Are You Limping?

Are You Limping?.

Are You Limping?

As I plan my week I am always working on both aspects of my business. Just as I dress, I make sure that I have both legs in my pants and shoes on both feet, I also make plans for both aspects of my business. To only work one “leg” of an MLM business will cause great limping when it comes to building a lasting income.

Each week, plan activities that will build both your down line and your customer base. Help your down line by joining them in activities. As they build their business, yours will grow too. The more you help support their growth, the more you ensure your residual, long term income.

Plan three days where you are out in the field working on your growth. Use one of those days just for your personal growth of new team members and customers. The other two days work with your leaders and team members who want to share in the growth of their business. Encourage them to plan activities, customer appreciation as well as vendor events to promote themselves and their business.

Training yourself as well as your team will always secure a stable gait as you walk through your business. Reading, attending seminars and webinars will not only help to keep you motivated but will also give you more leverage when building and developing your team. As you become more comfortable with your business, your team will become more comfortable  following you. Remember the saying that “people don’t join companies, they join people”!

Limping through your business by concentrating on only one leg, can also be compared to the old adage of putting all your eggs in one basket. If you stumble and fall, your eggs are broken and you are left with only a mess. However, working with two baskets, you are almost assured that one basket will be saved and you can still have eggs to eat.

Customers are crucial to the growth of your sales and immediate necessary income.  Recruiting and building a team, will ensure the longevity and strength of your future residual income. Long range goals for both of these “legs” will require strict planning and scheduling. Using the “3-1-1” plan each week, or every campaign consistently, as well as training your team to do the same, will most certainly guarantee everyone’s success.

Learning not limping is the key! Enjoy your week, and stop back again.

Winning not Whining

As I look at the success I am enjoying with my business, and share the successes of several of my business partners, there is one underlying theme – we are winners, not whiners!

There is a saying out there to the effect that if you think like a winner, you will be a winner.  I truly believe that to be the case.  If you believe you can, you will! Whatever is in your mind and your heart, will make it to your life.

A true “winner” in any business, as in life, is a person who sets his/her goals, formulates a plan of action, and then makes the moves to activate the plan.  Creating a goal plan, making “dream boards”, getting a planner/calendar, etc., are only FIRST steps.  Once these things are set, you must create an action plan.  How and what will you do to achieve these goals and dreams? 

Let’s say that you are invited to a friend’s wedding in San Diego, CA -You live in Atlanta, GA  Now, there are several things that you must do if your plan is to attend this wedding.  You have the date firmly affixed to your calendar.  You have made your hotel reservations, ask for vacation time from your job, and even purchased a gift to take.  Now, due to funds, you are driving instead of flying.  That is your goal, drive to San Diego, CA  What is your plan?  When will you leave; how many days will it take you; where will you stop along the way?  Have you calculated the mileage, miles per gallon, fuel stops, food stops, rest stops, etc.  What is your “action” plan for driving each day? Have you plotted a map and route? You certainly aren’t going to just “jump in your car and go”!

Sound like a lot of work?  Well, it really isn’t difficult, it just takes some time to put it all together.  But no conscientious, common sense – minded individual would ever begin a cross country trip of approx. 3,000 miles with out a map and a game plan.

Why then, do folks think that they can embark on building a residual income business without a “road map” and a “game plan”.  Every aspect of your road trip can be parlayed into your business plan.  Set a date for each “milestone”.  Locate “fuel stops”, “rest” stops, and MAP it out.  When you have a clear, written picture of what you want to achieve, the action plan to get you there, and the desire to move forward, putting the key in the ignition and driving off is the easy part!

Over the next few posts, I will be explaining this “road map”.  How it can and will work for you if, you work IT!

So, stop “whining” about not getting anywhere, and start “winning” by moving yourself forward.

Now what?

I have been so fortunate recently to have completed two amazing AVON events. The first, a Teacher Appreciation Day and the second and most recent, “Chocolate and Shopping”. Both brought me in contact with some wonderful people, and each allowed me to share my passion for my AVON business.

Now what? EXACTLY! At each event, I collected contact information from those stopping by my table. I have handfuls of “lead sheets” from which I can gain new customers. As I sat down to begin to “organize” the contacts, I realized that not only could each of these folks become my customer, but as I am in their neighborhood, I could share AVON with so many more!

It is going to be SO exciting to visit these neighborhoods with brochures, samples, and the AVON opportunity. Each lead has the potential to put me in touch with a minimum of 40 new people. I will be sharing exactly how my research works out!

Stay tuned – results will follow!

Whose Birthday Is It?

Was out shopping and doing errands yesterday and at one stop, a discount department store, I was in line behind a mom with a small child I’m guessing about 5 years old!  His excitement level at the decorations, lights and music was so refreshing!  However, just like most little boys and girls his age, his concern was toys and gifts from Santa.  As he was “badgering” his mom about what he would get for Christmas, the cashier began to ring up the purchases and the little boy was telling her he was getting a bike, a car, and ooh so much more for Christmas.  He also told her about what a good boy he had been to ensure his bounty from the jolly old man in a red suit!  I was giggling thinking of my grandson and how excited he can get.

Our cashier was too very interested in the little guys tales, and said to him, “that sounds so much fun”.  And do you know whose birthday it is on Christmas?”  The little boy squared himself in the seat and said so proudly, “Santa Claus of course”!   WOW!!!!

With all the discussions regarding “holiday trees” vs. Christmas trees, the whole “x-mas” debate, and of course, just saying “Merry Christmas” , people keep posting that Christ is the reason for the season and as Christians, we must make sure to always keep our thoughts to Him.  Now obviously, children learn what they live.  With the response from this little boy, one may “assume” that Christ is not part of the household.  On the contrary, I believe that there most probably is a christian based faith life there, but with so many of us, we have allowed the “spirit” of the holiday to turn from religious to retail.  He was merely stated what he believed to be the truth from what he is seeing all around him.

Really, let’s think about it!  Pretty much everything that happens outside our church during this Advent and Christmas season is based upon pagan traditions.  The Yule Log, the “Christmas” tree, caroling, lights, and ooh so much more.  The entire date for this celebration is centered around the winter solstice.  The retail industry has made us all creatures of Santa and his sleigh full of toys and elves.  Please don’t misunderstand what my point here really is.

I wonder how many of us could truly celebrate a CHRIST mas.  A holiday season without Santa, elves, Rudolph, debt induced shopping, and all the other non-Christ activities.  Could we really enjoy a time without caroling, shopping, decking the halls?  How many of us are up for the challenge?  Let’s actually try to propose a truly secular Christmas.  If we are to keep the Christ in Christmas, then let’s get rid of everything that is not “Christ” like!

Whose birthday is it at this time of year?  Maybe the little guy observed a WHOLE lot more than we see as adults!

Just sitting around!

Anyone else enjoying the lovely fall weather by just sitting around?  It is gorgeous.  A time to relax and take in the beauty of fall, the sounds and smells.  Reminds me of a wonderful time in my childhood.  Time spent with my daddy. Walking through the woods in late September and October picking mushrooms or training his beagle, and listening to the animals in the woods was remarkable. My dad knew so much about the different animals in the woods, the kind of tracks they made, which animal made which marks on trees, in the mud, etc.  It was amazing to me since I knew that my father left school in the 7th grade.  His knowledge of which mushrooms to pick, which berries we could eat, and even what plants would make me itch or sneeze, and those that would take the itch away if I was bitten by something while we were in the woods!

This time of year is also special because I remember my mom canning the last of the garden vegetables, making jam and jelly from all the berries we picked, and most importantly, all the baking she did with the apples that daddy and I picked.  The smell of an apple crisp or apple cake allows me to close my eyes and see my mom, blue-checkered apron and all in her kitchen. She was such a great cook and baker.  Her meals were never served as gourmet with tons of silverware, but she was a world-class chef no doubt.  Pastries, cookies, pies, whatever mom tried came out perfect.

Her abilities and talents weren’t limited to the kitchen.  She also did just about every craft known to man.  She crocheted, knitted and worked with beads.  We had a ceramic shop together and she was great at that too.  As with my dad, my mom left school early 7th grade.  She actually had to take a job house cleaning to help her parents with expenses.  She was a “live- in”  house keeper for a “well to do” family at that time and only visited with her family on the weekends.

I often think of the life my parents had as young teens.  They both were forced to work early on, and to our standards now, didn’t really have a childhood.  At least not the way we knew it or know it now to be.  It didn’t seem to negatively affect who they became.  Both of them possessed intelligence beyond explanation.  Their common sense and talents never stopped amazing me.

Of course just like any young person, I do remember from time to tome thinking my parents were so “dumb” or so “behind the times”.  Now however, I know that they really had it all together!  I remember playing board games with my mom when we were snowed in for days and there was no school.  Or playing checkers, the card game War, or ball the jack with my dad after dinner on the back porch.

WOW, all this from just sitting around on the patio on a lovely fall afternoon.  What a way to honor and remember my parents.  Thanks mom and dad.  I do miss you!

So who wants to make $840?

It’s crazy right?  WRONG!  You can make $840 in the next 2 weeks guaranteed.  As part of the “Six steps to success”, let’s concentrate on the next two weeks (14 days) to put that crazy money in your pocket!

With any of the MLM businesses, there is always a level (or at least in most), where you have the ability to earn a 50% on your sales in a given time frame.  Here in our business, you can reach the 50% earnings discount level when your award sales hit $1,550 in a campaign period (two weeks).  Okay, so now you’re saying I know that, but how do I do that!

A very simple method!  One that will not only increase your earnings but will also grow your customer base, and just in time for the holidays!

How often have you or someone in your family been asked to participate in an office or school gift exchange?  Almost every year right?  Well, I am sure that even this year, with the economy still so poor, we will still be asked to share a holiday gift with our team mates, co-workers, class mates, etc.  As such, you have the perfect opportunity to supply these gifts and put money in your pocket!  Do you know what is inside your store?  have you priced the gift sets as to your “income” from offering them for sale?

Can you make a $20 sale to a family member, a friend?  I’m sure most of you have already!  How about asking them if they have a friend who would purchase $20?  Where do you bank?  Have you thought about offereing the teller your great customer service in exchange for the great customer service she gives you?  I always appreciate the customer service my waitress gives me, so I always exchange the favor by sharing a brochure and a product suggestion.  WOW, that is six people who need gift items for the holidays.  And that is just on your first day of the campaign.  The concept is, six people each day for 14 days of the campaign.  ($20 x 6 = $120 x 14 days = $1,680)

Okay, I am not doing anymore math!  You figure out your earnings!

The Six Steps

AA, Gamblers Anonymous, and several others all have a “step” program to help in recovery and to re-build the lives of those who are in the program.  With the age and success of these groups, the “step” program must be working.  So why not in other areas, for example LIFE!  We already do have the “step” process because we are not born able to run, pitch the perfect strike, ride a bike, etc., we learn in steps.  The process of everything in life is just that, a process, a step by step way to grow.

The program here, “The Six Steps” is not an original idea, and I won’t even take credit for the total idea of the program I am going to share here!  As your up line team leader, it is my responsibility to present you with every option and piece of knowledge I can to help you accelerate and grow your business.  I have been reading, watching, and attending seminars, and also talking with others in our business or in other MLM businesses, to gain more knowledge and insight to make the money I know that I want to make, and that you have expressed you wanted to earn too!

So, the basis of the process I am going to share with you in the next six (6) blogs, was patterned after a program that a top leadership representative and top seller shared with me.  With team sales over $1 million dollars, almost $2 million last year, of course, I listened, questioned, and made LOTS of notes!

So, get ready, grab on, because this is going to be a wild ride!  I am going to share with you a few simple tips that will make you “slap your forehead and say, uh, why didn’t I think of that”.  I am also going to share some other tips that even I didn’t think of, but then again, I don’t make hundreds of thousands of dollars in leadership bonuses each year either!  I will tell you that I have “revised” her plan just a little to include those who are not leadership and want to increase their own sales and customers.  NO hints, no sneak peaks, check back tomorrow for the first of our “Six Steps” in earn more!

Have a wonderful day!