Direct Sales Marketing Online

Direct Sales Success: Summer Sales Start Now!

2010-04-27T08:34:00.002-04:00

Even though, we're just starting to see the April showers and early flowers, now is the time to start planning out your Summer business schedule.

If it seems this year as though I'm harping on planning, there's a method to my madness. We've just wrapped up the first quarter of the year. Nearly 1/3 of 2010 is GONE, and what do you have to show for it in your direct sales business?

Bookings beget bookings, and if your calendar is looking thin now, imagine how barren it will be come July!

The school year is coming to an end, and families are planning their vacations, getaways and summer activities now. As a business owner, you need to be on their radar, and plant the seed now that a Summer show is just the ticket to reconnect, relax, and enjoy good times with friends.

Contact the hosts from last Summer now, and give them first dibs on your calendar. Just like Christmas, you can have a full Summer schedule if you give people plenty of notice. In my business, I rarely booked a show closer than 3 weeks out because I need that time to get out invitations, and do effective hostess coaching. The exception to this was repeat hosts. They are usually already schooled on how I run my business, and are quick to get all my show requirements (like guest lists) back to me in plenty of time for the event.

Repeat hosts are your best testimonials, because they liked your work enough to invite you back! You owe it to yourself to reward them with the best spots in your calendar.

Words to say:

"Hi Sally, this is Lisa (with ABC company). I'm planning now for my summer schedule. It may be a little early yet, but I know that my most successful parties are the ones that are planned in advance. Since you're one of my repeat hosts, I want to say thank you by giving you first dibs on my Summer show calendar. You held a Chocolate Lover's party last June and it was such a blast. What theme would you like to try this year?"

Assume the booking. Your repeat hosts already know you do business, and know what to expect from you. If they're not interested, they'll tell you right away. Instead, assume they love you so much they want to repeat that amazing experience they had last year. Build up the excitement and re-establish the emotional high they had at their last party by mentioning positive memorable moments from the last party. It's a psychological trigger that puts them in a positive frame of mind to book their next show with you.

If you're new to Direct Sales, or re-starting your business like many teachers I know, it's even more imperative that you start now to secure shows for your Summer calendar. Consider asking one of the parents from your child's class to host a get-together during the Summer. Or better yet, host your own and double dip on host benefits as well as your consultant income. An early summer barbecue can have the guys hanging out at the grill, the kids playing in the back yard, and the women shopping from their seat in the comfort of your home. Worried that your house is too small? Host a series of parties to invite your child's best friends over a few at a time.

Summer events are also a great way to bring in new business. If you sell a product that you can demonstrate, consider teaching a course during the summer related to your product line. Renting a small hotel conference room or even a large dining room in a restaurant can bring in new customers interested in learning the how-to of your product, and lead to big sales at the end of the session. Just be sure that the focus of the class is not selling stuff, but teaching skills. Not only can you generate revenue from the sales of products, but also from registration fees from the class. Check with your local community education office for opportunities to share your expertise there as well. Many of the Summer session classes are being decided right now.

However you choose to grow your business this summer, now is the time to start planning. Look at your own family commitments and decide when you're available to work your direct sales business. Being in business for yourself gives you some flexibility, but if you let the entire Summer pass you by, you'll miss out on a great income potential as well as those highly-coveted fall bookings. For a great Fall, you need a great Summer, and Summer selling starts by booking shows now.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

In Direct Sales: 5 Tips to Save on Your Taxes

2010-04-20T09:46:00.004-04:00

As a business owner, at least here in the United States, Ben Franklin reminds us that there is at least one certainty in life: taxes. As a direct seller, you may have opted to build a small "side gig" to earn a little extra operating funds for trips, to give your family a little "more" or just to fund your shoe shopping habit.

Ultimately, though, if you're producing revenue, you've got a business, and Uncle Sam wants his due. Even if you're not profiting from your direct sales business, there may be some taxable situations that will effect you.

Mind you, I'm not a tax professional, but my friend, Scott Lovingood is, and he shared some great tips on his call for the Small Biz Super Summit this Spring. While the deadline for filing your taxes for 2010 may have passed, now is a great time to consider ways to get your finances in tip top shape this year.

1. Keep good records. Even if you put all your receipts in a shoe box, at the end of the year, you're going to need to refer to them to prepare your taxes. The better records you keep, the easier it is to complete your taxes and defend yourself should an audit occur. One particular area that Direct Sales Pros tend to overlook is mileage. Keep a mileage log so that you can track all the miles you drive to and from your shows. It adds up over the course of a year, but if you don't keep track, you can't claim the deduction! At 50 cents a mile, every two miles you drive is a dollar back in your pocket come tax time!
2. Be aware of special deductions. Certain entities (like an LLC, for example) can alter your taxable benefits. Home based businesses have special deductions. Knowing this can save you thousands on your taxes.
3. Tax rules change all the time. One of the first tasks to outsource may very well be your bookkeeping. Tax pros spend all day every day staying on top of the tax code changes. They can take that responsibility off your plate so you can focus on making money.
4. Run your business as if the IRS were going to audit you at any time. Chances for an audit are small, if you fall within the "norms" the IRS uses to evaluate businesses. However, a business can be randomly selected for an audit at any time. If you're running a real business, keeping business and personal expenses separate is just one way to help the IRS see your business as a going concern. Setting up a business account, having a business phone (that's only used for business) are not only potential deductions, they help the IRS to see that you're serious about growing a real business, not just having an expensive hobby. Hobby income must be reported, but hobby expenses are NOT deductible.
5. Close your books at least quarterly, if not monthly. By balancing your books each month, you have a better look at cash flow projections, income and expenses BEFORE the end of the year. If you have a major influx of income, you might even be required to pay quarterly taxes. If you are not balancing your books each month, you should at least balance them every quarter (most businesses do). You may avoid some of the tax penalties that can occur if you don't pay those taxes on time.

Running a business from home means a lot of potential tax savings - trips to fun locations for your national conference could become deductible on your taxes at year end - but only if you're running a business and keeping good records (other rules may also apply). It is up to you as the business owner to keep track of everything. Start now (if you haven't already) to see success the next time your taxes are due. When in doubt, consult a tax professional to help you get the most out of the tax benefits a home business provides.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine athttp://www.homepartysolution.com/

Home Party Solution will self-destruct in...

2010-04-13T06:28:00.004-04:00

I've been hinting at this for a while. I ~~want to~~ need to blow up my website.

It's gotten so cumbersome, difficult to navigate, and frankly, it's not performing like it used to. There are too many buttons, too many ways to get lost, and too many processes we still need to handle manually.

I'm trying to streamline my life and my business, and I want it to be easy for Bonnie (my super duper assistant) to navigate everything we own.

So, we're blowing it up. Shortly.

We've already pulled Home Party Solution off the shelves (I think we've got 3 copies left), to prepare for the re-launch. Pretty soon everything else will be yanked, too. Direct Sales Jump Start will be going buh-bye, and my social media training (Twitter Secrets for Direct Sellers) will be completely re-vamped, too.

Which means, for a short period of time, the only programs I'll have running are my coaching, any speaking gigs I've scheduled, and my Marketing Mentor Program - which won't be accepting any new members.

So essentially, I'm cutting off my income so I can better serve you.

That almost doesn't make sense, does it?

If you don't know by now, I coached with @elizabethpw last year, during a time when she was going through some major transition. More than the things she coached me on, I was able to see what SHE was going through, and learn vicariously.

Elizabeth just remodeled her website. I was jealous. I've been plotting a revamp for a while, "and now it looks like I'm totally being a follower" (I say in my best Valley-girl voice).

Again, though, I can learn from Elizabeth. Her post outlines strategic choices she made to be sure she's actually getting paid for the work she's doing.

I've been reflecting on that. Some of what I was trying to accomplish has not worked the way I planned. I've been remiss in tracking because I've been too busy launching. But without tracking, I can't see what's working. Ack.

I've got html pages with outdated info that we crafted eons ago that I can't even figure out how to find, let alone edit. And people are still going there. Double Ack.

I've got about 30 domains. I actually manage about 7 of them. The rest are all ideas that haven't transpired yet - or are being re-directed elsewhere. Triple Ack.

I've got ownership of something like 6 blogs. I only frequent 2 of them. Ack-tastic.

So we're consolidating. Refining. Making something more effective. For you AND me AND my team.

But this stuff takes time.

The GOOD news is that we've already launched The Renaissance Mom, and that site is working fabulously. Going forward, there will be two major sites, The Renaissance Mom, and my site for all my direct sales-specific content. Yes, this blog will probably move. We're still figuring that out.

I've learned something else, too. But that's a post for my other blog.

At any rate, the newsletter will keep going out, there still be this blog (at least during the transition), but the rest is, as they say, history.

And the "new and improved", I think, is going to revolutionize direct sales training and coaching.

More on that in another post.

Sometimes, you have to shut down the whole store to do a full remodel. And this remodel will be like nothing you've ever seen before. I'm so excited to share it, and it's been a long time in the making.

I just hope it's not a long time in the presenting. A girl's gotta feed the kids!

Direct Sales Success: Resurrect Your Biz This Spring

2010-04-06T06:02:00.006-04:00

I know it sounds like a bad Easter joke (and it probably is), but has your direct sales business been languishing this year?

After a busy holiday season, many consultants often go on hiatus, letting their business suffer in the interim, until the snow melts, the roads dry up, and the grass is green again. If you're one who schleps product from home to car and back, that can be a good reason to slow down. No one likes hauling stuff in the snow, but when business slows down, so does your income.

Few people leave direct sales because of a full calendar. The number one reason I hear is because they can't find bookings, can't close the sales - in short, there's nothing on their calendar!

So as we enter the second quarter of the year, take a moment to examine your goals. With the year 25% of the way behind us, are you 25% of the way towards your goals? For the average consultant (if they even have goals), the answer is not quite. And most of that is due to the fact that they let their business "slip" during the first few months of the year.

Well, now's the time to get crackin' and breathe some life back into your business.

Last week at our Small Biz Super Summit, Lisa Sasevich revealed a great technique to close more business without being salesy or pushy. Lisa is the author of "The Invisible Close" and she gave some great tips about using irresistible offers to encourage your audience to make a decision sooner, rather than later. Just yesterday, Daphne Bousquet shared with us the best strategies to make more money by hosting your own events. Here are just a few ideas you can implement to resurrect your business this spring:

Make a time-sensitive offer. Most of our companies provide us with a monthly special. That gives your hosts and guests all month to make up their mind. Give them something special for taking action on the day of the show.
Close the party AT the party. If you hostess coach in advance, you can remind your host that you are closing the show the night of the party. Make sure she has her catalogs, samples, and outside order forms well in advance so that she can get them out and get them back to you the night of her show.
Host your own event. In your own home, or rent a small conference room. Be your own host. If you're using social media, make it a more informal "tweetup" kind of an event so that more people will come, try your products, etc. Then have a time-sensitive offer for people that book, buy or set up a recruiting appointment with you that night.

Time sensitive offers are just one great strategy to increase sales, bookings and recruit leads. Your company can't possibly offer a new special every day - but you can. It requires a bit of planning and forethought, but if you're running a real business, you need to be planning ahead anyway.

Breathing life into your business can be as simple as a few tweaks to what you're already doing, or completely revitalizing the art of doing business. Either way, a resurrection will give you the forward momentum you need to have a powerhouse Summer. And as we roll into conference season, it's even more important to be hitting those goals!

You can do it!

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"Time-sensitive offer" is just one of the strategies I taught in my last Direct Sales 101 class, and here's what one of our first graduates had to say:

Well, I promoted to Team Leader, went from $300 in sales in January to $2700 in sales in February and $2000 in sales in March, and have 9 new shows on my calendar. I want to take the early graduation discount :>

You are, by far, the best direct sales/life coach I have ever had (and I have had quite a few!). You have helped me to cut through my fear, my husband is now on board with my "hobby" business (as he called it!) and wants me to go full throttle, and I have been able to do things for my family that I haven't in the past.... I can't wait to see what you have in store for the rest of the year.

Also, looking forward to the Small Biz Super Summit - what a lineup!

Lara Hall
Independent Passion Parties Consultant
www.LaraBHall.com

Direct Sales 101 will be re-opening soon. Look for more information in upcoming issues of "PartyOn!".

Direct Sales Leadership: Lead to Succeed

2010-03-30T01:16:00.004-04:00

We're hot and heavy into the Small Biz Super Summit (formerly the Direct Sales Super Summit) and I'm excited to share the stage tonight with Nicki Keohohou from the Direct Selling Women's Alliance (DSWA). Our conversation looks at the traits that are so necessary to build a successful organization in direct sales. But it's a conversation suited to anyone looking to assume a leadership role in their business.

Whether you're an army of one or a seasoned leader with thousands of people in your organization, in my opinion, there are commonalities that all successful leaders share:

The ability to engage the emotions of their team. It's not enough to know the "why" that encourages people to join your team in the first place, you also need to understand the "what" that almost FORCES them to stick around. When you engage with your team at this deep emotional level, your entire organization will thrive and achieve more.
The ability to ask the right questions. Throw out the "yes/no" questions, and spend time digging into the heart of any issue your team faces: recruiting, bookings, sales. "How can I get more bookings on my calendar?" The answer often lies in the very questions your team asks. "Well, what are you presently doing, and what HAVEN'T you tried?"
Being accountable, but not responsible. As a leader, it's your job to provide tools and resources - to lead a horse to water, so to speak. It's not your responsibility to "make them drink". You can't want their success more than they do.You have to remain committed to helping them, without being attached to the outcome of the effort they invest in their business. You are accountable to your entire team to provide help. THEY are responsible for taking advantage of the help you provide.
Not having all the answers. Leaders aren't charged with knowing everything - they are charged with knowing enough. Leaders need to know enough to point team members in the right direction. They are to serve as a resource or connecting point and to help empower others on the team to fulfill their areas of expertise and share them with the organization. No one person can know everything, and to expect that of yourself as a leader will only slow you down.

When you explore leadership, what kind of emotions come up for you? Some people feel their stomach tighten at the very thought to leading a team, others will salivate at even the smallest opportunity to be in the spotlight. Neither is the mark of a true leader. Leaders aren't know-it-alls. They know enough to track, train and keep an open mind about new things that they themselves can learn. Leadership isn't about the number of people subordinate to you, but how you serve others on your team.

But Nicki says there are 6 skills that every leader must possess. I'm anxious to learn more tonight and share her thoughts at the Super Summit. If you'd like to hear from Nicki, there's still time.

http://www.smallbizsupersummit.com/

We'd love to have you on the call!

Direct Sales Mentoring: The Super Summit Shortens Your Learning Curve

2010-03-23T12:40:00.011-04:00

Last year, I had a wild idea as I sat in my dining room on a Thursday night.

I fantasized about how cool it would be if someone would put together a teleseminar series for direct sellers who wanted to grow a real business, instead of an expensive hobby. There were a few live events targeted at leaders, and most companies have a national conference, but there was so much information regurgitation, that not much new was being shared in terms of what really works now.

And then I heard that voice.

"Why not you? Why not now?"

Oh, I got all kinds of internal resistance. 'But I don't know anyone. Who could I find to speak at this event?' And on and on.

I seriously didn't think I was qualified to do something like this. And several other more established direct sales trainers seemed to agree. I hit wall after wall trying to connect with some of the more well-known trainers in direct sales. They were either too busy, or unimpressed by what I was trying to accomplish.

They didn't understand online marketing, JV partnerships, or cross promoting to help one another. Frankly, their fear of competition prevented them from sharing this info with their own lists because they were afraid someone might steal their clients away.

But by Sunday night, I had secured 8 of the 15 speakers for my first event. I give a lot of the credit to twitter for that, because I was able to cut through the clutter and talk straight to several of the people I wanted to work with. In fact, I still do a lot of my connecting there.

And so it began. More than a thousand people participated in that first event. The response was so overwhelming that I was able to put together a second summit in the fall. In 2009, more than two thousand people registered for the summits.

It became clear to me that working with mentors from other business sectors was appealing not just to direct sales pros, but for all kinds of entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Why Work With Mentors?
Our third summit begins March 28, and the line-up is so powerful, that I know everyone that participates will walk away with at least one business building tool or strategy they can use right away to improve their business. That's the big reason I believe in mentoring so much. It helps you shorten your learning curve.

In direct sales especially, we can easily get stuck in a rut. We're learning from our up-line, or from other successful consultants and leaders within our company - and maybe from another direct sales coach or trainer. Often, though, the rut becomes 'incestuous'. We start copying each other, doing the same things, and not being as effective as we could be. Mentors break us out of those ruts, offering fresh perspectives, sometimes completely out of your original knowledge base.

Why Teleseminars?
The beauty of a teleseminar is that you don't even need to leave home, take off your slippers or comb your hair! It would cost a pretty penny to attend a live event that brings together a roster of experienced business professionals to speak at a 2 week event. The travel, day care and costs for room and board alone would prevent most direct sellers from participating. Plus, you'd be hard pressed to all these folks at the same event. It would just be too expensive! Teleseminars are truly the best of all worlds - expert advice that you can take action on right away, no travel required, and a minimal time investment to get on the call.

Mentors are experts in their given field. Mari Smith is an undisputed expert when it comes to Facebook Marketing. Lisa Sasevich is the champion of selling without being pushy - and you're not likely to see these folks at your national convention. The Super Summit gives you an opportunity to learn from the best minds in business for a very minimal investment. In fact, you can listen to all the live broadcasts for just $3.

We've got more than a dozen people sharing their genius at this summit - and they're not selling anything. You can take it all in, apply it to your business and go with a smile - for less than the cost of a kid's meal. Where else can you learn from so many mentors for such a small investment?

If you're serious about building a real business - not an expensive hobby - you'll want to develop a mindset of continually learning from mentors and experts that can help you grow your business successfully.

Direct Sales Success: Do You Feel Lucky?

2010-03-16T09:11:00.005-04:00

With St. Patty's Day just around the corner, I thought it fitting to talk about being 'lucky' in your direct sales business. In truth, there's relatively little about direct sales that happens because of luck - specifically when it comes to being a leader.

In direct sales, there are all kinds of leaders, but nothing bugs me more than an 'accidental leader'.

These are the people that don't have a clue how they managed to achieve leadership. And leadership doesn't mean a title or a rank. It means anytime the consultant excels and is recognized for setting the pace. They can't tell you what they did to become successful, or share with you the secrets to their success.

It doesn't bother me that they have secrets. What bothers me is that they think they somehow got 'lucky' and success just fell into their lap.

Luck doesn't just happen. Seneca said "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Indeed. There's a lot of preparation that goes on while we're waiting for that lucky break. We're putting together host packets, attending training meetings, learning about our products, and sharing that knowledge and enthusiasm with others.

So it always kind of irks me when a leader is asked how they won that prize, or how they achieved a goal and the answer comes back "I really don't know", or my favorite "I just talked to everybody."

The problem is that these accidental leaders are misinterpreting the question. They think people are looking for some ancient Chinese secret to success - when in reality, they were just being consistent in their business.

I know, that's about as sexy as quarterly planning, but hear me out on this. I recently sat down with Nicki Keohohou from the DSWA, and we talked a bit about the qualities of a leader. There's no magic pill here, it's about consistency, quality, and a commitment to excellence that permeates your entire organization.

The correct answer may not be glamorous, but there's nothing wrong with telling the truth:

"I held nine shows and booked three shows from each of those shows. I hostess coached like I was trained, and my shows averaged $550. So I was selling about $5000 a month, which just happened to be more than what everyone else did last month. If there's any luck, it's because no one else had a $5000 month, but you guys could all do what I just did. It's not magic. I don't have a lucky charm or anything like that."

People may not think it's a sexy answer, but there's nothing wrong with sharing the fact that direct sales is a business, and you have to work it like a business if you want to get paid like a business.

If more consultants and leaders were transparent about the work that was involved in being successful, we'd probably have fewer recruits looking for a magic pill. The recruits we DID have, would probably be more productive.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

The Super Summit is coming!

2010-03-10T13:05:00.000-05:00

I would be remiss if I didn't share this exciting news with my blog peeps. Each Spring and Fall, I host a telesummit with some of the most amazing minds in direct sales and business today. So here's my shameless plug for our Super Summit event.

This Spring, I think it's safe to say I've outdone myself. Here are just a few of the instructors scheduled to appear:

* Mari Smith - Facebook Marketing in an Hour a Day
* Paula Antonini - An Energized YOU
* Scott Lovingood - It's Your Money, Keep More of It
* Jimmy Vee & Travis Miller - Online Video to Grow Your Business in 9 Minutes a Day
* Lisa Sasevich - Boost Yoour Sales with the Invisible Close
* Jonathan Fields - The REAL Upside of Being an Entrepreneur
* Nicki Keohohou - The 6 Qualities of REAL Leadership

I've got people sharing info about books that haven't even been released yet - AND a ton more great stuff up my sleeve.

Now I can't reveal everything, but you'll definitely want to get pre-registered before March 28:
http://www.smallbizsupersummit.com/

In the past, we've called this the Direct Sales Super Summit, but we have so much valuable information for anyone looking to grow their business, we thought a name change would be appropriate. You'll be happy to note that we STILL have a track of content designed with direct sales pros in mind. That will not change.

We're hammering out the call schedule right now, but you'll want to be on as many of the live calls as you can - starting with the LIVE kickoff call on Sunday March 28 at 6pm ET.

If you can't make it, you'll have the option of purchasing the audios after you register. If you've been to any of our past events, you KNOW that this is the event of the year. I hope you'll join us!

Direct Sales Success: Quarterly Planning Made Easy

2010-03-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

No, it's not glamorous, but an hour of your time now could net you some big gains before Summer hits.

It's time to start looking at your Q2 planning.

What? You mean you haven't ever DONE quarterly planning?

I hear you. Most direct sellers live two weeks from bankruptcy - meaning they're booking shows in so close, they haven't really thought much beyond the next 30 days of life in business.

It's time to make a change and get your numbers in order. We're going to lay out two quick ways to do "projections" for your quarterly planning.

First, gather your results from last year. If you're brand new, use your numbers from the first quarter. I realize we're still IN the first quarter, but bear with me here.

Look at what your numbers were for first quarter last year, compare them to first quarter this year. You'll see where you're up, down or about the same. Not sure what numbers to be looking at? Check out my previous post on knowing your averages.

Now look at quarter two from last year (that would be April-June, if you're not sure). Compare Q2 of 2009 to Q1 of 2009. Most direct sellers will see an increase in their numbers because the holiday 'slump' is over, new product catalogs are coming out, and people are more likely to book early spring parties in April and May than they are in February and March. But it's not important if the numbers are higher or lower -what's important is that you KNOW whether they were higher or lower.

This gives you an opportunity to look at your business and see where you can improve, as well as what to reasonably expect for the coming months. We only look at a quarter at a time because - well - life happens. ESPECIALLY as direct sellers that are learning to treat your business with more respect, we have to flex those business owner muscles and get used to looking at the numbers in our business in the first place.

Look at the goals you have for the next three months - show sales, recruits, team promotions, bookings, etc. If you have company incentives coming down the pike, how are you planning to achieve those incentives? What activities do you need to schedule into your business over the next 3 months to make sure you hit those goals?

Now, pull out your planning calendar - your personal one, as well as your business one. You want to look at what's already on the radar for the next three months, events, kid stuff, vacations, holidays, sales meetings, rallies, national conferences, leadership camps, incentive trips. Identify any potential items that could prevent you from holding the number of shows you'd like. Identify big expenses that might require you to do an extra show or two in the coming months to help generate additional income. Identify locations in which you'll find yourself that might make good 'recruiting recon' destinations.

By starting now - and it may take a good hour of your time to do it - you'll have a road map for the next three months of business. You'll easily know what nights you will work - as well as the nights you absolutely can't. You'll also have a good idea about how much income you can count on.

But the BEST part about planning is that if you pinpoint a potential gap (in income, recruiting, shows, etc), you'll have a few months to formulate ideas and ACT on them in order to fill the gap. Otherwise, you could end up staring down a blank calendar at the beginning of May, wondering what you're going to do to pay the bills for the month.

Quarterly planning doesn't sound all that sexy, but once you begin, it almost becomes a game. How many gaps can you fill before the end of the quarter? How much MORE money can you make this quarter? How many days off can you actually ENJOY for a change? Quarterly planning makes it possible to know all the answers to those questions - and then some.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Direct Sales Success: Misconceptions of Leadership

2010-03-02T07:32:00.000-05:00

Often, I'm approached by direct sellers that want to move into leadership, but feel they don't have the necessary knowledge, skills or abilities to be a leader.

Bull!

There are a couple of misconceptions about leadership that prevent many would-be leaders from stepping into this role and earning the income they so richly deserve:

1. "I don't know everything!"
If you're brand new, people expect that you don't know everything. The more important point, however, is whether you can find the answers people are looking for. Train your team to try to find answers on their own and come to you when they get stuck. You should never position yourself as the know-it-all in your group because it stifles the leadership qualities in others.

In fact, make a decision now to empower your team to share knowledge, resources and best practices freely with each other.

Warning: in order for this to work well, you must have open communication on your team and a willingness to help one another. A rising tide lifts all ships - but only if all the ships are in the water.

2. "I don't know how to be a leader!"
If you've ever been a teacher, parent, or boss, you have some idea of what makes a good leader: patience, understanding, tenacity and vision (coupled with the ability to see through other people's B.S.) are a great start. In truth, most direct sellers are natural leaders because of their entrepreneurial drive and desire to help others.

When in doubt, look to people you would classify as lousy leaders for examples of what not to do. Likewise, learn from some of the great leaders of our time by reading their books and biographies. Model what works in your business.

Both of these excuses are easily vanquished for the person who truly desires to step into leadership. Here is a short list of recommendations for anyone considering a leadership role (in Direct Sales or otherwise):

1. Connect - with other leaders in other companies as well as your own. Leaders need a network that is strong and diverse. Look for people in other fields besides direct sales, too. This will broaden your horizons as well as your ability to relate to others.

2. Don't wait for permission - from your upline, your family, your friends - or even yourself. Great leaders step into their role with authority - and very often learn as they go. In fact, when you stop learning, you stop leading. Which brings us to...

3. Learn all you can - about your company, your products, your team and most importantly, yourself. This isn't an ego trip. If you really want to become knowledgable, you need to take time to learn new things. Then, SHARE what you've learned to help your team make fast progress.

4. Ask for help - from your leaders, a coach, a mentor - anyone that can shorten the learning curve and bring you to your goal faster. Be aware that any good help requires SOME kind of investment: time, energy, money, focus. You will only get out of it, what you put into it.

5. Relax. You're going to make mistakes along the way - the best leaders always do. Taking risks implies a certain amount of failure at some point. Leadership requires both a sense of humor and a thick skin.

True leadership comes from within. It's not some painted-on facade that you get to wear just because you've earned a certain amount of money or recruited a certain number of people. It's a powerful place of responsibility that anyone can step into - with a team of thousands, or a team of one.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Direct Sales Success: Incentivizing Hosts

2010-02-22T15:47:00.000-05:00

As I coach my hosts, one of the things I often do is include incentives for the actions I want them to take.

Frankly, if my host and I are a partnership, it's important to me that she keeps up her end of the partnership. My job is to help her have the most successful show possible: happy guests that spend lots of money so she gets tons of free and half priced products.

In my experience, there are a few things that help make a show successful right from the get-go:
1. plenty of guests
2. outside orders
3. bookings before the show

If those things are in place, the show is a success before I even arrive. Plus, it helps me to know I'm already making money on this show before I even head out to do the party.

The best way to encourage your hosts to demonstrate this kind of behavior is to incentivize their actions.
I use a special business card sized "cheat sheet" (that I share with my Direct Sales 101 clients) that outlines exactly how I will reward my host for helping me make the event successful.

But you don't need to be a client to do the same thing. Here's what I recommend:
1. decide what are the most important outcomes from your show (bookings, sales, recruits, etc)
2. decide what actions are required to get those results (calls to make, guests at the show, etc)
3. figure out how much of that burden should fall on your hostess (creating a guest list, making RSVP calls, etc)
4. decide what kind of incentives you can give your hostess for completing those actions.

It can be as simple or as complex as you'd like. My primary focus is always on the guest list. That's my insurance policy for a successful party. The better the guest list the more successful the show, almost across the board. I would offer a small gift to my hostess when her guest list contained 40 or more different names and addresses.

Gifts don't need to be big or fancy, but they should be commensurate with the reward you're getting in return. For example, if I had a host that collected $500 in outisde orders, I might give her a $10-20 gift on top of her host bonus rewards. That's $500 I didn't really have to work for, and that's my way of thanking her for making our partnership successful. On the other hand, if she collected $20 in outside orders, I might offer her a free sample product or an extra draw from my mystery gift grab bag. Think about your gifts as if you were the one receiving them. Would you feel special or truly appreciated? If not, it's probably not a gift worth offering.

When you incentivize your hosts, you train them to perform their duties and "keep up their end" of the business relationship. Set the expectation for success. You are not a slave. You are a partner in a successful business endeavor. Train your hosts so that they know what it takes to have a successful show.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Direct Sales Success: Know Your Averages

2010-02-15T10:30:00.001-05:00

In baseball, one of the key metrics used to determine a player's ability is their batting average.

The league leaders have an average around .350, which means for every 10 times at the plate, they hit the ball and get on base 3.5 times. Sixty-five times out of a hundred, they don't make it to first base.

And those are the league leaders!

Pitchers have a comparable measurement - the Earned Run Average (ERA). This statistic measures the number of runs in a game that are "credited" to the pitcher. In essence, these are the runs he gave up as a pitcher. The lower the number, the better the pitcher.

The league leaders fall in the 2.1-3.5 range. That means that even the best pitchers are giving up a few runs each time they take the field.

What about you? In the game (and business) of direct sales, you need to be tracking your own averages. In fact, there are 3 critical averages that you must track if you want to improve your business on a consistent basis - regardless of the economy. They are:

1. Your Show Sales Average (SSA). This metric tells you exactly what you can expect from every show you do. If you know that you're averaging about $350 in sales at each show you do, you can predict with a fair amount of certainty how much income you'll earn in a given month. You'll also be able to strategize ways to improve your show income. If you don't know your SSA, however, you'll always be guessing from one month to the next about how your income will look.

The SSA is an easy number to calculate. Take the total show sales you've had in a given period of time (a year is best) and divide it by the total number of shows you held to get those sales. Don't count individual sales or online income unless they are part of a show you can track. Just sales from shows and the total number of shows. If fifteen shows resulted in $15,000, you have a $1,000 show average. If fifteen shows resulted in $1500, you have a $100 show average. Your results will likely fall somewhere in the middle of hose two extremes. If you don't do shows, calculate your one-on-one's. Same math, different figures.

2. Your Bookings Per Show (BPS). This metric indicates the longevity of your business. If you consistently get 2-3 bookings per show, you have a healthy business that will continue to propagate itself with new parties. If you consistently book 1-2 parties per show, you're going to have a more difficult time keeping your calendar full. When you know this metric, you can start to take a look at the reasons for your booking success (or challenges). Sometimes, it's a matter of changing your verbiage at the party. Sometimes you realize you haven't been giving a booking talk at all. Sometimes, you hit on just the right combination of fun and education that gets people excited to want to book a show with you.

You can calculate your BPS almot as simply as your SSA. Simply add up the total number of bookings you've gotten in the past year (or 6 months), and divide by the number of shows from which they came. You are counting totals, not JUST the shows that held. Be honest with yourself. If you booked 10 shows and only 4 held, that's a different metric. We want to track the total number of bookings from each show.

This does bring up an interesting discovery. If you find you're booking a lot of shows but they aren't holding, chances are good there's a problem with hostess coaching or follow up. Or you're working with flaky people. Both problems can be easily solved with a little coaching. But you can't solve either problem if you don't know your BPS.

3. Your Recruiting Interview Percentage (RIP). This metric tells you how many recruits youll be adding to your team. This metric is a little more complex, because it's actually made up of TWO mathematical equations. First, you need the total number of guests/clients you've worked with in a given period of time. This can be a challenge, so when you first start tracking this metric, begin with the total number of guests at your shows. Over time you'll need to add in all the other people you share recruiting info with, but for now, stick with something a little easier to track. How many recruiting interviews are you scheduling from each show? Divide the number of recruiting appointments by the number of guests. This is your scheduling rate. Save that number for the next step.

Now look at your recruiting appointments. How many of them actually result in a new consultant joining the team? Take the scheduling rate from step one and divide it by this number. Now you have a percentage you can work with. For every hundred people you meet, that's the number of people that will likely join your team on average.

Let's look at an example. If you have 150 guests in a given month, and schedule 10 recruit interviews, you have a 6.6% scheduling rate. Of those 10 interviews, only 3 join the team. That means you have a 2.2% Recruiting Interview Percentage. For every 100 people you meet at shows, etc, 2.2 of them are likely to join your team.

Once you know these numbers, you can begin to see how easy it is to stay motivated. If you knew with a fair amount of certainty that you could turn 2 out of every 100 people into new recruits, you're much more likely to approach those 100 people in the first place. You're also much more inspired to want to IMPROVE that percentage so that you're not working quite as hard from the get-go.

When you keep close tabs on what I call "the BIG 3" in your business, you'll have a more consistent, stable income, with the power and ability to keep it growing, right at your fingertips.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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If you're interested in hearing more about the BIG 3, I will be chatting with Carrie Wilkerson on this topic during her Barefoot Bootcamp 2.0 happening this month. Yes, that's my affiliate link, but the videos are free, and very informative. I hope you'll check it out. Plus, if you sign up through my link for the event, you'll also get free access to my OWN Direct Sales Super Summit coming up in March!

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!

Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Direct Sales: It's Playing, Not The Game, That Matters

2010-02-11T13:55:00.002-05:00

I lost count at the number of emails I got asking me what game we played in our booth. I'm actually planning on doing an entire call for my Marketing Mentor coaching group next month about Expos and Events. But for you, dear readers, I will reveal the game we played in our booth.

But here's the thing. At different events, we played different games:

We played black jack.
We rolled giant dice and played craps.
We played "Where's the Queen?" (like the shell game, but with cards)
We played bingo.

The booth theme was "casino night". And it wasn't the game we played that mattered, it was the fact that we engaged our audience in a unique way that allowed them to see we were about more than just our product and our comp plan.

The games were pretty short - so we weren't spending more than a minute or so with each person. The games were also engaging. Participants had to participate and talk with us.

And that, dear readers, is what makes the difference. When people walk away from the booth, we'd slap the "I got lucky" sticker on them so that we knew they'd already played the game. But they were also advertising for us. So when someone asked "Hey, how'd you get that sticker?" people could say "I just played this really fun game over at that booth" and point in our general direction.

Woo hoo! They were driving traffic for us, advertising for us, and creating buzz for us. It was kind of an offline viral marketing technique.

But honestly, it didn't matter which game we played, the results were the same. People were excited about what we offered, we got to talk with people for more than two seconds, and we were able to have a memorable cue for follow-up calls ("you played craps at our booth at the expo...").

In big events, it's hard to stand out, hard to be remarkable. It's even more challenging when you have to compete with dozens of other direct sellers - even if they offer different products. People will likely only book one show, and you want it to be with you. You have to be very compelling. But that's another post for another day.

So now you know my "secret game". It's no secret. It's all in how you play the game, not what game you play.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!

Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Direct Sales Tips: 3 Must Haves for Successful Events

2010-02-04T16:00:00.001-05:00

As a direct sales consultant, I was party to more than my share of horrible events.

You know the kind: five consultants standing around in a mostly empty booth, while the crowds of passersby pass you by.

You look on, longingly hoping that someone, anyone, will enter the booth to talk to you.
But people keep walking by, afraid you'll all descend like vultures.

Yeah. I've been there. Thousands of people, no leads to speak of.

Then I had the opportunity to set up my own booth at a 2-day event, instead of "buying in" to someone else's.

I had complete control over how things were "supposed" to go (more on that in a minute).

I learned there were three critical factors to a successful event booth:

1. Traffic
2. Leads
3. Buzz

If you do it right, it's like a circle. Traffic generates leads, which creates buzz, which stimulates traffic.

But you can't get those three things to work if you haven't done your homework BEFORE the event. Here are the three MUST HAVES for any successful expo-type vendor event.

1. Know the desired outcome. What is it you're looking for from this event? More bookings? More recruits? More sales? A combination of the three? Be very clear on what it is you want from the leads that enter your booth.

2. Know the special offer. The best events I've ever had included some kind of incentive for creating the desired outcome AT the event. A special incentive for booking your party at the expo, for example.

3. An eye-catching display and sticky collateral. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it does have to be vertical. Something tall and easy to spot across a crowded expo center, or takeaways that have your visitors advertising for you, are both effective means of generating buzz once people have made it to your booth.

There's one more thing you need to plan for before the event - time to follow up with leads. If you're too busy to follow up with contacts you've made at the event, don't bother going. It's the equivalent of flushing your money down the toilet. Before the big day, block out time in your calendar AFTER the big event to be sure you can reach out to as many of your prospects as possible. If you've made a plan for the three must-haves, you'll need that time after the event to connect and close your leads.

Done properly, these three items are the biggest determining factors of your event success. If you handle yourself well and stick to the plan, you'll likely come out with more leads than you can handle.

If you opt to do things the old-school way (as did some of the consultants that joined me in my booth), you'll drive people away.

The proof is in the pudding, as they say. I set up my booth, told the other consultants how we we're going to handle the event, and left to speak on the main stage at the event. When I returned, two of the consultants were out in the aisles, passing out business cards and begging for bookings.

These two ladies were not on my team, but were part of my leader's team. They had paid to share the booth with us, so I wanted them to be successful. I politely explained to them that they needed to be in the booth, following the outline we had created to make the event successful for everyone.

"But that's too distracting. We aren't talking to as many people that way. Out in the aisle, we're talking to eveyone that comes by."

"My point exactly." I said, as I motioned for my team mate to join us in the aisle.

She was finishing up scheduling a booking on her calendar and I asked her to report out her results.

"I've booked a show and scheduled one recruiting appointment, but I've only talked to about 15 people since you left."

I then turned my attention to the ladies in the aisle.

"We've passed out about 50 business cards. I've got one lady that said she'd come back later to talk about booking a party. She's a friend of mine from work."

She did book that party. But at the end of the evening, when we were sorting out the leads, those two women had decidedly fewer leads than my team. They also had fewer booked appointments, and fewer business cards in their hands.

They didn't come back the next day. On their way out for the evening, they grumbled about how poorly the event fared for them, and how I must have somehow cheated to get nearly twice as many leads for my team.

Ladies! It's about quality, not quantity. Those women were forcing themselves on anyone that stood still long enough to take a card, instead of getting people to be excited about what they offered, and sharing that excitement with everyone they came in contact with.

Who's going to keep a business card? Not very many people. Who's going to wear a sticker that says "I got lucky!" and then tell other people at the event where they can go to get a sticker of their own?

Now you see my point. My team was engaging people in a game and putting the sticker on these people so that we would know who'd already played the game. People were coming to our table to play the game, walking away with a sticker and doing the advertising for us about our booth. We didn't have to go out into the aisle. They were coming to us.

But playing the game takes about 45 seconds per guest. That means you won't talk to as many people. BUT the ones you DO talk to are engaged, excited about what you're offering, and more likely to book, buy, or consider joining your team.

So I guess you could say we cheated. We used the power of the crowd on itself. We created a viral marketing campaign right there in the event. We created buzz, which drew traffic, which generated leads...

...And we had more leads than we could handle at the end of the night - and looked forward to even more on the next day.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!

Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Direct Sales Business

2010-01-25T18:23:00.001-05:00

Magazines and periodicals have a nifty little tool that lays the groundwork for every issue they print. The editorial calendar guides the topical content for each article in a particular issue.

The most logical direct sales equivalent is our monthly host or guest specials - which are usually set up by our companies, and fed to us no more than a month or two in advance.

That's not the most effective way to create a strategic plan for your business year.

The solution is to create your own "editorial calendar" of sorts.

Each month of the year represents at least one new reason to contact your clients. In fact, this is one of the strategies I'm teaching in depth in my new Direct Sales 101 small group coaching program. An editorial calendar is a great guideline for both your newsletter AND your parties/presentations, because:

1. It allows you to have a plan in place for each month of the year at the beginning of the year - regardless of what your company proposes.
2. It puts YOU in control of your business instead of waiting for details from your home office.
3. It gives you the ability to create special connections with your clients by tailoring your offerings to their needs/desires.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few sample ideas for a monthly newsletter, based on holidays. Remember that most people will place orders in the month BEFORE the holiday, so plan ahead with your offerings:

January: Love, Valentine's Day, Showing Your Love
February: Luck of the Irish, St. Patty's Day, Go Green
March: Spring, Easter, April Showers (showers of money for great recruiting, or baby/bridal showers)
April: Mother's Day
May: Father's Day
June: Independence Day (U.S.)
July: End of Summer
August: Back to School
September: Halloween
October: Being Grateful
November: Christmas
December: New Year, New You, New Products

These samples don't begin to cover topics that are product or service-specific to your company. You are truly only limited by your imagination. Have a bi-weekly or weekly newsletter? Sprinkle in a few more topics that are related to each month, or to a specific product that your company may be featuring.

An editorial calendar doesn't chain you to sticking to these topics, but it does give you a safety net that will keep your business growing throughout the year - even when you're not sure yet what your home office has planned. You won't be scrambling, trying to figure out what to do. You'll have a confident plan of action that will move your business forward throughout the year.

Billion-dollar business woman Anne McKevitt said something to me that hit home: "Never leave anything to chance." By taking the reins of your promotional and publication schedule, you're not leaving your direct sales success to chance.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/

Longer is Much More Gratifying: Business Relationships That Work

2010-01-21T17:44:00.002-05:00

I subscribe to far too many mailing lists.

My assistant creates filters in my gmail account so that I can sort the wheat from the chaff on a regular basis, but even I recognize I'm still on far too many lists. Some lists I'm not even sure how I got there - or they only send me an email once every blue moon, so I forget to unsubscribe before I hit the delete button.

Today, I got an email from one such list. But I shan't be unsubscribing just yet.

One little sentence saved him from the dung heap.

Normally, I don't like ezines that force me to click through to read the article. But his title was compelling, revealing the business trend we witnessed in 2009 - how 7 figure companies were fast dwindling into 5 figure companies due to a failue to adapt to change.

The one little sentence that caught my eye (despite the problems with formatting on the page)?

"It takes us longer to convert a lead into a customer but it is much more gratifying in the end."

Hello! Welcome to the world of marketing your business!

Gone are the days of sticking a business card in your prospect's face and expecting them to buy a couple hundred dollars worth of your product. In fact, Bob suggests that going after bigger ticket clients is actually a better strategy because they understand the value of your product, and are less likely to shop based solely on price.

The reality of that, however, is that people who shop based on value take a little more time to assess, resolve and decide to make the purchase.

I'll have a guest that attends 3 or 4 parties before they ever purchase a thing. I'm on the verge of writing this person off as uninterested just as they are whipping out their checkbook to pay for a $300+ order.

I wish I was joking, but I'm not.

See, the flip side to our "instant gratification" world is that there are still people that believe in taking their time, doing things the right way, and NOT rushing into anything. In our rush to service the next in line, we sometimes forget what serving our clients is really all about: finding their needs, and helping them make decisions that will improve their lives.

And sometimes it takes more than four point two seconds to determine if the value of your offering really is better than the other guy. Sometimes value is determined by how much time you actually SPEND WITH the client.

This isn't just a direct sales application. This is a life application. Our best friends are usually the ones we've known the longest - or it at least "feeeeels like we've known them foreeeeeeeever". Longer relationships are much more gratifying.

That's the dilemma of social media. So many direct sellers have jumped on the SM bandwagon thinking it's the road to fast riches. NO. Just like eveything else bout direct sales, it's not get rich quick. It's get rich by building relationships - on a national platform instead of a local one.

So if someone sold you that bill of goods, my apologies. The strength in any relationship - business or otherwise - lies in the number of genuine, valueable connections you have with that person. Sometimes you can take shortcuts, but you can't short circuit the entire process.

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com

Direct Sales Success: Expectations Set the Tone

2010-01-11T23:32:00.000-05:00

When I work with clients on their target marketing, one of the biggest areas of contention is the realization that ultimately, everyone is not their target market.

No, everyone that fogs up a mirror is not your prospect. Neither is everyone who showers (if you're in skincare), everyone who eats (if you sell kitchen gadgets or food), or everyone with kids (if you sell toys or educational goodies).

You've got to be a little more specific.

For example, if you choose to service a local, offline, market, then people more than 100 miles from your home would not be part of your target market. This limits the number of people you can serve.

And that word, "limits", seems to put a stranglehold on a consultant faster than a rope 'n ride at the rodeo.

They want to serve everyone. Because if they don't serve everyone, how will they get enough clients for their business.

Then I try to remind them of this episode of I Love Lucy:

You can't possibly serve everyone and do a good job.
Really. You can't.

So, why not change your expectations? establish a market that you CAN serve, and that you WANT to serve.

And expectations go both ways. Be sure to let your target market know what they can expect from you, how you expect to serve them, and how they can expect to hear from you. here are some suggestions to help set the tone with new clients in your target market:

1. Lay out the ground rules from the get-go.
Tell them your guest lists typically have 40-50 names on them, and that you usually get them back within 3 days. If they have problems with that, you'll be more than happy to help them in person, or to direct them to another consultant that would be glad to work with them.

2. Express your excitement about helping your host have a successful show. Your best shows are going to have a certain number of guests (get this info from your statistics from last year). Let your hosts and guests know what they can expect if the evening is a success for everyone.

3. Decide in advance what kind of show you want to have. Leave nothing to chance. I have had success inviting my "go only" guests to other people's parties. If a guest says "I only go to parties, I don't host them" I put them on a list so that when I have a host that's struggling to get RSVP's, I can call them up and invite them to the party. The host thinks I'm her hero, and the guest appreciates being remembered and treated respectfully.

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you're going to make the most of your business, policies and procedures. your home office lays the foundation, but the framework is built by you. Your expectations set the tone for the outcome of your parties AND your business as a whole.

Expect more to get more.

Direct Sales Passion: Are You Faking It?

2010-01-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season when most companies begin their Leader Retreat events.

These are the rallies and propaganda fests where the company leaders can celebrate their accomplishments, learn best practices and get a glimpse of some of the new products for the new year - and maybe even bring some home with them.

But you know what? Even if you're not 'qualified' to attend, you may still be one of those consultants that's out-performing your leader. All it takes is a little passion.

That's what happened to me.

A few years back, I qualified to attend the leadership getaway that my then-company hosted for their leaders. I had been encouraged by my upline leader to strive to attend, reach all the goals laid before me, and work like heck to walk across the stage at Leader Retreat.

I'm not one to do 20 parties a month, so I figured I'd shoot for the goal of $5000 in sales during the first 6 months of the year, which were usually the toughest months of the year in our company.

I think I ended the period with about $7800 in sales, doing about 8 or 9 shows during that time. There were several people on our team that also achieved that $5000 goal, but because they weren't leaders, they couldn't go to Leader Retreat.

One consultant had over $15,000 in sales and missed qualifying as a leader by one recruit.

It was disappointing to me that other people who out performed me were not able to attend the event and celebrate their success. Imagine my surprise when my own leader didn't even walk across the stage with me.

Talk about "faking it"! Here she was pushing (and I DO mean pushing) all of her team to achieve these goals, get qualified for on stage recognition, and all the while she was barely doing the minimums to keep her title. She did, however, earn a nice chunk of bonus compensation for all the work we did to help her keep her title.

One of the nice things abotu Direct Sales is the compensation leaders can earn for helping their teams achieve levels of success. I have no problem with that. However, there's a problem when a leader is doing "just the minimums" and encouraging her teams to go for the gusto.

There's no congruency. She got paid despite the fact that several of her personal recruits out-performed her and eventually promoted above her. Consultants began to talk, and in less than a year, many of her recruits had lost faith in her, stopped attending her meetings, gave up, or left the company completely.

When people find out you're faking it, it's just too much of a let down.

Why was it that our team was able to achieve a goal that our own leader did not?

Passion.

First, we believed in our leader. She was a little on the pushy side, but we believed that she had our best interests at heart. Once we learned she was faking it - putting on a good show to bump up her tea numbers, but doing the minimums herself - we weren't as keen to be workhorses for her next big award.

Second, we caught the vision of an idea that was greater than our circumstance. We wanted the recognition that we thought would come from achieving something remarkable. It set us on fire. We became passionate - about our goal, our product, and about getting the message out to as many people as we could. Those of us that achieved those goals went on to bigger things within the company.

Our leader? Not so much. She was content to talk a good game, but when it came to playing the game, she was riding the bench. Ultimately, that leader left the company for what she thought were greener pastures. But her problems followed her. She was looking for other people to do the work for her. Instead of leading by example, she was ligthing the fire under her recruits, and sitting back to watch how far they would take her.

That was the final realization for me that not every leader knows more than I do when it comes to growing my business and defining my success.

In direct sales, like in life, faking it only works for so long - either your recruits pass you, or they give up on you and look to other leaders in the company to give them solid direction and advice. That's what happened to my leader. Imagine how much more successful she could have been if she'd been practicing what she was preaching!

It's one thing to be passionate about something and actively share it with your team and the world. It's something else to just "talk a good game" and not work your business with enthusiasm. People talk, and it's only a matter of time before you're found out.

If you've been in the business for a while, and feeling like the passion is fading, here are a few tips to help you re-kindle the romance with your direct sales biz:

1. Remember what it was like when you were brand new. It was a time of discovery. What are ways you can tap into that sense of awe and discovery in your business? Try a new product, find a creative use for an old product. Talk with someone you DON'T know at the home office.

2. Share your favorites. You have a list of products you love (if you don't, why are you in this business in the first place?). Think of other people that would love them for the same reasons and invite them to experience the product - no strings - in a complimentary session. Woo your customers back (maybe a few that you haven't talked with in a while) with a free sampling, or a thank-you event that doesn't end with a sales pitch.

Alternatively, if it's appropriate, make a donation to a local shelter - anonymously - of your favorite products. The gratitude will be overwhelming.

3. Bring in the kids. If it's appropriate for your product, invite the kids in and shoot a video of THEM doing a presentation with your products. talk about FUN! You'll not only get a good laugh, you'll get to see how your KIDS view the way you do business.

These are just a few ideas you can use to bring back some of the fun and excitement to your business. Seeing the way you build your business through your new consultant's eyes can often refresh a leader that's gotten a little complacent or jaded in their business.

A little passion (that's genuine) goes a long way. Eventually, if you're faking it, you'll be found out.

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com

Direct Sales Success: From Strategy to Plan

2010-01-04T11:53:00.000-05:00

Planning for direct sales success can be as simple as turning on a light switch, or as challenging as digging ditches. It all depends on your outlook.

My husband thinks 'plan' is a four-letter word. So I have to come up with "action items" instead of a plan. It's the only way to get anything done around my house.

But before I lay out my "honey-do" list, I have to envision my desired outcome. Then, I need to understand the important pillars of getting the job done.

The same hold true in your direct sales business.

Once you've laid a vision for your direct sales business, identified the goals and created a strategy around what the key areas of accomplishment are, we then get to "the brass tacks" of bringing that vision to life - creating the plan.

Once you've laid out you annual objectives, you've got to break that down into meaningful, manageable "chunks". For example, if your goal is to add 12 new personal recruits to your team, that breaks down to approximately 1 recruit each month.

But this kind of thinking is not likely to be accurate.

Consultants are trained to average their numbers out over the course of the year, which is a detriment. In reality, the bulk of our sales - the bulk of our business, really - comes during the last quarter of the year.

Now that doesn't mean to sit on your laurels until October. Far from it.

What it means is that you should plan appropriately and project reasonably for the year.

For example, if you look at your sales history and 50% of your sales happens from October to December, don't expect that you'll have an even time of things from January to June.

Forecast higher numbers in the fall and lower numbers in the winter.

This does two things:

1. It paints a realistic picture for your business
2. It shows you where your real opportunities lie

So if you've NEVER added a single recruit in February, you can choose to focus on that objective, or to play to your strengths instead.

This is how your business truly becomes your own.

If in March, you know there's a big bridal event that you're planning for, lay the groundwork NOW and know what your desired outcomes are. They may look something like this:

1. collect contact info for 300 leads
2. connect with 30 brides (preferably at the show)
3. book 10 parties/events from the bridal show
4. schedule 2 recruit interviews
5. sign one recruit

If there is a commandment in direct sales it should be "Thou shalt know thy numbers." You can't plan a realistic business year without knowing your numbers. How many interviews must you hold (on average) before you sign a recruit? How many people do you need to talk to before you can schedule an interview? How many leads do you need to make 30 contacts?

If you know these numbers, you can look at last year's data to break it all down. Here's a hypothetical example:

2009 Results:
Jan - 2 shows, 16 people, 1 recruit interview (did not sign)
Feb - 8 shows, 80 people, 3 recruit interviews (1 signed)
Mar - 10 shows, 85 people, 5 recruit interviews (2 signed)
Apr - 7 shows, 80 people, 4 recruit interviews (1 signed)
May - 16 shows, 150 people, 10 recruit interviews (3 signed)
Jun - 7 shows, 81 people, 5 recruit interviews (3 signed)
Jul - 4 shows, 55 people, 3 recruit interviews (2 signed)
Aug - 4 shows, 42 people, 1 recruit interview (1 signed)
Sep - 6 shows, 55 people, 2 recruit interviews (0 signed)
Oct - 11 shows, 140 people, 12 recruit interviews (5 signed)
nov - 16 shows, 225 people, 20 recruit interviews (10 signed)
Dec - 8 shows, 150 people, 10 recruit interviews (3 signed)

2009 - 99 shows, 1159 people, 76 recruiting interviews, 31 signed

These numbers reveal that for every 3 shows you hold, about 1 person will sign up. It also tells you that only aout 6% of your customers and guests will hold an interview with you, but that once you DO get them to schedule an interview, you will sign up about 40% of them.

It also shows you that June, July and January are your slowest months. this tells you that you can either take a vacation (if you're certain you'll not do any business during those months), or plan some new ideas for those months to boost business.

It also shows you that you're bringing a lot of team members on in the fall. How can you prepare yourself to have an eqally spectacular spring, and still be ready to bring on so many new recruits during the busy season?

Armed with your own numbers, you can plan a course for your entire year - without waiting to see what your home office will do in terms of incentives, prizes, bonuses or rewards.

You can also find the holes in your armor and fix them. If January is always slow, is it because you're so bogged down in December that you can't get things moving? If so, now you have ammunition to create a strategy to prevent this kind of problem at the end of this year.

You don't need a coach to tell you all of this. You can crunch these numbers on your own. But crunch them one way or another so that you can have a powerfully productive 2010!

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com

The Direct Sales Conundrum: Embracing Entrepreneurialism

2009-12-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

I have a few confessions to make:

1. I love direct sales. I love doing home parties, meeting people and making connections. I love seeing new faces and learning about new people. I love seeing the insides of other people's homes. Especially unique homes with stories. I love direct sales.

2. Direct Sales is not enough for me. Lest you think I'm greedy, I'm discovering that I'm not alone. I've coached dozens of direct sellers that are trying to find themselves in their business, and I've found out that they, too, feel like direct sales is not enough. It has nothing to do with the compensation plan, or feeling that they won't succeed. In fact, many of these women are VERY successful in their direct sales business. They just feel like there's something 'more'.

3. I am an entrepreneur. I mean that in the "I want something I can call my own, to grow from a seedling and watch it blossom and grow" sense of the word. By design, you never truly own a direct sales business. Sometimes, it owns you. yes, you can build a successful business in direct sales, but the busines you build is always "You, inc." and your direct salescompany is at best a wholesaler and partnerin your venture. You never really 'own' the company.

As an entrepreneur, I jumped from company to company trying to find that "right fit". Sometimes I juggled multiple company affiliations because I thought they'd work well together. And if I found a company that didn't see things my way, I'd jump ship - again.

For a long time, I thought it was just me, until I heard stories from other company hoppers. I thought there was a problem with me sticking to stuff. I thought it was my entrepreneurial ADD kicking in. And that's when it hit me.

I call it The Direct Sales Conundrum.

The problem isn't that you're flighty, or can't stick to one thing. It's not even the fact that you can't ever own the company - at least not entirely. It's the fact that you've hit the wall in your business between being a distributor and being an entrepreneur.

You're trying to force a square peg in a round hole.

Direct sales is amazing for entrepeneurs because it eliminates a lot of the original fears entrepreneurs have about going into business for themseves: your product, marketing materials and all the logistics of delivery are already handled - and you have a whole R&D team and corporate offices backing you up. You're not cash flowing that expense out of your own pocket. All you have to do is handle your personal book of business and manage your own clients - and train your team to do the same.

There are a ton of benefits for entrepreneurs to get their feet wet in a direct sales business model. The 'conundrum' comes when you're not happy with we feet, and are ready to jump headlong into the entrepreneurial pool.

The things that make direct sales great can be the very same reasons why entrepreneurs get listless in their business. Maybe you have some great ideas on how the company should create a new product, serve a new market, or provide better customer service (I sure did).

Those ideas alone would be enough to get soem entrepreneurs shifting in their seats. When you couple those ideas with a burning passion to see changes happening - and they're not happening - you can get downright frustrated in your business.

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore." has been a war cry for entrepreneurs probably since the beginning of time. We get to the point where we crave something more than our direct sales business, but we're carrying around too much fear to make the leap into our OWN business.

Smell it? It's fear.

I've watched client after client wrestle with their own fear demons. Some were able to successfully build a direct sales business that brought them contentment. Others wanted "more" and struck out on their own.

The irony is that many of those people wanted to transition out of their "real job" and discovered they had only transferred assignments to a new company.

They were still working a job, they just had more flexibility.

What about you? I love direct sales, and will probably always be a consultant for a company that I love. I also embrace my inner entrepreneur in the other company I've built and the new brand I'm launching next year.

There's nothing wrong with realising that direct sales has serve its purpose in your life, and moving on to the next big thing for you.

There's also nothing wrong with loving a company and products that you are passionate about and sharing them with the world.

Whichever you decide, decide it for yourself. Live life and build your business without apologies. Make mistakes, take big leaps, grow your world and expand your mind.

Because if you don't, who will? You'll be that square peg trying to squeeze yourself into a place you don't belong.

Direct Sales Success: Strategy Part 2, Goals

2009-12-27T06:33:00.000-05:00

As I write this, it's almost the new year, and if there's one thing I've learned to dread, it's the annual list of "resolutions" that are so often ignored about 3 weeks into the year. I stopped making resolutions a while back, and decided to create an annual strategy to achieve the things I wanted to accomplish in my life.

Did you hear me say "goals" in there? Most of us have gotten immune to the word goal. My husband even claims that "plan" is a four-letter word and refuses to do much in the way of planning. Thus, I've had to resort to semantics so that we can "create a strategy" (plan) for the things we want to accomplish (goals).

Some people are so turned off by the word, that I hesitated to use it here. That said, we need to decide what we want to accomplish - what our goals are - before we can finalize our strategy.

Would you like to reach more clients this year? Perhaps you'd prefer to really focus on generating more income from your existing customer base? Maybe you'd like more shows on your calendar - or maybe higer show sales averages?

You can't get what you want, until you know what you want. I think there's a song in there somewhere.

Take some time to really think about the three or four major goals you'd like to hit in your business this year. Take them and spend 3-4 months working on each one. It might be hard to prioritize them, but if you know you want to do an event at the end of the year to reach a new group of customers, make that your focus for that quarter.

This is how strategy is created in a real business. Even though your companies only tell you what's coming up for the next couple of months, they're already working on the holiday catalog for NEXT year! They've got a strategy, a business plan, and they have a direction to help them achieve their goals.

Does this mean we won't 'course correct' along the way? Heavens no. We need to look at our strategy and our plan periodically throughout the year to make sure we're on track - or to determine new goals. Sometimes, I find that the goals I laid out for a year are all met before the end of July. Sometimes, not. Funny thing about writing down our "goals" is that they become easier to accomplish.

It doesn't matter what they are - or how "SMART" they are. They need to be YOUR goals.

So what are your goals for the new year?

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com

Direct Sales Success: Lessons from 'The Wrong CEO's"

2009-12-25T08:20:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas! Just had to get that in before the article:

On twitter the other day, someone tweeted a post about "celebrating the wrong CEO's". The article, from the Harvard Business Review, talks about the metrics we SHOULD be using when we celebrate the accomplishments of CEO's.

Too often, the media darling of the minute is someone that has made a big success, turnaround, or otherwise made a 'big splash' in the short term.

Instead, the article asserts we should be looking at the integrity of the long-term record of these CEO's - how thay have performed overall - before we start handing out awards and patting them on the back.

I found an immediate correlation to Direct Sales leadership and had to shake my head.

All too often, companies bestow big prizes, gifts and awards on the "top" recruiter, sales leader, etc, and yet, the next year, that same leader is nowhere to be seen in the company hierarchy, let alone in the top rankings of the company. We laud and honor these big achievers, and don't think about the message that's being sent to our teams.

For years, I've used a combination of recogniton to help celebrate the right people, and still encourage leaders (and consultants) to strive to achieve more. Including longevity, consistency and what I like to call "repeat offenders" in the recognition encourages everyone to do their part to grow your organization - AND their own personal business.

I've only seen a handful of Direct Sales/Home Party companies that actually include this kind of recognition at the corporate level, and to me it seems like a no-brainer.

As a business builder, you want people who are in it for the long-haul, yet companies usually offer a 3-month incentive for consultants to stay on board. The industry statistics show that most consultants drop off after abotu 3 months. Belinda Ellsworth is noted for reminding people that at all times "a third are coming, a third are going, and a third are staying". Then what are we doing to encourage retention beyond those first 3 months?

While I didn't have the biggest team in my company, I had a solid team with average longevity of over 2 years, and an attrition rate under 20%. That means for every 10 people I signed up, less than 2 quit and most of them stayed longer than 2 years.

I don't usually talk about those numbers, mostly because I didn't think it was a big deal. But this year, I've realized it's a HUGE deal. There are hundreds, if not tens of thousands of leaders in this industry that are pluggin along, actively working thier business, being consistent, but that will probably not ever be in the top 10 or 20 of their companies. They'll never walk across the stage and win the awards that other leaders will, when THEY are the unsung heroines of most Direct Sales companies. These folks are working their businesses consistently - and isn't that what we want in our business?

I watched this happen first hand in one of my former companies. Sitting at one of my first ever National Conferences, I watched my own leader and her upline teach a class about recruiting - because my leader was the top recruiter for the company that year. What wasn't made public was that she earned that title because she promoted to Director because she transferred half her team from her former company to ours. By the time the next national confernce rolled around, she wasn't even an active consultant anymore, let alone a leader!

And yet, at that conference, we were led to believe she had the golden ticket to promoting to director in less than a year. Well, I don't know about you, but that feels kind of dishonest to me. Our company never remarked about it, and there was never an asterisk placed by her name in the "record books", and yet, we were all talking in hshed tones about how "she didn't really earn that title fairly".

She earned it fairly, she just shouldn't have been the one teaching strategies that she herself didn't use to attain that title. And everyone in the room knew it.

As a consultant, you need to be watching your leaders - even if your leader is MIA. Watch other leaders that are "doing things right" with a track record of longevity. find out what works for them and find ways to incorporate those strategies and tools into your business.

As a leader, you need to be honest with your teams. If you rightfully earned a title, stop fretting about competition, and help them learn how you did it. A rising tide - particularly in direct sales - raises all ships. Plus, they'll be ready to share with you when they are having successes of their own.

As company owners, we need to be looking for ways to recognize our ranks that will inspire others and not put the brass ring out of reach for the workhorses of our company. It's not hard to recognize people who consistently submit shows, regardless of the show size. Or to recognize people who consistenly add one new recruit every month. Leaders should be giving recognition for the daily actions (making the calls, holding the shows), but it's the company responsibility to encourage retention in meaningful ways beyond the almighty dollar.

In fact, the potential cash bonus is usually much less an incentive than the marketing potential of a professionally written press release or feature in the monthly magazine that helps build their crediblity in a way that directly connects them back to your brand in a positive way. It also shows potential recruits that you don't need to be the tops in the division, just consistent - something that is more attainable for more people.

This is a topic I harp on about once a year, but only because I'm so strong a proponent. I know people who tirelessly do everything their leader tells them to, and still get beat out month after month for those top slots. What a great way to recognize them for doing what we really want them to do - build a strong solid business that's designed to last a lifetime.

Social Media DON'T: LinkedIn Presentation Blunder

2009-12-22T12:32:00.005-05:00

File this in the "Oh NO you DIDN'T!" category...

Some of you may know that I've had a linkedin profile for a while, but never really used it.

I started making a few connections a couple of months ago, and I'm starting to think it was a bad idea.

From what limited info I have about linkedin, you're only supposed to "accept" real people that you know. So that's what I did.

This week, I got a peculiar email from one of my linkedin "contacts".

In essence this person sent me a slide show to review under the guise of getting my professional opinion. This person said they had "just finished" the presentation and wanted to get my honest feedback on it.

OhhhhhhHHHHhhhhh. I don't really think they want my honest feedback, so I'm going to share it publicly so that YOU can learn what went wrong and how you can prevent looking like a total flake when you're using LinkedIn.

1. The presentation was posted over a month ago.
This was not a NEW presentation, which was the first giveaway. If this person reeally wanted help, why wait a whole month to have someone review your presentation?

2. The FIRST Slide was titled "Why is NOW a graet time to join XYZ Co."
Oh NO you DIDN'T! When I clicked through to the person's profile, I saw that this presentation was one of the most viewed presntations on LinkedIn... for obvious reasons. This person was capitalizing on the good nature of people to view the presentation, when in reality the goal was either to get people to join the biz, or to push up the popularity of their presentation. Either way, it's a limy, underhanded tactic, and to use it on smeone in yuor own profession HAD to be one of the most ignorant moves on the planet.

Yep, I'm seething a bit here, but there's more.

3. It was not a personalized invitation.
Now I'm not one to consider myself arrogant, but this person didn't use my name ONCE in the email that I recieved to review the presentation. That tells me I'm just another name on the list getting this email. God knows how many other unsuspecting folks have been hit with this same email. This person played the "I know you're a busy professional, that's why I want your professional opinion" card. Yes, shame on me for clicking through, but if it saves you a world of grief, my work here is done.

4. The entire presentation was TOO wordy.
Since they really asked for my opinion of the persentation, here's the long and short of it. The slides had WAY too many words on most of them. Instead of using them as visuals, they were sales pages, loaded with way more content than you could even READ in the micro-sized format that linkedin offers in the preview pane.

Now I'm pretty verbose myself, so if I think it was wordy, it was REALLY horrible. The slide was so full, it sscrolled off the page! I couldn't even READ the entire story of the company founder - not that I really needed to, or WANTED to. But if I did, I couldn't. This person needs to brush up on Seth Godin's 'Really Bad Powerpoint' Post before composing another presentation.

5. The final slide was a cheesy graphic of themselves with all their contact info.
Now really, if you weren't convinced that this person was actually just trying to recruit me, nothing says it more than the final slide. I mean, seriously, if you're giving a presentation to people that already know you, WHY would you need a whole slide just about you - with contact information too?

Let's get to the heart of the matter. This person was pitching their product/biz opp to anyone with a puls. Granted, these were at least business professionals, so I applaud their desire to work with business builders, but if you're wasting your time in LinkedIn or any other venue (online or off) trying to push your presentation on someone, you need your head examined.

Yep. I'm still seething. But I feel a little better now.

But here's the cherry on top of the sundae: This person is connected to the owners of the direct sales company this person represents.

Everyody say it with me now: TACKY!

Not only is this a horrible reflection on Direct Sellers in general (I've 'dis-connected' myself from this person), but it also means that the company will get a black eye to boot.

This is exactly why we need more online marketing strategists and social media coaches working with direct sellers. At such a critical time, when companies are FINALLY embracing social media (or as Jennifer Fong pointed out, at least they're dipping their toe in), we've got galactic blunders like this hurtling about cyberspace just TRYING to ruin it for everyone else.

So while I doubt this person will EVER see my review of their "presentation", let my advice to you be plain: DO NOT BE THIS PERSON!

Lest you incur my wrath as well. :-)

Direct Sales Success: What's Your 2010 Strategy?

2009-12-20T12:36:00.005-05:00

So now we've got a vision, what about a strategy?

You've probably been hearing a lot about Social Media strategies lately, and yes, that's important, but it's only part of the picture for a business strategy.

If you're serious abut growing a business, and not just having direct sales "hobby" income, you need to plan specific strategies for generating leads, and converting those leads into more bookings, sales and recruits.

Social media are tools you can use as part of that strategy. But if you put all your eggs in the social media basket, you're missing the boat.

Jennifer Fong, one of the foremost authorities on Direct Sales and Social Media often says that you need a strategy to attract the right people to your business. You have to know WHO and WHERE they are before you can determine WHAT tools are effective in reaching them.

Part of developing your strategy means identifying your target market. I hope by now, you've gotten the message that everyone is not your target market. In fact, if you're brand new in direct sales, I hope you'll take a serious look at what kinds of customers are your "perfect fit". This is a term I use for the people that make it easy for you to do business - the kind you actually WANT to work with.

If you're not new to direct sales, and you've already got a laundry list of clients that are not your "perfect fit", this is a great place to start looking at your target marketing strategy. One of the great things about deciding WHO you want to work with is that the crums you no longer want to work with will either drop off the face of the earth, or get their act together. Before that can happen, though, YOU need to make some decisions.

* What was the best party/sales event you ever attended? What made it the best?
* What was the worst party/sales event you ever attended? What made it the worst?
* What was your top selling show? Was it worth all the work?
* What was your top booking show? Why was it so successful?

These are just a few of the questions I ask clients when we do a target marketing strategy session. The answers to these questions will give you a good idea of:

* What you enjoy most about the work you do
* The kinds of people that you enjoy working with
* Where to draw the line (some times the money doesn't matter, it's still not fun!)
* The elements of a succssful show

From here, you can craft a strategy to attract the kinds of people to your business that will help meet your "perfect fit customer" profile.

If you're already a member of our online community, you have free access to my 30-day target marketing program. In January 2010, we'll be launching an entire course focused on helping you develop a clear vision for your target market (oops! I think I just let the cat out of the bag!).

Until then, keep in mind, as you peruse your customer lists, the kinds of people you'd LOVE to work with, and start figuring out where you can meet them. This isn't about excluding others, or NOT doing business with people just because they don't meet your requirements. It IS about taking control of your business, and running it like a real business owner - because that's what you are.

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com

Direct Sales Success: What's Your 2010 Vision?

2009-12-20T12:11:00.004-05:00

[Editor's note: Now that I'm migrating the "off topic" posts to my new blog, this blog will be almost entirely focused on Direct Sales Marketing Strategies - primarily online, but offline as well. - Lisa]

Every good business starts with a vision. Actually, there's some other stuff that comes before the vision. It's the foundational, "what makes you tick" kind of stuff that is a bit beyond the confines of this blog. Frankly, in order to build a business you can be passionate about, you have to do that work first. But once you've hammered that identity stuff out, you need to look to your vision.

Some people have an overarching vision for what they anticipate will be the life of their business, and that's important. Equally important is the vision for each year - those things you need to really hone in on to achieve success on your terms.

So what's your vision?

Most direct sales companies only feed you their promotional materials a couple of months at a time. It's a great way to keep you focused on "bookingin tight". But as my Sales Diva mentor, Kim Duke, loves to remind me - you need to be planning at least 90 days out*.

Suffice it to say that unless you're a higher up leader in your company, you can't possibly know what the company has planned.

A typical vision has got to have some kind of scope - who you're going to impact/reach - as well as what you want to accomplish.

For example, to sell $10,000 in XYZ product and teach 500 guests about proper skin care techniques.

A vision can't be one-sided. There has to be a quid-pro-quo (Latin for "this for that"), that is, a service being provided for the compensation being received.

Compensation isn't always monetary either. It can be money you earn, a position or title you attain, a level of prestige or recognition.

In essence, it's something you GET for something you GIVE.

Your vision should be inspiring, and a bit of a stretch. There's no vision in saying I want to keep everything in 2010 the same as it was in 2009. There's no growth in a business that's stagnant. Only decay.

So while a lot of you have started laying out strategies and ideas for what you'd like to earn, creating plans for the beginning of the year, how will you know what success looks like?

That's where your vision comes into play.

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com

* - Full disclosure: that's my affiliate link. I love Kim so much I recommend her to others and get compensated when I do.

Birthday Parties, Sales, and Saying Goodbye

2009-12-19T07:59:00.004-05:00

I don't normally "do sales". I certainly don't broadcast them publicly very often.

I feel like I'm discounting the quality of my products when I "slash prices" and offer incredible savings on my products.

However, I have a very special circumstance that warrants doing something incredible.

My son turns 13 today. The BIG 1-3. But today's both his birthday party and his going away party.

See Forest has been struggling not only with teenage hormones, but also some emotional problems and mental health issues that have placed him and our family in harm's way more times than I care to count.

I can share this with you because he has consented to co-author a book with me about this ordeal. For the next couple of years, Forest will be in a camp program for boys with emotional problems. As a mom, this is the toughest thing I've ever done. It's
probably also the smartest thing I could ever do for my son.

You can read the details on my new website.

But here's the situation: the program costs nearly $24,000 a year - and we found out our insurance doesn't cover any of it. Big surprise, right?

And he starts December 31, so I have a lot of motvation to do something a little bit drastic.

Here's the link to get the print edition of Home Party Solution at more than 50% off.

If you want the 3.0 edition at the 1.0 price, you need to act fast. We can deliver as many copies as you can purchase, but the deadline for this "sale" is December 31 - the day Forest goes to camp.

I'm not one to ask for handouts. We don't have fifty grand just lying around, either. So here's the best of both worlds.

It may sound a little desperate, but hey, it's my kid. If it means looking a little foolish in order to save his life, that's a small price to pay. If it was your kid, what would you do?

If you've ever considered buying the book, now's the absolute best time to do it. You'll also get a special coupon you can use for a complimentary copy of our book when it's completed (but that won't be until after he graduates from the program).

It's the least I can do to say thanks.

Click here to purchase the book

There's no limited quantities on this. You can order as few or as many as you'd like. It's a great book to have in your leadership lending library for your consultants. The book offers step-by-step instruction on building your online presence quickly and effectively. Online marketing isn't just social media, folks, and this book covers all the basics in an easy to read, step-by-step approach.

So that's the reason I've been kind of incognito for the last month. We've been finalizing all the details on his enrollment, and that's kind of kept me out of the public eye for a bit.

And yes, that means next year will see some big changes for me and my family. I hope you'll stick around, because even with this ordeal, you're going to see some pretty incredible stuff coming out of our company!

#shine Wrap-up Finale: What I learned in Vegas

2009-11-16T03:14:00.004-05:00

So you've seen my take on the good, bad and ugly at Ali Brown's Shine event. And if you missed it, check my previous posts.

Today, I wanted to boil it all down to what I actually learned and what my "take aways" were from this event.

I was fortunate in that I was able to spend a couple extra days in Vegas processing, filtering, connecting, and getting more clarity on how to apply everything I gleaned before, during and after Shine.

The biggest take away is that you really do get what you take. Everyone went in with so many varied opinions and ideas - some positive, some negative. But ultimately, each person makes an assessment as to whether or not they'd do it all over again. I definitely would go back because so much good came out of this event for me.

But I was looking for the good in the first place. It didn't come in all the ways I expected, or hoped, but there was a TON of value I never would have gotten had I not gone to Vegas.

For example, one of my core values is experiences. I love participating in and creating experiences where people can connect, share, grow and support one another. Love it, love it, LOVE IT. That's been the missing link in my business and my life, and I didn't figure that out until I was in the room watching a half dressed guy spinning heavy metal objects during the opening of the event. It wasn't the spinning guy that thrilled me (really. not my type), but the oohing and aaahing and "illegal" photography that the audience was doing that interested me. You could tell that people were raising their energy, getting excited, and wanting to find something exciting in this event.

It was all about the experience. And while I won't say I'm a seminar junkie, it does explain why I love direct sales so much - creating experiences for clients to really enjoy themselves and feel good about their own lives.

There Are A LOT Of People Looking For Clarity
Most of the women and men I met at Shine were looking or clarity, direction and the "How-to's" to grow their business idea. They are smart, hard working people, trying to "figure it out" - many trying to balance their heart with their head. The answers, most of the time, are already within us - or within arm's reach. And it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to get the answers you need. You just need to know where to look.

I like reinventing myself
A couple of weeks prior to shine, I was at a mastermind retreat where I realized that one of the biggest thrills in my life is helping people get that "Ah-HA!" moment of clarity in their life. I've worked with theater owners, authors, actors, direct sellers, designers, small biz owners, and even heads of multi-million dollar companies. Sometimes it's the teeny weeny little idea that gets overlooked that puts everything into perspective.

So I created these "limited edition" business cards positioning myself as an idea coach and professional brainstormer - helping people get clarity or create new ideas to make their business profitable. It felt like being home.

I wasn't pigeon-holed into a niche, I could communicate effortlessly with all kinds of entrepreneurs - including a rocket scientist whilst in the airport - and offer substantive help that got peoples wheels turning.

I Like That! So we've created RentLisasBrain.com where I'll be doing more of that brainstorming and focus work.

People-Watching Pays
From the waitstaff to the sales reps on the main floor of the Venetian, to the other participants in the event, there was a lot to learn just by watching others. The way they carried themselves, what they said, what they DIDN'T say - there was free education all around just by keeping your eyes open.

Never Leave Anything To Chance
Anne McKevitt said this in an off-hand kind of way during her branding presentation, but it stuck with me. And as the event went on, I looked for places where Ali's team worked hard to leave nothing to chance. While we kind of had to work at applying a lot of the hidden lessons from Shine, this one idea gave me some new directions in my own life and business.

Everything Works. You Just Have To Be Tenacious.
Really. It doesn't matter what business model you choose, or how you set everything up. Every strategy that's being taught will work if you apply enough tenacity to it. Granted, some will work better than others, and not everything will be a perfect fit for you, but people wouldn't espouse it if it didn't work.

Which Means, It's Really About Resonance.
So while everything WILL work, finding the thing that resonates most with you is where you'll be most content. Then, even if it's not the most effective idea for others, you'll be happy and productive.

Bluntly, in the Internet Marketing realm, there are experts that tell you the best way to squeeze every dollar out of a prospect is with upsells, downsells, cross sells, and probably diagonal sells if they could figure that out. But most of us don't resonate with that, and "settle" for a happy medium - a balance of content and pitch that makes us feel we're providing value, developing relationships and getting compensated appropriately.

My action plan is to re-design my business around the way I would want to be treated as a customer - and as a human being. It costs more and means harder work, and it's worth it, because I'm proud of the end result, my true fans appreciate me, and they know what effort goes into producing a quality product. It also means more hands-on, personal interaction with me, because that's where I think people get the best results. And since I'm all about results, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Binders Suck
That was probably the second biggest disappointment of Day One. This gorgeous binder was at my seat waiting for me and inside was nothing but lined note paper and a "resource" section that was filled with Ali's products on discount. It felt like such a waste, even after we were given about 20 pages to plug into it.

I've never found a program where "the binder" met my expectations. It always felt like an overpriced way to share the powerpoint slides. So you'll very likely never see me doing any kind of binder.

Now I know from a sales perspective that when you put it in a binder, it's easier for the customer to lose pieces, which prevents refunds. But if I'm truly focused on helping my clients succeed, why do I want them to lose anything? More importantly, if they want to return it, I want to make that as easy as pie - especially in light of the new FTC rulings. I ONLY want to work with people that WANT to work with me and WANT to get results.

If I Build It (And It Rocks) They WILL Come
Out of one side of their mouth, experts tell you that there are industry "standards" about drop off rates, subscriber open rates, and conversion rates. They tell us to expect that kind of stuff. Then out of the other side of their mouth they talk about attracting perfect clients, abundance and the fact that there is only cooperation, not competition.

So if I subscribe to the abundance, attraction notion, it stands to reason that I can have an amazing business filled with people that love my style, my approach, my outlook and my content. The only thing really standing in my way is what I call the "Emperor's New Clothes Syndrome". We keep spinning our wheels when we know something's amiss, because we're told that it worked for someone else, so it should work for us - instead of trusting our instincts and doing what we know resonates more perfectly in our own world.

I've learned that trusting my gut and expecting - nay demanding - more for myself and my clients makes me a hero to my ideal clients. It's harder work, but it's better rewarded. The half-ass approach of doing the minimum brings people to you that want more than the minimum for minimum prices.

One of my lists has about 1700 people on it. Each subscriber on that list is worth over $100 to me (and growing). I learned at Shine that's an incredible value! And I cherish that, because it means that I'm doing all the right things to keep that list responsive and lucrative.

One of the concepts that Napoleon Hill talks about in Think and Grow Rich is doing more than you're paid for. Going above and beyond is expected anymore. Shirking will just cause you to end up with the dregs.

And just like the Field of Dreams, all the players didn't take the field in the beginning. But some of the players told other players, and eventually they DID show up.

Modeling Will Only Take You So Far - Then You've Got to Innovate
Learning from others is a great place to start when you're stuck, or have no idea how to begin. But there comes a point in time when you must break out of the ruts the other wagons have laid down and forge a path of your own. Otherwise, you're just a pale reflection of those that have gone before you.

I think of some of the greatest musicians of all time - they were all inspired by other great musicians. If all they ever did was model their heroes, everyone would be playing Purple Haze exactly the same way.

But when Hendrix played the National Anthem everyone stood up and took notice. Some people liked it, others were in shock, everyone said it was an innovative approach to an "old standard".

So I'm taking time to learn outside my own field and tap into the expertise of others that have nothing to do with my business - some of them long since dead. Newton, Asimov, Picasso, daVinci all are great sources of inspiration to cross- pollinate your brain and get you thinking outside the incestuous relationships within your industry.

Women Overcome
When put to the test, women are amazingly resilient, enduring creatures that put up with a lot of stuff. We're also deceptive, sneaky, tricky and cunning. We can use our powers for good or evil and when we choose good, the effect is exponential, trickling down through societies, permeating cultures, and changing the world.

Aside from the speakers, I met some incredibly remarkable women - some I was already following, and some new faces as well. Each of them has a wonderful gift to share and I'm confident they WILL share it because they are overcomers. Keri's ability to connect quickly makes it clear she's perfectly suited to social media coaching - despite what Anne might say. Jill's gift for writing is clearly evident in her manner of speaking. Cutressa's enthusiasm lights up her space and the lives of everyone around her - I think everyone knew Cutressa by the end of the event. MonSun, my Faerie Godmother, Sabine, and even Nicole (a client I met up with) all left a lasting imprint about who they are, what they want to accomplish in the world, and how they're taking action on getting it done. And they will, because they overcome. Not to neglect the dozens of other women at this event that I met - each was remarkable. And I know each will overcome. It's in their DNA, so to speak.

I Don't Need Permission. I Need Connections.
Kind of self explanatory. I realized that I can be anyone I believe I am - without waiting for confirmation, validation or recognition from some external source, be it a person, mastermind group, coach or other entity living or dead.

There's no "acting as if". I already AM, therefore, it's not acting.

I met a woman who dubbed herself My Faerie Godmother, and she told me things about me I've never shared publicly - and I couldn't explain it away. She told me about my mom, my kid, my husband and all the things I've been trying to live up to - or live down. The buck stops here. Now.

I'm "smarter than the average bear" and don't have to apologize for who I am. There are throngs of people that actually enjoy the part of me I've allowed to really shine through. That means regardless of my shape, size, texture or hair color (and yes it will stay blonde for many months to come), I'm me and that's groovy. I don't need your approval, program, group or seal of authenticity to be me.

What I do need is to continue to connect with people that expand my thinking like that. People that have viewpoints, clarity, confusion, directions, aspirations and energies that are different from my own. It's part of what drives me and helps me thrive.

Good Things Come To He Who Waiteth If He Worketh Like Heck While He Waiteth
This was actually a little plaque that hung over my Grandma's kitchen sink. There is a process to achieving success - an incubation period - and skipping steps only slows you down. Do things right the first time so you don't have to go back and do them again, and quit trying to get ahead of yourself. Life's not a race, it's a cruise. The buffet's pretty tasty and the view is spectacular fro all sides once you leave port.

So many of us are trying to hurry up and get rich/famous/successful, and we forget there's a process to this stuff. Wolfgang Puck was quoted in INC magazine as saying that slow and steady growth is the best way to ensure longevity in the marketplace. He's watched dozens of restaurants come and go that grew three times as fast as he has - and he's the one still standing.

I've been reading a lot of stories about entrepreneurs from the turn of the last century - some you've never even heard of for that very reason. They wanted to grow too fast, and ruined themselves. On the other hand, the prudent, judicious and successful entrepreneurs that are still known to this day, took their time to carefully grow their businesses in ways that would be sustainable. Don't trade a lot of money later for a little money right now.

I Like Being a Blonde
Several followers asked about the choice to go blonde, suggested I go back, and commiserated with me on the grey hair that lurks beneath the surface. The fact of the matter is I enjoy being blonde WAY more than I enjoyed having brown/grey hair, and it will likely stay that way for a long while. I can't say blondes have more fun, but I can say that I'm easier to spot in the crowd, and it's doing for me what I set out to do when I changed the color in the first place. Purple would probably have been just as effective, but I figured that was a little less professional.

I Like Rocking The Boat
Not to be cantankerous, but I like pointing out the stuff that doesn't work. I'm not trying to be a Negative Nelly here - it's not about being negative for negativity's sake. I think there's great value in sharing what works and what doesn't so that people can improve themselves. Not everyone will agree, I'm sure, and that's fine. They're not part of my tribe. Usually when I point out a faux pas, I'm quick to offer a solution if I can find one. That's how my brain is wired. Find a problem, find some solutions, fix it and move on. I'm not going to apologize for that anymore, I'm just going to rock it out!

So that's the gist. There's more, and I'll be sharing stuff as I go along and wriggle out of the new cocoon, but you get the idea of where I'm headed here. Your comments, thoughts and witty remarks are welcome feedback!

Definitions Make the Difference: #SHINE Wrap-up part Deux

2009-11-15T07:41:00.001-05:00

I promised the good things that came out of Ali Brown's SHINE event - and here they are (if you missed yesterday's post, that's where I put the yucky stuff).

For as much as I was disappointed about Ali's content and delivery of the event, there were a TON of great things to take away from Shine. The first was the environment itself. Imagine a room of 450 entrepreneurs that are all on a journey of discovery and upleveling together. That's what Napoleon Hill talked about when he was discussing Masterminds. And his group was a cross section unlike any other. CEO's and start-ups, men, women, billionaires and people who spent their very last dollar to be at the event. Truly an amazing blend of people.

I pretty much had my values locked down before the event. So while I only took away a small a-ha from the values exercise, SO many people continued to talk about it well into Day three. I discovered that I value experiences, and that I need them - and that's something I didn't know about myself that will definitely change the way I approach business in 2010.

A ton of great new connections were forged. People that were silent followers were reaching out to say hi - and even thanks - to the ones they've been following. And those people were gracious, considerate, and even helpful at times. It was good to know that there were so many good folks at such a large event.

I left my laptop in the ballroom repeatedly and my bag was never touched. The integrity, compassion and genuine helpfulness of the attendees was tremendous. The bulk of the group were women, and all of them were genuinely appreciative of one another, willing to help each other, support each other, and cheer for each other. Often, when one person would voice a concern or an ah-ha, that person would be approached at a later time by a throng of attendees seeking to assist.

The speakers all shared some great sound bites. Julie Clark, an accidental millionaire, has worked hard to help children have better lives. She's overcome a few obstacles to do it. That story was well recieved. Barbara Corcoran was an absolute RIOT, being completely honest, blunt, and entertaining at the same time. The lessons from her Mother were priceless.

But the star of the show was far and away Marlee Matlin. Honest, direct, and uber positive, she shared her triumphs so candidly, interacted with participants and even spoke a few words. She shared the realities of being a wife, mom and business owner - the joys and struggles. That was something we could all relate to. I felt she was the most "like us" of the bunch of speakers.

Anne McKevitt was very approachable throughout the event. Answering most questions, and creating quite a stir in the back of the room between breaks. I stood off to the side a few times listening to her share stories, offer advice, and try to be a genuine help to the women in the room. I look forward to getting her slides from the presentation.

Ali provided some good overview material. The only piece of "deep thinking" was on day three, with Dr. Jill's TED video. That was a smart move on Ali's part. Call in a female brain expert to explain the abilities of the left and right brain. I've seen this video numerous times, and it never fails to impress.

The hot seats were fun and entertaining. You could see the wheels turning for these entrepreneurs - and they also made a ton of new connections after sitting in the "Ali Halo" for a few minutes. There was lotsof learning going on in the room.

I met a faerie godmother. For as open a person as I am, she was able to connect the dots on some issues I've NEVER publicly shared before. It was an eye opening experience for me. It answered so many questions, and raised a few more I'll be exploring in 2010.

My swipe file is FILLED with ideas from Ali's event. I learned a TON about how to effectively run a live event (and what not to do). I took more notes on that than anything else. Ali puts on quite a show, and anyone paying attention could see how much behind the scenes work was going on right in front of our eyes.

I also learned a TON about upselling a big ticket coaching product. Ali had dozens and dozens of women making a beeline to the front of the stage as the scantily clad Vegas showgirls brought the MPC applications to the front of the room. Ali used her clients as examples for each of the business blueprint "models" she offered, allowing her the opportunity to not only showcase her handiwork, but to get live testimonials from her clients.

The bulk of day two served to set up the pitch for her program at the end of the evening. Presenting James Roche to deliver content focused on helping people see the logical steps in building a business set him up as a content expert. Then drawing the connection that he'll also be teaching not one but two tracks for this year's MPC program got the crowd even more excited.

Ali sealed the deal for many with her promised live event mid 2010 all about setting up and running a multi-tier coaching/mastermind program, and free VIP access tonext year's Shine event for those that opted to join at either the platinum or diamond level.

This was a HUGE opportunity to observe the upsell, as well as cleve ways to pre-fill the seats for a live event.

We were also able to see and connect with people that were getting results. In a year of depessing economic news, it was good to hear that some people (myself included) were having their best year EVER in business. Many of them were doing something new, out of the box, or testing an entirely different market, but they were doing SOMETHING - and it was working. It wasn't one particular market that was seeing success, these industries were as varied as the women that worked them.

Michele DeKinder-Smith's JaneOutOfTheBox.com direct mail campaign was genius! Complete with what NOT to do, it was so cool to see what happened, what worked and what didn't in a way that we could translate into our own business. That was AWESOME!

You get what you take out of an event like this. I came not expecting much in terms of content (Ali was still creating content only a couple of weeks before the event, according to social media posts). My focus was on learning from others in the room, seeing what new "tricks" Ali had up her sleeve, and hearing from the celeb speakers.

The event totally matched my expectations, although I was hoping for more. When things become predictable for me, that's a sign that it's time to uplevel my thinking and connect with more ambitious folks. That was a huge take-away for me.

Whenever major upleveling happens in my life, it's usually coupled with a major weather disturbance (weird, I know). So after Sunday's earthquake AND the tropical storm we flew through on my way home, I knew I made a good decision to attend Shine - even if the content wasn't all that was promised.

So for as much belly aching as I did yesterday, you can see there was still a ton of awesome goings on in Vegas. Plus, I made a few new friends, and even spied a celebrity or two in the lobby of my hotel after the event. And yes, staying a couple of extra days definitely gave me time to get some clarity on my 2010 directions as well. New ideas, new biz ventures, and some great new connections means that 2010 will likely be my best year yet.

Bring. It. On.

Deception-Success Connection Dilemma: #SHINE Wrap-up Part 1

2009-11-14T06:17:00.002-05:00

This wrap up has many facets. As such, I wanted to make separate posts for each of them. A lot of good came from this event. A LOT. And I will give ample room on this blog for that. But I'm a "bad news first" kind of girl, so here's where it gets a little - as my friend ElizabethPW would say - snarky.

So I didn't plan on going to the Ali event for content. In fact, after hearing Ali herself profess to watering down her content at previous event, I really wasn't expecting much. I looked at this as an investment in meeting new people, forging some great new business conacts, firming up some online friendships in real life, and possibly getting some content along the way.

In fact, the content was frosting. I was hoping for some face time with the speakers, but it was made clear early on that we probably wouldn't get that. So I expected a big pitch for her Platinum/Diamond program along with a sprinkling of ideas from Think and Grow Rich and some business math - since she told us to bring our calculator.

I pretty much got what I expected, which is all at once disappointing and promising at the same time. Day one was by far the most content packed day of the event - but mostly it was the inner game of business. As I had recently come from a mastermind goup meeting of my own, I had already done the values activity, and made light work of that task. For the investment, Day one was really where the hard work of the event happened.

A lot of people took a lot out of the values exercise. People talked about it all of the three days we were in session - and it was a great way to start the event. In fact, if it weren't for one glaring issue on day one, I would have said it was the best day of the entire event.

And no, I'm not talking about the fire alarm. That was incredibly hysterical.

The problem I had was that after the values exercise, Ali openly revealed that "truth" was one of her top 5 values. I'm all for truth, and I think it's great. I also know that we all lie, so there's a very fine line you have to walk as a public persona that values truth so highly.

So imagine my shock and awe when both of Ali's speakers for day one openly admitted to lying in order to achieve success. Julie Clark, founder of Baby Einstein lied to a buyer, telling her that the previous buyer "loved her video and was planning to put it on the shelves in the stores", when in fact, she hadn't even heard back form the buyer in the first place. Anne McKevitt lied about her age after running away from home to score a job with celeb hair stylist John Frieda.

Some people I talked to said "Hey, you do whatever it takes." or "Act as if, right?" Everyone has their own ethics barometer, and I'm not here to debate that. What bothered me was that Ali said she valued truth, and then put two very successful women on her stage that openly admitted to lying.

That REALLY bugged me. She didn't call them out on it or anything. If truth is such a highly valued commodity in Ali's world, why was it so lacking in two of her featured speakers? The message I walked away with is "the truth is okay, but you have to lie if you want to be successful." I tweeted about it several times because it really got to me.

These women were incredibly inspiring - from an "over come any obstacle" standpoint. I'll talk more about that on my next post.

Then there was a short message from one of the three event sponsors. And by short I mean incredibly long and unintelligible to an audience that doesn't do much in the way of day trading. And why did only one sponsor get to speak from the stage? Did the other two not pay enough? That seemed goofy to me. I know that they sponsored the VIP party, but MichelePW sponsored the sponsored the elegant morning breakfast on all three days, which was far more valuable to the entire group. She could have given a USEFUL presentation that would have captured the hearts of all in the room. She's a COPYWRITER after all!

The last bummer of the day was Anne's lambasting of branding. She began with a graphic depicting the top of a soda bottle, a coffee cup, a tennis shoe, and a hamburger - all unidentified. She then asked us to write down the first brand that came to mind.

Her point was to convey the power of branding. But her point got lost in translation as she proceeded to tear apart nearly every woman in the room by telling us we're wasting time on social media, that we shouldn't put our twitter id or picture on our biz cards, and that glossy stock screams cheesy "realtor" or something to that effect.

She further went on to say that we needed a business name that tells people exactly what we're about, and that if our tagline could do it, then we were "okay", but that we really needed a name that was clear to identify.

Ironically, the four brand names that were most popular in the above mentioned quiz? Coke, Starbucks, Nike, McDonald's - NONE of which tell you a damn thing about their product.

Anne tried to construct a corporate advertising brand on a personal/personality-based branding frame. In several of the inpromptu moments when Anne was "cornered" between sessions, she was found analysing and collecting business cards, telling people what was "wrong" with them. At least three times I heard her tell people that if they couldn't afford to spend the few hundred/couple thousand dollars to have a quality business card designed and printed, that they shouldn't be in business.

Them's hard words to swallow in a room of people where many spent their last penny (and then some) just to get to the event, let alone order business cards.

And yes, my card totally violated the Anne McKevitt rules of engagement. It was a temp I made on glossy stock just for the event with my pic, twitter id and a blurb on the back that said we met at Shine.

They're collectors items now. hee hee.

But as an Idea Coach, I had three people approach me to help them come up with a new name for their business based on Anne's suggestions - and they were able to find me again in that sea of people because my picture was on my card! How sad is that?

Day two began by trying to play catchup on content that we couldn't finish thanks to the fire alarm. Unfortunately, what I was HOPING would be implementation and strategy to help us make use of the business models she provided, ended up being overview. I can already read the diagrams, thanks. Overview wasn't particularly value added to me.

Ali was clever in that she was able to sprinkle in more testimonials about how her current clients were successful with the business models - and nearly all of them ended with some kind of "you're the best!" testimonial for Ali's MPC program.

Knowing Ali's live event format, I expected testimonials, but I expected them to come during the panel in the evening (and I wasn't disappointed). I also expected them to be subtantive - especially in light of the new FTC rules taking effect Dec 1 (A question Ali wouldn't field during her Q&A session). I even expected a session with James Roche to set the positive frame of his role in the MPC program, and his session on the entrepreneur's path wasn't too bad.

Barbara Corcoran was a pip - and I enjoyed her stories immensely. I didn't enjoy the recurring theme of having to BS her way to billions, which again seemed to be the antithesis of what Ali said she held as a core value (truth).

The highlight of Day two was Adam Haroun's makeover during the late night hot seats. He was able to immediately see the value of his offerings, and make some powerful connections to grow his business - something I think we were all hoping would happen for us on day two.

Day three was incredibly rushed. In fact, the peer-to-peer reviews were what I was waiting for all weekend - and they never materialized. Ali didn't even have time to complete a portion of the event and promised to continue it on a teleclass at a later date. I'm wondering how the return policy will be affected by this turn of events.

The business plan was an interesting cross between vision board and action plan, but seemed to lack substance. There were a lot of A-ha's being shared, and Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's TED video about the left and right hemispheres of the brain drew quite a response. Highlight number one of Day three.

When it came down to "studying" Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, I chuckled at Ali's gaffe, when she said she wished there were "Cliff Notes" for the book. Apparently she didn't know it was taken from a much larger work of Hill's -so in essence it WAS the Cliff Notes. Hee hee. Ultimately, though, Ali let the audience lead this session with their own a-ha's, and shared relatively little insight of her own.

And no, we didn't need a calculator. Ever.

We did need a few tissues either from laughing too hard or crying a bit at the AMAZING Marlee Matlin. I was disheartened to hear that of all our successful speakers, it was the most honest, hard working, no b.s'ing of the bunch that didn't have a multi-million dollar company under her belt.

But perhaps, that's because her definition of success is a more holistic one.
Marlee was definitely Highlight number ONE of the entire event.

And yes, we did contact Ali's team about the content that wasn't delivered. They indicated they're "checking into" it to see what Ali plans to do.

I can't help but wonder as a handful of folks are actually speaking out about the daashed expectations and disappointments at Shine, how many other people are watching the empress and not telling her she's unclothed?

So there's the ugly, the bad, and some of the good.
More good to follow. Promise.

Duplicating Failure: The dark truth about 'modeling' and "duplication"

2009-11-13T09:59:00.000-05:00

"Do or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

I posted a rant on Marie Forleo's blog a few days back. In it, I made mention of the idea that we're in an industry where we're being told by the gurus to 'model' them. Model other successful people and we'll see the same results.

Yeah.

Take a look around right now, and a lot of those people that are telling you to model them are suffering. And they're LYING about it.

Well, not lying, just withholding all the truth and only sharing what makes them look good. There's another blog post coming about lying later.

It's not just a guru problem. Direct Sales leadership also oozes with it's own brand of less-than-honest attitude.

I remember the day I sat in a regional meeting for the top income earner in the company. I was hoping, as most were, to walk away with some great ideas to help move my business forward. I wanted to learn, like the dozens of women in that room, her secrets to success - that had her raking in nearly a half a million dollars a year in less than 4 years' time.

She stood up there telling everyone to go to vistaprint, get 500 "free" business cards and pass them out to everyone we meet - and do it every month to create new leads for our business.

I could have puked. I almost got up and left. But I stayed, and watched the reaction in the room.

Many of the newbies were frantically taking notes and talking about what a great idea this was.

They were duplicating a lie.

She NEVER built her business this way. And if she tried to do it - especially in this day and age - she'd be run out of town on a rail - or everyone would run screaming for the hills when they saw her approaching.

It was absolutely dishonest and a disservice to the women in that room that were looking for real help from her.

She offered a "duplicatable" failure instead of telling the truth: Direct sales takes effort - you need to practice your demo, even when you have no shows on your calendar. You need to learn your products and how they benefit your customers. You need to be "out there" growing your market beyond your family and friends - or building a website, creating a system that handles SOME of it for you (notice, I said SOME, not all). You need to establish yourself as an expert that your customers look up to - that know like and trust you.

Instead, we continue to hear the "duplication" mantra bellowed from even the direct sales companies themselves.

When a guru, a trusted source of information, tells you to 'model them and learn from their success' they darn well better be providing information that works.

And that's the sticky wicket.

A lot of people "fudge the numbers" to make it LOOK like they're successful.

Ask the leader that took home a $400,000 commission check just how much she actually PROFITED in a year.

After training materials, travel costs, phone bills, samples, catalogs, and other "tax deductible" overhead for training her team and running her business, you might be surprised to find that she's only PROFITING by a small margin.

Now it's still not bad to be profiting $100,000 a year, but if 75% of your income is going back into your business, you're not being entirely honest when you boast about your $400,000 bonus check.

It happens in so many industries that it makes my stomach turn.

One such guru recently reported that nearly 80% of his launches each year were not successful.

80%?! Now maybe a successful launch to him means that it makes millions of dollars. To me, successful means it did what I set out for it to do. If I wanted to increase my list, it increased my list. If I wanted to make some money, it made some money.

Most small business owners can't afford to duplicate something that fails 80% of the time! And even if you could afford to, WHY WOULD YOU!?!?

I have a "formula" that I'm sure is not very original:
How much to I need to charge to break even if only 2 or 3 people register?

It's not glamorous, but it works. The only time I've ever had a "failure" is when I ignored that formula and 'modeled' someone else. Mind you, I like to do more than just break even (and most often do). This formula, however, ensures that I don't go broke chasing ideas that could prove unprofitable.

Sometimes, if it ain't broke you really DON'T need to fix it.

What does this have to do with Yoda? Here's part two:
Duplication CAN work if you're actually following a working system fully.

I recently got an email from a client who said that they had "tried" my system and failed.

Upon further investigation, they revealed that they had "tried" everything and nothing worked. So I offered to triage their efforts. The discovery:

hmmm.. less than 100 twitter followers - so that twitter thing doesn't work, eh?

A TOTAL of three blog posts - all from 5 months ago - so that "blog thing" didn't work either?

Two articles on ezinearticles.com - article marketing is a waste, too?

This is why I'm so insistent on people finding an area of expertise that they are passionate about. Onceyou do, you'll never stop writing, blogging, speaking, thinking, sharing, teachign about it, because it juices you, you WANT to do it. In fact you find it difficult to NOT do it.

When I started, I didn't do everything (and in truth, my website is in process of a much-needed and long-awaited makeover). I started with a few articles and a website. I grew that website by creating more articles, repurposed that content and continued to grow - THEN I added a blog, social media, etc.

Do one thing. Focus on making it great (not good, great). THEN grow and scale the system as you move forward.

When you take on something new, commit to give it focused attention for a specific amount of time. Keep your head down and keep working until the allotted time is up - then assess the situation.

It's the reason so many info marketing products end up sitting on a shelf collecting dust - either unopened, or incomplete.

"Well, I read chapter 1 and I didn't get it, so I just put it away for later."

"Well, I worked on it for a little while, but it was hard."

"Well, I never got around to opening it there was just so much there that it looked liek it was going to take forever to get through it all - I just don't have the time to work on something like that."

I'm probably a rare bird. Every info product I've ever purchased, I've consumed. If I plunk down my hard-earned cash, I want to see results. But I have a strategy for staying unemotional.

Here's my evaluation/decision strategy for all those great looking courses, events, products and training opps that come my way each year:

1. Does this have the potential to help me leapfrog toward my goal this year?
2. How much time is required to implement?
3. Do I have the time to give?
4. What's the investment?
5. What's my expected return on investment?

These are 5 of my 10 considerations for investing in a program. Info marketers are GREAT at creating copy to get you emotional about your purchases. You HAVE to take the emotion out of the equation if you want to keep your sanity and your money.

So consider take the whole "modeling" idea with a grain of salt. No doubt there are many methods that will work for you that haven't even been tried yet - or that WON'T work for someone else, but will work for you. That sounds weird, but I've seen it done.

Ultimately, the truth of the matter is that everyone is unique. While concepts can be applied to many situations (which often makes modeling effective), even the Law of Gravity can be repealed in certain 'zero g' environments.

Speechless, An apology of sorts

2009-11-12T15:26:00.002-05:00

This doesn't usually happen to me.

I started working on a blog post on October 29, and I saved it to review later...

...and later is still waiting to arrive.

Now I could say something about analysis paralysis, but the reality of why I held off on the post was that I was afraid.

I'm noticing some trends in the online world - and maybe it's because I've been around a while now - and these trends are bothering me in a BIG way.

My coach and pal (hope I'm not overstating that) @ElizabethPW made a remarkable post today about her experiences at Ali Brown's recent Shine event.

I told her she stole my blog post. Elizabeth has a great way of saying what other people are thinking. She's like the kid that's not afraid to tell the world that the Emperor is naked.

I heart her.

So as I wrestled with fear, she was stepping out to face the wolves.

It got me to thinking about the other things we think but don't say - things we need to say.

I don't usually get speechless, paranoid, or worried about the impressions of others. I'm kind of known as being blunt, direct, and sometimes a little terse.

I try to speak the truth in love - and sometimes I'm a bit too honest for my own good, so I'm told.

That's part of what curbed my tongue this time.

You see, being on "the inside" of an industry reveals a lot of dirty secrets. Part of me wants to keep my mouth shut because I'm afraid of getting tossed out on my ear once I start revealing all this stuff to the masses.

Then I'm reminded of Groucho Marx, who said he didn't want to be part of a club that would have him as a member.

In the past week, there's been a lot of soul searching, discussions, ranting, and whatnot. I thank God above that you aren't privvy to some of the stuff I've heard/dealt with in the past week.

There's just too much subterfuge in business that makes ding business hard. It doesn't have to be that way.

So in an effort to get clear on some stuff, there's changes coming - saying goodbye to some old peeps that just don't resonate with my new direction - and saying hello to new peeps that are going to rock your world.

You'll get my take on Shine, and lessons learned later this week. There were plenty, although not the ones you might think.

Oh! And I've created a new workout program for myself...

- it's called rocking the boat.

You have been warned.

Well that didn't work: When Duplication Fails

2009-10-29T16:10:00.005-04:00

Do you remember the old mimeograph machines?

I mean those ink filled drums that teachers used to create "copies" back in the day.
...and you'd turn the crank and turn the crank, and after a while, the purple copies were so faint, you'd have to create a new master to make more copies.

That's the problem with duplication in your direct sales business.

When a leader establishes a successful method of training, new verbiage for closing a sale, etc., instinctively, everyone on the team wants to duplicate that leader's success.

Trouble is, not every method will work for every person.

It's not your fault. You may have a different personality, a different kind of clientele, or a different attitude about the method being presented.

But when a downline leader takes that successful training and "tweaks it", they've essentially created a new "master".

And we're not duplicating the original anymore.

Are you feeling the sticky purple ink on your hands yet?

Duplication only works when you can effectively duplicate a successful SYSTEM.

Styles, approaches, and even verbiage won't always be effectively duplicated because everyone is unique - just like everyone else.

So stop trying to copy the inflection of your upline - and their posture, or their hairstyle (I'm not joking!). That's not what determines your success.

Duplicate the systems they're using - only if they're successful. Examine the processes they use - and determine how successful they are.

Next time, we'll talk about the darker side of duplication. OoooOooOOOOooooh. Just in time for Halloween.

Promote Yourself Without Being Pushy

2009-10-26T05:52:00.004-04:00

On Saturday Night, I was party to the Annual Vampire Ball in my local community.

We all dress up like vampires and dance and carry on to support our local farmer's market. It's a good time for a good cause.

This year, we had 5 very talented bands performing. Voltaire was, of course, our returning headliner and while he wowed the crowed with his fun and entertaining songs, it's not him that I want to talk about.

Some of these groups just didn't have a clue how to promote themselves.

Here's what one band said during their set:

"um, yeah, we're (insert band name here). We've got a merch table in the back there if you're interested. Our website is: myspace.com/(band name) - if you want to learn more about the band."

There was more, but I hope you get the point. This very somber delivery (even if they were a goth band), didn't get people excited about what they had to offer. The fact is, they were probably one of the better sounding groups of the evening, and their marketing was awful.

In fact, when they were on stage no one danced, and most people were making a beeline for the bar instead of their merchandise table.

How could they improve? Here are some basics that anyone should consider to help promote themselves without beng seen as pushy:

1. get a domain name. Telling people you're on myspace only makes you look less comitted. Voltaire has a very active myspace page, but he still has his own domain name. If you're not keen on maintaining to web spaces, just re-direct the domain name to the myspace page. That way pople are typing in "bandname.com" rather than a longer myspace url (or facebook, or twitter, etc).

2. be enthusiastic about your work. If you've got product to sell ("merch" in the music world), you can be proud of the fact without being pushy. Instead of "hey, we've got a table full of merchandise in the back for you to look at" try this:
"If you really liked that song, it's on our XYZ album that you an purchase in the back of the room. There's also a ton of other groovy stuff and we'll even sign it for you when our sets done."
You're still telling people yo've got a merch table. You're also giving them two good reasons to come to the table - a personal autograph, and a way to purchase the song they just heard.

3. Interact with the people. If all you do is stand in a corner (or in the green room) until it's your turn to give your presentation, you're missing out on the opportunity to connect with your audience, and learn what they're all about. While the other bands were manning their merch tables both before and after their sets, this band was barely around - in fact because they drove from so far away, they were a little late in arriving.

4. Professionalism pays. Because they were tardy, they started off the evening on the wrong foot with not only the promoters, but the other bands because they appeared to be scrambling to get ready for sound check. The doors actually opened a few minutes late to the event, which is always a disappointment. When it's your job to be on time, even when you're coming from miles away, you need to do everything in your power to make it happen. The apparently apathetic response from this band about their tardiness did not go over well. We all know things happen, so take respnsibility and apologize for it. A response of "yeah, well we drove all the way here from the other side of the country" isn't good enough. To repeat that in your concert to the audience only makes you look unprofessional.

Scott Stratten talks about "pull and stay" marketing - the idea of engaging your potential customers clients in a way that draws the in, rather than leaving them with a half-hearted attempt at offering your wares.

You can make a person want to know more - want what you have to offer - without beating them over the head OR being apathetic about it. It begins by sharing your enthusiasm.

Free or freebie? There is a difference.

2009-10-24T11:34:00.003-04:00

In marketing, we talk about the power of the word "Free"

One of my Direct Sales Leaders was oft found telling her teams "People love 'Free stuff'" in an effort to generate a feeding frenzy at parties. "They don't even care what it is, as long as it's free."

Um. No.

There was a time when you could give away your business card with a coupon on the back of it for 10% off their next purchase, and people got giddy.

That bird has flown.

Free has been reduced to a watered down, hackneyed attemp on the part of almost everyone to get your contact info, pawn off old junk, or avoid the real work of coming up with something really valuable.

Freebies are those little "goodies" of insignificant value that people give willy nilly to their clients, potential clients, hair dresser, bell hop, flight attendant, and your uncle's brother's nephew's cousin on your great grandpappy's side.

Everybody gets 'em, and very few people really want them. They accept them, offer a cordial "thanks!" and you think you've done a good deed for the day - or worse, that they've just invited you to share about your income opportunity for the next 45 minutes.

Stop it.

Free is a value proposition. Free doesn't have to be expensive. It DOES have to be valuable.

Free will cost you something. More often than not, it's not the monetary investment, but the time or effort expended to make, develop or acquire the valueable free item in the first place.

For example, when you're creating an opt-in offer, be sure that the person would be willing to PAY for whatever you're giving away. An ebook full of recipes is nice, but include a special, exclusive recipe that they can't find just doing a google search. Yeah, it takes a little effort. But the effort you invest on the front end will pay you back many times over.

There's a big hullabaloo going on right now that because so many people are giving away "free stuff" that you're watering down your value. Forget it.

If the only value you have is in whatever you're giving away, you've missed the boat. The idea is to give people a valuable taste of what you have to offer so that they want more. You've heard me talk about creating a customer "crack addiction" before. The idea that people get a taste,and can't get enough of you. That's how it's supposed to be.

But if you're getting a bunch of "tire-kicking, freebie seekers", maybe you need to look at the value of what you provide.

If you know you've got a quality product or service, the next thing to look at is the market you're targeting.

You don't have to plaster the word "FREE" all over your website 8 gajillion times. Emphasise the value of what you offer, rather than the fact that it's free. I'm sure your perfect fit customer isn't a freebie seeker - so why market to them?

There's a difference between free and freebie. The value makes the difference.

Why Blogging May NOT Be For You

2009-10-23T07:14:00.001-04:00

When developing your online marketing stratey, ivariably, the questions of blogging come up.

"Should I or shouldn't I?"
"How often?"
"Is it profitable?"
"How do I monetize it?"
"Should I have more than one?"

And these are just a handful of questions I've been asked in the past.

I enjoy blogs and blogging. But blogging may not be for you.

Uh-oh, another rejection of online marketing strategies?

Naaahh... Just a reality check for people that suffer from shiny object syndrome.

In all seriousness, I think blogs are an important component in your online marketing arsenal - but only if you are ready for it.

Blogging takes time - believe it or not, blogging is one of the most mind-taxing social media strategies. There are ways to minimize the time investment, and we'll talk about that in my 12-week challenge program, but even so, there's a time committment involved to write/edit/review posts and respond to comments.

While I'm a big fan of blogs and encourage people to start with a blog instead of a website, there are times when this just doesn't make sense.

Blogging takes consistency - people that are following your blog will be looking for your posts on a regular basis. If you're unable to post consistently, people stop following your blog.

That doesn't mean you have to post every day - and you can win back some of your readership if you get back on the posting wagon. It means that whatever you choose to do, you need to be consistent about it. More frequent posters will have more frequent readers - and the faster you can build rapport with our readership, the sooner you can build the bridge from online acquaintance to business partnership - which is the whole point of doing this in the first place, right?

Well, not exactly, but I'll share about that in another post.

Blogging takes quality content - this is a non-negotiable. Regardless of the frequency or even the topic, there's got to be quality information in every post you make. You can post once a month with killer content and people will look forward to that post all month long. But if all you're posting is "my company's the best thing since sliced bread", you'll turn off readers faster than "The Clapper".

And no, it doesn't need to be perfect content - grammatically excellent, without a single spelling error - but you should strive for perfection.

When you see an error (or someone points it out to you), correct it. We all know nobody's perfect. It takes a level of integrity to acknowledge our mistakes, correct them and beome a better person in the process.

Blogging needs an "end game" - blogging for bloggin's sake isn't a bad thing - and it's done frequently. Blogging for business, however, needs to have a desired end result. It could be a call to action at teh end of the post, a newsletter opt-in on the blog itself, or links within the post copy. There's got to be a reason for all this blogging - and the more transparent you are, the less it looks like you have something to hide.

So when you're contemplating adding blogging to your online marketing strategy, consider the issues above. Not sure your'e ready for a full-blown blog? Try a micro-blogging platform like Twitter. It's a great place to get your feet wet in the meantime.

Never juggle alone

2009-10-22T06:43:00.000-04:00

So I actually did a little research for this post:

I watched a handful of juggling videos on YouTube. As a kid, I had to learn how to juggle for science class. We started with one ball, which was incredibly boring, but we had to demonstrate mastery before we could move on to juggling two balls... and then three.

Fortunately, three was our limit. We just had to be able to prove we could keep three balls in motion for a preiod of time. And for as great of a multi-tasker I've become, it was not easy to keep three balls in the air in 7th grade.

So imagine my surprise when I found 5 ball forced juggling, 4, 6 and 8 object jugglers!

And it got me to thinking about how many responsibilities we, as business owners have in our daily routines.

And along comes online marketing, and "you want me to add ANOTHER ball to my juggling routine?"

I hear you.

I selected this video for two reasons - and I hope you watch it to the end. If you watch, for the most part, no one is ever responsible for more than 3 or 4 objects at one time - there are lots of items in the air, but each team member really only has to focus on their piece of the pie.

The other reason is that if you watch to the end you see where they actually DROP something. Now this was planned for effect, and if you watch, it's all done "on the beat" to the music and set up so that it times out perfectly with the end. Even there, you'll note that more than one person is throwing things at the catcher - no ONE person is responsible for everything.

In small business - particularly in direct sales, we feel like we've got to go it alone in and do it ourselves. That's the surest way to stay small in your industry.

That doesn't mean hire a bunch of elves to handle your tasks. It DOES mean seek out competent, qualified help - even if it's only on a project basis, to help free up your time to focus on the essential activities that MUST be done by you and only you.

Maybe you need a VA or one of your kids to help with loading/packing, shipping or customer follow up.

Run your business like a real business would and find excellent people to support you.

It's worth it in no uncertain terms.

With the right support team in place, you can have many many objects in the air, making it look incredibly difficult, and knowing all the while, that it's really simple if you stay focused on the part that's your responsibility.

No budget? No problem for real beginners

2009-10-21T07:41:00.000-04:00

The tips I'm sharing in this post are not for people with an established web presence. This is purely for folks who have NOTHING online, and little to no cash to get started.

Boy does that sound hinky.

The purpose of the post is to answer a question posted on my 12 week challenge contest blog. Basically, how do I get SOMETHING going when I have no resources?

First think about the resources you DO have.

Sites like Office Live or Google sites will allow you to set up a basic bare bones website for free. It costs nothing.

Heck you can host your blog on blogger.com or wordpress.com - that's free too.

There are places like Morguefile.com where you cn get high-quality royalty-free images to use as well.

There's no excuse to NOT have soem kind of website.

What about an opt-in? even office live now has a makeshift otion to create a contact email management system. Not my favorite, but if you're totally broke, it's better than NO opt-in at all.

What about video? Windows moviemaker comes standard on most PC's now, and there are sites where you can create short videos for free. Just want to post informational videos? embed something from youtube.com

Seriously. You can create all of this from scratch for nothing. No hostng fees, nothing.

There's simply no excuse.

Now if you've got a budget (even a small one) there are other ideas - like a domain name that you OWN and can re-direct to your new site (that shouldn't cost more than $10 from godaddy.com). Or web hosting so you can have more specialized content on your site (or to host your own customized blog).

Obviously the more money you have, the more options you have. But there are great, simple ways to get yourself online in a professional manner for FREE.

Yes, there may be a gazillion other people out there using the same blog template as I do, but it's free, it works, and I get traffic. THAT'S what matters most. It prevents analysis paralysis because blogger only has a few dozen templates from which you can choose. And you don't need to obsess over how it looks - you need to obsess over getting things going!

I hope that clears up the "I can't afford it" issue. EVERYONE can afford (and should have) a website of some sort that markets THEM (not their product). The 12 week challenge will spend a whole session on building a website and step-by-step help on how to make it happen.

We start October 26. Are you signed up? There are only a handful of seats remaining!

http://www.homepartysolution.com/12weeks

Hope to see you there!

The Big Winners: 12 week challenge contest

2009-10-20T18:05:00.002-04:00

Okay, This was a lot harder than I thought!

There were a bunch of entries I had to hand submit near the end of the contest, but I got them all in.

I then used the random number generator at Random.org to draw the numbers (based on the order you were posted on my blog). Remember, you had to post AND sign up on the mailing list so that I could track your entry.

Here are the winners (as you posted to the blog):

The following posts win a Free 30 minute marketing strategy session with me ($175 real value):
Bert
brenda
vicki
ivette
Karen (post #15)
Alva
Karen (post #4)
Hariette
Jo C
Colorado Chocolatier

5 winners of FREE access to my 12 week challenge program:
Lorian
Pure Romance Holly
Shawnasie
Tamera James
Donna Young

Grand Prize winner - the 30 minute strategy session AND FREE access to my 12 week challenge program:
Michelle Hostetter

Congratulations to everyone that entered! An email will be going out tomorrow to all the entrants with details on how to claim your prizes.

This was so much fun - and informational. Look for further updates on my blog as we answer the very questions you posed for growing your business online.

Trials, Tribulations and Thinking Big

2009-10-20T16:56:00.003-04:00

"Failure is not an option." - Apollo 13, the movie

After an exhausting, inspiring, emotional, exciting, thrilling weekend with my mastermind - the first time we've all been together in the same place - my head is so filled with brainstorms, that you'd think there's a natural disaster going on in my head.

But I mean that in a good way.

As I sit here, picking the random numbers for my winners in my 12 week challenge, that quote came to my mind. It wasn't really said by anyone during the original Apollo 13 mission, but was the tag line for and one of the memorable quotes from the Ron Howard movie.

Ironically, it occurred to me that my whole life has used that phrase as a tag line.

I've been through a lot of "concentrated living" as someone once remarked to me. I was in my 20's at the time, and I've concentrated a lot more living in the decade or so since.

Maybe it's because of a childhood on welfare where my mom was able to make something from nothing every day. No one I know could make a dollar go farther - except maybe HER mom. Maybe it' just a strong work ethic that my Dad drilled into my head.

Whatever the source, I've never seen ultimate failure as an option.

There's a difference between intermedate and ultimate failure though, and this is where I've been stuck for a while.

See, not everything I do is a success - a shock, I know. :-)

In reality, not everything turns out as you would dream it. I have learned to define this as "intermediate failure". You know, kind of like "everything turns out good in the end, and if it's not good, it's not the end yet".

So if I'm not finding success at something instead of seeing myself at a failure point, I choose to renegotiate, reconnoiter, or navigate into a new direction that will ultimately bring me to success.

I hope that makes sense.

So for me, failure has never been an option, just a pit stop on the way to success.

People have remarked - "I don't know how you do it", "I don't know how you have come through so much, done so much, etc."

I just didn't see any other way. I don't think I knew failure was an option.

You can't quit when you fall off the horse. You get up, dust off, and get back on.
You can't quit when the bike tips over. You get up, dust off, and start pedaling again.

Perhaps it's persistance, determination. Who knows? The easiest way to look at it is that you choose to exclude failure as a permanent, ultimate option.

At least that's what I've learned this weekend. My business has evolved from throwing spaghetti on a wall, to a clearly defined objective. And even in that, I've discovered that there was even more clarity to be had.

And clarity makes all things new.

Forgive me if I sound a bit cryptic today. I'm tired, but excited about everything that's on the horizon for my business this year. With a cadre of amazing, brilliant women standing at the ready to celebrate and support me (and I them), there are so many options and possibilities for me now that I only imagined might have existed.

Clarity is transformative.

When you hit a wall, what do you do? Where do you stand? Are you so close to the wall that you can't tell the dimensions? Can't find a way around? Look behind you, or above you, or along the wall in one direction of the other.

Or call out for help.

Or start digging.

Or send up smoke signals.

Mark Joyner talks about "hitting it until you hit it". It's the same idea.
The means may not always bring about your desired end, but there's ALWAYS a option.

...And failure doesn't have to be one of them.

Clone myself? 'tis Possible

2009-10-18T23:46:00.004-04:00

When I wrote Home Party Solution, it was an accident.

It began as my blueprint and strategy map for building my online direct sales empire. It worked, and as I shared it with other people, I developed a new business - coaching - that was marketed in the exact same way, using the exact same strategies I had learned and implemented in my direct sales business.

It would appear I'm modeling duplication without much effort. And I'm about to do it again in a new arena, for a particular small business market. It's a happy-scared feeling that defies real description.

Today's very cathartic experience in Mastermind led me to a new discovery - that duplication isn't just a one time thing. Nor is it a one market thing.

In fact, this 12 week challenge is just a broadening of my horizons in some respects. I'll be walking direct sellers and small business owners alike through this process - the same process I've used to double my income and increase my profitability each year since I first started "playing" with it.

This is where my threshhold of belief is being raised big time.

I knew this was an event that was on a scale far larger than anything I'd done before. And as we move from vision to execution tomorrow, I'm eager to see how everything will shakeout.

There's lots of goodies on the horizon, and lots of new adventures on the road.

Right now, I'm beat, though. Looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out in the morning.

Strategic Planning: A Gift and a Skill

2009-10-18T09:05:00.000-04:00

So I'm getting out of the shower Saturday morning, and the phone rings.

At 6:30am. Highly unusual in my home.

It's my sister. She lives in Arizona, so it was 3:30 in the morning where she was.

Had she not been so pleasant, I would have thought the world was on fire.

She called just to catch up, see what's shakin' and share a little news in her life. She didn't know I was packing to get on a plane to D.C.

My sister works for an incredibly wonderful company and one of the highlights of the year was the fact that she exceeded corporate expectations by 132%.

So not only did she reach the goals attained by her company, she blew them out of the water.

And after I complimented her work ethic, I quickly joked that she just made it that much more difficult for herself the next year.

Then with all seriousness she revealed her strategic vision for the next 5 years - which didn't include staying in her current position as a sales rep. We talked about management opportunities and things she'd like to pursue - all of which are still on the table - and she laid out a definitive vision of how she'd like the next few years to go.

In that moment, it occurred to me that my sister has an incredible gift of foresight.

She worked at AOL (I can say this now) during a time of "save the customer no matter what" and could see there was no profitability in that. She got out just before her head own was on the chopping block - and she was one of the top performers in her facility, probably in the country!

She's always been two steps ahead (at least) when planning her career moves, and every time, her focus and determination have put her head and shoulders above everyone else in her organization.

As her sister, I'm uber proud. As a business owner, I'm impressed with her gift of vision and skill for strategic planning.

As a coach, I want to convey the lesson clearly to all of you: You can't sit comfortably. Ever. Even if you're outperforming your colleagues and besting your own performance by 130%, you can't rest on your laurels.

You need to have a vision for yourself, your life, your future.

Most people don't get into direct sales thinking they're going to be at the top of the food chain someday. Oh sure, they may win some recognition, earn a few incentive trips, but the real, underlying reason for direct sales has nothing to do with being a direct seller.

We have some kind of vision for our lives and see Direct Sales as the vehicle to take us there.

This is what I talk about when I talk about your "what" being more powerful than your "why".

Behind it all is some kind of vision of what you want your life to be like. How you see everything shaking out in the next few years - or at the end of your life, depending on how far out you plan.

I've learned that some people have an amazing GIFT for forethought and planning. It just comes naturally.

I've also learned that while my sister excels with the gift, I have learned the SKILL.

It's work for me to plan. I have to think and process and sift out tons of ideas. My head gets so cloudy with all the "what if"s and bright ideas that it's hard to see the forest for the trees - that's one of the reasons for this Mastermind planning session. To help us clear out and focus on the ideas that are most impacftul and significant to ourselves and our businesses. And while you're reading this, I'll be heavy duty in the thick of it.

Once I get clear, as I'm sure is the case for most people, the planning almost takes care of itself.

So to all of you that say "I'm no good at planning", I offer myself as the poster child of the unbalanced checkbook - even though I was a licensed financial planner, and the person who was voted most likely to succeed - and still feels the pressure of an unkept home.

This year I've already doubled my income - and tripled my profitability (probably quadrupled, but I don't have the final numbers for the year yet). And you can talk income all day long - it's the profit that counts. The key to all of that is clarity, focus and planning.

But as Robert Frost would say, I still have "miles to go before I sleep". With strategy and planning, I too will leave this weekend with a forward look into how I want my life to be - instead of letting life happen to my business and to me.

Eat your heart out, sister mine!

The Power of the MasterMind

2009-10-17T04:03:00.000-04:00

So today I'm hopping on a plane and heading to D.C.

Say a prayer for me for a safe flight, and for my husband for an uneventful week ahead.

This will be the first time since my son's health issues that I've left him alone with the kids. And I'm doing it again next month, too.

In my last few posts, I've talked about priorities and sacrifice. Today's Sweetest Day in the States, which is just another holiday cooked up by the greeting card industry to give Walentine's day a partner in crime.

So on a day of remembering your love, I'm leaving town.

I swear, it's not a Freudian thing.

This will also be the first time I've ever connected live and in person with the members of my amazing mastermind group.

These four fantastic women have made the commitment every week to hop on the phone, wherever they are in the world, and share their joys, concerns, wins, challenges, and ideas to help bolster each other, celebrate, and challenge both personal and professional growth.

Watch out Washington D.C.! If congress could work together like that, what an amazing country this would be!

In the months we've been together, there have been amazing milestones. Financial (the first $20,000 month), personal (dealing with serious family issues), and organizational (building companies from scratch right before our eyes). Breakthroughs, bonding and business building are a "weekly thang" for us. It's truly remarkable.

We've called in on vacation in Hawaii, while driving in the mountains, or having a sleep over at a friend's house. We've seen each other through family trials, business trials and courtroom "trials".

And for the first time ever, we're all going to be in the same room at the same time on Sunday.

Oh what a day that will be.

Now, I can't speak for the others in my group. But for me, this has been (and continues to be) one of the most powerful groups in which I have ever been involved. thanks to the support of these amazing women, I've watched my business and my life blossom into something I never expected.

To be frank, I came to the group thinking I had little more than my wild ideas to contribute. I felt like I was going to be pulling down the average with these amazing women.

You know the Jim Rohn-ism "you are the average of the 5 people you hang around most"? Well, I was worried that after spending most of the day with my children, I'd have little to offer these fine ladies.

And yet, this has been the most amazing give and take, idea-generating, business boosting group. And they all tell me the same thing - so I can hope that I've had SOME hand in all that positive energy going around.

I've been re-reading Think and Grow Rich this week as I prepare for both my trip to D.C. and to Ali Brown's SHINE event in Vegas. (shameless plug)

Regardless of your stance on the whole "law of attraction" philosophy, there's something to be said for having a mastermind type group. When you are able to brainstorm and bounce ideas off other people, inevitably, something bigger and better comes out of it.

For this reason, if for no other, I am a firm believer that everyone needs a mastermind of their own.

And so, I'm boarding a plane today, to not only connect with these wonderful people, but to share my gratitude in person. I already know there'll be laughter, tears and a ton of fun on this trip.

I'm also doing major league annual planning - something on a bigger scale than I've ever done before in my business. I'm nervous, excited and can't wait to report back all the exciting news and developments from the weekend.

Time for success?

2009-10-16T05:54:00.000-04:00

In my last post I talked about how you've got to invest SOMETHING in your business if you want to see success.

Perhaps the BIGGEST issue I hear is the one of time.

We all know we have only 24 hours in a day.

So it's not a matter of time - we've all got the same amount.

It's a matter of priority, and clarity.

My husband and I go around on this topic regularly. I want him to mow the lawn, for example, and he wants to watch the Lions play football.

Don't get me started on the Lions. He's a die-hard fan and has been for decades. Our wedding colors wre blue and silver.

So when Sunday rolls around and the lawn's still not cut and he's watching TV, he looks at me and says "Honey, I just didn't have time this week."

BZZZZZT Wrong answer.

He CHOSE the Lions over the lawn. I can't say that I blame him, entirely. I'd rather sit in a warm room in front of a TV on a cold October day, too. Okay, I'd rather read or "hang out" on twitter, but you get the idea.

His priorities are such that Football is more important than the lawn.

My priorities are such that he is more important than football or the lawn. So I let him watch his football, and then point him in the direction of the lawnmower.

I'm telling the truth in love here.

And the road runs in both directions. There are times when I'm finishing up an email or talking with a client when it's dinner time.

It's all about priorities.

If you want to have success in anything - goal achievement, personal success, business success, relationships, etc. - you have to make it a priority.

Most people can't juggle 75 priorities. Something gets dropped.

This is where clarity comes in.
It's critical that you gain absolute clarity about what's important to you. Clarity on what your utmost priorities are.

Is your success part of that picture? If it's not, don't complain about not having the time. You've ranked your priorities.

And if something is so important you WANT to make it a priority, but you don't know how?

Figure out what gets cut.

Something has to give. You can't be all things to all people at all times.

Maybe you get less sleep. Maybe you spend less tim at the gym. Maybe you work while you're in line at the drive thru at the bank. Perhaps you delegate some activities to an assistant or high school kid that you can pay a few bucks to handle.

I've never yet met a person that could't re-arrange their priorities to accomplish something if they TRULY wanted to make it happen.

In fact, we're more likely to have too much time on our hands that we're wasting, than not enough time to achieve our goals.

I know. Them's fightin' words to many moms.

Sometimes, though, success means sacrifice. Sacrifice doesn't mean killing yourself to make something happen - it means relinquishing something of value, so that you can gain something else of greater value.

Which, when you think about it that way, isn't really a sacrifice, is it?

Overnight Success: Your Magic Pill Has Arrived.

2009-10-14T11:58:00.009-04:00

Michael Jackson did the elementary school talent show. Judy Garland sang with her sisters in her folks' theater. And dozens of celebs and would-be celebs talk about how they are an "overnight success ten years in the making."

An overnight success rarely is. And the ones that are work like hell to make it happen. In a recent post by Chris Brogan, he demonstrates just what kind of sacrifice it takes to achieve that level of status.

Most of us just don't have the gumption to go there. And in truth, most of us don't NEED to go there to be successful.

Part of the issue is that so many of us get wrapped up in the comparison game - the "keeping up with the Joneses" kind of bull-hockey that puts us on a hamster wheel from which we'll never retire.

I maintain that success holds a personal definition for each of us, and under no circumstances should we allow ourselves to be taken prisoner by someone else's success.

I love the idea of 1,000 true fans that Seth Godin shares in his book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us.

(Full disclosure: that's my amazon affiliate link. Buy the book from my link and I might make twelve whole cents, woo hoo! Don't get me started on the FTC again.)

Seth talks about how we really only need 1,000 true fans to attain a quality of life that most people would consider successful - not multi-millionaire successful necessarily, but happy, sufficient, and comfortably sated in our life. It's not his original idea, but that's where I first discovered it.

One of the planks of my "platform" - if you call it that - is that success has to be defined on your terms, not mine or anyone else's. I can't want something more for you than you do.

And along with that is the level of investment you're willing to make to achieve that level of success. Investment of your time, energy and money. It's not jsut abuot the money you throw at a problem to "make it go away". There are no ruby slippers when it comes to creating success: just investment and a return on that investment.

Have you defined your success? Do you have a plan in place for it? What are you willing to commit to in an effort to attain those things?

That's the difference between the "overnighters" and the rest of the world.

Overnight success is more a reflection of the amount of time one spends dedicated to their mission/passion - i.e. they stayed up OVERNIGHT (repeatedly) to complete everything already on their to-do list so that they could then devote additional resources to the attainment of their success plan.

I can't count the number of people I've talked to who've said that they jsut don't have the time to make something work - or they don't have the money to invest - or they don't have the energy because they're not as spry as they once were.

It's as if they're looking for someone to tell them that it's okay and they can still achieve success even if they're not willing to make the investment. Or worse, that there's a "magic pill" that will solve all their ills.

They COULD still attain success - but something has to give:
* it will take longer
* it won't be at the same level
* it will be short-lived

Most people on the front end don't want to compromise their vision of success. They want the best of the best and nothing less - until they see what kind of investment is involved.

My mom used to paraphrase Robin Leach: "Champagne wishes, and Kool-Aid money."

Let's be realistic. If you're not willing to invest in your business (time, energy or money), you need to be willing to accept whatever you've already got going for you as your personal level of success.

If that's NOT good enough for you, then something has to change. That change requires an investment - either time to analyze the situation and implement new changes, effort in throwing mud on the wall to see what will stick, or money to get expert help to improve the situation.

Usually, it's a combination of the above.

The "magic pill" is called investment. Time. Energy. Money or some combination of the three. You can't achieve anything in life without some level of investment/effort.

Chris is part of an army of entrepreneurs that get it. And people respect him for it. He's bustin' hs butt on the front end to enjoy the fruits of his labors on the back end. That's the only known magic formula that gets results every time.

And with apologies to The Princess Bride: "Anyone who says differently is selling something."

Enthusiastic or Pushy? What's the difference?

2009-10-14T05:42:00.000-04:00

As a direct sales coach, I hear it all the time:

I don't want people to think I'm being pushy

There's a difference between being enthusiastic about your business and being pushy.

Pushy, to me, comes off more as bullying, or force-feeding your agenda on unwilling, or unsuspecting people.

Enthusiasm is a contagious attitude that is positive in nature.

One stems from fear, the other from faith.

In fact, the word enthusiasm is derived from the Greek, meaning "God inside". You've no doubt seen enthusiastic people, perhaps 'bouncing off the walls' a bit, as if the fire of deity burned within them.

Enthusiasm is a motivating, inspiring force. Pushy is an oppressive, demanding force.

As business owners, we need to realize that we can be enthusiastic, and even FIRM about our expectations without being pushy.

Granted, there will always be a small cadre of folks whom you can never satisfy. Someone will always find fault with you. This is not for those types - since you really shouldn't be building your business around them anyway! They're certainly not your perfect fit customer.

When you've developed a following of 'fans' - what I call "crack addicts", they will pick up on and share your enthusiasm.

Fans rarely (if ever) share your pushy attitude.

Let's look at an example of reasonable expectations and enthusiasm in your business - and when they might turn into pushiness.

You're at an event, demonstrating the versatility of your product. You begin to share how this particular product has saved you hours of time at home, and made your life less stressful and more enjoyable. You smile and others smile with you. People begin asking questions and you can tell you've hit on a topic of interest.

So far, you get high marks for enthusiasm.

Suddendly, you notice two women (we'll call them Jane and Mary) are asking the bulk of the questions. Both seem very interested not only in your product, but also in your business opportunity. You answer their questions, and Mary schedules an appointment to talk with you further.

Inside, you are doing the dance of joy. Your smile is as big as all outdoors. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and others begin to ask for additional information about your products - but not Jane.

At the close of the event, you pull Jane into a corner and begin to tell her all the wonderful reasons why she should take your information and set up an appointment to tal with you further. She politely declines and you insist that she'd be great at what you do and she should just take the packet and "sleep on it". She tells you she's not very good at sales, and you proceed to tell her why you felt the same way when you started, and that you found with a little practice you got pretty good, and now you're making good money each month and that she won't lose anything by just taking the packet and setting up a time to chat with you.

Okay. I hope you see where you went from enthusiastic to pushy. Assuming you do get Jane to set an appointment, it's highly unlikely that she'll show - or ever return your calls again.

Enthusiasm is one way of providing value to the world. We're helping others, sprading a positive message or positive energy in a way that seeks only to serve. When we're enthusiastic about our product, we want the WORLD to know how great it is.

But when someone disagrees, shows a lack of interest, or simply refuses to participate, we begin to feel as if WE'VE been rejected - and take that rejection personally. That's when fear - and pushiness - set in.

When "everyone else" was so excited about our offering, the enthusiasm was contagious. The moment we see someone who's not "on our side" we begin to think something's wrong - and we move away from helping the other person and move into defensive mode - trying to "overcome objections" and "close" them to a decision.

Some people just take more time than we're willing to give them to make a decision.

Here are a few tips to avoid feeling (and being) pushy:

1. Always ask yourself if you are providing a real value to the client.
Real value is in the eyes of the client, however, so this can get tricky. you may THINK you're providing something valueable - after all, you shelled out $5 per recruiting packet and it comes with free samples - but the client has no interest in joining your team, so they see no value in what you're offering.

2. Look to the client's desires first.
This ties into number one above. If you are seeking to understand what's important to your client at any given time, you will rarely be perceived as pushy. In fact, you'll be seen as incredibly helpful, somewhat refreshing and a nice, friendly person. Why? Because so few people take the time to care these days. Perhaps a client has difficulty expressing their desires. The act of seeking to understand them FIRST goes a long way towards building a lasting relationship.

3. Keep your mouth shut.
I wanted to say listen, but today, so many people are hearing what's going on and instead of truly getting to the heart of their client's issue, they're preparing their rebuttal or their comeback statement. This is something I STILL struggle with because my mind races a million miles a minute trying to find solutions for people. You have to close your mouth - including the voice in your head - and LISTEN to what your customers want and need. Ask them. Then shut up long enough to really hear what they're saying.

4. Vocalize appropriate expectations.
As a business owner, setting clear expectations of your customers does not make you pushy. It is completely acceptable to say "I'll call you on Tuesday to confirm" and then call on Tuesday. You've laid out an expectation, and it's your responsibility to follow up appropriately.

It's NOT appropriate to then call Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and THREE times on Saturday. THAT'S being pushy. There's probably a good reason why Jane isn't returning your call - and if you've "camped out" on her phone line every day for a week, chances are good she'll NEVER return those calls.

And I hear you asking 'but what do I do if they never return my call? Well there are two considerations here. First, did they REALLY want to talk to you in the first place? If you strong-armed them into accepting a call from you, they may be looking for any excuse to never return your call. Those are not perfect-fit customers, and you need to rid yourself of them ASAP.

If they are still very interested in connecting with you, try a postcard, text message or other means of contacting them.

Just make sure you don't do one a day for a whole week. There's keeping in touch, and then there's being desparate.

One is an act of enthusiasm. The other is an act of pushyness.

Online Marketing: 10 lessons from the James Ray incident

2009-10-13T04:08:00.001-04:00

Many of you know I'm not a news watcher, so when my mastermind group shared the news about the James Ray 'death lodge' incident today, I was a bit taken aback, but not totally surprised.

I can't begin to comment on the tragedy that occurred, nor on anything that Ray represents. That's not what this post is about. Anytime someone dies unexpectedly - for any reason - there are questions, pain, and more suffering than anyone should ever have to endure.

I'll save that for others better qualified than I to investigate.

This is not to negate or downplay ANYTHING that happened in Arizona. On the contrary, these 10 lessons are important for everyone in business to learn - and fast, regardless of the outcome of the investigation:

First, at least one major media outlet was compelled to include James' twitter id in their article. James couldn't be reached for comment, so the outlet ripped quotes from his twitter page regarding the incident.

Lesson one: Make sure what you're sharing online is fit to print.
Lesson two: Even the media recognizes the marketing value of sites like twitter - and has no compunction about using it to THEIR advantage either!

At seeing his twitter id, I got curious - as I'm sure many others did. After a small amount of digging, I discovered that even after the news reports reaching national media, James' follower count continues to increase - by nearly a hundred a day!

Lesson three: Even bad press can bring you new followers
Lesson four: It doesn't mean those followers are quality - they could be waiting to watch you hang.

James has recently come under fire for his high-pressure sales tactics - in fact, many have alleged "brain washing" during this tragedy - to the extreme. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, our job is not to sell people stuff. Our job is to help people make informed decisions that will improve their lives.

Anything less than that, and we're doing a disservice to our clients and to ourselves.

James, one of the featured 'stars' of "The Secret" has been delivering a message of profound impact for years. Just because the messenger "falls from grace" doesn't make the message any less meaningful for the people it has impacted.

Often times we, as a society (even a global one) put a person on a pedestal that they do not rightly belong on. Remember, we are all fatally flawed. Again, this is not to downplay anything that happened in Arizona. But how often have we falling in love with the music of a singer, the athleticism of a pro ball player or the work of a master artist only to have our graven image of them dashed on the rocks when they inevitably mar our picture perfect image of them with some human error?

It doesn't negate the beauty of the work, only the character of the person. I know several people that have been positively impacted by Ray's message. The deep disappointment they are dealing with now, is difficult to navigate. AND there are fans of Ray's that are defending him to the end.

Lesson five: Never place yourself above anyone else. You are no more, and no less than any other human on the planet.
Lesson six: When you do your job well, you will have die hard fans that will follow you to the ends of the earth and defend your honor in any situation.

In reading the reports, I read the name "Howard Bragman" as Ray's Publicist. Bragman is considered one of the greatest PR guys in the industry. In fact, I just picked up his book "Where's My Fifteen Minutes?" at my local library last week, so I'm watching with interest to see how this shakes out. Jim Lampley said "When you're on the ropes, you want Howard Bragman in your corner." That's a quote from the back cover of Bragman's book.

No doubt, Bragman is keeping his client quiet until there's time to sort through everything - which is smart. While many people are railing agains Ray's silence, the WORST thing he could do is open his mouth and "insert his foot".

As a business owner, everything he has is at stake here - and he knows it (along with the rest of the world). He may be dying inside to offer apologies, or tell his side of everything (or not), but even a well-intended apology could come off as a makehift admission of guilt if the media has an opportunity to spin it.

I'm reminded of the fortune cookie where it's better to remain silent, than to open your mouth and "remove all doubt". Innocence (or guilt) should be determined by qualified authorities - and I ain't one of them.

Lesson seven: everything you say can be used against you in times of trouble. Make every word count
Lesson eight: even when you're trying to do right, it can be misconstrued, and you'll never make everyone happy.

We as a public, want answers. We as business owners need to look at this situation and learn.

Be proactive, remember we're dealing with people's lives - whether we sell shoes or inspiration. Whether we offer $.99 widgets or $10,000 week-long retreats. Whatever we're doing needs to be focused on serving others, providing value and reaping the benefits of the work we've done. That implies the work must be done before the reward is received.

Coaches, trainers and speakers need to be on the offensive here. In just a few short hours since I've learned of this tragedy, already the barrage of "snake oil", "shyster" and other epithets have already created a firestorm online. Let's be sure we're not slapping an unwarranted label on an entire industry just because things went awry. Should there be failsafes in place? Absolutely. Inasmuch as direct sellers have gotten a bum rap for the slimy, pushy salesmen that have weasled their way through our organizations, so too may we find the motivational industry likewise marred by this horriffic event.

Where's the justice in that?

Lesson nine: those who paint with broad brush strokes make great white washers
Lesson ten: It takes great effort and much patience to work with a detailed hand.

Probably not the lessons you were expecting, but I'm known for my irreverence.

When I originally created this blog - as "Real Life Marketing" - the objective was to show how we could learn significant lessons for marketing our business from the everyday things that go on around us. While this is one event I hope never becomes an every day occurence, you can certainly see the lessons we can all walk away with from this tragedy. There are others, to be sure. As business owners, we need to be mindful, and ever ready to protect ourselves, our investment and our business.

Online Marketing: Know Like and Trust

2009-10-12T09:41:00.000-04:00

Several of the entries in the 12 week challenge contest talk about how difficult it is to "make the transition" from online acquaintance to business client or associate.

Before we can make that transition, however we have to establish the relationship.

That's the "sermon" for today's post.

The "KLT Factor" - know, like, and trust - are always a hot topic in the business world. People have to know you, like you, and trust you, at least to SOME degree to be wililng to do business with you.

For example, you may not know a thing about that pimply faced, rookie salesman trying to sell you a dryer, but because they work for a well-respected mega store in your community, you trust that they won't steer you wrong - or if they do, you'll be able to sue the pants off the mega store.

Some level of KLT has been established.

If you have NO desire to work with the consultant down the street because she bad-mouthed a competitor during a presentation, her KLT factor with you is pretty low - even if she's your sister.

To be blunt, telling everyone how grat your product is, or how wonderful your company is, or that you just won an all-expense paid trip to the Bahamas is NOT building your KLT factor in the eyes of your customers. IF they already know you, or like you, they may be happy for you, but they don't care about your good fortune anymore thant they care about themselves.

It's always about them.

Period.

If I closed the post there, it should suffice for those serious about building a servant-minded enterprise. Disney built an empire around the concept of caring for the customer - and they have the overpriced burgers to prove that what they do works.

The companies that have stuck around for centuries or more are those that put the right thing in front of the ROI. They care more about their customers than themselves.

But many of us are too concerned with ourselves to have that kind of concern for our customers.

And the words "get what you want by helping other people get what they want" become only so many nice words.

You've heard me talk before about providing value. Mike Dandridge, in his book "The One-Year Business Turnaround" says that Value is in the eye of the customer. You can give them a 10% off coupon, free shipping, and tickets to "Riverdance", but if your customers find no value in that, those aren't valuable additions to the product.

And fast turnaround, or "excellent customer service" are supposed to be standard. Again, not value added benefits for a customer.

Sometimes, doing something of value means making a sacrifice. Sometimes a BIG sacrifice. Not always, but sometimes.

Why did thousands of people sign up for my Direct Sales Super Summit in March? There are dozens of free training calls all over the place. There are many speakers that talk on similar topics for a fee.

The reason people signed up is because they saw the VALUE in what I was providing: quality information they could use to impact their lives, their businesses right NOW at a reasonable investment.

That's value.

And when my customers email me they say things like "do you remember last month when I placed that order?"

Of COURSE I remember. You're my customer. You put food on my table and clothes on my kid's back. You are my livlihood, my bread and butter, keeping the wolves from the door! I try to touch every single transaction at least once to remind myself to be grateful for everyone that comes through "the doors" of my business.

That's value to some of my customers. They want to know that someone - a REAL human being - is behind all the blog posts, emails, newsletters, etc.

To others on my list, it's no big deal, they rarely communicate with me, and they like it that way. And that's okay with me, too.

The point is to meet people where they are, provide what THEY believe is valuable. THAT'S when you build a real relationship. Help people. Maybe they could care less about your biz opp today, but need their flat tire fixed.

Taking the time to help with their flat could be the thing that they remember 6 months from now when they stumble on your card after having lost their job. You thought you'd never hear from them again, and what a waste of a perfectly good afternoon, and oh my, your hands were so dirty. But they remembered that when they needed help (something of the UTMOST value), YOU were there. And now they need "help" again. So they call you.

It happens more times than I care to count. Building trust isn't a dog and pony show. you don't do it just when it's convenient. You do it because it's part of who you are, part of what you stand for. When you establish trust, people begin to like you and then they want to get to know more about who you are and what you have to offer.

It's about integrity. It's about helping first, and selling later. Or maybe not selling at all. you never know who's watching you perform the random acts of kindness that make us better people.

But if you invest yourself in your business this way, you can't help but win. It's how the Carnegies and Motts and Rockefellers of the world managed to KEEP the wealth they worked so hard to earn.

During the horrible market crach in the 20's a 3+million dollar embezzlement scheme was found out in one of the biggest banks in my community. The former president of the bank, having virtually no liability for the debacle, could have easily washed his hands of everything, leaving all the depositors to fend for themselves, most likely ending up with nothing.

But he chose to front his own money - and approach lenders in the bigger markets to help cover the debt so that the honest, hard working people in my community wouldn't lose everything. He didn't have to do it. He CHOSE to do it. Not to save face, but to helpa community of which he'd grown very fond. Not only did he save the financial lives of so many people, he got all his money back and then some - and lived out his days as one of the wealthiest members of our community.

He was a man of intergity, ingenuity, trust, respect and strong moral character. He gave and gave of himself, his finances and more. And in return, grew a powerful company, built a foundation for the less fortunate, and left an amazing legacy that fuels this community to this day.

I never met the man - he died before I was born. But his life is an integral component to what makes my community what it is today.

That's the kind of value we need to be providing to each one of our customers. If we don't enjoy what we're doing, or who we're working with enough to be willing to make sacrifices to help them, why are we doing it in the first place?

Direct Sales isn't for everyone. Being a business owner or an entrepreneur isn't for everyone. It requires great sacrifice - of ourselves, our time, energy, money - sometimes our families, our finances, our homes.

What are you doing to provide REAL value to the people in your business? Are your business contacts like family to you?

I remember a class I took once when I was in real estate. the instructor said as an agent, we had to treat all our buyers like they were our grandmother and all our sellers as if they were our little sister. The idea is that you'd want to get them the very best possible deal, so that everyone wins, and no one feals cheated. that doesn't mean doing "just enough" but giving out UTMOST.

And frankly, so many of us just don't do that. We've learned how to get by. We look for the "magic pill" and we want everything to come easy.

To quote The Princess Bride "Whoever said life is fair?" Where is that written? Life isn't always fair."

But if we give our utmost, the hard work is rewarded in more ways than we can ever imagine. That's when real trust is built, lives are changed and business is done.

In business, there are many ways to build relationships, and the beauty of online marketing is that you can move through this process at a more predictable pace by using tools and strategies designed to decrease the germination period. The sooner you can establish trust, build rapport and create likability, the sooner business can be done.

In the 12-Week Challenge, we'll take a look at several tools you can use to not only build rapport, but automate some elements of the relationship building process, so that you can run a more efficient business that focuses on serving your perfect fit customers. There's still time to enter the contest before next week. Winners will be announced on October 20.

Target Marketing Online: Where to look first

2009-10-11T13:14:00.004-04:00

My biggest challenge with marketing online is finding people who would be truly interested in the business either as a customer or a distributor. Advertising on other sites is OK, but can get expensive. So, I need to find a better way to connect with people to get the message out. I have been writing guest articles on general marketing and follow up techniques for direct sales. My articles include a simple demonstration of how my business/product can help them personally connect with customers for less money and time. I have had a few leads, but need to get the word out to more people. I know my product can help them get more referrals and reorders. I just need to find the prospects!

This is one of my favorite questions. In an industry where we've been trained that "anyone with a pulse" is our prospect, it's ironic that so many people building an online presence can't seem to find anyone interested in what they have to offer. Then the question comes: how do I find prospects?

Several entries in the 12 week challenge contset have a similar theme. But this entry outlines at least SOME strategy: advertising.

While it's true that advertising is a fast way to bring in leads - when done properly - it's also true that it's a fast way to lose money - when done improperly.

So what can we do as business owners to attract our perfect fit clients to us?

First, we have to know who those perfect fit clients are. In direct sales, we actually have multiple "customers" - or actual clients, our hosts, and our recruits. In small business we may also have multiple customer types depending onteh products or services we offer.

The challenge is that no one approach will work for everyone. There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to marketing (online or offline).

That's one of the reasons you'll see the same print ad in different magazines with different models. Same content, same poses, same message, but the models have different hair, skin or makeup coloring. It's why you don't see ads for bikini waxing in ESPN magazine.

Because different things appeal to different people.

Just like Super Bowl ads and print magazines, online marketing is not suitable for everyone.

Uh-oh, do you feel another marketing bashing coming on?

Wait. There's more.

You can't use the same message to attract everyone.

For example, if your goal is to increase sales, you need to be looking for BUYERS. If you're looking to increase the number of recruits on your team in a direct sales organization, you need to be looking for business builders.

You won't always find those people hanging out in the same online or offline "places".

Different bait for different fish, so to speak.

Once you've developed a perfect fit customer profile, only THEN can you truly consider the likely places to find them.

For example, if your perfect fit customer is a 30-something single mom, probably a lawyer, who lives in your local community (let's say Peoria, IL), then do a google search for women lawyers in Peoria, IL.

My search yielded the women lawyer's directory pretty quickly:
http://www.womenlawyers.com/states/il.htm

Who says you can't find your target market?

So my first question to people is always: Do you really know who your prospects are? If you can identify a true demographic - right down to the color of their fingernails - it's actually like shooting fish in a barrel anymore.

They're everywhere - particularly online - and with online marketing, you don't have to limit yourself to a local area! In most cases you can attract a global, if not national audience.

I live in Michigan. The bulk of my direct sales customers are Internet leads that don't even LIVE in my state - and have NEVER met me. In my coaching business, many of my clients are on the Eastern seaboard states.

I'm a no-nonsense, play no games kind of girl. I tell it lke it is, and rarely sugar coat - mostly because I never really learned how. Easterners from New York, Maryland, Delaware, they understand that, they're attracted to that - thus, they find me.

Not everyone is my customer. I embrace that and play to my strengths. That's not to say I wouldn't enjoy having a few more clients in Arizona or California (I love reasons to travel!), but I also don't focus a lot of time spinning my wheels when I know I have a huge untapped market with people in areas I already serve.

Again, it comes to focus. Pick one thing and focus on that. If you're young in your small business, focus on increasing sales and market share - on getting your name out there, being seen and getting seen. Build some stability into your business and "grow slowly" as Wolfgang Puck said in Inc Magazine.

If you're a seasoned business owner, consider laying a foundation for expansion in your marketing. Direct Sales Leaders should focus on team building and establishing a persona for your organization - one that follows you to whatever company you may end up with. One web page can't be all things to all people. So stop trying.

If you have multiple markets, multiple segments, multiple perfect fit customers, create multiple approaches to reach them. People are not cookie cutters, and we don't all respond the same to every marketing piece. We are savvy, we need multiple contacts, and you can't jsut click your heels together three times and get us to buy into your message.

You MUST establish a level of KLT: know, like and trust.

But that's for another post another day. Tomorrow perhaps.

Today, know that your biggest successes will come from the moments of clarity you can build into your business. The more clear you can be on what you want, the easier it is to attain that want.

Otherwise, you'll be scratching your head, because you can't see the forest for the trees.

In the 12-week challenge, we'll devote time to not only identifying your perfect fit customer, but analyzing where you can find them, crafting a message and offer to attract them, and ways to connect with them that are meaningful. There's still time to enter the contest, and tickets for the program went on sale yesterday. You can purchase your tickets here before we're sold out. Only a total of 175 "seats" are available for this event. when they're gone, they're gone! Winners will be announced October 20, 2009.

Online Marketing Strategies: Where to begin?

2009-10-10T08:49:00.002-04:00

My biggest challenge with marketing my business online is probably the same with alot of people. You just don't know where to start! So you keep doing what you always do and keep getting what you always got. NOT Smart. - Donna

Yet another entry, this time, from one of my facebook friends. Yes, it's probably the underlying issue that most small business owners struggle with - the not knowing.

But if you notice what Donna wrote, there's actually a couple of issues at play here.

1. not Knowing where to being AND
2. Always doing the same thing

Did you also notice that Donna already acknowledged that she realizes she's not on the path to success?

This is a big one.

In reality, with online marketing, there's no wrong answer, only a less efficient one.

I know, it sounds like I'm knocking online marketing again. But hear me out.

It really doesn't matter where you begin: video, facebook, blog, twitter, website, build a list, create a product, autoresponder... it doesn't matter.

All of them WILL work - some are just more efficient than others. And some of them will have a shorter learning curve for you.

The real problem lies in the fact that everyone is looking for an instant win, a lottery ticket that will set them up for life. "If I do this, then I'll be SET!"

That's not reality - well if you're that lucky powerball winner (Odds of winning the Powerball Jackpot are 1 in 195,249,054) - then I guess it would work for you.

Reality says, pick something, hone it, craft it, and tell the world about it. If you build it, they won't come. If you build it, it's good stuff, and then you tell people, invite them to have a peek - THEN they come - and they tell their friends.

Walt Disney said "Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again - and bring their friends."

That's what you have to do in business. Whether it's dirct sales, carpet cleaning, running a theater, or building a real estate empire. It doesn't matter what you pick, what matters is the passion and commitment behind what you're doing.

So if you detest blogs, don't start one. If you can't commit to building a website, don't do it. If the idea of using twitter totally freaks you out, DON'T DO IT.

And realize there are consequences for that inaction.

You can't have it both ways in business. You must do SOME kind of work to get some kind of return. Some actions will be more efficient, some less.

But if you're drawn to twitter, and can't stand facebook, use twitter with a passion, contribute value, and tell people what you're doing so they can come check you out. Do it so well that they'll want to come back over and over - and bring their friends.

That's how you make online marketing work for you.

In our 12-week challenge, we're examining the heart of your expertise - that thing you are uniquely qualified to share with the world - and creating a strategy to help you bring it out for the world to see. Your strategy will be unique to you, customized by and for you - so that you KNOW what you're doing will work for your business. There's still time to Enter the contest, if you haven't already. Tickets are now on sale for the challenge as well. Take the 12-week challenge here.

Develop an Online Marketing Strategy FIRST

2009-10-09T15:44:00.004-04:00

Online Marketing is more than Social Media.

There's products, services, websites, blogs, email, opt-ins, copy, autoresponders and so much more to the picture.

Here's one of the recent entries in my 12-Week Challenge Contest:

"My biggest challenge with marketing my business online is......taking all the info that I have learned from various sources and translating it into a workable, realistic plan that I can easily stick to. My weakness is jumping from great idea to excellent implementation" - Anna Marie

(If you haven't entered yet, there's still time to enter here.)

One of the big hurdles to navigating the web is what to do first - and how to make it effective. There are as many opinions as there are experts on the topic about what will work best - for small business or direct sellers. One thing most everyone seems to agree on, however, is the importance of developing a strategy FIRST.

When you approach building your business with a strategic plan - a roadmap if you will - it becomes much easier to determine where to invest your time, energy and monoey for maximum effectiveness.

The same holds true when creating an online presence. Create a roadmap that outlines exactly what your objectives are. Once you've developed that strategy, you can look to which elements of online marketing will best meet those objectives, and make an educated decision about the amount of time, entegy and money you'll invest in each.

At present, I maintain several blogs and websites - in addition to my multiple social media presences, newsletters, and offline media.

I STARTED with one thing.

This is the big "sticky wicket" that online marketing strategiest want to pose - set up multiple things, try to keep all the plates spinning and watch it all come crashing down in a huge time suck.

The reality of all this online marketing hoo-hah is that there's really only one place you need to start when it comes to growing your business online. It's something I call your Perfect Fit Customer.

Once you've identified your Perfect Fit Customer - which is not just a demographic, but a complete profile of the ideal client you want to serve - you can lay out an effective strategy to approach, attract and retain people with whom you enjoy working.

An effective strategy begins with clarity and focus. The first place to focus is on your passion. Assuming your business is a reflection of your passion, the next place to focus is your perfect fit customer. Once you're clear on who you want to serve, the next step is figuring out where to find them - and you may discover that it's NOT an online environment, after all.

*GASP!* Did I just recommend against an online strategy?

Well, if your perfect fit customer doesn't own a computer, online marketing is virtually pointless, isn't it?

Fortunately, that's not the case for the majority of purchasers in the US these days.

The point is that you need to know WHERE to find your perfect fit customer before you go off looking for them - otherwise you're just snipe hunting.

In our 12-Week Challenge, we'll begin with an in-depth look at your Perfect Fit Customer, help you determine your area of expertise, and lay out a customized online marketing strategy built around the way YOU do business. Designed for small business owners of all types - not just direct sellers - the 12-Week challenge is great for anyone looking for hand on help to grow their business using online marketing strategies.

Get the full details at homepartysolution.com/12weeks.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow!

FTC's new rules mean business for Direct Sellers

2009-10-08T09:50:00.003-04:00

In a recent post by twitter pal and Direct Sales Social Media blogger, Jennifer Fong, she discusses the FTC's new rules about disclosure on blogs.

But there's another rule that appears to be slipping under the radar right now - how using testimonials to market your services has changed.

Here's a link to the full article from the FTC:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

It's worth it to take the time to read this. It appears on the surface to be a messge aimed at the advertisers - and as a direct seller, you are "advertising" on behalf of your company each time you do a demonstration or recommend your products and services to a potential customer.

These guides haven't been updated since 1980, and in light of the recent rush to blogging for dollars, advertisers have capitalized on this "loose" method of endorsement, and the FTC is tightening up to cover this "new" media.

Most importantly, note the following paragraph:

"Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor."

So saying things like "this is an unusual case" or "results not typical" isn't gonna fly anymore.

So if you've got a weightloss product, and a customer lost 48 pounds in 2 weeks, that doesn't mean you can't share that testimonial. On the contrary, you SHOULD - particularly because a lot of people won't anymore. But when you share that, you ALSO have to share what the TYPICAL user experience will be.

For example, "most people lose about a half a pound a week, but Sally from Oregon lost an incredible 48 pounds in 2 weeks using our program."

It's in the wording - and advertisers will be held at their word. Just be sure you're clear on what the typical results are for people.

The other area (that Jen addressed in her blog post) is a little more tricky - particularly for direct sellers doing product reviews for their own company products. In a newsletter or "closed door" communication, where a person has opted in to receive your content, it is easy to tell your readers that you are a consultant for XYZ company. On a blog, website or other online, public, "open door" type communication, many of the long-standing direct sales companies still have rules that outright forbid you from revealing any affiliation to their company, because they consider it "online advertising".

There are a couple of ways to work this:

1. Don't do product reviews on your blog - save them for your newsletter. It sounds silly, but instead of making public recommendations about your company products, offer tips and strategies they can use with any product, and then encourage readers to opt in to your private list so you can give full disclosure. This is a grey area, and because you're not outright endorsing or recommending a particular product, you can safely get around this issue.

2. Brand yourself first. This really should be number one, since it's my mantra. You are the most important product your company has to offer - and it doesn't matter what company you represent. Your public presence should be used to further your OWN reputation, not that of your company or your products. Direct sellers that rely on product review type articles will never fully get their business off the ground. It's a great place to start, but there are a variety of topics that surround your product line to which you should familiarize yourself. Become an expert in a topic related to your product line. Then you become known as "the expert", not just the "xyz product expert".

3. Get permission from your home office. A lot of copanies that say "no online advertising" put those rules in place to keep the mass of consultants from doing "dumb stupids" and posting erroneous info online. If you present a clear, focused proposal to your home office (someone that has authority to approve, not just a help center rep), you might be surprised at what you can accomplish. I was able to get authorization from The Body Shop at Home to do an entire online television series - when national advertising and online advertising were strictly prohibited.

There are other ideas I have on this topic as well, and I would love to hear your thoughts - particularly if your company has the same strict rules as many of the pillars of the industry do.

More about the 12 week challenge

2009-10-07T16:40:00.000-04:00

Wow! In a day, I've had half a dozen entries come in. I'm looking forward to seeing even more questions from all of you.

You can post your entry by clicking here. All the instructions are on yesterday post.

And I realize that many of you are probably waiting to see just what exactly is involved in the 12 week challenge. So here's the skinny:

Beginning October 26, and for the following 12 weeks, you're invited to join me on a step-by-step walk through of Home Party Solution. Now, I'm not going to read you a chapter a week, because I figure you all can read! What I am going to do is walk you through each element, with additional insights and strategies that aren't included in the book, to help you take action right away and help you grow your online presence in an easy to digest way.

Now I know it's a challenge to know from one month to the next what you'll be doing - let alone for the next 12 weeks - particularly when we're rolling into the new year.
So we're giving you the MP3 downloads as well, so that you can keep up with the group if you have to take a holiday or your computer crashes for a week.

The reason I put this group together is because so many of you were telling me that even though it's laid out in bite-sized pieces, it was easy to put the book on a shelf, and let "life get in the way". The result was a bunch of half-completed work that left you feeling more frustrated than successful. Then there were those of you that wanted to attend the Live event, but just couldn't make the trip.

Frustration is not why I wrote this book. This book was created out of a true desire to help consultants become MORE successful and LESS frustrated. It's the process I used to grow my direct sales business - and also my coaching business.

I used the exact same process for both businesses. Which means yes, you can use this info even if you're not in a direct selling business. Any micro/small business looking to create and build an online presence with a personal brand at the front of it all can use this program successfully.

So we'll be working on mindset, and focus. Then we'll develop a perfect fit customer profile that you can use to develop your marketing strategy. Armed with that laser-focused information, you'll be able to quickly assess which online marketing methods will be your best bet for rapid results, and then we'll take ACTION to get things rolling quickly. With 12 weekly assignments (in bite sized, easy to handle pieces), you'll have plenty of time to get everything handled.

Plus, there's Q&A, video training, and more. I'll personally be critiquing your work, reviewing your sites, and helping you build a powerful web presence. We'll even have private coaching sessions to make sure your particular situation is covered. Can you tell how serious I am about helping you succeed?

You can view the info page here:
http://www.homepartysolution.com/12weeks
(link opens in a new window)

Because of all the personal attention, we are strictly limiting the number of "seats" for this telecoaching series to 175 - and HPS Live attendees shrink the number of available seats - and 6 more seats will go to my contest winners. With less than 200 seats available, you know the tickets will go fast - and tickets will go on sale October 10.

If you've already purchased the book, you get a $200 discount on the program. If you were at the HPS Live event, this 12 week challenge is free for you. A special announcement will go out to all our customers this week with further details on the discounts.

AND, during the contest, I'll be posting answers to the questions contestants are asking in their entries. I invite you to engage as well, asking more questions, offering suggestions of your own, etc. I want people to LEARN from this blog, and the best way to do that is to share the answers with all of you - not just the contest winners or challenge participants.

I might even post updates during the challenge! It really depends on the level of interest you show here.

Home Party Solution 12 Week Challenge Contest

2009-10-06T09:05:00.002-04:00

People have been asking me for months now if what I teach inside the pages of Home Party Solution will work for them - even if they don't have a network marketing, or direct sales business.

I love this question, because it means they haven't read the book yet. If they had, they'd know the answer is a resounding yes! In fact, I've been using some of the same strategies I teach in this book with my Simpleology Coaching clients - and many of them don't have a network marketing business of any kind. I've used these strategies with authors, owners of a theater, and other businesses that need to put a personal face on the work that they do.

While there are some aspects of the book that talk directly to people in the direct selling profession, the bulk of the book is geared to any small business owner.

If you are a micro biz owner, a solo-professional, or anyone trying to develop a personal brand online and attract more perfect fit clients using strategic target marketing, social media, websites, opt-ins and more, it's time to consider my 12 week challenge.

I'm even going to let a 6 lucky readers have access to the entire program FREE (with product and services totally nearly $10,000 for the 12 week program).

Intrigued? Read on...

The Home Party Solution 12 Week Challenge is a telecoaching program that walks you through the entire online marketing model I've used to create several successful businesses. We begin with mindset issues, then develop a "perfect fit" customer profile, and lay out the strategies you'll need to grow your business using personal branding and the power of the Internet. From websites to blogs to social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, you'll have everything you need at your fingertips.

And if you're like many business owners I know, it's hard to know what you'll be doing in 12 weeks, so if you need to miss a class, you'll even have the MP3's to listen to to keep moving forward, or to re-listen to a strategy you might have missed.

It's easy to enter. Just answer this question:

What is your biggest challenge with marketing your business online?

What you'll win:
All eligible entrants will get complimentary access to the March 2010 Super Summit Teleseries - and the audio downloads (a $100 REAL value, people paid that much for each of my two previous summits and March looks to be even MORE spectacular!).

10 winners will get a 1-on-1 Target Marketing Session with me ($175 REAL value - I charge and get $175 per half our of coaching). We'll spend 30 minutes honing in on your perfect-fit customer and develop a preliminary marketing strategy to help you reach your target market and attract customers you WANT to work with.

5 winners will get access to the entire 12 week challenge - including Audio downloads ($297 REAL value - only 175 seats will be available for this event - and the first 5 will be filled here!)

ONE Grand prize winner will get all of the above (That's a $472 REAL value, folks)

How to Enter:
Write a paragraph, describing your biggest challenge with marketing your business online - you don't NEED to be involved in a Direct Sales business to enter or win. Just write it up and post it either to your blog or facebook with a link back to this post. Then email us at lisa126-465599@autocontactor.com so that we know you're eligible for the prizes. You'll get a confirmation email right away.

You can also post your question here and then Share This Post on twitter or facebook (or both!).

Here's the link, if you want to tell your friends and neighbors: http://www.homepartysolution.com/contest

Aren't engaged in social media? You can still enter by emailing your entry to the email address above. All eligible entries will be posted to this blog, regardless of how you enter.

Contest Rules:
Winners will be selected at random from all eligible entries on October 20, 2009. Only one entry per email address is allowed. Winners will be notified via email and an announcement will be made on this blog.

Tomorrow, you'll learn more about the 12 week challenge. We begin October 26 and there's only 175 total spaces available, and tickets go on sale soon. If you purchase your ticket and are declared a contest winner, your purchase will be refunded.

Best of luck everyone!

Inspiration & Business: A Lesson in Consistency

2009-10-05T15:10:00.003-04:00

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

So have rumours of me being stranded and mugged in London - for those of you that haven't heard about my Facebook adventure. Someone hacked my Facebook page a couple of months ago, and fortunately, we caught it quickly, which meant little clean up on my end. YAY! The good news is that they didn't do a thing to my facebook fan page - and now we've got all kinds of people connecting with us on Facebook! Double YAY!

And so, between cleaning up all that hoo-hah, and the musical I directed this summer for a local theater company, the LIVE event in August, and the Direct Sales Super Summit that just ended... well, let's just say I've been busy.

Real busy.

And it begs the question - just how important is my blog in terms of traffic generation, lead generation and growing my business? I mean, this is part and parcel to what I teach my clients: build a website, create a brand, and market it like crazy so people will flock to you, rather than you having to chase after them.

I confess, my focus was elsewhere, and while I have some great news to share with you, I also want to be honest and tell you that yes, the number of people that read my blog went WAY down, as did the number of subscribers from my marketing actvities. In fact, there were a couple of weeks where I actually lost more subscribers than I added.

So the lesson in consistency was a hard one to learn - and if you've been following my ezine for any length of time, you'll know that it's not the only hard lesson I learned this month.

One of the things I toyed with was the idea of delegating my blog posts to "guest bloggers" or having my assistant post on my behalf, but I dismissed the idea almost as quickly. To me, my blog is my personal platform to cmmunicate with my readers. To have anyone else do it would take away some of that personalness. Maybe I'll change my mind later, but for now, if I can't post it myself, it won't get posted.

That said, watch what happens to my blog in the coming days - I'm implementing a new traffic strategy, beginning tomorrow, and running throughout the remainder of October. The challenge - a blog post every single day. EVERY day.

And tomorrow's will be a doozie.

You have been warned.

5 Ways to Build a Responsive List

2009-08-18T08:51:00.000-04:00

The money is in the list. That's what today's marketers will tell you.

But that's a half truth. The money is in the responsive list.

The phone book is a great example of a list that is mostly worthless for marketing purposes. Yes, there's money to be had in that list, but the time and effort you'll expend trying to extract it could be put to better use labeing your catalogs.

You need a responsive list. You may have heard me talk in the past about creating a customer crack addiction. These are customers that are so excited about working with you, that they're almost addicted to what you have to say, and more importantly, what you have to offer.

It's been said that if we only had 1000 true fans, most of us could live a comfortable lifestyle. These 1000 true fans would flock to our classes, devour everything we ever teach them, and be the first to own one of everything we've ever offered.

Yet, most of us are quite content to take whatever we're given and keep our mouths shut.

If you are truly building "You, Inc.", you need to consider how to gro a responsive list. Take a cue from Aunt Barbara.

You can visit youtube on any given day and you'll see dozens of videos from "Aunt Barbara" - a Tupperware representative with a twist - HE does all of his parties in drag, dressed as a quintessential 1950's marm, complete with the beehive hair and the red lipstick.

This guy sold over $100,000 in Tupperware last year and was featured on MSNBC. He's created a following of fans that enjoy his irreverent, on the fringe style of Tupperware parties, and they watch his videos religiously.

While you may not be ready to dress in drag, there are ways to build a responsive list that can have you seeing six figure sales as well.

1. Video. Sites like youtube and viddler not only allow you to post videos, you can create whole channels for your content, and promote them as well. Videos that go viral - like Aunt Barbara - mean more eyeballs. More eyeballs convert to clicks, clicks convert to buyers. Video is fast, and still forgiving. You don't need to be perfect, just genuine.

2. Ezines. Still the tried and true way to regularly reach your "tribe" of faithful, ezines are still effective. They target your market and provide you with a level of credibility when used consistently. If you can't be conistent, though, avoid getting started with ezines. Responsive lsis will come to expect them like clockwork.

3. Articles. Related to ezines, but not exactly the same, posting articles on article sites like ezinearticles.com can help drive traffic and build your list as well.

4. Blogs. A great way to generate a lot of traffic, it can be tricky to convert blog readers into list members without a strong call to action to do so. Make sure you have some sort of opt-in link or subscription form near every post to ensure those that want to sign up will.

5. Social Media. This is a fantastic way to create a following, but like blogs can be tricky to convert followers into list members. Post too many links, and you're seen as spammy. You really have to walk the line and provide a lot of value for this to be effective. When done properly, though, your social media fans will be some of your most vocal advocates in the marketplace.

Once you start building a responsive list, you'll quickly see a return on your investment of value. People that complain about giving away free content to their lists are generally the ones still using a phonebook instead of a targeted list of raving fans. People want good reasons to do business with you, and they want to be sure you're the real deal. Giving value first goes a long way toward building a responsive list, and each of these methods provides value in a real, tangible way for minimal expense.

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com

The Power of a List

2009-08-17T08:54:00.001-04:00

Whenever clients ask me why they need their own (opt-in) list of contacts and customers, I tell them this:

"She who controls the list controls the marketing message."

Then, I usually recount one story or another I've gathered from other consultants. Like the consultant that joined a new direct sales company after her previous company closed their doors. With less than a week to finalize any outstanding orders, most consultants are left cobbling together customer order forms, old guest lists, and email contacts as they try to rebuild their business with a new company.

Or perhaps you've left your company for "greener pastures" as did one top income earner I know. Eventually several of her downline team mates joined her. Naturally, you're going to let all your past hosts and customers know about your the change. In doing so, you just might end up like she did - slapped with a lawsuit for "enticement". Her former company claimed that she was using confidential company information that was owned by the company to "harvest" customers and consultants, causing them thousands of dollars in lost business.

If you look at most direct sales consultant agreements or policy manuals, you'll see wording that says all customer and consultant lists belong to the company, and that you are granted a license to use that information as long as you are a consultant. Customer lists are confidential, and considered an important "trade secret" that could cause financial harm should they fall into the "wrong hands".

Now, I'm not trying to put the fear of God in you. As a business owner, you need to be aware of all the details of any contracts/agreements that you sign. Make sure you're reading the fine print in your consultant agreement and policy manual.

You hold NO ownership claim to any list that is controlled by your direct sales company.

That means whenever a client or lead visits your company sponsored website and signs up for the company sponsored newsletter, they are part of the company sponsored marketing system and their contact info is essentially owned by the company.

It doesn't matter if the client is a lead from another state or your great Aunt Margaret. The company owns the lead.

As a business owner, YOU need to have a list that you control. As the owner of "You, Inc.", you have a right to contact, market and serve anyone on your own list. Having your own marketing list - that your clients have agreed to be on (they have opted in) - provides you several walls of protection.

Legal protection

If you have clients that opt-in to your list BEFORE you recommend your company products or services, you can prove that they were YOUR leads first. It's as easy as having them sign up for your monthly newsletter (not the company newsletter, YOURS). When leads opt-in, they have given you written permission to be added to your marketing list.

Don't just add people to your list, or you could be accused of violating CAN-SPAM regulations. Get their permission. If they're really your customers, they are usually happy to grant you that permission.

Portability & Flexibility

When you control the list, you determine how and when they are contacted. You can send them ANY message that is in alignment with the purpose of the list. Don't send cooking recipes to a list about financial managment. You assume responsibility for any and all messages going out to your list. It is also your responsibility to keep the list clean.

Plus, if you move to a new company, you can take that list with you. If you use a mailing list service, you can automate a lot of the work, and make updating a snap!

Relationship Building

As the market continues to evolve, being able to communicate effectively with your audience begins with building a relationship built on trust, identity and likeability. If your leads don't know, like and trust you, they won't follow you from one company to another. Having your own marketing list, allows you to update them on the happenings in your life - not just the hot special your company has this month.A company can only develop a product centric relationship - because they don't know your clients like you do. By sending out periodic updates about some of the personal aspects of your life, your clients get to learn more about who you are as a person, not only as a sales rep.Like Jeffrey Gitomer says:All thing being equal, people want to do business with friends. All things being unequal, people STILL want to do business with friends.

Real businesses own their list, treat it like gold, and protect it like Fort Knox. You should too.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!

Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com

Coaching vs. Mentoring: What's the Diff?

2009-08-05T21:35:00.002-04:00

In light of the pre-launch of my new training and coaching program, Marketing Mentors, I wanted to define and distinguish between coaching and mentoring.

Most people don't readily acknowledge that there is a difference between the two.

For one, mentoring requires some level of "been there, done that" in order to be effective. in essence, the mentor comes alongside the mentee, to help them navigate the rough waters of their situation, and steer them to safer waters, generally based on their past experiences.

For example, if you wanted to learn how to jet ski, your brother-in-law who's been doing it for years, could mentor you, and show you how to jump the waves just like he does.

In business, if you wanted to increase sales using a particular technique, you would find someone well-versed in that technique and have them teach/train/mentor you in mastering that technique.

Mentoring is specific to the task at hand. If you don't have an area of experience related to the task at hand, you cannot mentor someone.

You could, however, coach them.

In fact, you may often find that coaches have very little practical experience in the specifi situations you face in your business. But a good coach doesn't need to, because they are not mentoring you. They are not showing you a step-by-step, "this is how I did it" process.

In fact, it's kind of the opposite. Coaches, work with you to help YOU develop your OWN process.

For example, I've never had the experience of personally dealing with the voice change that men endure when puberty converts those pure, pristing little boy voices into deep, brooding, "manly man" voices.

But as a vocal coach, I work with men who struggle with "smoothing out" the transition from different registers in their vocal range. There are specific techniques and exercises I can offer, have the man try, and they experience for themselves the benefits.

In addition, mentoring assumes a small layer of responsibility, whereas in coaching, the responsibility for growth and progress lies almost entirely in the hands of the person being coached.

A Mentor may say "try this, it worked for me". A coach will say "what do you think would work for you? Have you thought about this?"

While the words sound similar, they have entrely different meanings and semantics.

One of the things I pride myself on is the fact that I rarely recommend something if I haven't found success with it myself. If I can make it work, and be successful with it, I readily recommend it to my own team, as well as my clients and customers.

That holds true whether I'm working with Direct Sellers or if I'm selling a skin cream. I try to be authentic in my dealings, and let people know honestly what my reactions and successes/failures have been so that they can gauge their own personal level of potential success.

In it's purest form, those recommendations are a type of mentoring. So if I make a suggestion and it doesn't work, a mentee can come back to me and say "that didn't work. now what?"

That leaves me on the hook for a lot of potential blame, if I'm not choosing my words carefully and coaching my clients along the way.

A blanket recommendation rarely works for everyone - because we are not a one-size-fits-all society. We are different people with different needs and abilities.

Thus, for me, my mentoring always comes along with a healthy dose of coaching.

Asking powerful questions, seeking answers based on the specific needs of the client, but allowing the input to be driven entirely by the client is what coaching is all about.

For example, a client told me that she wasn't getting any shows on her calendar.

Instead of giving her a run down of "try this, try that" I begin with questions:
* do you know your show booking average?
* Do you know your show attendance average?
* Do you know your RSVP rate?
* What's your cancellation rate?

Notice I didn't say "how many people did you talk to today?" In business, when a company is stuck in a rut, sometimes it's more helpful to see the bigger picture (trends) than it is to focus on what's not working right now.

Interestingly enough, most consultants don't even know these basic business details.

So instead of showing them how to get more bookings, we look at how failing to know their business is a bigger problem that needs to be addressed.

And funny enough, when they start looking at those numbers, they start to see the answers:

"well, I'm only seeing 4 people at my average show. i guess I need to make sure my hostess gets those invitations out."

"People aren't RSVP'ing like they should. I guess maybe I should review the script with my hostess so she knows what to say when calling to confirm attendnce."

That, my friends is coaching. Like a birthing coach, I can't have the baby for you - or tell you how to do it right. I can only help you along, guide, you and keep you focused on the actions you already know are within you that need to happen to bring that baby out!

But coaching COMBINED with mentoring not only gives the coach more credibility, it also lends more empathy on the part of the coach.

When you're struggling with the same issues your mentor endured, the mentor can "totally relate to what you're going through." They can empathize with your frustration, and help you to see what the other side of that mountain looks like - because they have already crossed over - and you can, too!

It's a unique blend that I think strengthens the client relationship in a way that adds remarkable value, without placing the onus on the coach. Ultimately the responsibility for success lies firmly in the hands of the coaching client, and the empathy a mentor/coach might have for a specific situation can work to augment the coachign relationship and sometimes speed up the process that leads to success.

Rich rewards await those that work with either a coach or a mentor, and having both can be a blessing.

Twitter Tips for Direct Sellers

2009-07-28T08:28:00.003-04:00

As a target marketing specialist for direct sales reps, I spend a lot of time testing new strategies to help direct sales reps reach and serve their customers. My current favorite is twitter.

Twitter is an obvious choice for connecting real time with friends or followers. It's quick and relatively easy to navigate. Simply create an i.d., and start looking for people to spread your message.

The trouble comes when a person is brand new and has no idea how/where to begin.

Twitter is not a platform for heavy selling. Rather, it's a great place to introduce yourself, share more about who you are, and then open the door to potential business ventures. Heck, you only have 140 characters per tweet, and if you want people to share those tweets, you need to keep it under 120!

In the interests of ettiquette, here are a few simple tips to help direct sellers make the most of twitter:

1. Be genuine. This is at the heart of everything twitter represents. Select a user name that reflects who you are, rather than your product or company name. In fact, most companies prohibit use of their name in that manner anyway, so why risk it?People will gravitate to who you are first, THEN to what you offer.

2. Provide value. You've heard me say this time and again. People are always asking themselves, "why should I believe/listen you?" We are deluged with thousands of "advertising" messaged every single day. Your tweets need to stand out, provide value to your market and serve the very people you're trying to reach.

3. Be personal. By that, I mean resist the temptation to automate your folowing/unfollowing or direct messaging. There are appropriate ways to use automation with twitter. I've tested dozens of applications that were developed to maximize the efficiency of twitter. My results conclude that Autofollows and autoDM's just cause trouble.

Take the time to make the connection manually - which will avoid the need to unfollow at a later date. Yes, it means your number of followers may grow more slowly, but you can be sure that the followers you do have are actually INTERESTED in what you have to say.

4. Be patient. If you're being true to who you are, you're not likely to get a million followers overnight, but you WILL generate a following of people that know like and trust you. Word will spread as your followers share your message with their followers.

This is why I stress that social media and online marketing does not replace your home party business, but is an additional marketing component to running your business like a real business. Yes, there are people who have all but retired from doing home parties, but it didn't happen overnight. Don't fool yourself into thinking that a twitter account (or any single marketing strategy) is the fastest way to riches. It can help increase your reach dramatically, but it's certainly not an overnight solution.

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Want more help understanding twitter and how to apply it to your business? Explore Lisa's course: Twitter Secrets 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.

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to use target marketing to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Register today for her free member community & target marketing program for direct sellers at http://www.homepartysolution.com

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.

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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.