Direct Sales Leadership: Lead to Succeed

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

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

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

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

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

http://www.smallbizsupersummit.com/

We'd love to have you on the call!

Direct Sales Mentoring: The Super Summit Shortens Your Learning Curve

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

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

And then I heard that voice.

"Why not you? Why not now?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

The Super Summit is coming!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Direct Sales Success: 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.

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

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

Direct Sales Success: Know Your Averages

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

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

And those are the league leaders!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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


USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!

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

Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Direct Sales Business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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

Direct Sales Passion: Are You Faking It?

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

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

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

That's what happened to me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Passion.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

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

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

Direct Sales Success: Strategy Part 2, Goals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So what are your goals for the new year?

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

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

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

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

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.

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

Direct Sales Success: What's Your 2010 Vision?

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

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

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

So what's your vision?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's where your vision comes into play.

© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bring. It. On.

Speechless, An apology of sorts

This doesn't usually happen to me.

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

...and later is still waiting to arrive.

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

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

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

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

I heart her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- it's called rocking the boat.

You have been warned.

Promote Yourself Without Being Pushy

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

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

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

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

Here's what one band said during their set:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why Blogging May NOT Be For You

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

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

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

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

Uh-oh, another rejection of online marketing strategies?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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.

Strategic Planning: A Gift and a Skill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eat your heart out, sister mine!

The Power of the MasterMind

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

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

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

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

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

I swear, it's not a Freudian thing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh what a day that will be.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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