Are You Sharing Content on Facebook the Wrong Way?

There are few things regarding they way sharing on Facebook works that I want to make sure you are aware of.  Have you ever seen this message?

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This is usually seen in Group posts and the reason is that when you “share“ (using the Share button/link on Facebook) from a Closed or Secret Group or from a status that is not set to public, most people will not be able to see the attachment, unless they are part of the original group you shared it from or friends with the person who originally posted the status update.  If it is a link or photo you want to “share”, it is best to copy the link/text or download the photo first, then create a new post.  Be sure you have consent from the person who originally posted the content.  If they did not share it publicly in the first place, there could be a reason.

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Another important mistake I see people making when they share content on Facebook, especially in Direct Sales, is sharing using the share button/link instead of recreating the post themselves.

When you see something on your Corporate Page or another Consultant’s Page (perhaps your upline) that you would like to share, and have permission to share, make sure you are downloading the content first, then uploading it as a new post from your Page or Profile with YOUR website and contact info in the description.  If you just hit Share, you are sharing it with THEIR info. Continue reading

Google Voice For Your Home Business

Google Voice SetupGoogle Voice is a great option for a business line.  It offers you a FREE phone number in any area code.  The phone number can be forwarded to any phone (even multiple phones) and if you do not answer the call goes to your Google Voice Mailbox you set up.  The best thing about Google Voice is that it is free!  This allows you to have a “business line” without giving out your actual mobile or home number.  This is great for marketing materials, business cards, display banners, car decals, and public directories.  You can set up your Google number to forward to your Continue reading

Get a Yearly Wall Calendar

The idea of getting a LARGE yearly wall calendar first came to me from Caterina Rando when I attended one of her Sought After Speaker Summits.  She uses it in her speaking business but I would like to go over the benefits of having this type of calendar in your home office for your Direct Sales business.

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In this industry we have so many tasks and activities to plan and schedule throughout the year.  Continue reading

Monica Ramos on The Mind Aware Show TOMORROW!

Earlier this month I posted about The Mind Aware Show for Direct Sellers and how I was going to be interviewed this season. Well, the time is here…my interview is TOMORROW morning!

The Mind Aware Show for Direct Sellers caters to home party-plan consultants, network marketers, and direct sales professionals looking for simple, time-saving, revenue building approaches to success.  the host of the show, Dana Wilde, is the creator of Train Your Brain (TYB), which outlines the techniques she used to build her direct sales team from zero to a million dollars in record time. For more info on TYB visit http://tyb.monelico.com (it’s the program I attribute 100% of my success to).  I am very honored that Dana has asked me to be on this incredible panel of experts and industry leaders.  My interview airs on May 21st online at www.themindaware.com/Miche.

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After listening, feel free to comment here and let me know what you thought or if you have any questions.

TO RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF MY INTERVIEW AS AN MP3 DOWNLOAD, CLICK HERE! Limited time offer!

Business Ambassadors

Your Business Ambassadors are people who may not be able to book a party for you right now but they work with or are associated with lots of other women.  This could be a friend, a relative, a past hostess, your hair dresser, a shop owner, or someone who works at a school.  Set up a small display and a few catalogs with this Sign-up Sheet.  Put her name, your Ambassador, at the top and tell her you will give her a free gift for filling out the sheet with at least 10 contacts.  Let her know you will be back in 2 – 3 days to pick up the list and deliver her gift.  Follow up with everyone on the list right away!

Often times your Ambassadors will turn into Hostesses and Team Members, especially if they are Continue reading

We Are All Salespeople

One of the objections I hear most often when sharing my business opportunity is, “I’m not good at sales.”  I’m sure you’ve heard it too.  But, everyone is good at sales and everyone does it.  Sales is really about providing service and filling a need by bringing value to another person.  I learned from Deb Bixler, of the Create a Cash Flow Radio Show, that the root of the word ‘sales’ comes from a Scandinavian word that means ‘to serve’.  People sell all the time.  Have you ever heard of a great product at a great price and told your friends about it?  Have you ever received a coupon that was so good you had to share it with others, maybe through social media?  Have you ever seen a bad movie at the theater and warned your friends to save their money and wait for DVD?  Or maybe it was a great movie so you wanted to tell everyone about it?  That IS selling!  You are simply sharing something of value that you think someone else will find valuable too.  Often times at my home parties the hostess and a few guests are selling my products to the other guests just by talking about the benefits and what they love about it.  We all do this.  It’s natural for us to want to share something good with people we care about.  You can do it for free or you can earn an income for the service you provide.

sales-toserve-fb-shareThe direct sales industry is a service related industry.  To be successful in this industry you Continue reading

Monica Ramos on The Mind Aware Show

For those in Direct Sales and Network Marketing, I wanted to let you know about a free training resource called The Mind Aware Show for Direct Sellers.  Some of you may have heard of this series and the host of the show, Dana Wilde.  For those who have not, Dana is the creator of Train Your Brain (TYB), which outlines the techniques she used to build her direct sales team from zero to a million dollars in record time.  For more info on TYB visit www.monicaramos.tv/tybfree (it’s the program I attribute 100% of my success to). 

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It’s the 5th season of The Mind Aware Show for Direct Sellers and the theme is “Straight from the Top!”  I’m excited to announce that this season, I WILL BE ONE OF THE GUEST SPEAKERS!!!!  The Mind Aware Show caters to home party-plan consultants, network marketers, and direct sales professionals looking for simple, time-saving, revenue building approaches to success.  I am very honored that Dana has asked me to be on this incredible panel of experts and industry leaders.  My interview airs on May 21st, but there are 23 other amazing leaders and trainers from various different companies being interviewed in this 4 week training series that begins May 5th.  So register right away to take advantage of this free training series.

The link to register FREE is www.themindaware.com/Mic5Invite

Over this 4 week period in the month of May, Dana will be interviewing leaders from 24 direct sales companies offering their best tips on how to achieve success in this industry. If you miss an interview you will have the opportunity to get the replay as long as you are registered.  That link again is www.themindaware.com/Mic5Invite and it’s completely free to listen to all 24 interviews.  The first one is Monday, May 5th.  Mine isn’t till May 21st but they are all going to be great, so register right away.  And share the link with your teams so they can all benefit from this training too!

Here are the topics that will be covered during this 4 week series:

Overcoming the Fear of Failure
Better Host Coaching
Getting Your Mojo Back
More Profitable Presentations
Sponsoring More People Faster
Getting Your Recruits Off to a Good Start
Organizing Your Office
Offering the Opportunity
Leading Your Team
Increasing Sales
Getting Bookings from Bookings
Upselling
Coaching Your Team Members
How to be Consistent in Your Business
Using Social Media
Picking Up The Phone
Running Effective Meetings
Maximizing Technology
Maintaining a Positive Mindset
Getting Outside Orders
Communicating with Your Customers
Balancing Work and Family Life
Working with Your Team
Getting a Full Calendar
Maximizing Facebook
Getting Referrals
Managing Your Time
And Much Much Much More!

If you can’t make all the live calls, you will get a replay emailed to you so long as you register: www.themindaware.com/Mic5Invite

TO RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF MY INTERVIEW AS AN MP3 DOWNLOAD, CLICK HERE! Limited time offer!

Mary Christensen’s 5 Favorite Recruiting Tips

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It’s Spring and that means a growth spurt for your business!  But it’s not enough to want it – you have to work for it!  To help you here are Mary Christensen’s five favorite RECRUITING TIPS taken from Be A Recruiting Superstar“.

Tip #1
Always have your antenna up for potential team members.  Make it a daily habit to think:
“Who will be interested in starting their own business?”
“Why will they be interested?”

If you’re not looking you can be sure someone else will find them.  What can be worse than someone else finding a new team member because you stepped over them with your blinkers on?  From “Be A Recruiting Superstar

Tip #2 
A sincere compliment is a winning conversation starter and you’ll sponsor more by making it all about your prospects.  Think before you speak: “Why am I approaching this person to join my team?” and let them know it!
To a customer who is always friendly: “Because you’re always so friendly. I feel good when I call you.”  OR “You’re one of my favorite customers and I would love to work with you.”
To a favorite host: “Your party was my best this month and it was definitely because you were a great host.  We would be thrilled to have you on our team.”  OR “I would love my other team members to meet you.  We’re a fun group and you are exactly the kind of person we love joining us.”
To a close friend or sibling: “Because I keep thinking how much fun it would be to work this together and maybe even get to travel together.”

-From “Be A Recruiting Superstar

Tip #3
Try an attitude adjustment.  It’s a little painful but the cure is permanent.  Change your thinking to: “If I’m not getting lots of no’s I’m clearly not asking enough people.”  We’d all prefer to say no than not be invited.  Instead fretting that they’ll say no, give them a chance to say no.  On the flip side, some will say yes, and some will say maybe.  So, don’t let your emotional issues get in your way.  They’re personal and this is business.  Ask!

Tip #4
Here’s the mind switch that transformed my business.  I stopped hoping to meet my next recruit at parties and told myself: “I know my next Consultant is here today.  My job is to work out who it is.”  With the absolute certainty that she was in the room with me, possibly sitting right in front of me, I focused on identifying her (starting with talking less and interacting more to make it easy for us to connect).

Tip #5
Step into their shoes!  Your enthusiastic, impulsive Peacocks will respond to compliments, and the fun, social aspect of direct selling!  Don’t be too casual with your analytical owls, they will expect you to be ready with the facts and figures!  You’ll be challenged by your competitive eagle so be direct and businesslike; and give your wary Wrens space to make a decision.  When you learn to identify and adapt to your prospect’s personalities you’ll see better results… and I’ve made it even easier to understand your personality – and others.  With my new downloadable App iAMWOT? you will discover your true personality – and get instant advice on how to adapt to others in minutes!

About Mary Christensen
Mary Christensen left teaching to start a direct selling business and soon after founded her own company, sponsoring 1000 people in her first year.  She is a former CEO of two multi-national direct selling corporations and past President of the Direct Selling Association (NZ).

California-based, Mary address conventions around the world, and has appeared on every key industry platform including the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations and DSA events worldwide, including USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Direct Selling Live recognizes her as one of the Ten Most Influential Women In Direct Selling Worldwide and The Multilevel Marketing International Association honored Mary as their Best Of The Best Worldwide award recipient.

Mary Christensen is the world’s #1 direct selling author of:

Be A Direct Selling Superstar
A step-by-step guide for aspiring leaders who want to reach the stars!

Be a Recruiting Superstar
Identify your best prospects, and learn how to approach and recruit them!

Be a Party Plan Superstar
Generate more sales, recruits and bookings from every party!

Be A Network Marketing Superstar
Build from the ground up, or revive your existing business!

iMAWOT? App
What is your personality type? This app will help you discover your inner strengths, weaknesses and social style! You’ll understand who you are and why you react to other people the way you do, and you’ll learn how to relate better with everyone at work, home and in your social life.

 

Sign up for Mary’s free e-news at MaryChristensen.com and be sure to checkout her Facebook Page and become a Fan!

 

2-2-2 Follow Up Method

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Follow-up is a big part of great Customer Service!  The 2-2-2 Follow-up Method is a great way to provide your customers with excellent customer care while focusing on THEIR needs and truly coming from a place of service.

If you are not incorporating a customer service regimen into your business, you are missing out on sales, bookings and sponsoring opportunities.  Customer care builds relationships and it is the foundation of your business.

Below is a 3-part follow up system I like to call the 2-2-2 Follow-up Method. There are many variations of this floating around but I wasn’t completely happy with any them so I made my own version… 

1st Call – 2 Days After Sale

This is a thank you call.  Take the attitude of gratitude. Most people are pleasantly shocked to hear from you.  It goes something like this… “It was a pleasure to meet you…  Thank you for attending Susie’s party and helping her earn so many free products.  Did you know Continue reading

Summer Scheduling Help

Need Some Summer Scheduling Help Now That The Kiddos Are Home From School?

From Julie Anne Jones:

I’ve been working from home for about thirteen years, most of that time as a single mom. Summer has always been something I look forward to and dread all at the same time. I still get that excited feeling in the pit of my stomach (just like I did when I was a kid) during this time of year, when we start counting down single digit days until school is out (as of today, it’s 1!).

I love the weather, activities, and the chance to spend time with my boys in a carefree world with no real deadlines or school activities demanding our attention (or that I nag them to finish their homework). On the other hand, Summer has always been a challenge for me because I’m not independently wealthy, so I can’t take a three month vacation from my business.

So I thought I’d give you some of my best tips for keeping your sanity during the summer, when your house is busy, your kids demand more of your attention, and your schedule changes (so the way you work does, too). If you happen to still be in the trenches as a mom of younger kids, here are a few ideas that might support you.

1. Let Go of The Guilt

You will never get to spend as much time as you would like with your kids during the summer, and many people allow themselves to feel guilty about this. Wait a second here. If you had to work at a full time J-O-B, would you be able to just take three months off to be with your kids in the summer? Heck no. So think about the fact that, even though you might not be spending every waking hour with your precious littles, at least you’re there when they need you and you have the flexibility being self-employed brings.

2. You’ll Need to Modify Your Schedule

Your “normal” school-year schedule probably won’t work in the summer and you’ll have to modify it. That’s just a fact. You won’t be able to work as many hours (at least not during the day), and you’ll probably have to get creative. If you generally make calls in the afternoon and your children head to swimming lessons without you in the mornings, you’ll want to reschedule your calls for the times you know you’ll have peace and quite during the day. I knew exactly when Blues Clues was on when my boys were little, because I could be guaranteed 30 minutes of quiet during that show. You get the idea.

So just plan on being more flexible regarding when you work and realize that things may need to change on a moment’s notice. Believe me, as someone who coaches direct sellers for a living, I always completely understand if a client asks to reschedule at the last minute if it’s kid related. I work with moms. It happens.

3. Focus on Quality, Not Quantity

You probably won’t be able to work as many hours during the summer, so making the time you do spend in your office as productive as possible is essential. Make a plan at least once a week (if not every day) and decide ahead of time what your priorities are and what will get your time. If you get all of the big projects or commitments out of the way, you can always focus on the leftovers. But I’ve found if I don’t have a plan, I start with the small stuff and then the big projects don’t get done.

Likewise, make sure you’re present when you’re spending time with your kids. You can’t be constantly interrupting your time with them to answer your cell phone or check e-mail. Trust me, they hate that and they’ll resent it (and you.) Unplug and really give them your attention when you’re spending time with them.

4. Make Your Work Time Play Time For Your Kids

Imagine how cool it would be if your kids actually looked forward to you going into your office to work. Here are a few simple ways to possibly encourage that feeling in them:

Find ways for your kids to get involved in your business (putting stickers on catalogs, putting together host packets, etc.) and reward them for their participation. Have a special box of toys that they are only allowed to play with when you’re working. This one is great. They’ll actually be begging you to work! I’m sure there are more creative ideas. These are just a few I used when my kids were little.

5. Create Accountability for Yourself

Print out your schedule and hang it in a community place in your home, like your refrigerator. Now gather your family around and let them know that this is your schedule, and that you’re as committed to NOT working during the times not listed as you are to working during the times outlined for work. Then, if you’re really brave, ask your kids to hold you accountable by giving them permission to ask you to stop working if you’re in your office during a time that’s not on your calendar as office hours. Believe me, kids LOVE to catch you doing something you’re not supposed to be doing and they’ll definitely call you on it, especially if you ask them to.

Finally, if something comes up that you need to do during the time you’ve scheduled to work for that day, be sure to go to your calendar right away and “pay yourself back” the time you’re borrowing from yourself. If you don’t, the work activity you’ve scheduled for that day won’t get done and you’ll find yourself getting behind.

I no longer have to worry much about this issue. My oldest son Sam is 17 and driving, and he and his brother Eli (who is 14) are great buddies so they spend lots of time together. They’re really independent, responsible kids (for the most part), have cell phones, and check in when they’re not here (a hard and fast rule with us).

For me, the days of hanging out with my kids, going for bike rides as a family, or heading to the pool for the day are pretty much history (“Nothing personal, Mom, but we’d really rather go hang out with our buddies or ride long boards”). Last summer I ended up asking them when they’d be home so we could spend some time together instead of them wanting me to stop working to do the same for them. Honestly, it’s a little bittersweet. So my best advice is this: If you do have little ones, enjoy them. It seems like yesterday that mine were pulling on my shorts and nagging me to come play. Truth be told, I miss that time in our lives more and more every day. Don’t take one minute of it for granted and when in doubt, take a break and give them some time. I wish I’d done more of that when I had the chance.

 

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.