Sorry, apparently the video originally posted was removed and I can’t find it anywhere else.

Here are some other sources to help you ask the right questions before joining a direct sales company.

Choose Your Opportunity

The DSA’s Direct Selling 411

What is Direct Selling?

Some Pros and Cons of a Direct Sales Business

Direct Sales Directory

This video from the BBB and DSEF explains the first 3 basic questions to ask when you are thinking of joining a direct sales company.

[Video no longer found]

This short video from the Direct Selling Education Foundation offers a good, basic answer to the question “What is Direct Selling?”

It seem to me that direct sales is gaining more and more recognition as serious, legitimate home businesses. How great is that?

Here are two recent mainstream media articles about direct sales:

• The current issue of Women’s Day Magazine features three direct sales companies – Initials Inc., Clever Container, and Celadon Road. The article is summarized on their website: 3 New Ways To Make Money From Home. I haven’t seen the actual article yet. If you have, please leave a comment with your impressions of it.
• Family Circle recently featured four moms who are enjoying a good deal of success in their direct sales businesses: How 4 Moms Made Money from Direct Sales.

This type of attention, plus the recent announcement of a Direct Selling Certificate being offered through community colleges will certainly help promote direct sales as a viable home business.

Discover the many different direct sales opportunities available to you by visiting the InternetBasedMoms.com direct sales directory.

In their September News Briefs, Direct Selling News mentions Scentsy’s recent food drive to help the hungry. The Scentsy Family Foundation is an active and generous charity that the company and its consultants should be very proud of.

I’m know many other direct sales companies support worthy causes. Does your company have and ongoing charitable cause and was it a factor in your decision to join the company?

Everyone has their own reasons for becoming a direct sales consultant and an entrepreneur. Some people just need a bit of extra income to achieve their financial goals. Others prefer to be their own boss. Some seek unlimited earning potential. Still others are excited about the prospect of the social aspect of direct sales – hosting parties and connecting with people is fun.

Whatever the reason behind your decision to become a direct sales consultant, there often comes a time when you question your path. Your direct sales business may not meet your needs.

How Do You Know if Your Direct Sales Business is Meeting Your Needs?

It can be difficult to answer this question. However, there are a few key indicators. Take a look at the following questions and answer them honestly.

• Are you excited to get to work when you wake in the morning? If you’re not excited about your business when you get up in the morning that’s okay. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve made the wrong decision. It may simply mean a few changes are in order to help you find that excitement and motivation.
• Are you successful? Everyone has their own definition of success. For many people success has a dollar sign. You’re successful when you make a desirable income. Others define success by having the free time they want while also being able to make a living. For example, you’re successful when you only work one day a week and make the money you want or need.
• Still others define success by how they impact others. They’re successful when they help someone else. How do you define success and are you achieving it? Again, if you’re not that’s okay. It simply means you may need to make some adjustments to your business so that they support your definition of success.
• Is direct sales providing you with what you need or want? You became a direct sales consultant for a reason. For example, to make extra money. Is your business providing you with that extra money? If not, it’s time to make a few changes.

Changing Your Business So It Meets Your Needs

If your business isn’t meeting your needs then it’s time to take that metaphorical bull by the horns and change things. You’re in control here. The first step is to evaluate what isn’t working and why. For example, if you’re not making the money you thought you would make then why isn’t that happening? Maybe it’s a matter of simply selling more or maybe it’s because you’re not excited about your products.

Once you know what isn’t working and why, the second step is to create a plan. If you’re not making the money you want to make because you’re simply not motivated or excited by the products, you can change your mindset and research the benefits your products offer. If that doesn’t renew your enthusiasm for the products, you can find a new company to represent that does excite you. In either case, be sure to include goals in your plan. Include what you want to change, how you’re going to change it and how you’re going to know when you’re successful.

Direct Sales is a challenging business. It can also be extremely rewarding. Consider how your business is meeting your needs and what needs to change to improve your business and your lifestyle. Then, because you are in control, make the necessary changes to live the life you want.

Image courtesy of EvelynGiggles

Training your team members helps them feel more confident, which will increase their success. That in turn motivates them to work harder and sell more.

Team training should cover every aspect of direct sales success you can think of. This might include business promotion, building their own sales team, telephone tips, turning “no” into “yes” and more.

There are a variety of ways to present team training. Consider weekly emails, conference calls, local meetings in a business office or restaurant, online chats, tip sheets, or even one-on-one. All of these approaches will work in different circumstances, so try them out and choose the ones that are most effective for you and your team.

Encourage your team to attend company conferences together or take your team to a sales training conference or seminar. In addition to the training your team will get, attending together builds team unity and creates an opportunity for team members to bond.

If your local team is large enough, you could invite a guest speaker to one of your team meetings. There are a number of professionals who offer this service for a fee, or ask your upline director or a company executive. Often, if they’re free, these people are glad to share their knowledge and insight to help newer reps build their businesses.

Subscribe to a direct sales magazine or organization for your team members. Possibilities include Direct Selling News or the Direct Selling Association. You might even consider a subscription as a prize for top sellers during the month.

Create and use a simple training system for new team members. This might involve a few sessions where you meet in person, talk via the telephone, or chat via the Internet. Each session can provide a separate training theme such as booking the first show, getting past family and friends, how to deal with rejection, and other tips for getting started. Set up a sessions in a clearly defined order with specific topics you’ll cover in each one. Then use your beginners training session with every new recruit you sign on.

You can also create a more advanced training system, or an on-going one, that you use for team members who stick with the company. These sessions could involve more advanced sales techniques, building a profitable website, finding the first recruit, and more. These ongoing sessions can be sent via email using an autoresponder service or provided by teleseminar or webinar.

In addition to improving skills and confidence, team training is a highly effective strategy for motivating your team.

Going through my feed reader this morning I came across “Mistakes Businesses Make When Establishing Multiple Streams of Income” by Leah Grant. The article very nicely addresses an all too common mistake made by some direct sellers. Often, when a consultant isn’t reaching her income goals with one direct sales company, she joins another, or several other companies.

Then, as if to highlight my point, another article I was reading mentioned a company that sells cell phone services and vitamins. Is there any way to relate those two products to each other? I don’t see it.

To me, there’s nothing better than the individualized, personal attention from a direct sales consultant or small business owner. Yes, I shop at big box stores, but only out of necessity – I’m never really happy there. When I go to a “specialist” I don’t want her to offer me everything under the sun. I’m looking for something special. Whether it’s an exclusive or specialized product, or extra customer service, I don’t want the experience muddied up with all kinds of other offers.

If you aren’t reaching your income goals in your present company, first figure out why. If you don’t know what the problem is, you can’t solve it Adding another line of products may simply compound the problem.

You can add multiple streams of income without joining another direct sales company. Get excellent examples of how to do that in Mistakes Businesses Make When Establishing Multiple Streams of Income.

As the new year approaches many of us start setting new goals or making New Year’s resolutions. Here are a few tips to help you be successful in reaching those goals.

1 – Reach High
While you don’t want to set your sites on goals that are completely out of reach, to be able to achieve, you need to reach for something just beyond your grasp. Something that will motivate you to do more. Otherwise you’ll just end up where you started.

2 – Be Realistic
Yes, that sounds contradictory to tip #1, but it’s really a balancing act. For example, a goal of increasing your subscriber base by 20% a month may be a bit of a stretch, but increasing your subscriber base by 20,000 a month that’s probably unrealistic. If your goals are unrealistic and you continually fail, you’ll eventually just give up and settle for less than you are capable of.

Unrealistic goals can also put undo stress on you which can lead to other problems, including poor health.

3 – Make a Plan
Once you set your goals, make a plan of exactly how to get there and follow through. Be sure your plan includes ways to measure your progress and success. If you aren’t moving towards your goals you may need to revise your plan.

Your plan can include shorter term goals and objectives. If your goal is to make twice as much money in the New Year, set monthly goals that will let you see your progress and help keep you motivated.

4 – Keep Your Objectives in Mind
It’s easy to get caught up in everyday tasks and forget your goals. Visual reminders, notes to yourself, and daily motivators can help keep you moving in the right direction. If you’re working towards a down payment for a car or a house, post pictures of them in your office. Make weekly notes to yourself with your countdown to the vacation you are working towards or chart your progress. These will help keep you focused on your goals and motivated to do the job at hand.

5 – Tell Someone
An accountability partner can remind you of what you’re working for, and provide encouragement and motivation.

And remember, even if you fail, you can learn from what you did wrong. Never give up. Continue to aim realistically high and you will succeed.

*image courtesy of EvelynGiggles

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Do you ever feel like your head might explode from information overload? I do.

The beauty of the Internet is that it’s an infinite source of information on pretty much any topic you can think of. Type a few words into a search engine and you’ll get the who, what, where, when, and why on any question you have. You can find out where to buy it or sell it. You’ll find pictures and videos of it. You can review it, argue it, praise it, debunk it, meet it, friend it, follow it, date it, block it, and report it.

By the time you’re done with it, the information overloaded beast may rise up and scare you into shutting off the Internet and crawling under the covers.

If you’re fairly new to the Internet, you might be completely lost – not knowing where to turn in your search for useful, accurate information. You’re probably confronted with conflicting advice on almost everything you look up and so confused you can’t take the next step.

And if you’ve been online for any length of time, you likely follow so many people and resources that you’re bombarded with emails, RSS feeds, social media notifications, and chat requests all day long.

Like many things in life, we have to take the bad with the good. But there are ways to minimize the negative and use the positive to our advantage. Here are some tips for coping with the beast:

1 – One. No matter what you’re doing, take it one step at a time. Whether it’s research on the best washing machine, looking for a home business, or seeking medical advice, if you look long enough you can find completely opposing viewpoints. At some point you have to stop looking.

Start with trusted sources and well-known names and brands. Consumer reviews and testimonials can be very useful, but be careful about the source and motivation. It’s often the case that those with negative experiences are more vocal than those with positive experiences.

Be especially careful when dealing with serious issues like health and safety. Always consultant your own professionals.

2 – Use your common sense. A lot of what you find on the Internet is marketing material, well-designed marketing material. Carefully consider whether it makes sense for you at this time. If it doesn’t, move on.

3 – Focus. Count the number of distractions surrounding you. If you’re like me, when you log on, you’re connected to email, Facebook, Twitter, an RSS reader, Skype, and live chat. (And I’m probably somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to online connections.) No wonder it’s hard to get anything done. There’s nothing wrong with being social online, just don’t let it interfere when you need to focus on something else.

4 – Make a plan. Before you plug in, have a plan and a to-do list. It will help you focus. Prioritize.

5 – Take a break. Stretch often and exercise daily. Just because you can take it along on your laptop, phone, or i-something, doesn’t mean you have to. Disconnect for some period of time everyday.

6 – Use tools. Planners, schedulers, timers, filters, and other tools can help you reduce and organize incoming and stored information. Learn how to use search tools effectively to narrow results to the most relevant information.

7 – Scan. Learn to scan information to quickly evaluate its relevance.

8 – Take the pressure off. No one knows everything about anything. Don’t try to get it all.

9 – What goes around comes around. Consider what you’re putting out there. The more you send out, the more you’re likely to get back.

The beauty of the Internet is the many doors it can help open. The beast is all the doors that stay open. Tame it.