Manage Your Inbox
Is your email out of control?
Does it take you longer to sift through your inbox than you have time to spend in the office? Don’t be afraid to turn your computer on! A recent direct sales training event showed me how important it is to manage your email.
During the call we spoke very briefly on managing your email system for better productivity. Recently at a live seminar one of the attendees said that she incorporated my inbox management system into her office routine and has streamlined her daily email operations.
Check Your Email Daily
I get a ton of emails every time I turn my computer on. The first secret to this system is going to be a very simple technique. Make a habit of checking your email at least once a day, preferably twice. This alone will make a huge impact on the manageability factor in your inbox. I am always amazed at how many entrepreneurs go for weeks without ever checking their emails. Your email is a revenue generation system. It may not be easy to physically see the cash flow from checking your email, yet prompt attention to your inbox will defiantly increase your ability to produce income. Anyone in business needs to check the email and respond daily. Just yesterday, Thursday, I had an email from some one who wants me to speak to her company’s national conference in the Spring. She planned on making a decision on the following Monday in regard to whom she was going to hire. Systematically checking your email reduces the enormity of it and keeps you timely to generate income. If you are in business to make money then, check your email daily.
Delete-Delete-Delete
Delete all irrelevant messages before beginning the review process. When you first open your email on a daily basis, start at the top, and highlight the first on in the list that is to be deleted. Holding the control button down, go down the column and highlight each one to be deleted. When you hold the control button down, you can just go down the column and touch everyone that you want to delete. You should be able to tell by the subject bar which ones those are. Also highlight all of the ones that are forwarded. A little discretion can be used here although not much. It is pretty safe to say that it is a rare email that has been forwarded that is worth keeping or that needs your attention. As I said earlier email is cash flow generator so don’t mess with forwarded email, spasm, social games or any of the such rubbish. This is a really quick process, just hold the control button down and touch each one to be highlighted. You will have a column of blue highlighted emails, then just push delete. And Wam! They are all gone! This morning when I hit delete, a huge column of emails that went off the page, and zip………it went down to only 6 that needed my attention. The deleted ones probably numbered 30 or more. Later on in the afternoon when I checked back, I did the same thing and zip……only had 3 to attend too. You will be thrilled at how well this technique works.
Deal With It And Move It
Next deal with each email as you have time. After it is taken care of, responded too, printed out, etc. you can either file it or delete it. If it is an email that you want to save move it to a pre-set up folder on the side. You can have as many folders as you want under your inbox. For example, I have one for publicity, real estate, direct sales consultants, my tech advisor, my accountant, etc. There are probably 15 folders, in which I file emails that I want to hold onto for a while. If you do not have time to take care of something, maybe it will take more time than you have at the moment, then just leave it in the inbox. Your inbox is only for incoming mail and mail not dealt with yet. Your inbox should all fit in one view pane at all times. Once it is taken care of either delete it or move it to a folder for future reference. If you send a reply back and you are waiting for a return reply, then keep it in the inbox so that you do not forget about it. The folders at the side are like filing cabinets for future reference. Deal with it, delete it, or move it to a file. Pretty simple, huh? This system really works and frees you up to generate income.
7 Email Tips:
- Keep your email for business. If you are a social emailer, then have two identities. Don’t clutter up your office or your time with personal emails.
- Don’t forward junk. Don’t forward at all. If it is important, save it to a file and attach it to your own outgoing email.
- Keep you outgoing emails clean. If you are replying, then delete what is irrelevant, in the reply and change the subject bar to a new subject.
- Keep emails brief. If it fills a page or takes up more space than the window then maybe you should be talking in person.
- Be professional. You are conducting business and your business deserves to be represented professionally in print. Do not fall into the casual mode of no caps, and poor spelling or cute abbreviations.
- Beware of email addiction. When used correctly email is a tool that will compliment your other business tools. When used incorrectly it can become and obsession and an excuse not to provide real customer service.
- Did I say check your email every day?!
You will be amazed and impressed at how easy it is to keep your emails manageable with these two simple strategies. And don’t forget to check your email every day! It only makes good business sense.
Online Networking: Your Way To Direct Sales Success
You already know that networking is the lifeblood of your business. You do it every day when you book a show, sponsor a new recruit or sell your products. The world wide web can be an excellent resource for those involved in direct sales. Think of networking online as an additional tool that will help you grow your business.
Online Forums
Online forums can be great places to meet new people and create relationships. Wahm.com and internetbasedmoms.com are two forums where you can meet and network with other moms/women. You’ll find moms with successful businesses that can answer your questions as well as those that are searching for their own home based businesses or just looking for the products you are selling.
When networking on online forums it is always best to start by creating relationships. Interact with the members of the forums without expecting anything in return in the beginning. Be genuine. Be mindful of the rules and regulations of each forum that you decide to visit. Not only with this save you from doing any unauthorized advertising, it will help you build a solid reputation as a business owner.
Twitter.com
Twitter.com is a powerful social networking site where you can connect with others. It’s easy to create relationships by joining in the conversations of the people you choose to follow. You can ask questions, share information and make new friends. If you only choose one thing to do with your online networking Twitter should be the one you choose. As with online forums, be mindful of the rules and don’t start twittering with the sole intent of spamming the site with your advertising.
Article Marketing
If you are able to write quality, informative articles about your product then you should consider article marketing to establish yourself as an expert in your field. After you’ve written the articles submit them to article directories with free reprint rights and an author biography that includes your site name and link to drive traffic to your business. Website owners will use your articles on their site but since your information is included in the article, people will coming looking for you and your products.
Squidoo.com
Squidoo.com is also a social networking site. Use Squidoo.com as a tool by creating lenses, which are basically short articles on any topic that you care to write about. This can be an excellent way to establish yourself as being very knowledgeable about the products or service that your business has to offer. Squidoo can be useful by driving potential customers to your websites.
Email Groups
Email groups, like those offered by Yahoo, are another option for online networking. Search for groups that might fit your business. “Work at Home Moms in Wisconsin”, or “Moms in Home Business” would just be a couple of examples of the types of groups that you should keep an eye out for when looking for email groups to join.
Whenever using one of these tools be sure to look for ways to be a useful contributor and supportive friend wherever you choose to network and you will be well on your way to building your business in no time at all.
The Value of Motivating your Team
Congratulations, you’ve decided to start sponsoring team members to increase your income.
A well-motivated sales team can be the cornerstone of a successful direct sales career and gives you the potential for great financial benefits as an up line leader.
As you continue to build a good sized sales team you’ll need to think of ways to help keep them motivated so that they continue to have fun with what they are doing and be able to build their own successful direct sales business.
Team Newsletter or Ezine
Starting a team newsletter is a great way to motivate your team. In a newsletter, you can offer general business tips, words of encouragement, theme party ideas, ways to get booking and ideas to increase sales. You might also include information about company or personally sponsored contests for your group, along with recognizing your top sellers or recruiters for the month. Let your team members participate by selecting a few contributors each month to share success stories or ideas. Everyone likes to see their name in print.
Sending Cards
We all like getting mail so why not let your team members know how much you appreciate them by sending a card on their special occasions? Remembering things like wedding anniversaries, birthdays or even a consultant that has had an exceptional sales month will let your team members know that they are special to you and not simply a number that you recruited for your own personal gain.
Training and Incentives
If you don’t already offer team training and/or incentives to your down line now is the time to think about it. While not everyone will be motivated to perform by incentives there are a lot of people that are. Whether your new recruits are direct sales pros or delving into their first experience, training is always a good thing.
If most of your team is local to you think about hosting monthly team meetings that offer training, opportunity presentation, team awards and product displays. If your team is scattered around the US or even the world, then consider using a conference call line with weekly and/or monthly meetings with an outline similar to the local meeting.
Offering incentives to your team might help them reach their sales goals. Offer things like sales aides (order forms, catalogs, etc…), company logo items, or products if they meet required goals like booking so many parties in a month, making so many sales phone calls, or meeting a certain amount of sales.
Support
Create your office hours and let your team know they can call you at any time during them. Nothing is more motivating to your team members than knowing their problems or questions matter. Supporting your team can mean the difference between success and failure to your direct sales business as well as those of your team. Using these tips will help your form a sales team that really loves what they do, which means success for everyone.
Secrets To Creating A Successful Online Hostess
One of the secrets to having a great show or party is to make sure your hostess is excited about the product, motivated to get her hostess perks and encouraging her guests to have fun and buy lots of stuff while they’re looking at the catalog. The same holds true if your hostess has her party online. To make sure she is both comfortable and excited with an online party simply follow these steps.
Build Her Excitement
Let your hostess know about all the free and discounted stuff she’ll get for hosting a show. If you haven’t already, surprise your hostess with a thank you gift at her party. It can be something as simple as a votive and dollar store candle holder but it’s a nice touch and your future hostesses will look forward to their little gift. Help her become enthusiastic by having her create a list of products she’d like to have and then help her get them.
Extra Incentives
Sometimes it helps to offer your online hostess an extra incentive to go out and get those extra sales. Is your hostess “this” short of the minimum party or the next level of hostess perks? Do you have a sales or booking goal? Set a goal for your hostess to have a certain number of guests at her party or a certain number of sales or bookings prior to the show.
If there a particular catalog item she’s interested in or if she is just short of her goals think about holding the party open a few more days so she can meet her ( and your) goals. Offer the hostess the item that she wants if, and when, she meets your challenge.
Train your Hostess
Help your hostess out by giving her everything she needs to make her party a success. Include extra order sheets, catalogs and any incentives offered in her hostess package. Maybe even include a checklist for her and give her a small gift if everything is checked off prior to the start of the party.
Keep in touch with her and help her out if needed. Offer to mail her invitations for her if she gives you a mailing list. This is also a good source of future leads for you. 😉 If she is too busy or uncomfortable making reminder calls then offer to help her with them. Giving your hostess guidelines and then helping her follow them has the possibility of increasing both your sales and bookings making your hostess happy when she gets all that good stuff.
Games and Fun
Everyone likes to win stuff so plan some super simple games and giveaways during your hostess’s online party. Consider having a drawing with everyone that makes a minimum purchase of $50 or more if you have a small product to give away. Everyone will have fun playing the games that you have set up and your hostess will have a blast racking up sales to put toward getting free items.
For more online party inspiration an internet search should provide you with a ton of ideas that will make for a wonderfully fun party for your hostess and will create a profitable party for yourself.
What Can My Up Line Do For Me Anyway?
Choosing the correct up line leader is one of the smartest moves that you can make when you decide to get into the direct sales industry. The person you choose as your leader is the person responsible for teaching and mentoring you. Make sure you choose someone you like and respect as well as someone that will be able to mentor you effectively, after all, you’re making them money, too. Most successful direct sales consultants that you speak with will tell you that they feel their choice of sponsor played a large role in the overall success of their direct sales business. Once you’ve decided on your sponsor or up line leader, it’s important to stay in touch with them to make sure you’re receiving the benefits of having a successful up line leader.
Training:
Proper training is essential to the growth of your business. If this is your first venture into the direct sales world your up line leader will be your business life-line. For example, your up line can answer any questions that you might have on how to navigate through your company’s online ordering system, or how to get your discount on personal orders. If at any time, however, you feel your up line isn’t training you correctly or you don’t get a response from them, make sure to contact their up line for the correct information.
Your up line will be able to guide you through the company’s policies and procedures as well as show you the many hints, tips and tricks learned through her experience. Ask if you can shadow some of her home shows and take notes on her presentation.
Promotion:
Your business won’t thrive if you don’t promote it. A successful up line leader is experienced in marketing and promotion of your business. Use her knowledge of the company’s marketing materials and promotional tactics to find out what would work to help you build your business.
She can help you develop a plan of action that will help you build momentum with your booking and income goals. Make sure that the goals you’re setting are goals that meet your needs – not just the needs of your up line.
Your up line can also help you develop a plan of action so you can go out and book parties and make the income goals that you have set for yourself. Your up line will also help to fill you in on your company’s policies for marketing your business online.
Support:
Like a building is only as strong as its support beams, you need support so your business won’t collapse. One huge reason you should stay in touch with your up line is the moral support and encouragement that she can offer you. This can make a huge difference in the success of your direct sales business.
When you feel that you have someone that believes in you and is just as excited about your business as you are your confidence, as well as your business, will grow. It’s important to have a good relationship with your up line. She has the experience to help you get through the hard times of building your business. For instance, if you lose momentum, she can give you hints and tips to fill your booking calendar or make more sales.
Staying in touch with your up line when you join a direct sales business is essential to the growth of your business. It’s important to find a sponsor that is actively working her business and is genuinely interested in signing you up and helping you grow a business so that you can be successful in meeting your goals.
Using Technology To Keep in Touch With Your Customers
The Internet provides direct sales business owners a very simple and convenient way to stay in touch with their clients. When you are involved in direct sales, keeping in touch with your customers is an excellent way to ensure good customer service. And good customer service means they might be more willing to book a party with you and make repeat purchases. If you keep a list of your customer’s favorite products you have an excuse to let them know about any sales you have, too.
Here are a few ways that you can use the technology of the Internet to keep in touch with your customers.
Blogs
Start a blog to keep in touch with your customers. A blog is basically an online journal and a great place to inform people about what is happening in your business. Include informative articles related to your product and your customers will see you as a valuable resource. Use your blog to keep your customers informed of product specials that both your company and you personally are offering and allow them to make comments about your posts should they have any questions. WordPress and Blogger are two popular blogging platforms to try if you don’t already have one.
We recommend MomWebs.com hosting with a WordPress.org blog.
Forums
Start your own online forum to communicate with your customers. Starting a message board is simple to do and you could even incorporate it with your blog. Having different forum threads to deal with customer questions on specific products, customer complaint issues, product specials or just chat with your customers about any topic could be a great resource especially if you have a large client base.
Email Discussion Group
Similar to a forum an email discussion group like the ones available through yahoo or google is yet another way that you can keep in touch with your customers. You can make your group available for discussion or use it to release a monthly or even weekly newsletter to inform your customers about your business.
Mailing List
A mailing list should be the first thing you start after opening your doors for business. Pass out information cards or forms to each guest at your parties and make sure they give you permission to add them to your list and contact them. You might even include a box on your form for specific items like receiving a monthly newsletter or special sales notices. Be careful how you use your mailing list so you aren’t considered a spammer. If you’re unsure of what spam is do a quick internet search and study up. It will be worth your time.
We recommend Aweber.com as a mailing list management system.
There are many tools technology has provided the home based business owner and these are just a few of the more common ones. Don’t be afraid to use them to grow your business.
Using Online Parties To Grow Your Direct Sales Business
Hosting online direct sales parties can be very smart especially if your hostesses are finding it hard to get your friends and family together in the same spot on the same day. Some direct sales companies even offer online parties to make it easy to pool sales together, but adding an online chat as part of the party can make the event a fun “girls night out” — without leaving the house!
Tell Everyone
Make sure to tell everyone you know that you’re hosting an online party. Excitement is contagious. Be sure to let everyone know how excited you are about the great products that will be presented. Send out emails that tell your guests the date and time as well as a link to the website where your party is going to be held. If you know of any special offers or discounts being offered, let them know in your email. A lot of direct sales companies now have special areas for their hostesses to provide their guests with online email invites and information.
Offer Some Incentives
Everyone likes to think they’re saving money or “getting a deal” so incentives can be a draw for your guests and they just might place a larger order, too. Often your company will have monthly guest discounts or other specials you can offer your guests. Send the company flyer in a subsequent reminder email or create a flyer offering your own special.
In addition to company sponsored incentives – or instead of them, if your company doesn’t offer anything- you might consider creating incentives of your own. If you’re trying to make sales then offer a discount or buy one, get one offer using your consultant discount. If you want to fill up your calendar with bookings, offer a special item or discount percentage to anyone that books a party on your available dates. If you have trouble coming up with ideas or think you’re spending too much money on extra incentives, talk to your up line leader. She will likely know how to help you in your particular situation.
Advertise, Advertise, Advertise
Make a list of places to advertise your online party. Think of forums, chat rooms and websites that might cater to someone interested in your company’s products. You must make sure to pay attention to the posting rules in the sites you are looking to place an advertisement. You don’t want to be accused of spamming since that will get you banned from future postings and make you look unprofessional. Forums for moms or for moms that work from home are excellent places to look for advertising your online party. Just remember – be respectful.
Enjoy The Party
Once you’ve send the invitation and reminder emails, advertised and thought up your sales and booking strategies then sit back, relax and enjoy the party. Be excited for your hostess and guests and share your enthusiasm for the products being offered. It is very likely that you will get others interested and excited too and that will lead to a fun and profitable online party
Keeping your Direct Sales Calendar Full
As you probably already know, the way to money and success in a direct sales business is to keep your calendar full and happy with parties, vendor fairs or other events focused on selling your company’s products. There are many ways to insure a full calendar when you first start with your company:
1. Host your own open house to introduce your business. The goal of an event like this is not to sell a ton of product (although that’s sometimes a nice side benefit) but to encourage others to hold parties for you.
2. Offer to do a class or presentation at your local park district or chamber of commerce meeting. This gets your name and your business known to a lot of people who can spread the word for you!
3. Ask your dearest friends to do an open house or party for you. I know, this drives fear into the heart of a lot of new direct sales reps but really, all you have to do is ask and the worst thing they can say is “no, I’d rather not”. But you’ll never know unless you ask!
4. Participate in local craft and vendor fairs to get your name out in the community. These might cost a bit of money for a booth or table but it’s a nice way to reach a lot of people in a short amount of time. Make sure you have some type of give-a-way or drawing to get names to add to your mailing list.
5. Advertise – both paid advertising as well as press releases and other forms of free advertising. A small ad in your local paper can do wonders. Notify your local “neighborhood” reporter of your business too.
Once you’ve got some events and direct sales parties scheduled on your calendar, the key is to keep the momentum going and continue booking. There are some great ways to do this as well:
1. Use the open date cards – at every party and event that you have, have your next open party dates listed on a calendar or index card and offer premiums for anyone who books those specific dates.
2. Play booking games at your parties.
3. Ask ask ask – at every party and event as each and every customer and guest if they’d be interested in having their own party. Don’t be shy! Start your presentation with a simple statement like “And because I don’t want anyone to feel left out I’ll ask everyone if they want to have a party with me. In fact, if I don’t ask you to host one, I’ll give you free shipping on your order!” That way you’re committed to asking and people are expecting it!
4. Whenever there are holes in your schedule pick up the phone and call those folks on your mailing list who expressed interest in possibly hosting a party or schedule an event yourself like a past hostess appreciation event, I love my customers fiesta or similar. And again, at that event, book more!
Once you’ve really built some momentum, it’s good to actually overbook a bit for a while. Start looking for other team members locally that you can pass your extra parties on to and you’ll really start to grow!
Be Cheap and Easy When it Comes to Marketing Your Business
photo credit: justinlai
In direct sales, the work at home market and especially in this economy, you can be effective by being cheap and easy when marketing your business.
While we are all in business to make money, sometimes our budget can leave a lot to be desired. Dropping your advertising budget in this economic environment can be a killer. It seems like a vicious circle. We need to drive the traffic and sales, but our money is best used very wisely. We have to become very aggressive to market our business. But if you don’t have the time to research, here are some of my ideas that can help you that are cheap and easy; my favorite kind.
· Use mini mailers or flyers with samples or coupon attached and go door to door. No, you don’t have to knock, but be respectful of no soliciting signs. And don’t just go one time.
· Check with neighborhood stores that may allow you to leave information.
· Use fish bowls or information boxes to gather customer interest. Give away something once a month or so to encourage them to fill out your form.
· Bulletin boards are free and easy. Laundry mats, grocery stores, local stores, restaurants and many more places have them. Make sure to have a tear off tab with your phone number for someone to take.
· Team up with another business owner that has products compatible to yours and market together. She can introduce you to her customers and vise versa.
· Place small ads in the community paper or penny saver.
· Use your business cards like water. Place them everywhere you can.
· Many restaurants allow business card inserts or ads in the menu.
· If you sell a product, check to see if there are businesses that take consignments. Depending on the mark up of your products, you can move some product while advertising it as well. Make sure all products have your contact info on it.
· Donate product to a charitable organization for a raffle prize.
· Participate in local events where you can set up booths to give out information or sell product.
· Invest in a logo designed just for you and get a professional shirt made to wear as you are out. Make it your uniform, so get several.
· Invest in signs or graphics for your vehicle.
· Join the chamber of commerce and become an Ambassador. Work the meetings.
· Teach classes in your expertise. Look at senior centers, YMCA, churches and other local places that you can donate some time teaching others.
· Write articles and send them to the paper.
· If your business is also online, write articles and places them on article websites along with a nice tag line to drive business to your site.
This list comprises just a few of the things that I have done. How many can you incorporate into your marketing plan? Remember, you can still advertise without a lot of money. Most of these things I listed here are no cost besides your time or the cost of some product. Put on your thinking cap and see how many others you can come up with and keep your advertising cheap and easy.
Creating Your 2009 Home Business Plan
Home Party Businesses Need Business Plan
I replaced my full time job with my home party business in about 9 months. I am often asked “what is your secret?” referring to my successes in my
home party plan business. The secret is that I treat it like a business or a profession. There are certain business practices that all successful businesses follow. They are called best-business-practices. One best-business-practice that all successful businesses follow is to write and rewrite annually a business plan. Home party businesses would benefit by a business plan as well.
A business plan has three purposes:
1. Provides clarity and purpose
2. Gives you IRS compliance when taking home office deduction
3. Gives you a road map for success over the next year
Not only does a good business plan spell out your goals, mission and purpose but it also provides you with actions to take. When you have a plan in place you will have a better understanding on where to invest your time and money.
Here is an example of what a plan may include:
Mission Statement:
The mission of Snuggy Bunny Baskets is to:
1. Have a customer base of at least 10 annual “repeat” customers
2. Service my customers in the best way I can
3. Sponsor active Independent Representatives
4. Support and train my recruits in the best way I can
5. Be an active part of the business community
6. Attend monthly & yearly business meetings
Marketing & Sales:
Snuggy Bunny Baskets will use the following marketing methods to promote the mission statement: (other methods will be incorporated as necessary)
Retail Sales:
1. Home Shows
2. Catalog (Book) Shows
3. Flyers
4. Pass out business cards
5. Give gifts & promotions (of company products) to family, friends & potential customers
6. Attend (or join) local professional organizations
7. Fund Raisers/Basket Bingos
8. Business meetings over a meal
A IRS direct sales specific business plan template makes it easy to plug in your own details. Listen to the tele-seminar audio recording on Creating A Business Plan.
Your business plan is a perpetual work in progress. It will change from time to time and year to year and without one your goals will most likely elude you. I encourage you to complete your business plan as soon as you can. It is amazing what it will do for your business.
