2 Booking Challenges

Friday is Booking Day! I have put together two challenges for you today! First, let's talk about booking! If you are in Direct Sales (DS), your business is probably supposed to run on a specific party/show/tasting plan. In that case, BOOKINGS are the heartbeat of your business. With each show that you hold, you are pumping brand new blood into your business.

By spending 20-30 minutes each Friday(or any specific day of the week), you will increase your bookings immensely.  There are a few things you should begin with each week. These tasks don't take long, and then you can move to something creative!

First, if you have received any new contacts in the last seven days, follow up. CALL them or TEXT them, personally(I find that speaking directly with the customer on the phone is the best way to accomplish this). DO NOT send a group or mass text or message through FB. You can use Red Stamp. Find them online or download the app. Super easy to use and they have gorgeous designs. Many companies have their own collections through Red Stamp, but even if yours doesn't, there are plenty of other lovely cards that you can send.

Begin your conversation by introducing yourself and where you met/obtained their info, ALWAYS. "Hi Sally, This is Sherie Rowe, Independent Ambassador with *****. Lucy Jones gave me your name as someone who she thought would be interested in *****. DO you have a minute to speak with me?"  Next flow into your booking script, whether you fly off the cuff or use a script that your company recommends. Give her choices, such as "Which day is better for you, Thursday or Saturday?" If she declines, move on into asking her if you can deliver or mail her a catalog.

Next,..FILE this contact. Enter it into your Contact Book or other filing system. You should NEVER lose these contacts. They will become valuable to your business at some point in time.

Now. On to the fun stuff! Remember, this Power Hour is not meant for you to sit in front of FB, scrolling mindlessly, posting on your page until no one likes you anymore. This Power Hour is meant for YOU to GET UP and do some WORK! That being said, neither project for today involves FB. WHAAATT?!?! That's right, its not on Facebook.

PROJECT 1-Go through old orders and send 5 previous CUSTOMERS a catalog or flyer with a booking special. There are several steps here, so here we go:

1. Find a beginning point. Alphabetically, this month last year, your choice. 
2. Pick 5 customers. For me, beginning with this month last year, I take the first 5 customers of the month. 

Get your catalogs ready. There are several ways to do this. Here are a couple examples: 

Send a catalog, order form, business card and promotional items, and a flyer with a booking incentive along with a candy bar wrapped in an old catalog page or promotional flyer. Who doesn't like chocolate?

Ever thought of recycling your old catalogs into envelopes? Sara Nicole over at Life Of Sara Nicole has a great tutorial on how to do this. 

Or, just use cutouts to decorate your envelopes. 

Most important here, make sure ALL catalogs have your name and contact information!

     5. Choose your booking incentive. There are many, many booking incentives to choose from. Just Google or go to Pinterest. Here are a couple that I like!

These, designed by QT Office, are a super idea! Print on sticker sheets or address labels, and stick them right on the front of the catalog. Not only does your customer see it, anyone ELSE that she shows the catalog to sees it!

***QT Office works exclusively with Mary  Kay. You can find them here, or take yourself to Google Docs and design a few for your company.

Another super awesome idea is this:

If you're partying, you SHOULD have a booking board. Build one. For mailing catalogs, take a photo, send to Walgreens from your phone (YES! There's an app for that), pick them up on the way to the Post Office, drop on in the envelope in which you have already placed the instructions...Once date is booked, she gets to come over or call and choose a prize!

     6. Address and mail! That's all there is to it! Super simple!

PROJECT 2-COLORING CONTEST

Take some holiday or seasonal coloring sheets to a daycare for a coloring contest.

Make sure there is a spot to fill out the information(I generally put it on the back). Bring a related prize for the child winner,

PUT A COUPLE OF THESE CUTIES FROM DOLLAR TREE IN A SAND BUCKET!

and mom gets a small prize as well, from your company.

A nail file, a lip gloss, samples, etc.

 Leave a few catalogs, business cards, flyers, etc. Return in 1-2 weeks to pick up entries. I have been bringing a poster with a spot to add the name and artwork of the winning child to post at the front desk. I of course make it colorful for the kids and add my name, contact info and company to a corner. Repeat this process with other holidays, as well as letting the manager of the daycare know that you have fund raisers available and are available for any vendor shows or donations that they need...GIFT CERTIFICATES, etc!

These simple GET UP AND WORK IDEAS will give things a kick start! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

5 Super Hostess Coaching Ideas

In the Direct Sales business, the party is the simplest way to grow your customer base and team. Once the party is booked, Hostess Coaching is the ONLY way to ensure a successful party or event. Whether you are holding the party yourself or a hostess is holding the party, you can coach your hostess to a win!

Melissa Fietsam, Independent Senior Executive Director for Thirty-One Gifts says this about Hostess Coaching:

        "I take my hostess coaching VERY seriously. They are the heart of my 
        business. And my business is only as good as THEY think I am. They 
        are the ones spreading the word about my business. So if this isn’t a 
        focus or strong point in your business, it SHOULD BE!"

Visit Melissa to see her Hostess Coaching idea using postcards. She has them designed and printed ahead of time so that all she needs to do is stamp and mail them.  

Amanda De Sonla, Independent Sales Consultant with Norwex, advises us to create a relationship with hostesses by staying in touch and keeping things simple. Her Hostess Coaching Wall is a great way to to just that. 

Amanda says:

        "We just bought a home. All along I needed a whole lot of instructions and 
        direction from my realtor because it reduced my anxiety. After all, she was 
        the expert and had she not been in touch, I would have wondered, does she 
        even care? Am I supposed to know what to do now? Am I dumb for not 
        knowing what to do now? I must be dumb! Help me!"

Find Amanda's Hostess Coaching Wall along with FREE printables here. 

Brenda Ster, Independent Designer with Origami Owl, gives a simple formula.  Keeping the hostess focused on the PRIZE, keep her up to date on her sales, keep her engaged and WORKING hard, and make sure she doesn't "settle" on the half-price items. You want your hostess to focus on the FREE rewards. 

Brenda tells us:

        "Always give her the motivation to get to the next reward level, and more 
        free product."
Find Brenda's simple solution here.

Over at Superstar Sellers, Amy Elizabeth has this to say:

Remember, your hostesses are your best potential recruits! Don’t overwhelm them before you even get a chance to show them what your home party business all about. You want to make your job look easy – it will never look easy if she has to spend an hour going over things just to have a party!

Amy has lots of resources available for use in your DS business, as well as an exhaustive list of DS companies. Head over here to check them out.

Lynn Bardowski, at Million Dollar Party Girl gives this one succinct tip:

Stop overthinking your Facebook parties.

Lynn has lots of tools and information to help you become a successful Party Girl! Stop be here to learn more. 
Take some time today to Google and/or search Pinterest for Hostess Coaching and Direct Sales. You will find lots of ideas and information.  

POWER HOUR POINTERS

Building a successful Direct Sales (DS) business is hard. Really hard. It requires dedication,  commitment, passion, hard work, and excellent customer service. If you want to succeed at DS, you still have to work. You don't have to slave for minimum wage for 40 hours a week, but you DO have to work. You take out what you put into this business.

What becomes of your business is up to YOU. If you don't do the work, the little stuff, the mess will be YOUR fault. There is no way to make money at DS without doing the work.That $99ish investment doesn't come with a staff to do the work for you, nor does it come with the sparkly magic wand. Do the work, reap the benefits!

That being said, there are many ways to make the work easier. Work your business one hour a day, five days a week. After a few weeks of consistent work, you will see your business begin to grow. Consistency is the key.

Begin each week just as you would any other job. Get up, get dressed, and "go" to work. You can choose to work it 40 hours a week or 20 hours a week or 5 hours a week, but GO.TO.WORK. The rent is still due every month. The bills still have to be paid every month. So GO.TO.WORK.

Each day, Monday through Friday, assign a task. Use the following tasks to keep yourself focused.

• Recruiting
• Marketing
• Customer Service
• Booking
• Hostess Coaching

Use these focused tasks to organize your DAILY POWER HOUR. At least 1 hour. You will see a difference quickly!

In summary...Go.To.Work. Period. You WILL see a difference and it will be a good one!

Dreaming

Snowzilla 2016 has moved on. Many are just beginning the endless job of cleaning up the mess left behind. Here in the Southern Appalachians, we are thankful that we saw lower snow totals. We did see plenty of time for dreaming and reflection. Identifying room for improvement and change. I personally made a few new friends and became a part of a brand new endeavor.

I am looking forward to watching things grow and develop. Being a part of a new company with the desire to help others succeed in their dreams. I'm excited to begin really using my talents and knowledge in a more constructive way to help others. I excited to begin the journey with you, my readers, in order to help you gain access to your dreams.

That being said, what are your dreams? Google says:

dream

drēm/

noun

plural noun: dreams

1. 1.

   a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.

   "I had a recurrent dream about falling from great heights"

   synonyms:

   REM sleep; More

verb

3rd person present: dreams

1. 1.

   experience dreams during sleep.

   "I dreamed about her last night"

   synonyms:

   daydream, be in a trance, be lost in thought, be preoccupied, be abstracted, stare into space, muse, be in la-la land "she's always dreaming"
2. 2.

   contemplate the possibility of doing something or that something might be the case.

   "I wouldn't dream of foisting myself on you"

   synonyms:

   think, consider, contemplate, conceive "I wouldn't dream of being late"

So. How can you define YOUR dreams? Do you have a dream, most everyone does, even if it is as simple as preparing dinner. In the context here, we are discussing the DREAM LIFE you want to live. Define your dream, verbalize it, write it down, make it public, DREAM! 

So. If you are ready to jump in the deep end, you are ready to join me on this journey! The first step is to Identify Your Dream! 

5 STEPS TO HELP IDENTIFY YOUR DREAM

1. What are you passionate about? Make a list. Is it your family? Your health? World Peace? Passion is a key component to action. When you love what you are doing and you are passionate about it, action flows naturally.

2. What is your inspiration? Books? Videos? A mentor? Your hero? The things that inspire you are things that you need to keep you focused and motivated.

3. What have you overcome? Overcoming obstacles builds strength. Make a list. Maybe you didn't overcome drug addiction, but everyone has a story. Write yours down!

4. What are your talents? More lists! Write them down. Ask friends and family members what they feel are your talents. What they see in you may surprise you.

5. If today was your last day on earth, what would you do?