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Are You Spending Your Online Time Wisely?
Social media. Social networking. Forums. Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. Tumblr. Google+ and countless other online websites give you plenty of opportunity to be social. Connecting with others online opens up so many possibilities and opportunities for independent business owners and direct sales consultants.
Online networking has a plethora of positive aspects to it, if done properly. It can also be detrimental to your business if you are spending an abundance of time online, all in the name of ‘networking’ but actually, all you are doing is chitchatting. True that in order to be successful online, building a rapport and reputation are key, but just who are you taking to and can it help build your own business?
To illustrate this point – consider the direct sales consultant who hangs out at their company forum. Companywide forums, where all consultants, from all teams gather to ask questions and share ideas can be a big help to some, especially if they feel they are not getting the support they need from their own upline. But is spending hours each day chatting with other consultants who are not even on your team giving you the return on your time investment? Continue reading
Leaders Cannot Make Everyone Happy
“You’re not my friend!” I distinctly remember those four words the first time they came out of my young daughter’s mouth. I clearly said or did something parental that she didn’t agree with. I calmly responded with, “That is right, sweetheart. I am not your friend, I am your mother. And sometimes you will not like me very much, but no matter what, I will always love and support you.”
The same can be said in business. Bosses aren’t always popular or well liked. Some business decisions are tough ones and some of your employees will scream “You’re Not My Friend!” The higher up the ladder you are the more you are exposing yourself to the masses. This is simply a fact that can’t be avoided. What you do have control over is how you as a leader handle it when tomatoes are thrown your way.
The Direct Sales industry works a little differently. Downline members aren’t employees; they’re independent business owners. Uplines aren’t bosses; their role is to direct or guide their downline to the available resources that will help them find their own answers; and to lead by example how to build strong independent teams. They should be involved in continuous improvement activities and in problem solving. Continue reading
Did You Pay Your Stupid Tax Yet?
Stupid Tax is defined as an amount of money spent or owed as a result of a poor choice or honest mistake made in some aspect of your business.
Most business owners pay Stupid Tax at some point. Some pay it repeatedly; others only pay it once. The thing to remember about Stupid Tax, is that when you pay it, don’t fret. Don’t beat yourself up over it; and don’t get upset. Just know you’re not alone, learn from it and move on.
To know that you’re in good company. I asked some consultants in the Direct Sales industry if they’d be willing to share some of the Stupid Tax they paid. below are some actual examples.
1. Under charged a customer for postage. Someone wanted to purchase some of our products but she lived in another country; a country that my company at the time, did not ship to. So I told her that I would order what she wanted and have it shipped to my house. Then if she wanted to pay postage for me to mail it to her, I’d repackage it and ship it to her. I think I charged her $10 to ship it. When I took it into the post office I learned that I it was going to cost me $32 to mail it! I had already quoted $10 to the customer and she paid it, so I wasn’t about to go back to her for $22. It was my fault. I had to eat it. Stupid Tax.
2. A well respected online radio host approached me about donating product for goodie bags for a very specific target market. I knew that she wouldn’t be involved with something unless it was a top-notch affair and the recipients were absolutely in my market. It was also a good cause, so I agreed to it. She needed a large number of individual donations (not samples), plus catalogs for everyone. When all was said and done, I invested about $1,600.00 USD in this donation. I never would have spent this much had I not done thorough research and felt confident it had a very good opportunity and high probability for return on my investment. However, I did not receive one single reorder or recruit, or one inquiry. It was a total bust. Zonked. Stupid Tax. Continue reading
What Does it Mean to Rebrand?
Rebranding is a frequently misunderstood business term. If done properly it can send your business to new heights; however if done improperly or for the wrong reasons, it could be the start of the end for your business as you know it. To further highlight this concept, I interviewed Kelly McCausey, who has made quite a name for herself within the freelance and work at home community.
One of Kelly’s many successful endeavors was WAHM Talk Radio. I say was because she recently rebranded. What was formerly enjoyed as Work at Home Mom Talk Radio is now known as Solo Smarts. Read below for insightful information on the recent, exciting change. As you are reading the interview consider if it may be time to rebrand your own business.
TCB: I’ve known you for a long time, and when I need to give a quick elevator speech who you are when referencing your talent, skills and abilities I generally say something along the lines of Awesome Internet Marketing Coach, focusing on the WAHM community. But now that your baby is grown up and moved out of the home do you still consider yourself a WAHM? What is a good quick way to describe who you are or what you do?
Kelly: I fell in love with the WAHM community back in 2002 and feel grateful for my years as a work at home mom. When Sean first moved out, I didn’t feel that different about myself. It wasn’t until this past Spring that I realized how much my life had changed and how little I could personally identify with the life of a work at home mom. I don’t juggle work with taking care of kids or car pools or late night feedings, it’s just me and me and me.
Of course I still have a big heart for moms who want or need to build a business at home and I still hope to engage and inspire as many as possible.
How long did you consider the idea of rebranding and was there something or someone who helped confirmed you were ready for the change?
I started feeling the need for a change about three months ago. I have operated with complete authenticity from the beginning and felt I was losing that. As I sat down to record Work at Home Moms Talk Radio, about 10 minutes in nothing I’d been talking about had anything to do with work at home moms. I stopped the recording, hit delete and started over – but it didn’t feel right. I had to admit it was time to call it quits. Continue reading
You Get More With Honey Than Vinegar
Watch your tone little lady. Try asking again mister, only this time a little nicer. I’ll be happy to speak with you when you can talk to me in a respectful manner. Do you hear yourself?
Chances are if you are a parent you’ve uttered the above words to your child – whether to a mouthy three year old or a too cool for rules teenager. I’ve said it myself. I have some great children, who don’t behave badly, but I have said on more than one occasion ‘that mouth is going to get you in trouble’.
The same thing is true in business. The tone you take when speaking to people will go a long way in determining the results you get in return. You can say the exact same thing, but depending on how you present your question or statement, you’re either going to get cooperation or you’re going to piss someone off. You must be extra vigilant when using email to communicate as we tend to misinterpret or add unnecessary or incorrect tone to words on paper or a computer monitor.
As an upline director of a direct selling organization it never ceases to amaze me some of the rude emails I receive from downline members. I know these concerns can and do work both ways, among up and downline members. Specifically, in this case I am referring to downline team members who need help but ask in such a disrespectful, entitlement approach.
For example, it doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to figure this one out but which email do you think would get the better response?
- Hi, I need your help please. I think my pay is wrong, or perhaps I don’t understand it. I looked in the manual but couldn’t find anything to help clarify. Can you take a look or let me know where to find the information or who to contact? Thanks. Or:
- I’m sick of this, my check is wrong again.
Here are two more: Continue reading
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