DSWA Conference

A great organization and wonderful oppty for those that can attend:

With the holiday season coming to a close we have an important question we need to ask you… what do you want to be different for yourself, your business and your family in 2008?
Do you want more fun, higher party sales, more zeros on the end of your override check and a rapidly expanding team? Well the truth about getting more of what you want in 2008 is in trying something new – going the extra mile – and doing what successful people do. Would you agree?

On April 18-20 in Las Vegas, Nevada you have an opportunity to do just that by joining like-minded direct selling professionals from around the globe for the event of the year. It’s the DSWA’s Education Celebration which has been hailed as “the most significant industry event of the year that has transformed the businesses and lives of the people who attend.”
The Education Celebration is 2 1/2 days of fun, networking, learning and inspiration with people like Jack Canfield, Marcia Wieder and many of the most successful women in the network marketing and party plan profession today. From the Friday night kick-off to the inspirational Sunday afternoon close, we have planned every moment to prompt an internal shift that will inspire you to new heights in 2008.

Here's where you go to learn more:http://www.mydswa.org/celebration_2008.asp
In fact, we are so confident you will leave renewed, inspired and on fire to grow your business we’ve made it practically impossible to say no.

We’ve included every meal and tons of goodies at an Early Bird price you can’t pass up. We’re offering an easy 3-payment option for full registration so you can pay over time.Your satisfaction is guaranteed. If you attend the entire Celebration Event and do not agree that it was a great value for your investment, we will refund your registration fee (less meal costs).
And best of all, until midnight January 1st...We’re throwing in the most talked about training course that has helped people triple their team size and make recruiting fun and simple. It’s the Principle-Centered Sponsoring™ E-course and it’s yours f-r-e-e when you register for the Education Celebration by Midnight PST, January 1, 2008.

Don’t settle for one more year of the same! Make 2008 the year you go from wishing you could to truly living the life you desire. Join us in Las Vegas and let us send you home with fresh ideas, a renewed passion and a commitment to take your business to the next level.
Please register right away. Not only will you get the special Early Bird price, you’ll also get instant access to the f-r-e-e Principle-Centered Sponsoring™ e-course that can help you double or triple your sponsoring success rate in just 6 weeks! A $79 value – that is our gift for registering right today!

Here's where you go to learn more:http://www.mydswa.org/celebration_2008.asp

Here's where you go to register:http://www.mydswa.org/convention_register.asp

To Your Success,Nicki, Jane & Grace
Co-Founders of the Direct Selling Women’s
Alliance
mailto:info@mydswa.org 888-417-0743

The day after...

Oh the day after Christmas is such a beautiful thing. It's when you really let your hair down, forget the shower and the hair and just veg out and work from home while having your children at home at the same time to really make things relaxing! And if you believe all that I have a flip house to sell you ;)

Ok so the good news is the holiday is over. The tree is undecorated and 3 bins of Cmas decorations are packed and I get to continfue that part all day tomorrow. I did manage to have my parents pick me up a tree while they were out for 75% off! Love those sales at Lowes!
Next year I'm actually crazy enough to host Christmas Eve for the hubby's family and do this with a 9 month old Woo Hoo!

Funny how our priorities shift and we grow into ourselves. I plan to make some very exciting goals for 2008 including Weight Loss, Business Growth, and of course becoming the Mom I truly want to be which includes some big home organization goals LOL.

Taking some much needed time off

Well today will be the last blog post until after Christmas. It's hard to do since I've been blogging every day since I started but I know most of you are too busy to read it right now anyway LOL so I'm sure you'll live without me.

I hope you all received McKenna's UB Scentsational Email and are working hard to qualify for the open windows they're providing. 2008 proves to be an exciting time and I know you'll all work hard to make it your best year yet.

I actually tried to brave a few stores today and was beyond thankful that I had already done my shopping (I was just returning some pants) as Target had absolutely NO carts to shop with and the store was so packed you could hardly move. Planning ahead does make the season brighter!

Have a VERY Merry Christmas and enjoy your time off with your family.



Best,

Shawna

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note! December 21st

Yesterday's email dealt with the topic of things I didn't get a chance to do because my business kept me so busy this year.

Here is a suggestion with regards to your Christmas cards (assuming you send them).
Long ago, in the very early years of my business, I made the conscious decision to turn my Christmas cards in to a Happy New Years newsletter. It took the stress off - and was one less thing on my to-do list before December 25th.

The nice thing about a New Year's newsletter is that it can go out anytime around the first part of the New Year and once you establish that is the time your greeting will arrive, people will begin to look forward to it. ALSO, they will have more time to read it after Christmas - SO - don't forget to mention some of the FUN you are having with your home business when sharing the family events of the past year with those on your holiday card list. This is a GREAT, very non-threatening way to talk about your business. The people on our list look forward to hearing about whatever fun incentive trip we have taken and often ask about the upcoming one. (This serves as a BIG motivation for me to hit those trips from year to year!)

So…today's assignment - start to gather your thoughts about the past year in order to write your newsletter after the 1st of January!

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note! December 20th

Some years our business keeps us so busy right up to the last minute that we don't have time to do all the things we would like to do.

I like to bake cookies for my neighbors BUT have found that making a BIG POT of soup first thing in the morning and delivering it warm to them later in the afternoon, right before dinnertime is a lot quicker and often much more appreciated by them as they scurry to finish their holiday shopping and preparations!

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note! December 19th

Are you ready to hit January running? Today, do a quick check of business supplies. Order any sales fliers, new recruiting brochures, and if you don't already have it, your 2008 planner fillers.
Return any customer calls promptly and then enjoy your holiday preparations!

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note! December 18th

OK - this is always the day that my husband and I designate as super shopping day. This the day, armed with shopping list in hand, to finish up everyone on your list. Having a shopping list is key and be mindful of the fact that if you shop over the dinner hour, stores are less crowded. Take advantage of the bargains galore and HAVE FUN!

Cinna-Tang! I like it!

I checked out Avis' blog tonite and found her awesome idea! Love it!

http://ubbuzz.blogspot.com/2007/12/advertise-via-giving.html

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note! December 17th

Who were your last minute shoppers at this time last year? Take a peek at your order forms from December of 2006 and give those folks a call. They will be impressed with your memory and your personalized service.

After all, who couldn't use a little help with some last minute purchases? Spend today scheduling a few personalized shopping appointments - if your situation permits, have THEM come to YOU. CLEAR THOSE SHELVES!

Hard to Believe...

That we're really only days away from Christmas. I know my son is getting excited and I'm getting excited that so many events and challenges are coming to a close for December. The church Christmas party I was in charge of was last night and truly went off without a hitch. The children enjoyed their visit with Santa and I enjoyed telling our Bishop that it is about that time to release me from this "calling" (meaning my job) due to my growing belly and stress level so hopefully he will be inspired to do so LOL.

The remodel house water issues are coming to a close and my husband is there today digging his way to the road to divert the water issue that keeps drowing the window and coming into the house. I wish this nightmare would sell but of course ripped up carpet and drying fans could be a turn off (hmmmm).

I'm so happy I've finished my shopping early and can focus on my family and hopefully some holiday baking before it's come and gone. Egg Nog and 7-up seem to keep me calm and of course Peppermint Hot Chocolate at Starbucks. Oh those sweet things in life LOL.

I hope this weekend is a good one and those of you with parties this weekend have a VERY successful time. I'm going to be taking off Sundays from blogging to spend some needed time with the family and preparing for Dawson's arrival so check back on Monday :)

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note! December 14th

People are still shopping - is your store open? A great goal for beginning the New Year is to be able to (literally) dust your `on hand' inventory shelves.

Today is a great day to put out an email and run a special on any in stock merchandise you still have. You might consider offering FREE SHIPPING (and perhaps a cup of cocoa) if they stop by next week to pick it up. Throwing together a quick open house for Monday of next week is another great way to clear those shelves!

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note! December 13th

Today's quickie tip is again designed with 2008 in mind. Hopefully, you already have your January hostesses lined up.

Today is the day for a check in with each of them. If you haven't already received their guest invitation list - get it from them now. Don't let them procrastinate on this - because it is easy to set it aside at this time of year and trust me - it will cause for a postponed January party.
Re-excite them about what's happening for January, their goal and help them with words to use to invite people to their party after the first of the year.

Have fun with this and remember, a strong start in January will pay back tenfold as your 2008 progresses!

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note! December 12th

Today's assignment - check in with all of your late November and early December hostesses and customers to be sure that their orders have been received and are correct! There is NOTHING worse than getting a frantic last minute phone call from a customer on Christmas Eve as she is wrapping gifts and has found that an item she order is missing or broken. DO THIS NOW while you can still correct any discrepancies!

And while you are at it, don't forget to mention any new promotions or sales that your company may be offering in January or February. Use that follow up phone call to the fullest and get your calendar in shape for the New Year.

Countdown to Christmas and New Years - Quick tips to end the year on a positive note!

December 11th

Today's activity - How is YOUR shopping coming along?

Rule one in direct sales - be your own best customer. THAT MEANS filling those gift giving needs with as many of your products as you can. So, today, take a moment right now and order any last minute gifts that YOU need for the people in your life!

From Shawna: I've been using our Home Warmer's set with the extra oil for some great Christmas gifts! The retail price being $50.00 is especially good when we basically get it for $30!

Bounced checks…

Dana writes: could you send out tips on how to handle bounced checks! I had a party ship to the hostess and in the meantime one of her guests checks bounced. Now I can't get the customer to return any of my phone calls. Is there anything I can do? Please consider this topic. Thank you for your time.

Dear Dana - Thank you for writing. Your question is quite timely - especially at this time of year when most of us are doing LOTS of business and processing many forms of payment from our customers.

It can be very frustrating when a customer writes a bad check and is clearly avoiding contact with you regarding this. Thankfully, this is a rarity in this business and at TSF we can literally count on less than two hands the number of bad checks we have taken in all of our years in the business. So, that's the good news.

You probably realize that bouncing checks is illegal, so you have the law on your side (if it comes to that, but usually never does).

There are a couple of things that you can do when a customer's check is NSF.

1) If the bank is convenient - you have the right to show up at the teller's window everyday and see if there are funds available in the customer's account to cover the check. Unfortunately, if you have incurred any bounced check fees, you won't recoup those, however, at least you will get the cost of the product covered.

2) Of course, (as you have done) - your first option is always to contact the customer directly. Leave one polite message asking that they take care of the bounced check with cash or a cashier's check. Give them a week to reply and then leave a message that lets them know that you are calling about the check they wrote you that was returned. Let them know that you have left one message already and since you have not heard back from them - that you are so sorry, but wanted to let them know that you have to turn all bounced checks from the prior month to the District Attorney by Friday.

This is the phone call that will get results.

A couple of things that you will want to consider for the future:

1) Don't be afraid to let customers know that you have a bounced check fee. All businesses do and you need to cover your costs. I usually charge what my bank charges plus $5.00 for the hassle involved.

2) If you find yourself working in booth/fair situations - where you are selling inventory to people you do not know - be sure that you get additional identification from the person writing the check. If you really want to play it safe, you can get a credit card number as a back up form of payment.

We hope this helps!

Storyboarding

It is the first week of December. How has your year come together? Did you accomplish the goals that you set in January of this year?

Now is a great time to be thinking about what went well and what you will need to do differently next year. Storyboarding is a useful tool.

As Stephen Covey says, “Begin with the end in mind.”

In the first week of December of 2008, how would you like your business to look compared to this week - December of 2007?

What will your team size look like in size and structure? How about your personal and team sales? Maybe you have a more `activity based' goal - such as consistently making five connecting phone calls a day.

Whatever your goal, that is the end of your storyboard - your “and they lived happily ever after” so-to-speak.

So work up and down in two columns, or left to right or page to page. Think of yourself as a cartoonist. Your job is to list the steps needed to get to your goal. What work habits do you need to establish, what potential hurdles do you need to overcome - you get the idea.

I have a personal goal that I will share as an example. In the three weeks between now and the end of the year, I would like to lose three pounds - one pound a week. So, my `end' goal is the specific weight I would like to be (which I will NOT share with you…sorry!) In order to achieve that goal, I have several steps that I will be putting into place.

• Drink six glasses of water a day


• Get to the gym for one hour three to four times a week (I have scheduled those times on my planner and I will NOT talk myself out of it!)


• Keep my weight watcher points low on days when I don't have a holiday get together and use my extra points for the parties I attend.


• Bring raw veggie trays to any gatherings I have been invited to.


• If I choose to have an alcoholic drink, I will mix wine with a no calorie spritzer to make it last longer.


• I will be sure to eat something filling and healthy (like a cup of soup), before I go to any gathering and fill my plate with the good snacks (fruits and veggies) - and only taste the higher calorie items.


• I will make it a priority to go to my weekly meetings for encouragement each week this month.

This is my weight loss story board. What will your business storyboard look like? Apply these same principles to goal set for your business in 2008!.

The best kind of present...

I love your updates and this one was especially time worothy with our Holiday Sales!

Thanks Annette for allowing me to share...

"Hello Shawna and Avis,

I wanted to share a little story that happened yesterday and it kind of made my day to hear how someone was enjoying the UB products. So often I don’t get to see some of the people who were at the parties so I don’t hear how they are enjoying the products.

A couple of weeks ago I did a party and when I got to the presentation about the UB home collection I had a lady who swore by a specific candle only (she let the whole room know too). She said she used oil warmers in the past and nothing beat this specific brand of candle that she loves and will only buy. I continued on and a part during my presentation I share with them how it scents my own home so well.

I have a 2 story home, 3,000 square feet and one day I placed the warmer in my master bathroom and it not only filled the whole upstairs but it also made its way downstairs to where If I didn’t know any better I would of thought the unit was downstairs. It smelled my whole house with a wonderful fragrance and with just a couple drops (I don’t think she believed me).

Strangely enough that one particular lady decided to get one, she said her husband doesn’t like the candles mainly for the safety aspect with the open flames so she would give it a try and if she didn’t like it she would gift it away. She also made a lotion and shower gel at the party.

Well yesterday when I was picking up my daughter from school the women saw me in the parking lot and flagged me down. She wanted to tell me that she absolutely loves loves loves the home collection she bought. She said her husband loves it too and that it really did what I said it would do. Also she was skeptical about the products she made (for various reasons) and she has found she can’t live with out the lotion and her daughter is even using it too and the shower gel she thought she would use maybe once or twice she uses every time.

I let her know about my open door workshop I have on the 15th and she said she will be there, she needs to make a refill and she will bring her daughter so she can make her own product. She also asked how she can order some more oils for the home collection. I told her but I also mentioned that she could host a party and earn those oils so she is planning on a party for January and her daughter wants to have me come do her birthday party in too.

Just thought I would share. I am sure everyone has an experience similar to this it is just the first time it happened to me with the UB products. It made me feel good and gave me the little boost I needed to do some more talking to people to get some January bookings."

Awesome job Annette! So proud of everything you're doing!

Shipping deadlines - never assume…

We are fast approaching most company deadlines for ordering and delivery with regular shipping charges. Do YOUR customers know what that deadline is? Today is the PERFECT time to send a quick reminder email with a link to you or your company's website (if you have one). Why not take it one step further and see how many follow up phone calls you can make to personalize your service?



AND NEVER ASSUME that just because the regular rate shipping deadline has passed that your customers won't want to order from you! People who internet shop at the last minute KNOW that there will be extra shipping charges! SO…keep your store OPEN - right up to the last minute!

Your December Newsletter

Your task today is to read your December Newsletter that you'll receive in your inboxes shortly and work hard to qualify for the Bracelet/Earring Set. PS - I actually have 2 sets so your odds just doubled!

Update from the Trade Show

Quick and sweet for Tuesday but I already scheduled a birthday party for February off of the Tradeshow I did on Sunday! See!!!!

Positive Attitude = Positive Action!

Plan “B”…

Depending on what part of the country you are reading our tips from, your family, like ours got a big HELLO from Father Winter this past weekend. Despite the fact that the calendar has yet to officially declare the winter solstice, the ice, snow and high winds were a jolt into the reality of what lies ahead in the months to come.

So, what is your plan B? If you live in Hawaii, Florida or Arizona - this may be a non-issue for you. But for those of us in the rest of the country, winter weather is a reality and it can cause all kinds of havoc in our home businesses - in particular our party calendars. When driving gets difficult, people cancel parties and cancelled parties can mean lost income - that is unless your backup plan is in place.

At this point, January and February are just a few weeks away - so getting dates on the calendar for the chilly months ahead needs to be a priority. Keep the following strategies in mind:

Overbook your calendar. This will help with any inclement weather cancellations and the worst that will happen if all the parties hold is that you have a solid base for your 2008 calendar.

Have a healthy smattering of catalog parties running and turn any cancelled parties into catalog parties. Hit those phones - be sure your hostess and her guests are excited and educated about the products you are offering in the winter months.

Don't waste an evening when a party cancels. If your family wasn't expecting you home that evening anyway - use it as a gift to touch base with those harder to reach customers that aren't always available during the day. Remember, if you couldn't get out on the roads, chances are they will be home too!

Work closely with your hostesses to be sure that the parties that hold have great attendance! After the holidays, general rule of thumb is that she will need to invite at least triple the number of guests she would like in attendance. Offer incentives if guests bring a friend or TWO. Coach your hostess to help her guests think of people they might bring along.

Ask for HELP! As obvious as it may seem, ask your hostess to be sure there is a clear path shoveled for you to get into the house with your samples. Also, don't be shy about asking for help carrying your products in the house. This should be a normal part of your hostess coaching calls!

Stay positive! Despite the cold, don't complain - especially to your hostess. Have FUN, so that she will be open minded to joining the business with you!

Remember, January and February are a great time to gather together all the friends and relatives that hostesses didn't get a chance to see over the holidays. That is a GREAT reason to host a party in the winter months. In fact, YOU may want to do the same.

Be INTENTIAL as you set your goals for 2008. Strong business activity in the first months of the year sets the stage for success!

LWL Holiday Showcase Report

So today was an interesting day. I talked my Mom into helping me out at the showcase today which was nice to have the company. We had a horribly stormy day threatening snow so the turn out was really poor. I was hoping for a lot more people but to no avail.

I actually did make some great contact even though there weren't any "sales."

• A Seattle's women's magazine is interested in possibly doing a story and working on advertising together for Valentines.
• A Bed & Breakfast that wants lotions and shower gels made specifically for their location
• 3 Potential Birthday Parties
• A Drillteam Fundraiser (possibly 200 Party specials)

and a few more connections so that should be something for sure. It's interesting how one "defeat" can turn into a "win" if you just keep the right attitude and find the good in your connections.

Let me know how your parties went this weekend!

Great Party Today

So today ended up being a great party even though snow threatened our weather and I wasn't too sure about the turn out. Here's a quick recap about my customers and what they ordered:

Tina my hostess ordered 2 shower gels & a home warmer set
Sharon ordered 1 shower gel
Wendy ordered 1 shower gel
Kristine ordered 2 bubble bath
Terri ordered 1 Lotion, 1 Bubble Bath, a warmer and an extra oil
Sandra ordered a shower gel

Total party sales were $227.90

(If the collection order comes in that will be a total of $317.85)

One of my best parties with only 5 people! These warmers are a huge hit and obviously added another $100 to my party.

Tomorrow is the Holiday Showcase. Looking forward to telling you about it and how the sales go! Hope everyone's having a successful weekend and looking forward to some great updates!

QUESTIONS from YOU - Customer loyalty

Has TSF ever published anything on the topic of loyalty among consultants in the direct sales world? I am loyal to consultants that I 'buy from' and/or 'sell to' of other product lines, and often try to support their business by sending leads for shows/events. Recently with more than one of these "fellow" consultants, I got a slap in the face to open an invitation to an event hosted by the consultant, with SOMEONE ELSE offering my product line. It feels to me like a violation of some unspoken direct sales code of ethics and has rattled my sense of being loyal to others in the future! Do you have any comment on say, some ground rules in these types of situations? Your advice and insight is always appreciated! - Annonymous

TSF - Thanks for your comments. As I read your email I am visibly wincing - OUCH - that sure feels bad, doesn't it? It brings to mind memories of friends/family members who I worked to recruit in the early years of my business only to be stunned when I received communication from them indicating they had joined another direct sales company OR in one situation MY OWN company but under another consultant.

It happens to ALL of us at one time or another. We work to develop rapport and customer loyalty and people will always disappoint us.

My advice to you is to keep things in perspective. Most likely your friend from the other direct sales company is related to, or considers the consultant from your company a personal friend. There is likely a good reason that she didn't ask you - she probably didn't do it to purposely hurt your feelings. Unfortunately in this world, direct sales and otherwise, most people are so busy looking out for #1 that they pay little to no attention to how their decisions affect those around them. I encourage you to hold yourself to a higher standard. Continue to refer business to the consultants you are loyal to. Professional behavior such as yours is always rewarded in the long run.

I close with an amusing anecdote. TSF's Teresa once had a good friend who never bought a thing from her direct sales business despite the fact that she had people in her life that definitely could use her products. When this gal joined another direct sales company and asked for Teresa's support. Teresa smiled broadly and said, “I promise, I will happily and enthusiastically support your new business venture in the exact manner that you've always supported mine!”

You see, it happens to the best of us! Hope this helps!

I love to cut/copy/paste new fragrances...

After catching up on some of my favorite bloggers - aka The Glamorous Bee - I noted that she was talking about Roxy's new fragrance to go along with their line of clothes. I loved her comments and of course the notes she so graciously gave out that we can obviously doctor up and create our own slice of Roxy heaven at a smidgen of the price! Read here for a fun new project!




That also got me looking at some other blogs such as Beauty Addict. I noted her great comments on Tom Ford's new male scent and thought I might try something similar myself for hubby: "Turns out Tom Ford for Men is a classic men's fragrance that I found to be really well done and very wearable...for me. I had been planning on passing the bottle along to a lucky man (my cousin, ha ha) after a couple of test sprays, but now I don't really want to give it up. Now that the weather has cooled off, I'm loving the woods, violet leaf, and oakmoss in this scent. I actually prefer it over Black Orchid, which was doing some kind of weird pineapple thing on my skin."

So there are a couple weekend projects for scent concoctions. I also tried out the Candy Cane recipe in my home warmer and will try a couple others before deciding which one will be wafting it's yummy home fragrance at the LWL Holiday Showcase this weekend! If any of you have any favorites don't be shy to share! Happy December in just a couple days!!!

Oh the joy of nesting...

Well here we are not even November 30th and I have all my Cmas cards ready to go out this weekend and 25 presents wrapped under the tree. The house is fully decorated except the lights outside and the snow globe for outside which I'll try to get up this weekend as well.

I've also caught my first cold of the season and that's miserable without my many over the counter drugs I could take if I wasn't pregnant LOL.

This weekend proves to be a crazy party weekend and I'm looking forward to these parties and really getting some great sales for Christmas! Taking Avis advice at my Holiday Showcase on Sunday and will look forward to hearing about all your parties as I know quite a few have already happened!

Don't forget to send your updates! I love to use snippets of them on the blog to share out with everyone!

Stack the Hostess

We were flooded with requests for an explanation on this popular booking tool, so here is a repeat of this fun game to play at your parties to help spur on bookings. Print it out and share with your new recruits!

Stack the hostess can be played at any point in your party that you wish. We have found that it is very effective at about the halfway point.



Simply have your current (or a potential future) hostess begin to choose an assortment of products that she is interested in. Have another guest man the calculator and add up what she chooses until the hostess has sitting on her lap, the hostess rewards for an average to better than average party (based on your company's plan). Don't forget to include any half-price or hostess only specials in the mix. This is a great visual to help guests really see the benefits of hosting one of your company's parties.

Advertise, advertise, advertise

The last time you paid your credit card bill, how hard was it for you to find the line (in size 1 font) that said, “Make checks payable to________”?

Did it make you crazy? I'm convinced it is one of many ways that credit card companies put in place to mess us up when we attempt to pay our bill (because ultimately that means more money for them!)

How easy is it for your customers (current and potential) to find you? Do you frustrate them? Your name, phone number and business should be in lots of places. Here are just a few suggestions:

Your answering machine - be sure your message mentions your business
Your catalogs - Stamp them in multiple places and DON'T be stingy! Catalogs are MUCH larger than a business card!

Business card magnets - rarely get lost and always are referenced. To this day, we receive phone calls from customers and hostesses who we gave a magnet to YEARS ago.
Business cards - put them in every bill that you pay

Your name, phone number and business (with a small commercial if you like) on your “signature” of all emails you send out.

Bumper stickers or car magnets advertising your business

Watch what the companies you do business with do to keep their name and number in front of you. Pay attention particularly to the small businesses (those with small budgets). You may find that some of their ideas can be transferred to your business. Be easy to find and watch your business explode!

Father in Law's 61st Birthday Today...

We had a nice bday today for Ted's Dad. This weekend has been a bit lazy for me since it's all back to work this next week with big events so thanks so much for understanding :)

Taking a Break Today...

And on the topic of emails…. (TSF)

OK…I find myself back up on my soap box again on the topic of emails. In the past 10 days, I have received three emails inviting me to attend a home party. I have declined all of the invitations. Why? The evites were certainly slick and easy - they were, actually too easy. All I had to do was just click “No, I will not be able to attend” and hit send.

The weird thing is that I see these gals every week. Not only did they not mention the party to me when we were face to face but they also never called me on the phone to follow up on the evite. So, when you don't feel like there's any personal touch to an invitation - the motivation to attend is pretty low.

I hope you will keep this in mind when coaching your hostesses. A phone call or personal conversation is no less important now in the age of evites, than it was several years ago when we did things the old fashioned way - with postcards and stamps. Help her with what to say and remind her that her excitement when inviting her friends will make all the difference in the response she gets.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish all of you and yours a fabulous Thanksgiving! I hope you all take turns to go around the table and say what it is your thankful for. It's a wonderful tradition and something I'm happy to have taken with me into my growing family.

If your a nostalgic like me this website has a ton of great T-day stories that you can read and share on your special day: http://home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/stories-main.asp

ENJOY!

Service the SOCKS off your customers!

We have said this before and we will say it again...one of the biggest things that WE can give our customers is the best service possible. RETAIL stores are getting poorer and poorer in this area.
Robin shares a story recently of customer service that went above and beyond the call of duty.

Her mom is in a wheelchair due to some medical issues. Getting out shopping can be quite the ordeal for her. One of Robin's friends (also a TSF subscriber) is a consultant with a party plan company that specializes in kitchen supplies. Robin tells us,

“I called her about two months ago and asked her for suggestions for my mom with some kitchen items as she was having trouble with her arthritis cutting items as well as opening some things. She called my mother that very same day and packed up items and went over to her that very afternoon to do a personal appointment with my mom who is pretty much house bound. I was very impressed at her quick response. I knew my mom said she had ordered a few things and Diane was nice enough to deliver them. Well today I got home and there was a message from Diane saying that my mom had a few items that she had not ordered that she thought would really help her out and if I wanted ideas for Christmas she would be happy to order them for me. What great service! I deal with tons of people in party plan business and am amazed at how few people go the extra mile for service.

Of course, I will be calling her tomorrow and ordering these items for my mom!”

Did you know that one unhappy customer tells at least nine others about their experience? Conversely, in the party plan business, a happy customer is our best asset, as she will, likely refer us to friends and family.

What are YOU doing today to service the socks off your customers?

How to "sell" our experience

I have been racking my brain to figure out how I'm going to market UB at the LWL Holiday Showcase in a couple of weeks and then low and behold our brain child of the Hive, Avis Board, just solved my dilemma!

Read her blog here to solve your own! http://ubbuzz.blogspot.com/2007/11/selling-experience.html

Oh what a weekend!

This weekend I had the extreme makeover type pleasure to attend a wedding. Not just any wedding mind you, the CMT - My Red Neck wedding that was shot live here in little ole WA. The bride and groom rode into the ceremony with all the bridal attendants on ATVs and the bride wore a camoflauge wedding dress while the Groom was decked out in CarHarts which is apparently some outdoor hunting brand.

The cake had 2 Hunters on top and the main feast was a roasted pig (yes the whole pig). I'm still not quite over the personalized Beer (root beer as well) for the guests but it was quite the show. The bride also had quite a surprise, I'd say she was about 7 months prego making it quite the shot gun wedding!



After recovering from all of that this short week started off with a party request on my website so that was exciting. Hoping you're all as busy and doing well before the holiday. Make December your most profitable month ever!

“But I feel funny getting something FREE…”

“My husband doesn't like me to invite people over so that I can get something for free.”
“I feel funny getting something free because my friends bought something at my house.”

If you have been in party plan for even just a few months, the chances are you have received some version of the above objection from someone you have asked to host a party.

So, for those reluctant hostesses - you might suggest that they donate the free or discounted product that they earn to a needy organization. The holidays are a great time for hostesses to organize a party to benefit their local food pantry, homeless shelter, Toys for Tots, Samaritan's purse, Salvation Army; the list goes on and on. Clearly, the product that you sell will help to determine the beneficiary - but this is a wonderful way for a hostess to help give back to her community.

Work at Home Mom's Christmas Wish List

Every year in the late fall it happens to me. Family and friends ask the question, "What do you want for Christmas?" I am usually asked for a list and I always struggle to come up with things. There are things I want and need, but they are not always things other people can get for me. This year though, I am thinking outside the box and am going a different route. I am going to ask for business related things, or at least, money for them. Much better than just random things I don't really need. Ask for products or services that will help you take your business to the next level. Think about all the all the services out there that a mom entrepreneur could use.

· Money towards big ticket items like a new laptop
· Media or publicity services
· Business books
· Ebooks related to your business
· Coaching services
· Business software
· Mentoring or Mastermind group
· Monthly PLR membership
· Ghostwriting, copywriting, or press release writing services
· Menu Planning subscription service (because who has time to think of what to make for dinner!

Do you want to write a book? Ask for Book School. Planning on creating an information product? Ask for Information Product Sweetie Course.

Looking into becoming a podcaster? Ask for Shoestring Radio or Podcasting Intensive.

Come up with a list of business products and services that you would love to have, but just are not quite ready to spend the money on and put them on the list. That way, in the new year, instead of adding to the bath products and kitchen gadgets in your drawers, you can grow your business and reach your goals.

Barbara Ryan is publisher and co-editor of Mom2Mom Lounge, an online magazine and blog written by moms for moms. Barbara is also owner and designer of Cherish Collages, a custom Photo Collage Design business developed from the love of a digital photography hobby.

November is turning out HOT!

This month has been so exciting thus far. The race for Designer of the Month is as close as I've ever seen it. Check out the teamburst calendar to see more parties in a month than we've ever had and I KNOW THAT WE DON'T HAVE EVERYONE ON THERE! So please send in your party dates for Nov and Dec and I'll get them up there so we can all celebrate!

I've added a few extra parties myself and hopefully you all saw a copy of my Open House invite. ConstantContact.com is a great resource I use it constantly (pun intended)! I'm so excited to see the growth and wonderful parties that everyone is having. I'm looking forward to my next event. The Ladies Who Launch Holiday Shopping Spree: http://craveparty.com/lwlholiday07.html

I hope you all enjoy your weekend. I've finally come up with a name for Baby Boy (pretty much over the shock now!) - We'll now have Dallon & DAWSON. Please continue to send me your weekly updates and don't be shy to cash in your Hive Points. Just send me an accounting of them and let me know what you're earning and I'll get it out to you.

All the Best!

Developing the Leader within you…

In Chapter Seven of his book by the same title, John Maxwell discusses how to develop your most appreciable asset - people.

One of the points he makes is that most people do not know how to be successful. That they think that success is luck. (Ever feel that way when you watch other people walk across the stage and wish it was YOU?)

However, he is quick to point out that success happens where preparation and opportunity meet. That it is a process - a growth and development. Success is achieving one thing and using that as a stepping stone to achieve something else…it is a journey.

Success is learning from failure. Failure is the opportunity to begin again - more intelligently. Failure only truly becomes failure when you do not learn from it.

Once again, he reinforces the importance of a leader expecting nothing more of his people than of himself. He states: “Once the leader has proven to be successful and shown an interest in helping others achieve success through the company, that leader will have loyal followers who are willing to develop and grow.”

To read more about developing as a leader and helping others to do the same - we highly recommend, “Developing the Leader Within You” by John Maxwell. Why not pick up some extra copies for the next leaders in your organization as a holiday gift?

Overcoming Your Sponsoring Phobia Free Teleseminar

Tuesday, November 20′th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central, 7:00 p.m. Mountain, 6:00 p.m. Pacific!

Are you allowing your fear of rejection to stop you from asking people to join your company? Are you afraid that someone will look down on you because you are a member of a Direct Selling company? Do you often find that you “screen your prospects” before you offer the opportunity?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions then you are not really sold on the benefits of having a Direct Selling business of your own.

You are more concerned about what others are thinking of you than you are of the fantastic opportunity that you have to offer! What would happen if you took yourself out of the equation and focused entirely on your prospect and how you can help him or her solve their problemby joining your company?


Learn how to overcome your Sponsoring Phobia on this call
Go to KarenPhelps.net for call in information
Lines are limited so call in 5 minutes early!

Read this NOW to take advantage of TURKEY DAY!

With the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner, let's revisit a classic idea to bring in some easy sales.

Thanksgiving weekend traditionally marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Why not help some of your best customers earn free products simply by passing the turkeys and mashed potatoes along with one of your catalogs and collecting orders from family and friends.

You might even consider running a contest between all your Turkey Day catalog hostesses.

“Sweeten the pie” by offering a bonus to the hostess who brings in the most orders! Have fun with this!

Bittersweet Than Sweet

So today was The Big Day! After listening to everything that could possibly be wrong with my baby before the ultrasound, finding out the sex was definitely second fiddle to making sure the baby was healthy. We were very lucky and the news is great!



This pregnancy has been SO different I was positive that a little girl would be the news of the day today. Imagine my surprise when "she" had a penis! Oh well, we're good with 2 boys in the house hold and at least I know how to be a "boy's" Mom so I'm fine with the outcome though one of each would have been nice but then again, 2 healthy boys is my preference any day.

So for today it's all Shawna news and no UB news so hopefully no one minds!

Planning my Open House

So I used Avis' great Open House flyer to put together an email campaign in Constant Contact. You should all be receiving a copy of it when it goes out on 11/19 so you can get a good look at it. I decided to do a light dinner (I'll share out my great soup recipe later on) and have the Open House from 5-9 on Wed. the 5th of December.

I'm hoping this will be a great time of year for those that have waited a bit for gift giving and a little early for those that "usually" procrastinate. There are a ton of events and expos coming up for Nov/Dec that I'm hopping on. Most of them are less than $50.00 to participate in and I'm hoping to more than pay for the booth costs with sales of Home Scents and SFCs.

If you haven't checked out our Team Burst Calendar yet we already have 20 parties/events for November and this only represents 5 members from The Hive! Please email me your party dates for Nov/Dec if you haven't already - I know we'll possibly hit 50 parties for November (a Hive Record) if I get all of your parties on the calendar.

Tomorrow is a big day for me and Ted. We're finding out the sex of our baby so that's pretty exciting and a little nerve racking. I'm pushing for pink but we'll see how that all turns out!

Permission to Succeed - Karen Phelps

Are you getting everything you want from your Direct Selling business? If not, there's probably a very good reason you are not! You have not given yourself permission to succeed!
You see, once you give yourself permission to succeed you'll quit looking for excuses why you are not having success in your business and you'll begin to look for ways to attract more and more success.

I've heard the whining, complaining, blaming and all out excuses why you aren't succeeding. The truth is you are not doing what you need to do to succeed! It's that simple. For some reason you have decided it's too hard, too boring, too pushy or too whatever. GET OVER IT! Decide now you want to succeed and if you DO want to succeed than please continue reading. If you don't, nothing I say will change your mind so by all means don't waste any more of your precious time.
Problem #1 - You haven't defined what you want from the business. Your leader has asked you several times what your goals for the business are and you think she's pushy and overbearing and dig in your heels, refusing to supply her with how to motivate you! You think you can be successful in spite of having no goals or direction for your business.

Solution - Sit down now and write down what you want. Do you want to make $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 or more per month? Why? Do you want to be a leader? Why? Realize that you cannot be aimlessly working your business with no reason why. Your reason why will motivate you to get out from in front of the television and start making calls, holding parties and recruiting others into your company! If you don't know WHY, you won't care about the HOW!

Problem #2 - Refusing to be PUSHY! That's just a lame-brained excuse for not asking! So do you really think people are going to come to you begging you to sell to them? If you have a party with 8 guests in attendance and 7 people called the Hostess to tell her you were a great consultant and did a good job and one guest complained to the Hostess that you were pushy, which would you decide to focus on? I guarantee that at least 95% of the people would get their nose bent out of joint and go into "pity party mode" and quit doing the things they know they need to just because of "one negative guest."

Solution -"GET OVER IT!" No one likes pushy salespeople but there is a difference between being ASSERTIVE and AGGRESSIVE. You need to find that happy medium. Aggressive sales people hound prospects while assertive sales people are confident in themselves, their product and their opportunity and make sure the prospect is aware of all the benefits their products, service and opportunity can provide. You will never make a sale, book a party or get a recruit if you do not share the benefits and close the deal. You are not being PUSHY you are being GREAT in your business!

Problem #3 - Refusing to have contact with your leader and or up line. You feel your leader is nosy and continually calls you to see what you are doing and if you need help.

Solution - The wonderful thing about Direct Selling is the support system you have with your up line! In Direct Selling "no woman (or man) is an island." We become great by working together as a team. Most often your leader is calling to encourage and support you. You need contact with your sponsor and your up line. Keep the lines of communication open (If you are a leader and only call your team to harp on them STOP NOW. Encouragement and support will get someone a lot further than criticism will.)

Problem #4 - Not attending your leader's monthly meeting and company events. You have two shows booked for the month and one of them is on your monthly meeting date because it was the ONLY DAY the Hostess could have her party. Yeah, right!

Solution - Make a commitment to yourself that you will make attending meetings a priority for your success. If you live within driving distance the meetings you up line provide for should be the first thing to be entered into your monthly calendar. Here's what I used to tell all of my new recruits, "You have two hours per week to come and get motivated and learn how to grow your business. Then you get to face the real world for thirty days and come back to get pumped up again. You need the meetings and the meetings need you."
If someone asked me if they needed to attend meetings I would reply, "only if you want to be successful, DO YOU?" Here's the truth...if you want to be successful you will attend meetings. You will also be at your company's conventions and trainings. Why would you not want to be there????

Problem #5 - Thinking you know it all. It's unfortunate those who think they have nothing to learn don't really know as much as they think they do. Can you honestly tell me that you can attend a meeting and not learn anything new? Not even one tiny little tip that could make your business easier, better and more successful.

Solution - Never stop learning. The world is changing faster than we can keep up and it's up to us to keep informed and stay ahead of our competition. Make a conscious effort to take as many notes as you can at every meeting, EVEN IF YOU HAVE HEARD THE INFORMATION BEFORE! Chances are, even if you have heard the information you are not using it all the time or you will hear something in a little different way that will help you to act on the information.

Problem #6 - Avoiding making phone calls. Your house is clean, the laundry is washed, folded and put away but you still have not made any follow up phone calls. You have no bookings on your calendar, the girl you talked to last month about joining the business is still waiting for you to call her but you can't find any time to make phone calls!

Solution - Schedule Weekly Phone Time. If you begin to schedule in time each week to make phone calls you will be more likely to get it done. Phone calling is an important part of your business. Can you find two or three 15 - 30 minute time frames each week to make your call? If you can't you need to understand the importance of follow-up phone calls. More sales, booking and recruits are lost because of lack of action on the person who provided the prospect with information.

The most important reason for you to make phone call is because you have something fantastic to offer others. When you are offering your product, Hostess Program or Business Opportunity to someone you must believe your prospect needs what you are offering. If you believe you have what they need you will be excited about making your calls. If you have the It's a Party Out There program make sure you take time to play Part One and Part Two of the Sponsoring Game. You will be excited to make your business opportunity calls because you will know your prospects wants and needs for the income and your call will be customized with each prospect. So, get your list ready, get your scripts ready, stand up, smile in a mirror and make your calls right now.

Problem #7 - Lack of a system for your business. You have lots of things to do but you don't know when to do them and how to get it done. You have a party scheduled for tonight and you are not packed and ready to go. You have an interview scheduled with a hot prospect and you forgot to order the business materials you need for the interview.

Solution - Even if you like chaos, you need to have organized chaos in order to succeed in this business! You need systems for everything you do. Make sure you always have supplies on hand. The worst time to order business supplies is when you have already run out. Don't wait until you are ready to run out the door for your party to make sure your supply suitcase is packed and your kit ready to go. As soon as you empty your suitcase when you return home from a party repack it so it is ready to go for the next one. Make sure you have enough catalogs, pens, order forms and Hostess Packets every time you leave for a party. If you are well prepared your presentation will be much smoother.

The same goes for your Interview tools. Keep your briefcase packed and ready to run out the door for the interview that could lead you to your "next best consultant." There is never a better time than at an interview to set a good example. Don't forget to get a system in place for your party. Make sure you are adding seeds for recruits, bookings and sales during your presentation.

The great thing about Direct Selling is you have an opportunity to get better and better each day you are in the business. It's totally up to you. Are you willing to give yourself permission to succeed in your business? Are you ready to do what it takes? Are you going to go down without a fight?

I DIDN'T THINK SO! So go ahead and give yourself "permission to succeed" and Congratulations on taking the first step to your success! Yes you can be everything you want to be, do everything you want to do and have anything you want to have!

Booth/Vendor events - Continued

Before you read up on more good info, after my drama blog the other day I did make a final decision! I'M KEEPING CURRENT JOB and NOT MOVING TO NEW MORE STRESSFUL DAY JOB. It's been a load off. Of course I've felt torn a bit but I know it's the right thing for my family and this business. Hooray!


We continue on our list of the top Do's and don't's of working these events…

DO greet people with casual conversation. Start with a sincere non-sales comment like “your baby is darling, how old is he?” -Or- “that is a great sweater!” -Or- “you look like your having a fun day!” Make an observation, followed by a sincere comment as a conversation starter to break the ice and THEN ask if they are familiar with your company. That way, you are a person before you are a sales person…make sense?

DON'T hide behind your display with your nose in a book and say something lame like “if there's anything you need help with, just ask!”

DO carry some inventory to sell and display it like a store. This will help you cover the overhead involved in your booth costs. Also, people feel much more comfortable if they can purchase on the spot vs. ordering and awaiting delivery.

DON'T overload your table with too much inventory. Displaying at a variety of heights is great. Consider using an empty box upside down and covered with a clean tasteful cloth to add interest. Bookstands or simple shelving can also be an option. Usually the price point is $15 and under at these events. If you accept credit cards, be sure you have a sign displayed that indicates that.

DO stay in your booth!

DON'T wander around and leave your booth unmanned for customers to fend for themselves while you “network” with other vendors. If there are no customers it's fine, but keep your booth in your line of vision.

DO consider bundling or some inexpensive (under $40) gift baskets if your product line lends itself to that. If you have a higher priced product, consider one of your products teemed with some inexpensive add-ons that you can pick up elsewhere. When pricing the basket, be sure to factor in your cost in materials (like the basket, filling and cellophane).

DO talk about getting your products free by hosting and DO have recruiting information prominently displayed!

DO observe your neighboring vendors. In downtimes pick their brains for what they find works and doesn't work for them. You may also find they have information on other booths in the area that are coming up. BUT REMEMBER, your customer is the first priority, so only network when things are slow!

DO work these types of events! They provide GREAT practice in talking to people, selling your product and your company. Remember practice makes perfect!

Booth/Vendor events

Today, we will focus on some of the Do's and Don'ts of these events.

DO bring catalogs, fliers, hostess and recruiting packets as well as your date book and EXPECT to date events and sign recruits!

DON'T just leave the catalogs and information sitting out at your booth. People will come to these events and pick up whatever paper is not nailed down. In their mind, they are doing you a favor by taking your brochure. Your materials cost money and while you don't want to be stingy in handing things out. NEVER give out a catalog without getting a name and phone number in exchange for following up! Here's a possible script to use:

Customer - “Can I have a catalog?”
YOU - “Sure, I've got them right under my table, do me a favor and fill out this information card while I get it…”
People will do as they are told…honest, they will…especially if you say this with confidence, the same way you tell your children to put on their coat and shoes because it's time to leave.

DO have some kind of tablecloth or skirting for your display table if none is provided.

DON'T use a tablecloth that is wrinkled, stained or uneven at the bottom. This looks tacky and unprofessional.

DO wear comfortable shoes and clothes.

DON'T wear a tee shirt and jeans. The exception might be if you are wearing a clean nicely pressed logo apron. We recommend a polo shirt or blouse vs. a tee shirt. Dockers are definitely preferable to blue jeans. Remember, you want to look professional, but depending on the event, you don't want to be overdressed (for example, a 3 piece suit at the local YMCA might be overkill). Use your best judgment.

DO have some type of information sheet for customers to fill out. The less information a customer needs to fill out the better. Your company probably already has something in print. Having these cards on a clipboard can be helpful.

DON'T stand in your booth holding your clipboard. People will run the other direction…you look like those survey people at the mall!

A lot on my mind...

I'm going through a few things right now that have really got me thinking. I know I need to ask the question about a new job decision I'm making at the day job and if it will really keep me on track for the goals I have outside of work or if it will suck more time and energy out of me that I don't have as a pregnant 37 year old.

It's funny because there are a lot of opportunities starting me in the face right now but I find myself sucked in a bit to the day job because of the changes happening there and the love of feeling needed and liking a challenge. Sometimes those challenges come with a price. The position I had before this one was REALLY exciting and visible but the support of management was not there. After I had felt like I was doing a bang up job, I was actually asked to find another position. It was devastating at the time but once I left the position my health started to return to normal and my stress level was next to nothing.

I found a quote today I really liked that I wanted to share with all of you...

"Destiny pulls us forward while the disappointments of our past try to drag us back; back into the mud of mediocrity and complacency. Our life soon becomes a tug-of-war of mental and emotional anguish, until the final decision is made. We must resolve within our soul the question; do I go forward, retreat and give up, or simply stand still? My friend, there is only one logical answer to this question, that has plagued the mind of every human on earth - go forward! Embrace the path that leads to your destiny. For the true pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of Destiny."


- James A. Jimason, Author of the book "Destiny is calling you. Can you hear it?"

Sometimes it's really easy to get "off" the path to your Destiny by thinking short term. Though a current position may not feel as fulfilling, juggling life and other business (ie UB) takes time and I'd like to actually devote more time to those things that the day job doesn't necessary allow. Sometimes it's better to sacrifice the immediate challenge for a bit of mediocrity in order to find your new passion and embrace it. Patience is not MY virtue but I'm learning that looking at the big and longer picture vs. the exciting and in your face road that could lead to despair and disappointment is a picture I need to take with the camera in my mind and heart. Didn't mean to get so deep today but hopefully you'll all look at your own internal picture and make sure you are doing what you need to in order to follow your goals and dreams and make them a reality.

- S

How do you treat teenagers? (TSF)

My (almost) eighteen year old daughter came home from having her eyebrows shaped last week and declared that she was taking her business elsewhere.

Let me preface this by saying that along with being a full time student, she works 20-25 hours a week, earning minimum wage plus tips so she pays for these once a month visits to the salon.
So, why is she so miffed? Quite simply - she's tired of being treated like a second class citizen just because she is a teenager. She has found that while the technician is very courteous, the service she gets from the receptionist is just the opposite. Instead of being treated as any paying customer, her age seems to dictate that she be talked down to - almost as if she were an unwelcome nuisance.

I asked if she knew the name of the offending receptionist - and of course she did not. However, today as I had my hair cut and related the story to my stylist, the salon owner, he was (through the magic of computers) able to track exactly which receptionist she was referring to. To his credit - he took the complaint well - was very apologetic - assuring me that this was not the first complaint received about this woman. It seems fairly certain she is not long for the salon.

My teenagers have been complaining for years about the treatment they receive in various places of business in our area - everything from the local pizza parlor to small boutiques and book stores. Unfortunately for them, clearly some of their peers have left poor impressions on the local business owners and so my kids get `lumped' into the category of pest by virtue of their age. And to tell the truth when my children were much younger, I felt the same way.

My point is this, if you have teens as customers - I encourage you to extend them the same courtesy you do everyone else. They are individuals - not a demographic. And remember, most of them have money and are NOT afraid to spend it!

Hive Member Spotlight - Antonia Mangione - PA

I am married with 3 children twin daughters and a boy. I am a stay at home mom. We live in Hershey, PA and yes it does smell like chocolate! My birthday is June 9th and I will be turning the big 40 this year.


I find UB to be very unique and a lot of fun creating and experimenting. My children like to make perfume using flowers and other plant like material and their secret ingredient hand soap. I figured they would be thrilled with the idea. And I was correct they can’t wait to experiment.

I make hand made jewelry which is a lot of work and takes a lot of time away from my family and wanted to try something different that won’t be time consuming creating a product. I have been searching for something people would really enjoy and they can create too. I love the concept of your own personal scent. Every woman wants to be unique and the sense of smell is unforgettable.


My family and friends are very excited and can’t wait to learn more. This is all new to me and I can’t wait to learn more about the company. I am a very supportive person. I am an Herby and yes I do agree with the test.

I think I am looking forward to both a business builder and as a hobby! What is one personality trait you have that you think will help you be successful at UB? I am very creative and I always have new ideas and I am always interested in new ideas.

Very Fun Birthday Party Saturday

So my big bday party of 15 girls was yesterday and I really enjoyed myself and had a great party total. 15 lotions in various scents went out wiith cutesy party bags and my business card!



I had them do the counting but I went ahead and inserted the oils into the bottle and then had them do the mixing stick and shaking. I also do all the writing/taping on the bottles. It went pretty quickly and as usual I learned a few things.

#1. Make sure they understand how much time you have dedicated to the process. I usually take just 1.5 hours tops but this was a larger group so we split it up a bit. Only problem is that they wanted to do cake and presents in between the break and that added on an extra hour of time I wasn't planning on. Note to self - make sure you set timing expectations and make that a priority!

#2. One good thing is that even though only 7 girls showed up she had committed to 15 so the rest of the lotions were made by Grandma's, Aunts, and littler girls with their Moms! Even a brother made a lotion so it worked out fabulous and I got the total sales that way with no issue. I also brought a couple of extra just in case there were last minute sales.

The party was a hit and everyone including the adults thought it was such a "marvelous" idea. I'm actually getting really fond of the bday parties because they are a sure thing and I know exactly what to expect and how to prepare product wise. The kids are usually better listeners than the adults and they also come up with some fabulous concoctions. A strawberry/honeysuckle/passionfruit scent was a favorite of mine today.

The Mom of the birthday girl will also be planning her own adult party in the next month or 2 so I actually booked a party from a party even today! Excellent profits and more places to go = a really good UB You day!

For more information on birthday parties see the teamburst site.

October's Designer of the Month

October has been an incredible month with a ton of new Hive Members and a lot of activity on the team with parties, events, partnerships, and recruiting. It's always exciting for me to look back at our activity and to those who have really rocked thier month and recognize them.



This Hive Member has more than earned her spot in the limelight and I'm so excited to announce that THERESA SMALL is October's Designer of the Month. How did she get there? See below...

• Over $700 in RSV her first month qualifying her for her first 30 day goal for UBS
• Adding a new recruit even though she's a newbie herself - finishing her 30 day qualficiation for UBS and qualifying her for her first prize from Corp.
• Setting up an event with a boutique right out of the gate
• Staying in constant contact via email and updating her uplines
• Attending the New Hive Member Orientation even though its super late her time
• Meeting her goal for the Hive Member October contest (see the newsletter)

I know that Cat's example leads on and I love when our September DOM has her downline qualify for October's DOM! Unbelieveable! Check your mail Theresa for your recognition.

WAY TO GO THERESA AND THANKS FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING! KEEP IT UP WE REALLY WANT TO SEE YOU ON THE UBS CIRCLE!

Busy Weekend!

So I received a phone call the other day (FINALLY) from one of the Silent Auction winners I had donated an hour of Fragrance Design and free product which I'll be doing today. The great thing with some of these events is that even though you donate and get a lot of recognition people never seem to redeem the gift certificate. I would say I've donated to over 10 auctions and gift baskets at events and this is my first phone call!



So this should be fun and I'll let you all know how it goes. I also have a 14 year old's bday party with 15 girls tomorrow and that should be a really fun event. With the $50.00 set up fee, etc. and 15 lotions it turns out to be a profit of $87.00 along with the fee and $217.50 in volume!

I also had a good time with the trick or treaters and handed out birthday party coupons to all girls treating over the age of 8. It was great to have access to my target market and only deal with girls! With lots of trick or treaters it was better than doing something through the school LOL and not wasting it on the wrong crowd.

I want to remind everyone that's new about Hive Points. Visit teamburst to learn more and find ways to earn free product and business tools!

“Oh, this is one of those pyramid schemes…right?”

If you are like me, you absolutely CRINGE when those words come out of the mouth of someone you are talking to about the business opportunity. And as a new consultant, just talking to friends about what I was doing was a stretch - much less when one of my closest friends said to me, “You DO know what you are doing is illegal, right?”







I will never forget it. Here I was all excited about my new party plan business - I had a wonderful product and business that I wanted to share with the people in my life who I most cared about and this was the comment from one of my best friends. I can remember feeling shocked, embarrassed, confused AND tongue tied. I stuttered something incoherent like, “Gee, I don't think this company is doing anything illegal - but I guess I don't know. I sure wouldn't have joined if I thought I was doing something wrong…”



Do you know how to respond when someone assumes that your direct sales/party plan business is a “Pyramid Scheme”? Do you know the difference between a legitimate MLM company and a Pyramid Scheme?



Well, it is actually pretty straight forward.



In a pyramid scheme - there is no product involved. Recruiters earn money just for signing other people up. If there is product involved, it changes hands only within the organization - between consultants and consultants are encouraged to order large volumes of inventory - much more than they can ever sell.



In MLM - no money is made just for signing someone up. That person actually has to sell product in order for the recruiter or upline manager to begin earning income.
This is the short version - but in general all you need to know in order to answer someone who questions the legitimacy of your company.





If you would like more detailed information on Pyramids - I encourage you to cut and paste the link below:
http://www.ftc.gov/speeches/other/dvimf16.shtm

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

If you're like me you're bustling around to handle work and trick or treating going and coming so today I want you to take a breath and remember that tomorrow is November and it's time to start preparing for your holiday sales/parties -if they aren't booked get them booked but take tonight off!

Party Recipe and Great News from a Hive Member

Here is a super recipe to use when having an open house or hosting your own party:


It makes 20 sandwiches so freeze a couple of extra batches!

Crock pot Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

3 pounds lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 (12 ounces) bottle prepared chili sauce
1 (6 ounces) can tomato paste
2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
toasted sandwich buns

In large deep skillet or Dutch Oven, onions, celery and green pepper, transfer to Crock pot
Brown ground beef, drain off fat. Add ground beef to crock pot.
Combine chili sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Stir into beef and veggies
Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serve Sloppy Joes on toasted sandwich buns.

On a separate note, I received a great update from Kimberly Fischer in OR. I was so pleased to see how she's been attracting great opportunities with her positive attitude and great team spirit. This event could have been a real downer for some folks but she didn't let it affect her and what happens next was really worth sharing!

"My Saturday workshop did not have the number of attendees that my hostess (my cousin) had hoped for and planned for. She'd made some really nice snacks/ treats, and only her mom and one friend came. That being said, it was still great fun, and a "success".

My aunt brought her recipe from my Open House and made a shower gel in the scent she had done before. Then, she got to playing around and created another lovely scent and decided to purchase a lotion for that. I packaged it together in one of those cute plastic bags with a twist tie from the Dollar Tree (thank you for the idea) and she loved it even more.

My cousin created her free perfume (I just let the hostess pick a free item for having the show for now) and then created a different scent for a shower gel to purchase. The friend immediately fell for the Urban Botanic concept, decided she was going to purchase the show special, and then told me straight out that she wanted to book her own workshop. Yay! When finishing up with her order, giving her the hostess packet and all, I asked if she would be interested in finding out more about the business side of UB as she had been in direct sales before and this was right up her alley. She said she was interested and so I gave her that. She also went home with an ingredient list and a fragrance family list.

We made plans for contact/followup dates, and her show is scheduled for Dec. 1st (she was so accomodating for a daytime show after finding out about my Chiari and eyesight). My cousin said she is a great person to get interested in this as she has some great connections. I was happy with how it turned out.

My cousin wants to have another workshop to include some others who didn't make it, and to create for herself. She and my aunt are the ones who are familiar with the shop in Portland that lets one create a fragrance, but not in the same way UB does. I'm so glad to have converted them to UB! My cousin said the shower gel did not irritate her skin as other shower gels do, and my aunt loves the lotion. The friend tried the unscented lotion on her hand before adding her scent, and loved the feel and hydration that stayed on her skin throughout the party. She was in love with the ingredients! "

Congratulations Kimberly! You're doing an amazing job!!

Be Your Own Critic

Today's Tip

This tip came from one of our subscribers - Lisa S. WE JUST LOVE this idea Lisa….and you said it best:

I just had a light bulb moment recently and wanted to share it with you. Another direct seller and I were talking about some challenges some of our team members were having. They call and call and call and never get parties. Why, we ask? Well, let's give our downline the assignment of calling THEMSELVES and leaving a message and either ask yourself to book a party OR ask to recruit yourself in the business. Later, have them pick up their message and let them ask themselves "Would I book a party from me?" or "Would I like to be in business with me?" This way, THEY are their own critic , not you.

For the call replay from last night's New Member Orientation Dial:

Free Conference Play Back Playback Number: (641) 985-5009 Access Code: 805628#

We had a great call last night with some great questions and wonderful input!

New Hive Member Orientation Tonite!

Just a reminder for the newbies and their uplines, our orientation call tonite is:

7pm PST
8pm MST
9pm CST
10pm EST

Call in number is 712-775-7000 code: 805628#

Feeling out of BALANCE?

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear Wayne Cordeiro, Senior Pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship Church speak on Leadership and the issue of balance.

While his talk was directed towards church leaders - much of what he had to say can apply to those of us who are in business for ourselves.

The good and bad news of having a home based business is that often it can be easy to feel like you are out of balance. When you are working your business, you feel guilty because you are taking time away from your family. When you are with your family, you feel like you should be working. Personal time, especially in the fall can be at a premium and so it gets ignored completely.

Pastor Cordeiro spoke of the importance of being aware of what fills and what drains your emotional tank. That if you push and push and push, too hard, for too long - eventually your body will be drained of endorphyns and you will find yourself running on adrenaline. This recipe for disaster was the predicament he found himself in several years ago and actually ended up under a doctor's care because he had burnt himself out to the point of complete physical and mental exhaustion. He described himself as a “Dead Leader Running”.

His suggestions are practical, doable and to the point:

Be aware of what fills and drains your emotional tank and write it down. What makes you feel most alive is what fills you.

Think about:

Who am I with?

What am I doing?

Where am I doing it?

The busier you are the MORE you must increase what you do to fill you because if you get too busy to FILL UP you will drain your tank - this is suicide!

Ask your spouse to write down the same list and then exchange lists - it is so important to know one another in this way.

Understand BALANCE in life and the principle of the fulcrum - life and business/ministry and family and business/ministry aren't separate. All are part of each other and sometimes balance happens when you move your heart (fulcrum) more towards one or the other. In other words, there may be times in your life when there is a need to give your family more of your time and energy and the same holds true with your business. The idea that you will be completely be able to operate 50/50 is not realistic.

Learn to lead out of REST. When filling out your calendar, schedule your REST points first and then fill in the work time.

FIND your lightening rod. This is a trusted friend who you can dump stuff on - and they will GROUND it. They listen, don't judge and keep whatever you have said confidential. He also recommended that this person not necessarily be your spouse.

Finally, he stressed the importance of “Disciplining your Daily Devotions.” Once again, beginning the morning with a quiet time is crucial for a day that is in balance. You may have to get up 15 minutes earlier than you planned - but a daily quiet time for reading, prayer or meditation is vital in order to establish and maintain balance in your life.

Ten Ways You Can Support Your Downline

By: Audrey Okaneko

As the team is continuing to grow and many of you are adding your first team members, I thought this article was time appropriate:

Very often in direct sales, folks will ask “how can I help my downline?” Here are ten suggestions of ways to support your downline:

1. Prepare a series of emails that you’ll send to the new person, either one per day, or one per week, depending on how much material you cover. These emails can contain any combination of the information below, or they can contain information on how to host your first party or how to get your first customer. (Thanks to Corp for already doing this)

2. Send a list of phone numbers. Include your phone number, your uplines phone number and the phone numbers to the various departments at your company.

3. Send a list of links to the company, where to order, where to view downline information, where to view personal monthly sales, and where to read about the compensation plan. (This is great - I plan to put these together for the team)

4. In addition to all of the prepared emails and prepared literature, either call or email your new recruit at least once a week for the first month. (I think this is crucial and I'll be taking a lesson from it as well)

5. Most companies offer many support materials. Send a list of what is available and what each of the products are. (Thank you UB Library!)

6. Create a Yahoo Group, or a team website with message boards where you can communicate with your group on a regular basis. This website or group will be available to not only those you sponsor, but also the folks they in turn sponsor. This creates an overall strong group connection with everyone learning and sharing together. (Feel free to utilize teamburst instead of re-inventing the wheel)

7. Make sure you establish a relationship with the downline of your first level recruits. You never know when your first level person might quit, or might become inactive and you don’t want to lose their downline as well. Establishing a relationship with those in your 2nd level, 3rd level etc, helps to ensure everyone’s overall success.

8. Offer incentives to your entire group. One time offer a prize to the top seller. Another time offer a prize to the person who sponsors the most during the contest time. I know some folks who have offered prizes like a fax machine. Other prizes might be sample products, or full size demo products. You might offer a business book, or any other tools that will help your downline increase and build their business. Incentives can be a month long or even a quarter long. I know a few times, I’ve received plaques and awards for year long overall sales or sponsoring.

9. Either through a newsletter or through your team website or Yahoo Group, offer articles relevant to your company or product line. Invest the time to find articles that will be beneficial to your team members.

10. Recognize birthdays. Everyone loves to be told “Happy Birthday”. Make a point of sending a card or small gift to your downline on their birthday. Small gifts would be more appropriate for top achievers, while cards are more appropriate for the rest of your group. By following these suggestions, you’ll contribute to building a strong, solid team.

Hive Member Spotlight - Darlene Debardelben - NC

I am a married mother of five and a grand mother of eight living in New Bern, NC. My birthday is February 19. I have a degree in culinary arts, I’m a publisher poet, and I love the arts. Twice a week, I teach voice to some of the area children who attend Shooting Star Performers, Inc. a nonprofit arts group.

While I was on one of the WAHM sites, browsing the new businesses section, I came across Shawnas' ad. I inspected her site then gave her a call. The decision for me was two fold. The first being, Shawnas' honesty and her willingness to help me understand the business. This is one of the key factors and should be for anyone wanting to join any business. If Shawna had shown the slightest bit of disinterest in having me as a team member or answering my questions, "I Wouldn't Have Signed up!"

A firm example is the story on the blog about the consultant who went to buy a stove. Please read it if you haven’t. The second, was Shawnas' willingness to save me money. Shawna could have allowed me to spend $89.00 to experiment with the signature collection but she didn’t. Her concern was that I would be spending more money than I needed to spend. These are qualities of a true leader and business women. As consultants we want to make money but money should not be the guiding factor of our business. If we will put the needs of the customer first, our business would soar. Customers will always remember that we cared about how and what they felt and most of all we met their needs.

There are no words to explain what’s going on here. My father gave me his blessings and blessed my business last night, My daughter and her friends are hosting shows for me, and several family members have begun to save money to sign on. If I said, "I don't have support I would be lying." For the first time, I have been blessed with an overwhelming amount of support. My fathers’ blessings and prayers have left me speechless. Please know that I am willing to help any one of you. If you have advice, I am willing to listen. We are never too old to learn.

What were your results on the personality test? What is your strongest scent family and do you agree with the results? I love flowers and fruit. The test couldn’t be more accurate. Floral 25% and fruity 25%.

I am a business builder and plan to be with UB for years to come. By next year, I will have a team of consultants who want to build a business as well.

What is one personality trait you have that you think will help you be successful at UB? I am my names’ sake, Beloved.

Shawna's Note:

First of all thanks Darlene for all your kind words! I know you were attracted to the UB for all the right reasons and I'm glad that I could be a part in your journey. Darlene will be a huge success here because she's really focused on the basics and that's scheduling A LOT of parties before her kit arrives and setting herself up for success. With almost 10 parties booked she will have many places to go and financially pay off her kit in her first week! CONGRATS!

The juggling act… (TSF)

Gloria writes: I've been a Independent Consultant for 2 1/2 years. I love my products, but I really needed a pay check job. How do I do both without giving one up?

Dear Gloria -

Thanks for your question, it is a good one.

First of all, you need to know you are far from alone. Many of our subscribers work full or part time jobs outside the home alongside their home party businesses.

We have found that they are probably more successful with their home businesses, because they have a limited amount of time to work. I know from personal experience that when I have more to do in less time - I am more productive. How about you?

The key to juggling two jobs; is organization.

Always carry your list of phone calls to make with you. Take advantage of your commute by making calls and also use your lunch hour to be in touch with customers and team members. You will probably find that you are more effective and efficient with your phoning because you have a list AND because your time is limited.

Having a portable file box with you in your car with pre-stuffed hostess and recruiting packets will help you be prepared to do business anytime and anywhere. Take advantage of the networking opportunities that your job presents whenever possible; always being careful not to step on toes with your employer.

Finally, we at TSF encourage you to build a sizeable team (75-100+) as quickly as possible. You will find that the residual income created when your team is at this size will become the steady paycheck that you need from your direct sales business. Once your team has grown to this size, it may be that you will no longer need that “paycheck job”.

Shawna's Note:

This post was really helpful for me because I realize that SIZE does matter LOL and that the larger the team the better your paychecks will be! At a team of 43 my commission checks (off of the team not my own personal volume) are around $200 - $300 a month depending. So I can see currently what I need to do in order to get the point I'm making the Beach House payment (my first goal with UB) on a monthly basis. A team of 100 is the first stsep and I'm almost 1/2 way there in just a little over a year!

The Tricks with Boutiques

A Designer on the team had a boutique she's interested in working with and sent me an email in regards to how they wanted to "partner" with UB which made me think this would be a great post for those of you out there trying to link up with some boutiques in your area.

Working with boutiques is a very fine line. They can be a great way to get the word out and their events can draw in party goers for you that you would never have met BUT there are quite a few BUTS on the ins and outs with staying legal in Corp's eyes that I want to point out as they can be a slippery slope.

This specific Designer was VERY SMART. She contacted me before things got out of hand with the boutique and we were able to set them straight before anything had been promised. Here are the main issues with what they wanted to do and what MOST boutiques will want to do unless you let them know up front.

1. This boutique wanted to pay the regular UB price to the Designer and then upsell the products for 3x the amount to their customers. I explaiend to the owner that we can never upcharge the UB products. We're happy to give some of our commissions to the boutique owners, but the customer can in no way pay more than the regular retail price regardless who the scent is named after, etc.

2. The boutique requested specific labeling and packaging for their store. This again is a NO NO. Our packaging is what it is. If you'd like to have a sticker or logo on the back with the recipe and tape over it so it stays, that's fine but we cannot change the packaging.

3. The boutique wanted to stock our product in the store and sell it retail. Again this is a very fine line. We have permission to leave a sample for store clients' to try. If they wish to purchase I have them fill out a UB order form and pay the store who in turn pays me the amount and I drop ship the product to the customer. (You may charge the actual shipping costs as well).

These 3 items seem to come up the most often and it's critical that we don't misrepresent what the store can do with our products and what we can offer the store.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to post a comment...