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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

10 Questions for a Strong Direct Sales Business Plan

By Julie · Comments (0)

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

Did you know that direct sales is considered a "recession proof" business? Historically, according to the DSA, our industry sees an increase in sales and recruiting during more difficult economic times. What does that mean for you? Opportunity! Think about these questions:

Do you know anyone who's struggling to make ends meet at the moment and is looking for a part time job?
Do you know anyone who's feeling overwhelmed and stressed out and needs a break?
Are you or someone in your company making full time wages working part time with your company?
Is it possible that people who love your products and are short on money could get excited about earning your products for free?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, I hope you're beginning to see the opportunity instead of the obstacle in the news of the economic hardship we've been receiving lately. If you've ever wanted to be in the right place at the right time, now is the time and you're in the right place. Start focusing on all the opportunities and take action to begin capitalizing RIGHT NOW! Below are some tips to support you with a strategy for moving through the rest of this year with a strong plan.

10 Questions For a Strong Business Plan

Now is the perfect time to look at your business and either develop new or update existing systems which will bring you the results you desire. You can also focus on clearing and organizing your space so you’ll be more efficient when you do get busy. Last, but certainly not least, intentionally plan your business by creating a schedule which encompasses everything that’s important to you. Schedule your personal time, time with your spouse/significant other, business activities, desired dates for parties, opportunity events, meetings, and family time.

Now, ask yourself the following ten questions, be honest, and make a plan for success!

Do I have a goal for the number of parties I intend to hold each month during the fall selling season?
What is my ideal sales month? (If you don’t know, how will you create it?)
Do I have a purpose? WHY am I in business?
Do I have a set schedule for my business? On a scale of 1–10, how well do I stay on track in committing to my schedule?
On a scale of 1–10, how well do I practice and implement what I learn? What practices have I put off implementing that I KNOW will bring me greatest results? When will I implement them?
Do I make excuses for not applying energy to my business? What are these excuses costing me? Will I schedule a time to look seriously at the truth, or will I sweep this under the rug?
How well do I follow through with my agreements? Am I of my word? What will I change?
Am I fearful of failure or rejection? Have I searched for the limiting beliefs that block me from succeeding?
Do I know my goals for this week? Some examples of powerful weekly goals:
- Send thank you cards to your new hosts immediately after they schedule a party.
- Invite every guest to host a party and be creative with your language.
- Hand out 3 opportunity packets at every party.
- If you are a leader with a team, schedule a weekly support coaching call with every representative who is interested in developing their business.
- Make 10 calls a week inviting guests to hear about the business opportunity.
What is my action plan? What will I do to make these weekly goals a reality?

By taking some time to really look at your business honestly and create an intentional plan for moving forward toward the goals you set now, you'll not only weather the economic challenges we're facing, but take advantage of them and grow your business throughout the upcoming fall selling season.

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 : Bookings, Goal Setting, Home office, Home Party, Leadership, Life Balance, Organization, Sponsoring, Team Building

Tags : Bookings, business planning, Direct sales, Goal Setting, Home office, Home Parties, Leadership, Organization, Sponsoring, Team Building

Are You An Accidental Direct Seller?

By Julie · Comments (0)

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Are you succeeding in your direct sales business on purpose or accidentally? If you're like most direct sellers, you started your business based on an invitation to "give it a try" and possibly found yourself stepping into this unknown realm of direct sales/home party plan without really understanding exactly what you were doing from the beginning. Because of the nature of how your business probably grew, it's also possible that you just added necessary skills a little at a time and on an "as needed" basis.

All this can add up to a way of doing your direct sales business I call "flying by the seat of your pants." That basically means that you do what you need to do to get everything you need to get done done each week, but you're probably not completely clear about how (or sometimes even why) you do those things. This can result in your business running you instead of the other way around and in you feeling overwhelmed and always behind as you scramble to recreate the wheel every time you do something.

It can also make it difficult to mentor others. Since the definition of mentoring is teaching others to do what you do, you have to understand what it is you do in order to be successful before you can teach someone else to do those things. Once you start sponsoring people into your business and building a team from this perspective, you can quickly become an "accidental leader." More often than not that results in the blind leading the blind, and it's difficult for anyone to succeed in that scenario.

So what's the solution? Systems. A systematic way of working your business that ensures that you're doing everything you need to do to succeed, intentionally and consistently so nothing is falling through the cracks. It's easy to teach someone what you do if you're clear about that yourself. But first you have to figure out what you do.

Here's a list of the areas where you need to work systematically in your direct sales business. See if you can use it to discover where you currently have systems in your business that you may not have defined, and where you'll need to think about creating systems where there are currently none. This could involve creating a schedule, changing the way you follow up, or overhauling your home party presentation.

1. Administrative – This includes banking, e-mail, keeping up your website, processing orders and returns, and anything else you currently do in your home office

2. Customer Support – Including follow up calls after parties and communicating with your current customers through newsletters and social media, etc.

3. Downline Support – What do you do to support your downline? This includes new consultant training, ongoing consultant training, one-on-one coaching, etc.

4. Host Coaching – This is an important area that many people miss. What are you doing to make sure your hosts are having a successful experience with you, including phone and in person meetings, sending out invitations, etc.

5. Your Party Experience – Does your party look easy to duplicate? If not, you need to consider changing how you're doing it. You want people thinking, "I could do what she's doing." It's a great sponsoring seed. So look at the systems you use during your parties and make sure they're working.

If you take the time to really look at your direct sales business and make sure you've got the proper systems in place in all of the above areas, you'll find it's not only easier to run your business, but also to teach others to do the same thing.

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):

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Archive for Home office

What do Direct Sellers Do December 15-31?

10 Questions for a Strong Direct Sales Business Plan

Are You An Accidental Direct Seller?

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