Shake it off and take a step up!

One day a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway; so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. Realizing what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly. Then, a few shovelfuls later, he quieted down completely. The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovelful of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of dirt. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off, to the shock and astonishment of all the neighbors. Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to not let it bury you, but to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.

We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

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The moral to the story is very simple.  Life is going to shovel dirt at you.  You have two choices:

You can be buried alive by the dirt life throws at you

or

You can shake it off and step up

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

Organize for Success: Increase Productivity and Profit by Managing Your Time and Space

Folks: Today I'm showcasing 3 online seminars from Networking Times. They're all free, about an hour long and they provide some really great gems for those of us in direct marketing.


Presenter: LAURA ARIDGIDES, Ph.D. 
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM PDT

This Webinar is a must for any entrepreneur. Being able to function at a high level of productivity and generate massive results in your business directly correlates to the level of organization and your ability to successfully manage time.

In this webinar, you will learn 10 strategies for better organization, 7 tips to save you time and much more from Dr. Laura Aridgides, an 11-year veteran high producer in both direct sales and network marketing.

You will leave with a game plan that you can implement immediately, including simple organizational systems that will help you create order from chaos, as well as specific time management techniques that will help you get more done in less time while feeling balanced and refreshed.

Get ready to:
• Learn 10 strategies for better organization in your business
• Discover 7 things that you can do to get more done in less time
• Increase productivity and profit in your business
• Create balance and synergy between work, family, job or other obligations
• Implement systems that will help you simplify and streamline your business

Register Online

Don’t Sell Anything on Facebook

(Nick's Note: After experimenting with selling on Facebook, I couldn't agree more. Folks just tune you out when you're selling. Engaging them is far more effective.)

By Dave Kerpen

I was thinking of titling this post, “5 Better Ways to Engage on Facebook” because that’s the content I plan on delivering to you. But the truth is, I wanted to get your attention.

If you’re a reader of this blog, you’re likely involved in the direct sales industry. And there are 450 million+ people on Facebook, including you and just about everyone you know (My 90 year old grandma joined this week.) The average Facebook user has 130 friends, and many of you have way more friends (or “people who like you”, if you have a Fan Page). So the temptation to sell to all of these people is powerful.

The problem, of course, if that this does not work. The moment someone tries to sell to me on Facebook, for instance, unless I’ve really grown over time to know, like, and trust that person, I’ll immediately de-friend. Do YOU like to be sold to, or engaged?

Too many direct sellers and direct selling companies are making their updates all about them and their products. If you want to win on Facebook, it’s more about creating “likeable content.” The content shouldn’t be arbitrary, of course. It should be relevant to your category or target audience. For example, if you’re selling:

* Cooking products, think recipes
* Health & beauty products, think celebrity beauty tips
* Gardening items, link to articles about gardening

You may consider content about entrepreneurs and business success too.

Over the course of time, likeable, engaging content will build trust with your audience, and they will become excited buyers who come to you, instead of you trying (and failing) to sell to them on Facebook. Here are my 5 most engaging types of updates:

1. Post photos. A picture is worth a thousand words. Instead of using words, post pictures. By posting interesting pictures, you will get people talking.
2. Post videos. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a thousand pictures. Create a short form content video between 30 seconds and two minutes and share it with your friend or fans. A great feature about posting a video on Facebook is if someone is watching the video, they can click on the top left of the video to “like” the page if they haven’t already!
3. Share links to interesting articles and resources with your friends or fans. Links are a great way to bring relevant content to your page that may not be your own.
4. Ask questions. If people are not commenting on your updates, it is often because you are not asking them to. If you ask people what they think of something or what they are doing, they will answer these questions on your page.
5. For the more advanced users, utilize interactive apps including polls, quizzes, and virtual gifts. These are some ways to engage your friends and fans on a more advanced level.

What other ways do you engage with your friends and fans? Share by commenting here!

Greed is Good: Why You Need to Tap Into Your Inner Gordon Gekko

April 28th, 2010 by Robert Pagliarini

Greed is good. Embrace it. Love it. Live it. In fact, greed may be the one thing that can save us. Don’t believe me? Greed was the foundation for this country. The brave souls who risked their life to settle in a new country did so out of self interest. Our forefathers recognized the importance of self-interest in the Declaration of Independence where they emphasized our unalienable right to pursue happiness.
Greed is good not just for your own life but for others as well. By elevating your life, you can radically elevate your family’s life, your community, and yes, even the world. Mother Teresa was greedy — she had an unquenchable thirst for serving the poorest of the poor. Missionaries are greedy in their quest to spread their religious beliefs. You just need to get greedy. You need to focus so intently on what it is you want that your desire seeps out of your pores.



But not all greed is created equal. The greed that nearly brought the world economy to a screeching halt in 2008 is disgusting. The greed that led to millions of hardworking people around the world losing their jobs is not “good greed.” You can (and must!) be greedy without exploiting others.
The problem is not that we’re too greedy, it’s that we’re not greedy enough! Sure, there are the occasional Bernie Madoffs and John Edwardses that lose themselves in their excessive desire — that will do anything to achieve their goal — but that’s not the issue most of us face. Our problem is that we are plagued by not caring, wanting, or being voracious enough in the pursuit of our own goals.

The solution? Stop putting yourself last and stop sacrificing your goals and dreams. Any successful entrepreneur is greedy. They have an insatiable desire to see their product come to market. They want to see their invention in the hands of as many people as possible. They want their book to hit the New York Times bestseller list. They will do whatever it takes to achieve their goal. They will stay up later and get up earlier. They‘ll say no more often.

Want to lose weight? Put yourself first. Schedule time on your calendar to exercise and don’t cancel for anything. Don’t let others get in the way of your goal. I get criticized for bringing my own food to parties and events. I don’t get this. Should I just go along with what everyone else is eating even though I know it’s not best for me? If I only wished for better health, I wouldn’t go through the hassle of preparing and bringing my own food and instead I‘d have a plateful of little weenies and Doritos. But I’m not simply wishful. I am greedy. Nothing is going to get in my way of better health — not even annoyed looks from the host.

The other 8 hours are the secret to improving your life. By focusing on yourself, and by elevating your own life, you are then best able to transform the lives of others. Self-focused is not selfish; self-focused is self-less. You learn this every time you get on a plane . . . “put on your own mask before helping others.”

When you invest in yourself during the other 8 hours, the life you change may be more than just your own. Now it’s your turn. Tap into your inner Gordon Gekko and relentlessly pursue your happiness.

The 30-Minute Business

I dedicate a lot of time to my Avon business. I can't help it, I love what I do. But there are definitely days when I just don't have the time to give 4-6 hours a day to my part-time business.

If you only had 30 minutes a day to dedicate to your business, how would you spend it? Mine would look something like this:

5 minutes: Input receipts into Shoeboxed.com
5 minutes: Review any new materials on youravon.com
10 minutes: Contact customers via email/phone/postcards/constantcontact.com
5 minutes: Look at upcoming brochures. Plan sales strategy for next campaign.
5 minutes: Listen to a podcast, audiobook or something inspirational

It's not a lot of time, but you can squeeze a lot of mileage out of just 30 minutes a day on your business

Campaign 11 - Double Dollars - Throw A Party w/my Party Pack

You've probably heard that throwing an Avon Party is a great way to boost your income as a Representative. Most reps don't have experience, or get tongue-tied or just simply don't have the time to prepare for parties with new products being released every 2 weeks.

This packet gives you the word-for-word script of what to say for 10 hot Campaign 11 Items! Simply print out the Party notes, arrange your items and start reading! It's as simple as that. And with the Clipboard Order Form, you have a hand ready-to-go order form custom made for this event!

NOTE: These are the identical notes that I will be using for my C11 parties. I'm starting the price at a low $3.99 so that you can try my products risk-free. In the future, I will add additional handouts including Which products to order, how to tab your catalogs and much more! Prices will go up when the entire packet is put together, so enjoy this low introductory price.

Want to order a downloadable pack for yourself? http://www.youpublish.com/files/29721

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!

Social Media Marketing is Not Your Core Business

Nick's Note: Here's a great article by Jen Fong. It's true what she says, if you're spending more time trying to attract customers using Facebook, Twitter, etc than actually talking to your customers, you're doin' it wrong.

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Are you spending your life in front of a computer? 

If you’re a direct seller, I sure hope not.

You see, direct selling is, at its heart, a person to person business, and your main job is NOT social networking.  While it’s great to use social media as one of the tools in your overall marketing strategy, it’s important to remember that this is NOT your core business.

Your core business is making appointments (booking parties in party plan), selling products, and recruiting new consultants/distributors into the business.  This is what makes you money.  Your social media efforts should be focused on creating more opportunities to do your core business.

Don’t get so swept away with social media marketing, that you forget what your job is.  Otherwise, you may find yourself with a huge list of friends online, and nothing to show for it.

So how do you use social media marketing to provide opportunities for your core business?

• Find people who may have an interest in your products or opportunity through targeted keyword searches, and word of mouth referrals from other friends.
• Provide content-driven status updates and links to articles that answer questions your target market has, related to your product line or home-based businesses in general.
• Build relationships with people through conversation and “small talk.”
• Be helpful to your online friends.  Find resources they’re looking for, and answer their questions.

That’s how you start.  Later you can provide an online community/group for your existing customers to drive reorders, blog for your business, and more.

But to get started, simply begin connecting with people.  And then, when the opportunity presents itself, try to turn that relationship into an opportunity for a call or a meeting with them.  That’s how you use social media marketing to create opportunities for your core business.

At the end of the day, isn’t that what it’s all about? 

Getting The Camps Organized

It's "New Catalog" time; time for me to contact customers and let them know that the newest catalog is out. I was assuming that everyone knows that our catalog comes out every two weeks, but it turns out (from an informal poll) that this is news to my customers.

Why is it important for them to know when the new catalog comes out? So that they're lookin' for it -- they become hungry for good deals and to be the first to see the new product.

My problem has become that there are so many ways to contact people that I can't always do it effectively. Here's what I find myself doing:

1) Customers who I know "buy": Drop a catalog off personally, sometimes with a handwritten note. Old fashioned customer service rocks and it shows in sales.

2) Email customers: I don't have the time to deliver books to each and everyone one, so I drop an email with details that the books are available online

3) I leave books out in front of my home. For as many people take them, they're not really "customers" because I don't have their contact info.

I need to find a better way to target customers and get them all notified. I've thought about a "Call Tree": A service where I call and leave a voice mail and it goes out to everyone whose phone number I have. Not sure if it would be worth the expensive price tag.