How To Use Video Conferencing (EASY) for Your Direct Sales Business

From Jen Fong Speaks

I am SUPER excited to share with you that Skype has launched a beta version of its service which supports up to 5 video callers at a time.  (Windows only…Mac coming soon.)  Now if you’re not yet familiar with this service, you are REQUIRED to go download it after you finish this article.    Seriously, though, this service is SO easy to use and makes SO much sense for direct sellers, I can’t imagine a direct seller living without it!


You see, Skype allows you to have face to face conversations with people anywhere in the world.  Oh, and did I mention that it’s FREE to make those calls?  All you need is a computer with a webcam, and the Skype software, which you can download from their website for free.

OK now all you techno-phobes…don’t you all go freaking out on me at the thought of “video conferencing.”  Skype is so easy to use, my elementary school kids can do it.  We Skype regularly while I’m on the road.  We’ve even had dinners together on Skype.  It rocks.  So I want you to give yourself the benefit of the doubt here.  If you can use your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) you can Skype.

Here are some of the applications for direct sellers:

• Coaching calls – We all know how important body language is.  When you are coaching someone in your downline, imagine being able to see their face and their body language!  What kind of difference would that make?  HUGE!
• Team meetings - You’ve got a team meeting going on in someone’s living room, but someone on the team can’t make it because her husband has to work late and she doesn’t have a babysitter.  Guess what?  Now she can come…and participate…through Skype!
• Opportunity meetings – There are a couple applications here.  If you’re a leader training someone on your team how to conduct an opportunity interview, and they don’t live nearby, imagine being able to see one another as your team member watches you conduct that interview.  And it’s also a great way for someone who is good at recruiting to help others on the team bring people into their organizations.  One person does the presentation, and up to 4 others can ask questions and otherwise participate.
• Virtual presentations – Say your sister in Toledo totally wants to host a party for you, but you live in Alaska.  A challenge, right?  Not anymore!  Just login via Skype, and her friends can see your demo, ask questions, and enjoy the experience.  And if a couple friends can’t make it to your sister’s living room, well they can login too as part of the Skype meeting.  You can also use this technology for one on one presentations, calling on your upline to help you demonstrate if necessary.
• Sharing the convention experience – I’ve talked about this as a use for live streaming video before, but Skype now provides a great way for team members who can’t make it to convention to get a little taste of the experience.  Just gather all the team members at convention together at a certain time, log into Skype with your computer, and have your team members who couldn’t make it get just a taste of the excitement your team members in attendance are enjoying.  What a great way to encourage folks to make it next year!

The new version is in Beta right now, and therefore is free.  When the official version comes out, group calls will incur a charge.  But go download it right now, so you can take advantage of it while it’s free!
Do you use Skype?  How?  Would love to hear your ideas for using Skype for a direct selling business below!

Having a Party? Tab Your Books!

When I have an Avon party, it's important for me to be able to show my guests where in the catalog they can find the products I'm showcasing.  Considering the size of our catalogs and the small page numbers, that can be tricky for most guests.

I came up with a method of tagging my books that makes the job easy. When I first started, I used colors post it notes. That worked well, but it got expensive. Every new campaign & party meant having to purchase new post its.

Then I moved on to paper circles that I would cut out with a hand punch and then glue to each page with a glue stick. They were nicer than the PostIts because they were more rigid allowing guests to flip the to correct page easier. However, after each party, I was stuck with a book with was then stuck with colored circles, making it impossible to pass along.

I think I've found the solution. These combination PostIts & Paper Clips are call "Clip Its" and I found them at a local office supply place.  They have the rigidity of the paper, the visual appeal of the Post Its, and the flexibility of paper clips. When I'm done with them at a party, I slide off the Clip Its and I can reuse them at the next party. Cool, huh?

Blogging Secrets for Building Your Credibility, Your Brand and Your Business

Presenter: DAVE SAUNDERS 
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM PDT

In this Webinar, Dave Saunders will teach you how anyone can start a blog and how having a blog can help you grow your business.
By popular demand, this class will teach you the essentials of building a blog that positions you as a person of authority in your marketplace. Blogging is one of the easiest methods for building an audience of followers.
While some stand out, most fail because of simple mistakes.  Learn how to keep your blog from the scrap heap and make it work for you.

• Discover the Do's and Don'ts of blogging
• Learn the best places to start blogging for free
• Promote your blog through social media using free and automated social media techniques
• Learn the five best types of blog posts you can use anytime
• Find out how to use your blog to position yourself as an authority in your niche, even if you barely passed English class

Register Here

Avon's Representative Times

Up until a few months ago, we used to get a paper copy of the Representative Times newsletter. It's a great resource for sales advice, product tips and sales information. In an effort to go green (and probably save some green), Avon now publishes the Representative Times online only.

You find the Representative Times on your home page. Right now it's in the lower right corner, a pink box that says, "Representative Times". Click the link and enjoy the new news!

Great Name Badge from Delux Trophies

I ordered myself a name badge to celebrate becoming a Unit Leader. After a quick search, I found a badge at www.deluxtrophies.com. The online image looked serviceable, but nothing spectacular. I was in a rush to get it before I went to convention, so I just ordered it.

About a week later, my badge arrived. STUNNING! The quality of the badge is certainly not reflected by the only picture. The actual badge is shiny, heavy metal and has a 2-magnet closure so that it won't poke a hole through my clothing. Rock on.

Totally worth the $10.

Affirmations for Living An Empowered Life

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” – Henry Ford


I am one of those people who believe that "if you can dream it, you can be it." For most of us, we have a soundtrack of negative thoughts in our head that tells us, "You're not good enough. You don't deserve it. You'll never accomplish anything." If you listen to those voices in your head, they'll win. 

Changing that soundtrack isn't easy. It's taken you years to convince yourself that you can't succeed. I have been listening to subliminal tracks for a long time and I truly believe they help, but I just found a new tool that I really dig.

Denise Lynch created Living an Empowered Life but it's not a subliminal message. You can clearly hear Denise's soft voice giving you encouragement and advice over a new-age soundtrack. I play it so that it's just softly audible, allowing myself to be subtly brainwashed with the positive messages. 

And you know what? After 48 hours of this therapy, I do feel more....lifted. More optimistic. 

And that optimistic attitude translates to a better salesman. What you believe, you can achieve, folks.

The Avon Convention is a Week Away!

I've got my ticket and hotel reservation for the Avon National Convention in Vegas next week. Not only am I looking forward to a few nights away, I'm really looking forward to sucking up as much information as I can in those few days.

I hear from some of the women who went last year that they came home completely inspired and I watched as their performance levels sky-rocketed. I could use that little extra inspiration right now.

One of my iPhone apps I've got poised and ready is ForgetMeNot, a tool that lets me take a photo of a new contact and jot a few notes about that person, where I met them, and I can even link them to other contacts so I can remember the association. With ForgetMeNot's online tool, my registered account will allow me to view all of my new contacts online. I wish that there were some advanced features, like being able to search Facebook or LinkedIn for that person, but perhaps in time.

Anyone know of any other good iPhone apps for networking?

Financial Site: Shoeboxed.com

Last week I was interviewed by Ryan at Outright.com about how I was using their spectacular site. I told him that I was so impressed how easy Outright was to use, and how a non-financial person like me could even understand it.

Ryan asked if there were any features that I'd like to see and I commented that I would like to be able to scan my receipts (ala Neat Receipts) and have those receipts auto-imported into Outright.

"Have you tried our partner site, Shoeboxed? With Shoeboxed, you can do just that; scan your receipts and have them imported directly into Outright."  I was beyond stoked.

Last night I registered an account with Shoeboxed, scanned some receipts and started playing around. With the free account, Shoeboxed does not auto-scan and OCR your receipts; you still have to manually import the data from the receipt into Showboxed. However, one thing I DO like about this is that the format to input the data is more like a form and less like a traditional ledger. For me, that makes it much easier to see and understand.

The instructions on how to sync Shoeboxed and Outright were a little confusing; the link was a little hidden. I had to take several trips to the "help" screens to figure it out. However, once I got it configured, magic happened.

All of my receipts were then synced with Outright's site, all of the details were ported over, and best of all, there was a link to see the original scan of the receipt. Way. Freakin. Cool.

To be fair to Shoeboxed, there is a service that ranges from $10-$50 a month that allows you to mail in your receipts. Shoeboxed with scan your receipts and I believe they will attempt to populate all of the fields including date, store, amounts, and even the credit card used for purchase. I'm not sure that I generate enough receipts yet, but I can see that being a valuable upgrade.

Final report? Shoeboxed is awesome. Marry it to Outright, and you have some downright spectacular tools. This is going to make tax time next year so much easier.

Business Cards - Make Yours Work Double Duty!

If you're like any other business person, you have a business card. Name, phone number, website address. Standard stock. Maybe some clip art. Very nice.

Why not make your business card work double duty as a recruiting tool?

On the back side of my card, I let customers know that I'm also a recruiter and I could help them build their own Avon business.

You Do NOT Need a $150 MakeUp Case

As soon as I joined Avon, I hurried out to eBay and purchased a very nice, but very expensive professional makeup case. This case was designed for professional makeup artists and I wanted to show a level of professionalism. At $150, it was an investment that I was willing to make.

Shortly after receiving it, I filled it top to bottom with samples, bottles, brochures and everything I could. Immediately I learned that it was too heavy to lift by the handles on the case and the wheels on it were too small. After trying to make it work for me for 3 months, I ditched it.

While strolling at my local Pat Catan's craft store, I found a rolling craft cart. It was nothing more than a big plastic milk cart on heavy duty wheels, with a canvas covering with multiple pockets. These posckets held 5x more than the other case that I had and it was far more durable. And at $29, it was a much better bargain.

Two of these cases are all that I need for a tradeshow. One case carries everything that I need for a party. The one in the picture is similar to the one I have. The one in the Amazon ad is the one that I have, but I paid a fraction of that amount.

Long story short: Find a tool that works - not a tool that impresses.

Use and Appreciate The Tools You Have

I want an iPad. I really want an iPad.

At first, I justified that I wanted an iPad because I would use it for my Avon business. I would use my iPad to create labels, send emails, and connect with my customers. From the day that the iPad came out, I could see myself toting this electronic wonder around and showing off the marvel to astonished women as we found the perfect shade of lipstick for them.

Then I did something that I rarely do: I thought about this purchase from a business standpoint. I already have a laptop and a netbook. I bought the netbook last year for this very reason. The netbook now sits in my basement where I do nothing more than run labels on it. I took it to a coffee shop a few times, but it mostly sits downstairs, waiting for a label to be run.

I don't need a new iPad. I just want one. Would it make my work easier? Perhaps. But the truth is that I have a tool that can do everything the iPad can do, and I don't need to spend $600 for a device to just print some labels and send emails.

What I need to do is to utilize the tools that I have. Make them work better. Understand their potential. Tap their full capabilities.

What tools do you have that you don't use? YourAvon.com? A laptop? Motivational recordings? Customer lists?