Today I thought I would provide you with an audio post. I hope you enjoy!

If I ran into you on the street today and we had a moment to chat about your business building activities, how would  the conversation go? I would ask you about the market you serve – are you very clear about your specific marketing niche? Do you know everything you can about the people in this niche? Do you know where they shop, what they read, what activities they enjoy and who th look to for advice? What do they value?

The ability to answer these questions is critical to the success of your business. So start today to really get under the “hood” of your target market niche . Learn everything you possibly can about what drives them, what leads them to make purchasing decisions and use that knowledge to build your prospecting and sales strategy.

The  level of success you reach is in your hands; you must begin by building a foundation of valid knowledge of your prospect before you take your plan to the next step.

What are you doing in your business planning to make sure that teachers are appropriately recognized?
They hold the minds of the future in their hands.
Let all teachers know how much we all appreciate them!

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Most people I talk to in Direct Sales tell me that the most difficult part of their business is recruiting quality team members.  I respectfully disagree!  The most difficult part of the job is finding a qualified customer prospect. It is from that customer prospect who becomes a great customer that you will find the quality team members you want and need to grow and succeed in your business.

The key to your recruiting is in selling your customers on the features and benefits of your products. That is step number one, pure and simple. Please embrace this concept.  So, you say… how do I pursue this concept?

Find your target customer/prospect –

Be a giver – Always have plenty of samples with you

Make sure you follow- up

So what do Valentine’s Day and the Olympics have in common? Easy answer – Passion, desire, commitment; and, while the sentiment may be directed differently, they both draw on our emotional and physical senses . Last night , my husband and I were watching the speed skating, luge and woman’s mogul skiing. While, I am far from an Olympic athlete, my emotions were running high, as a former skater and skier I was racing the track and coming down the mountain, in my mind. I was feeling the gliding of my skates and my knees bouncing as I navigated the track, feeling the pressure of the moguls beneath my skis.

So what are you feeling passionate about on this day? Think about the passion you have for a loved one, a family member, a child, and try to relate that passion to something else in you life that you have desire and commitment around. Is it you business? Is it a sport, a hobby? Find that feeling and absorb it all . Breathe it in, let it live in you, embrace it and when you feel solid in your emotions and the feeeeling of it all; write down what you feel and develop and action plan to make that passion a reality. Let me know if you need help!

Have an amazing, fun and passion filled Valentine’s Day!

A week from today is Valentine’s Day. I am sure you are well set with all the product you need to serve your customers, or are you?

What have you done to make this major selling season a success for you? Did you track what you sold last year? Did you track your return on investment (ROI) last year? Did you measure what worked and what didn’t? What have you implemented this year? What are your sales projections.

If you are not tracking, measuring and tweaking you are missing the boat. Not just for Valentin’s day, but for your overall business. I talk to so many people in direct sales who are running their businesses like hobbies, yet want so much to see themselves at the top of the charts when it comes to recognition. They just don’t understand why they aren’t making the sales. Why they are not bring ing new people on to their teams. You have to run you business as a business. You need to track, track, track what’s working for you, and what’s not.

So look at what you have done to make this Valentine’s Day selling season a success for you. If it worked, save the model and do it again next year. If not tweak the concept or dump it.

Try sending all you best customers a Valentine card, with a special coupon just for them to use. Make them feel special! You still have time!

Good luck!

We all want our businesses to grow as fast as possible, but we are truly in the business of developing long term relationships and this model will do just that for you. When you meet someone and make a connection with that person, instead of leaping on the new acquaintance asking her to host a skin care class for you, wouldn’t it make more sense if you introduce yourself with a sample of your product and tell her you would love her opinion of the product sample. Ask permission for you to call her in a day or so to get her opinion. Depending on her reaction, you will establish a plan of action to get to the next steps…. Be sure to call her back within 48 hours!

When you call your new prospect, have your profile card in front of you to get as much information as possible during this call. Casually asking about her is a great relationship building opportunity. It is ALL about her during this time.

If she likes the product, ask about a follow up session with her, so she will have the benefit of trying additional products at a facial. When she agrees to the facial get the date down in your calendars. Then ask about inviting a couple of friends to share the facial. This is taking it one step at a time and developing a strong relationship. You are by no means begging for business. Instead you are demonstrating a most professional approach to building your business. It should feel as good and as comfortable to you as it does for your prospect.

If you can’t book a facial during this call, ask your new prospect to another event that is coming up in your area. By all means ask permission to put her on your mailing list. As I mentioned in my e-book Catapult Your Unit to Unlimited Success, you must get a newsletter out to your customers and prospects. Use e-mail addresses to save the postage cost. However, I really believe that “snail” mail is the most successful means to send your newsletter. My customers LOVE my newsletter. They tell me so all the time. It is another means of staying in front of people on a regular basis.

You are building your list by getting samples in the hands of all the new people you make a connection with daily. Do not attack. Simply be gracious, attract people to you, and you will never look or act desperate for business. It will come and it will be sustainable!

Keep impeccable records about samples that people have tried. Whenever they order something, add a sample of something they have not yet tried. I focus all my samples around skin care products.
I want them to get used to using my skincare line. The color is an added bonus as far as I am concerned.
The residual income comes from the sale of skincare products.

Of course, I always give a gift with purchase. Usually it’s the company’s gift of the quarter. If someone places several orders during that quarter (which they often do), I give them something they have not yet tried. This costs me about the same as the Gift with Purchase.

Your goal should be to get every customer on the Miracle set and the supplement products. This is when you become a truly professional and profit making consultant.

Take the process one step at a time and your growth and financial status will be strong.