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Ever hear someone say, “I’m in a funk”?  I think we all get the idea of what that means when we hear it.  Basically that something isn’t quite right; nothing seems to be going well; in a slump, right?

How about keeping up with your blog? Your direct sales business?  Are those areas of your life in a funk, too?

Songwriter Steven Greenburg wrote the popular “Funkytown” when he became bored with Minneapolis and wanted to move to New York.   Some of the lyrics go: Well, I talk about it, Talk about it, Talk about it, Talk about it, Talk about, Talk about Talk about movin…”

The scenario below reminds me of Funkytown. I have had this conversation more than a few times over the years:

Downline:  Help! Help! I’m in a funk
Me:  Ok, tell me what you’ve been doing that isn’t working
DL:  I can’t get any parties booked and my sales are really down
Me:  What are you saying to potential hostesses?
DL:  “Do you want to have a party for me?”

Then we go into a conversation about how hostesses don’t do consultants favors.  The consultant has a fabulous product she wants to share and give others the opportunity to earn free items.  Actually the consultant is doing the hostess a favor.

Me:  What else are you doing for your business?
DL:  I’ve talked to everyone I know.
Me: What have you said?
DL:  Everyone is broke

Notice a pattern of evading my questions?

Me:  Have you called your past customers and hostesses recently?
DL:  I sent an email
Me:  Have you called your past customers and hostesses recently? Just let them know what the current specials are and tell them that you’re placing an order and can you get them anything.
DL:  Oh.

Then 3 months go by and the same consultant contacts me again:

Downline:  Help! Help! I’m in a funk
Me:  Ok, tell me what you’ve been doing that isn’t working since we last spoke
DL:  I’ve done everything you said and nothing works
Me:  Oh my! Everything?  Do you meet your goal of talking to three new people a day and give them a sample and catalog?  Have you called all of your past hostesses and customers?  Have you asked everyone you know, including family and friends for referrals?  Not for sales, but for referrals – either someone who likes candles (jewelry, gourmet food, etc.) or who may be interested in earning some extra income?  Have some you done sample test mailings with your catalogs and samples?  How many business cards have you given out this month?  Have you blogged regularly? How about writing some articles?  Did you read any books on search engine optimization?  Are you contributing to social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others?  Have you created or outsourced the design for an external website?  Did you try to get incoming links? Is the text on your replicated website current?  Have you approached businesses about setting up a display? Have you located and participated in any Vendor Events?  Have you attended any of the telecons, webinars or meetings?  Are you planning to go to convention or the regional training?  Do you have a decal or magnet on your car?  Have you approached any organizations about doing a fundraisers?  Have you done any target marketing?  Have you defined your niche?  Have you considered your unique selling proposition? Have you created any videos, slideshows or podcasts?   Do you carry your products and recruiting information with you everywhere you go? Either in your purse or available in the vehicle? Have you offered any contest prizes or donations to anyone?  How many samples have you handed out this month?  How much time a week do you spend on your business? Have you phoned anyone within the last three months for help or accountability?  Have you written down your short and long term goals?  Do you have a vision board? Are you working just your immediate geographic area or are you going nationwide in your effort?  Have you reread the manual and listened to all of the available training modules?

Mercy, you’ve done ALL OF THAT, and you’re still in a funk? Eek.  Have you considered that perhaps Direct Sales isn’t for you if you’ve done everything listed above and still can’t get one sale?

Okay, yes perhaps there is a little sarcasm there and no, I would never barrage a downline member like that. Well not all at once anyway! And I’d do it nicely while offering support.

I think you get the point.  If your business truly is in a funk, try some of the suggestions above.  You should be able to see some improvement.  Or if you keep saying that “you’re in a funk” but cannot honestly say that you’ve done EVERYTHING, then it’s time to step out of your comfort zone and get out of Funkytown!

Don’t just talk about it, Talk about it, Talk about it, Talk about it, Talk about, Talk about Talk about movin…  Instead actually GET Movin!

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers has been in direct sales for over two decades.  She is currently a Superstar Director with Scentsy Flameless Candles.  She enjoys working with others who are interested in starting a candle business.  You can find her at http://la.Scentsy.us and http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

I hear so many work at homers talk about how busy, busy, busy they are.  But busy doing what?  There is a very distinct difference between being busy and being productive.  That may be a blinding glimpse of the obvious to some, yet so many continue to be busy, busy, busy and don’t have the bottom line to show for it.

I wonder why some people are not productive.  Do you think it may be because they simply do not know what to do?  Or perhaps because what they should be doing may be out of their comfort zone?  Or is it so that they feel they are making a contribution to the household if they are busy all day?

One WAHM told me that she was so busy all the time with her business and then she told me that she made about $250 commission a month. The way she talked, she was working her business like she would a full time job. That being so, 160 hours a month divided by $250 is $1.56 per hour.  Not sure I would be bragging about being so busy while earning $1.56 per hour.

Non-income producing tasks are a necessary evil for all business owners.  Yet when the non-income producing duties far exceed the income producing responsibilities, it is really time to reevaluate if you truly want to have a business or are merely content with a hobby. (If it’s the latter, that is perfectly acceptable – but then it is really not a business, is it?)

Is checking forums repeatedly throughout the day really necessary?  Or would popping in on a limited number of forums and networks once or twice a the day suffice? How many times a day do you check Twitter? (Don’t want to miss a status update, do you?) What about Facebook? You would hate to be tardy in filling out 25 Things About You!

Another big time sucker can be your own company or team sponsored consultant forums. While it is wonderful to have camaraderie among other consultants, those folks are not your customer base! Stop in if you have a question or if you want to see if any of your own team members may be confused about something but then get the heck out of there. You won’t find any potential new recruits hanging out in the company consultant forum!

One simple litmus test with each activity is to ask yourself: “Is this the best use of my time?”  If the answer is yes – then good for you.  If the answer is no, then you have two choices: do something more productive or continue to do whatever it is you’re doing, but at least acknowledge that you’re not being productive.  You may find that this one straightforward question changes the way you work on your business.

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with Scentsy Flameless Candles.  She enjoys helping others start a candle business.  You can find Laurie at http://www.Scentsy.com/LA or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

The headlines are devastating: “Woman rushes from her home without blowing out candles; fire destroys home”, “Ailing man likely unable to flee burning house”, “Unattended candle started a fire in the garage.  Damage was estimated at $25,000” “Candle Fire caused $30,000 damage to home.”

More than 15,000 residential fires are caused each year by the careless or inappropriate use of candles. Further, according to the National Fire Protection Agency, candle fires account for 2.4% of all fires and result in 6% of total injuries from fires and 3% of all fatalities from fires.

The most startling statistic from National Fire Incident Reporting System is the fact that nearly 85% of the candle fire incidents were started because of consumer misuse of the product.  Fire injuries account for approximately one-third of all injuries related to candles reported.  The rest are basically from burns or lacerations.  These injuries are also increasing, although not as fast as actual candle usage is increasing.  Of the fire injuries, 55% result from “body part burned on flame or fire”.

Is that enough statistics for you?  The numbers may be just statistics to you, the reader; however these figures equate to death, destruction and devastation to the people involved.

According to the US Fire Administration, each year $390 million are lost due to home fires started by unattended or unsupervised candles.  Scentsy flameless candles just might prevent such fires.

What is a flameless candle?

It is a candle that contains no fire, no flame, no wick, no smoke, no soot and no lead because they are electric!  Candle warmers are specifically designed to melt flameless candle bars into a wax pool that throws the maximum amount of fragrance over the longest period of time.  Our electric warmers melt wax at a lower temperature, with a 25 watt light bulb so there isn’t the danger of burning children or pets.

With over 80 different scents and 40-some different styles of electric candle warmers, there’s something to fit everyone’s taste.  You can still enjoy the fragrance and light of a candle without the fire hazard!  See for yourself http://www.Scentsy.com/LA

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with Scentsy Flameless Candles.  She enjoys helping others start a candle business.  You can find Laurie at http://www.Scentsy.com/LA or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

Having trouble getting bookings for home parties?  There are generally three main reasons why your booking success leaves much to be desired:

1.    Your peeps are basically non-party people.  Sometimes it’s as simple as that.  Those you know or talk to just don’t get into hosting or attending direct sales home parties. Have you ever tried to convince someone who prefers country music to listen to jazz?  Or how about convincing a true blue dog-person to get a cat?  Sometimes it’s that simple; nothing you say or offer will convert them into party-people.

2.    You haven’t asked.  That may be a BGO (blinding glimpse of the obvious) but are you honestly asking people if they’d like to host a party?  Or are you making up their minds for them? Have you already decided that she wouldn’t want to have party? There might be a market for your mind-reading abilities.

3.    You’re using words and terms that make people run.  Sometimes when people hear “home party” their mind translates that into something as fun as a mammogram or paying taxes. Perhaps you can say the same thing in a more enjoyable manner that will get favorable results.

The Solution

If you fall into one of the above three categories consider these possible solutions:

1.    Review your company policies and procedures to ensure you are permitted to market via methods other than home parties.  Perhaps you’re better suited to participate in vendor events such as craft shows or state fairs.  Can you use Internet marketing?  Perhaps that’s the way to go instead of constantly hitting the wall with home parties.

2.    Open your mouth and give people the opportunity to get free stuff.  And for goodness sake don’t ever use the word “favor.”  Your hostesses aren’t doing YOU a favor – you’re doing THEM a favor by providing them the opportunity to get some products free or greatly reduced. Until you change your mindset about that favor thing, no matter how you ask, you’ll come off that you don’t really believe you’re offering something worthwhile.

3.    Try using creative language.  How about “Free (candles, jewelry, makeup, etc.) For Large Orders”?  That says nothing about a home party but gives potential hostesses the opportunity to merely collect orders or to decide how to go about getting the free goods.   Also try other names for home party – Tasting Event or Scent Samplers.

If what you’re doing isn’t working it’s really as simple as finding a different way to arrive at your destination.  Take a detour; try something different than what you originally thought was the way to go.

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with Scentsy Flameless Candles.  She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business.  You can find Laurie at http://www.Scentsy.com/LA or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

I see many direct sales consultants discussing the marketing technique of hanging catalogs on neighborhood doors.  Do door hangers really work?  Or is it just an added expense and expenditure of human resources to employ this tactic?

One rule of thumb to keep in mind when you are trying different marketing techniques is whether or not you acted on a similar campaign.  For example, have you ever made a purchase off of any ad you saw on someone’s vehicle? (I have not)

Have you ever taken advantage of an offer that was hung on your door (I have not) or did it likely go straight into the trash or blow away in the wind or eventually get soggy with rain?

Do you often read and act upon fliers you find around town? (I have not)

Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but I would caution you to target your marketing to a particular segment (new moms, elderly, college kids, empty nesters, nail salons, doctors offices, etc.). Then relay your message to that market in a method they will respond to.

Blanket fliers and neighborhood blitzes don’t always work.  It’s like spraying an arsenal of bullets, hoping to hit something.

Instead, try a small sampling – test to see if it is effective, if not – then try something else. Perhaps your time and financial resources could be better spent with some direct mailing of your company catalog.  Then follow-up within a week to ensure the business owner received your catalog.  Provide a special offer to entice a call to action.

If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’ve been getting.

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with Scentsy Flameless Candles.  She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business.  You can find Laurie at http://www.Scentsy.com/LA or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com