If you've read my bio blurb in my weekly ezine, it says "one part mom, one part rock star". That's only slightly tongue in cheek.
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of touring the country, being a rock star, singing songs I wrote. In fact, I've even self-released two albums. You can even listen to some of my music. It's 'defniitely not mainstream pop music' - or at least that's what one of the guys at Universal Music said when I submitted my demo for a listen.
I've never been a conformist - at least not on the surface. I have some core beliefs that are pretty standard, but my mode of operation has always been a little on the rebellious side of things. If people tell me I 'Can't' do something, I almost always say "watch me!" and figure out a way to do it anyhow.
So even though I'm a relative unknown in the music industry, I have fans across the globe that listen to and enjoy my music.
And just to be clear, this post has NOTHING to do with me forming a rock band, releasing a new album or touring whilst playing my music. The Stand Up Coach and I are planning a 'world tour', but you'll hear more about that at another time, and it has nothing to do with these new developments.
It's really been the last couple of days that have crystallized these must do activities for me.
As far as your guesses go, Lauren's on the right track. This isn't about a speaking tour (there's more details about that coming later in Spring), and it isn't about me quitting my DS company (HEAVENS NO!). This is about me stepping into a space that I should have been in all along, and was too afraid to do it.
The only antidote for fear is faith.
I always envisioned Rock stars, in my mind, as fearless. They could get up on a stage, entrance a crowd of thousands and inspire throngs of people with their work. Everytime their music plays freely over the airwaves, you get re-inspired, transported and motivated to feel this kind of empowerment from within the very music itself.
I always wanted to have that kind of effect on people. Without the drugs, scandals and bad habits that many musicians were known for. I wanted to inspire and motivate people with my creations and do it in a very unconventional way.
That means taking a zig when others zag. It means standing out in a crowd. It means going against the grain.
Like a Rock Star.
In this economy, people are still paying $500 a seat to see The Police live in concert. Why?
Because they're Rock Stars! They've established themselves as a household name to the audience that loves them. They don't have to worry about whether or not people will show up to their concerts, or if they'll make enough money to pay the bills this month.
They're ROCK STARS!
Watch what other direct sales coaches are doing right now: they're sweating. They've taught you everything they know. You've heard it all before, and to keep themselves alive, they're doing bargain basement price slashing. One direct sales coach is offring a teleseminar series (5 calls) for $40! That would barely cover the costs of putting on the FIRST call, let alone all 5.
Why is she doing that? Simple, just like you (well, some of you) bookings are down. Her income is tanking, and she needs to stay at the top of mind to keep you buying from her.
Another diect sales coach piloted a monthly telecoaching program at an introductory rate, and couldn't get enough members to raise it to the standard rate she wanted to charge. Why? Because she's just regurgitating her content!
There's nothing new there.
Like a good Rock Star, you have to have new material on a regular basis. Sure, the Greatest Hits are fun to hear, and familiar. They're easy to embrace. And YES, you run the risk of alienating some of your die hard fans when you create something new. But on the whole, your fans want to be delighted with something exciting, different and NEW.
Do you remember the first time your favorite band played a new song on the radio? I do. I would scooch up to the radio as close as I could so I didn't miss a single note. I'd scribble down the lyrics as fast as my pencil could keep up. I wanted to be the FIRST to know that new song, so I could share it with everyone - and look cool in the process.
Sometimes I still do that, although I will admit I'm a bit more restrained as a 'grown up' than I was as a child. i don't actually push people out of the way anymore to get to the radio.
So when direct sales coaches offer "new" products, I get excited! I scramble to the front of the line to see what it's all about.
And I usually shuffle away with my head hung down in shame at another batch of regurgitated content.
Don't get me wrong, booking, selling, and recruiting are the 3 pillars of direct sales. If you want to be truly successful, you have to do all three in some combination.
But there's more to this business than just those three things, and frankly, I'm tired of hearing so-called industry 'experts' that just keep saying the same things over and over and over.
Maybe that list of 100 people ISN'T enough to get your business started. Maybe you DO have to think outside the box - especially in this economy.
So that's what I'm doing. I'm thinking outside the box. I'm doing something that, as far as I know, no other direct sales business coach has ever done before. I'm going against the grain and doing some things that no other direct sales coach would ever DREAM of doing, because to them, it would mean losing money.
But I think like a ROCK STAR!
Think you've got this all figured out yet? Bet ya don't! But the clues get hotter as the day goes on today. We're leading up to the BIG unveil tonight at 7pm eastern. Post your comments below. The first one to correctly guess will win a complete set of all the physical products I've ever created (yes, even my music CD's, if you want them!).
Showing posts with label recession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recession. Show all posts
Make it Black Friday EVERY Day
Well, it's official. According to a post at CNN.com:
"The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have already believed about the state of the economy."
And yet, despite the horror stories and deep discounts, retail sales were still up 3% over last year on Black Friday.
Where's the disconnect? And how can we apply that to Real Life Marketing?
The day after Thanksgiving in the US signals the beginning of the end - the mad shopping frenzy that beats a path to Christmas Day and leaves a trail of exhausted shoppers in it's wake.
For most Home Party consultants, however, the holiday season is quickly winding down, and many consultants find themselves in a slump from around December 9 through the end of the year. In fact, many consultants - and some companies - close their doors for the last two weeks of the year - despite the potential for additional sales, parties and possible recruits.
Black Friday shouldn't be a one-day-of-the-year occurrence. Retailers pin their profit dreams on the single biggest shopping day of the year - and many find their dreams dashed on the rocks if sales aren't all they imagined.
What can you do to make your sales cycles more consistent? What can you do to make every day Black Friday - that is, more profitable?
Diversify. Don't pin all your hopes on one show on your calendar - or one month (or day) of the year. Every day that you have a show, your office is "open for business".
Consistency. Touch your business regularly. Have business hours - even if it's only one hour a day. People like consistency and prefer to do business with you when they know what to expect.
Over-deliver. Rather than slash your prices to the absolute rock-bottom - or create a loss leader for yourself to pull in more sales, consider adding more value to your customer's purchase. Perhaps free training on the proper use of a product, or a special recipe, or hand-written thank-you note. Not a coupon. Coupons are NOT value added. Coupons imply that the customer must spend money with you AGAIN in order to get the benefit. Give value, get loyalty.
Consistency. Say you're going to do something. Do it. Then do it again, just like you said you would.
Accept nothing less than the best for your clients. Notice that many of the companies going out of business over the 2008 holiday are the low-price competitor. Price is a minor consideration in the customers eye. If the value of the offer is 10-100 times greater than the cost of the investment, the customer will buy.
Consistency. There's nothing like getting what you expect time and time again. McDonald's is McDonald's is Mcdonald's. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Just like Krispy Kreme.
Reward your best customers. Give repeat buyers an additional incentive to continue shopping with you. It is far easier to keep a client than it is to gain new ones. Invest some of your advertising budget in client retention.
Consistency. It may be redundant, but it's important to be consistent in your business.
Serve ALL your markets. Do you have clients that prefer to shop online or in person? Don't ignore them. Use direct response mail and email to reach out to your customers in the way they want to be reached.
Consistency. Need I say more?
Building a profitable home party / network marketing business is a bit like dollar-cost averaging. If you do the same amount of work every day, over time you'll see a greater return on your investment. Some days may be up, and others down, but if you're consistent in building your business the RIGHT way, you'll be ahead of the curve at the end of the year, and every day can be Black Friday.
© 2008 Lisa Robbin Young. All Rights Reserved.
==========
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?
I'd be honored - so long as you include this complete blurb with it: Lisa Robbin Young is Editor and Founder of "PartyOn!", a free newsletter for party plan professionals. A personal branding coach, Lisa is on a mission to educate consultants on big business ideas they can apply to their small business enterprise for stellar success. Get your free tips at http://www.homepartysolution.com.
"The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have already believed about the state of the economy."
And yet, despite the horror stories and deep discounts, retail sales were still up 3% over last year on Black Friday.
Where's the disconnect? And how can we apply that to Real Life Marketing?
The day after Thanksgiving in the US signals the beginning of the end - the mad shopping frenzy that beats a path to Christmas Day and leaves a trail of exhausted shoppers in it's wake.
For most Home Party consultants, however, the holiday season is quickly winding down, and many consultants find themselves in a slump from around December 9 through the end of the year. In fact, many consultants - and some companies - close their doors for the last two weeks of the year - despite the potential for additional sales, parties and possible recruits.
Black Friday shouldn't be a one-day-of-the-year occurrence. Retailers pin their profit dreams on the single biggest shopping day of the year - and many find their dreams dashed on the rocks if sales aren't all they imagined.
What can you do to make your sales cycles more consistent? What can you do to make every day Black Friday - that is, more profitable?
Diversify. Don't pin all your hopes on one show on your calendar - or one month (or day) of the year. Every day that you have a show, your office is "open for business".
Consistency. Touch your business regularly. Have business hours - even if it's only one hour a day. People like consistency and prefer to do business with you when they know what to expect.
Over-deliver. Rather than slash your prices to the absolute rock-bottom - or create a loss leader for yourself to pull in more sales, consider adding more value to your customer's purchase. Perhaps free training on the proper use of a product, or a special recipe, or hand-written thank-you note. Not a coupon. Coupons are NOT value added. Coupons imply that the customer must spend money with you AGAIN in order to get the benefit. Give value, get loyalty.
Consistency. Say you're going to do something. Do it. Then do it again, just like you said you would.
Accept nothing less than the best for your clients. Notice that many of the companies going out of business over the 2008 holiday are the low-price competitor. Price is a minor consideration in the customers eye. If the value of the offer is 10-100 times greater than the cost of the investment, the customer will buy.
Consistency. There's nothing like getting what you expect time and time again. McDonald's is McDonald's is Mcdonald's. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Just like Krispy Kreme.
Reward your best customers. Give repeat buyers an additional incentive to continue shopping with you. It is far easier to keep a client than it is to gain new ones. Invest some of your advertising budget in client retention.
Consistency. It may be redundant, but it's important to be consistent in your business.
Serve ALL your markets. Do you have clients that prefer to shop online or in person? Don't ignore them. Use direct response mail and email to reach out to your customers in the way they want to be reached.
Consistency. Need I say more?
Building a profitable home party / network marketing business is a bit like dollar-cost averaging. If you do the same amount of work every day, over time you'll see a greater return on your investment. Some days may be up, and others down, but if you're consistent in building your business the RIGHT way, you'll be ahead of the curve at the end of the year, and every day can be Black Friday.
© 2008 Lisa Robbin Young. All Rights Reserved.
==========
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?
I'd be honored - so long as you include this complete blurb with it: Lisa Robbin Young is Editor and Founder of "PartyOn!", a free newsletter for party plan professionals. A personal branding coach, Lisa is on a mission to educate consultants on big business ideas they can apply to their small business enterprise for stellar success. Get your free tips at http://www.homepartysolution.com.
Dave Lakhani, Small Business, The BIG "R"
It must be that time of year, where I have time to read ther's blogs and think hard about them. Here's another post, this time, in respnse to Dave Lakhani's post regarding the current economic trends - you know, the recession - and how it affects small business.
This is the revised, expanded edition:
Bravo Dave!
It is true that you can set yourself up for failure by creating a failure oriented mindset - that is, believing that you're doomed to fail just because the economy sucks.
But you are essentially sticking your head in the sand - leaving your butt ripe for kickin' - if you put all your eggs in the "mindset" basket.
And I teach on mindset, so this is critical.
Whether you think you can or can't is only part of the equation. If you think you can't, you've given up before you've even seen the equation. Thinking you can, is the first step - but not the only step.
The Little Engine that Could (i.e. small business) can't just say "I Think I Can". You have to keep moving down the track. Heck, you have to be ON the track in the first place. You also have to know where that track is heading, or you could end up on a one-way path to nowhere fast.
You can't just think positive thoughts, or wish something away. YOU MUST TAKE ACTION, PLAN AND PREPARE for success.
To do otherwise is what got us in this mess in the first place.
The people that are taking action now are the Carnegies and Rockefellers of this century. Thse are people that saw the recession of their day for what it was, and capitalized on it, by making a plan and taking action - when others around them were wallowing in self-defeatism and failure oriented mindset. But these movers and shakers aren't ignoring the fact that there's a recession going on in full swing - they're taking advantage of it, and making swift plans for massive action NOW.
So yeah, you can do something about the recession by looking forward, and even by creating a positive oriented mindset - but mindset alone doesn't change what's REALLY happening in the world around us.
The Physics scholars of yore got it right: and object at rest tends to stay at rest, and object in motion tends to stay in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force.
It's action that makes all the difference - regardless of your mindset.
This is the revised, expanded edition:
Bravo Dave!
It is true that you can set yourself up for failure by creating a failure oriented mindset - that is, believing that you're doomed to fail just because the economy sucks.
But you are essentially sticking your head in the sand - leaving your butt ripe for kickin' - if you put all your eggs in the "mindset" basket.
And I teach on mindset, so this is critical.
Whether you think you can or can't is only part of the equation. If you think you can't, you've given up before you've even seen the equation. Thinking you can, is the first step - but not the only step.
The Little Engine that Could (i.e. small business) can't just say "I Think I Can". You have to keep moving down the track. Heck, you have to be ON the track in the first place. You also have to know where that track is heading, or you could end up on a one-way path to nowhere fast.
You can't just think positive thoughts, or wish something away. YOU MUST TAKE ACTION, PLAN AND PREPARE for success.
To do otherwise is what got us in this mess in the first place.
The people that are taking action now are the Carnegies and Rockefellers of this century. Thse are people that saw the recession of their day for what it was, and capitalized on it, by making a plan and taking action - when others around them were wallowing in self-defeatism and failure oriented mindset. But these movers and shakers aren't ignoring the fact that there's a recession going on in full swing - they're taking advantage of it, and making swift plans for massive action NOW.
So yeah, you can do something about the recession by looking forward, and even by creating a positive oriented mindset - but mindset alone doesn't change what's REALLY happening in the world around us.
The Physics scholars of yore got it right: and object at rest tends to stay at rest, and object in motion tends to stay in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force.
It's action that makes all the difference - regardless of your mindset.
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