life.

I'm always looking for ways to make my life better. I like to think I also try to find ways to make the lives of people around me better, too.

But sometimes life just sucks. Not for very long - but hey! Everyone has "those days" or "those moments" in their life.

I think I was having some of those moments this week.

And today, thanks to several someones that NEVER met me before, I have this incredible story to share.

Tom Ziglar, yeah, the son of internationally acclaimed speaker Zig Ziglar is on twitter (@tomziglar).

When I saw that Zig was coming to town, I tried to finagle a personal meet & greet through Tom on twitter. He was gracious, and said that it wasn't possible for a meet & greet, but how would I like 4 free VIP tickets to the event?

Um, well, only if you twist my arm a bit.

So the tickets arrived. I took my 12 year old son, and a couple that have been family friends for years - they really wanted to see Dr. Robert Schuller and Zig share their wit and wisdom, so I was able to invite them along on the good graces of a guy who's never met me before.

It was truly an event not to be missed. From a marketing perspective there was MUCH to learn about how to make a nearly free event pay for itself a thousand times over - even after giving away a flat screen TV, a Disney Vacation (which my son nearly won in an on-stage dance-off) and $10,000 cash.

But not in this article. This article is about what happened when an arena of nearly 5,000 people became MY personal fan club for a whole 30 seconds.

Sometime after lunch, one of the speakers, Bob, pulls out a $5 bill and says to one end of the arena, "This $5 bill is on sale for $1 for the next 10 seconds."

Before he can finish the countdown, the guy that won the Disney trip whips out a $1 bill ans swaps him for the $5, much to my kid's chagrin.

He then turns to face another side of the "in-the-round" arena and pull sout a $20 bill. This time, it's on sale for $10, but only for 10 seconds.

I think it was snapped up in 4.

He then turns to our side of the arena, and pulls out a crisp $100 bill. He says, "I know what you're thinking... and I'm not stupid!" He then pockets the $100 bill and proceeds to share his motivational story.

And as we're approaching the middle of his talk he says "who here really needs to be cheered up today?" And, Godly enough (as my friend would say), he picks my hand out of a crowd of people all within spitting distance of the stage. Yes, Tom, we had GREAT seats, to boot.

So he calls me up on the stage. And he invites the entire arena of some nearly 5,000 people to get up on their feet and give me a standing O. "The kind of loud, thunderous applause that makes people outside wonder 'who's the famous person in there they're clapping for?"

And he counted to three.

And what happened next was truly breathtaking.

I froze for about 7 seconds. All I could do was count in my head. Slowly I'm turning, seeing all these people - my kid, my friends, and THUSANDS of other people that don't know me from Joe, on their feet, yelling, screaming, stamping, hooting, hollering, and cheering for me.

Yeah, I started crying. But only a little.

It was a copletely unexpected, very NEEDED moment in my life. One of those defining moments when you know, you're going to look back and say "this changed me, shaped me, made me who I am today."

I was having a poopy week. And yes, it was only Tuesday.

But I try not to compain much, keep my chin up, and keep doin the work I believe God put me here to do. And I do my best to be consistent, because the only alternative is to be less than who I am. I'm not perfect, and don't pretend to be.

But in that moment, when thousands of people were screaming my name, cheering for me, and making me feel like a million bucks, two things happened.

I'll tell you about the other in a minute, but the first thing that happened, was the thought that everyone should be able to feel like this at least once in their life. The fear, the gratitude and the overwhelming sense of being loved, accepted and appreciated for who I was - warts and all - by a room of nearly complete and total strangers was one of the most transformative experiences I could ever have. I'll probably be sharng this story with the great grandkids in my days of senility and "old timer's" when I keep recounting the same stories over and over.

And I wish I could have given every one a small piece of the feeling I'm still carrying with me right now.

But then, Bob came back up on the stage. He put his arm around me, reached into his pocket and pulled out that $100 bill, handed it to me and told me thank-you.

Thanked me for taking his money? Um, sure, no problem, just doing my job, sir!

I cried a little more, gave him a huge hug, which I think knocked his lapel mic, and I went back to my seat, amid continued applause and the people in my section giving me kudos. Yeah, the money was a nice surprise, but I would have gladly given it back to him for another 30 seconds of applause like that.

And as the afternoon continued - and on our way back to the car, people were calling out to me, offering hugs, asking me if I would buy dinner, and just generally acknowledging me. Not because I'm a business coach, or a singer, or a speaker or anything out of the ordinary. But because I was me - and grateful.

Now I could stop there, and it would be a pretty good story - might even jerk a few tears out of you like it does me writing it.

But what you don't know, is that for nearly 30 years, it has been one of the top 10 line items on my bucket list - before there was such a name - to appear in an arena of thousands and recieve a standing ovation from the entire crowd.

So some guy I never met that never really knew me (Tom) gave me a gift that may have seemed insignificant to him as part of his father's legacy to help people get what they want. And as the ripples went out, some other guy I've never met before not only gave me $100 cash, but helped me achieve one of my life-long ambitions -right in front of my kid - not because he wanted a story to tell - I'm sure he does this at EVERY one of thse seminars - but because he wanted to genuinely help someone.

And in return, I got one of the greatest blessings of all. I benefitted from the huge generosity of others. And it didn't cost me a dime - nor did it cost anyone in that crowd any more than it would if they'd just stayed seated.

But if I had listened to my kid, who was whining about listening to "old folks" for three more hours, and gone home early, all the blessings would have been lost - at least for me and mine.

Someone else might have been fortunate enough to appreciate that applause and take that $100 bill home with them, and the blessings might have been theirs.

But I try not to compain much, keep my chin up, and keep doing the work I believe God put me here to do. And I do my best to be consistent, because the only alternative is to be less than who I am. I'm not perfect, and don't pretend to be.

So we stayed the course, received the blessing, and can now pass it on to others.
And of course, my son wants to be blessed with a new pair of shoes.

And just now as I sit writing this, I wonder if this is what Jesus might have felt feeding the multitude. I'm not trying to get preachy here, but it dawns on me now that the Bible says something about 5000 not including the women and children that were fed that day. I hardly think of myself in any God-like fashion. I do wonder, though if that is why Jesus was so compelled to serve us. When a throng of people embraces you as I was embraced today - as a total and complete stranger - you develop a compassion that extends to each and every one of them. You must be defective if you walk away without being changed and wanting to do for those that embraced you.

Doing good and being good doesn't require perfection, just consistency. In business and life you need to develop a compassion for your audience that is genuine. Helping others not just because it's good PR, but because it's the right thing to do.

THAT'S when the REAL blessings come.

I'm still thinking about those shoes...

Streamline Your Business - Italian Style!

2009-07-14T07:49:00.002-04:00

When I think of Italy, images of canals, the Sistine Chapel, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa come to mind.

I certainly don't think of scruffy Italian men from centuries ago.

And yet, there are two Italian men who have a hand in helping you streamline your business and increase your profitability at the same time.

Say hello to Fibonacci (fib-oh-NAH-chee) and Pareto (pah-RAY-toh). One is an Italian mathematician of the 1200's, the other, an Italian Economist and educator of the early 1900's.

As boring as it may sound, these two guys can give you a clear head when it comes to balancing your work for maximum effectiveness.

Fibonacci was actually born in Pisa. He devised the Fibonacci sequence: a series of numbers in mathematical relationship, that ultimately led to the discovery of The Golden Ratio (not to be confused with the Golden Rule). Simply put, the Golden Ratio is a nearly perfect proportion that exists in nature: roughly a 60/40 ratio.

Pareto, is more likely to be recognized as the man who developed what became "Pareto's Law", more commonly known as "The 80/20 Rule". Pareto noticed a naturlawhat he called the “vital few”, the top 20 percent, and the “trivial many”, the bottom 80 percent.

Essentially, the 80/20 Rule states that 80% of your results will come from 20% of the effort and 20% of your clients will produce 80% of your income.

In fact, it is reputed that Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, used this very rule when deciding who to fire - the lowest performing 20% were the first to be let go.

You've probably heard a lot more about Pareto's Law than you have the Golden Ratio. But it's the Golden Ratio that puts the oomph in Pareto's Law.

In my coaching, I drive my clients to focus on their income producing activities. Often, they have no idea what those activities are. Knowing what to focus on is a topic for another article. This article shows you how it all works.

The Golden Ratio suggests that there is a 60/40 split we must maintain in our business. It happens naturally. 60 percent of our time should be focused on income producing activities (which includes marketing), while the other 40% of our time should be used to manage the other areas of our business. In a 10 hour work day, 6 hours should focus on marketing and the actual EARNING of income, while 4 hours may be split up amongst other business activites.

So how does the 80/20 rule fit in? Simple. The 80/20 rule is where we focus the TOP 20% of our time. This is where the activities that produce the greatest amount of income should be. In that same 10 hour work day, 2 of those 6 hours should be focused on our most lucrative income producing activities.

But what should you do with all that time?

Tips From the Experts:

International speaker and best selling author, Brian Tracy, says "before you begin work, always ask yourself, 'Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?' The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue."

Don Mastrangelo, author of "Ready, Set, Sell!" suggests investing 80% of your productive time over the next three months doing some type of prospecting for new business. Don says "If you do, you’ll find that from there forward you will never need to invest more than 20% of your time prospecting to keep your momentum going.

Let go of distraction and forget about multitasking. Tim Ferris, author of the 4-Hour Work Week, cites multitasking as a big reason for inefficiency while working. The time it takes to re-focus on a project when multitasking can actually make the project take longer - sometimes substantially longer. If at all possible, focus on one thing at a time. Use a timer if you must, but stay focused.

Keep these ratios in mind the next time you're planning your workload, and seeking to find balance in your business.

And the next time you visit Pisa, remember Fibonacci and Pareto.

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Have more questions about income producing activities in your direct sales business? Submit your questions here for an upcoming teleclass where I'll answer the most popular questions.

KickStart America - Starting in Flint, MI!

2009-07-09T11:47:00.003-04:00

I want to be one of 100 people to make a real difference in the US.

Those of you that know me, realize that my passion has been to help direct sellers achieve greater success using the power of the Internet. Well today, Dave Lakhani, author of "How to Sell When Nobody's Buying", pointed me to his new challenge.

KickStart America, is birthing as we speak. Dave wants 100 supporters to help make this event a reality. Dave's vision is to help out the most devastated communities in the U.S. by bringing training and education - as well as entrepreneurial resources - to "Kick Start America".

And I believe my own hometown is one of those most devastated.

Flint, MI has been RAVAGED by the mass exodus of General Motors, Delphi, et al. We've been an automotive town from thevery beginning of autos! Now, our community is filled with homeless people, yet we've got hundreds of homes sitting vacant and ROTTING away due to absentee landlords and uninhabitable conditions. Yes, we even have people campng out in these abandoned buildings for shelter. Who needs a tent city when you can just crawl into an abandoned house?

There are still bright spots on Flint's horizon, though. We have one of the most active and vibrant cultural communities in the nation. Our cultural center, with art gallery, library,orchestra, music school, theaters, etc. ranks in the top 10% in the US. We have some amazing parks - designed by the same guy that designed Central Park in NYC.

There are so many GOOD things about Flint, which is one of the reasons I came back, and keep cajoling my husband into staying here.

But the community did what many communities have done - we put all our eggs in the basket of one major employer - and have been reeling frmo the aftershocks ever since "Roger & Me" put Flint in the national limelight.

So I want to make a difference. This is a huge step for me - esecially since I only found out about it less than a half an hour ago.

I'm making a plea to all my peeps, clients, acquaintances, family, etc. I want Flint to be a stand out community for all the right reasons again. To get Dave here, we need to raise some funds.

You can watch Dave's video here and share his message with the world.

I already emailed him and told him I was in. The rest is up to you.

I'm volunteering to be one of the 100 people he needs to make this event a success, but I need your financial help and your stories to make this happen.

this is an unusual post for my blog,but one I felt compelled to do almost instantly because I know how desparately my community needs something like this. Flint most definitely needs a KickStart.

Any contribution will be an amazing help to the cause. We've already started securing contributions - and I've only been on the phone for about 10 minutes. Can we count on YOUR support?

Call me, shoot me an email, send me a message on facebook or twitter. Together, we can help Kick Start America in a BIG way. THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Direct Sales & Google: A Primer

2009-07-09T07:46:00.000-04:00

Recently, I got a couple of emails asking about getting more visibility in google - including higher search engine rankings. While the whole of SEO is beyond the scope of this article, there ARE two easy ways to get yourself "noticed" by Google. One is fast, and wll get you to page one on Google within a day or two, the other may take more time.

The fastest and easiest way is to set up your google profile. Google allows you to great a profile page that shares a bit of who you are -including links to any of your websites.

This is a super smart tool for the direct seller who wants to drive traffic to a personal website (NOT your company site, unless that's permissible by your company). Simply add the URL's for any sites about you - including your facebook and twitter profile page. Add a recent photo, and you've got a great way to appear on the first page of Google any time someone Googles your name. Plus, with a VERY high page rank, Google profiles will lend credibility to your site, and increase your exposure.

Google also allows you to add your own URL to Google's database manually. This can take a lot longer for Google to index, because it prefers to find naturally linked sites, but I always recommend adding your site just to be on the safe side. Google never guarntees that a site will be included, and you need to make sure that you don't violate any company policies that your direct sales company may have regarding submitting their name to search engines.

I always recommend submitting your own sites - not those of your company - just to keep your nose clean. Plus, as I always say, YOU are the most important product your company has to offer, so promote yourself first!

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Have more questions about marketing yourself online? Google is just one piece of the online marketing puzzle. Without an online marketing strategy (social media, etc), you may find yourself pulling your hair out and calling it quits before any real progress is made. Lisa Robbin Young is the only Certified Direct Sales Marketing Coach in the WORLD, and can take the guesswork out of using the Internet to promote your direct sales business. Visit the free online community for direct sellers today at http://www.homepartysolution.com

Twitter Mass Suspensions & Direct Sales Implications

2009-07-08T09:47:00.000-04:00

In a recent post by Jennifer Fong about Social Media Automation the case was made that automation negates the relationship building experience. This is one time when Jen and I disagree.

Jen's article highlights the recent mass suspension of thousands of twitter accounts - including some of the very big name twitter users (like @marismith). The claim was that a spam cloud struck twitter (a spam attack on the servers), and twitter took swift, albeit overzealous action to quell the onslaught. users were quick to point to automation tools and sites like TweetLater as the source of the problem. TweetLater was quick to deny any wrongdoing.

Whatever the case, it appears that Twitter set up a few security screens that these suspended users found themselves trapped in. Perhaps the most likely culprit (and we may never know for sure) is the dreaded "autofollow". This automation tool allows you to automatically follow back anyone that is following you. Designed as a time saver for people that were collecting and manually approving hundreds of new followers each day, autofollow has essentially degenerated into a weapon of mass destruction for twitter spammers.

I firmly believe that autofollow should be banned - likewise autoDM (automatically sending private messages when a person starts following you). I've said before this is the equivalent of leaving voicemails - or worse - the pre-recorded messages that telemarketers play when they call YOU! Argh!

Can you tell it drives me nuts?

That said, I think there are plenty of times when it is completely acceptable to use an automated method of posting to your twitter account - most of which have to do with extended absences from the computer:

Your followers aren't all in the same time zone. If you have followers all over the globe, and you're only online from 1-2 in the afternoon, it's harder to connect with them. A scheduled tweet gives you the ability to appear in their tweetstream and stay "top of mind" when they are more likely to be on twitter.

You've got an event coming up. Daily reminders of upcoming events are totally appropriate. Scheduled tweets allow you to broadcast a quick reminder at a designated time of day, so that you don't have to be sittin right in front of your computer when you should be getting ready for your event. When I am prepping for a teleclass (for example), I will post 3-4 tweets in the 2 hours before the call to build excitement, generate interest and get those last minute sign ups.

You're creating a series of helpful tips. When I launched #dstips a couple of months ago, I scheduled each tip to go out once per day. Over the course of a moth I was able to provide valueable strategies and ideas that were re-tweeted across not only twitter, but facebook as well. I simply don't have time to sit down every single day to do that kind of thing. The result? ot only did I get more followers, but I created a movement of direct sales trainers on twitter sharing ideas on a regular basis. #dstips now has daily posts from about a dozen different trainers and thought leaders in the direct sales industry.

I'm a big fan of batching my time, and it makes more sense for me to do all of those posts at one time, scheduling them to go out over a period of months, than it does to disrupt my daily routine to sit down and type out one tweet. It may seem trivial, but those minutes add up.

The key is discretion. Jen and I have both mentioned before that the power of social media lies in the relationships you build and the abilty to spread your message quickly. But you also have to remember that social media isn't jsut about relationships,there has to be a payoff in the end to make it profitable for the direct seller - and that means being frugal with your time on sites like twitter and facebook.

The big misnomer in these arenas is the number of "friends" or "followers" you have. You don't want followers, you want relationships. People that have 50,000 or 2 Million followers can't possibly be connected to all of them - probably not even a tenth of them.

So what's the point?

For direct sellers, the value in social media isn't how quickly you can add followers, it's how well you build solid relationships that translate into income. Otherwise, why are we using it in the first place? It's still marketing, and the ultimate point of marketing is to generate income.

Automation done apropriately, streamlines your process, enhances your strategy, and makes you more effective.

And you don't need thousands of "fans" to do it.

Target Marketing in Direct Sales (Part Three)

2009-07-07T15:03:00.001-04:00

(part three in a series)

Target marketing takes the guesswork out of growing your business - whether you're a coach, trainer, consultant, leader or company owner.

You need to know who your target market is before you can reach out to them and serve them.

The old "talk to everyone you see" adage is great for practicing your ice breaking skills. It's even good to help you build your courage. It's lousy for recruiting or selling in the modern direct sales era.

Who honestly has time to talk to everyone anymore, anyway? Those shotgun methods are tantamount to holding up a megaphone and shouting at everyone in Times Square in the hopes that someone - anyone - will stop and listen to your message.

Let us be a bit more skillful, save some time, and - for Pete's sake - if we're going to work, do it smarter, not harder!

Begin with your customer profile. Once you've gotten incredibly detailed about the kind of person you want to work with, ask yourself the following questions:

Why do I like working with them? (specifically, what is the reward for working with them) Money can not be the only answer, or you'll struggle with serving these clients.
What do I have to offer them that is uniquely mine? Discovering your uniqueness goes a long way to providing the customer experience your clients crave.
Where can I find them? Online or offline, there are groups that cater to your target market, you just have to find them and get involved.

Once you've clarified these answers, you can really dig into your target market with passion and zeal. You know you'll be working with clients you love and you'll be able to find them easily and abundantly.

Leave the megaphone at home when you attend networking events or social functions. Stop trying to press your business card into the hands of everyone there. Instead, focus on the select few that best fit your target market profile. Spend a few minutes with each of them, rather than twelve seconds with everyone, and begin building stronger relationships. Stronger relationships with people in you network yield better results in your business.

That's the power of target marketing in your direct sales business. That's working smarter to grow your business effectively and efficiently. No shot gun required.

===========

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?

You may, so long as you do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is the founder of HomePartySolution.com, a free online community for direct sellers. Lisa is a certified direct sales marketing coach helping consultants and leaders use the Internet to grow their direct sales business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Register today for her free target marketing program for direct sellers at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Target Marketing in Direct Sales (Part Two)

2009-07-06T10:15:00.000-04:00

(This article, second in a series, is also an open letter to Direct Sales Industry Trainers)

I was on a call the other day that just blew my mind. I wish I would say it was a one-time deal, but as I spend more and more time "behind the scenes" in the direct sales training industry, I get more and more disenchanted with the prevailing attitude of fear, competition, and territorialism.

I take pride in the fact that I'm pretty clear on who I want to work with in my business. And I am also proud of the fact that, despite what many are calling the worst economic meltdown in the last century, in less than six months, I've already made more money than I did in all of last year.

Yet, I look at many of the other trainers, coaches and speakers in the industry right now and they're "rolling back prices to 1994!" in an effort to drum up business and keep "market share" as the direct sales training industry starts fracturing with the onslaught of new faces in the crowd - myself being one of them.

In fact, a quick look at Alexa.com revealed that my own website with online marketing training for direct sellers was rising in popularity - even more popular than several of the more well-known direct sales trainers on the web - while theirs were declining. And while Alexa isn't the most reliable source for web statistics, it gives you a quick glance at the trends online.

One of the reasons I created the Direct Sales Super Summit was so that we could bring together the thought leaders in direct sales training and share best practices to help consultants and leaders (at all levels) to grow their businesses even in a poopy economy - without bending them over for their last thin dime to do it.

But after talking with countless trainers in the industry, I'm a little fed up with what I'm hearing.
The way they talk about clients and customers in closed door sessions turns my stomach. This is just part of how one conversation went:

They want it all for free!
The only people who are spending any money right now are leaders.
I don't think they'll get it. I mean, I get it, but I don't think they do.
They don't understand the business side of things, and there's no point trying to teach them. They aren't that smart to begin with.

In essence, they think you are stupid and cheap.

The first time I heard this, I thought, "Well, gee, maybe I DON'T want to work with you if your customers are like that. That's not my target market."

But in the past four months, I've heard that same song and dance time after time from countless industry trainers in one way or another.

That tells me we have an epidemic on our hands - either the direct sales community at large is a bunch of bumbling tightwads, or the trainers in our industry haven't figured out that the gravy train reached the end of the line a decade ago. They can't rest on their laurels anymore and rely on their reputation to keep the income flowing.

Companies are tightening their belts, paying less for keynote speakers at conferences and conventions. Does that mean the companies are a bunch of dense penny pinchers, too?

Now, if they had said to me "Lisa, your content just doesn't fit my target market." then, I probably wouldn't be writing this today.

If they had said, "Sorry, Lisa! My promotional calendar is full, and I can't squeeze you in right now." I wouldn't be fuming like this.

But they didn't. So I am.

Are my customers and clients more intelligent than the average direct seller? Maybe. As much as I'd like to think so, I won't begin to speculate.

My Alexa.com profile shows that more of my website visitors have college degrees, so maybe I do draw a more educated clientele - which is part of my target marketing in the first place. But I've said before that it's not the paper that makes the person, it's the person that makes the paper.

Are my clients and customers more extravagant than the average direct seller? Doubtful. I charge (and get) upwards of $300 for an hour of my coaching time. My upper level coaching clients pay thousands to work with me in a one-on-one capacity every month.

They are not multi-jillionaires, they are hard-working people that have invested in themselves and see the value in what I have to offer to help them grow their business. I offer specific, results oriented information that is tailored to their specific situation. They see value in that, and are willing to pay for it.

But you know what? I give away a lot of FREE information as well. At this time, I am the only certified direct sales marketing coach in the world - and I could probably charge big bucks because of it. But because my passion is in helping consultants become successful, I also have a free online community, with complimentary resources, including a training program that teaches target marketing for direct sellers - in addition to my weekly ezine that goes out to consultants around the world.

My clients are not cheap, nor are they stupid. I would be willing to bet that the average direct seller isn't cheap or stupid either.

In truth, I think the real problem lies with trainers that haven't taken the time to target market effectively. In the good old days, there were 3 or 4 trainers and they shared the national conferences and leader retreats amongst themselves. Those days are long gone. Now, there are more people with a story to share, and audiences want to hear fresh, new content, not regurgitated material they've heard twenty times before.

They're not cheap, they're looking for real value.

Heck yeah, if I can find it for free, why should I pay you for it? If I've already heard you give the same talk 15 times, why would I pay to go hear it again? Some messages bear repeating, but there's a law of diminishing returns that says after I've bought the CD, seen the seminar, and own the video, I don't need to buy it again.

What do you have to offer that they percieve as vauable? If you find your distinctive value, people will gladly open their wallets and shop with you - even in a poopy economy. I'm living proof of that.

Real value lies in how you share and what you do that's unique. There are countless trainers that teach booking, selling, and recruiting - that's why I train on marketing methods - including online marketing strategies. I'm the only certified direct sales marketing coach in the world at the moment. There's value in being the first or the only. Problem is, so many of today's trainers haven't continued to innovate - instead, they've let the world pass them by. Now, they're competing on price, instead of asserting their unique value in the marketplace.

They're no longer unique - they're a commodity - bought and sold almost entirely on price.

People want to be valued - and they all believe their situation is unique.

In the medical profession, specialists command a premium for their time and services. They are so good at what they do that people are willing to pay more because they know the specialist will deliver the promised results.

The days of the generalist in direct sales training are fast coming to an end. Trainers and speakers need to face it, get over it, and figure out what they're going to do to re-establish their expertise in the marketplace.

There are trainers who tout that they're an expert on everything - booking, selling, recruiting, leadership, organizational management, time management, and now social media. PLEASE.

You can't be everything to everyone, so stop trying. It's smarter to partner with specialists that KNOW the content exceptionally well - plus it makes you look like a hero with your customers.

I firmly believe that any company that doesn't do target marketing will not be successful in the long run. You must know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who your perfect fit customer is, and how to attract them, or you will not reach them.

Maybe these trainers are content with the customers they serve. It didn't sound like it to me.

I'm VERY happy to be working with my clients and customers. They are NOT cheap or stupid.

And if they're smarter than the average direct seller, so much the better!

===========WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?
You may, so long as you do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is the founder of HomePartySolution.com, a free online community for direct sellers. Lisa is a certified direct sales marketing coach helping consultants and leaders use the Internet to grow their direct sales business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Register today for her free target marketing program for direct sellers at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Target Marketing in Direct Sales (Part One)

2009-07-05T15:21:00.006-04:00

(First in a series)

I previously posted a video on this very topic, and it seems the time has come for further discussion of target marketing as it relates to direct sellers.

Gone are the days when you could naievely suggest that a product "sells itself" or that your catalog has "somehing for everyone" inside.

Let's be realistic. Not everyone will buy your product, or attend your party. It's foolish to think so, and even more foolish to try to convince potential reprsentatives that direct sales is "easy money".

Direct sales is a lot easier than, say, digging ditches. It is NOT, however something for everyone.

One of the phrases I like to use is "Direct sales is something anyone CAN do, but not everyone will."

Likewise, there is also a target market for your particular product or service - including your compensation plan and hostess package.

The sooner we, as direct sellers, embrace that idea, the better.
It also goes withouth saying that the sooner direct sales companies relay this message to their field, the more profitable they will become.

Frankly, every direct sales company on the planet aleady has a target market in mind when they develop their products and services. They would be out of their minds if they didn't. For example, Mary Kay does NOT cater to hundreds of thousands of men in the world. Their market is very clearly a female market, with particular demographics to drill down even further.

Theirs is not a clientele that frequents Wal-Mart (on the whole). They have a target profile of customers, reps and leaders that they know will be best suited to their products and services.

How do I know? Look at the catalog.

Look at any catalog for that matter. Right there, within the pages, you'll see pictures denoting a certain kind of lifestyle, maybe even models depicting a certain age range for a particular product.

Every successful company in the world has a target market.

Why not you?

As direct sellers, we are told to talk to everyone - and you've heard me rail on this before. I'm even seeing more and more direct sales trainers and speakers hop on the "something for everyone" bandwagon in an effort to book more events on their calendar (I'll blog on this issue later in the week).

NOBODY - and I mean this - NOBODY has something for everyone. No one can be an expert at everything, and it's silly to even pretend you are in this age of specialities.

In fact, it's our specialities that make us unique and valuable in the world. Generalists find that they lose out to experts that have a very specific niche. I'm seeing it right now as I watch other direct sales trainers "losing market share" to less experienced trainers that have a strong, proven area of expertise.

Don't let yourself fall into this trap.

Get clear on who you love serving. As a coach, I make it clear that I only work with people that are serious about growing a profitable direct sales business - not an expensive hobby. I love the reaction, the interest and the level of commitment these men and women bring to the table. I never have to doubt if my client is going to do their homework, because I've weeded out the "tire kickers" in my business.

Who do you love serving? Sketch out a profile of your ideal customer. Get detailed. Perhaps you already work with an ideal client - perhaps your ideal is a blend of several people you work with. If you have no customers, begin idealizing and sketch out what you think/feel would be a perfect-fit customer for your business.

Then do the same thing for your perfect-fit recruits/team members.

A surprising thing will happen.

When you build it, they will come. It takes some effort (I'll talk more about this in a future article), but it does happen.

===========WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?
You may, so long as you do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is the founder of HomePartySolution.com, a free online community for direct sellers. Lisa is a certified direct sales marketing coach helping consultants and leaders use the Internet to grow their direct sales business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Register today for her free target marketing program for direct sellers at http://www.HomePartySolution.com

Facebook Vanity URLs: 4 Reasons You Need One

2009-06-13T08:42:00.007-04:00

At midnight last night, Facebook opened up a new world of branding, identity and marketing: their vanity URL.

According to some reports, hundreds of thousands of people logged on just after midnight and started requesting their own vanity URL.

It makes sense for you to do the same on a number of levels:
1. Ease of access. It's infinitely easier for someone to find me at http://www.facebook.com/lisarobbinyoung than it is at
facebook.com/?profile=2348970o8yq43589y1q... you get the idea.

If for no other reason than to make it easier for people to find you, I strongly recommend the new URL's. BUT there are even more great reasons:

2. More Branded Web Real Estate
With the addition of Google profiles lately, it's becoming easier to get your name on more pieces of Website real estate. More sites with your name build your credibility in the marketplace. Google likes credibility - which means potentially better page rankings and more visibility in teh search engines

3. You MUST brand yourself. Facebook mkes it clear that you can't have a vanity URL like "Flowers4U" or even a trademarked name like "MaryKay", "PamperedChefGirl" or the like. That means you MUST use some derivative of your name to brand your facebook profile. You can use a company name to brand your page - but trademarks are being watched like a hawk. If you're a PartyLite consultant, for example, you can't go create a fan page and get a vanity URL with 'PartyLite' in the name - because it's a trademarked name. You shouldn't want to do it anyway - for reasons I've mentioned in dozens of other articles. Plus, Facebook has the added restriction that fan pages (not profiles) must have at least 1,000 followers effective May 31 in order to qualify for the vanity URL. They may be lowering that limit ata later date, but for now, without 1000 followers, you can't get a vanity URL for your fan pages. VanityURLs do not apply to group pages as far as I've found.

4. You have more control over the URL identity. Many people who orginally signed into Facebook believed that they had to include their "full name" when they created their page, and as such you'll see people with really long names on their profile. So if your name was Janet Hills Baker Smith, you can now opt for Janet Smith, or Janet Baker and people can still find you. '

Plus for the Horowicz's and the Yvnegafney's of the world, you might opt to become "JanetH"or "BillY" if the name is otherwise difficult to spell or is frequently misspelled.

Whatever you choose, make sure it's consistent with how you're promoting yourself in other places. Lisa Young is a common name, so I opted to brand myself as Lisa Robbin Young. Everywhere you look, I'm branded as LisaRobbinYoung as much as possible. Consistency makes it easier for your clients and potential clients to do business with you.

So if you haven't already grabbed your profile vanity URL, get crackin. ESPECIALLY if you have a comon name, your window of opportunity may already have dwindled.

Direct Sales Coaches vs. Trainers: What's the Difference?

2009-06-07T13:24:00.001-04:00

There's a heated discussion going on in the back rooms of direct sales companies across the country.

There's been a surge of people hanging up a shingle and calling themselves "coaches" in the industry...

"International direct sales coach and trainer"

"Direct sales coach and speaker"

"Direct Sales Coach and Trainer"

"Marketing Coach and speaker"

"Life coach"

"business coach"

"accountability coach"

"support coach"

"recruiting coach"

"Speaker, trainer, consultant and Direct Sales Coach"

These are just a few of the titles I've personally seen on websites of professionals in and around the direct sales industry that include the word coach. It's starting to perplex the Direct Selling Company owners to the point that they've started asking "so are you a life coach, a trainer, a speaker or what?"

Maybe I'm just getting snarky in my old age, but I like it when we call a spade a spade. It makes for clear, easy to understand communication.

I can understand some of the confusion. The dictionary offers a basic definition of trainer as an instructor or a coach. But the definition of coach is far more complex, providing a deeper insight into what a coach does, as opposed to just a trainer. The crux of the differentiation focuses on a personal element in coaching that depends on the person being coached.

For example:

1. private instruction, special instruction

2. private tutor employed to prepare a student

3. Baseball: a playing or non-playing member of the team... to signal instructions to and advise base runners and batters

In each of these more specific definititions the coach is working in a more private capacity - even individually - to help a specific person achieve a specific desired result that is tailored to the individual.

THAT'S coaching.

A football team may have multiple trainers, but only one Head Coach.

In my mind, trainers are people that develop or work with a system of achieving a desired result, and instruct you on how to achieve that desired result using their system.

Programs like Belinda Ellsworth's Power Hour come to mind. When Belinda speaks on the Power Hour, she's not coaching, she's training. It's the same message every time, because she's teaching you how to implement the same system. That's training.

A coach, on the other hand, would assess your current goals and issues, and help you determine WHICH training program would bring you the best results based on your individual needs.

Too many speakers & trainers today have appended "coach" to the list of credentials at the end of their name, and don't deserve the title.

And maybe I sound a little sour grapes about this, but hear me out.

In my previous post, I ranted a bit about how there are some well known speakers (because that's what they really are) in the industry that have started calling themselves "coaches" because that's the new buzz word in the industry. Yet they do absolutely no coaching. They have a few training programs, and speak at dozens of events every year and make a great living as TRAINERS and SPEAKERS.

They are NOT coaches.

The reason I'm ranting is because they spoil it for the rest of us who are actively coaching and serving as real coaches.

But I'm not even including myself in this equation. i'm still a consultant in the trenches and for the most part, I'm a rookie in the coaching industry. I wouldn't begin to compare myself to the more seasoned vets that grace the stages of national conferences on an annual basis (I'll leave that for you to decide).

I work to serve my clients in the capacity that best meets their needs. I'm not cranking out new (or recycled) products to train them how to do the same things they already know how to do (but don't).

I'm talking about the REAL coaches, who have a full practice, serving, guiding, instructing and supplying individual attention to their clients - helping them craft specific results based on specific concerns of the client. NOT a one-size-fits-most program.

No doubt those "one-size" programs are effective (or they wouldn't stay on the market for long), but by nature that is NOT coaching. It's training.

I foresee a day when coaches will need to be credentialed. And as such, I'm working on completing my own coaching certification this year. I'm so passionate about this, I'm applying to the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for Continuing Education (CEU) credit for my live event in August.

We need to treat real coaches with a level of respect that most trainers have not earned:

You can't just call yourself a doctor, but a good (or bad) coach can have just as much impact on your well being.

You can't just call yourself a teacher (in most states), but a good coach can teach you more than you'll ever learn in school.

You can't just call yourself an attorney or judge, but a good coach can show you more truth than you ever knew existed.

You can't just sell securities, but a good coach can have an equally powerful impact on your financial condition

You can't just call yourself a cosmetologist, but a good coach can have just as much impact on your self image.

You can't just call yourself a psychologist, but a good coach can help you get inside your own mind and be equally effective at helping you be a "better you".

All of those professional designations come with a price, investment and a piece of paper. It's not the paper that makes the professional valuable. It's the commitment of the professional that makes the piece of paper valuable.

Coaches train for hours, and apply what they've learned to individual circumstances. They also work together in training situations - sharing and collaborating to advance the coaching profession as a whole for EVERYONE involved. They work at a higher level than a trainer - who may only be versed in a particular area of expertise. Coaches have a focus, but their focus is in bringing out the best in an individual or small group of individuals. That requires a multifaceted approach as unique as each client.

Julie Anne Jones is a GREAT example of a real coach. Not only does she have the piece of paper, she uses that knowledge to work intimately with coaching clients in a setting where they can achieve the best results for themselves - whether or not they need one of her training products to reach that result. And she may be a fantastic speaker (I've yet to hear her speak), but she's a COACH at heart: striving to improve the individual.

There are other trainers that are also excellent speakers: Belinda Ellsworth, Karen Phelps, Christie Northrup, just to name a few. But they are NOT coaches in the strict sense of the word. And many speakers are venturing into the training arena. Again, they are NOT coaches. They are leveraging their income and time by generating progams based on their popular talks. It's a great marketing strategy, but they are NOT coaching.

And with the economy on a roller coaster ride, I wouldn't be surprised if you start to see more people offering coaching as part of their product package. But unless the focus is on the client, and not the product, even THAT is not coaching!

You can call yourself a coach all you want (at least for now), but the reality is that a COACH and a TRAINER are not the same. I expect to pay more for a coach than I would a training program. A training program is a "cookie cutter" that can produce general results for a general audience. A coaching program is a tailored, specific program that focuses on my needs, what I want to accomplish and what my vision for my (life, business, etc) is.

Anyone who tells you different is selling you something.

SHAMEFUL Self Promotions & Predictions

2009-06-06T15:03:00.004-04:00

Okay, I'm a little miffed here, and I'm calling people on the carpet today...

I have it set up to feed my blog posts to my page on facebook.

So in a recent post, I posed a question - and the answer, with a redirect to additional resources.
And wouldn't you know it? The VA of a very prominent direct sales coach posted on my facebook page with a pitch for HER products and services.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for sharing relevant content and cooperation in the industry.
But this was using social media the WRONG way.

I deleted the post.

Not because I think poorly of the coach. On the contrary, I've used her products and services myself and recommend some of them to others.

I deleted the post because it was off topic. Completely. I was talking about using online marketing to grow your business, and this person posted back with a recommendation for something that she ADMITTED wasn't related.

That's the equivalent of SPAM in social media circles, folks.

So, to help her save face, I deleted the post, rather than call her and her VA on the carpet in front of God and everyone on my facebook page.

Here's another GEM:
A different, well known direct sales trainer was promoting her upcoming teleclass on twitter. Nothing wrong with that. I think it's important to let people know what you're doing and how they can connect with you. Sending occasional tweets like that is great.

Then I posted something that she saw and she tweeted to me PERSONALLY with the same teleclass message - and asked me to retweet it for her.

So, because I was feeling snarky, I tweeted HER personally and asked her to retweet MY message as well.

Needless to say, neither of us retweeted the other.

Sadly, this so-called industry expert is also copy-catting other coaches, refuses to "play nicely with others" and hasn't learned her lesson on twitter yet.

I could go on about this kind of unprofessional behavior from several BIG NAME trainers that have decades of experience in the industry - and frankly, they should know better.

But they refuse to seek out professional help to navigate social media properly and provide VALUE to their followers, instead of just advertising their services.

*sigh*

I predicted this trouble MONTHS ago.

"Watch, as 'old school' direct sales trainers, and so-called coaches start jumping on the social media 'me too!' bandwagon", I said.

Consultants are watching these women to see how THEY use social media, and will imitate what they see. Sadly, I've already seen some great facebook groups get spammed by this kind of shameful self promotion. Anyone who tries this in my facebook group or online community gets their post deleted (the first time) or gets booted (repeat offenders).

There's a right way and a wrong way to connect with people on twitter, facebook, linked in and other social media spheres.

It doesn't begin by creating a page and plastering your links on every friend's wall or Auto DM'ing everyone that follows you to try your products and services.

When I was a teenager, I got a piece of junkmail from AARP.

Yes, the retirement mag - for "old folks".
Hey, I was 13 and had no idea why I was on their mailing list!

So I took their Subscription card, tore it into teeny weeny itty bitty pieces, placed it in an envelope with a note explaining that I was 13 and used their postage paid reply envelope to send it back to them.

I never heard from them again.

That's what I'd like to do with these insensitive 'coaches' (and I'm using that term LOOSELY) who ask me to retweet all their promotions, but don't have the common sense to have a conversation with me to connect with me as a person before asking me to help promote their regurgitated, "same old, same old" stuff.

And I know if they're doing it with me, they MUST be doing it to their followers - whom they see as nothing more than "sheep with wallets." To quote another direct sales trainer I spoke with.

It turns my stomach, and makes me wonder why I feel called to serve in this profession. I don't want to be lumped in their category. It makes me want to create an entirely new category of direct sales educational professionals - ones that believe in providing value and truly serving consultants.

There are honest, genuine, authentic, REAL coaches out there that serve direct sales reps with value. I've had the pleasue to work with some of them. I've also had the disdain of working with some of the other "industry leaders" that are so catty, and selfish that frankly, it makes me want to vomit.

And I just might piss a few of them off in this post.
*Tough.*

If you're mad, then you know who you are, and what category you belong in.

The reason these trainers are still seeing success is because they've ingratiated themselves with top income earners that see their teachings as comfortable. It's safe to recommend these trainers to their teams because the message is the same every single time you hear them speak.

And yet, it's the number one complaint I hear from direct sellers: "these trainers keep saying the same stuff over and over again. They don't understand that the industry has changed, and doing business today is different than it was 10 or 20 years ago when they were consultants."

Now, in defense of sesoned trainers (I won't even use the word "coach" because I don't want to offend the real ones), they are doing what they know works - because it worked for them.

In that respect, there's nothing wrong with that.

But just because it worked like gangbusters in 1974 doesn't mean it will be as effective in 2009 and beyond. Yes, it may still work, but there are dozens more effective ways of writing than quill and ink. Quill and ink still works, but I like blogging - it's faster, more efficient and economical in terms of scale and reach.

And now you see these arcane 'leaders' trudging (Some are even begrudging it!) into the online marketing/social media world. And they're clumsily leading their 'tribes' like the blind leading the blind.

I feel bad for all the consultants saying "I want to learn how to use facebook, twitter, and online marketing to grow my business just like [insert direct sales trainer's name here]"

There are answers out there that the so-called leaders aren't embracing.

What's my next prediction?
Watch for direct sales trainers to align themselves with social media people in new teaching programs that they can offer to their lists - even before they know what they're doing themselves. Then they'll start trying to jockey for being "the first" to offer a program like this in the industry to establish themselves as "the expert" in direct sales and online marketing/social media.

There arent very many of us in the industry right now - so be looking for a surge of so-called direct sales marketing "experts" to appear over the next 6-18 months. We've been quietly coaching and training for the past 2 years now, and after the DSA event in DC, more companies are looking for people to help them understand this perplexing 'new medium' for spreading the word about their business.

I also predict that you're going to see the companies that serve the direct selling industry looking for ways to capitalize on this trend and market to direct sales companies with a social media angle.

And in the meantime, there's going to be a flood of spam traffic to facebook groups and other social media sites that were once considered valueable networking arenas, just because people don't know better. The great groups will consider becoming private groups, and some may just dry up altogether.

All because of ignorant, shameful self promotion.

Ask Lisa #1: As a Direct Seller, Where do I start Online?

2009-05-31T07:32:00.002-04:00

The number one comment I hear from consultants is "my company won't let me advertise online, so your book won't work for me."

Once I get them past that hump, the next question I hear is usually THIS one: "where do I start? I have no clue where to begin, and there's so much to consider".

Here's my answer:

The answer is simple. Build your list of LOYAL customers (I call this your 'value list'). Don't just build a list of a jillion names and numbers of people that don't want to connect with you. Build a list of people that find VALUE in what you offer, and wan to stay connected with you. Think of it as your fan mail list.

And for Pete's sake, do it professionally. There are right ways and wrong ways to build a value list online. Using Outlook, or your AOL/Yahoo/Gmail/Hotmail email account is NOT the way to do it. Try 1shoppingcart, or if you need something with pretty templates, try constantcontact.com. I share a couple of free resources in my book, but these services are also highly recommended.

This is the first in a series of "Ask Lisa" videos, and not all of them will be publicly available (either on my blog or otherwise). If you're not already a member of my free Online Community for direct sales consultants, then get crackin' (It's free, after all), and look for ALL of the videos there as we release them.

Direct Sales Brand Democratization: Social Media Style

2009-05-30T08:27:00.001-04:00

Jen did it to me again. Here's another post re: social media, democratization and the power of the people:

Kate Newlin’s new book, “Passion Brands”, talks about the power of democratizing the brand – and the fear so many larger companies have over “giving over” to the masses the presumed power of the identity of the brand. She also outlines an amazingly simple formula to take your brand from "blah" to "bravo" that EVERY company owner should read.

In reality, the brand belongs to the people anyway. Why not try to encourage and persuade use that’s in line with the company’s objctives, rather than throwing down a blanket of fear, and essentially stifling the growth of a company?

With over 12 years in the industry, I’ve seen all KINDS of restrictions, as well as a very lassiez faire approach, to online promotion. I think there needs to be a middle ground.

Rather than a no-holds-barred approach to online promotion, companies need to set ground rules and guidelines that enhance the marketing and top of mind awareness for the brand, and balance that with the needs of the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of consultants on the payroll. Many companies provide “approved” ad copy for local publications – there’s really no difference here, except that there's a fear that the brand will "get away from them" in terms of corporate ownership.

If brand owners were enlisting the help of real "passionistas" in their sales force, this would be a non-issue, because the consultants would be so passionate about the product and the service that the message COULDN'T be dilluted.

Instead we have companies with "zero tolerance" for online marketing of any kind putting the fear of being kicked out of the company firmly in the face of every consultant. Except for their top income earners. Those people can seemingly get away with murder sometimes and not even get a slap on the wrist form the very same home office that says "no online advertising of any kind". Yes, it happens, I see it more than I care to count. And the reps and leaders not as high up on the food chain see it too - and it creates serious derision in the ranks whether you care about it or not.

The bad news is that I've personally experienced the decline of a company because their top income earners ultimately had the LEAST amount of loyalty to the brand - still shopping around for the best income opportunity to pad their own bottom line even after years with a company. The leader leaves, taking half the organizaton with them, and a company is crippled, because they put all their eggs in the baskets of their leaders, instead of allowing the most passionate people (regardless of rank) market and promote the company in a positive light.

On the other side of that coin, consultants need to remember that they are the owners of “You, Inc”, not your Direct Sales business, and as we’ve seen all to often in the last few years, a company can go ‘belly up’ and consultants are left holding the bag with a now defunct consultant web site – having to start all over again to rebuild with new company. For advanced leaders, they can bring some of their recrutis with them to the new company, but for young leaders or even new recruits, it's painful, difficult, and sometimes exasperting to have to make a transition, explain it to your customers, and not really have any solid information to give them abotu what really happened.

I teach consultants that if they start embracing the idea of running a real business, then they will see that they are just using their direct sales company as the vehicle to build their own “you inc” PERSONAL brand. A company can’t prohibit you from marketing yourself – just from using their company marks, products, names, etc. Real business owners promote themeselves FIRST anyway. The rest comes secondary.

When we democratize a brand, we naturally give some control over to the people that embrace that brand. It’s important to remember that brands are ultimately nothing more than a perception. Yes, we can shape that perception - but as we've learned since childhood, ACTIONS speak louder than words.

What kind of perception do you (company owners) want to have in the arena? How are you conveying that to your sales force?

What kind of perception do you (direct sellers) want to hav in the marketplace? How are you conveying that to your customers?

The kind of action you need to take to bring a brand closer to the hearts of your passionistas is to get involved with them. Stop distancing yourselves from them, and don't rely on your leaders to communicate everything to the home office - very often they don't. Take time to connect on a personal level with people at ALL levels in your organization. THEN communicate the brand.

Remember, people don't care what you know until they know that you care.
The same holds true for your brand.

Direct Sellers Need a Social Media Strategy

2009-05-29T10:14:00.003-04:00

This is the extended version of a reply to Jennifer Fong's blog post on Software v. Social Media

Pretending that facebook or twitter or other social media contexts do not exists will not make them go away – NOR will it make them less relvant to your company. Companies large and small need a social media strategy.

This includes individual direct sellers. Slapping up a facebook page and posting monthly specials in your status doesn’t not count as a strategy – unless your strategy is to annoy the few who continue to follow you.

Social Media requires interaction – give AND take – not a one-sided “down your throat” approach to brand communication.

Companies (including “you, Inc” direct sellers) need to find ways to engage their prospects/customers/clients where they are at already.

In V. Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”, he comments on this very idea. Instead of trying to drag, coerce or force people into your worldview, you need to meet them where they are, introduce them to yoru world view and continue to invite them to take the next step in doing business with you.

Gone are the days of hitting people over the head with the “my company is better than the rest” diatribe. There’s far too many voices beating their chests with the same message now. People are far more savvy then they were even just a few decades ago – and they KNOW that you need them. Without them, you fail to exist.

So make it easy for them to connect and get excited about what you have to offer in the world. Don’t just tell them what to think (it doesnt work anymore anyway). Tell them you care about what they’re ALREADY thinking, and help them share it with you!

How do you do that?

Several famous marketers say "join the conversation alredy going on in your prospect's mind". In this case, it means get involved where they'er already 'hanging out'. In the past, that was at home parties, sales meetings and other "get togethers" in person, in real time.

Now, it means there's a 24 hour GLOBAL get together going on in social media networks around the world. You need to establish a presence, maybe even 'lurk' a bit to monitor the conversation. You don't want to be seen as one of those nerdy wannabes that hangout near the watercooler and interject completely irrelevant stuff just to sound like they're part of the group. You have to BE part of the group. Undertand the dynamic, and then get involved. Ask questions, participate and provide VALUE to those that are talking about you.

That doesn't mean being on every social network on the planet. It DOES mean starting somewhere, building a reputation and growing your audience by being part of the audience from time to time. Oprah rarely interacts with her followers on twitter - but then she doesn't follow very many herself. She can't possibly know what the pulse of her audience is if she's not interacting (note: she DOES have other people on her team that DO interact on twitter. SMART Strategy on her part).

If Oprah can do it, so can any Direct Sales company (or any other company) out there. Get involved in the brand you're creating, don't just hold it up like a shield. I believe it was the Spartans that said something abotu coming home with your shield held high or ON it.

Dying for the brand. What a concept! Being so committed that you're personally involved, passionately involved in the livelihoods you're creating for others. That kind of give provides a LOT more in return for you to take.

Plan your entry into social media - but get there, sooner rather than later.

Direct Sales Muscles Need Stretching

2009-05-26T17:46:00.003-04:00

[Note: This is an excerpt from me free Build a Better Customer Program that's available to all members of the Home Party Solution Community. Register today to recieve the entire program as my gift to you. That's how important I think it is to target market. My brother-in-law is presently in the hospital as the final stages of his disease make their move. - Lisa]

When I was writing yesterday, I thought about my brother-in-law, who lives with a horrible crippling disease that essentially erodes his bones from the inside out. It's very rare, and few who are diagnosed live past childhood. He's a miracle, still living in his 30's. Though he's paralyzed from the waste down, he lays himself out every single day to stretch his muscles. He's on a strict regimen of medications, exercises and nutrition to help keep his bone density as high as possible.

Muscles that aren't stretched will atrophy. The nature of building muscle is such that you create small tears in the tissue when you exercise. The muscle then repairs itself during rest, making it stronger than it was before.

You have to stretch if you want to grow stronger. If you want to die, stay where you are.

How can you stretch yourself in healthy ways? I don't mean dong MORE things than you can handle, but rather DIFFERENT things that would broaden your horizons, extend your business network, or build your skills. Small stretches that will build your "comfort zone" muscles.

A Tale of Two Direct Sales Moms

2009-05-21T11:38:00.003-04:00

Normally, I'm not one to go on about my kids. I like at least a small sense of anonymity and privacy for them, since they didn't choose to grow up in the limelight or the shadow it casts from being aimed at me.

And while this story isn't so much about them, they are involved, so I felt it only fair to warn you.

This story, however is a tale of two moms: one's an ambitious, "big thinker", who constantly strives to grow her business, builder her "empire" and make the world a better place for her clients and customers. She believes that she's the best product her company has to offer, and shares her time, talent and treasure to help others make the most of their business.

She does her momly duties, of course: getting up at the crack of dawn, tries to make sure the kids are fed and ready for the trip to school, and even shares her laptop with her 3 year old so he can get a jump start on academics at pbskids.org. She does her best to have dinner cooking and ready by the time her husband arrives home at 5pm and even manages to clean a little: a couple loads of dishes (by hand, of course), and sometimes gets the table set too!

She loves to entertain, has a big house with plenty of room for company and KNOWS how to cook. Her Momma taught her how to make virtually anything from scratch - except anything made with asparagus (her Mom HATED Asparagus), and she's quite a performer, too. Her haminess runs in the family: both her sons are musical and while her husband couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, they make for a cute "perfect" family photo.

She works with an INCREDIBLE support team that keeps her business running like a well-oiled machine, even in her sleep.

I'm sure you've figured out who this is, but before I do the big reveal, let's talk about our other mom...

This woman does her best to get to bed at a decent hour each night, but is usually up WAY past her bedtime. She's always got way too much on her plate, and sometimes finds herself wading through 4,000 emails in her in-box trying to find a message that was sent a while ago that she knows she needs to act on. She loves her two kids dearly, and her husband has his moments, too, but sometimes she'd just love to use the mute button on her remote control to find a little peace and quiet in the home.

She's lucky if she can find the time to take a shower in the morning, and occasionally brushes her teeth on the drive to take her oldest to school!

This woman is far from perfect. Her childhood is not something she looks back on with many pleasant memories: abuse, loneliness, and not many friends were hidden behind her very intellectual veneer. She's smart, but was never able to make friends easily, and to this day struggles with strong, lasting friendships.

Her husband and oldest son just don't see eye to eye, and it's a horrible point of friction in her family. She insists they fight like brothers, and hates "being in the middle" when things come to a head.

And if that wasn't difficult enough, now her oldest son is in the hospital. She's blessed to have a job that allows her to 'be there' for him when he needs her most, but struggles with the guilt of not being with her 3 year old son. Hubby's off at work during the day, and doesn't like hospitals, so hasn't visited his step-son much at all. She feels like her support system is crumbling around her ears...

hmm... those two people sound strikingliy different, don't they?

Yet the are one in the same.

This is probably one of the hardest, and most personal posts I'll ever make, but I'm at the point where I need to share this because it might just help someone else.

The beauty of direct sales is that we have the power to do as much or as little as we choose in our business. We control our income, our hours and the freedom we make for ourselves in this industry.

It has been an amazing blessing to me this past month as my son has moved in and out of hospitals while they work to find the answers for his pancreatitis.

And ironically, it has been my friends in the industry - my leader, fellow coaches, recruits and my clients and 'friends' on Facebook and twitter that have been the most supportive bunch of all.

I've gotten emails, calls, tweets and amazing shows of support from people that barely know me in real life. And I can't get my husband to take a day off from work to help around the house.

To be clear: we are not fighting about this. He has a horrible aversion to hospitals, and he's extremely busy at work right now. I wish he could be more supportive, but he's doing the best he can with his situation. Plus, we're grateful beyond grateful that he hasn't lost his job yet when so many others are struggling to survive! If it wren't for his job and his insurance, there's no telling how God would manage to cover the hospitalization & testing costs.

I've done some pretty BIG things this year in the face of a tightening economy - all when people said it couldn't be done. I took that a God's message to me that I was in fact heading in the right direction, and fulfilling his will to serve others the best way I knew how: as a direct sales consultant and marketing coach/mentor to the Direct Sales Industry. I've even started the ICF certification process to complete the requirements to make that an officially recognized designation.

I have a LOT on my plate - I almost always do. And I don't mind so much most of the time. I've got a fantastic business coach, and a new VA that I love - plus an assistant that's also a friend of my family and a powerful prayer warrior. I have a handful of really close friends that I know are praying me through all this.

And with the small exception that I wish my husband was a little more accessible, I have a LOT of peace in this whole ordeal. I can be at my son's bedside in the hospital and work from my laptop, or have a coaching call on my cell phone.

God bless technology!

My 3 year old is well tended by an incredible nanny that is also one of my team recruits for my direct selling business. My income continues to roll in on autopilot, my kids are tended, and I can focus on the needs of my oldest son right now.

But I'm FAR from perfect. There are days when I don't want to get out of bed - yes even while my kid's in the hospital. There are days when I don't even SEE the shower, much less take one (perhaps a little TMI, but hey, it's trh truth). And I know that the phrase "who has time to exercise" must have been coined by me - I have the spare pounds to prove it.

The office has clutter piles - like the rest of the house. And while I love to entertain, I very rarely do.

I struggle with self-esteem issues, even though I know my business is awesome and I'm serving some amazing women with an amazing mission that I KNOW God put firmly in my heart. I feel like I'm not moving fast enough, not doing near enough, to be the person God has called me to be.

This isn't a personal plea for people to feel sorry for me, or even to cheer me on. It's just a statement that I had to make before I exploded all over the place one day. And I figured that if I'm going through this, it's for a reason, and God placed it on my heart to share it in this manner today.

If I may be selfish for a minute: I want to know what's wrong with my kid. I want him to be okay, and I want to not have to worry about the cost of getting that answer. I want my husband to participate in all of this and realize how much he's needed around here. I also want him to know that I understand how he feels and that I'm doing my best to honor him and his needs, too. I want my
business to thrive and flourish and be a example of God's light in the world.

But most of all, I want to serve. And if this post does that for you, then once again God's got it goin' on, because I think that sharing this is one of the most 'out there' things I've ever done. I started a Facebook group a few weeks ago because He suggested it through a friend, and I've been amazed at how on target everything is. I'm learning each day that the more I listen to Him and follow his lead on even the most outrageous things, He provides. He doesn't fail. There are so many things I feel like I need to be doing on a daily basis, and God keeps it all in perspective. The peace I feel is directly related to a "system" he's shown me to help keep it all together - even when everything seems to be falling apart.

So it's a weird way to say thank you, but Thank You. I've got over 100 posts on this blog, and I did say there might be an occasional personal post about me or the kids. This was the best way I knew to reach out to all of you and let you know how much your prayers, words and thoughts have been a tremendous blessing this past month.

I know not what God's next move for me is in the great playbook of life, but I do know that I have to just keep on making the plays, and moving down the field until I reach whatever goal he has planned.

It's been a crazy start to 2009 - which means I know it's ging to get even bigger and better as it goes along. I hope you'll be on the ride with me.

Using Direct Mail to Grow Your Direct Sales Business

2009-05-18T00:07:00.000-04:00

It's not just about mailing your catalog. a simple postcard, when done properly, can result in thousands of dollars in monthly revenue.

This is an excerpt of the topics covered in the STAR Power Leadership Development program. To learn more visit:
http://www.homepartysolution.com/starpower

Registration closes May 19. Only 10 seats remain!

Mastermind With Your Teams For Direct Sales Success

2009-05-16T18:08:00.003-04:00

Ever wonder why you attend those monthly sales meetings?

If you were working in a mastermind, you wouldn't.

The power of a mastermind is when the entire group is transformed - even on fire - for the mutual benefit of all involved. One of the best masterminds I was ever involved in was back in college, when a bunch of us composer types got together to share our new music, bounce ideas off one another and often be inspired to new, greater ideas because of our involvement in the group.

THAT'S the power of a mastermind. No one person makes or breaks a mastermind - everyone has something to contribute. It's not a committee meeting, it's a meeting of the minds - to form a GREATER mind (if you'll allow me to get spiritual for a second), that benefits all of them in ways that could never be achieved alone.

Think about that the next time you're heading out to a monthly sales meeting - how could you turn it into a mastermind session - particularly if you're the leader hosting the event?

Gone are the days when a figurehead reigns supreme over the meeting - there are too many smart, savvy business women in direct sales now. We're not sheep!

We've got ideas - and sometimes we can take YOUR idea and make it even better.

So there!

This is an excerpt from the STAR Power leadership coaching program. Only 10 seats remain in this exclusive group! I'm hoping we sell out this weekend, but I also want to make sure YOU get the chance to participate!

learn more at: http://www.homepartysolution.com/starpower

The Power of Mentoring in Your Direct Sales Business

2009-05-15T12:17:00.005-04:00

If you've ever wanted to attain a level of success in your business, but didn't really know what you needed to do to attain it, a mentor can help you achieve greatness by showing you where they've been, and how to avoid traps and pitfalls along the way.

Direct Sales Marketing Coach, Lisa Robbin Young, tells about the power of a mentoring, and how each leader becomes a mentor to the people on their team.

This is a excerpt from the STAR Power leadership coaching program that launches May 19. Space is limited to 30 participants.

Learn more at: http://www.homepartysolution.com/starpower

Time Management in Your Direct Sales Business

2009-05-11T23:37:00.002-04:00

Time Management is a critical skill in business success. But it's more than just managing your calendar effectively. It has to do with being sure you're focused on income producing activities, understanding opportunity costs and buiding a business focused on doing the right things at the right time.

This clip features content from Lisa's new STAR Power certified leadership coaching program. This 12 month program is designed for Direct Sales Leaders looking to uplevel their income and grow more productive teams by treating their business like a real business.

To learn more, visit http://www.HomePartySolution.com/starpower

Finding a Niche in Your Direct Sales Business

2009-05-10T21:35:00.001-04:00

Regardless of your product line, it's important to narrow your target market and find a need that they want filled - that's your niche. Direct Sales Coach, Lisa Robbin Young shares quick tips to help you understand the importance of creating a niche in your market, as well as how to focus in on a niche you can monetize in your direct sales business.

This is an excerpt from her new 12 month STAR Power coaching program for direct sales Leaders. Registration closes May 19. To learn more, visit http://www.homepartysolution.com/starpower

Tips to Crafting an Effective Elevator Pitch

2009-05-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Your 30 second commercial is NOT a sales pitch for your company. It's a means of engaging a prospect, to get them to build a relationship with you. It's through this relationship that the door opens to more.

Many thanks for Barbara Lopez at Brightfarm Introductions for her willingness to supply my participants with this special gift. Learn more about this 12 month Direct Sales Leadership Coaching Program.