Blogging for Direct Sales Success
If you think that blogging is strictly for “regular” businesses, or only to share personal posts, you may be missing out on a tremendous method for building your direct sales business online! Blogging is a tremendous resource for direct sales consultants.
Having your own blog allows you to share information and resources to keep your customers and prospects informed of what’s going on in your business. And it keeps your name in front of your customers and prospects, so that when they need what you sell, they’ll call you instead of your competition! Blogging also helps your customers and prospects come to see you as an “expert” in your field. You become their “go-to person” when they need the type information you blog about.
For instance, if you sell beauty products, you can offer beauty tips and ideas for using your products in addition to all the other business-related information you provide.
If you sell candles, you can share tips on decorating with candles, caring for candles and choosing pleasing scents.
If you sell kitchen products, recipes, cooking tips and similar information are natural topic choices and will help to build your direct sales business.
Blogging allows you to keep in touch–at no cost but a little time–with the people you serve and hope to reach. And you can start a blog with little or no knowledge other than how to write coherent sentences.
You can get started right away and be blogging with an hour. Just sign up for a free blog online. Blogger.com is a good place to start, though there are many others. Simply follow the instructions to create an online account and set up your blog. You’ll need to decide on a name, select a free template, and enter a few options, but it’s very simple to do. Once the set-up is complete, you’re ready for your first post!
For the greatest blogging success, plan a weekly schedule for your blog with a goal to post at least three times a week. You can post more often, or less, but three times a week (about every other day), works well for most people.
As to what you’ll post, consider these possibilities:
• Articles and information related to your business
• Hostess specials & benefits
• Hostess coaching
• Sales and coupons
• Free gifts
• Contests and drawings
• Successful party recaps
• New and discontinued product information
• Press releases about your company
• Recruiting helps
• Team building tips
• Anything else you can think of!
If you’re like many direct sales reps who have only a corporate website that doesn’t allow changes, a blog gives you the opportunity to share customized ideas and information with your target audience. Doing so will set you apart from similar consultants and show your customers and prospects how much you care about them.
Search for direct sales blogs online and you’ll find that the good ones always offer something different and unique for their readers, and they go out of their way to provide information their readers want and will use.
Create a blog for your direct sales company and offer your customers and prospects something they can’t find anywhere else, and you’re sure to be the one they turn to for the products you sell. Remember… if you want to stand out, be Outstanding! Blogging is a great tool to help you do that.
Three Steps for Getting Started in Direct Sales
Starting and growing a successful direct sales business, just like any other business, takes work. But the joy of working your own hours, in your home office, and in your pjs if you choose, make direct sales an ideal solution for women, in particular.
As the keepers of the home, we women are most often the ones who crave the freedom to stay home and raise our own children, keep our house clean and organized, and put home-cooked meals on the table. Yet, in today’s economy, we are often forced to help our spouses earn an income.
That’s why a home-based business is the perfect solution. And a direct sales business that you work from home is even better. Typically, direct sales means you don’t have to keep inventory, maintain a high overhead or hire employees. And your hours are flexible enough that you can work when you want and still feel as if you’re fulfilling your number one dream of raising a family.
So, how do you go about finding, or creating this perfect home-based direct sales business? First, keep in mind that in direct sales, you’re not an employee, so you won’t be looking for a job. You are instead a licensed sales agent for a company’s products. That’s why it’s called a business. And that’s why we always speak of working with a company, never for.
Here are three things you’ll need to do before you begin:
1. Decide what kind of company you’d like to work with.
Your options are unlimited! You can choose to sell toys, cosmetics, body care items, crafts, books, romance paraphernalia, household products, coffee or food, home decor and just about anything else.
To select the company that’s right for you consider your interests and what you enjoy doing. Your best opportunity for success will come if you are truly passionate about the products you choose to sell.
2. Narrow your choice to one company.
Once you decide on the type of products to sell, you’ll want to choose a specific company. Your best bet is to choose only one company to begin with, even though the temptation may be to choose more.
Many direct sales consultants sell for more than one company, some for several. But your direct sales business will require you to focus. And that’s easier to do when you have only one company to promote.
3. Learn all you can about the company you selected.
Now that you know what you want to sell and who you want to sell for, it’s time to do some homework. Spend some time online or at the library researching the company you’ve chosen. Find out when they started the business, who the owners are, their annual sales and financial status, compensation program, hostess rewards program (if applicable), how and how often they pay, their policy on shipping and returns, any required minimums and everything else you can learn.
Take your time and research them well. See if they belong to the Direct Selling Association. Talk to other consultants, if possible. Look for complaints or accusations against the company or its officers. There will probably be a few, regardless of how reputable the company is. But if you find an unusually large number of complaints, you may want to reconsider your decision.
There may be any number of hidden drawbacks to the company you’ve chosen. If so, don’t be discouraged. Simply look for another company.
Above all, know who you’re dealing with! Many direct sales consultants have been scammed by unscrupulous companies and owners who took their orders and their money and left them to answer to irate customers for unshipped product and lack of service.
Once you’ve taken these steps to determine what you’ll sell and who you’ll sell for, and once you’ve been assured that you’ve chosen a reputable and trustworthy company, it’s time be get busy finding bookings and orders, and promoting your direct sales business. More info on that to come…
What’s a Filler, Anyway?
Hanging around work-at-home-mom (WAHM) websites or forums, you’ve probably heard the term “filler” mentioned more than once, and may have been unsure of what it really means. Let’s talk about fillers for a bit since becoming familiar with this little goodie will help you build your direct sales business on a shoestring!
And goodie is just what it is.
You know all those goodie bags you get at parties, seminars and events? And inside are all those little coupons, business cards, pens and pencils and such? Well, all those little items are called fillers because they fill the bag. (See, you were familiar with them… even if you didn’t know what they were called!)
Fillers are anything that are used to fill a goodie bag that will be distributed to others. And fillers for your direct sales business will be used to promote your products, business opportunity, sales or website.
So, what kind of things make good fillers? Some ideas include:
• Coupons
• Half or quarter-page fliers
• Keychains
• Pens or pencils
• Mintbooks (like matchbooks that you make and staple a mint inside)
• Business cards (plain or with something attached)
• Small samples
Once you decide on what kind of filler you’ll use, you need to decide how you will actually create your filler.
If you plan to use business promotional items such as keychains, you’ll need to have them printed by someone who offers that service. Keep in mind that even if you get them made cheaply, costs will add up on these items as you can distribute a lot of fillers in a very short time.
As for coupons, fliers, mintbooks, bookmarks and similar items, you can create and print them yourself or hire someone to do it for you. These are much more common fillers since they cost less to produce and can be distributed in greater volume.
You can use Microsoft Word or Publisher to easily create your own fillers. Just be sure to include complete contact information, including your website address, email address, phone, etc. Also include the discount amount and discount code, if you’re designing a coupon.
For bookmarks or mintbooks, it’s best to print them on cardstock so they’ll be more sturdy. And include a simple graphic or your company logo for visual interest. Several items will fit on one page and save printing costs, as will using minimal (if any) color when you print. Don’t feel full color is mandatory. Black and white designs can be striking and eye-catching.
Remember, this is your business. If you choose to make your own fillers, be sure they are nicely designed, error-free, printed cleanly, and cut neatly.. Professionalism matters.
Once your filler design is complete, print or copy a bunch of them, cut (with a paper cutter for neat edges!) and separate in stacks of 25-50 if you plan to share them with others to put in their goodie bags.
There are two primary ways to distribute the fillers – either in your own goodie bags or by giving them to others to use in their bags. You can do one or both.
If you make your own bags, you’ll need a bag (zipper bags will work, but you can get cellophane bags with resealable edges much cheaper). Select the size bag you think you can easily fill. You’ll also want a label to apply to the front of each bag with your company name and information and the purpose of the bag. For instance: “Enjoy this Goodie Bag provided to you by Nicole Dean of ShowMomTheMoney.com!”
You’ll also need your own fillers and fillers from other businesses. Place a simple post on online direct sales and WAHM forums that you’re accepting fillers. People will contact you and you can make arrangements for them to send you their fillers.
Be sure to specify the size, quantity, and other stipulations of the fillers you can use. Tell them what companies you won’t take (those you represent) so you won’t have competition. After all, it’s your bag… Use it to promote your own business first!
Direct Sellers who make use of filler advertising recognize what a great promotional opportunity it is, so you shouldn’t have trouble getting several items to fill your bags. If you find you’re receiving too many business cards, post again and ask for coupons or more substantial fillers if you desire.
Once you have all the items in hand, simply fill your bags with one from each company. Put your own filler on top so it will be seen first when the bags are opened. Then just start handing them out!
If you plan to give your fillers to others for use in their bags, post that you have fillers to offer. Tell what they are (as in a coupon, bookmark, etc.), what company they’re for, and how many you have. Then when someone asks for your fillers, send them the agreed upon amount in a timely manner and wait for the response! You may want to code your fillers for each mailing in a certain way so when you receive a response, you’ll know where they found you.
There are any number of ways to distribute your goodie bags once they’re complete. Consider giving them to:
• Local office workers
• Receptionists
• Nurses
• Your friends and family
• Teachers
• Cashiers
• Servers
• Hair stylists
• Pet groomers
• Babysitters
• Seminar participants
The possibilities are endless! With a little creativity and imagination, fillers can help you build your direct sales business inexpensively while helping you support other direct sales consultants at the same time.
Creating a Helpful Hostess Packet
You can never put too much time or effort into training your hostess. And while many direct sales managers coach on the topics of increasing sales and recruits, few focus on what it takes to make a hostess happy and how to increase your direct sales success through hostess coaching. Those who do may neglect the importance of a standardized Hostess Packet in communicating with your hostess.
Communication is a huge factor in keeping a hostess happy. Communication involves a variety of factors. Letting your hostess know what is expected of her. Letting her know what you’ll provide. Informing her of any changes in agenda, schedule or format. Staying in touch through encouraging emails and phone calls. Basically… communicating with her!
It’s easier for a hostess to do a good job if she knows what to expect and what is expected of her. Communicate both messages clearly and you’ll make your hostess happy, which will, in turn, increase your sales and hostess staying power. And a ready-made hostess packet is a tremendous way to communicate consistently.
You can create a standard hostess packet that includes the following features inexpensively and in a minimal amount of time. Make up a few to have on hand and keep them in your car so you can share one as soon as you book a show. A standard packet of materials will make communicating with your hostess much simpler, almost routine.
• Welcome Letter
Thank your hostess for booking a show with you. Confirm the date and time as well as the location. Remind her of your hostess rewards program and what she can earn for hosting a show. Provide her with full contact information for you including your name (she may forget), phone number, email, instant messenger if you use it, etc.
• Catalogs or Brochures and Order Forms
Give your hostess a catalog or two and a few order forms so she can take advance orders. You’ll both be on your way to a more successful show.
• Invitations and Address Labels
If your company provides post cards, give your hostess as many as she thinks she’ll need to invite all her guests. You can also provide address labels to make her job easier. Or even offer to address and mail the invitations for her! That’s a service that a lot of hostesses will gladly accept. And one which ensures invitations go out on time and with all the correct information.
• Business Cards
If your company offers the ability to tie online sales to a particular show, you can increase your pre and post-party sales by providing your hostess with business cards that include your website address for easy online ordering.
Encourage your hostess to give a card to everyone, whether they plan to attend the show or not. That way, even those who think they’ll be there can order online if they have a schedule change and can’t make it. Give your hostess a code that friends should use when ordering online to ensure all orders are credited to her show.
• Hostess Rewards Planner
Create a one-page sheet that includes all the ways your hostess can earn rewards from her show. Include one in every hostess packet.
• Potential Guest List
Also create a list of all the types of people your hostess should consider as possible guests. Include such folks as friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, parents of her kids’ friends, teachers, church friends, etc. Encourage your hostess to fill this form out completely and plan to over-invite. Doing so will ensure a larger group of guests and a more successful show.
• Successful Party Tips
You might also want to include a list of tips to help your hostess on the day of the show. Include such things as keeping the refreshments simple, calling friends on the day of the show to remind them, finding someone to babysit, etc.
• Plan What You’ll Say When Coaching Your Hostess
Though you never want to sound like a robot, having a script to communicate various aspects of your hostess coaching session will make the job seem less like a chore while still flowing smoothly. Jot down some notes on what you’d like to say and practice until the conversation seems to flow and you remember to cover all the topics of importance.
Remember that your hostess wants to succeed! By hosting a successful show your hostess gains more in the form of prizes, free products, discounts, etc. Helping her succeed will create a happy hostess. And a happy hostess means one who earns more for you. It’s definitely a win-win situation for all concerned!
Party Games to Increase Direct Sales Bookings
Looking for some fun for your next direct sales party? Play a game or two! Here are some simple games that will fit most any theme party or direct sales product line.
Hostess Raffle
Using an old catalog, cut out a picture of something you have on hand to give away. Choose something with a decent price. Place the picture in the middle of a small piece of poster board (11″ x 14″ works well). Divide the board into squares (as many as you want, but at least 50 or so). Number each square. Hostesses earn squares on the board in a variety of ways:
• Hosting a party
• $250 Party
• $500 Party
• $1,000 Party
• A Referral who becomes a consultant
• Every booking from a party
• A catalog party
• $100 in outside orders before a live party
Add other ways to earn as you wish. Set an ending date about six weeks out and keep your hostesses informed. Promote this at every party and tell all former hostesses about it. This is a great way to build your bookings.
Hostess of the Month
Offer a special gift (maybe something discontinued or that is unavailable any other time) to your hostess who has the highest amount in retail sales during a specific month. Use this during slow times to encourage more bookings.
Hostess Scavenger Hunt
Get your hostess in the party spirit with a Hostess Scavenger Hunt! Here is a list of different types of people. Give this to every hostess and if she can get 10 of these to her party, she earns a special gift. Of course, each person can only count for one category.
• A good friend
• A dieter
• A relative
• Someone who wears size 9 shoes
• A grandmother
• A babysitter
• A co-worker
• Someone who lives in an apartment
• Someone with an RV
• A former co-worker
• Someone with red hair
• A direct sales consultant for another company
• A neighbor
• Someone who wears contacts
• A cat lover
• A mom of three
• Someone who lives in a duplex
• A childhood friend
• Someone who lives in a mobile home
• An expectant mother
• A Sunday School teacher
• Someone with only daughters
• A secretary
• Someone with only sons
• A bowler
• A teacher
• Someone who drives a station wagon
• Someone who drives a green car
• Someone who just moved
• A hairstylist
• Someone who blogs
Auction Party
Use an auction party to increase bookings as well as sales. Make some play money and have at least two prizes for every five party guests on hand and wrapped so guests don’t know what’s inside.
Distribute money to guests as follows:
• $100 for Attendance
• $100 for Bringing a friend
• $100 for Placing an order
• $200 for Placing an order over $40
• $200 for Booking a party
• $500 for Becoming a consultant
After the product demonstration and after everyone has placed their orders, begin the auction with the highest bidder winning each item.
Creating Success with Your Own Direct Sales Products
Usually when we hear the term “direct sales” we think of companies like Avon, Pampered Chef or Tupperware, those companies who have been around for years and who have thousands of consultants marketing their wares. But you don’t have to join a big company to create a successful home-based direct sales business. You can do so with your own products as well.
Direct selling, by definition, is simply the act of selling products or services directly to the consumer. So instead of selling your products to a retail shop or a distributor, you sell them directly to the one who will use them. That’s direct sales. And you can create a direct sales business with practically any product you make!
Before you decide to start your own direct sales company, or start selling your own products directly to consumers, there are some things you’ll want to consider.
First, ask yourself if other companies are already selling the same products you would be selling. A little competition is to be expected, but if there is too many others selling the same thing, the market could already be saturated. Do a little research online before you begin and you’ll save some heartaches down the road.
If there are other companies already selling what you would like to offer, maybe you can do something different in order to make your business viable. What improvements in the product line, customer care, etc. could you make? Looking for ways to improve on what your competitors offer is completely in your favor and could make it worth your while to proceed.
Once you decide to pursue direct sales of your own products, you’ll need to then decide on what products you’ll carry, the prices you’ll charge, how you’ll handle inventory, special orders, shipping and taxes. If you plan to sell online, you’ll need to set up a website and plan for managing it. And you’ll need to have catalogs or flyers printed depending on your needs.
Also determine how you’ll advertise your new business and set a budget (however small) for marketing and other costs. While you can build a business on a shoestring, you’ll still need some funds for printing flyers and/or catalogs, website hosting, and possibly offline advertising.
You’ll then want to create a marketing plan for your new business. Where will you advertise online and offline? Can you find ad swaps to save costs? Have you considered using articles to promote your business online and locally through newspapers and magazines?
While you don’t have to, you may find you want to hire consultants to help sell your products as well. If you do, you’ll need to develop a commission-based sales program including incentives and consultant fees involved. You should set your prices high enough to pay your consultants while still earning a profit for yourself.
In everything you do, strive for consistency and excellence. In your products, your work schedule, the quality of your customer service, your consultant support, etc. Whatever you do, do your best every time. This strategy will pay off in word-of-mouth referrals because people will know what to expect when they purchase from you and your company.
5 Ways to Find New Direct Sales Customers
Growing a direct sales business may seem easier for some people than it is for others. But all of us grow our business one way… by finding more customers! Here are some tips to help you start growing your customer base right away.
• Sign up with twitter.
Twitter is an amazing tool for building online relationships which will build your business naturally. Post several updates each day. Share quotes, funny thoughts, inspiration and more. Include a link to your direct sales website in your profile. Offer solutions to problems. Interact with others and get to know the “tweeps” (people on twitter). Never try to sell your twitter friends! But build relationships and you will build your business.
• Send out a press release.
Write a simple press release (PR), or hire someone to write it for you. Submit it to local newspapers, radio stations, TV stations and all the free PR websites you can find. Focus the release on an item of interest such as a contest you’re running, a new service you’re offering, or an event you’re sponsoring or participating in. A sale is not news, nor is the fact that you just joined a company. But there are many news angles that will get you free press. Find one and get started right away.
• Submit free articles to online publishers.
There are thousands of words written every day about the potential in writing and submitting articles to online publishers and article directories. And with good reason.. this is a tremendous way to find new customers, attract traffic to your website and build your direct sales business online. Don’t feel you can write well enough? Hire a ghostwriter. Freelance ghostwriters come pretty cheap nowadays. But the business building potential is priceless.
• Host an open house.
Stock up on some of your nicest products. Arrange them attractively on a table in your dining room, living room or den. Create some door prize drawing slips to collect the names and addresses of visitors. Set out some catalogs and order forms. Bake a few cookies and make some coffee. You’re good to go!
Send out postcards and invite everyone you know. Have the kids post some flyers around town. Put a sign in your front yard with the day and time. Then relax and have fun!
Have a door prize drawing at the end of the day and give away a gift basket filled with products. Then follow up with every visitor to say thank you.
You’ll have new contacts, some new orders, and will have created some fun and good will among your friends and neighbors.
• Write a book or an ebook.
A book in your direct sales niche will help dramatically to brand you as an expert in your field. If you sell beauty products, write a book on skin care, make-up or fashion tips. If you sell kitchen items, write a cookbook or how-to cook book. If you sell toys and children’s items, write a book of children’s games and activities, or a book for parents. Whatever you do, make it professional, proofread it carefully, and create a quality product for surefire business building success.
There are literally hundreds of ways to find new customers and we’ll be focusing on more as time goes on. Until then, get started with these five and see if your direct sales business doesn’t begin to grow almost immediately!
Using Contests To Build Your Business
Every successful entrepreneur knows she must use a variety of marketing methods and tactics to influence her target audience to purchase her products or services. Customers and prospects must be educated and persuaded that your products are better than your competitor’s. They must be informed as to what your products can do for them and their families. They must be encouraged to buy NOW while the time is right. Most customers are not going to simply walk up to you and ask you to let them buy from you – at least not enough of them to keep your pantry stocked with food!
That’s why business promotion is mandatory. It increases your company’s visibility, both online and offline; adds credibility to your Website and products; enhances your business image; and ultimately attracts new business.
Finding cost-effective, easily implemented ideas that have the power to increase your sales in a way that conventional advertising (i.e., classified ads and banners) can’t is always a challenge. The key is to find methods that are appropriate for your target audience, your business marketplace and your professional style.
One promotional weapon that almost any business owner or direct sales person can begin to use immediately to promote your business is contests.
Many people think of the simple door prize drawing when they think of a contest, but there are many more exciting and appropriate events you can use.
Consider…
• A Pampered Chef instructor can sponsor a cooking contest.
• An Avon rep can offer a prize to the one who can most stylishly accessorize a particular outfit (with Avon jewelry, of course!).
• A writing site can sponsor an essay contest.
• A graphics or Website designer can host a graphic or Website design competition.
• A gift shop could offer a prize for the best new handcraft idea (the store would, of course, own the design at the end of the contest).
• A temporary personnel office can sponsor a typing and office skills contest.
There are MANY other ideas such as:
• Grown-up spelling bee
• Most beautiful baby
• Doughnut, pie or hot dog eating
• Movie trivia quiz
• Pancake flipping
• Corn shucking
• Whitest smile contests
If you can dream it up, there will be someone who’ll join in the fun and competition to take a chance on winning a prize!
To promote your contest, be sure to:
• Send out a press release announcing the competition well in advance.
• Mail or email past and prospective customers and encourage them to enter and tell their friends.
• Notify ezine and magazine editors, webmasters and store owners whose readership and clientele would be interested.
• Invite professionals in the same field of expertise – such as local or online celebrities, writers, journalists or instructors – to serve as judges.
• Publicize the winner’s name and the winning entries on your Website, and offline in any way you can.
• Distribute the prizes quickly and jubilantly. Make the most of the entire event!
A contest can be fun and profitable for your business, in addition to building a sense of camaraderie and closeness with your contestants and judges. Think of the possibilities… then take a chance. This promotion strategy could be a real winner for you!
Article © Darlene ‘Dee’ Bishop. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Darlene ‘Dee’ Bishop is a professional freelance writer and a World of Products distributor offering online and catalog shopping with over 3,500 quality gifts, home decor items, toys, housewares, furniture and more.
The Direct Selling Association: What’s In It For Me?
The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is a national trade association of more than 200 direct sales companies (companies that sell products directly to consumers). Many member organizations are brand names that you would recognize easily such as Avon, Fuller Brush, Melaleuca, Pampered Chef or Shaklee. (Oddly Tupperware wasn’t listed as a member, but that’s an article for another day.)
The DSA’s purpose is to ensure that direct sales companies operate under ethical business practices in order to protect both consultants and consumers. DSA member companies go through a stringent year long application process before joining, and must then abide by the DSA’s Code of Ethics in order to remain a member.
Since members pledge their commitment to the DSA Code of Ethics prior to joining, verifying a direct sales company’s DSA membership prior to signing on as a consultant will help protect you as a consultant and help ensure that you are representing a professional company rather than some “fly by night” organization that may not be around in a year’s time.
The DSA Code of Ethics dictates a number of business practices designed to protect direct sellers and consumers. According to the DSA’s website, these include:
• legal and accurate disclosure regarding the company’s pay structure, products and sales methods
• actual and potential sales and earnings claims based on documented facts
• guarantee of repurchase of up to 90 percent of the marketable inventory and sales aids purchased within the past 12 months if a consultant decides to leave the business
In addition, the DSA Code of Ethics helps ensure that direct sales companies refrain from unlawful or unethical recruiting practices, exorbitant joining or training fees, or insistence that a consultant purchase more inventory than can easily be sold in a reasonable amount of time.
All of these are viable benefits to DSA membership, but there are others.
For instance, the DSA offers tax help, seminars and workshops on a variety of topics, research assistance in selecting a direct sales company opportunity, and a Growth & Outlook Survey questionnaire for members, the results of which they publish every year.
They also provide a number of books, CDs and DVDs to assist in direct sales success, regardless of the company chosen. While DSA membership is limited to direct sales companies, rather than consultants, the resources available for direct sellers is vast and growing. It’s well worth your time to investigate the success tools and information available from the DSA website – there’s a lot in it for you!
“Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day®” – Even if You Work at Home!
Most everyone has heard of Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day®. The national educational program originally called Take Our Daughters To Work Day® was created by the Ms. Foundation in 1993. In 2003, the organization expanded the program to include boys and changed the name to the Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day®.
The program continues to grow and gain support among employers and companies nationwide. Billed as “more than simply a career day,” the program offers children ages 8 to 18 insight into what their parents do for a living while opening up possible career options for them at the same time.
If you feel that being a home-based business owner or direct sales representative prohibits you from participating in Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day®, think again! While you may not actually “take” your son or daughter to work, you can involve them in your work at home. Taking part in this fun-filled day of education and togetherness will strengthen your family ties and build a greater understanding in your children for what it’s like to be a grown-up. Here are some ideas to get you started…
• Begin by explaining what it is you do. Describe the company you work for, what you sell, how you make a profit. If you give home parties or home shows, describe one. Discuss marketing and promotion, website building and Internet marketing and anything else you think relevant. Talk about your education, how you came to choose the company you work for and why.
• Plan several activities for your child in advance and have all the resources ready. Based on your child’s age and abilities, he or she can file, make copies, stamp coupons, cut and fold fillers, stuff envelopes and filler bags, and similar activities to help with actual work. You can also provide puzzles, games, coloring and other activities that relate to your business and that will help to entertain.
• Send out a press release about your child’s participation and include a photo of your child working with you. Everyone loves to see their name in print and children are no exception. (Great promotion for your business, too!) After the news story is published, frame a copy and hang it on your office wall as a keepsake.
• If you don’t have time to set aside a full day for the program, plan a half day, or even a few hours. Anything you can do will be worthwhile. You can end the day with a nice lunch and ask for feedback from your child as to what they liked best or how the day could have been better.
• Don’t have a son or daughter? Invite a niece or nephew, grandchild, or even a neighbor to take part. This would be a great time to get better acquainted with a child in your life.
By participating in Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day®, you help children explore future work and career opportunities while helping them to better understand what you do for a living as well. Take a day to teach a child. The results could be life-changing for him or her, and for you.
