Of course I have goals and I would like to expand my business, but I just don’t see myself providing services to that many people. It’s just not my style. I understand the theory of “thinking big” and setting lofty goals, but I’m in the process of restructuring my businesses to offer more personal, more one-to-one direction. I can’t provide that to 100,000 people.

I guess I’d rather be the “little shop on the corner” where customers come to chat and exchange information over a cup of coffee. I don’t want to be the big chain that serves countless customers that I never get to know.

Maybe Roy and I are really more on the same wavelength than we thought we were. I wouldn’t mind influencing 100,000 people. I’d just rather do it by teaching a few thousand who then go out and share that information with the rest of the crowd.

What about you? Do you think big enough? Or are you limiting yourself by setting your sights too low?

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The other day I came across a free ebook of interest and when I went to download it I was asked for my email address. It’s not an unusual request, in fact, I expected it. But I decided not to provide my email address and I didn’t get the ebook. Why?

Because I couldn’t find the company’s privacy policy.

In many cases, all it takes for me to be willing to supply my email address is a simple statement to the effect that provided email addresses are not shared with anyone else. Other times, I look for longer policies to find out how my email will be handled and protected.

But if a company isn’t willing to tell me what they plan on doing with my email address, I won’t give it to them.

How important are privacy policies to you? Do you have a one readily available on your site and opt-in forms? Do you look for a privacy policy when you sign up on other sites?

Use AutoWebLaw Pro for personalized privacy policies, website terms of use, and other legal forms.

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The article proposes a definition of an independent consultant that includes the phrase, “……separate from main company, yet still under the authority of main company…” In my opinion, the company and consultant should think of themselves more as partners than as employer/employee with one having authority over the other. Each has something to offer the other, and thinking of it as a mutually beneficial relationship will help both succeed. Consultants are a huge asset to the company (they are the sales team) and companies offer expertise in the product and sales methods, and in most cases manage inventory and delivery. Both parties should take advantage of, and respect the other’s expertise, and work in a professional manner to fulfill their obligations to each other.

Later, the article mentions a consultant being surprised “when they’re let go from company.” Being “let go” is a term that I think is most associated with employers firing employees. Most companies have a consultant agreement that spells out how and when the company or the consultant can terminate the relationship, and there are times when it’s best to part ways. But I think it’s more in keeping with the spirit of the independent consultant relationship to think of it as terminating a contract rather than someone being fired.

And finally there’s a section that reads, “If you really want to make it with whatever company you work for, present yourself professionally and be active.” I completely agree that to be a success in direct sales a consultant needs to be professional and active. But consultants don’t work for the company; consultants and companies should work with each other.

Admittedly I singled out some specific terms in the article so I’d like to stress that I completely agree with the spirit and intention of the article. I think Tara’s point is that successful consultants are the ones who make the time and effort to participate in the company’s training, stay up-to-date on products, and take advantage of the company’s expertise and help. I’m sure she values her company’s consultants and wants them to succeed, and I think she’s more than willing to help consultants take advantage of the opportunity to do so.

For more information about Tara’s company, Affordable Mineral Makeup, please visit the company information page in our makeup directory or the company website.

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Click here during June, 2008 to claim a free newsletter and to lock in the introductory price of just $6.95 per month!

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One of the most popular tools for keyword research is WordTracker. And now you can try the full version of WordTracker for free for seven days.

With WordTracker you can find out how many times a particular keyword is searched for and get a list of related keywords. But perhaps one of the most helpful features for small business is the ability to see how much competition there is for a particular keyword. Choosing the keywords with fewer competing pages will help your page rank higher in the search engines.

Claim your free WordTracker trial today.

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1. Carefully target your audience.

Identify your most likely customers and if necessary, create different versions of your direct mail marketing materials for to each specifically targeted audience.

2. Solve your customer’s most irritating problems.

Most customers don’t buy products, but they do buy solutions to problems. If your product solves a critical problem, pull out all stops to let your customers know.

3. Help your customers achieve significant goals.

If you can clearly show that your product or service will make your customer’s lives easier or better, your sales volume should improve.

4. Focus on your customer’s needs, not your product.

Customers have little interest in your product or company. But they have unlimited interest in their needs, solutions to their problems, and making their lives better. Concentrate on fulfilling their needs through the use of your product or service.

5. ALWAYS stress benefits.

Always concentrate on how your product will benefit your customers-both logically and emotionally.

6. Repeat your key benefits in the beginning, middle, and end of your email, letter or brochure.

Tell your readers once, tell them again, and then tell them one more time. Remember, people buy benefits, not products.

7. Use the “4 to 1″ rule.

Your sales copy should contain four “you’s” to every one “I.” Customers want to hear about their number one priority-themselves. One of the best ways to convey that you understand your customers’ needs is to use plenty of “you” language.

8. Use a stop-them-in-their-tracks headline or first sentence.

Either the headline or first sentence must be very powerful in order to convince your prospects that your letter is worth reading.

9. Use sub-headings liberally.

Subheads help break up long blocks of copy. They also act as a “hot point” outline to pull the reader through the key ideas of your email or ad.

10. Seize the reader’s attention immediately.

Don’t waste space building up to your blockbuster points. Start with them. You have only a paragraph or two to convince your prospects to keep reading your letter. Give them what they need to make sure they continue.

Improve your response rate for your next direct mail campaign by using some or all of these techniques.

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I received this question from a subscriber to our Choose Your Opportunity mailing list.

“How do I begin a home-based scrapbook business (sell products online)? Where do I get products at wholesale so I can sell them at retail?”

The first step is to determine who you are going to sell to and what they want to buy. This recent post offers tips on defining your niche: Not Sure How to Find Your Niche Market? It’s not specific to scrapbooking, but will give you a good idea of how to narrow in on a market.

Sell a popular product to an underserved market or sell a unique product to a market that is spending money.

For information more specific to scrapbooking, check out How to Turn Your Love of Scrapbooking into a Profitable Business. Even though it’s a couple years old, the information is still current.

Wholesale is not my area of expertise so I can’t be any help there. Sorry. Perhaps becoming a direct sales consultant would suit you. Find information on various scrapbook direct sales companies at ScrapbookingBusinessOpportunity.com

If anyone can suggest a good wholesale resource, please post the information in a comment.

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Special reports contain more information than a simple article, but are not as big and detailed as an ebook. They are great to give away as bonuses to get people to sign up for your list or as add-ons to products and services you offer.

What I like about the Special Report Club:

1. While these special reports are written to cover many areas of Internet business content, they can be easily edited to suit my market and to express my own style and viewpoint.
2. They can be broken up into articles, blog posts, or emails. Or I can add to a report or combine two or more to make a bigger report or ebook.
3. I can add my own web site links, affiliate links, or even paid advertising to the reports.
4. While I prefer editing or adding to the reports, they are very well written and can be used as is for quick incentive when needed.
5. The reports save me time and money. I don’t have to look for, hire, and pay content writers to produce reports for me or take the time to research and write all of my own reports.
6. I can sell the reports.

What I’m not sure I like about the Special Report Club:

1. I can add my own name as author and claim the reports as my own. I almost added this feature to the “what I like” section above as well. I have other private label rights memberships that don’t permit me to put claim the content as my own, making it a bit awkward to figure out how to add a byline that doesn’t make it sound like I wrote it. The thing that worries me about claiming the reports as my own is the potential for confusion if readers see the same report with different marketers names on it. It’s probably not worth worrying about though; what are the chances that one person will see a report multiple times?
2. While much less saturated than free content, PLR content is not unique content. I have to be sure and continue to provide a good deal of original content and not be tempted to rely to heavily on PLR.

Overall the Special Report Club gets an unconditional, 5-star rating and recommendation. It’s a very high quality, affordable content source.

There are also a limited number of reports available separately, without having to sign up for the monthly membership.

Grab a single special report or claim your membership today.

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One of the risks of doing business as a consultant for a direct sales company is that many major business decisions are completely out of your control. Company leadership, finances, product choices, policy changes, daily operations, and many other decisions that impact your business are made without your input. At the same time, having that established, knowledgeable infrastructure is one of the attractions of going into direct sales, and it frees up consultants to concentrate their efforts on earning commissions. The benefits usually outweigh the risk.

To reduce the risks associated with the lack of control over many major business decisions, be a truly independent direct sales consultant and build your business so it doesn’t completely rely on the company for long-term success.

Rather than establish yourself as a salesperson for cosmetics, home decor, wellness products, jewelry, or kitchenware, etc, become the “go-to” person for advice and information on a related topic. Become known as an expert people turn to, not just a person they buy from.

To be more independent of your company, establish relationships with your customers and prospects outside of products sales and team recruiting. Establish an online presence with your own website. Build and maintain a contact list outside of the customer list maintained by the company through your sales. Use social marketing, networking, and article marketing to become known for your expertise.

It will never be more clear to you how important an “outside” relationship with your customers and prospects is than if and when you decide to switch companies, or if your company discontinues it’s direct sales division or closes its doors completely. While you will certainly have some following from your family and friends, if your relationship with the company ends for any reason, your relationship with most of your customers and prospects also ends. Build your business so that it’s not completely reliant on a particular company and you have the loyalty of established relationships with all your contacts. Loyalty that will follow you should your association with your current company end for any reason.

(Note: Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy does not mean the company will close. If fact, it is a protection that allows the company to continue to operate and plan for financial recovery. Learn more in the recent post, When a Direct Sales Company Files Bankruptcy)

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On April 29, 2008, Home Interiors voluntarily filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States bankruptcy code. The Texas based direct sales party plan company has been selling home decor products for more than 50 years. They currently operate in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and the bankruptcy filing involves only their US operations.

This type of filing allows the company to continue to operate the business in much the same way as they did before the filing. In public information on their website, Home Interiors states that their intention is to “use the protections afforded by Chapter 11 to restructure our debt and restore our financial health and profitability.” In their FAQ for consultants they ask their representatives to continue to sell product and recruit new consultants.

The company clearly has a plan to come out financially secure and with a successful future. In my opinion, their willingness to publicly address some of the many questions consultants have is an indication of their confidence in the restructuring plan. And most important for consultants who may be making decisions about their future with the company, it provides accurate information on which to base decisions rather than forcing them to try and determine whether outside sources have all the facts.

For more information about the Home Interiors consultant opportunity, visit HomeDecorBusiness.com’s Home Interiors information page.

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