Home Party Solution will self-destruct in...

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I've got html pages with outdated info that we crafted eons ago that I can't even figure out how to find, let alone edit.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: Do You Feel Lucky?

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 Direct Sales Conundrum: Embracing Entrepreneurialism

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.

Birthday Parties, Sales, and Saying Goodbye

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

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!

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

"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.

The Standing Ovation That ALMOST Never Shoulda Happened

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...

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

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.

A Tale of Two Direct Sales Moms

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yet the are one in the same.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God bless technology!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Direct Sales IS a REAL Business

2-for-1 today: Personal Branding tip and Direct Sales wisdom:


I got a call at my home today from an owner of a direct sales company.

It's not every day I get calls like this, and it's even RARER that they call me at home.

But I had to share this.

This guy was very polite and expressed that he had been following some of my blog posts and was excited to see someone who understands that direct sales is a real business.

FINALLY! Someone that gets it.

I nearly jumped out of my skin with delight - because his company does so many things RIGHT for their consultants and customers. And here he was talking to me about helping his consultants achieve more and be better prepared for doing the business of direct sales.

If only the rest of the world would take notes...

So many of us in direct sales join a business opportunity not because we're going to mke a million dollars - although some do - but because we're looking for "something more".

Maybe it's a little more money.
Maybe it's a litle more time freedom.
Maybe it's a little more "me time" or time out of the house.

There are probably as many reasons as there are consultants in the world. But somewhere along the way, a good portion of us find ourselves in the position of growing a real business - with an organization that looks to us for support, training, expertise - and we're sitting there scratching our heads trying to figure out how we got there.

How many times have you heard a new leader say "I don't know what I did, I just got lucky, I guess."?

Baloney. There may bave been some luck - good timing, or great connections - involved, but in reality, that leader started to LEAD in some way. They set an example for their team to follow. If they don't they don't stay leaders for long.

And I've talked about that phenomenon before. There are people that promote by default. They just happen to have enough people on their team, and hit the goals to achieve leadership and there they are. But they rarely last.

Real leaders develop systems, stay in contact, and connect with their clients and team. They build real businesses with income forecasts, budgets and other "unglamorous" things that are required to be successful in business. Some of them even have assistants.

In fact, my new STAR Power program isn't about the "three r's of direct sales" - Booking, Selling, and Recruiting.
(I know they don't all start with 'R', work with me here!) It's a leadership program designed for established leaders (or very determined aspiring leaders) that want to grow their business like a real business. We're covering advanced business topics - like advertising, social media, and outsourcing/automation. We're also talking about the more mundane, but necessary topics like target marketing, business plans, and cash flow projections.

These are the core compenents of running a REAL business. You have to have the basics mastered before you can become competent in the advanced strategies. There are hundreds of coaches that train on the 3R's - and they do it very well.

But I haven't seen anyone yet that's willing to take these leaders by the hand and train them on the power (and responsibility) of running a business.

I hear more consultants than I care to count complain that their home office isn't responsive to their needs to help them grow their business. But how many of them are taking the time to realize that, like it or not, Direct Sales is a REAL Business - and owners are not running a non-profit organiation. They are here to turn a profit.

If we treated our personal direct sales business like a real business, perhaps we'd be taken more seriously at the home office.

Harsh words, I know. But I calls 'em as I sees 'em.

It means that instead of recruiting 75 new people this year, and having 50 of them drop out, perhaps you should focus on giving your best to 25 strong candidates - and only lose 5. Focus on quality AND quantity, instead of one or the other.

That also means some of the onus falls back to the home office to provide real business training for leaders. It means they have to stop dumbing down everything so that "anyone can do this". We all know that direct sales is simple, but it ain't easy. Raise the bar and expect more from your business builders. Reward consistency, not just high achievers. I've seen too many instances where today's high achievers are tomorrow's burnouts - or worse, they leave the company altogether. Create incentives that recognize month-to-month performance, because that's how REAL businesses are built.

And this owner that called me - he totally gets it. He also knows, as I do, that transitions like that take time, may requie a culture shift, and don't always come easy.

But with an aging population of direct sellers, we need to be demonstrating to these younger recruits that we're serious about growing real businesses with lasting income. They're savvy - and embrace technology. With all the information at our fingertips, it's easier than ever to know what's genuine and what's a 'snow job' whe we're touting the glories of our companies.

And remember this key: people join YOU, not your opportunity. They have to know you, like you and trust you well enough to believe you're not going to steer them wrong. Otherwise, they could easily sign up with another rep or another company altogether. We need to be promoting ourselves as much as (if not more than) we promote our company, products, or opportunity. With the flood of information, and transparency - it's also harder to know who to trust. When you establish yourself as an expert, people are more easily drawn to trust you.

It worked with this company owner. It will work for you.

Building the Cocoon

It's been just over a month since my last blog post for several reasons:
1. I was up to my ears in the Direct Sales SUPER Summit, which was an amazing success in more ways than I think I will realize for months or years to come.

2. I was BOMBARDED by bizops from well-meaning, yet opportunistic consultants (more on that in a minute).

3. I've been building a cocoon, I think, and I'm nearly finished.

If you followed my last post, you know that my career with The Body Shop at Home is officially ending this month. To that end, I have been humbled (and sometimes annoyed) by consultants approaching me with their opportunities - some of them right here on this blog. The comments in my last post that I DIDN'T delete were the posts done right.

Take a look and learn. These people offered quality comments that added value to the discussion BEFORE they shared their business opportunity. So many of the posts to my blog looked somethng like this:

"I'm so sorry to hear about TBSAH closing. It's such a shame, but we have the best products in the world and we'll give you a bunch of free stuff for joining our team becaue you can really make a lot of money with us, and please join my company because we're the best."

Bleh.

Without incriminating anyone, let me just say that this is NOT the way to approach someone with your business opportunity. You come off like a vulture circling prey.


There are right and wrong ways to make a connection. If you want to recieve something (like a new team member), you want to GIVE first. Give content, give advice, give connections, give love, but GIVE.

And shame on you if you didn't give first and have been following my blog for any length of time! You should know better.

If you really want to approach a potential business partner with an opportunity, it's much better to:

a) approach them privately, or if that's not possible
b) approach them discreetly, by first providing value and setting yourself up as an expert that can help their situation.

For example, when I approached a handful of Sarah Coventry Reps last fall, I didn't start with how great I or my company was, but offered to help them in their search. Now it HELPS that I have some authority in my market - but many of the women didn't know who I was.

In fact, some of them didn't even know Sarah Coventry was closing when I approached them. I also talked to them about why I thought THEY would be a great addition to any team - and never mentioned my company.

Of the 5 I approached, 2 joined my business - and neither one of them had ever heard of me. They appreciated that I focused on THEM and not on trying to get them on my team.

That's one of the reasons I ultimately went with the new company I'm with, Sensaria. So please don't approach me about joining your "hot business opp", because I'm all set, thanks. They approached me, and shared how I could be valuable with any company - and then asked to get on my schedule to share more about the product BEFORE we talked about the opporunity.

I'm now in the process of migrating clients, systems and marketing to my new company - which because of the summit has been stalled until this week.

So that's part of the reason for the month-long absence. Transitions like this have usually been more difficult - this one wasn't difficult, just lengthy.

The other reason - the cocoon reason - is really just getting going. And it hit me HARD today.

I'm calling it a cocoon because it doesn't feel like a wall, but there's definitely some kind of barrier around me right now. I can sense that I'm insulated from a lot of people I used to have regular contact with. And it feels like it's leading to a major transformation that will require a bit of struggle to make it work fully.

I talked with a new friend today that cleared up a few things for me, and it's been an amazing couple of hours since then. It's almost time to wriggle out of the cocoon, and get ready for what's next.

I've just launched a 12-month coaching program for direct sellers and am planning for my first ever LIVE event in August, and that's just the beginning of te transformational shift I'm feeling.

It's overwhelming right now. I'm still processing, but I think God's tapping me to take the next big step, and as my friend indicated today, to jump head first into the pool.

But first, I've got to wriggle out of this Cocoon...

Create a Customer "Addiction"

Note: I expect this article may start a flame war. It was so problematic that EzineArticles.com took a while to approve it. I think the idea of equating crack addictions to marketing will probably stir a few pots. This is essentially a further development of an idea I posted previously into a full fledged article. Let the great debate begin. -Lisa

I've been toying with the idea that in order to be successful in business, you have to create a loyal following that goes beyond "customer satisfaction" and even a bit past "customer loyalty".

I call it "customer crack addiction".

Now, I mean this in the nicest possible way, with no offense to any crackheads that might be reading.

I examined other possible ideas and concepts. I've read Jeffrey Gitomer's book, "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless", and I agree with so much of what he writes.

At one point he draws the comparison to a marriage. Would you want your spouse to be "satisfied" or "loyal"?

Great analogy. But I think there's another level that every business would love to attain: "Addicted"

In my mind, I want my spouse to be addicted to me. He can't get enough of me. Would do anything to be close to me. He would stay up nights thinking of ways to be around me more frequently. In short, his world would revolve around me. It borders on an unhealthy obsession, but only borders on it. We do, after all, want our clients to keep their sanity, lest they be seen as crackpots instead of crack heads.

The Bible tells husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. In my mind, that means be willing to die for me. To lay down his life in order to save me. Periodically, I ask my husband if he's willing to take a bullet, or give up a kidney for me.

I'm still working on getting him "trained".

As business professionals, we all want to have that handful of clients that raves about us to everyone they meet, can't say enough good things about us, and can't wait for our next product or service to be unveiled. These "crack heads" lead the charge for us, investing in and putting to use everything we bring to market. They are not just our most loyal customers, they are our evangelists.

In business, you can create an addiction to your products and services. It's not hard, but it takes a certain amount of work and investment on your part. Before we walk that road, let's look at what happens with real crack addicts to draw our analogy.

Crack/Cocaine is a nervous system stimulant. It affects the brain, and leaves you in a temporary state of euphoria. Essentially, you feel SO GOOD while you're "high" on the drug that you lose touch with the problems and issues of your reality. Tony Robbins explains in his Personal Power series that basically, you are feeling immense pleasure and absolutely no pain while you are under the influence of the drug. You have no inhibitions, no fears, no doubts, worries. Nothing negative exists in this world.

NO WONDER people become drug addicts!

And how does the pusher work?

He gives you a taste for free. You might remember the commercials that ran in the late 80's/early 90's with the kid who was just supposed to give the 'stuff' away. Then when his friends came back - "THAT'S When I start charging?" said the kid.

So it would seem simple to say that the solution to creating a customer crack addiction is to give away free samples of our "stuff" and charge returning customers a premium for the full package. However, a piece of the equation would still be missing.

The key to crack's effectiveness is it's potency. There's a difference between baking soda and cocaine. Both look very similar, but have entirely different effects. You can see this in business every day with knock-off clones of products stocking shelves in every store. Many are very similar, but in the end, cheap imitations, when compared to the higher priced original.

In the online marketing world, there are thousands upon thousands of 'freebies' that are given away every single day online. For nothing more than your name and email address you can get access to free ezines, special reports, a tip of the week, etc. For a while, this was an effective ploy. But for most people, an immunity is being built to the regular fare that's been posted, hashed and re-hashed in the marketing world. It's one of the reasons why so many marketers have resorted to adding bonus after bonus to their high priced coaching and product offers. We need to keep doing more and more to attract and keep customer focus.

Unless they are addicts.

In this evolving economy, if you you want business for decades to come, you want to create a crack addiction with your customers. You want them to be so excited about the products and services that you offer that they don't blink an eye about opening their wallet to "get the goods" from you.

And like a drug addiction, you're not paying big coin for baking soda or powdered sugar. You need to create a powerful, mind expanding, state altering product. Once they've tried it, they'll never go back to the way they were. It's not possible without major intervention. Your customers will have changed in their very core.

Then, give them a sample strong enough to get them hooked. Newsletters alone don't cut it any more. And repurposed content better be powerful and hard to find. Savvy customers are taking the time to research and save their pennies now more than ever. If they can find your content somewhere else for free, they will.

And there goes your crack addiction.

Now is the time for quality and quantity. In days past, it was acceptable to burn a CD with poor audio quality and photocopy a couple of pages of notebook scribbles and sell it for thousands of dollars. Not any more. Packaging, presentation, and quality are all part of the equation now. Your product or service not only has to be full of solid content, it has to be presented in such a way that people are proud to own it. At the very least, re-type your photocopies into a legible format, and move away from the inkjet printer CD labels. First impressions go a long way in business. Think of yourself for a moment as the "pusher" - who always arrives in style, well presented, and ready to do business. the same must be true of you and your products/services.

Make sure your product is potent and effective. Make sure it does exactly what it says. Better yet, make sure that it's better than described. People are pleasantly surprised when a product outperforms it's advertising - and they will rave about it.

Don't be afraid to give it away to the right people. If you find someone that you know can absolutely benefit from what you have to offer, don't be afraid to share it with them at no charge. They'll feel indebted to you and psychologically obligated to share the greatness of your offering with the world. And reward them for their referrals. Keep your addicts clinging to you for their "fix" and you'll earn a customer base that goes beyond loyalty.

Start your own customer crack addiction by examining your offerings. What can you improve or modify to make even more impressive? Start with simple changes that make a big impact. Sometimes those minor adjustments can make a big pricing difference because of your audience's perception of value. Create massive value, then give a sample away.

Then watch your addicts flock to you.

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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 teaches direct sellers how to be a superstar in the eyes of their customers. As Founder of HomePartySolution.com, Ms. Young has garnered the attention of thousands of direct sales consultants around the world looking for ways to integrate online marketing with their offline businesses to achieve greater success while working from home. Sign up for her free ezine at HomePartySolution.com

Clue #5: If You Love Something, Set it Free

"If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was. We do not possess anything in this world, least of all other people. We only imagine that we do. Our friends, our lovers, our spouses, even our children are not ours; they belong only to themselves. Possessive and controlling friendships and relationships can be as harmful as neglect."

A Chinese Proverb, this quote has been in my head in one form or another since childhood. My grandmother cautiously reminded me to let the butterflies be, instead of trying to catch them by their wing on the flower.

Nobody said I was classy. I thought catching bugs was cool.

But Grandma was truly a woman. She was kindhearted and earthy. She didn't think catching bugs was ladylike. She strove to "meet me where I was" though, and used a little psychology on me.

"If you love it, set it free and see if it comes back to you. If it doesn't it wasn't yours."

I lost more butterflies that way. Thanks Grandma!

But the lesson was indellible in my mind. And in the past year, my childhood memories have been replaying - a bit more somberly now than before - and I'm remembering some valuable lessons.

I love learning. I've loved reading and growing and powering up my brain for as long as I can remember. I started reading at an early age, and I really wanted to see my kids grow into loversof learning as well.

Right now, my oldest is NOT big into learning. Although I did catch hm checking out a book of Latin poetry at the library a few weeks ago. He said he wanted to impress a "chick at school" by writing out the latin and the english side by side.

There may be hope for him yet.

I've always wanted to share my passion for learning and knowledge and skill-building. But I NEVER wanted to be a teacher. Our educational systems are assembly lines for cranking out kids that meet the minimum requirements for life. And I say that with all the love I can possibly have, because my mom was a teacher, my aunts are teachers, my cousin is a teacher. My sister even did a stint as a teacher.

And I guess some would say I'm a teacher, too.

But public school teaching in this country is a thankless, tough job. I never had the intestinal fortitude to endure the grief so many in my family willingly did. They gave up a lifetime of working to teach childrn, mold minds and create a different world. I give them all teh props in the world - because I never could have done it.

Instead, I turned my desire to teach into an income-driven business model. I taught voice, piano and clarinet lessons from my mobile studio. I even taught guitar briefly. Then I developed my newsletter, the book, and ultimately the entire construct that is now Home Party Solution.

And along the way, I found myself felling like it wasn't all exactly right. Like I was only doing part of the work God set out for me to do.

I reached a turning point last July.

If I could do anything, if money were no object, if what others said or thought didn't matter, and if I knew I couldn't fail, where was I feeling God pulling me?

I couldn't dodge it. And the process that I went through inspired the build a better customer program. It's truly been a labor of love for me.

I knew I had developed something life changing, but I was so afraid that mine would be the only life it would change. I was scared to share my findings because deep down inside I wondered:

"What if this process only works for me? Then what will I do?"

But January proved to me that this s one of the most amazing and transformative processes I have ever experienced - and it works for others, too. And I've been thrilled with the way it has changed people's businesses and outlooks on life as well.

But I keep hearing Grandma's voice in my head...

Think you've got this one figured out? Post your guess. The first correct answer will win the keys to the kingdom! Every physical product I've ever created. We've had some creative guesses so far, but we're gettng to the wire and NO ONE's gotten it all right yet. There's only a few more clues between now and Sunday night at 7pm eastern.

Clue #4: Scriptually Speaking...

Here's where I'll lose a truckload of subscribers, but I'm okay with that.

I am a Christian.

I am a God-fearing woman that has really struggled with the question "Just how much God can I sprinkle into my work without coming across as a Bible thumper?"

I still screw up. I still make horrible, terrible mistakes in my life. I am FAR from perfect. And I still love God and hear the voice of the Baptist pastor from my youth telling the entire congregaton that if we wanted to have peace in our hearts, "You need JEEESUS!"

I don't think it's wrong to say I need Jesus. I don't think it's wrong to share that love and gratitude with others - or to cite the source. To NOT do so would be contrary to everything I believe, in terms of giving credit where credit is due.

To God be the glory.

That said, I DO think it's wrong to try to ram scripture down the throats of people that aren't interested. That's just a waste of time and energy -two commodities I've discovered this year that are very precious to me. I think it was Victor Frankl, in his book, Man's Search For Meaning, that laid down a challenge to meet people where they are. You can't push people into your space. They have to be led, and desire to go there of their own will. Only then will they embrace the space you're in as their own.

So while my Catholic charge is to preach the good news in the world, as a business person, I have to temper my fervor for God by meeting people where they are. Many of the business women I work with are stay-at-home moms. Many are from a Judeo-Christian background, but some are not. My business is NOT here to convert people. But it IS an extension of my mission to serve God.

So as a Christian, how do I convey to the world that part of why I'm good at what I do is a direct result of the relationship I have with my creator and sustainer?

That was one of the biggest challenges I faced when I was developing the Build a Better Customer Program. In fact part of creating my perfect fit customer was the idea that I wanted to serve more Christian business women - regardless of their industry. But I also wanted to continue to serve my core client base - home party consultants - in a way that would elevate everyone and help me fulfill my mission without burning bridges unnecessarily.

I created Home Party Solution because a number of my friends, family and fellow direct sales consultants said that I should write a book about how I grew my business. 'PartyOn!' was a newsletter I created because I wanted to help consultants grow their business like a real business. Everything I've ever done in this crazy little company has been an extention of serving others.

I wanted to help others. I wanted to bless others as God had blessed me. There's no real secret to my success. I just found something that worked for me and I implemented it. I stayed consistent with it, and I was rewarded for my commitment.

So as I roll into 2009, I'm looking at ways to help even more people, reach even more people, and effect positive change in the lives of even MORE people still.

Think you've figured out my Big Announcement? Post your guess here. I'll announce the big winner (and the BIG Announcement) on the Blog on Sunday night.

Business Stripped Bare: What I've learned from Sir Richard Branson, Part One

I'm a reader. Folks who know me know my bookshelves are stocked to the gills with books read, underlined, notated and paraphrased. They also know I have boxes of books that won't fit on my shelves. So what better gift to give a girl like me than Sir Richard Branson's book, Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur? Along with a book light and a lifetime supply of batteries for that light, my sister made my holiday bright (no pun intended) with this gift.

My intention this year is to write more, and read more, and most importantly to share my findings with my subscribers so they too can benefit from what I learn. This is the first installment of revelations from Sir Richard's book.

After swimming through the first chapter, dozens of action steps popped into my head that I felt compelled to implement in my business. But nestled in the center of that first chapter was this little gem:

"business has to give people enriching, rewarding lives, or it's simply not worth doing."

I stopped cold when I read those words. I must have re-read them 16 or 20 times, because the underline is pretty black on the page. Then I took out my notebook and started writing down ideas about what makes an enriching, rewarding life - and how my businesses could do that for me.

Beyond the monetary considerations, your business must provide social/emotional fulfillment.
You've got to feel good about the work you're doing, and share that joy with others. That's the beauty of work: different people get joy from doing different tasks. Why put yourself in a position where you HAVE to do the work you hate? If you find yourself foucsing on the drudgery of the work you do, you'll quickly hit burnout, become disgruntled, and look for excuses to not get your work done.

Direct Sales consultants suffer from a chronic dread of getting on the phone and doing the requisite follow-up with their customers. If this is a problem for you, there are solutions. Hire some help. Recruit a customer service rep to handle the calls and follow ups for you. There are two immediate benefits: you'll be freed from the work you hate, PLUS your customers will get the follow up they deserve. The downside? There may be a cost to hiring help. But not necessarily. You can often find inexpensive help through a local college or via online help at places like elance.com.

You will do your best work when you are pursuing your passion.
So often, we find ourselves plugged into work that we thought we would enjoy, only to find out we're really not cut out for it. We haven't taken the time to investigate where our passion truly lies. As a result, we may feel stuck or trapped in a position that we can't escape. That's simply not the case. There are always alternatives.

A coaching client recently made the discovery that, although she loved her work, her real passion was in spending time "being a good mom" to her babies. She felt as though her mission had to be work related, and during our coaching sessions, she came to realize that her work is the vehicle that helps her fulfill her mission of being a good mom. Are you clear on what you live to do? What is that thing that makes you jump out of bed in the morning?

In Direct Sales, we call it your "why", but it can really be anything. The passion that inspires you to do out-of-the-ordinary things to achieve your goals. The fire that pushes you through some of the more mundane moments in your business. When you structure your work around pursuing your passion/mission, nothing can prevent you from achieving success - all it can do is delay it a bit.

There has to be reciprocity. You must give to get.
Sir Richard talks about the various charitable activities that are tied into the Virgin brand. In Direct Sales, many of our companies already donate a portion of profits to worthy causes. At the consultant level, what are YOU doing to give back to your community/customers? It can be a simple hostess appreciation event, giving extras with orders, or any manner of giving back as a way to establish a deeper connection with the people you serve. Service is the key. A business that seeks to serve it's customers (not sell to them), is more profitable, more successful, and more powerful in the marketplace.

In a saturated marketplace, the company that cares - the business with heart, that has concern for the public, makes a bigger splash. Customers "don't care what you know, until they know that you care."

Finding your passion in your business, and serving your customers in a value-added way makes a tremendous difference in the value YOU derive from it as a business owner. When an opportunity presents itself to serve your customers, take it. You'll find your business to be more rewarding, enjoyable, and successful in the long run.

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR PRINT OR WEB PUBLICATIONS?

I'd be honored - so long as you include this complete blurb with it: Lisa Robbin Young teaches entrepreneurs how to be celebrities in the eyes of their customers. Lisa's mission is to educate entreprenurial women about big business ideas they can apply to their small business enterprise for stellar success. Learn the 4 steps to Building a Better Customer at http://www.homepartysolution.com/bbc.

Make it Black Friday EVERY Day

Well, it's official. According to a post at CNN.com:
"The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have already believed about the state of the economy."

And yet, despite the horror stories and deep discounts, retail sales were still up 3% over last year on Black Friday.

Where's the disconnect? And how can we apply that to Real Life Marketing?

The day after Thanksgiving in the US signals the beginning of the end - the mad shopping frenzy that beats a path to Christmas Day and leaves a trail of exhausted shoppers in it's wake.

For most Home Party consultants, however, the holiday season is quickly winding down, and many consultants find themselves in a slump from around December 9 through the end of the year. In fact, many consultants - and some companies - close their doors for the last two weeks of the year - despite the potential for additional sales, parties and possible recruits.


Black Friday shouldn't be a one-day-of-the-year occurrence. Retailers pin their profit dreams on the single biggest shopping day of the year - and many find their dreams dashed on the rocks if sales aren't all they imagined.


What can you do to make your sales cycles more consistent? What can you do to make every day Black Friday - that is, more profitable?

Diversify. Don't pin all your hopes on one show on your calendar - or one month (or day) of the year. Every day that you have a show, your office is "open for business".

Consistency. Touch your business regularly. Have business hours - even if it's only one hour a day. People like consistency and prefer to do business with you when they know what to expect.

Over-deliver. Rather than slash your prices to the absolute rock-bottom - or create a loss leader for yourself to pull in more sales, consider adding more value to your customer's purchase. Perhaps free training on the proper use of a product, or a special recipe, or hand-written thank-you note. Not a coupon. Coupons are NOT value added. Coupons imply that the customer must spend money with you AGAIN in order to get the benefit. Give value, get loyalty.

Consistency. Say you're going to do something. Do it. Then do it again, just like you said you would.

Accept nothing less than the best for your clients. Notice that many of the companies going out of business over the 2008 holiday are the low-price competitor. Price is a minor consideration in the customers eye. If the value of the offer is 10-100 times greater than the cost of the investment, the customer will buy.

Consistency. There's nothing like getting what you expect time and time again. McDonald's is McDonald's is Mcdonald's. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Just like Krispy Kreme.

Reward your best customers. Give repeat buyers an additional incentive to continue shopping with you. It is far easier to keep a client than it is to gain new ones. Invest some of your advertising budget in client retention.

Consistency. It may be redundant, but it's important to be consistent in your business.

Serve ALL your markets. Do you have clients that prefer to shop online or in person? Don't ignore them. Use direct response mail and email to reach out to your customers in the way they want to be reached.

Consistency. Need I say more?

Building a profitable home party / network marketing business is a bit like dollar-cost averaging. If you do the same amount of work every day, over time you'll see a greater return on your investment. Some days may be up, and others down, but if you're consistent in building your business the RIGHT way, you'll be ahead of the curve at the end of the year, and every day can be Black Friday.

© 2008 Lisa Robbin Young. All Rights Reserved.
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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?
I'd be honored - so long as you include this complete blurb with it: Lisa Robbin Young is Editor and Founder of "PartyOn!", a free newsletter for party plan professionals. A personal branding coach, Lisa is on a mission to educate consultants on big business ideas they can apply to their small business enterprise for stellar success. Get your free tips at http://www.homepartysolution.com.