Even though, we're just starting to see the April showers and early flowers, now is the time to start planning out your Summer business schedule.
If it seems this year as though I'm harping on planning, there's a method to my madness. We've just wrapped up the first quarter of the year. Nearly 1/3 of 2010 is GONE, and what do you have to show for it in your direct sales business?
Bookings beget bookings, and if your calendar is looking thin now, imagine how barren it will be come July!
The school year is coming to an end, and families are planning their vacations, getaways and summer activities now. As a business owner, you need to be on their radar, and plant the seed now that a Summer show is just the ticket to reconnect, relax, and enjoy good times with friends.
Contact the hosts from last Summer now, and give them first dibs on your calendar. Just like Christmas, you can have a full Summer schedule if you give people plenty of notice. In my business, I rarely booked a show closer than 3 weeks out because I need that time to get out invitations, and do effective hostess coaching. The exception to this was repeat hosts. They are usually already schooled on how I run my business, and are quick to get all my show requirements (like guest lists) back to me in plenty of time for the event.
Repeat hosts are your best testimonials, because they liked your work enough to invite you back! You owe it to yourself to reward them with the best spots in your calendar.
Words to say:
"Hi Sally, this is Lisa (with ABC company). I'm planning now for my summer schedule. It may be a little early yet, but I know that my most successful parties are the ones that are planned in advance. Since you're one of my repeat hosts, I want to say thank you by giving you first dibs on my Summer show calendar. You held a Chocolate Lover's party last June and it was such a blast. What theme would you like to try this year?"
Assume the booking. Your repeat hosts already know you do business, and know what to expect from you. If they're not interested, they'll tell you right away. Instead, assume they love you so much they want to repeat that amazing experience they had last year. Build up the excitement and re-establish the emotional high they had at their last party by mentioning positive memorable moments from the last party. It's a psychological trigger that puts them in a positive frame of mind to book their next show with you.
If you're new to Direct Sales, or re-starting your business like many teachers I know, it's even more imperative that you start now to secure shows for your Summer calendar. Consider asking one of the parents from your child's class to host a get-together during the Summer. Or better yet, host your own and double dip on host benefits as well as your consultant income. An early summer barbecue can have the guys hanging out at the grill, the kids playing in the back yard, and the women shopping from their seat in the comfort of your home. Worried that your house is too small? Host a series of parties to invite your child's best friends over a few at a time.
Summer events are also a great way to bring in new business. If you sell a product that you can demonstrate, consider teaching a course during the summer related to your product line. Renting a small hotel conference room or even a large dining room in a restaurant can bring in new customers interested in learning the how-to of your product, and lead to big sales at the end of the session. Just be sure that the focus of the class is not selling stuff, but teaching skills. Not only can you generate revenue from the sales of products, but also from registration fees from the class. Check with your local community education office for opportunities to share your expertise there as well. Many of the Summer session classes are being decided right now.
However you choose to grow your business this summer, now is the time to start planning. Look at your own family commitments and decide when you're available to work your direct sales business. Being in business for yourself gives you some flexibility, but if you let the entire Summer pass you by, you'll miss out on a great income potential as well as those highly-coveted fall bookings. For a great Fall, you need a great Summer, and Summer selling starts by booking shows now.
© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.
==========
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/
Showing posts with label helping others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label helping others. Show all posts
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!
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: Misconceptions of Leadership
Often, I'm approached by direct sellers that want to move into leadership, but feel they don't have the necessary knowledge, skills or abilities to be a leader.
Bull!
There are a couple of misconceptions about leadership that prevent many would-be leaders from stepping into this role and earning the income they so richly deserve:
1. "I don't know everything!"
If you're brand new, people expect that you don't know everything. The more important point, however, is whether you can find the answers people are looking for. Train your team to try to find answers on their own and come to you when they get stuck. You should never position yourself as the know-it-all in your group because it stifles the leadership qualities in others.
In fact, make a decision now to empower your team to share knowledge, resources and best practices freely with each other.
Warning: in order for this to work well, you must have open communication on your team and a willingness to help one another. A rising tide lifts all ships - but only if all the ships are in the water.
2. "I don't know how to be a leader!"
If you've ever been a teacher, parent, or boss, you have some idea of what makes a good leader: patience, understanding, tenacity and vision (coupled with the ability to see through other people's B.S.) are a great start. In truth, most direct sellers are natural leaders because of their entrepreneurial drive and desire to help others.
When in doubt, look to people you would classify as lousy leaders for examples of what not to do. Likewise, learn from some of the great leaders of our time by reading their books and biographies. Model what works in your business.
Both of these excuses are easily vanquished for the person who truly desires to step into leadership. Here is a short list of recommendations for anyone considering a leadership role (in Direct Sales or otherwise):
1. Connect - with other leaders in other companies as well as your own. Leaders need a network that is strong and diverse. Look for people in other fields besides direct sales, too. This will broaden your horizons as well as your ability to relate to others.
2. Don't wait for permission - from your upline, your family, your friends - or even yourself. Great leaders step into their role with authority - and very often learn as they go. In fact, when you stop learning, you stop leading. Which brings us to...
3. Learn all you can - about your company, your products, your team and most importantly, yourself. This isn't an ego trip. If you really want to become knowledgable, you need to take time to learn new things. Then, SHARE what you've learned to help your team make fast progress.
4. Ask for help - from your leaders, a coach, a mentor - anyone that can shorten the learning curve and bring you to your goal faster. Be aware that any good help requires SOME kind of investment: time, energy, money, focus. You will only get out of it, what you put into it.
5. Relax. You're going to make mistakes along the way - the best leaders always do. Taking risks implies a certain amount of failure at some point. Leadership requires both a sense of humor and a thick skin.
True leadership comes from within. It's not some painted-on facade that you get to wear just because you've earned a certain amount of money or recruited a certain number of people. It's a powerful place of responsibility that anyone can step into - with a team of thousands, or a team of one.
© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.
==========
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/
Bull!
There are a couple of misconceptions about leadership that prevent many would-be leaders from stepping into this role and earning the income they so richly deserve:
1. "I don't know everything!"
If you're brand new, people expect that you don't know everything. The more important point, however, is whether you can find the answers people are looking for. Train your team to try to find answers on their own and come to you when they get stuck. You should never position yourself as the know-it-all in your group because it stifles the leadership qualities in others.
In fact, make a decision now to empower your team to share knowledge, resources and best practices freely with each other.
Warning: in order for this to work well, you must have open communication on your team and a willingness to help one another. A rising tide lifts all ships - but only if all the ships are in the water.
2. "I don't know how to be a leader!"
If you've ever been a teacher, parent, or boss, you have some idea of what makes a good leader: patience, understanding, tenacity and vision (coupled with the ability to see through other people's B.S.) are a great start. In truth, most direct sellers are natural leaders because of their entrepreneurial drive and desire to help others.
When in doubt, look to people you would classify as lousy leaders for examples of what not to do. Likewise, learn from some of the great leaders of our time by reading their books and biographies. Model what works in your business.
Both of these excuses are easily vanquished for the person who truly desires to step into leadership. Here is a short list of recommendations for anyone considering a leadership role (in Direct Sales or otherwise):
1. Connect - with other leaders in other companies as well as your own. Leaders need a network that is strong and diverse. Look for people in other fields besides direct sales, too. This will broaden your horizons as well as your ability to relate to others.
2. Don't wait for permission - from your upline, your family, your friends - or even yourself. Great leaders step into their role with authority - and very often learn as they go. In fact, when you stop learning, you stop leading. Which brings us to...
3. Learn all you can - about your company, your products, your team and most importantly, yourself. This isn't an ego trip. If you really want to become knowledgable, you need to take time to learn new things. Then, SHARE what you've learned to help your team make fast progress.
4. Ask for help - from your leaders, a coach, a mentor - anyone that can shorten the learning curve and bring you to your goal faster. Be aware that any good help requires SOME kind of investment: time, energy, money, focus. You will only get out of it, what you put into it.
5. Relax. You're going to make mistakes along the way - the best leaders always do. Taking risks implies a certain amount of failure at some point. Leadership requires both a sense of humor and a thick skin.
True leadership comes from within. It's not some painted-on facade that you get to wear just because you've earned a certain amount of money or recruited a certain number of people. It's a powerful place of responsibility that anyone can step into - with a team of thousands, or a team of one.
© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.
==========
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/
Direct Sales: It's Playing, Not The Game, That Matters
I lost count at the number of emails I got asking me what game we played in our booth. I'm actually planning on doing an entire call for my Marketing Mentor coaching group next month about Expos and Events. But for you, dear readers, I will reveal the game we played in our booth.
But here's the thing. At different events, we played different games:
We played black jack.
We rolled giant dice and played craps.
We played "Where's the Queen?" (like the shell game, but with cards)
We played bingo.
The booth theme was "casino night". And it wasn't the game we played that mattered, it was the fact that we engaged our audience in a unique way that allowed them to see we were about more than just our product and our comp plan.
The games were pretty short - so we weren't spending more than a minute or so with each person. The games were also engaging. Participants had to participate and talk with us.
And that, dear readers, is what makes the difference. When people walk away from the booth, we'd slap the "I got lucky" sticker on them so that we knew they'd already played the game. But they were also advertising for us. So when someone asked "Hey, how'd you get that sticker?" people could say "I just played this really fun game over at that booth" and point in our general direction.
Woo hoo! They were driving traffic for us, advertising for us, and creating buzz for us. It was kind of an offline viral marketing technique.
But honestly, it didn't matter which game we played, the results were the same. People were excited about what we offered, we got to talk with people for more than two seconds, and we were able to have a memorable cue for follow-up calls ("you played craps at our booth at the expo...").
In big events, it's hard to stand out, hard to be remarkable. It's even more challenging when you have to compete with dozens of other direct sellers - even if they offer different products. People will likely only book one show, and you want it to be with you. You have to be very compelling. But that's another post for another day.
So now you know my "secret game". It's no secret. It's all in how you play the game, not what game you play.
© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/
But here's the thing. At different events, we played different games:
We played black jack.
We rolled giant dice and played craps.
We played "Where's the Queen?" (like the shell game, but with cards)
We played bingo.
The booth theme was "casino night". And it wasn't the game we played that mattered, it was the fact that we engaged our audience in a unique way that allowed them to see we were about more than just our product and our comp plan.
The games were pretty short - so we weren't spending more than a minute or so with each person. The games were also engaging. Participants had to participate and talk with us.
And that, dear readers, is what makes the difference. When people walk away from the booth, we'd slap the "I got lucky" sticker on them so that we knew they'd already played the game. But they were also advertising for us. So when someone asked "Hey, how'd you get that sticker?" people could say "I just played this really fun game over at that booth" and point in our general direction.
Woo hoo! They were driving traffic for us, advertising for us, and creating buzz for us. It was kind of an offline viral marketing technique.
But honestly, it didn't matter which game we played, the results were the same. People were excited about what we offered, we got to talk with people for more than two seconds, and we were able to have a memorable cue for follow-up calls ("you played craps at our booth at the expo...").
In big events, it's hard to stand out, hard to be remarkable. It's even more challenging when you have to compete with dozens of other direct sellers - even if they offer different products. People will likely only book one show, and you want it to be with you. You have to be very compelling. But that's another post for another day.
So now you know my "secret game". It's no secret. It's all in how you play the game, not what game you play.
© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/
Direct Sales Tips: 3 Must Haves for Successful Events
As a direct sales consultant, I was party to more than my share of horrible events.
You know the kind: five consultants standing around in a mostly empty booth, while the crowds of passersby pass you by.
You look on, longingly hoping that someone, anyone, will enter the booth to talk to you.
But people keep walking by, afraid you'll all descend like vultures.
Yeah. I've been there. Thousands of people, no leads to speak of.
Then I had the opportunity to set up my own booth at a 2-day event, instead of "buying in" to someone else's.
I had complete control over how things were "supposed" to go (more on that in a minute).
I learned there were three critical factors to a successful event booth:
1. Traffic
2. Leads
3. Buzz
If you do it right, it's like a circle. Traffic generates leads, which creates buzz, which stimulates traffic.
But you can't get those three things to work if you haven't done your homework BEFORE the event. Here are the three MUST HAVES for any successful expo-type vendor event.
1. Know the desired outcome. What is it you're looking for from this event? More bookings? More recruits? More sales? A combination of the three? Be very clear on what it is you want from the leads that enter your booth.
2. Know the special offer. The best events I've ever had included some kind of incentive for creating the desired outcome AT the event. A special incentive for booking your party at the expo, for example.
3. An eye-catching display and sticky collateral. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it does have to be vertical. Something tall and easy to spot across a crowded expo center, or takeaways that have your visitors advertising for you, are both effective means of generating buzz once people have made it to your booth.
There's one more thing you need to plan for before the event - time to follow up with leads. If you're too busy to follow up with contacts you've made at the event, don't bother going. It's the equivalent of flushing your money down the toilet. Before the big day, block out time in your calendar AFTER the big event to be sure you can reach out to as many of your prospects as possible. If you've made a plan for the three must-haves, you'll need that time after the event to connect and close your leads.
Done properly, these three items are the biggest determining factors of your event success. If you handle yourself well and stick to the plan, you'll likely come out with more leads than you can handle.
If you opt to do things the old-school way (as did some of the consultants that joined me in my booth), you'll drive people away.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say. I set up my booth, told the other consultants how we we're going to handle the event, and left to speak on the main stage at the event. When I returned, two of the consultants were out in the aisles, passing out business cards and begging for bookings.
These two ladies were not on my team, but were part of my leader's team. They had paid to share the booth with us, so I wanted them to be successful. I politely explained to them that they needed to be in the booth, following the outline we had created to make the event successful for everyone.
"But that's too distracting. We aren't talking to as many people that way. Out in the aisle, we're talking to eveyone that comes by."
"My point exactly." I said, as I motioned for my team mate to join us in the aisle.
She was finishing up scheduling a booking on her calendar and I asked her to report out her results.
"I've booked a show and scheduled one recruiting appointment, but I've only talked to about 15 people since you left."
I then turned my attention to the ladies in the aisle.
"We've passed out about 50 business cards. I've got one lady that said she'd come back later to talk about booking a party. She's a friend of mine from work."
She did book that party. But at the end of the evening, when we were sorting out the leads, those two women had decidedly fewer leads than my team. They also had fewer booked appointments, and fewer business cards in their hands.
They didn't come back the next day. On their way out for the evening, they grumbled about how poorly the event fared for them, and how I must have somehow cheated to get nearly twice as many leads for my team.
Ladies! It's about quality, not quantity. Those women were forcing themselves on anyone that stood still long enough to take a card, instead of getting people to be excited about what they offered, and sharing that excitement with everyone they came in contact with.
Who's going to keep a business card? Not very many people. Who's going to wear a sticker that says "I got lucky!" and then tell other people at the event where they can go to get a sticker of their own?
Now you see my point. My team was engaging people in a game and putting the sticker on these people so that we would know who'd already played the game. People were coming to our table to play the game, walking away with a sticker and doing the advertising for us about our booth. We didn't have to go out into the aisle. They were coming to us.
But playing the game takes about 45 seconds per guest. That means you won't talk to as many people. BUT the ones you DO talk to are engaged, excited about what you're offering, and more likely to book, buy, or consider joining your team.
So I guess you could say we cheated. We used the power of the crowd on itself. We created a viral marketing campaign right there in the event. We created buzz, which drew traffic, which generated leads...
...And we had more leads than we could handle at the end of the night - and looked forward to even more on the next day.
© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/
You know the kind: five consultants standing around in a mostly empty booth, while the crowds of passersby pass you by.
You look on, longingly hoping that someone, anyone, will enter the booth to talk to you.
But people keep walking by, afraid you'll all descend like vultures.
Yeah. I've been there. Thousands of people, no leads to speak of.
Then I had the opportunity to set up my own booth at a 2-day event, instead of "buying in" to someone else's.
I had complete control over how things were "supposed" to go (more on that in a minute).
I learned there were three critical factors to a successful event booth:
1. Traffic
2. Leads
3. Buzz
If you do it right, it's like a circle. Traffic generates leads, which creates buzz, which stimulates traffic.
But you can't get those three things to work if you haven't done your homework BEFORE the event. Here are the three MUST HAVES for any successful expo-type vendor event.
1. Know the desired outcome. What is it you're looking for from this event? More bookings? More recruits? More sales? A combination of the three? Be very clear on what it is you want from the leads that enter your booth.
2. Know the special offer. The best events I've ever had included some kind of incentive for creating the desired outcome AT the event. A special incentive for booking your party at the expo, for example.
3. An eye-catching display and sticky collateral. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it does have to be vertical. Something tall and easy to spot across a crowded expo center, or takeaways that have your visitors advertising for you, are both effective means of generating buzz once people have made it to your booth.
There's one more thing you need to plan for before the event - time to follow up with leads. If you're too busy to follow up with contacts you've made at the event, don't bother going. It's the equivalent of flushing your money down the toilet. Before the big day, block out time in your calendar AFTER the big event to be sure you can reach out to as many of your prospects as possible. If you've made a plan for the three must-haves, you'll need that time after the event to connect and close your leads.
Done properly, these three items are the biggest determining factors of your event success. If you handle yourself well and stick to the plan, you'll likely come out with more leads than you can handle.
If you opt to do things the old-school way (as did some of the consultants that joined me in my booth), you'll drive people away.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say. I set up my booth, told the other consultants how we we're going to handle the event, and left to speak on the main stage at the event. When I returned, two of the consultants were out in the aisles, passing out business cards and begging for bookings.
These two ladies were not on my team, but were part of my leader's team. They had paid to share the booth with us, so I wanted them to be successful. I politely explained to them that they needed to be in the booth, following the outline we had created to make the event successful for everyone.
"But that's too distracting. We aren't talking to as many people that way. Out in the aisle, we're talking to eveyone that comes by."
"My point exactly." I said, as I motioned for my team mate to join us in the aisle.
She was finishing up scheduling a booking on her calendar and I asked her to report out her results.
"I've booked a show and scheduled one recruiting appointment, but I've only talked to about 15 people since you left."
I then turned my attention to the ladies in the aisle.
"We've passed out about 50 business cards. I've got one lady that said she'd come back later to talk about booking a party. She's a friend of mine from work."
She did book that party. But at the end of the evening, when we were sorting out the leads, those two women had decidedly fewer leads than my team. They also had fewer booked appointments, and fewer business cards in their hands.
They didn't come back the next day. On their way out for the evening, they grumbled about how poorly the event fared for them, and how I must have somehow cheated to get nearly twice as many leads for my team.
Ladies! It's about quality, not quantity. Those women were forcing themselves on anyone that stood still long enough to take a card, instead of getting people to be excited about what they offered, and sharing that excitement with everyone they came in contact with.
Who's going to keep a business card? Not very many people. Who's going to wear a sticker that says "I got lucky!" and then tell other people at the event where they can go to get a sticker of their own?
Now you see my point. My team was engaging people in a game and putting the sticker on these people so that we would know who'd already played the game. People were coming to our table to play the game, walking away with a sticker and doing the advertising for us about our booth. We didn't have to go out into the aisle. They were coming to us.
But playing the game takes about 45 seconds per guest. That means you won't talk to as many people. BUT the ones you DO talk to are engaged, excited about what you're offering, and more likely to book, buy, or consider joining your team.
So I guess you could say we cheated. We used the power of the crowd on itself. We created a viral marketing campaign right there in the event. We created buzz, which drew traffic, which generated leads...
...And we had more leads than we could handle at the end of the night - and looked forward to even more on the next day.
© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com/
Direct Sales Success: Expectations Set the Tone
When I work with clients on their target marketing, one of the biggest areas of contention is the realization that ultimately, everyone is not their target market.
No, everyone that fogs up a mirror is not your prospect. Neither is everyone who showers (if you're in skincare), everyone who eats (if you sell kitchen gadgets or food), or everyone with kids (if you sell toys or educational goodies).
You've got to be a little more specific.
For example, if you choose to service a local, offline, market, then people more than 100 miles from your home would not be part of your target market. This limits the number of people you can serve.
And that word, "limits", seems to put a stranglehold on a consultant faster than a rope 'n ride at the rodeo.
They want to serve everyone. Because if they don't serve everyone, how will they get enough clients for their business.
Then I try to remind them of this episode of I Love Lucy:
You can't possibly serve everyone and do a good job.
Really. You can't.
So, why not change your expectations? establish a market that you CAN serve, and that you WANT to serve.
And expectations go both ways. Be sure to let your target market know what they can expect from you, how you expect to serve them, and how they can expect to hear from you. here are some suggestions to help set the tone with new clients in your target market:
1. Lay out the ground rules from the get-go.
Tell them your guest lists typically have 40-50 names on them, and that you usually get them back within 3 days. If they have problems with that, you'll be more than happy to help them in person, or to direct them to another consultant that would be glad to work with them.
2. Express your excitement about helping your host have a successful show. Your best shows are going to have a certain number of guests (get this info from your statistics from last year). Let your hosts and guests know what they can expect if the evening is a success for everyone.
3. Decide in advance what kind of show you want to have. Leave nothing to chance. I have had success inviting my "go only" guests to other people's parties. If a guest says "I only go to parties, I don't host them" I put them on a list so that when I have a host that's struggling to get RSVP's, I can call them up and invite them to the party. The host thinks I'm her hero, and the guest appreciates being remembered and treated respectfully.
Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you're going to make the most of your business, policies and procedures. your home office lays the foundation, but the framework is built by you. Your expectations set the tone for the outcome of your parties AND your business as a whole.
Expect more to get more.
No, everyone that fogs up a mirror is not your prospect. Neither is everyone who showers (if you're in skincare), everyone who eats (if you sell kitchen gadgets or food), or everyone with kids (if you sell toys or educational goodies).
You've got to be a little more specific.
For example, if you choose to service a local, offline, market, then people more than 100 miles from your home would not be part of your target market. This limits the number of people you can serve.
And that word, "limits", seems to put a stranglehold on a consultant faster than a rope 'n ride at the rodeo.
They want to serve everyone. Because if they don't serve everyone, how will they get enough clients for their business.
Then I try to remind them of this episode of I Love Lucy:
You can't possibly serve everyone and do a good job.
Really. You can't.
So, why not change your expectations? establish a market that you CAN serve, and that you WANT to serve.
And expectations go both ways. Be sure to let your target market know what they can expect from you, how you expect to serve them, and how they can expect to hear from you. here are some suggestions to help set the tone with new clients in your target market:
1. Lay out the ground rules from the get-go.
Tell them your guest lists typically have 40-50 names on them, and that you usually get them back within 3 days. If they have problems with that, you'll be more than happy to help them in person, or to direct them to another consultant that would be glad to work with them.
2. Express your excitement about helping your host have a successful show. Your best shows are going to have a certain number of guests (get this info from your statistics from last year). Let your hosts and guests know what they can expect if the evening is a success for everyone.
3. Decide in advance what kind of show you want to have. Leave nothing to chance. I have had success inviting my "go only" guests to other people's parties. If a guest says "I only go to parties, I don't host them" I put them on a list so that when I have a host that's struggling to get RSVP's, I can call them up and invite them to the party. The host thinks I'm her hero, and the guest appreciates being remembered and treated respectfully.
Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you're going to make the most of your business, policies and procedures. your home office lays the foundation, but the framework is built by you. Your expectations set the tone for the outcome of your parties AND your business as a whole.
Expect more to get more.
Direct Sales Success: Lessons from 'The Wrong CEO's"
Merry Christmas! Just had to get that in before the article:
On twitter the other day, someone tweeted a post about "celebrating the wrong CEO's". The article, from the Harvard Business Review, talks about the metrics we SHOULD be using when we celebrate the accomplishments of CEO's.
Too often, the media darling of the minute is someone that has made a big success, turnaround, or otherwise made a 'big splash' in the short term.
Instead, the article asserts we should be looking at the integrity of the long-term record of these CEO's - how thay have performed overall - before we start handing out awards and patting them on the back.
I found an immediate correlation to Direct Sales leadership and had to shake my head.
All too often, companies bestow big prizes, gifts and awards on the "top" recruiter, sales leader, etc, and yet, the next year, that same leader is nowhere to be seen in the company hierarchy, let alone in the top rankings of the company. We laud and honor these big achievers, and don't think about the message that's being sent to our teams.
For years, I've used a combination of recogniton to help celebrate the right people, and still encourage leaders (and consultants) to strive to achieve more. Including longevity, consistency and what I like to call "repeat offenders" in the recognition encourages everyone to do their part to grow your organization - AND their own personal business.
I've only seen a handful of Direct Sales/Home Party companies that actually include this kind of recognition at the corporate level, and to me it seems like a no-brainer.
As a business builder, you want people who are in it for the long-haul, yet companies usually offer a 3-month incentive for consultants to stay on board. The industry statistics show that most consultants drop off after abotu 3 months. Belinda Ellsworth is noted for reminding people that at all times "a third are coming, a third are going, and a third are staying". Then what are we doing to encourage retention beyond those first 3 months?
While I didn't have the biggest team in my company, I had a solid team with average longevity of over 2 years, and an attrition rate under 20%. That means for every 10 people I signed up, less than 2 quit and most of them stayed longer than 2 years.
I don't usually talk about those numbers, mostly because I didn't think it was a big deal. But this year, I've realized it's a HUGE deal. There are hundreds, if not tens of thousands of leaders in this industry that are pluggin along, actively working thier business, being consistent, but that will probably not ever be in the top 10 or 20 of their companies. They'll never walk across the stage and win the awards that other leaders will, when THEY are the unsung heroines of most Direct Sales companies. These folks are working their businesses consistently - and isn't that what we want in our business?
I watched this happen first hand in one of my former companies. Sitting at one of my first ever National Conferences, I watched my own leader and her upline teach a class about recruiting - because my leader was the top recruiter for the company that year. What wasn't made public was that she earned that title because she promoted to Director because she transferred half her team from her former company to ours. By the time the next national confernce rolled around, she wasn't even an active consultant anymore, let alone a leader!
And yet, at that conference, we were led to believe she had the golden ticket to promoting to director in less than a year. Well, I don't know about you, but that feels kind of dishonest to me. Our company never remarked about it, and there was never an asterisk placed by her name in the "record books", and yet, we were all talking in hshed tones about how "she didn't really earn that title fairly".
She earned it fairly, she just shouldn't have been the one teaching strategies that she herself didn't use to attain that title. And everyone in the room knew it.
As a consultant, you need to be watching your leaders - even if your leader is MIA. Watch other leaders that are "doing things right" with a track record of longevity. find out what works for them and find ways to incorporate those strategies and tools into your business.
As a leader, you need to be honest with your teams. If you rightfully earned a title, stop fretting about competition, and help them learn how you did it. A rising tide - particularly in direct sales - raises all ships. Plus, they'll be ready to share with you when they are having successes of their own.
As company owners, we need to be looking for ways to recognize our ranks that will inspire others and not put the brass ring out of reach for the workhorses of our company. It's not hard to recognize people who consistently submit shows, regardless of the show size. Or to recognize people who consistenly add one new recruit every month. Leaders should be giving recognition for the daily actions (making the calls, holding the shows), but it's the company responsibility to encourage retention in meaningful ways beyond the almighty dollar.
In fact, the potential cash bonus is usually much less an incentive than the marketing potential of a professionally written press release or feature in the monthly magazine that helps build their crediblity in a way that directly connects them back to your brand in a positive way. It also shows potential recruits that you don't need to be the tops in the division, just consistent - something that is more attainable for more people.
This is a topic I harp on about once a year, but only because I'm so strong a proponent. I know people who tirelessly do everything their leader tells them to, and still get beat out month after month for those top slots. What a great way to recognize them for doing what we really want them to do - build a strong solid business that's designed to last a lifetime.
On twitter the other day, someone tweeted a post about "celebrating the wrong CEO's". The article, from the Harvard Business Review, talks about the metrics we SHOULD be using when we celebrate the accomplishments of CEO's.
Too often, the media darling of the minute is someone that has made a big success, turnaround, or otherwise made a 'big splash' in the short term.
Instead, the article asserts we should be looking at the integrity of the long-term record of these CEO's - how thay have performed overall - before we start handing out awards and patting them on the back.
I found an immediate correlation to Direct Sales leadership and had to shake my head.
All too often, companies bestow big prizes, gifts and awards on the "top" recruiter, sales leader, etc, and yet, the next year, that same leader is nowhere to be seen in the company hierarchy, let alone in the top rankings of the company. We laud and honor these big achievers, and don't think about the message that's being sent to our teams.
For years, I've used a combination of recogniton to help celebrate the right people, and still encourage leaders (and consultants) to strive to achieve more. Including longevity, consistency and what I like to call "repeat offenders" in the recognition encourages everyone to do their part to grow your organization - AND their own personal business.
I've only seen a handful of Direct Sales/Home Party companies that actually include this kind of recognition at the corporate level, and to me it seems like a no-brainer.
As a business builder, you want people who are in it for the long-haul, yet companies usually offer a 3-month incentive for consultants to stay on board. The industry statistics show that most consultants drop off after abotu 3 months. Belinda Ellsworth is noted for reminding people that at all times "a third are coming, a third are going, and a third are staying". Then what are we doing to encourage retention beyond those first 3 months?
While I didn't have the biggest team in my company, I had a solid team with average longevity of over 2 years, and an attrition rate under 20%. That means for every 10 people I signed up, less than 2 quit and most of them stayed longer than 2 years.
I don't usually talk about those numbers, mostly because I didn't think it was a big deal. But this year, I've realized it's a HUGE deal. There are hundreds, if not tens of thousands of leaders in this industry that are pluggin along, actively working thier business, being consistent, but that will probably not ever be in the top 10 or 20 of their companies. They'll never walk across the stage and win the awards that other leaders will, when THEY are the unsung heroines of most Direct Sales companies. These folks are working their businesses consistently - and isn't that what we want in our business?
I watched this happen first hand in one of my former companies. Sitting at one of my first ever National Conferences, I watched my own leader and her upline teach a class about recruiting - because my leader was the top recruiter for the company that year. What wasn't made public was that she earned that title because she promoted to Director because she transferred half her team from her former company to ours. By the time the next national confernce rolled around, she wasn't even an active consultant anymore, let alone a leader!
And yet, at that conference, we were led to believe she had the golden ticket to promoting to director in less than a year. Well, I don't know about you, but that feels kind of dishonest to me. Our company never remarked about it, and there was never an asterisk placed by her name in the "record books", and yet, we were all talking in hshed tones about how "she didn't really earn that title fairly".
She earned it fairly, she just shouldn't have been the one teaching strategies that she herself didn't use to attain that title. And everyone in the room knew it.
As a consultant, you need to be watching your leaders - even if your leader is MIA. Watch other leaders that are "doing things right" with a track record of longevity. find out what works for them and find ways to incorporate those strategies and tools into your business.
As a leader, you need to be honest with your teams. If you rightfully earned a title, stop fretting about competition, and help them learn how you did it. A rising tide - particularly in direct sales - raises all ships. Plus, they'll be ready to share with you when they are having successes of their own.
As company owners, we need to be looking for ways to recognize our ranks that will inspire others and not put the brass ring out of reach for the workhorses of our company. It's not hard to recognize people who consistently submit shows, regardless of the show size. Or to recognize people who consistenly add one new recruit every month. Leaders should be giving recognition for the daily actions (making the calls, holding the shows), but it's the company responsibility to encourage retention in meaningful ways beyond the almighty dollar.
In fact, the potential cash bonus is usually much less an incentive than the marketing potential of a professionally written press release or feature in the monthly magazine that helps build their crediblity in a way that directly connects them back to your brand in a positive way. It also shows potential recruits that you don't need to be the tops in the division, just consistent - something that is more attainable for more people.
This is a topic I harp on about once a year, but only because I'm so strong a proponent. I know people who tirelessly do everything their leader tells them to, and still get beat out month after month for those top slots. What a great way to recognize them for doing what we really want them to do - build a strong solid business that's designed to last a lifetime.
Direct Sales Success: What's Your 2010 Strategy?
So now we've got a vision, what about a strategy?
You've probably been hearing a lot about Social Media strategies lately, and yes, that's important, but it's only part of the picture for a business strategy.
If you're serious abut growing a business, and not just having direct sales "hobby" income, you need to plan specific strategies for generating leads, and converting those leads into more bookings, sales and recruits.
Social media are tools you can use as part of that strategy. But if you put all your eggs in the social media basket, you're missing the boat.
Jennifer Fong, one of the foremost authorities on Direct Sales and Social Media often says that you need a strategy to attract the right people to your business. You have to know WHO and WHERE they are before you can determine WHAT tools are effective in reaching them.
Part of developing your strategy means identifying your target market. I hope by now, you've gotten the message that everyone is not your target market. In fact, if you're brand new in direct sales, I hope you'll take a serious look at what kinds of customers are your "perfect fit". This is a term I use for the people that make it easy for you to do business - the kind you actually WANT to work with.
If you're not new to direct sales, and you've already got a laundry list of clients that are not your "perfect fit", this is a great place to start looking at your target marketing strategy. One of the great things about deciding WHO you want to work with is that the crums you no longer want to work with will either drop off the face of the earth, or get their act together. Before that can happen, though, YOU need to make some decisions.
* What was the best party/sales event you ever attended? What made it the best?
* What was the worst party/sales event you ever attended? What made it the worst?
* What was your top selling show? Was it worth all the work?
* What was your top booking show? Why was it so successful?
These are just a few of the questions I ask clients when we do a target marketing strategy session. The answers to these questions will give you a good idea of:
* What you enjoy most about the work you do
* The kinds of people that you enjoy working with
* Where to draw the line (some times the money doesn't matter, it's still not fun!)
* The elements of a succssful show
From here, you can craft a strategy to attract the kinds of people to your business that will help meet your "perfect fit customer" profile.
If you're already a member of our online community, you have free access to my 30-day target marketing program. In January 2010, we'll be launching an entire course focused on helping you develop a clear vision for your target market (oops! I think I just let the cat out of the bag!).
Until then, keep in mind, as you peruse your customer lists, the kinds of people you'd LOVE to work with, and start figuring out where you can meet them. This isn't about excluding others, or NOT doing business with people just because they don't meet your requirements. It IS about taking control of your business, and running it like a real business owner - because that's what you are.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com
You've probably been hearing a lot about Social Media strategies lately, and yes, that's important, but it's only part of the picture for a business strategy.
If you're serious abut growing a business, and not just having direct sales "hobby" income, you need to plan specific strategies for generating leads, and converting those leads into more bookings, sales and recruits.
Social media are tools you can use as part of that strategy. But if you put all your eggs in the social media basket, you're missing the boat.
Jennifer Fong, one of the foremost authorities on Direct Sales and Social Media often says that you need a strategy to attract the right people to your business. You have to know WHO and WHERE they are before you can determine WHAT tools are effective in reaching them.
Part of developing your strategy means identifying your target market. I hope by now, you've gotten the message that everyone is not your target market. In fact, if you're brand new in direct sales, I hope you'll take a serious look at what kinds of customers are your "perfect fit". This is a term I use for the people that make it easy for you to do business - the kind you actually WANT to work with.
If you're not new to direct sales, and you've already got a laundry list of clients that are not your "perfect fit", this is a great place to start looking at your target marketing strategy. One of the great things about deciding WHO you want to work with is that the crums you no longer want to work with will either drop off the face of the earth, or get their act together. Before that can happen, though, YOU need to make some decisions.
* What was the best party/sales event you ever attended? What made it the best?
* What was the worst party/sales event you ever attended? What made it the worst?
* What was your top selling show? Was it worth all the work?
* What was your top booking show? Why was it so successful?
These are just a few of the questions I ask clients when we do a target marketing strategy session. The answers to these questions will give you a good idea of:
* What you enjoy most about the work you do
* The kinds of people that you enjoy working with
* Where to draw the line (some times the money doesn't matter, it's still not fun!)
* The elements of a succssful show
From here, you can craft a strategy to attract the kinds of people to your business that will help meet your "perfect fit customer" profile.
If you're already a member of our online community, you have free access to my 30-day target marketing program. In January 2010, we'll be launching an entire course focused on helping you develop a clear vision for your target market (oops! I think I just let the cat out of the bag!).
Until then, keep in mind, as you peruse your customer lists, the kinds of people you'd LOVE to work with, and start figuring out where you can meet them. This isn't about excluding others, or NOT doing business with people just because they don't meet your requirements. It IS about taking control of your business, and running it like a real business owner - because that's what you are.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com
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!
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!
Deception-Success Connection Dilemma: #SHINE Wrap-up Part 1
This wrap up has many facets. As such, I wanted to make separate posts for each of them. A lot of good came from this event. A LOT. And I will give ample room on this blog for that. But I'm a "bad news first" kind of girl, so here's where it gets a little - as my friend ElizabethPW would say - snarky.
So I didn't plan on going to the Ali event for content. In fact, after hearing Ali herself profess to watering down her content at previous event, I really wasn't expecting much. I looked at this as an investment in meeting new people, forging some great new business conacts, firming up some online friendships in real life, and possibly getting some content along the way.
In fact, the content was frosting. I was hoping for some face time with the speakers, but it was made clear early on that we probably wouldn't get that. So I expected a big pitch for her Platinum/Diamond program along with a sprinkling of ideas from Think and Grow Rich and some business math - since she told us to bring our calculator.
I pretty much got what I expected, which is all at once disappointing and promising at the same time. Day one was by far the most content packed day of the event - but mostly it was the inner game of business. As I had recently come from a mastermind goup meeting of my own, I had already done the values activity, and made light work of that task. For the investment, Day one was really where the hard work of the event happened.
A lot of people took a lot out of the values exercise. People talked about it all of the three days we were in session - and it was a great way to start the event. In fact, if it weren't for one glaring issue on day one, I would have said it was the best day of the entire event.
And no, I'm not talking about the fire alarm. That was incredibly hysterical.
The problem I had was that after the values exercise, Ali openly revealed that "truth" was one of her top 5 values. I'm all for truth, and I think it's great. I also know that we all lie, so there's a very fine line you have to walk as a public persona that values truth so highly.
So imagine my shock and awe when both of Ali's speakers for day one openly admitted to lying in order to achieve success. Julie Clark, founder of Baby Einstein lied to a buyer, telling her that the previous buyer "loved her video and was planning to put it on the shelves in the stores", when in fact, she hadn't even heard back form the buyer in the first place. Anne McKevitt lied about her age after running away from home to score a job with celeb hair stylist John Frieda.
Some people I talked to said "Hey, you do whatever it takes." or "Act as if, right?" Everyone has their own ethics barometer, and I'm not here to debate that. What bothered me was that Ali said she valued truth, and then put two very successful women on her stage that openly admitted to lying.
That REALLY bugged me. She didn't call them out on it or anything. If truth is such a highly valued commodity in Ali's world, why was it so lacking in two of her featured speakers? The message I walked away with is "the truth is okay, but you have to lie if you want to be successful." I tweeted about it several times because it really got to me.
These women were incredibly inspiring - from an "over come any obstacle" standpoint. I'll talk more about that on my next post.
Then there was a short message from one of the three event sponsors. And by short I mean incredibly long and unintelligible to an audience that doesn't do much in the way of day trading. And why did only one sponsor get to speak from the stage? Did the other two not pay enough? That seemed goofy to me. I know that they sponsored the VIP party, but MichelePW sponsored the sponsored the elegant morning breakfast on all three days, which was far more valuable to the entire group. She could have given a USEFUL presentation that would have captured the hearts of all in the room. She's a COPYWRITER after all!
The last bummer of the day was Anne's lambasting of branding. She began with a graphic depicting the top of a soda bottle, a coffee cup, a tennis shoe, and a hamburger - all unidentified. She then asked us to write down the first brand that came to mind.
Her point was to convey the power of branding. But her point got lost in translation as she proceeded to tear apart nearly every woman in the room by telling us we're wasting time on social media, that we shouldn't put our twitter id or picture on our biz cards, and that glossy stock screams cheesy "realtor" or something to that effect.
She further went on to say that we needed a business name that tells people exactly what we're about, and that if our tagline could do it, then we were "okay", but that we really needed a name that was clear to identify.
Ironically, the four brand names that were most popular in the above mentioned quiz? Coke, Starbucks, Nike, McDonald's - NONE of which tell you a damn thing about their product.
Anne tried to construct a corporate advertising brand on a personal/personality-based branding frame. In several of the inpromptu moments when Anne was "cornered" between sessions, she was found analysing and collecting business cards, telling people what was "wrong" with them. At least three times I heard her tell people that if they couldn't afford to spend the few hundred/couple thousand dollars to have a quality business card designed and printed, that they shouldn't be in business.
Them's hard words to swallow in a room of people where many spent their last penny (and then some) just to get to the event, let alone order business cards.
And yes, my card totally violated the Anne McKevitt rules of engagement. It was a temp I made on glossy stock just for the event with my pic, twitter id and a blurb on the back that said we met at Shine.
They're collectors items now. hee hee.
But as an Idea Coach, I had three people approach me to help them come up with a new name for their business based on Anne's suggestions - and they were able to find me again in that sea of people because my picture was on my card! How sad is that?
Day two began by trying to play catchup on content that we couldn't finish thanks to the fire alarm. Unfortunately, what I was HOPING would be implementation and strategy to help us make use of the business models she provided, ended up being overview. I can already read the diagrams, thanks. Overview wasn't particularly value added to me.
Ali was clever in that she was able to sprinkle in more testimonials about how her current clients were successful with the business models - and nearly all of them ended with some kind of "you're the best!" testimonial for Ali's MPC program.
Knowing Ali's live event format, I expected testimonials, but I expected them to come during the panel in the evening (and I wasn't disappointed). I also expected them to be subtantive - especially in light of the new FTC rules taking effect Dec 1 (A question Ali wouldn't field during her Q&A session). I even expected a session with James Roche to set the positive frame of his role in the MPC program, and his session on the entrepreneur's path wasn't too bad.
Barbara Corcoran was a pip - and I enjoyed her stories immensely. I didn't enjoy the recurring theme of having to BS her way to billions, which again seemed to be the antithesis of what Ali said she held as a core value (truth).
The highlight of Day two was Adam Haroun's makeover during the late night hot seats. He was able to immediately see the value of his offerings, and make some powerful connections to grow his business - something I think we were all hoping would happen for us on day two.
Day three was incredibly rushed. In fact, the peer-to-peer reviews were what I was waiting for all weekend - and they never materialized. Ali didn't even have time to complete a portion of the event and promised to continue it on a teleclass at a later date. I'm wondering how the return policy will be affected by this turn of events.
The business plan was an interesting cross between vision board and action plan, but seemed to lack substance. There were a lot of A-ha's being shared, and Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's TED video about the left and right hemispheres of the brain drew quite a response. Highlight number one of Day three.
When it came down to "studying" Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, I chuckled at Ali's gaffe, when she said she wished there were "Cliff Notes" for the book. Apparently she didn't know it was taken from a much larger work of Hill's -so in essence it WAS the Cliff Notes. Hee hee. Ultimately, though, Ali let the audience lead this session with their own a-ha's, and shared relatively little insight of her own.
And no, we didn't need a calculator. Ever.
We did need a few tissues either from laughing too hard or crying a bit at the AMAZING Marlee Matlin. I was disheartened to hear that of all our successful speakers, it was the most honest, hard working, no b.s'ing of the bunch that didn't have a multi-million dollar company under her belt.
But perhaps, that's because her definition of success is a more holistic one.
Marlee was definitely Highlight number ONE of the entire event.
And yes, we did contact Ali's team about the content that wasn't delivered. They indicated they're "checking into" it to see what Ali plans to do.
I can't help but wonder as a handful of folks are actually speaking out about the daashed expectations and disappointments at Shine, how many other people are watching the empress and not telling her she's unclothed?
So there's the ugly, the bad, and some of the good.
More good to follow. Promise.
So I didn't plan on going to the Ali event for content. In fact, after hearing Ali herself profess to watering down her content at previous event, I really wasn't expecting much. I looked at this as an investment in meeting new people, forging some great new business conacts, firming up some online friendships in real life, and possibly getting some content along the way.
In fact, the content was frosting. I was hoping for some face time with the speakers, but it was made clear early on that we probably wouldn't get that. So I expected a big pitch for her Platinum/Diamond program along with a sprinkling of ideas from Think and Grow Rich and some business math - since she told us to bring our calculator.
I pretty much got what I expected, which is all at once disappointing and promising at the same time. Day one was by far the most content packed day of the event - but mostly it was the inner game of business. As I had recently come from a mastermind goup meeting of my own, I had already done the values activity, and made light work of that task. For the investment, Day one was really where the hard work of the event happened.
A lot of people took a lot out of the values exercise. People talked about it all of the three days we were in session - and it was a great way to start the event. In fact, if it weren't for one glaring issue on day one, I would have said it was the best day of the entire event.
And no, I'm not talking about the fire alarm. That was incredibly hysterical.
The problem I had was that after the values exercise, Ali openly revealed that "truth" was one of her top 5 values. I'm all for truth, and I think it's great. I also know that we all lie, so there's a very fine line you have to walk as a public persona that values truth so highly.
So imagine my shock and awe when both of Ali's speakers for day one openly admitted to lying in order to achieve success. Julie Clark, founder of Baby Einstein lied to a buyer, telling her that the previous buyer "loved her video and was planning to put it on the shelves in the stores", when in fact, she hadn't even heard back form the buyer in the first place. Anne McKevitt lied about her age after running away from home to score a job with celeb hair stylist John Frieda.
Some people I talked to said "Hey, you do whatever it takes." or "Act as if, right?" Everyone has their own ethics barometer, and I'm not here to debate that. What bothered me was that Ali said she valued truth, and then put two very successful women on her stage that openly admitted to lying.
That REALLY bugged me. She didn't call them out on it or anything. If truth is such a highly valued commodity in Ali's world, why was it so lacking in two of her featured speakers? The message I walked away with is "the truth is okay, but you have to lie if you want to be successful." I tweeted about it several times because it really got to me.
These women were incredibly inspiring - from an "over come any obstacle" standpoint. I'll talk more about that on my next post.
Then there was a short message from one of the three event sponsors. And by short I mean incredibly long and unintelligible to an audience that doesn't do much in the way of day trading. And why did only one sponsor get to speak from the stage? Did the other two not pay enough? That seemed goofy to me. I know that they sponsored the VIP party, but MichelePW sponsored the sponsored the elegant morning breakfast on all three days, which was far more valuable to the entire group. She could have given a USEFUL presentation that would have captured the hearts of all in the room. She's a COPYWRITER after all!
The last bummer of the day was Anne's lambasting of branding. She began with a graphic depicting the top of a soda bottle, a coffee cup, a tennis shoe, and a hamburger - all unidentified. She then asked us to write down the first brand that came to mind.
Her point was to convey the power of branding. But her point got lost in translation as she proceeded to tear apart nearly every woman in the room by telling us we're wasting time on social media, that we shouldn't put our twitter id or picture on our biz cards, and that glossy stock screams cheesy "realtor" or something to that effect.
She further went on to say that we needed a business name that tells people exactly what we're about, and that if our tagline could do it, then we were "okay", but that we really needed a name that was clear to identify.
Ironically, the four brand names that were most popular in the above mentioned quiz? Coke, Starbucks, Nike, McDonald's - NONE of which tell you a damn thing about their product.
Anne tried to construct a corporate advertising brand on a personal/personality-based branding frame. In several of the inpromptu moments when Anne was "cornered" between sessions, she was found analysing and collecting business cards, telling people what was "wrong" with them. At least three times I heard her tell people that if they couldn't afford to spend the few hundred/couple thousand dollars to have a quality business card designed and printed, that they shouldn't be in business.
Them's hard words to swallow in a room of people where many spent their last penny (and then some) just to get to the event, let alone order business cards.
And yes, my card totally violated the Anne McKevitt rules of engagement. It was a temp I made on glossy stock just for the event with my pic, twitter id and a blurb on the back that said we met at Shine.
They're collectors items now. hee hee.
But as an Idea Coach, I had three people approach me to help them come up with a new name for their business based on Anne's suggestions - and they were able to find me again in that sea of people because my picture was on my card! How sad is that?
Day two began by trying to play catchup on content that we couldn't finish thanks to the fire alarm. Unfortunately, what I was HOPING would be implementation and strategy to help us make use of the business models she provided, ended up being overview. I can already read the diagrams, thanks. Overview wasn't particularly value added to me.
Ali was clever in that she was able to sprinkle in more testimonials about how her current clients were successful with the business models - and nearly all of them ended with some kind of "you're the best!" testimonial for Ali's MPC program.
Knowing Ali's live event format, I expected testimonials, but I expected them to come during the panel in the evening (and I wasn't disappointed). I also expected them to be subtantive - especially in light of the new FTC rules taking effect Dec 1 (A question Ali wouldn't field during her Q&A session). I even expected a session with James Roche to set the positive frame of his role in the MPC program, and his session on the entrepreneur's path wasn't too bad.
Barbara Corcoran was a pip - and I enjoyed her stories immensely. I didn't enjoy the recurring theme of having to BS her way to billions, which again seemed to be the antithesis of what Ali said she held as a core value (truth).
The highlight of Day two was Adam Haroun's makeover during the late night hot seats. He was able to immediately see the value of his offerings, and make some powerful connections to grow his business - something I think we were all hoping would happen for us on day two.
Day three was incredibly rushed. In fact, the peer-to-peer reviews were what I was waiting for all weekend - and they never materialized. Ali didn't even have time to complete a portion of the event and promised to continue it on a teleclass at a later date. I'm wondering how the return policy will be affected by this turn of events.
The business plan was an interesting cross between vision board and action plan, but seemed to lack substance. There were a lot of A-ha's being shared, and Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's TED video about the left and right hemispheres of the brain drew quite a response. Highlight number one of Day three.
When it came down to "studying" Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich, I chuckled at Ali's gaffe, when she said she wished there were "Cliff Notes" for the book. Apparently she didn't know it was taken from a much larger work of Hill's -so in essence it WAS the Cliff Notes. Hee hee. Ultimately, though, Ali let the audience lead this session with their own a-ha's, and shared relatively little insight of her own.
And no, we didn't need a calculator. Ever.
We did need a few tissues either from laughing too hard or crying a bit at the AMAZING Marlee Matlin. I was disheartened to hear that of all our successful speakers, it was the most honest, hard working, no b.s'ing of the bunch that didn't have a multi-million dollar company under her belt.
But perhaps, that's because her definition of success is a more holistic one.
Marlee was definitely Highlight number ONE of the entire event.
And yes, we did contact Ali's team about the content that wasn't delivered. They indicated they're "checking into" it to see what Ali plans to do.
I can't help but wonder as a handful of folks are actually speaking out about the daashed expectations and disappointments at Shine, how many other people are watching the empress and not telling her she's unclothed?
So there's the ugly, the bad, and some of the good.
More good to follow. Promise.
Never juggle alone
So I actually did a little research for this post:
I watched a handful of juggling videos on YouTube. As a kid, I had to learn how to juggle for science class. We started with one ball, which was incredibly boring, but we had to demonstrate mastery before we could move on to juggling two balls... and then three.
Fortunately, three was our limit. We just had to be able to prove we could keep three balls in motion for a preiod of time. And for as great of a multi-tasker I've become, it was not easy to keep three balls in the air in 7th grade.
So imagine my surprise when I found 5 ball forced juggling, 4, 6 and 8 object jugglers!
And it got me to thinking about how many responsibilities we, as business owners have in our daily routines.
And along comes online marketing, and "you want me to add ANOTHER ball to my juggling routine?"
I hear you.
I selected this video for two reasons - and I hope you watch it to the end. If you watch, for the most part, no one is ever responsible for more than 3 or 4 objects at one time - there are lots of items in the air, but each team member really only has to focus on their piece of the pie.
The other reason is that if you watch to the end you see where they actually DROP something. Now this was planned for effect, and if you watch, it's all done "on the beat" to the music and set up so that it times out perfectly with the end. Even there, you'll note that more than one person is throwing things at the catcher - no ONE person is responsible for everything.
In small business - particularly in direct sales, we feel like we've got to go it alone in and do it ourselves. That's the surest way to stay small in your industry.
That doesn't mean hire a bunch of elves to handle your tasks. It DOES mean seek out competent, qualified help - even if it's only on a project basis, to help free up your time to focus on the essential activities that MUST be done by you and only you.
Maybe you need a VA or one of your kids to help with loading/packing, shipping or customer follow up.
Run your business like a real business would and find excellent people to support you.
It's worth it in no uncertain terms.
With the right support team in place, you can have many many objects in the air, making it look incredibly difficult, and knowing all the while, that it's really simple if you stay focused on the part that's your responsibility.
I watched a handful of juggling videos on YouTube. As a kid, I had to learn how to juggle for science class. We started with one ball, which was incredibly boring, but we had to demonstrate mastery before we could move on to juggling two balls... and then three.
Fortunately, three was our limit. We just had to be able to prove we could keep three balls in motion for a preiod of time. And for as great of a multi-tasker I've become, it was not easy to keep three balls in the air in 7th grade.
So imagine my surprise when I found 5 ball forced juggling, 4, 6 and 8 object jugglers!
And it got me to thinking about how many responsibilities we, as business owners have in our daily routines.
And along comes online marketing, and "you want me to add ANOTHER ball to my juggling routine?"
I hear you.
I selected this video for two reasons - and I hope you watch it to the end. If you watch, for the most part, no one is ever responsible for more than 3 or 4 objects at one time - there are lots of items in the air, but each team member really only has to focus on their piece of the pie.
The other reason is that if you watch to the end you see where they actually DROP something. Now this was planned for effect, and if you watch, it's all done "on the beat" to the music and set up so that it times out perfectly with the end. Even there, you'll note that more than one person is throwing things at the catcher - no ONE person is responsible for everything.
In small business - particularly in direct sales, we feel like we've got to go it alone in and do it ourselves. That's the surest way to stay small in your industry.
That doesn't mean hire a bunch of elves to handle your tasks. It DOES mean seek out competent, qualified help - even if it's only on a project basis, to help free up your time to focus on the essential activities that MUST be done by you and only you.
Maybe you need a VA or one of your kids to help with loading/packing, shipping or customer follow up.
Run your business like a real business would and find excellent people to support you.
It's worth it in no uncertain terms.
With the right support team in place, you can have many many objects in the air, making it look incredibly difficult, and knowing all the while, that it's really simple if you stay focused on the part that's your responsibility.
No budget? No problem for real beginners
The tips I'm sharing in this post are not for people with an established web presence. This is purely for folks who have NOTHING online, and little to no cash to get started.
Boy does that sound hinky.
The purpose of the post is to answer a question posted on my 12 week challenge contest blog. Basically, how do I get SOMETHING going when I have no resources?
First think about the resources you DO have.
Sites like Office Live or Google sites will allow you to set up a basic bare bones website for free. It costs nothing.
Heck you can host your blog on blogger.com or wordpress.com - that's free too.
There are places like Morguefile.com where you cn get high-quality royalty-free images to use as well.
There's no excuse to NOT have soem kind of website.
What about an opt-in? even office live now has a makeshift otion to create a contact email management system. Not my favorite, but if you're totally broke, it's better than NO opt-in at all.
What about video? Windows moviemaker comes standard on most PC's now, and there are sites where you can create short videos for free. Just want to post informational videos? embed something from youtube.com
Seriously. You can create all of this from scratch for nothing. No hostng fees, nothing.
There's simply no excuse.
Now if you've got a budget (even a small one) there are other ideas - like a domain name that you OWN and can re-direct to your new site (that shouldn't cost more than $10 from godaddy.com). Or web hosting so you can have more specialized content on your site (or to host your own customized blog).
Obviously the more money you have, the more options you have. But there are great, simple ways to get yourself online in a professional manner for FREE.
Yes, there may be a gazillion other people out there using the same blog template as I do, but it's free, it works, and I get traffic. THAT'S what matters most. It prevents analysis paralysis because blogger only has a few dozen templates from which you can choose. And you don't need to obsess over how it looks - you need to obsess over getting things going!
I hope that clears up the "I can't afford it" issue. EVERYONE can afford (and should have) a website of some sort that markets THEM (not their product). The 12 week challenge will spend a whole session on building a website and step-by-step help on how to make it happen.
We start October 26. Are you signed up? There are only a handful of seats remaining!
http://www.homepartysolution.com/12weeks
Hope to see you there!
Boy does that sound hinky.
The purpose of the post is to answer a question posted on my 12 week challenge contest blog. Basically, how do I get SOMETHING going when I have no resources?
First think about the resources you DO have.
Sites like Office Live or Google sites will allow you to set up a basic bare bones website for free. It costs nothing.
Heck you can host your blog on blogger.com or wordpress.com - that's free too.
There are places like Morguefile.com where you cn get high-quality royalty-free images to use as well.
There's no excuse to NOT have soem kind of website.
What about an opt-in? even office live now has a makeshift otion to create a contact email management system. Not my favorite, but if you're totally broke, it's better than NO opt-in at all.
What about video? Windows moviemaker comes standard on most PC's now, and there are sites where you can create short videos for free. Just want to post informational videos? embed something from youtube.com
Seriously. You can create all of this from scratch for nothing. No hostng fees, nothing.
There's simply no excuse.
Now if you've got a budget (even a small one) there are other ideas - like a domain name that you OWN and can re-direct to your new site (that shouldn't cost more than $10 from godaddy.com). Or web hosting so you can have more specialized content on your site (or to host your own customized blog).
Obviously the more money you have, the more options you have. But there are great, simple ways to get yourself online in a professional manner for FREE.
Yes, there may be a gazillion other people out there using the same blog template as I do, but it's free, it works, and I get traffic. THAT'S what matters most. It prevents analysis paralysis because blogger only has a few dozen templates from which you can choose. And you don't need to obsess over how it looks - you need to obsess over getting things going!
I hope that clears up the "I can't afford it" issue. EVERYONE can afford (and should have) a website of some sort that markets THEM (not their product). The 12 week challenge will spend a whole session on building a website and step-by-step help on how to make it happen.
We start October 26. Are you signed up? There are only a handful of seats remaining!
http://www.homepartysolution.com/12weeks
Hope to see you there!
Trials, Tribulations and Thinking Big
"Failure is not an option." - Apollo 13, the movie
After an exhausting, inspiring, emotional, exciting, thrilling weekend with my mastermind - the first time we've all been together in the same place - my head is so filled with brainstorms, that you'd think there's a natural disaster going on in my head.
But I mean that in a good way.
As I sit here, picking the random numbers for my winners in my 12 week challenge, that quote came to my mind. It wasn't really said by anyone during the original Apollo 13 mission, but was the tag line for and one of the memorable quotes from the Ron Howard movie.
Ironically, it occurred to me that my whole life has used that phrase as a tag line.
I've been through a lot of "concentrated living" as someone once remarked to me. I was in my 20's at the time, and I've concentrated a lot more living in the decade or so since.
Maybe it's because of a childhood on welfare where my mom was able to make something from nothing every day. No one I know could make a dollar go farther - except maybe HER mom. Maybe it' just a strong work ethic that my Dad drilled into my head.
Whatever the source, I've never seen ultimate failure as an option.
There's a difference between intermedate and ultimate failure though, and this is where I've been stuck for a while.
See, not everything I do is a success - a shock, I know. :-)
In reality, not everything turns out as you would dream it. I have learned to define this as "intermediate failure". You know, kind of like "everything turns out good in the end, and if it's not good, it's not the end yet".
So if I'm not finding success at something instead of seeing myself at a failure point, I choose to renegotiate, reconnoiter, or navigate into a new direction that will ultimately bring me to success.
I hope that makes sense.
So for me, failure has never been an option, just a pit stop on the way to success.
People have remarked - "I don't know how you do it", "I don't know how you have come through so much, done so much, etc."
I just didn't see any other way. I don't think I knew failure was an option.
You can't quit when you fall off the horse. You get up, dust off, and get back on.
You can't quit when the bike tips over. You get up, dust off, and start pedaling again.
Perhaps it's persistance, determination. Who knows? The easiest way to look at it is that you choose to exclude failure as a permanent, ultimate option.
At least that's what I've learned this weekend. My business has evolved from throwing spaghetti on a wall, to a clearly defined objective. And even in that, I've discovered that there was even more clarity to be had.
And clarity makes all things new.
Forgive me if I sound a bit cryptic today. I'm tired, but excited about everything that's on the horizon for my business this year. With a cadre of amazing, brilliant women standing at the ready to celebrate and support me (and I them), there are so many options and possibilities for me now that I only imagined might have existed.
Clarity is transformative.
When you hit a wall, what do you do? Where do you stand? Are you so close to the wall that you can't tell the dimensions? Can't find a way around? Look behind you, or above you, or along the wall in one direction of the other.
Or call out for help.
Or start digging.
Or send up smoke signals.
Mark Joyner talks about "hitting it until you hit it". It's the same idea.
The means may not always bring about your desired end, but there's ALWAYS a option.
...And failure doesn't have to be one of them.
After an exhausting, inspiring, emotional, exciting, thrilling weekend with my mastermind - the first time we've all been together in the same place - my head is so filled with brainstorms, that you'd think there's a natural disaster going on in my head.
But I mean that in a good way.
As I sit here, picking the random numbers for my winners in my 12 week challenge, that quote came to my mind. It wasn't really said by anyone during the original Apollo 13 mission, but was the tag line for and one of the memorable quotes from the Ron Howard movie.
Ironically, it occurred to me that my whole life has used that phrase as a tag line.
I've been through a lot of "concentrated living" as someone once remarked to me. I was in my 20's at the time, and I've concentrated a lot more living in the decade or so since.
Maybe it's because of a childhood on welfare where my mom was able to make something from nothing every day. No one I know could make a dollar go farther - except maybe HER mom. Maybe it' just a strong work ethic that my Dad drilled into my head.
Whatever the source, I've never seen ultimate failure as an option.
There's a difference between intermedate and ultimate failure though, and this is where I've been stuck for a while.
See, not everything I do is a success - a shock, I know. :-)
In reality, not everything turns out as you would dream it. I have learned to define this as "intermediate failure". You know, kind of like "everything turns out good in the end, and if it's not good, it's not the end yet".
So if I'm not finding success at something instead of seeing myself at a failure point, I choose to renegotiate, reconnoiter, or navigate into a new direction that will ultimately bring me to success.
I hope that makes sense.
So for me, failure has never been an option, just a pit stop on the way to success.
People have remarked - "I don't know how you do it", "I don't know how you have come through so much, done so much, etc."
I just didn't see any other way. I don't think I knew failure was an option.
You can't quit when you fall off the horse. You get up, dust off, and get back on.
You can't quit when the bike tips over. You get up, dust off, and start pedaling again.
Perhaps it's persistance, determination. Who knows? The easiest way to look at it is that you choose to exclude failure as a permanent, ultimate option.
At least that's what I've learned this weekend. My business has evolved from throwing spaghetti on a wall, to a clearly defined objective. And even in that, I've discovered that there was even more clarity to be had.
And clarity makes all things new.
Forgive me if I sound a bit cryptic today. I'm tired, but excited about everything that's on the horizon for my business this year. With a cadre of amazing, brilliant women standing at the ready to celebrate and support me (and I them), there are so many options and possibilities for me now that I only imagined might have existed.
Clarity is transformative.
When you hit a wall, what do you do? Where do you stand? Are you so close to the wall that you can't tell the dimensions? Can't find a way around? Look behind you, or above you, or along the wall in one direction of the other.
Or call out for help.
Or start digging.
Or send up smoke signals.
Mark Joyner talks about "hitting it until you hit it". It's the same idea.
The means may not always bring about your desired end, but there's ALWAYS a option.
...And failure doesn't have to be one of them.
More about the 12 week challenge
Wow! In a day, I've had half a dozen entries come in. I'm looking forward to seeing even more questions from all of you.
You can post your entry by clicking here. All the instructions are on yesterday post.
And I realize that many of you are probably waiting to see just what exactly is involved in the 12 week challenge. So here's the skinny:
Beginning October 26, and for the following 12 weeks, you're invited to join me on a step-by-step walk through of Home Party Solution. Now, I'm not going to read you a chapter a week, because I figure you all can read! What I am going to do is walk you through each element, with additional insights and strategies that aren't included in the book, to help you take action right away and help you grow your online presence in an easy to digest way.
Now I know it's a challenge to know from one month to the next what you'll be doing - let alone for the next 12 weeks - particularly when we're rolling into the new year.
So we're giving you the MP3 downloads as well, so that you can keep up with the group if you have to take a holiday or your computer crashes for a week.
The reason I put this group together is because so many of you were telling me that even though it's laid out in bite-sized pieces, it was easy to put the book on a shelf, and let "life get in the way". The result was a bunch of half-completed work that left you feeling more frustrated than successful. Then there were those of you that wanted to attend the Live event, but just couldn't make the trip.
Frustration is not why I wrote this book. This book was created out of a true desire to help consultants become MORE successful and LESS frustrated. It's the process I used to grow my direct sales business - and also my coaching business.
I used the exact same process for both businesses. Which means yes, you can use this info even if you're not in a direct selling business. Any micro/small business looking to create and build an online presence with a personal brand at the front of it all can use this program successfully.
So we'll be working on mindset, and focus. Then we'll develop a perfect fit customer profile that you can use to develop your marketing strategy. Armed with that laser-focused information, you'll be able to quickly assess which online marketing methods will be your best bet for rapid results, and then we'll take ACTION to get things rolling quickly. With 12 weekly assignments (in bite sized, easy to handle pieces), you'll have plenty of time to get everything handled.
Plus, there's Q&A, video training, and more. I'll personally be critiquing your work, reviewing your sites, and helping you build a powerful web presence. We'll even have private coaching sessions to make sure your particular situation is covered. Can you tell how serious I am about helping you succeed?
You can view the info page here:
http://www.homepartysolution.com/12weeks
(link opens in a new window)
Because of all the personal attention, we are strictly limiting the number of "seats" for this telecoaching series to 175 - and HPS Live attendees shrink the number of available seats - and 6 more seats will go to my contest winners. With less than 200 seats available, you know the tickets will go fast - and tickets will go on sale October 10.
If you've already purchased the book, you get a $200 discount on the program. If you were at the HPS Live event, this 12 week challenge is free for you. A special announcement will go out to all our customers this week with further details on the discounts.
AND, during the contest, I'll be posting answers to the questions contestants are asking in their entries. I invite you to engage as well, asking more questions, offering suggestions of your own, etc. I want people to LEARN from this blog, and the best way to do that is to share the answers with all of you - not just the contest winners or challenge participants.
I might even post updates during the challenge! It really depends on the level of interest you show here.
You can post your entry by clicking here. All the instructions are on yesterday post.
And I realize that many of you are probably waiting to see just what exactly is involved in the 12 week challenge. So here's the skinny:
Beginning October 26, and for the following 12 weeks, you're invited to join me on a step-by-step walk through of Home Party Solution. Now, I'm not going to read you a chapter a week, because I figure you all can read! What I am going to do is walk you through each element, with additional insights and strategies that aren't included in the book, to help you take action right away and help you grow your online presence in an easy to digest way.
Now I know it's a challenge to know from one month to the next what you'll be doing - let alone for the next 12 weeks - particularly when we're rolling into the new year.
So we're giving you the MP3 downloads as well, so that you can keep up with the group if you have to take a holiday or your computer crashes for a week.
The reason I put this group together is because so many of you were telling me that even though it's laid out in bite-sized pieces, it was easy to put the book on a shelf, and let "life get in the way". The result was a bunch of half-completed work that left you feeling more frustrated than successful. Then there were those of you that wanted to attend the Live event, but just couldn't make the trip.
Frustration is not why I wrote this book. This book was created out of a true desire to help consultants become MORE successful and LESS frustrated. It's the process I used to grow my direct sales business - and also my coaching business.
I used the exact same process for both businesses. Which means yes, you can use this info even if you're not in a direct selling business. Any micro/small business looking to create and build an online presence with a personal brand at the front of it all can use this program successfully.
So we'll be working on mindset, and focus. Then we'll develop a perfect fit customer profile that you can use to develop your marketing strategy. Armed with that laser-focused information, you'll be able to quickly assess which online marketing methods will be your best bet for rapid results, and then we'll take ACTION to get things rolling quickly. With 12 weekly assignments (in bite sized, easy to handle pieces), you'll have plenty of time to get everything handled.
Plus, there's Q&A, video training, and more. I'll personally be critiquing your work, reviewing your sites, and helping you build a powerful web presence. We'll even have private coaching sessions to make sure your particular situation is covered. Can you tell how serious I am about helping you succeed?
You can view the info page here:
http://www.homepartysolution.com/12weeks
(link opens in a new window)
Because of all the personal attention, we are strictly limiting the number of "seats" for this telecoaching series to 175 - and HPS Live attendees shrink the number of available seats - and 6 more seats will go to my contest winners. With less than 200 seats available, you know the tickets will go fast - and tickets will go on sale October 10.
If you've already purchased the book, you get a $200 discount on the program. If you were at the HPS Live event, this 12 week challenge is free for you. A special announcement will go out to all our customers this week with further details on the discounts.
AND, during the contest, I'll be posting answers to the questions contestants are asking in their entries. I invite you to engage as well, asking more questions, offering suggestions of your own, etc. I want people to LEARN from this blog, and the best way to do that is to share the answers with all of you - not just the contest winners or challenge participants.
I might even post updates during the challenge! It really depends on the level of interest you show here.
5 Ways to Build a Responsive List
The money is in the list. That's what today's marketers will tell you.
But that's a half truth. The money is in the responsive list.
The phone book is a great example of a list that is mostly worthless for marketing purposes. Yes, there's money to be had in that list, but the time and effort you'll expend trying to extract it could be put to better use labeing your catalogs.
You need a responsive list. You may have heard me talk in the past about creating a customer crack addiction. These are customers that are so excited about working with you, that they're almost addicted to what you have to say, and more importantly, what you have to offer.
It's been said that if we only had 1000 true fans, most of us could live a comfortable lifestyle. These 1000 true fans would flock to our classes, devour everything we ever teach them, and be the first to own one of everything we've ever offered.
Yet, most of us are quite content to take whatever we're given and keep our mouths shut.
If you are truly building "You, Inc.", you need to consider how to gro a responsive list. Take a cue from Aunt Barbara.
You can visit youtube on any given day and you'll see dozens of videos from "Aunt Barbara" - a Tupperware representative with a twist - HE does all of his parties in drag, dressed as a quintessential 1950's marm, complete with the beehive hair and the red lipstick.
This guy sold over $100,000 in Tupperware last year and was featured on MSNBC. He's created a following of fans that enjoy his irreverent, on the fringe style of Tupperware parties, and they watch his videos religiously.
While you may not be ready to dress in drag, there are ways to build a responsive list that can have you seeing six figure sales as well.
1. Video. Sites like youtube and viddler not only allow you to post videos, you can create whole channels for your content, and promote them as well. Videos that go viral - like Aunt Barbara - mean more eyeballs. More eyeballs convert to clicks, clicks convert to buyers. Video is fast, and still forgiving. You don't need to be perfect, just genuine.
2. Ezines. Still the tried and true way to regularly reach your "tribe" of faithful, ezines are still effective. They target your market and provide you with a level of credibility when used consistently. If you can't be conistent, though, avoid getting started with ezines. Responsive lsis will come to expect them like clockwork.
3. Articles. Related to ezines, but not exactly the same, posting articles on article sites like ezinearticles.com can help drive traffic and build your list as well.
4. Blogs. A great way to generate a lot of traffic, it can be tricky to convert blog readers into list members without a strong call to action to do so. Make sure you have some sort of opt-in link or subscription form near every post to ensure those that want to sign up will.
5. Social Media. This is a fantastic way to create a following, but like blogs can be tricky to convert followers into list members. Post too many links, and you're seen as spammy. You really have to walk the line and provide a lot of value for this to be effective. When done properly, though, your social media fans will be some of your most vocal advocates in the marketplace.
Once you start building a responsive list, you'll quickly see a return on your investment of value. People that complain about giving away free content to their lists are generally the ones still using a phonebook instead of a targeted list of raving fans. People want good reasons to do business with you, and they want to be sure you're the real deal. Giving value first goes a long way toward building a responsive list, and each of these methods provides value in a real, tangible way for minimal expense.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com
But that's a half truth. The money is in the responsive list.
The phone book is a great example of a list that is mostly worthless for marketing purposes. Yes, there's money to be had in that list, but the time and effort you'll expend trying to extract it could be put to better use labeing your catalogs.
You need a responsive list. You may have heard me talk in the past about creating a customer crack addiction. These are customers that are so excited about working with you, that they're almost addicted to what you have to say, and more importantly, what you have to offer.
It's been said that if we only had 1000 true fans, most of us could live a comfortable lifestyle. These 1000 true fans would flock to our classes, devour everything we ever teach them, and be the first to own one of everything we've ever offered.
Yet, most of us are quite content to take whatever we're given and keep our mouths shut.
If you are truly building "You, Inc.", you need to consider how to gro a responsive list. Take a cue from Aunt Barbara.
You can visit youtube on any given day and you'll see dozens of videos from "Aunt Barbara" - a Tupperware representative with a twist - HE does all of his parties in drag, dressed as a quintessential 1950's marm, complete with the beehive hair and the red lipstick.
This guy sold over $100,000 in Tupperware last year and was featured on MSNBC. He's created a following of fans that enjoy his irreverent, on the fringe style of Tupperware parties, and they watch his videos religiously.
While you may not be ready to dress in drag, there are ways to build a responsive list that can have you seeing six figure sales as well.
1. Video. Sites like youtube and viddler not only allow you to post videos, you can create whole channels for your content, and promote them as well. Videos that go viral - like Aunt Barbara - mean more eyeballs. More eyeballs convert to clicks, clicks convert to buyers. Video is fast, and still forgiving. You don't need to be perfect, just genuine.
2. Ezines. Still the tried and true way to regularly reach your "tribe" of faithful, ezines are still effective. They target your market and provide you with a level of credibility when used consistently. If you can't be conistent, though, avoid getting started with ezines. Responsive lsis will come to expect them like clockwork.
3. Articles. Related to ezines, but not exactly the same, posting articles on article sites like ezinearticles.com can help drive traffic and build your list as well.
4. Blogs. A great way to generate a lot of traffic, it can be tricky to convert blog readers into list members without a strong call to action to do so. Make sure you have some sort of opt-in link or subscription form near every post to ensure those that want to sign up will.
5. Social Media. This is a fantastic way to create a following, but like blogs can be tricky to convert followers into list members. Post too many links, and you're seen as spammy. You really have to walk the line and provide a lot of value for this to be effective. When done properly, though, your social media fans will be some of your most vocal advocates in the marketplace.
Once you start building a responsive list, you'll quickly see a return on your investment of value. People that complain about giving away free content to their lists are generally the ones still using a phonebook instead of a targeted list of raving fans. People want good reasons to do business with you, and they want to be sure you're the real deal. Giving value first goes a long way toward building a responsive list, and each of these methods provides value in a real, tangible way for minimal expense.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com
The 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...
I'm always looking for ways to make my life better. I like to think I also try to find ways to make the lives of people around me better, too.
But sometimes life just sucks. Not for very long - but hey! Everyone has "those days" or "those moments" in their life.
I think I was having some of those moments this week.
And today, thanks to several someones that NEVER met me before, I have this incredible story to share.
Tom Ziglar, yeah, the son of internationally acclaimed speaker Zig Ziglar is on twitter (@tomziglar).
When I saw that Zig was coming to town, I tried to finagle a personal meet & greet through Tom on twitter. He was gracious, and said that it wasn't possible for a meet & greet, but how would I like 4 free VIP tickets to the event?
Um, well, only if you twist my arm a bit.
So the tickets arrived. I took my 12 year old son, and a couple that have been family friends for years - they really wanted to see Dr. Robert Schuller and Zig share their wit and wisdom, so I was able to invite them along on the good graces of a guy who's never met me before.
It was truly an event not to be missed. From a marketing perspective there was MUCH to learn about how to make a nearly free event pay for itself a thousand times over - even after giving away a flat screen TV, a Disney Vacation (which my son nearly won in an on-stage dance-off) and $10,000 cash.
But not in this article. This article is about what happened when an arena of nearly 5,000 people became MY personal fan club for a whole 30 seconds.
Sometime after lunch, one of the speakers, Bob, pulls out a $5 bill and says to one end of the arena, "This $5 bill is on sale for $1 for the next 10 seconds."
Before he can finish the countdown, the guy that won the Disney trip whips out a $1 bill ans swaps him for the $5, much to my kid's chagrin.
He then turns to face another side of the "in-the-round" arena and pull sout a $20 bill. This time, it's on sale for $10, but only for 10 seconds.
I think it was snapped up in 4.
He then turns to our side of the arena, and pulls out a crisp $100 bill. He says, "I know what you're thinking... and I'm not stupid!" He then pockets the $100 bill and proceeds to share his motivational story.
And as we're approaching the middle of his talk he says "who here really needs to be cheered up today?" And, Godly enough (as my friend would say), he picks my hand out of a crowd of people all within spitting distance of the stage. Yes, Tom, we had GREAT seats, to boot.
So he calls me up on the stage. And he invites the entire arena of some nearly 5,000 people to get up on their feet and give me a standing O. "The kind of loud, thunderous applause that makes people outside wonder 'who's the famous person in there they're clapping for?"
And he counted to three.
And what happened next was truly breathtaking.
I froze for about 7 seconds. All I could do was count in my head. Slowly I'm turning, seeing all these people - my kid, my friends, and THUSANDS of other people that don't know me from Joe, on their feet, yelling, screaming, stamping, hooting, hollering, and cheering for me.
Yeah, I started crying. But only a little.
It was a copletely unexpected, very NEEDED moment in my life. One of those defining moments when you know, you're going to look back and say "this changed me, shaped me, made me who I am today."
I was having a poopy week. And yes, it was only Tuesday.
But I try not to compain much, keep my chin up, and keep doin the work I believe God put me here to do. And I do my best to be consistent, because the only alternative is to be less than who I am. I'm not perfect, and don't pretend to be.
But in that moment, when thousands of people were screaming my name, cheering for me, and making me feel like a million bucks, two things happened.
I'll tell you about the other in a minute, but the first thing that happened, was the thought that everyone should be able to feel like this at least once in their life. The fear, the gratitude and the overwhelming sense of being loved, accepted and appreciated for who I was - warts and all - by a room of nearly complete and total strangers was one of the most transformative experiences I could ever have. I'll probably be sharng this story with the great grandkids in my days of senility and "old timer's" when I keep recounting the same stories over and over.
And I wish I could have given every one a small piece of the feeling I'm still carrying with me right now.
But then, Bob came back up on the stage. He put his arm around me, reached into his pocket and pulled out that $100 bill, handed it to me and told me thank-you.
Thanked me for taking his money? Um, sure, no problem, just doing my job, sir!
I cried a little more, gave him a huge hug, which I think knocked his lapel mic, and I went back to my seat, amid continued applause and the people in my section giving me kudos. Yeah, the money was a nice surprise, but I would have gladly given it back to him for another 30 seconds of applause like that.
And as the afternoon continued - and on our way back to the car, people were calling out to me, offering hugs, asking me if I would buy dinner, and just generally acknowledging me. Not because I'm a business coach, or a singer, or a speaker or anything out of the ordinary. But because I was me - and grateful.
Now I could stop there, and it would be a pretty good story - might even jerk a few tears out of you like it does me writing it.
But what you don't know, is that for nearly 30 years, it has been one of the top 10 line items on my bucket list - before there was such a name - to appear in an arena of thousands and recieve a standing ovation from the entire crowd.
So some guy I never met that never really knew me (Tom) gave me a gift that may have seemed insignificant to him as part of his father's legacy to help people get what they want. And as the ripples went out, some other guy I've never met before not only gave me $100 cash, but helped me achieve one of my life-long ambitions -right in front of my kid - not because he wanted a story to tell - I'm sure he does this at EVERY one of thse seminars - but because he wanted to genuinely help someone.
And in return, I got one of the greatest blessings of all. I benefitted from the huge generosity of others. And it didn't cost me a dime - nor did it cost anyone in that crowd any more than it would if they'd just stayed seated.
But if I had listened to my kid, who was whining about listening to "old folks" for three more hours, and gone home early, all the blessings would have been lost - at least for me and mine.
Someone else might have been fortunate enough to appreciate that applause and take that $100 bill home with them, and the blessings might have been theirs.
But I try not to compain much, keep my chin up, and keep doing the work I believe God put me here to do. And I do my best to be consistent, because the only alternative is to be less than who I am. I'm not perfect, and don't pretend to be.
So we stayed the course, received the blessing, and can now pass it on to others.
And of course, my son wants to be blessed with a new pair of shoes.
And just now as I sit writing this, I wonder if this is what Jesus might have felt feeding the multitude. I'm not trying to get preachy here, but it dawns on me now that the Bible says something about 5000 not including the women and children that were fed that day. I hardly think of myself in any God-like fashion. I do wonder, though if that is why Jesus was so compelled to serve us. When a throng of people embraces you as I was embraced today - as a total and complete stranger - you develop a compassion that extends to each and every one of them. You must be defective if you walk away without being changed and wanting to do for those that embraced you.
Doing good and being good doesn't require perfection, just consistency. In business and life you need to develop a compassion for your audience that is genuine. Helping others not just because it's good PR, but because it's the right thing to do.
THAT'S when the REAL blessings come.
I'm still thinking about those shoes...
Streamline Your Business - Italian Style!
When I think of Italy, images of canals, the Sistine Chapel, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa come to mind.
I certainly don't think of scruffy Italian men from centuries ago.
And yet, there are two Italian men who have a hand in helping you streamline your business and increase your profitability at the same time.
Say hello to Fibonacci (fib-oh-NAH-chee) and Pareto (pah-RAY-toh). One is an Italian mathematician of the 1200's, the other, an Italian Economist and educator of the early 1900's.
As boring as it may sound, these two guys can give you a clear head when it comes to balancing your work for maximum effectiveness.
Fibonacci was actually born in Pisa. He devised the Fibonacci sequence: a series of numbers in mathematical relationship, that ultimately led to the discovery of The Golden Ratio (not to be confused with the Golden Rule). Simply put, the Golden Ratio is a nearly perfect proportion that exists in nature: roughly a 60/40 ratio.
Pareto, is more likely to be recognized as the man who developed what became "Pareto's Law", more commonly known as "The 80/20 Rule". Pareto noticed a naturlawhat he called the “vital few”, the top 20 percent, and the “trivial many”, the bottom 80 percent.
Essentially, the 80/20 Rule states that 80% of your results will come from 20% of the effort and 20% of your clients will produce 80% of your income.
In fact, it is reputed that Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, used this very rule when deciding who to fire - the lowest performing 20% were the first to be let go.
You've probably heard a lot more about Pareto's Law than you have the Golden Ratio. But it's the Golden Ratio that puts the oomph in Pareto's Law.
In my coaching, I drive my clients to focus on their income producing activities. Often, they have no idea what those activities are. Knowing what to focus on is a topic for another article. This article shows you how it all works.
The Golden Ratio suggests that there is a 60/40 split we must maintain in our business. It happens naturally. 60 percent of our time should be focused on income producing activities (which includes marketing), while the other 40% of our time should be used to manage the other areas of our business. In a 10 hour work day, 6 hours should focus on marketing and the actual EARNING of income, while 4 hours may be split up amongst other business activites.
So how does the 80/20 rule fit in? Simple. The 80/20 rule is where we focus the TOP 20% of our time. This is where the activities that produce the greatest amount of income should be. In that same 10 hour work day, 2 of those 6 hours should be focused on our most lucrative income producing activities.
But what should you do with all that time?
Tips From the Experts:
International speaker and best selling author, Brian Tracy, says "before you begin work, always ask yourself, 'Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?' The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue."
Don Mastrangelo, author of "Ready, Set, Sell!" suggests investing 80% of your productive time over the next three months doing some type of prospecting for new business. Don says "If you do, you’ll find that from there forward you will never need to invest more than 20% of your time prospecting to keep your momentum going.
Let go of distraction and forget about multitasking. Tim Ferris, author of the 4-Hour Work Week, cites multitasking as a big reason for inefficiency while working. The time it takes to re-focus on a project when multitasking can actually make the project take longer - sometimes substantially longer. If at all possible, focus on one thing at a time. Use a timer if you must, but stay focused.
Keep these ratios in mind the next time you're planning your workload, and seeking to find balance in your business.
And the next time you visit Pisa, remember Fibonacci and Pareto.
==========
Have more questions about income producing activities in your direct sales business? Submit your questions here for an upcoming teleclass where I'll answer the most popular questions.
I certainly don't think of scruffy Italian men from centuries ago.
And yet, there are two Italian men who have a hand in helping you streamline your business and increase your profitability at the same time.
Say hello to Fibonacci (fib-oh-NAH-chee) and Pareto (pah-RAY-toh). One is an Italian mathematician of the 1200's, the other, an Italian Economist and educator of the early 1900's.
As boring as it may sound, these two guys can give you a clear head when it comes to balancing your work for maximum effectiveness.
Fibonacci was actually born in Pisa. He devised the Fibonacci sequence: a series of numbers in mathematical relationship, that ultimately led to the discovery of The Golden Ratio (not to be confused with the Golden Rule). Simply put, the Golden Ratio is a nearly perfect proportion that exists in nature: roughly a 60/40 ratio.
Pareto, is more likely to be recognized as the man who developed what became "Pareto's Law", more commonly known as "The 80/20 Rule". Pareto noticed a naturlawhat he called the “vital few”, the top 20 percent, and the “trivial many”, the bottom 80 percent.
Essentially, the 80/20 Rule states that 80% of your results will come from 20% of the effort and 20% of your clients will produce 80% of your income.
In fact, it is reputed that Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, used this very rule when deciding who to fire - the lowest performing 20% were the first to be let go.
You've probably heard a lot more about Pareto's Law than you have the Golden Ratio. But it's the Golden Ratio that puts the oomph in Pareto's Law.
In my coaching, I drive my clients to focus on their income producing activities. Often, they have no idea what those activities are. Knowing what to focus on is a topic for another article. This article shows you how it all works.
The Golden Ratio suggests that there is a 60/40 split we must maintain in our business. It happens naturally. 60 percent of our time should be focused on income producing activities (which includes marketing), while the other 40% of our time should be used to manage the other areas of our business. In a 10 hour work day, 6 hours should focus on marketing and the actual EARNING of income, while 4 hours may be split up amongst other business activites.
So how does the 80/20 rule fit in? Simple. The 80/20 rule is where we focus the TOP 20% of our time. This is where the activities that produce the greatest amount of income should be. In that same 10 hour work day, 2 of those 6 hours should be focused on our most lucrative income producing activities.
But what should you do with all that time?
Tips From the Experts:
International speaker and best selling author, Brian Tracy, says "before you begin work, always ask yourself, 'Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?' The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you will be naturally motivated to continue."
Don Mastrangelo, author of "Ready, Set, Sell!" suggests investing 80% of your productive time over the next three months doing some type of prospecting for new business. Don says "If you do, you’ll find that from there forward you will never need to invest more than 20% of your time prospecting to keep your momentum going.
Let go of distraction and forget about multitasking. Tim Ferris, author of the 4-Hour Work Week, cites multitasking as a big reason for inefficiency while working. The time it takes to re-focus on a project when multitasking can actually make the project take longer - sometimes substantially longer. If at all possible, focus on one thing at a time. Use a timer if you must, but stay focused.
Keep these ratios in mind the next time you're planning your workload, and seeking to find balance in your business.
And the next time you visit Pisa, remember Fibonacci and Pareto.
==========
Have more questions about income producing activities in your direct sales business? Submit your questions here for an upcoming teleclass where I'll answer the most popular questions.
Facebook Vanity URLs: 4 Reasons You Need One
At midnight last night, Facebook opened up a new world of branding, identity and marketing: their vanity URL.
According to some reports, hundreds of thousands of people logged on just after midnight and started requesting their own vanity URL.
It makes sense for you to do the same on a number of levels:
1. Ease of access. It's infinitely easier for someone to find me at http://www.facebook.com/lisarobbinyoung than it is at
facebook.com/?profile=2348970o8yq43589y1q... you get the idea.
If for no other reason than to make it easier for people to find you, I strongly recommend the new URL's. BUT there are even more great reasons:
2. More Branded Web Real Estate
With the addition of Google profiles lately, it's becoming easier to get your name on more pieces of Website real estate. More sites with your name build your credibility in the marketplace. Google likes credibility - which means potentially better page rankings and more visibility in teh search engines
3. You MUST brand yourself. Facebook mkes it clear that you can't have a vanity URL like "Flowers4U" or even a trademarked name like "MaryKay", "PamperedChefGirl" or the like. That means you MUST use some derivative of your name to brand your facebook profile. You can use a company name to brand your page - but trademarks are being watched like a hawk. If you're a PartyLite consultant, for example, you can't go create a fan page and get a vanity URL with 'PartyLite' in the name - because it's a trademarked name. You shouldn't want to do it anyway - for reasons I've mentioned in dozens of other articles. Plus, Facebook has the added restriction that fan pages (not profiles) must have at least 1,000 followers effective May 31 in order to qualify for the vanity URL. They may be lowering that limit ata later date, but for now, without 1000 followers, you can't get a vanity URL for your fan pages. VanityURLs do not apply to group pages as far as I've found.
4. You have more control over the URL identity. Many people who orginally signed into Facebook believed that they had to include their "full name" when they created their page, and as such you'll see people with really long names on their profile. So if your name was Janet Hills Baker Smith, you can now opt for Janet Smith, or Janet Baker and people can still find you. '
Plus for the Horowicz's and the Yvnegafney's of the world, you might opt to become "JanetH"or "BillY" if the name is otherwise difficult to spell or is frequently misspelled.
Whatever you choose, make sure it's consistent with how you're promoting yourself in other places. Lisa Young is a common name, so I opted to brand myself as Lisa Robbin Young. Everywhere you look, I'm branded as LisaRobbinYoung as much as possible. Consistency makes it easier for your clients and potential clients to do business with you.
So if you haven't already grabbed your profile vanity URL, get crackin. ESPECIALLY if you have a comon name, your window of opportunity may already have dwindled.
According to some reports, hundreds of thousands of people logged on just after midnight and started requesting their own vanity URL.
It makes sense for you to do the same on a number of levels:
1. Ease of access. It's infinitely easier for someone to find me at http://www.facebook.com/lisarobbinyoung than it is at
facebook.com/?profile=2348970o8yq43589y1q... you get the idea.
If for no other reason than to make it easier for people to find you, I strongly recommend the new URL's. BUT there are even more great reasons:
2. More Branded Web Real Estate
With the addition of Google profiles lately, it's becoming easier to get your name on more pieces of Website real estate. More sites with your name build your credibility in the marketplace. Google likes credibility - which means potentially better page rankings and more visibility in teh search engines
3. You MUST brand yourself. Facebook mkes it clear that you can't have a vanity URL like "Flowers4U" or even a trademarked name like "MaryKay", "PamperedChefGirl" or the like. That means you MUST use some derivative of your name to brand your facebook profile. You can use a company name to brand your page - but trademarks are being watched like a hawk. If you're a PartyLite consultant, for example, you can't go create a fan page and get a vanity URL with 'PartyLite' in the name - because it's a trademarked name. You shouldn't want to do it anyway - for reasons I've mentioned in dozens of other articles. Plus, Facebook has the added restriction that fan pages (not profiles) must have at least 1,000 followers effective May 31 in order to qualify for the vanity URL. They may be lowering that limit ata later date, but for now, without 1000 followers, you can't get a vanity URL for your fan pages. VanityURLs do not apply to group pages as far as I've found.
4. You have more control over the URL identity. Many people who orginally signed into Facebook believed that they had to include their "full name" when they created their page, and as such you'll see people with really long names on their profile. So if your name was Janet Hills Baker Smith, you can now opt for Janet Smith, or Janet Baker and people can still find you. '
Plus for the Horowicz's and the Yvnegafney's of the world, you might opt to become "JanetH"or "BillY" if the name is otherwise difficult to spell or is frequently misspelled.
Whatever you choose, make sure it's consistent with how you're promoting yourself in other places. Lisa Young is a common name, so I opted to brand myself as Lisa Robbin Young. Everywhere you look, I'm branded as LisaRobbinYoung as much as possible. Consistency makes it easier for your clients and potential clients to do business with you.
So if you haven't already grabbed your profile vanity URL, get crackin. ESPECIALLY if you have a comon name, your window of opportunity may already have dwindled.
Direct Sales Coaches vs. Trainers: What's the Difference?
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.
There's been a surge of people hanging up a shingle and calling themselves "coaches" in the industry...
"International direct sales coach and trainer"
"Direct sales coach and speaker"
"Direct Sales Coach and Trainer"
"Marketing Coach and speaker"
"Life coach"
"business coach"
"accountability coach"
"support coach"
"recruiting coach"
"Speaker, trainer, consultant and Direct Sales Coach"
These are just a few of the titles I've personally seen on websites of professionals in and around the direct sales industry that include the word coach. It's starting to perplex the Direct Selling Company owners to the point that they've started asking "so are you a life coach, a trainer, a speaker or what?"
Maybe I'm just getting snarky in my old age, but I like it when we call a spade a spade. It makes for clear, easy to understand communication.
I can understand some of the confusion. The dictionary offers a basic definition of trainer as an instructor or a coach. But the definition of coach is far more complex, providing a deeper insight into what a coach does, as opposed to just a trainer. The crux of the differentiation focuses on a personal element in coaching that depends on the person being coached.
For example:
1. private instruction, special instruction
2. private tutor employed to prepare a student
3. Baseball: a playing or non-playing member of the team... to signal instructions to and advise base runners and batters
In each of these more specific definititions the coach is working in a more private capacity - even individually - to help a specific person achieve a specific desired result that is tailored to the individual.
THAT'S coaching.
A football team may have multiple trainers, but only one Head Coach.
In my mind, trainers are people that develop or work with a system of achieving a desired result, and instruct you on how to achieve that desired result using their system.
Programs like Belinda Ellsworth's Power Hour come to mind. When Belinda speaks on the Power Hour, she's not coaching, she's training. It's the same message every time, because she's teaching you how to implement the same system. That's training.
A coach, on the other hand, would assess your current goals and issues, and help you determine WHICH training program would bring you the best results based on your individual needs.
Too many speakers & trainers today have appended "coach" to the list of credentials at the end of their name, and don't deserve the title.
And maybe I sound a little sour grapes about this, but hear me out.
In my previous post, I ranted a bit about how there are some well known speakers (because that's what they really are) in the industry that have started calling themselves "coaches" because that's the new buzz word in the industry. Yet they do absolutely no coaching. They have a few training programs, and speak at dozens of events every year and make a great living as TRAINERS and SPEAKERS.
They are NOT coaches.
The reason I'm ranting is because they spoil it for the rest of us who are actively coaching and serving as real coaches.
But I'm not even including myself in this equation. i'm still a consultant in the trenches and for the most part, I'm a rookie in the coaching industry. I wouldn't begin to compare myself to the more seasoned vets that grace the stages of national conferences on an annual basis (I'll leave that for you to decide).
I work to serve my clients in the capacity that best meets their needs. I'm not cranking out new (or recycled) products to train them how to do the same things they already know how to do (but don't).
I'm talking about the REAL coaches, who have a full practice, serving, guiding, instructing and supplying individual attention to their clients - helping them craft specific results based on specific concerns of the client. NOT a one-size-fits-most program.
No doubt those "one-size" programs are effective (or they wouldn't stay on the market for long), but by nature that is NOT coaching. It's training.
I foresee a day when coaches will need to be credentialed. And as such, I'm working on completing my own coaching certification this year. I'm so passionate about this, I'm applying to the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for Continuing Education (CEU) credit for my live event in August.
We need to treat real coaches with a level of respect that most trainers have not earned:
You can't just call yourself a doctor, but a good (or bad) coach can have just as much impact on your well being.
You can't just call yourself a teacher (in most states), but a good coach can teach you more than you'll ever learn in school.
You can't just call yourself an attorney or judge, but a good coach can show you more truth than you ever knew existed.
You can't just sell securities, but a good coach can have an equally powerful impact on your financial condition
You can't just call yourself a cosmetologist, but a good coach can have just as much impact on your self image.
You can't just call yourself a psychologist, but a good coach can help you get inside your own mind and be equally effective at helping you be a "better you".
All of those professional designations come with a price, investment and a piece of paper. It's not the paper that makes the professional valuable. It's the commitment of the professional that makes the piece of paper valuable.
Coaches train for hours, and apply what they've learned to individual circumstances. They also work together in training situations - sharing and collaborating to advance the coaching profession as a whole for EVERYONE involved. They work at a higher level than a trainer - who may only be versed in a particular area of expertise. Coaches have a focus, but their focus is in bringing out the best in an individual or small group of individuals. That requires a multifaceted approach as unique as each client.
Julie Anne Jones is a GREAT example of a real coach. Not only does she have the piece of paper, she uses that knowledge to work intimately with coaching clients in a setting where they can achieve the best results for themselves - whether or not they need one of her training products to reach that result. And she may be a fantastic speaker (I've yet to hear her speak), but she's a COACH at heart: striving to improve the individual.
There are other trainers that are also excellent speakers: Belinda Ellsworth, Karen Phelps, Christie Northrup, just to name a few. But they are NOT coaches in the strict sense of the word. And many speakers are venturing into the training arena. Again, they are NOT coaches. They are leveraging their income and time by generating progams based on their popular talks. It's a great marketing strategy, but they are NOT coaching.
And with the economy on a roller coaster ride, I wouldn't be surprised if you start to see more people offering coaching as part of their product package. But unless the focus is on the client, and not the product, even THAT is not coaching!
You can call yourself a coach all you want (at least for now), but the reality is that a COACH and a TRAINER are not the same. I expect to pay more for a coach than I would a training program. A training program is a "cookie cutter" that can produce general results for a general audience. A coaching program is a tailored, specific program that focuses on my needs, what I want to accomplish and what my vision for my (life, business, etc) is.
Anyone who tells you different is selling you something.
SHAMEFUL Self Promotions & Predictions
Okay, I'm a little miffed here, and I'm calling people on the carpet today...
I have it set up to feed my blog posts to my page on facebook.
So in a recent post, I posed a question - and the answer, with a redirect to additional resources.
And wouldn't you know it? The VA of a very prominent direct sales coach posted on my facebook page with a pitch for HER products and services.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for sharing relevant content and cooperation in the industry.
But this was using social media the WRONG way.
I deleted the post.
Not because I think poorly of the coach. On the contrary, I've used her products and services myself and recommend some of them to others.
I deleted the post because it was off topic. Completely. I was talking about using online marketing to grow your business, and this person posted back with a recommendation for something that she ADMITTED wasn't related.
That's the equivalent of SPAM in social media circles, folks.
So, to help her save face, I deleted the post, rather than call her and her VA on the carpet in front of God and everyone on my facebook page.
Here's another GEM:
A different, well known direct sales trainer was promoting her upcoming teleclass on twitter. Nothing wrong with that. I think it's important to let people know what you're doing and how they can connect with you. Sending occasional tweets like that is great.
Then I posted something that she saw and she tweeted to me PERSONALLY with the same teleclass message - and asked me to retweet it for her.
So, because I was feeling snarky, I tweeted HER personally and asked her to retweet MY message as well.
Needless to say, neither of us retweeted the other.
Sadly, this so-called industry expert is also copy-catting other coaches, refuses to "play nicely with others" and hasn't learned her lesson on twitter yet.
I could go on about this kind of unprofessional behavior from several BIG NAME trainers that have decades of experience in the industry - and frankly, they should know better.
But they refuse to seek out professional help to navigate social media properly and provide VALUE to their followers, instead of just advertising their services.
*sigh*
I predicted this trouble MONTHS ago.
"Watch, as 'old school' direct sales trainers, and so-called coaches start jumping on the social media 'me too!' bandwagon", I said.
Consultants are watching these women to see how THEY use social media, and will imitate what they see. Sadly, I've already seen some great facebook groups get spammed by this kind of shameful self promotion. Anyone who tries this in my facebook group or online community gets their post deleted (the first time) or gets booted (repeat offenders).
There's a right way and a wrong way to connect with people on twitter, facebook, linked in and other social media spheres.
It doesn't begin by creating a page and plastering your links on every friend's wall or Auto DM'ing everyone that follows you to try your products and services.
When I was a teenager, I got a piece of junkmail from AARP.
Yes, the retirement mag - for "old folks".
Hey, I was 13 and had no idea why I was on their mailing list!
So I took their Subscription card, tore it into teeny weeny itty bitty pieces, placed it in an envelope with a note explaining that I was 13 and used their postage paid reply envelope to send it back to them.
I never heard from them again.
That's what I'd like to do with these insensitive 'coaches' (and I'm using that term LOOSELY) who ask me to retweet all their promotions, but don't have the common sense to have a conversation with me to connect with me as a person before asking me to help promote their regurgitated, "same old, same old" stuff.
And I know if they're doing it with me, they MUST be doing it to their followers - whom they see as nothing more than "sheep with wallets." To quote another direct sales trainer I spoke with.
It turns my stomach, and makes me wonder why I feel called to serve in this profession. I don't want to be lumped in their category. It makes me want to create an entirely new category of direct sales educational professionals - ones that believe in providing value and truly serving consultants.
There are honest, genuine, authentic, REAL coaches out there that serve direct sales reps with value. I've had the pleasue to work with some of them. I've also had the disdain of working with some of the other "industry leaders" that are so catty, and selfish that frankly, it makes me want to vomit.
And I just might piss a few of them off in this post.
*Tough.*
If you're mad, then you know who you are, and what category you belong in.
The reason these trainers are still seeing success is because they've ingratiated themselves with top income earners that see their teachings as comfortable. It's safe to recommend these trainers to their teams because the message is the same every single time you hear them speak.
And yet, it's the number one complaint I hear from direct sellers: "these trainers keep saying the same stuff over and over again. They don't understand that the industry has changed, and doing business today is different than it was 10 or 20 years ago when they were consultants."
Now, in defense of sesoned trainers (I won't even use the word "coach" because I don't want to offend the real ones), they are doing what they know works - because it worked for them.
In that respect, there's nothing wrong with that.
But just because it worked like gangbusters in 1974 doesn't mean it will be as effective in 2009 and beyond. Yes, it may still work, but there are dozens more effective ways of writing than quill and ink. Quill and ink still works, but I like blogging - it's faster, more efficient and economical in terms of scale and reach.
And now you see these arcane 'leaders' trudging (Some are even begrudging it!) into the online marketing/social media world. And they're clumsily leading their 'tribes' like the blind leading the blind.
I feel bad for all the consultants saying "I want to learn how to use facebook, twitter, and online marketing to grow my business just like [insert direct sales trainer's name here]"
There are answers out there that the so-called leaders aren't embracing.
What's my next prediction?
Watch for direct sales trainers to align themselves with social media people in new teaching programs that they can offer to their lists - even before they know what they're doing themselves. Then they'll start trying to jockey for being "the first" to offer a program like this in the industry to establish themselves as "the expert" in direct sales and online marketing/social media.
There arent very many of us in the industry right now - so be looking for a surge of so-called direct sales marketing "experts" to appear over the next 6-18 months. We've been quietly coaching and training for the past 2 years now, and after the DSA event in DC, more companies are looking for people to help them understand this perplexing 'new medium' for spreading the word about their business.
I also predict that you're going to see the companies that serve the direct selling industry looking for ways to capitalize on this trend and market to direct sales companies with a social media angle.
And in the meantime, there's going to be a flood of spam traffic to facebook groups and other social media sites that were once considered valueable networking arenas, just because people don't know better. The great groups will consider becoming private groups, and some may just dry up altogether.
All because of ignorant, shameful self promotion.
I have it set up to feed my blog posts to my page on facebook.
So in a recent post, I posed a question - and the answer, with a redirect to additional resources.
And wouldn't you know it? The VA of a very prominent direct sales coach posted on my facebook page with a pitch for HER products and services.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for sharing relevant content and cooperation in the industry.
But this was using social media the WRONG way.
I deleted the post.
Not because I think poorly of the coach. On the contrary, I've used her products and services myself and recommend some of them to others.
I deleted the post because it was off topic. Completely. I was talking about using online marketing to grow your business, and this person posted back with a recommendation for something that she ADMITTED wasn't related.
That's the equivalent of SPAM in social media circles, folks.
So, to help her save face, I deleted the post, rather than call her and her VA on the carpet in front of God and everyone on my facebook page.
Here's another GEM:
A different, well known direct sales trainer was promoting her upcoming teleclass on twitter. Nothing wrong with that. I think it's important to let people know what you're doing and how they can connect with you. Sending occasional tweets like that is great.
Then I posted something that she saw and she tweeted to me PERSONALLY with the same teleclass message - and asked me to retweet it for her.
So, because I was feeling snarky, I tweeted HER personally and asked her to retweet MY message as well.
Needless to say, neither of us retweeted the other.
Sadly, this so-called industry expert is also copy-catting other coaches, refuses to "play nicely with others" and hasn't learned her lesson on twitter yet.
I could go on about this kind of unprofessional behavior from several BIG NAME trainers that have decades of experience in the industry - and frankly, they should know better.
But they refuse to seek out professional help to navigate social media properly and provide VALUE to their followers, instead of just advertising their services.
*sigh*
I predicted this trouble MONTHS ago.
"Watch, as 'old school' direct sales trainers, and so-called coaches start jumping on the social media 'me too!' bandwagon", I said.
Consultants are watching these women to see how THEY use social media, and will imitate what they see. Sadly, I've already seen some great facebook groups get spammed by this kind of shameful self promotion. Anyone who tries this in my facebook group or online community gets their post deleted (the first time) or gets booted (repeat offenders).
There's a right way and a wrong way to connect with people on twitter, facebook, linked in and other social media spheres.
It doesn't begin by creating a page and plastering your links on every friend's wall or Auto DM'ing everyone that follows you to try your products and services.
When I was a teenager, I got a piece of junkmail from AARP.
Yes, the retirement mag - for "old folks".
Hey, I was 13 and had no idea why I was on their mailing list!
So I took their Subscription card, tore it into teeny weeny itty bitty pieces, placed it in an envelope with a note explaining that I was 13 and used their postage paid reply envelope to send it back to them.
I never heard from them again.
That's what I'd like to do with these insensitive 'coaches' (and I'm using that term LOOSELY) who ask me to retweet all their promotions, but don't have the common sense to have a conversation with me to connect with me as a person before asking me to help promote their regurgitated, "same old, same old" stuff.
And I know if they're doing it with me, they MUST be doing it to their followers - whom they see as nothing more than "sheep with wallets." To quote another direct sales trainer I spoke with.
It turns my stomach, and makes me wonder why I feel called to serve in this profession. I don't want to be lumped in their category. It makes me want to create an entirely new category of direct sales educational professionals - ones that believe in providing value and truly serving consultants.
There are honest, genuine, authentic, REAL coaches out there that serve direct sales reps with value. I've had the pleasue to work with some of them. I've also had the disdain of working with some of the other "industry leaders" that are so catty, and selfish that frankly, it makes me want to vomit.
And I just might piss a few of them off in this post.
*Tough.*
If you're mad, then you know who you are, and what category you belong in.
The reason these trainers are still seeing success is because they've ingratiated themselves with top income earners that see their teachings as comfortable. It's safe to recommend these trainers to their teams because the message is the same every single time you hear them speak.
And yet, it's the number one complaint I hear from direct sellers: "these trainers keep saying the same stuff over and over again. They don't understand that the industry has changed, and doing business today is different than it was 10 or 20 years ago when they were consultants."
Now, in defense of sesoned trainers (I won't even use the word "coach" because I don't want to offend the real ones), they are doing what they know works - because it worked for them.
In that respect, there's nothing wrong with that.
But just because it worked like gangbusters in 1974 doesn't mean it will be as effective in 2009 and beyond. Yes, it may still work, but there are dozens more effective ways of writing than quill and ink. Quill and ink still works, but I like blogging - it's faster, more efficient and economical in terms of scale and reach.
And now you see these arcane 'leaders' trudging (Some are even begrudging it!) into the online marketing/social media world. And they're clumsily leading their 'tribes' like the blind leading the blind.
I feel bad for all the consultants saying "I want to learn how to use facebook, twitter, and online marketing to grow my business just like [insert direct sales trainer's name here]"
There are answers out there that the so-called leaders aren't embracing.
What's my next prediction?
Watch for direct sales trainers to align themselves with social media people in new teaching programs that they can offer to their lists - even before they know what they're doing themselves. Then they'll start trying to jockey for being "the first" to offer a program like this in the industry to establish themselves as "the expert" in direct sales and online marketing/social media.
There arent very many of us in the industry right now - so be looking for a surge of so-called direct sales marketing "experts" to appear over the next 6-18 months. We've been quietly coaching and training for the past 2 years now, and after the DSA event in DC, more companies are looking for people to help them understand this perplexing 'new medium' for spreading the word about their business.
I also predict that you're going to see the companies that serve the direct selling industry looking for ways to capitalize on this trend and market to direct sales companies with a social media angle.
And in the meantime, there's going to be a flood of spam traffic to facebook groups and other social media sites that were once considered valueable networking arenas, just because people don't know better. The great groups will consider becoming private groups, and some may just dry up altogether.
All because of ignorant, shameful self promotion.
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