All-In Tote - June 2015

Hit the road in style

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Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!  #roadtrip #readytoroll #love31

Is it Hot, Warm, Cold Office?

No, I am not talking about the temperature ladies. I am talking about organizing your desk and office.  As you all know, I am HUGE fan of JulieAnn Jones from her party tips to how to get into the ZONE in your office.

I mean who wouldn't want an office like this:

I still aspire to have my office looking like this but it is getting there.  One of things that JulieAnn suggests is to take EVERYTHING out of your office and slowly put it back in based on the zones.  As for me, I have done sections but not everything. 

Here are some great tips from Julie Ann on how to "Get Organized and Take Back Your Life":

• Hot Zone items are the items used on at least a weekly basis.  Make a list of the items you know will reside in your hot zone.  These things should be in arm's reach.  Let's be realistic and HONEST!  Are we a desk hoarder or do we really need everything that is in arm's reach?  I mean if you aren't posting your expenses weekly, do you really need a box on your desk to remind you that it needs to be done?  
• Warm Zone items are used less frequently.  These are often reference items that you need on a consistent basis but not always on a daily or weekly basis.  Place them on a shelf where you can see them if you need them but they are cluttering up your desk or hot zone.
• Cold Zone items are things you never reference but need to have access to for a period of time.  These are basically those archived items and should be moved OUT of the office and stored someplace (like the garage or basement). 

The easiest place for me to start was with the cold zone - moving out those things that I don't use or need.  WOW!  It is amazing how much room you have when you move those boxes that are stacked in the corner or clean out those files.  Maybe you don't need more filing cabinets, you just need to clean out the ones that you have.  What is the old saying - if you haven't used it in 6 months or more, toss it or store it? 

Maybe you won't get your dream office today BUT what you could have is a clear desk so that you can work without constantly moving papers or things that you don't need.  Love some of the organizational ideas in the pictures - let's do a "product experience".  I bring the products and we TRY them in your office or work space.  Let's see if I can help you with your vision for your office.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Organized Diva or Hot Mess?

Over the last few weeks, I have been working on a business plan where the FIRST question that they asked is "What are you selling?".  For those of us in direct sales, that seems like a no-brainer, right?  We give the pat answer of what our company sells and if people have heard of the company, they have an already pre-conceived notion about your products. 

What if you were to change that up slightly?  Here is my answer to that same question:

I CELEBRATE, ENCOURAGE & REWARD hard-working women with simple solutions to life’s organizational challenges while offering them an opportunity to reach for their dreams personally or financially.

Now, I have changed the perception from "just purses" to something that may be a little bit more appealing to everyone.  

So, in an effort to provide simple solutions - here is my first "organizational tip" - 10 minutes a day to DE-CLUTTER.

   

I know you are wondering what 10 minutes a day can do, right?  Pick a spot that needs to be organized - a drawer, a closet, a corner of the room - I will talk about the desk in your office tomorrow.  Clean out the junk drawer in the kitchen - it is amazing how completing one small project can give you a sense of accomplishment AND feeling of knowing where things are when you need them.  You can read more about the Declutter Challenge on The Peacefulmom.com.  She writes about saving money, getting organized and enjoying life.  

 What about the linen closet?  I know, the door is closed and no one sees it, right?  Wouldn't it be nice if you could open the door and find ANYTHING you wanted?  Better yet, wouldn't it be nice if the kids or hubby opened the doors and didn't yell for you because THEY couldn't find something?  

What is your vision of organized in your home?  Let me help you with that vision so that you are not a HOT MESS but the envy of friends and family who want to be organized - like you!

I would love to have you share YOUR organizational tips.  Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Get into Action

Sundays for me (or at least that is my goal) is a day of rest and reflection.  It is a time for me to recharge my battery for the week ahead - mentally, physically and spiritually.  

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to co-host a Celebrate and Connect (Thirty One's bi-monthly consultant meeting/ training).  There I was able to connect with old friends while making some new ones.    This is part of the devotion that I started with as our theme was "Get into Action"

Hebrews 11:1 

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” 

What does faith mean to you? 

• Faith in Electric Company. Proof? Flip the switch! Faith confirmed. Can you all agree with me that unless you FLIP the switch it’d not going anywhere for you?
• Faith in the Water Department? Proof? Turn the nozzle! Faith confirmed.  Can you all agree unless you turn on the faucet water will not drip from the spout?
• Faith in your Car Keys? Proof? Turn the key in the ignition! Faith confirmed.  Can you all agree that unless you put the key in the ignition and turn that key your car will not go anywhere?
• Faith in that alarm clock? Proof? It woke you up this morning! Faith confirmed.  Can you all agree with me unless you SET the alarm, it will not wake you up?

Faith without works is dead. We can all have faith…but unless you work to get what you want…it’s dead.

I ENCOURAGE you all: Let’s FLIP our SWITCH. TURN ON our Faucets. Put the KEY in the Ignition. & SET our alarm clocks.  We CAN GET INTO ACTION in our business and make our dreams come alive.

God has a plan for you and no matter who your Higher Power is or what you call him - you need to do the footwork.  What does faith mean to you?  What do you have faith in?  Are you ready to follow the plan of your Higher Power even if you don't know what the results will be?

As for me, I will reflect on my faith today so that I can hopefully listen and act on God's plan for me in the upcoming week.  Rest, Recharge and get ready for the week...

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Life in Atlantic City

Excitement.  Glitz and Glamour. Celebrities. Gambling. Partying.  

These were the words that came to mind in the early years of Atlantic City.  When I started working for the Claridge Casino Hotel, we were a Del Webb property with no walls and offices in a motel that at best is now a little shady   It was exciting to be on the ground floor working with Vegas Executives opening a casino hotel.  Commuting from Ocean Grove definitely had me living in two worlds - reality and illusions.  I helped to write the submission for the Division of Gaming Enforcement so that the casino could open - lots of paperwork and lots of rules.

As opening came near, we began hiring employees which is when my aunt, Elsie Weston, joined the security team. We were ships passing in the night from Ocean Grove because she worked 2nd shift and I was days.  The opening came and went with the day to day operations being some what mundane. As the youngest female security supervisor Del Webb ever had, it was a constant struggle to prove myself.  The November after we opened, there was a shift in management and the 3 youngest Security Supervisors were terminated due to a restructuring of our positions.  I was devastated and finding work in the casinos was tough for me.  See opening a casino is much different than actually working the floor in one. So without a new casino opening, I would resort to finding work in an office at half the salary and with a totally different way of life.  I wasn't sure what to do at a 9 - 5pm, Monday to Friday job after being in a 24/7 business for so long.  I longed to get back into AC but not in a casino.

I began volunteering with the local Crime Stoppers and as a result helped to put together their National Conference in Atlantic City.  It was exciting for me to be back in the 24/7 life.  Adele Black, Sales Manager of the then Deauville Hotel was the hotel contact that later offered me a job.  I was back in AC working in the Sales Department.  Booking casino bus trips, greeting buses, booking conferences and now looking for a new way to get back into the casino but in the sales departments.  Another phase in my "previous life" began in hotel/ casino sales.  I ended up back at the Claridge for a short period of time working in Hotel Sales but left to help Adele open her own business - Atlantic City Hotel Reservations Center.  It was this transition that changed my life - it was during this time that my addictions would surface and I began to live the 24/7 fantasy life of Atlantic City.

I am sure that some are wondering why I am sharing all of this - who cares, right?  Well, I hope that some of the trials that I share during my Saturday personal stories will touch someone's heart and help them.  See, the path I am on today is a blessing from God that I truly believe was laid out long ago.  The problem was that I got in the way and lost sight of his will while I was putting other things before him.  So as doors closed, windows of opportunities opened - some I grabbed, others I didn't and those I did grab were for the wrong reasons.  Learn from your past for it will help you to shape your future.  Change is possible if you are willing to forgive yourself for those mistakes and move on.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!  

  

Easy Sale - Fact or Fiction?

We have all had customers where EVERYTHING we sell will work for them.  Then there are those times when sales are not easy.  You know, the Negative Nellie customer who thinks that nothing you have is right for her but she will still look.  Curiosity will get them every time.  As Julie Anne Jones says, as long as there is a small interest - you have a chance for a sale, a party or a recruit.

As I wind up the week talking about sales and customers, I found the "Profile of an Easy Sale" in the Direct Selling Education Foundation.  They identify 4 basic steps which are now becoming my way of doing business.

1. Identify the right product for the right client.  If you have defined your target market then make sure you have products that solve their problems.  Since my target market is all women who are looking for organization solutions, I make sure that I highlight things that will help to make their life easier and less of a hot mess.  I have even begun doing "product experiences" for those customers who want to see my product but do not want to host a party.  This is a private showing based on what they have told me they are looking for or the solution they need to a problem.
2. Develop and cultivate relationships.  This is key to all direct selling businesses.  Once you have a relationship, whatever the basis is, your sales pitch now becomes a solution to their problem instead of hard sell. Customers buy from people they trust and as a result this will generate more referrals as well as reorders.
3. Once you have a relationship with your prospect, find out what their likes and dislikes are.  Practice the 10-second rule from Deb Bixler.  Ask an open ended question and then LISTEN!  Whether it is at a home party or a product experience, I find out what problem my customer is looking to solve then make a suggestion of a product.  Ask questions about other solutions they have tried and you will quickly learn what they like and dislike.
4. Finally, make the sales process quick, simple and easy.  The easier the better.  I usually tell my customers picking the product solution is the easy part, the tougher decisions come when you have to decide print and personalization options.  I make it as "painless" as possible so that they are not overwhelmed.  

What is your current approach to selling?  Are you a hard seller - sure that your product is the only one for EVERY customer?  Or, are you about building relationships while sharing your business with potential customers?  We all have different styles, talents and gifts - if your current approach isn't reaping the benefits that you want, maybe it is time to change.  Please feel free to share your thoughts?  Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Lead Generators

Remember the day you told your family and friends you joined a "party plan/ direct sales" business?  At first, they were excited for you and eager to try all of the new products that you had to offer.  Then the realization sunk in that now THEY were EXPECTED to hold parties and help you.  Okay, so the words may not have ever been said but the thoughts were there.  I mean realistically, how many parties a year can you have for the same company? I would think it depends on how many catalog changes you have in a given year, for me and my company - it is three.  So, you now have family and friends locked in for 3 parties a year but your goal is 2 or 4 parties or more a month.  Where are you going to find those people?

All direct sales companies will tell you that the best place to book a party is at the party.  Okay, so you now have maybe 2 or 3 more parties a month on the calendar but you want to GROW your business.  Some here are some ideas from a top selling direct sales coach that may help you on the quest to find new customers, new parties and EXPAND your circle.

Deb Bixler talks about The Fish Bowl Lead Generator.  We have all seen those cute little fish bowls at the register of your favorite restaurant or store.  Usually, they are encouraging you to enter a drawing for a free meal or for a chance at free products.  Did you really think that they threw away all of those business cards or leads if you weren't a winner?  The idea is to put your fish bowl someplace with foot traffic, offer a chance to win your direct sales products, then advertise the winner after all is said and done.  Maybe it is a business where the manager loves your product and you can offer them a percentage of the sales from the parties that you book.  How about a bank that may highlight local businesses.  Look at your connections and determine if it is the type of customer that you are looking for then GO FOR IT!

Another tip from Deb is "Go to Vendor Events as a Guest".  This is a GREAT way to network with other vendors as well as the guests who are attending the event. I never thought about this since I was doing ALOT of vendor events but I tried it a few times and IT WORKS!  In fact, at one event where I was a guest - I booked a party and took orders.  Visit vendors that you already know are doing the event PLUS stop and meet new ones.  I ALWAYS have my product with me as well as catalogs.  Selling all kinds organizational products in the form of totes and bags helps ALOT.  It is simple: Go up to the table and let the vendor do their thing.  Always answer questions or talk in 10 seconds or less and always end in a question. Finally, wait for the right moment and say "How is this event?  I was thinking of bringing my business to it next time.  Is this vendor event a good one?"  The vendor will then ask what you do - remember the 10 second rule when you share and see what happens.

Follow-up is the key to fortune.... I have heard this many times in the workshops that I have been attending hosted by the Entrepreneurial Think Tank for Moms.  So, if you are not good with follow-up, PRACTICE.  Remember it takes 30 days to become a habit.  Set a small goal to follow-up with the leads (so many each day) and go from there.  Generating leads is not going to get the people to walk through your door (or buy your products) BUT if you follow-up with them, you can build a relationship and THEN they may become your best customer or hostess.

How do you generate leads for your business?  We would love to hear from you about what works and even what hasn't worked for you.  Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!