Maintain a Success Circle in Direct Sales & Relationship Marketing

How many times you’ve been out shopping and as you walk back through your door you recall that you should have bought some greeting cards?  Have you ever suddenly remembered that it’s your best friend’s Anniversary in a week’s time and you have not mailed her a greeting card, or even purchased it yet?  How many times have you thought of sending your clients a “thank you” card but the thought of writing 20, 30 or 50 cards is so daunting you never get started?

I know this happens because it used to happen to me.  I’ve also had people tell me in March that they have unwritten cards they should have sent out in November or December of the previous year but it was such an overwhelming task that it got started but was not completed.

Send Out Cards is a unique greeting card system with a complete online service Read the rest of this entry »

The biggest reason most people fail to reach their goals is a lack of action.  The fact that you have taken the time to write your goals on paper, identified the areas in your life that you would like to see these goals realized, and determined what steps you need to take to achieve them means that the only step left is to take action.

Goal setting can build your self-confidence when you achieve the goals you’ve set and are able to measure the process.  This gives an overwhelming sense of achievement and is a confidence booster because you are now able to quantify what you have accomplished and can conceive reaching for higher goals and perhaps greater challenges.

It’s important to set performance goals rather than base your success on ‘outcome’ goals since achieving them may involve unforeseen circumstances over which you have little or no control.

When you’ve achieved a goal, take time to enjoy the satisfaction to enjoy it, note what worked and did not work for you and continue to learn from every successfully completed goal in your life and your business.

One of the things I’ve had on the wall in my home office for several years is a poem that I found a long time ago.  Every now and again I need to remind myself of why I need to focus on  goals that I’ve set in various aspects of my life and the poem reminds me.  I’d like to share it as you may find that it encourages you as well.  Unfortunately I’ve never been able to find who the author is but if you’ve seen it before and know, please share.

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE DREAMERS WITH GOALS

Your dreams are you vision of where you’ll be after the battle,
your prize at the end of your journey to success.
Your goals are the steps you take to finally attain your prize.

Unless you’re willing to work hard and establish some discipline in your life,
all of your dreams will be pipe dreams,
little mental fantasy trips that will never materialize.

Make concrete steps toward fulfilling your ultimate dream,
and start with solid objectives and goals.

Your dreams are where you want to go,
your goals are how you get there.

The indispensable first step
to getting the things you want out of life is this:
Decide what you want.

Don’t be afraid to think big and dare to be great.
Dreamers are not content with mediocrity.
They never dream of going halfway.
People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.

Are you a dreamer or a goal-setter?  Dream big, but set the goal to achieve the dream!

Customer follow-up is an area that is important in any business, but is critical to anyone in any type of sales.

1.The Invisible Sign - Mary Kay Ash taught that she imagined that everyone wore an invisible sign around their neck that says “Make Me Feel Important.”  Isn’t this really true about ourselves even if we don’t readily admit it?  We know it has value because when we are made to feel special by someone else, and especially at a place where we spend our money, we remember it.

Business owners – entrepreneurs must promote ideas and implement strategies to ensure that each customer is made to feel special.  Ultimately each business owner has to determine which ideas Read the rest of this entry »

A clump is a knot or tight cluster of people or things.  It’s a natural tendency in humans to want to stay in groups with   whom they feel comfortable – either people you already know or those with whom you share similar interests.

There are times when staying within your clumps or tight cluster may not be a good idea.  Business events like large training groups, business functions and local networking events usually create opportunities for exposure, networking, building connections and, of course, taking advantage of learning opportunities from others.

If you congregate with just your known circle, you are not allowing yourself to make Read the rest of this entry »

People have been known offline to make a big fuss about huge ‘Giveaways’ that turn out to be very disappointing for many customers because the item that was given was of poor quality or of very little value.

What about those of us who work online?  What should we give away, and how can giving away valuable products help to attract more visitors and ultimately business to our website?

The most important thing to keep in mind is that whatever we give away, whether it’s a free report, an e-book, e-course, teleseminar, etc. should be of good quality and value.  Someone may reason that it does not make sense Read the rest of this entry »

The main concern and goal for everyone who markets a business online is to get traffic or people visiting their website.  In most cases that website will be  a blog, but your online business may also promote an e-Commerce website

To keep your visitors coming back to your site so they can get to know you, they need to feel that you are an expert on your topic, or at least that you have a good grasp of your niche and can provide good content and advice.

One place you have the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and lead them back to your website in at Yahoo! Answers (http://answers.yahoo.com).  Questions on various topics are asked and answers are given.  People are Read the rest of this entry »

Working from home is the ideal work environment for many; it’s a necessity for some; while others are unwilling work-from-home women or men, having been forced to create their own businesses because of a variety of factors.

Regardless of your reasons for working from home it’s important to recognize that there are elements that can rob you of your energy, cause mental and physical fatigue, and how to avoid them:

1.            Not enough sleep: Experts recommend at least 6-8 hours sleep every night for you to function at your peak performance each day.  Studies indicate that the average American gets only about 4 hours sleep.

2.            Lack of exercise: Exercise is an energy booster because it stimulates the free flow of blood and oxygen Read the rest of this entry »

In my previous post I revealed 7 principles that I got from a review of Chapters 1-5 of The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles From America’s Greatest Woman entrepreneur.”  Today my review continues with timeless principles that can benefit small business owners, leaders in direct sales, entrepreneurs who outsource tasks, and every thought-leader who works with people; all from Chapters 6-12.

1.  Giving criticism: Criticism will most likely be made at some point but Mary Kay felt that a good manager should direct criticism to what’s wrong; not who’s wrong.

Managers must be strong and speak in a straightforward way, but should sandwich that criticism between praise – before and after.  Doing so lessens anger on the part of the recipient.  When people Read the rest of this entry »

In 2003 Mary Kay Ash was awarded the title of Greatest Female Entrepreneur in American History, and a Wharton/PBS Study named her one of the 25 greatest business leaders of our time.

It therefore follows that the principles outlined in the book, “The Mary Kay Way:Timeless Principles  From America’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur“  can be applied to anyone –male or female– who has to deal with people and is aspiring to build a successful business.

1.  Embrace the philosophy of the Golden Rule as a daily guide for business interactions with fellow employees and personalized customer service.  The result is a commitment to excellence and the foundation for every leadership decision.  Based on Matthew 7:12.

2.  Good leaders should never have dollar signs in their eyes, regarding people merely as profit.  Rather, the concern should be how you can help each person to reach Read the rest of this entry »