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!

So You Want to be a Leader?

I never thought of myself as a leader, let alone a great leader.  I have always been a "behind" the scenes girl.  When attention was drawn to the work that I did, I backed away and gave credit to bosses or those on my team, anyone else but me since I did not like being in the spotlight.  When I made the official decision to go into leadership with my Direct Sales company - the thought terrified me.  What did I know about being a leader?  I didn't want to let anyone down - my up-line, my team, my family or friends.   I have been a "people pleaser" most of my life, a follower and not a leader.   

I saw an interesting quote on Direct Selling Education Foundation  that said "the more others respect you as a leader, the more successful your business will be."  Here are some basic tips that may help you to be a LEADER:

1. Keep your word.  This is a basic concept for life.  If you give someone your word, it should mean something.
2. Be inclusive, welcoming and make others feel safe.  If you do not get this kind of support from you company sponsor or director, find someone in the company that makes you feel like this way.  I have been blessed with an AMAZING Director Hope Shortt.  I tell her that I want to be like her when I grow up.  Okay, so I may be a few years older than her but she is a leader that I would follow to the ends of the earth.  I want my team to feel like that as well.
3. Encourage creative thinking.  This was hard for me when I was in the non-profit world, in my early years of being a Program Director.  I lacked confidence in myself so it was difficult to encourage creative thinking in my staff.  As I grew, so did they and so did my ability to encourage "outside of the box" thinking.  I find this a little bit more difficult in direct sales but encourage my team to build their business with a solid foundation of company standards (home parties, etc) and then get creative.  Make their business - THEIR business.  Stand out from the crowd. 
4. Allow people to share ideas and concerns.  Although my early management style was that of a dictator, I have learned to temper my demands and be open to suggestions.  I had a potential recruit come to a team training and share how she felt with my current party style.  WOW! In a room full of other consultants, that was a hard pill to swallow but I listened and thanked her for her suggestions.  Yes, I have since changed my party style.
5. Support others and help them grow.  I tell my recruits that when they sign up, they not only get their kit and the company but they get me.  I am there to help them in good times and bad.  It isn't just about MY income or MY goals but it is about helping them grow in their business and in their personal lives.    
6. Keep things running smoothly.  This is sometimes tough for me.  On the outside, I have it all together but my desk and office is another thing.  I know where everything is but am still trying to find the right systems that will help me work smarter, not harder.  I am open to suggestions if anyone has any.
7. Maintain an exciting and fun atmosphere.  This was tough for me when I worked for non-profits.  I was insecure and thought that too much fun was a sign of bad management.  Over time, I found that it was important to have a place that people enjoyed working in and coming in every day.  As a direct sales leader, my team tells me all of the time - You are crazy!  I like to make things fun for them, get them excited and that way they share that excitement with their customers and their teams.
8. Hold others accountable for their actions.  I was a tough boss in the workplace but EVERYONE got treated the same - good or bad.  As a direct sales leader, I struggle with holding my team accountable for their actions/ goals.  I do try to encourage them and help them along the way but sometimes that isn't enough.  I never want them to feel like I am there for them only because of the money or what their goals mean to my business.

As I have said before, I originally fell into leadership but then I made a conscious decision that I wanted to be a leader.  I do a little each week to work on my personal development.  I know that if I focus on overcoming my challenges as a leader, I will be able to be a more effective one for my team.  What qualities do you think make a good leader?

Have a ThirtyOne -derful day!  

Anchors - Not the Boat Kind

I was looking for inspiration this morning when an email popped up about the Entrepreneurial Think Tank's Conference -  Power of Connections in September.  One of the speakers is Jennifer Tuma-Young who wrote the book Balance your Life, Balance the Scale!

I was curious so I clicked the link to check out what Jennifer had to say.  Anything that will help me to balance the scale and reach goal weight is of interest to me!  I found an interesting posting on "Identify Your Anchors".  To say the least, I was curious because I THOUGHT I knew what my anchors were but it seems that I had balance and anchors a little mixed up.  To me balance is having everything in a row or running smoothly - no ruffles in my feathers.  WOW!  Did she ruffle these feathers!  Anchors are core values - those that are part of who we are and yes, I had forgotten what my core values were in the midst of this crazy thing called LIFE.

So, I took the challenge to identity my list of values.  For some this may be easy but for me as I am peeling off the layers of who I am versus who I think I should be, it was a little bit more difficult. I have a hard time deciding what are MY values and those that are imposed by others.  So, I read the list (click the challenge link to see them) and begin listing all of them that I thought applied to me.  Okay, so now the true test - praying and deciding what were my anchors.  Here goes:

• Faith
• Marriage
• Family 
• Financial Independence
• Giving 
• Inspiration (I couldn't decide between that or Encouragement)

These go along with my 4 Business principles that I had to identify during a recent training:

• Positive Attitude
• Customer Satisfaction
• An Encouragement to Others
• A Balanced Life

What are your anchors?  Take the challenge.  Come hear Jennifer at the conference.  Read her book.  I can't wait to hear what else she has to say.  Share your thoughts and comments, I love to hear from you.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!  

Overcoming Doubts

Advice from Direct Selling Education Foundation (yes, I do love their stuff) was about overcoming your doubts in business but why not apply the same principles to weight loss.  Being so close to goal (7.2 pounds), I have doubts.  Many would say doubts are fears and fear is a lack of faith.  GUILTY!  So, here are some ways for me to face my fears and get rid of any doubts.  

1. Establish an advisory group.  My Thursday morning Weight Watcher's meeting is THAT group lead by the wonderful Nicole.  They have been AMAZING during my ups an downs.  In my business, I have a Director, Hope Shortt  and a team (Beacon of Hope) who is beyond words when it comes to giving advice or support.  Both of these groups help me on a daily basis to gain a fresh perspective and boost my self-confidence.  Mind you the fresh perspective is easy, it is the boost in self-confidence that is a little tougher.
2. Get a mentor.  A mentor provides more personalized guidance.  Both of mine were mentioned when I talked about the advisory groups.  See, they are also there to help on a one-to-one basis when things get tough.
3. Step away and clear your head. Being a recovering addict, getting "into my head" and getting overwhelmed is what I do best!  So, I need to move away - move away from the tempting cookies or candy, get my butt up and take a short walk.  As far as my business, when I get stuck and  am focusing on what I need for a given month, I step back and change my perspective.  I look at the blessings that I have been given through my business and then focus on my customers and what they need.  
4. Do more research.  For me, doing more research involved talking to a Wellness Coach, Jodi Greene Strumeier who helped tweak some of my eating habits.  As for my business, I began networking with successful business owners like those who are part of Entrepreneurial Think Tank for Moms.  I have learned about blogging, and tweeting (which I actually like to see updates better than Facebook).  The professional development that they offer is presented through a general business perspective instead of just for direct sales.  Don't get me wrong, my direct sales company has amazing weekly training and my Director has launched "Super Star University" which are semesters filled with information that will help me (and all levels of her team) to grow our business.  Talking to others in business helps me to remember that my direct sales business is just like every other business with similar challenges.
5. Calculate your risks and create a plan.   I love the first line of this section "Much of our doubt normally comes from our fear of failure". Seems like a no brainer, right? I have goals - personal and team goals when it comes to the number of parties, the number of new recruits and the number of sales.  Sounds like a plan, right?  I haven't planned for everything though - what happens when there are set backs (a bad month) or how do I keep from straying off the track - trying other things?  This is when the need for a comprehensive plan comes into play.  As far as my weight loss - the plan is simple track, move more and you will reach your goal, that is the Weight Watcher's concept.

It is human nature to have doubts, some of us focus on the doubts more which leads to "negative nellie".  I am working each day to overcome my doubts...I will reach goal by July 24th when I walk across the stage to get my hug from Cindy Monroe, CEO, as a new Director.  The plan is already starting to formulate on where I want to be next year at conference for my business.  As for my weight loss journey, once goal is hit - the tough work begins and that is to maintain my weight goal.  What are your doubts?  Write them down, confront them and move on!

Devotions, prayers and keeping a journal are all part of how I am going to overcome doubts.  Let's hear how you are going to overcome yours.  Have a ThirtyOne-derful day.

Girl Talk

No, we are not going to "dish" about friends or family... what I want to share about is another GREAT program that is attacking "bullying" in a unique way.....

Girl Talk is an international non-profit program with a very simple premise..high school girls mentor middle school girls to help them deal with the triumphs and trails of the early teenage years.  I first found out about this program at our National Conference last year when they were presented with a check to help with their efforts.  In February of this year, they became a National partner with Thirty One and part of the Thirty One Gives Foundation.  As a result, they received an additional $50,000 to help them in growing from their current 43 States with programs to all 50 States.  

Girl Talk's mission is to help young teenage girls build self-esteem, develop leadership skills and recognize the value of community service. Since 2002, the organization has served more than 40,000 girls in 43 states and 7 countries. Girl Talk's program is twofold: high school leaders have the opportunity to share their experiences as positive role models. And middle school girls have the chance to learn that they are not alone in the issue they face and that understanding, kindness and compassion can be the foundation for better relationships with others. Research consistently reveals that grades 5-8 are the most formative years of a young person's life. We believe that the lessons learned in Girl Talk contribute to girls becoming more confident, service-minded women with better relationships. Girl Talk also helps women become stronger leaders in the work place and more effective as parents.  I found only one chapter in my immediate area of Girl Talk - Toms River East.  

Bullying comes in many forms - visible and invisible.  Those who are bullied are not just from low income or single parent households - they come from all walks of life, even adults in the workplace.  Your support of these programs is vital to the development of our future generations....   

Check out these anti-bullying programs: Girl Talk  ; Kickin' It, and Ringside Resue.  You can hear all about Kickin' It at the Family Wellness and Beauty Day hosted by Entrepreneurial Think Tank for Moms on April 13th.  Tickets are still available with all proceeds going to Kickin' It.