Yes, everybody could use more money. But most mom business owners and business seekers I know aren’t looking to make millions. Most of us want to contribute to the family income while staying at home with our children. Especially initially, our goals are usually more family focused, like paying the mortgage, getting a new car, saving for college, or being able to go out to dinner a couple times a month. We want a business that we can enjoy and still have time to enjoy our family.

I recently posed a question on a popular message board and the responses I got confirmed that “rich” isn’t always the goal. Moms want to “pay bills and have some in savings,” “pay my bills and take care of kids, and “pay the bills, have some fun and still have enough to set aside in savings/retirement.” Others mentioned “financial security” and the “peace of mind” that comes from not worrying about money.

Often after meeting some immediate needs with our first business endeavor, we start looking more towards the future and wanting a little more. I think about how I’d like to enjoy retirement without worrying about money. And how I’d like my son to be able to choose his career or business path without being so concerned about whether his chosen path will net enough income. I even think about how much fun it would be to help other moms get started in business by providing some start-up cash or funding a business expansion.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t go for millions if that’s what you want. In fact there were a few responders who said they want to be rich and be able to afford luxuries. What I am suggesting is that if you are marketing your business to moms, don’t assume we’re all looking for big bucks. Promising fancy cars and six figure incomes doesn’t attract as many moms as you think it might.

The key is to listen to what each individual prospect is looking for and help her meet her goals.

When you sponsor other consultants into your direct sales business you become a team leader with a new set of responsibilities. Here are 5 tips to help you develop successful leadership skills:

1. Lead by example. Many of your team members will emulate you not only when leading their downline, but when dealing with customers. Setting a good example will have a positive effect on the entire team’s business. Be respectful, courteous, and honest in all your interactions. Reply to emails and return phone calls in a timely manner. Treat your team the way you want to be treated and the way you want them to treat customers.
2. Leaders need to have confidence in their self, their decisions, and in their actions. If you, as a leader, are constantly second guessing things, it will be hard for your team to take you seriously. If you find yourself wondering about a decision or choice you made, consult your own upline or the company. It’s fine to ask your team for input before you make a decision, but once you make it, don’t ask you team to weigh in whether or not it was the right decision.
3. Communicate clearly and make sure you encourage your team to ask questions when they don’t understand something.
4. Listen. When your team members ask questions, ask for help, or make suggestions make sure you really hear and understand what they need. Sometimes we get so caught up in delivering our planned presentations that we forget to adjust for the audience.
5. Be organized. Good organization saves time, reduces stress, and helps you present yourself more professionally.

By being a good leader you will help your entire team stay motivated and become more profitable.

In her blog post this morning, “Direct Sellers, Cut the Crap,” Jennifer Fong asks direct sellers, network marketers, and MLMers to “stop being so desperate to recruit that we stretch the truth.” She wants truth in recruiting. And I agree 100%. There are so many benefits to becoming a direct sales consultant that there’s no reason to use untruths to recruit.

But in my opinion, the only way the nonsense will stop is when people stop responding to outrageous claims of instant riches.

I want to be very careful here and not blame the victims. None of us are immune to being duped by some of the very sophisticated frauds, con artist, and scammers out there. But for the most part, I don’t think the direct sellers using these less than honest recruiting methods fall into the category of scammers. Many are simply misguided marketers who continue to use these types of methods because they work.

Many of us want to believe. We ignore common sense and allow ourselves to think that it is possible to get rich quick or that there’s easy money available. Just look at state run lotteries. Despite slim odds of winning, people in the U.S. spend more than $50 billion a year on lottery tickets. They’re hoping to hit it big for overnight riches. It’s the same mentality that makes claims of overnight success in MLM attractive.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the possibilities. But as Jennifer said, the reality is that while there is the potential for big earnings, “it’s a lot of work, and it takes time.” Jennifer and others have been teaching that reality for years, and I think that’s the message we need to keep in the forefront. A bit of skepticism can be a good thing when evaluating an opportunity.

Still Jennifer’s plea for truth in recruiting is important to reach that group of misinformed and misguided direct sellers. Perhaps they’re using the same methods that they responded to or they’re just doing what their upline teaches. Again, everyday Jennifer teaches direct sellers how to become successful by conducting themselves with honesty and integrity. Lister to her!

The truth is most of us don’t need to be rich and that’s not what we’re looking for. We just want to live comfortably, take care of our families, and have a few extra dollars to indulge ourselves once in a while. Direct sales can help achieve those goals. Recruit with that reality.

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.

Editor’s note: Guest blogger Chris Carroll runs a successful direct sales business and helps others do the same. In this article she explains how her business model has helped her achieve success.

Are you a sales based direct seller or a recruiting based direct seller? Is there a difference, really? Allow me to explain.

I am a sales based direct seller. I am of the belief that sales is the basis of our business in direct sales and by using customer sales and the growth of your business through sales as the main basis of your income, than you will have a stronger business overall. This can be seen in the customer base and the $ in my pocket from sales. I am also of the belief that strong sales will lead to strong recruits who also use sales based business model.

One other reason that I use a sales based model is that you actually make more money in recruiting as you are getting paid on sales not just bringing in the recruit. Sales drive the whole system of getting paid, bringing in recruits, who also sell and make money and start recruiting. And the circle continues.
Recruit based selling is a hard concept for me sometimes. By putting the most eggs in your basket based on recruits and hoping that you will build your team that will support you is tough. How do you make a living in the mean time, while you are building your team?
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Not everyone who visits a website is ready to make a purchase or join your opportunity. Most of the time, customers and prospects will comparison shop, visiting several times before making a decision. So even for sites that are primarily sales oriented, an equally important purpose of the website is to generate leads.

Everyone loves getting something for free. Giving something away is a great way to generate website traffic and qualified leads.

Creating an ezine or newsletter is a common “freebie”. Subscribers opt in, which means they provide minimal personal information in order to receive the newsletter. Each new subscriber becomes another lead. The result over time is a large mailing list of qualified prospects. In addition to the newsletter, business owners email announcements of new products or services to this custom-made pool of potential buyers.
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As a leader in your direct sales company, you know that your work is only beginning when a prospect becomes a new consultant on your team. One of your tasks is to assist her in getting set up right so she’ll have a greater chance of succeeding.

Here are some tips to help your new team member launch and build their business and team: Continue Reading

By Jane Deuber of the DSWA

Do you know how to row a boat? That’s right…row a boat. If you answered yes to this question, then congratulations, you also know one of the greatest secrets to creating lasting success in Direct Sales.

Growing your business the “smart” way is very much like rowing a boat. Let me explain. Continue Reading

Whether you’re building your direct sales business offline or online, networking is a very powerful prospecting tool. Effective networking will help you gain customers and build your team.

When you set out to network, you may be thinking about the benefits you will receive, such as new clients and increased business. To get the most out of your networking, however, you need to build trust and relationships between the people you are networking with. The following are some tips to help you in this process. Continue Reading

Increasing your circle of influence offline can help you expand your client base. Your circle of influence is the group of people that make up your friends, family, current clients, acquaintances, etc. It’s the group that is often referred to as your warm market by direct sales and party plan business consultants and mentors.

When you increase your circle of influence offline, this opens up new possibilities for your business. You may meet someone in need of your services, or someone who will recommend your services to others.

Here are some things you can do to expand your circle of influence or warm market. Continue Reading