In a recent post about using Facebook as a direct sales tool, Jennifer Fong (@liajen) identifies a very important key to social media marketing success. The post is full of great tips, but in my opinion, this one section sums up the secret to becoming a direct sales consultant worth befriending and following:

“Folks, recruiting is a one on one activity that is accomplished after LISTENING. Your status update is not the place to broadcast your opportunity to the world. If you really want to recruit people through social media, build relationships and find people that actually need what you have to offer. Then share your opportunity privately, in a way that meets the needs of the prospect.”

From Annoying Facebook-ers, Direct Sales Style

Being social and personable, and not all business, will help you build lasting relationships that can benefit your business in many ways.

Admittedly, I struggle a bit with mixing personal with business. I don’t share a whole lot of my personal life online. But I think it’s very possible to be sociable without being too personal, which is my goal. It’s a little like how I get to know people in real life. Perhaps we meet at a social function or our kids’ school and exchange small talk at first. Later when we see each other again we ask about the kids and work. We find we have some interests in common and we decide to meet for coffee. A relationship develops. When it’s just the two of us, we share more personal stories and information.

Whether you choose to be more or less personal in your interactions, social media can be a powerful tool for online direct sales recruiting. But as Jennifer points out, you don’t want to become the person that everyone tries to avoid. It’s extremely easy to un-follow, un-friend, and block spammers and other annoying people in Facebook, Twitter, and the like. Be careful not to push people away by doing nothing but blasting your business offers.

If you’ve been looking for a home business but don’t want to sell products or your family obligations or schedule don’t really lend themselves to direct sales parties, a service business might be a good option. With some basic computer skills, office skills, and good communication skills you can set yourself up as virtual assistant fairly quickly and inexpensively.

What is a virtual assistant?

A virtual assistant or VA is a self-employed, home-based entrepreneur who assists other businesses, often in administrative work. In addition, most business owners have particular tasks that they will turn over to their virtual assistants, and these can go beyond basic office or business administration.

What skills are needed to become a VA?

The basic skills a VA needs are office and business administration skills. A VA also needs to be highly organized, communicate effectively and pay careful attention to detail. Some clients look for additional technical skills, such as writing, marketing, social media, blog or website maintenance, and multimedia production – even podcasting!

The skill set you’ll need as a VA depends on the type of clients you want to work with. Find out what they need and build your skills to respond effectively.

What kinds of work does a VA do?

VAs commonly do office-related stuff, such as responding to emails, making travel arrangements, researching and compiling information, business writing and typing up notes or transcribing audios

In addition, VAs nowadays are often expected to write and publish or schedule blog posts, work with autoresponders, rewrite private label rights content, optimize a website for search engines, update websites, and set up social networking profiles/pages.

Is being a VA a good option for Moms?

Oh yes! A lot of work at home Moms I know are VAs and they make good incomes from the comfort of their home, without having to leave their children in the care of others. Virtual assistance is a home business, which means it’s flexible. You decide how many hours a day you want to work, on which days, what type of work you want to do, and even whom you will work with.

On the other hand, if you have small children, remember that occasionally you will need to be on the phone or web chat with a client, supplier or other associate. In this case you’ll need somebody else looking after your small children so you can have some quiet and be able to focus on the call or chat.

How much money does a VA make?

The hourly rate of VAs depends on several factors. These include their skills and experience, whether they specialize in certain services or a particular industry, and any certifications they may have (those who are certified by recognized institutions charge higher fees). VA fees vary widely, ranging anywhere from around $15 to $70 per hour. So you can see, it’s entirely possible for a VA to make a full-time income working at home.

How can someone get started as a VA?

You can try and figure everything out yourself, of course. But better yet, get the guidance of experienced VAs who have successful virtual assistance businesses. Two such VAs are Jen Houck and Nell Taliercio who have a combined experience of over 5 years in virtual assistance. They share their success stories and step-by-step tips in the
Just Add Sweat Guide To Becoming A Virtual Assistant.

The guide includes:

• an audio course on everything from setting up your VA business, to marketing your services and finding and keeping clients
• a workbook to get you into action
• 5 videos teaching essential Internet skills
  …and more.

This is the guide that will get your VA business up and running in no time.

Many small business owners use virtual services to help them with a variety of tasks. Becoming a virtual assistant may be the next perfect “job” for you.

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While many of us have always dreamed of working from home, it’s not the right choice for everyone. If you’ve been thinking of starting a home business, but aren’t sure if it’s right for you, I just found something that might help. It’s a quick quiz that will show you if you’re suited for working at home and what type of business might be best.

The quiz only takes a couple of minutes and it’s anonymous. Click the link to try it out:
Work at Home Readiness Quiz.

It’s just 10 quick questions and you get your results immediately, along with some tips and resources to help you get started. Yes, some of the suggested resources are paid resources, but you don’t have to buy them. For the few minutes it takes for the quiz you’ll get some interesting insight into what might work for you.

Good luck!

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Entertaining at Home Inc. recently announced their acquisition of Southern Living at Home from Time Inc.

Entertaining at Home is itself a new company that got its start last year when founders Bill and Robin Shaw and a group of investors purchased the company from the Reader’s Digest Association. The Shaws are highly respected in the industry and bring years of experience to their company roles.

Edited 8/18/09 to add: While not from an official source, I found information suggesting that the companies won’t be combined into one, but will continue to operate as separate entities.

Find more information about both companies in our home decor company directory.

I have a free gift for you as a token of my appreciation for my loyal readers. Thank you for making the time to read iRepNetwork’s blog, Business Opportunity Connection.

Have you ever wondered how all the work at home and Internet business owners learned how to successfully run an online business? Many of them purchased “how-to-guides” and other information products. And it’s not just the beginning marketers who need help. As business grows so does the business owner’s need for new information and resources.

This ongoing need for information offers you the opportunity to build your own successful business selling special reports on a variety of topics. And you don’t even have to write the reports yourself!

Find out how to get started without a huge investment of time or money.

Claim your free Guide to Selling Special Reports.

To view and print this guide you will need a PDF reader. If you don’t have one, you can get Adobe Reader for free here.

 
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Are you new to our blog or did you miss our other gifts? Find them all here.

Thanks again for sticking with us and as always, we welcome your feedback. You can offer your opinions and make requests and suggestions by leaving a blog post comment or by contacting us.

Choosing a company to join is the first step in starting your direct sales business. Choosing a sponsor to sign up under is an equally important step. Many consultants join under the first person who introduces them to the industry or under a friend or family member. That’s not always the best choice.

Of course if you’re joining the same company as your sister or your best friend, you really don’t have a choice of who to sign with if you want to save your relationship. But if you are choosing a “stranger” to join under, Rebecca_L._Olkowski offers some great tips tips to help you make that choice:

6 Tips to Qualify an Effective Direct Sales Mentor For Business and Leadership Skills
By Rebecca L. Olkowski

Seeking out the perfect direct sales mentor is often confusing and overwhelming. It seems that everyone is calling themselves a coach or mentor these days. Here are 6 Tips to choose the perfect mentor:

1. Always seek out the best information available, from people who have already achieved great success in their fields. You are the average of the 5 people you hang around with. Choose a person who is known for integrity and commands the highest respect.
2. Look for someone who has done what you want to do and is still doing it. There are coaches who have had experience working in a particular field, but are no longer active. A mentor, who is still in the trenches, will have the most updated and relevant information to convey. A top leader will have also overcome the inevitable obstacles that are likely to occur.
3. Find a direct sales mentor who resonates with you as a person. Each of us has a different personality type and learning style. An effective sales mentor has the ability to inspire a person to live up to their full potential and acquire leadership skills.
4. Avoid information overload. There is such a plethora of knowledge out there, especially on the Internet, that it is easy to follow too many people at a time. Cut your email subscriptions to a select group depending on what area of your life you are concentrating on. If you prefer to learn online, stick to one website rather than many to avoid confusion and overwhelm.
5. An ideal situation is to have a mentor who is easy to access. This could include a top leader in your company, an outside coach, or a online mentoring site that offers a variety of subjects and is available 24/7.
6. Business is just one aspect of success and happiness. In order to create true success, it is necessary to set targets for all areas of life experience.This includes spiritual nurturing, family life, physical health, financial status, and more. Ultimately the goal is to achieve a full and satisfying life.

All successful people have a mentor to guide them along the way, no matter what level of success they have achieved. The most important decision you can make is to seek out the best. It is better to learn from a millionaire than a coach with an overdrawn bank account.

I’m Rebecca L. Olkowski and I have been a direct sales consultant and leader for 10 years. I offer tools and ebooks for direct sales success We already know how to work our business. The problem is, we just are not doing it. Discover the missing link the top 5% of direct sellers and network marketers have figured out, that will create success and happiness in your life.

I invite you to visit my blog at http://mypinkpizazz.com

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter and video series with success tools and tips by entering your name and email on my blog. To create a success mindset in yourself and your team members please visit http://www.directsalesmissinglink.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_L._Olkowski
http://EzineArticles.com/?6-Tips-to-Qualify-an-Effective-Direct-Sales-Mentor-For-Business-and-Leadership-Skills&id=2483837

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Still need help finding the right company for you?
Claim your free guide, “Choose Your Opportunity” and find your perfect direct sales business.

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