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When I first started studying Martial Arts, I was told it would take me a minimum of six  years, with 3-4 days per week in the dojang to earn a black belt. I spent that much time working on a Masters Degree.  That’s a hefty commitment. But it was something I wanted to do.

When I first started training, it was bitter sweet.  I had a brand new, crisp Gi (uniform) and a shiny white belt.  I had a fresh pedicure and I was ready to be Karate Kid!

Forty-eight hours after my first work out I could barely get out of bed. I hurt from head to toe – more like from the tip of my hair to the bottom of my shiny toe nails! And to think I had to get back in there and train that night – ouchee was waa.

I have worked diligently over a number of years to earn a black belt. I have spent numerous hours in the dojang and at home practicing over and over again. I have had to learn forms and drills that so challenging, repeatedly I wanted quit. I have fractured my back as well as my right foot and have jammed up all of my knuckles on my right hand.  You betcha it hurt; you betcha I cried and you betcha I wanted to quit – multiple times! However Martial Artists don’t quit.

Many times I felt like I had two left feet and had no business trying to be “Karate Girl”. Fortunately my young daughters were also in the midst of earning their black belts – so even if I didn’t feel like practicing, I did.  We made it fun.  We decided we needed to shake it up a bit when it came to practicing over and over again. Eventually we were all bringing home trophies from tournaments.  Apparently we not only learned but also excelled in our Art.

In addition to the obvious benefits of martial arts, Tae Kwon Do has also taught me how to survive well in life and in business.  Just like earning my college degrees, the Arts reinforced the importance focus, commitment and using available tools to succeed.

It has also helped me in my Scentsy Direct Sales business as a Star Director.

Martial Arts consist of a series of belt colors or ranks that students much achieve along their journey to becoming Black Belts. This process provides students a systematic approach to master each level of skill before moving on to the next rank. These are short term objectives needed to achieve the long-term goal. This is similar to the ranks within the Scentsy compensation plan.

There are no bad students; only bad instructors.  However each student must also accept responsibility to implement the instruction provided by the instructor. Once you reach Black Belt status you have the knowledge and wisdom to actually apply what you have learned. Achieving a Black Belt is often a goal.  But it should never be the final goal.  In many aspects, the journey is just beginning. There are new goals to set and master as you strive for the higher ranks of being a Black Belt.

This same thinking can also be applied to your Scentsy business.

The good news is that it is possible earn a black belt in your Scentsy Business in less time than it took me to earn mine in Tae Kwon Do.

White Belt (Escential Consultant): You have a crisp white belt and are just getting your feet wet. At this rank you’re working on learning product knowledge, new consultant start up incentives, the lingo and abbreviations, and familiarizing yourself with your back office/workstation and your replicated website. It’s the level where you develop a strong foundation to your Scentsy business, so you can concentrate on developing higher-level skills needed to obtain your Scentsy black belt.

Purple Belt (Certified Consultant): This rank is where you get a good handle on the compensation plan and understand the qualifications necessary to start building your team. You develop your niche and USP (Unique Selling Proposition) so you can start selling on the value of our unique product line.

Green Belt (Lead Consultant): At this level you are working on repetition and organization. You are starting to develop a system that will help run your business smoothly.  Qualifications for a Lead Consultant are $500 PRSV, $1,000 GWV and OneActive Frontline Consultant.  While producing this amount of volume and leading down-line member(s) is still manageable at this level, you’ll want to have a solid foundation as you move up in rank – as the requirements to advance will continue to increase.

Brown Belt (Star Consultant): Once you achieve the rank of a Brown Belt (Star Consultant) you are starting to focus more on team building.  You may likely have some team members who are personal use consultants or who choose to produce the minimum needed to remain eligible to place orders. Those consultants are also essential pieces to your team, but you’ll always want consultants who are eager to be successful with Scentsy. Qualifications for a Star Consultant are $500 PRSV, $2,500 GWV and Two Active Front Line Consultants.

Red Belt (SuperStar Consultant): The leap from Star to SuperStar Consultant is a hefty advancement. You’ll start to see the importance of teamwork and of keeping all the balls you are juggling up in the air. You should also be mentoring team members who also want to achieve their Black Belt (Director).  Help your team members develop their strengths.  Remember, at this level, you’re only successful if your team members are too. Qualifications for a SuperStar Consultant are $500 PRSV, $6,000 GWV and Three Active Front Line Consultants.

1st Dan (degree) Black Belt (Director): Now you’ve made it! …But have you? Once you’re a Black Belt, your journey doesn’t end – it’s just beginning. You’ve developed a profitable Scentsy business. You are now generating a monthly residual income from the business. You can now take the skills and knowledge that you have learned and continue to apply them on a continual basis. Direct Sales is not a business where you can rest on your heels and merely collect the paychecks.  Qualifications for a Director are $500 PRSV, $10,000 GWV, $2,000 TWV and Three Active Front Line Consultants/Directors

2nd Dan (degree) Black Belt (Star Director): At this level a majority of your time is spent mentoring others on the team.  You’re called upon to use your experience to lead others to have successful businesses. Organization skills will need to be keen at this level as the number of team members grows exponentially.  Qualifications for a Star Director are $500 PRSV, $30,000 GWV, $6,000 TWV and Three Active Front Line Consultants/Directors, Two First Generation Directors.

Master Black Belt (SuperStar Director): Once you reach this level your primary responsibility will be working with breakaway directors while continually mentoring your own personal team.  It’s a balancing act at SuperStar Director that’s why time management skills are paramount.  You will set the tone and pace for your entire group. Remember, however – once you’ve reached the top wrung, it’s as important as ever to not sit back and rest. Qualifications for a SuperStar Director are $500 PRSV, $80,000 GWV, $10,000 TWV and Three Active Front Line Consultants/Directors, Four First Generation Directors.

All too often consultants quit after four month because they haven’t earned their black belt.  Is that realistic to expect to build a solid foundation and learn all there is to become a master in sixteen weeks?  Good timber does not grow with ease; the stronger the wind; the stronger the trees.
Now go forth and prosper, grasshopper!

Scentsy Student’s Creed:
I run my Scentsy business by the principles of Black Belt:
Self-control
Modesty
Integrity
Courtesy
Perseverance and
Indomitable Spirit

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