“In sales, you do not get paid for your time, you get paid for your activity and the only activities that pays are calling and seeing the people”

Starting today, take your contact list and begin to make phone calls. I like you
to call until you get 3 live calls each day, where you asked that person to either book, try the products or met to hear about the opportunity. Once you made three live contacts then you are done for the day.

Success Tip: Find your self an accountability buddy to hold you accountable for your goals.

Topics you can cover with your accountability buddy:
• How many calls did you make?(not emails , how many did you dial)
• How many live calls did you make? (where you spoke to a live person and asked them to either book, try the products, here about the business)
• How many appointments did you set? (set a P2P appointment, book a soiree, 30 min. coffee appt. for the business)

Do not wait to make phone calls. Start making calls and setting appointments, Today!

Marketing Direct Sales

Allowing yourself to feel inspired and motivated in the midst of setbacks is definitely not easy to do. We get stumped all the time in business “I can’t believe she didn’t like the product samples” or “I can’t believe she won’t even return my email or call” and so forth.

It’s easy to get caught up in these setbacks, if you allow yourself to wallow in them. Instead, accept whatever it is “as is” and move on. Don’t make it about you because it’s not about you. Try not to read into what happened or make assumptions. Don’t take it personally.

Most direct sellers give up because they channel disappointments into self-judgement such as “I must suck at this direct sales business” or “no one’s interested in the products or opportunity”. Our mind tends to turn one setback into a full-blown drama and create a personal story why we’re not good at such and such.

So start managing your self-talk and learn to master self-control. The first step is to be fully conscious and aware that you can only control your own way of thinking – shifting your mind to this self mastery will really help you to master your direct sales business and in your personal life.

Ground Floor Opportunity

Choosing to leave Arbonne and join Votre vu was a weight off my shoulders.   The deciding factor to end my career with Arbonne and pursue another company came when I took my commission for the month of July with Arbonne and compared it to Votre Vu compensation plan.  What I quickly discovered was this: my personal sales /team volume commissions was 4 times what I made with Arbonne.

That was a no brainer for me.  I was sold.

Since I was leaving one skin care company to join a superior one, I was able to tap into my long list of clients and I was already knowledgeable on skin care.  The only learning curve I had was studying their products and the history of the lab.   Once I made the decision to go I have never looked back.  The success I have found is immeasurable.

You hear so often it’s about timing. ..

I signed on August 2008, 6 weeks before the doors open.  In my first month, I promoted to Director.  I added 6 business builders to my team in my first 6 weeks.  My business continued to grow in my first year I had earned top sales and sponsoring for the company.  I got to walk across the stage not just once but eight times.  Thank goodness they packaged up my goodies and mailed them home for me – I would have so been over the 50 lb weight limit for luggage.

What.  a.  Rush. 

My accomplishment with Votre Vu continue to grow and I earned the Creme de la Creme award (tops in sales and sponsoring during our Incentive trip toParis,France).  I was flown toParisfor 4 night and 5 days, $1000 shopping spree, Baccarat crystal necklace – an all expense paid trip. Since then I have been able to earn 3 more:  Cancun, a cruise andNapaValley.

Incredible! 4 all expense paid incentive trips in just 2 years.  How cool is that!   And not a dime out of my pocket.

While all my personal achievements are fun, what I  truly enjoy is helping others find the strengths that already have and then take those strengths and turn it into a flourish business.  What I have uncovered as I speak at our National conferences and train at our break out sessions is that I am surrounded by savvy women who have the desire to help others who thrive on self worth.

When considering a business to invest in, go straight to the compensation plan. 

Are you paid weekly or monthly?

How many pay scales can you earn?

What are the requirements to get paid?

What are the requirements to order product at the lowest costs?

How long does it take to promote and the requirements?

Does the entire volume of  your direct recruits  stay with you when they promote?

Look to see if people can ride on your hard work if so that is a red flag.

Wishing you success and joy in your business endeavors

Warmly,

Lisa Dastuto

Do you take into account what goes out of your pocket to close a sale?  Let’s be honest about this: the majority of people in direct sale do it to make money.  It’s a business.  And a business without profit is a charity – even those employed are getting paid!

So let’s examine what actually happens when you set off to build your business by holding a home party.

For example,  At Arbonne, there hostess rewards offer the hostess $100 worth of products for $20 only when her sales reach $250.  No 50% off.  No monthly specials. No hostess gift.   I don’t know about you but I would not be motivate to book a show on that!

When I  was building with Arbonne, we consultants did not think this was generous enough so we paid for the first $20 for the hostess  – which ate into our profit margin.

Why did we do this?  Our upline coached us that our hostess might be our next business builder and the pay out on that was much greater.  It actually felt rather swarming to me, that type of underlying assumption.   My upline also instructed to me drive to the hostess house to determine set up and then to drive there again after the party to deliver the products.   The purpose: to make that connection with our hostess in hopes that she become a business builder.  Even smarmier!

That first run never seemed to work for me.  I just did not have the time.   However, I did commit delivering the products and that was a big inconvenience since my boys were little.  I always had them in the car driving somewhere but I kept telling myself, this is for the big picture. It will pay off.

But it didn’t.  I began to resent the volumes of time I had given and the unbalanced return to my bank account.   Can you relate?

Fast forward to my business now……… 

 Doing shows is such a joy and I have so much fun!  Why?  My new company makes it easy.Nothing comes out of my pocket for the hostess.   All rewards are paid by the company and they are very generous.  All orders ship straight to the customer.  You should see the hostess face light up when I tell she does not have to make deliveries.  And,  the guest don’t have to wait for the hostess to close out her party either. Their orders ship as soon as I enter them.

We have specials customer specials every month and different hostess rewards each month – the hostess is eligible for both.   We pay NO credit card fees.   I have more time to work my business instead of living in my car making deliveries or taking from my profit earn to reward the hostess.  It is a win – win for everyone.

When evaluating a home based business, make sure you pay special attention to how you earn your living. You will want to make sure that it fits in your lifestyle and doesn’t break the bank.

See you in 24 hours,

Lisa D’Astuto

Direct Sales Training Material

Training is very important to your success right at the beginning and long term.  I believe that you should be learning all the time.  Have you ever met those people who prepare to prepare to prepare? If you’re that person STOP!   Learning is essential but when it impedes on your activity to make money then it no longer is beneficial.

When choosing a company look at what they offer in term of educating you to see success right at the beginning.  Do you have the ability to contact the main office or speak to the National field director?  This is possible when your with a company just taking off.  We’ve heard it quite often,  the best direct sales business is one who offers a ground floor  opportunity?  Speaking from experience that is very true.

Do they offer video tutorials ?  I mention video because there area lot of people who are visual.  Does the company offer conference calls?  Intense training seminars?  National conferences, Incentive trips, Weekly newsletter.

Consider this…

It is great to go to trainings but if you are spending all your time going to trainings how are you possibilly working your business.  Your not!   it needs to be a balance.  Now when attending these events keep in mind the cost.  The good thing is it’s a right off on your taxes.  What I share with my team is don’t go in debt -motivate yourself to earn the trip to your yearly training conference .  It will feel more rewarding when you earn it and you are not adding to the credit card bills.

As you’re shopping for the right company to work for do they offer full enclosure with there products meaning can the public get the same information as a consultant.  The answer should be yes, if not what are they hiding.

Hope you found this helpful.  Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Warmly,

Lisa Dastuto

We enter direct sales because it’s our own business.  The time leveraging,  the ability to work from home, the power to say yes or no based on what works best for OUR life.

At least that what my upline told me.

Then it began.  “To make RVP, you must ……….” I heard it over and over again.

I refer to it as my double guilt time.  I felt guilty for leaving my family when I would attend trainings (and always on my dime since we are 1099 employees in direct sales) and guilty if I didn’t attend since my upline was “counting” on me.

I was not feeling empowered but enslaved.  It was not gratitude but bitterness that lived in my heart.

And I learned after the fact that is wasn’t a genuine friendship but rather one of opportunity.  When I wasn’t the star, I wasn’t the friend.  Some reps referred to the newest superstar as the “flavor of the month” and we all knew the gleem in their eye would be replaced by sorrow as soon as they lost their position on top.

Know this…..

I am a strong believer that you need to respect your team.  Every person on your team is different.  They sign on for different reasons.  As a leader my job is to listen, provide information, motivate and encourage you to see your full potential.  My job is not to tell you what to do, I am not the boss, but the mentor.

I vow never to make a team member feel pressure.  I do the opposite allow them the space to be ready.  It is all about timing.  If a consultant signs on to soon they will leave as fast as they came in.

Warmly,

Lisa D’Astuto

Don’t always believe what you are told until you do a little digging.  After doing a little digging on Arbonne I discovered that a very small percentage make the  moolah.  And of those at a managerial level, approximately 6% earn what I would consider to be a good income.

Here’s the real kicker….

I was just perusing their official company website and came across some interesting numbers.  The company paid out over $118 million in overrides and bonuses to independent consultants in theUS.  They state that the average override and bonus paid to all registered Consultants in theUnited Stateswas $51.85 per quarter and $207.42 on an annualized basis.  During the four quarters in 2010, an average of 23,616 registered Consultants (4.10% of all registered Consultants) received an override or bonus check from Arbonne. The average quarterly override and bonus paid to registered Consultants in theUnited Statesthat qualified for an override and bonus check was $1256.27 or $5025.08 on an annualized basis.

They also note that these numbers do not represent total profits as expenses are not considered. In other words, the majority of the consultants don’t make anything worth noting.  This was the major factor why I left.  We were not seeing the money.

And “the right now money” that Arbonne talks about well, the profit you make from a  show would just cover my expenses to do the show in the first place.

Here is what they don’t tell ….

All consultants start earning 4% commissions.  Until….you can sell $2500 for three consecutive months.   Then…in your 4^th month you earn 8% commissions because you become a direct manager.

That is a lot of work.

4% commission on $2500 means you get $65

($2500- 35% = $1625  x 4% = $65)

As a District Manager on 8% you make $132

This was the policy for all promotions.    Not a good set up.   This creates lots of problems…if consultants do not succeed right away they can get discouraged.  If sales requirements are too high some consultants will not even try…when you are so close to a goal and yet so far you have consultants buying their promotion.  This causes heavy inventory and later leads to consultants selling on E-bay and other venues marking down the value of the product to get rid of their stock.  Not a good recipe for business.

In the end, I felt Arbonne’s compensation plan was stealing my time, making me work for FREE, taking advantage; frankly, you have to earn the right to your profit. That is it in a Nut shell!

When choosing a company to represent take the time to wrap your head around the compensation Plan.  As you read it, you want to make sure the success to earn a lucrative income is there.  That is exactly, what I found, my second time around.  When I made the decision to switch, I did not take it lightly.  I spent several days studying the comp plan researching the CEO, looking for any red flag to stand out.  To my delight, I did not find anything.

Talk to you tomorrow,

Warmly,

Lisa Dastuto

As I was pouring my coffee this morning, I started thinking about my first experience in Direct Sales. I thought I share an experience I had several years ago with a past employer.

As a new consultant starting in direct sales you rely on the guidance of your upline. You hope that they have your best interest at heart. In my case, it was quiet the opposite. I was a victim of the puppy dog strategy, an unethical practice if you ask me, making bucks off the little people! Right before I left, I started hearing from many people in Florida who were asked to start out their new consultants at $2500 (as their first purchase) so that their upline could move up the ladder.

And they are doing it with PUPPIES!

No one mentions that large upfront investments are risky, and that promotions from fast track front-loading leads to fast crumbling of teams. Let them know that the likelihood of them losing any money spent up front is GREAT, and that their odds of recouping their investment are greater at a slot machine in Vegas than with Arbonne (and, in fact, slot machines are less work).

Here’s the deal, High start up cost = Big mistake! When a company tells you there is a large investment up front or inventory, a red flag goes up. Look for a low start up cost no more than $400. Review the compensation plan to make sure you can earn that back with in the first month

But wait there is more…

When looking at a MLM business you not only need to look at the company but also need to look for team leadership. You want to make sure you align yourself with a top performing team. Surround yourself with successful people, I always say. Yes, it is great to find a consultant in your backyard but it is also valuable to be connected to a strong leader that will attach you to her/his hip and take you to the top. This person must put your needs first all the while helping you succeed and reach your goals. Pick someone that has shown success in everything she or he has done.

I wanted to share this story so you don’t make the same mistake I did. There are companies out there that sell the recruitment piece of the biz and not the product so beware. When you go on the 30 minute meeting to learn more about the company set time aside to get to know the person your meeting because that person will be your sponsor. It is important that you respect each other and can get along.  Below are a few questions you could ask at your 30 minute meeting. Keep one thing in mind…get to know your potential sponsor on a personal level, friendships and partnerships make the best combination.

8 Key Questions when interviewing your potential sponsor

• If you look, back on your life what accomplishments have you made?Ask to attend a meeting to observe and speak to other team members?
• Why did you get started with the company?
• What made you want to get into direct sales?
• Have you earn incentive trips with the company?
• What training do you provide for you team besides what the company offers?
• Do you hold conference calls, private coaching, team meetings and do you attend your companies National conference? (How many conference have there been?)
• How many have you sponsored? (How big is your team?)
• What awards have you accomplished since you have been with the company?

See you in 24 hours Where I will go over the fastest growing platform Pinterest

Today is the day I will reveal the best platforms to marketing your direct sales business.

But First I want to share with you a short story…

We all know that to grow a massive team it helps to have team builders in various states, the best way to do this is through online marketing better know as social media.
I signed up and purchased a myarbonne.com site which would essentially give me a place for my customers to buy product online.   I encountered Arbonne’s search engine submission service.

Essentially, they charge $39/year to submit your myarbonne.com site to a list of search engines and directories. This service is a MASSIVE rip off and entirely worthless to the consultant. I suspect Arbonne gets a kick back from the company that does the directory submission for them, because there is no benefit to the consultant.

As if that wasn’t enough….
I began to put together a plan to maximize my Arbonne site traffic, eager to jump into various search engines like facebook, twitter, diggs, LinkedIn and later creating my own blog.                                                        I was stopped by the Arbonne Traffic Police, Ouch!

I received a notice from Arbonne’s legal representative to informed me that I was in violation of Arbonne’s terms of service, both by having my own website and by promoting Arbonne products on facebook and twitter.   I thought there must have been some mistake.  After all, others were doing it.

As it turns out, they no longer allow people to develop their own sites or promote on any site OTHER than the MyArbonne.com site to sell products.   Those that built their sites before Arbonne instated this policy were grandfathered in.  To add insult to injury these sites were picked up on search engines where those of us that were knew could not achieve similar on line exposure.

Then it hit me, it is easier to discourage innovation and creativity, stifling the people who can take your internet presence to the next level.

Companies that crush creativity and innovative thinking have no business being online.
Make sure you ask to a policy and procedure manual. Look for the does and don’ts to internet marketing.

I will leave you with this ….

The amazing thing about networking on line is, not only is it possible to reach consumers from every corner of the globe through social networking but also the impact of any efforts will yield long standing results.

You have the ability to build a community online and this is powerful method to build brand awareness and customer base through social media. Basically, it is about building network of social media (power) users who vote for and share your content whenever you need that.

_____________________________________

Where are the best sites to marketing your direct sales business, you ask?  

Choosing the right platform is the key to success.  I am going to go over what works best to get your business message out and more business in.  There aer so many to choose from ___you may be tempted to dabble in all of them.  But be careful.  Some platforms are not suitable for business and could actually turn off your savvy audience and even hurt your brand or reputation.  Need a guide into this unfamiliar territory?   There are 3 specific goals you can’t afford to lose sight of when choosing a platform .

• Start with the most popular business platform which is FACEBOOK  and learn what really makes them work.  Be an expert in Facebook.  Great for engaging people who like your brand, want to share their opinions, and participate in giveaways and contest. If you customers are on Facebook then its time you joined them.
• You Tube...Time for those public speaking classes to pay off.  Videos rank high in clicks, second highest click is images.  Whether you seek to entertain, inform, or both, video is a powerful channel for quickly engaging your customers, responding to complaints, and demonstrating your social media savvy.
• Flickr_Unnecessary to spend too much time on this, though properly tagged photo sets of company events can help customers put a face on the team behind your brand.
• Twitter_The reason why a direct sales consultant be on twitter is because it  can help to direct new customers to your direct sale niche your blog by working to gain their interest. Twitter is simply a means to get customers to see your central online spot-Your Blog.
• Linkedln_With more than 85 million user and a new member being added every second LinkedIn is often regarded as the premier social networking site for business professionals.  Companies also see LinkedIn as a valuable place to promote their products and services.    Every Business should have a formalized profile on LinkedIn. If someone searched your company on LinkedIn and a bare bones profile with no logo shows up, that will not reflect well on your company.
• Pinterest_Pinterest is the next soical commerce game  changer.  Pinterest reached 7.2 million visitors in the US in Dec. 2011.   What is Pinterest, you ask?  Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.    People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.   Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.  Another creative channel to promote your biz.  Like twitter you can direct your customers to your blog through your images.

Tune in on Monday for More fantastic Material to help you succeed in your biz

Warmly, Lisa