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What do Direct Sellers Do December 15-31?

By Julie · Comments (0)

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Have you noticed how direct sellers seem to take a holimonth instead of a holiday every December? It's like they neatly put their business on the shelf for most of the month of December (or at least from the 15th on) and hope against hope that it will be there, strong as ever, waiting for them come January 2nd when the world starts to turn again. Unfortunately, it's often more the case that their neglected business has withered and is in dire need of resuscitation come January.

It's important to make sure you're booking yourself solid for January in November and early December. But once you've done that, do you have any options besides just taking two weeks off at the end of December? Absolutely!

Remember all those business activities you've been saying you didn't have time for all year (like personal development, follow up calls, and planning)? Well, now you've got two weeks spread out in front of you like a gift. Grab it and rip it open!

Here are just a few ideas for how you might spend your work hours over the next few weeks. I'll start with some ideas for leaders (and just FYI, if you're a leader, this is a great opportunity to get yourself and your team set up for success in 2012!)

Plan all of your meetings for 2012 (need help? Our "Smart Leader's Monthly Meeting Planning System" will give you complete outlines and trainings for 12 monthly meetings. Check it out here.) You can even include your team or downline leaders if you have them in your planning time. Throw a small party, put some cookies and coffee out, and have fun! You'll be surprised at how quickly this task will go when you're brain storming with others.
Take a half day and call all of your downline leaders and direct downline to check in and learn how you can support them with their goals for 2012.
Make a recording (you can use Audio Acrobat or Freeconferencecall.com) for your entire team giving them ideas for how to succeed in the new year. Consider sharing with them:
- Some fun ideas for theme shows in the coming month, complete with a themed invitation e-mailed to them
- An overview of the host bonuses for the following month
- A quick recognition of those on her team who are new consultants
- A booking incentive (like a drawing for a great item from your line)

If you're not yet a leader, here are some great ideas for using your time at the end of December:

Call all of your September, October, November and December guests and make sure they're happy with their products. Come armed with some great reasons to host a party in January and make it your goal to book at least three parties.
Commit to listen to/read at least one training program related to your business and write down at least three ideas you want to implement based on that training.
Set up and launch a "Host of the Month" club. Here's a simple format:
- 12 participants are required, 1 Hostess for each month of the year.
- Each hostess is required to place a minimum order of $30 each month.
- Each member will have one month assigned to her as Hostess of the Month at the beginning of the year.
- The Hostess of the Month will receive ALL Hostess rewards for her month.
- If the Hostess of the Month decides to have a personal Home Party in her month, she will have the Monthly Hostess Club funds applied to her party! She begins with at least $360.00 worth of orders, thereby increasing her Home Party sales & Hostess Rewards!

These are just a few ideas. Most importantly, make sure whatever you're doing, you're doing something! Taking two full weeks off at any time the the year just isn't healthy for a thriving business. You owe it to yourself to at least work part time during the last two weeks of December so that you have a business to come back to in January.

So, what are your plans for the weeks between December 15th and January 1st regarding your business? I'd love to know!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?
You may, as long as you do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Julie Anne Jones is a direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

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Categories : Goal Setting, Life Balance, Organization

Tags : business planning, Direct sales, Home office, Organization, Self Development

4 Steps for Finishing 2011 Strong

By Julie · Comments (0)

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

“Regardless of what came before or of what has yet to come, what matters most right now is how I choose to respond to the challenge before me. Will I lie down or will I fight? The choice is mine and I choose to Finish Strong.”

~Dan Green, Finish Strong

"Finishing Strong" is my theme for the 4th quarter of 2011. It's the theme for me every 4th quarter. There's something about knowing that I only have one month left in this year to get those plans I made executed and complete the projects I started during the current year that's motivating. For me, the sense of urgency makes me push a little harder, just like a runner who hits a wall 22 miles into a marathon.

Here are a few things you may need to get completed and cleaned up in order to finish strong this year:

Clear the clutter – There's nothing like looking around your environment (your office, home, car, garage, etc.) and clearing out the clutter – those items I no longer need which not only don't support me, but are draining me. I find every time I do this, I make room in my life for better things.
Close open loops - These are tasks or projects that you just haven't quite finished up. You know the ones. That pile of clothes you have 1/2 sorted that need to be taken to Goodwill. Your tax information that's half compiled and sitting in piles on your dining room table. The papers that need to be filed in your office. Make a list of all of your unfinished projects and start completing them, one by one.
Remember your year - This one is really important. Sit down with your calendar and go back to January. Now flip through it, week by week, and remember all that you've accomplished. Take a second when you hit on a big win and congratulate yourself. If something that wasn't such a success comes up for you, find a way to forgive yourself (or someone else) and let it go.
Dust off your goals - Finally, look at the goals you set at the beginning of this year. If you still have some unfinished business with yourself, think about why you set that particular goal in the first place and if it's still important to you. If it is, will you carry it forward into 2012 or complete it before the end of the year?

Finally, once you've worked your way through the above areas, you'll be ready to create a strong plan for 2012 and begin implementing it as soon as the new year begins.

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Categories : Goal Setting

Tags : business planning, Direct sales, Goal Setting, Self Development

Goals + Inspired Action = Direct Sales Success

By Julie · Comments (0)

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

Last week I wrote a blog post about making a plan for 2012. In that post, I touched briefly at the end on the concept of making a plan and then being open to inspired action. I wanted to elaborate on that just a bit today.

For the most part, I get my goals. I decide what I want, create a clear vision and plan, and then celebrate once I get it. The thing that I've noticed recently, however, is how often I look back once I've hit the mark and reached my goal and realize that the path I took to get there was completely different than the one I mapped out or expected.

And often times, the path I've walked wasn't even one I knew existed (or would have thought I had access to) when I set the goal. In fact, sometimes I make a plan without really knowing exactly how I'm going to execute it because I've learned that when a need arises for a piece of the puzzle that's missing, it always show up, as if by magic.

That's where inspired action comes in. You have to be willing to listen to and act on your intuition, even when you're not exactly sure where the action will take you, trusting that you're being led by a power greater than you with more knowledge of the outcome. In other words, step out in faith and just do it if it feels inspired. I'll give you an example.

This time last year, I had a very clear goal for creating an online virtual academy for direct sellers. I wanted to be able to create "classes" online with pre-recorded, short pieces of my material that students could access and learn at their own pace. I also wanted a way to work with them once they had assimilated the material, helping them to integrate that learning into their businesses. And I wanted to work with as many people as possible…in about eight hours a week.

I had no idea if there was even a system out there that could do that, but I stared creating the material for the modules anyhow. A leap of faith. Then, in early December, I got an e-mail from one of the online information marketers I follow about a coach from the UK who could teach me to coach multiple clients in about 5 hours a week. I'd actually seen the same promotion for the same free call at least two other times last year and completely ignored it. Although I'm an accredited life and business coach, I don't really make my living coaching individual clients. I consider myself more of a trainer and mentor. So this call wasn't for me, it was more for my coaching friends who needed that information (or so I thought). But as I read the e-mail, I got that unmistakeable intuitive tug that told me I needed to sign up for and attend the free call. So I followed it, not really seeing the point but knowing better than to argue (which has never served me. Whenever I choose to ignore my intuition, I pay a heavy price that generally leaves me feeling regret and frustration, at the very least).

Long story short, the coach doing the free call's name was Nicola Bird and the program she was selling on the call was an online coaching system called Jigsaw Box. It was exactly what I needed for my academy. I couldn't have designed it more perfectly if I'd tried. The perfect system had literally fallen into my lap, and I would have missed it completely if I hadn't taken the inspired action of signing up for that free call. In the past year, over 115 people have become students and changed their businesses with the Direct Sales Virtual Academy.

So the next time that little voice inside you starts nudging you to drive a different way today or check out a seemingly unrelated video your friend forwards you from Youtube, or stop by your husband's office unannounced for lunch, follow it. You just might find that the solution you've been looking for that can make all the difference in you getting what you want is somehow tied to that seemingly random act.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?
You may, as long as you do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):

Julie Anne Jones is direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

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Categories : Goal Setting, Main

Tags : Goal Setting

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