 |
 |
Work Smarter, Not Harder – Pt. 1 Ink Stamps
The more your team grows the smarter you need to be with your time management skills. You will have more people to manage but that doesn’t have to mean that you’ll be working more hours. In order to survive being the leader of a large organization you need to eliminate, mitigate and delegate duties that are not the best use of your valuable time.
One of my favorite time savers are Vista Print Free Self Inking Stamps. I have a nice collection of them and am constantly adding more. Just to name a few, I have:
- Some that have just one scent name on them. I stamp the back of my business cards annotating the name of the particular scent sample that is attached.
- One that I stamp the back of my catalogs – contains my website address and a reminder of secure online ordering, no minimums, low and free shipping.
- One that I use mainly for recruiting on the Getting Started brochures – with the web address of my recruiting website, my email and phone number.
Creating Time to Work Your Business
So I’m sitting here in Food Avenue Express, the little snack bar inside of Target, waiting for my daughter and her friend to finish shopping. They’re the class reps who have the distinguished honor of purchasing toys for the family their class adopted for Christmas.
What does this have to do with running your own business? It may be a stretch, but hang with me a moment. What’s one challenge independent consultants often state as a reason for their business not taking off? NOT ENOUGH TIME!
Many newer consultants also work a full time job – either at home raising children or outside the home as an employee for someone else. Don’t forget all the other obligations such as being taxi driver for the kiddos, cleaning the house, head chef, banker, homework helper, wife or head of the household. When would you possibly have time to start a home business?
The answer is that you don’t have time – you have to make time. You’ve heard the tired cliché “Where there’s a will, there’s a way?” This is definitely true of making time to start and grow a home business. It’s not too often that people complain that they have too much time, right? So from the start just come to terms with the fact that you likely will not have nearly as much time to devote to your business as you would like. If you accept that from the beginning, then you will not always feel like you’re failing or have that uneasy feeling that there’s never enough time. Continue reading
Photo Business Cards Can Increase Business
A picture is worth a thousand words
Consultants often ask if it’s a good idea to have their picture displayed on their business cards. This practice is common in the real estate industry. Real estate is still sales. So why would direct sales be any different?
If someone hands you a card with her picture printed on it, it becomes easier for you to associate that face with the previous conversation or encounter. The purpose of your business card is for others to make contact with you easily. It should also help them in connecting with you personally; having your photo on it can help accomplish this goal.
Additionally, in this Internet Age where personal connections are becoming rarer, it’s important to connect with your customers as a person rather than merely a website. People prefer to do business with those they know, trust or who is a referral.
Do I want people to remember that they bought Scentsy? Or that they bought Scentsy from Laurie? Are they looking for any consultant who can merely fill their order? Or are they looking to build a relationship with a consultant who will service them?
If your customer is asked where they picked up that nifty product, do you want them to give your company name and tell them to “just Google it, and you can buy it online”? Or do you want them to give your website so that you get the business? Having your mug shot on your business card can increase the odds that people will be repeat customers and more likely to give you referrals.
Say Cheese!
About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business. You can find Laurie at http://la.Scentsy.us or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com
7 Common Vendor Event Blunders
‘Tis the season for vendor events. I went to a couple of craft shows this weekend. It’s always good to keep up on what the competition is doing; plus I might see some treasures I have to have. Some of the vendors stated that things were “a little slow” (translate: they weren’t selling much of anything). Sure we can blame the economy and I will acknowledge that may have some bearing on it, but I venture to guess that those most affected by the current economic situation likely just stay away from craft bazaars. So if there were people and they weren’t buying, it’s time to take a deep look at the root cause.
I didn’t have to look far to find a number of common vendor mistakes that were likely the culprit for their low or no sales. If you’re going to participate in a vendor show, avoid these seven costly errors:
1. Little or no inventory for sale. Facts are most people go to vendor events to buy things. They want to take it home on the spot. They don’t want to order it. If they wanted to order they’d likely just stay home and order online. Most people are not (or shouldn’t be) comfortable giving money or a credit card to a complete stranger in hopes they will receive their product in three weeks. If you don’t have ample supply and variety of inventory to sell, don’t plan on any sales during the event.
2. No signage. I walked up to more than a few tables that didn’t have the company logo anywhere. I should have known before I even reached the table what vendor was at that booth. Then once I reached the table there was no price list to be found anywhere and none of the products had any price tags. Do I assume those were all display items? Or were those vendors just waiting for me to ask “How much?” You know the saying – ‘if you have to ask, you can’t afford it’. Continue reading
Blogging for Business
New to blogging but don’t know what to write about? You’re not alone.
Those who have been blogging for some time know how beneficial adding new content can be to your business. Just two of the basic benefits of blogging include helping to drive traffic to your direct sales website as well as develop a following of loyal customers.
One of the most common mistakes I see with new bloggers is not updating their content frequently enough. Daily would be ideal; a couple times a week would be great; but anything less than once per week is not going to help a great deal.
Sure time is always a challenge for business owners. Yet when it comes to blogging, more than finding time – the bigger obstacle seems to be finding topics about which to write.
Here’s my secret to finding blog topics: Continue reading
Follow Me!