Work at Home Moms Articles – WAHM Articles

A good direct sales consultant that can help you grow your business can be hard to find. The process of attracting new consultants begins with a good recruiting program and continues with a strong business model. The best way to make sure that you are able to grab the interest of the best party consultants in your area is to offer opportunity that is second to none.

Direct Sales Professional Reputation

Your reputation is based on how professionally you conduct yourself at all times. When you are working a party, your demeanor and approach will help to establish a good or bad reputation among your customers. One of the most powerful tools you have in attracting good consultants is a professional reputation. When you pay attention to the way you conduct business, you are improving your chances of finding qualified consultants to help your business grow.

Consultant Busy Schedule

A direct sales consultant wants the opportunity to make money. That is why a busy schedule can be helpful in recruiting new sales professionals. When consultants see that your schedule is always filled, you will start to get inquiries about any open positions you may have.

If you have reached the point where you are turning down bookings because you need another consultant, then make sure you keep the contact information for each hostess that you had to turn down. Always leave the door open for a future booking and use that list of interested hostesses as an enticement to get qualified consultants to work for your company.

Sales Training Program

One of the first things a potential new consultant will ask about is your training program. If you take your home party business seriously, then you have a comprehensive training program for each new consultant that you hire. A good training program will put even the most inexperienced party consultant at ease because she knows that she will not be thrown into an uncomfortable situation.

Your training program should include information about your products and your selling process along with plenty of on-the-job training. Let recruits know that they will not be expected to host their own parties until they are completely comfortable with the process.

Recruiting Consistency

Recruiting new consultants is difficult, and keeping them can be just as hard to do. When you run a sales organization, your consultants expect consistency in everything you do. They expect bookings to be confirmed, products to be available and their pay schedule to be honored. As long as you can maintain consistency in your business dealings, then you will be able to retain talented consultants.

If you want to grow your direct sales business, then you need to be able to recruit good consultants. The process of recruiting is ongoing and your professional reputation can mean the difference between attracting good talent or having to turn down bookings.

Recruiting direct sales consultants takes a continuous focus and decision. Deb Bixler provides direct sales training for consultants on how to increase cash flow at home by putting systems into place that create a consistent cash flow.

One of the most important parts of growing your home party business is an effective home party plan training program. Your field reps are one of the most important assets you have, and it is a good idea to have a comprehensive training program in place to help them learn the business and work closely with party hostesses.

When you put together a good training program, it can eliminate a lot of the costly mistakes that an inexperienced field rep may make. Remember that growing your party business is important, but growing it in a way that is smart and effective is a top priority.

Direct Sales Introduction Material

Every new direct sales consultant should get a package of introduction material to review when they join. When you start out with new field reps, it may be difficult to schedule training sessions exactly when you want them. That is why you want to give your new consultants upfront information that will help them to get familiar with the product and the process.

All of your home party plan training materials should have your contact information on them including a phone number and email address. You will want to create as many open avenues of communication as possible to make sure your reps get the information they need in a timely manner.

Internet Training

Training on the internet is becoming more popular.

There are two ways in which you can use the Internet to train your new field reps. First is to create a secured message board that only your consultants can log into where they can get important information and leave questions for you to answer. The reason that a message board works so well is because you can answer a question from one of your reps but all of your reps will benefit from the answer you give. You can sign up for a free message board and never have to pay to have this valuable resource.

Another way that the Internet can help you in training new consultants is through video conferencing. You can schedule training classes that can be done over the Internet using video cameras and free video conferencing software. This will help reduce the scheduling problems you may have with your new field reps.

Consultant Training Before Party Experience

Do not bring your new field reps into a party situation until they have undergone the basic training first. The reason for this is because basic training will explain all of the essential information your reps will need before they see their first party.

If your consultants do not understand the basics, then trying to understand a party in action will be pointless.

Before you allow your field reps to become actively involved in the business, you should give them at least two weeks of field training. Let them watch how you host a party and then allow them to host their first party with you in attendance.

For your business to succeed, all of your direct sales consultants need to be trained properly. By using the right resources and developing a proper schedule, you can get your field reps ready to go in a relatively short period of time.

Your team training techniques will determine the success of your business as well as the new direct sales consultant’s business . Deb Bixler provides direct sales training for consultants on how to increase cash flow at home by putting systems into place that create a consistent cash flow.

Deb Bixler is a home party plan business coach who teaches systems that create success in any party plan business. Incorporating her direct sales business tips into your business you will create a consistent income year round. Learn more about home party plan success systems that work for all companies here.

If you want more customers and a more successful direct sales business, stop talking and start listening. Customers actually care more about being understood than about your products. By listening to their needs and wants, you will have their attention when you tell them about your products. When you have their attention, you will sell more products. More listening means more sales.

Most people are passive listeners. Passive listening means that you hear what a person has to say, but you do not react to it. Many passive listeners are thinking about what they want to say while the other person is speaking instead of truly digesting what the person is saying. In direct sales, your customers will quickly recognize your inability to listen and will most likely not continue as your customers. They want to be heard, and you can’t hear them if you are talking.

Successful people and successful direct sellers are active listeners. Active listening is a method of listening that places emphasis on the customer’s needs. Active listening not only focuses on the content of the message, it also focuses on the emotions underlying the message. Active listeners pay attention to words, tone, emphasis and body language. However, active listening doesn’t mean your reaction is to interrupt or cut someone off while they are speaking. It means that you listen closely and react to their message after they are done speaking. Leave your agenda out of the conversation until you fully understand the customer and have reacted to their wants and needs.

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My guest bloggers are amazing and they’re the ones that help me keep the WAHM-Articles blog going. If it weren’t for them I’d find fewer posts on the blog and that’s not what I want for the readers of this blog.

I’m thankful for each one of them and I’m so glad they’ve decided to take part and help me with this wonderful blog. I know I’ve learned a lot from each of them and I know that will continue into the future as well.

Just in case you’re not sure who my wonderful guest bloggers are, you can see my list below.

Sophia McIntyre – http://www.workathomespace.com
Tammy Embrich – http://www.onestopwebemployment.com
Michelle Shaeffer – http://michelleshaeffer.com
Amy Royce – http://itsabloggylife.com
Deb Bixler – http://createcashflowshow.com

If it weren’t for you five ladies, the WAHM-Articles blog wouldn’t be what it is today. We wouldn’t have the help you supply with your posts and we wouldn’t have the information our readers come to look for each day.

I thank all of you for your help and I look forward to many more blog posts to come!

Regardless of what products you sell, the home party business is a year-round enterprise. Consultants that rely on their sales revenue for regular income do not want to see the flow of money stop because sales are seasonal. There are just as many good reasons to host an event in the summer as there are in the winter. When you know the ways to keep your home party business going all year long, you will start to realize the benefits of ongoing income.

- Shatter the Misconception

As a consultant, you come into contact with a lot of people that carry the misconception that your business only operates on a seasonal basis. Business success is often based on perception, and you can change that perception by letting people know that you work all year long.

When you talk to people about scheduling events, remind them that you run a year-round business. Find ways of scheduling events during months that many people think you are not operating. Include small phrases such as “offering year-round service” on all of your literature; that helps to corect the misconception that your business is seasonal.

- Keep Good Data

Momentum is a big part of maintaining a year-round business. Keep comprehensive sales data at all of your events that indicate what your best selling items are and how many of those items you commonly sell. When you find yourself ready to schedule an event at a time that is not traditionally busy, use these hot-selling products in your advertising to gain interest in the event. Attendees who see strong attendance at events scheduled during off-peak months will start to lose the part-time notion of your business.

- Keep Your Marketing Habits

As soon as you stop marketing your business, consumers will begin to think that you are done for the year. When the traditional slow months start to come up in the calendar, you should maintain your marketing efforts. Stay in front of people by hosting as many events as possible and continue to get marketing materials out to prospective customers.

One of your strongest sources of income and new clients is your referral network. Keep working your referral network on a full-time basis all year round. Do not let people tell you that an event will not work because of the time of year. You need to stay focused and keep your business in front of people to keep it going.

Being a year round home party plan consultant means never letting up on your marketing efforts and having an open calendar all year long. When people realize that you work the entire year, you will start to see your business prosper.

Deb Bixler is a home party plan business coach who teaches systems that create success in any party plan business. Incorporating her direct sales business tips into your business you will create a consistent income year round. Learn more about home party plan success systems that work for all companies here.

Success in a home-based business requires organization, promotion, and discipline. Though a home-based business offers more freedom and flexibility than traditional employment, it may require more focus, dedication, and creativity. You are the principal determinant for success or failure and you need to be up to the task.

3 Tips For Business Success

Though success in business requires many different skills and tasks and the list of tips for success would be quite lengthy, here are three that will help get any home business off on the right foot.

Sales Organization

When running a business out of your home, it is imperative that you have an organized and dedicated space for your business. Take a little extra time to organize the space so it works for you and your needs. Arrange the desk, the furniture, and the file cabinets for maximum efficiency. Organize your files so they are easy to find and use a software program or planner for reminders of daily and periodic tasks. Make sure to keep all tax documents, receipts, and income information in clearly marked, accessible files. You may have to try a few different methods before you find one that works for you. If you find that something isn’t working, don’t hesitate to change it.

Promotion For Business Success

Promotion and marketing are the keys to a successful business. If no one knows your business exists, they cannot buy your products or purchase your services. To increase your customer base, you need to market. You will need to try many different methods of marketing to find what works best for your business. Finding the correct marketing strategy is often a constant game of trial and error. Even if you find a strategy that works, it may eventually begin to diminish in effectiveness, and it will be time to look for new promotional methods.

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One of the things you need to include in your direct sales training for all of your consultants is how to deal with difficult people at an event. Even though many of your events are by invitation, there will still be the occasion where you will need to deal with someone who tries to interrupt your presentation, monopolize your time with a series of unnecessary questions or even make your presentation difficult with rude comments.

There are several ways to deal with difficult customers that you and your associates should learn how to use.

Spotlight The Difficult Customer

One of the techniques you need to include in your direct sales training is called “The Spotlight.” Most difficult customers like to make snide comments in the hopes that you will ignore them to try and complete your presentation. One way to stifle difficult people is to acknowledge them by asking if they have any specific questions and indicate that you will not continue with the presentation until all of their questions are answered. In most cases, the customers that are interested will step in and keep the difficult customer under control.

Rally The Interested Customers

If you have a particularly difficult customer who will not cooperate with your presentation, then you can address the problem by saying things such as “The rest of the group is interested in this information.”

When you indicate that the majority of the group is attentive, that can get the rest of the group to focus on the problem customer and get her to either be quiet or leave. As long as your presentation and products spark interest in the majority of the clients, then you can use the interested customers to quiet the problem ones.

The Wise Guy

Many detractors feel that you are giving misinformation on products and they feel that they know more than you do. This is where a well-prepared presentation comes in very handy. If you cite facts in your presentation, then have copies of your source material with you. You also need to know your products inside and out to quiet detractors. The first time you show a wise guy (or gal) to be wrong will be the point when he or she stops being a problem.

Not every presentation is going to go smoothly. A direct sales business puts you in direct contact with customers at every event. You need to learn how to deal with difficult customers to keep your presentation moving smoothly.

Deb Bixler is a home party plan business coach who teaches systems that create success in any party plan business. Incorporating her direct sales business tips into your business you will create a consistent income year round. Learn more about party plan success systems that work for all companies here.

HomeParty Plan Success

The home party plan business is a great business. It provides schedule flexibility, the chance to be your own boss and the opportunity to make good money.

However, it is a business that requires you to be constantly moving forward to achieve success. If you are standing still while everyone else is growing, you are actually moving backwards, and backwards is the wrong direction!

5 Ways to Keep Your Business Moving Forward

Have a daily goal. It can be anything from cleaning up your desk to scheduling two new parties. Having daily goals keeps your mind focused on your business and makes certain that you accomplish something productive each and every day. Having daily goals can also take you out of the normal daily routine, which sometimes becomes a rut. Business ruts mean stagnation and you can’t move forward when you are stagnating!

Start off each month by researching and possibly implementing a new marketing strategy. The success of your business depends on consistent and creative marketing. You will not know if a marketing strategy works until you try it. New marketing strategies are the lifeblood of a growing business and perhaps your most important task. Even if you have a few promotional strategies in place that work, finding new ones will make sure that your business is moving forward.

Start Conversations

Make a point to start conversations with people. Whether you are in a store or at a vendor event, initiating conversations with people may lead to potential contacts or customers. Once you have begun a conversation, you can eventually tell them about your home party plan business. You never know, they just might be interested in what you are selling.

Attend Business and Vendor Events

Attend as many vendor events, expos or fairs as you can fit into your schedule. These events are great places to make business and customer contacts. This is one of the best ways to promote your business. Though you should try to schedule as many as you can, you should schedule wisely as travel costs, time commitments, and booth fees can add up quickly.

Network Your Direct Sales Home Business

Get out and network. Networking is an essential component of most home businesses. Join as many neighborhood, community and business groups as you can. These are great places to meet new contacts and friends. Group meetings and events are the perfect places to promote your business in a casual yet professional environment. Don’t look at networking as a chore; look at it as fun that leads to more business!

In the home party plan business it is important to keep moving forward. Moving forward means that you understand that last year’s success doesn’t ensure success in the new year.

When you move forward in your home party plan business, you will be passing all those other businesses that are standing still.

In a direct sales business, there is a lot of responsibility and tasks that need to be done to keep the business running smoothly. When the business first starts out, the consultant may be able to handle it on her own. But as the referrals keep rolling and the business starts to grow, the consultant will find that she needs help to keep the business going.

When it comes to delegating responsibility, there are a few tips that a sales consultant can use to make sure that the quality of the business does not trail off as the responsibilities start to grow. It is important to remember that just because the business is growing and you need to delegate some of the responsibilities, that does not mean that you should start to lose touch with your own company. You should have your finger on the pulse of your organization at all times.

- Keep a Detailed List

In a direct sales business, keeping lists is critical to your success. When you hand off responsibilities to other people, be sure that you keep a list of what responsibilities you delegated and who you gave them to. If you do not keep a comprehensive list of the tasks that you delegated, then you will have a difficult time keeping track of your business.

- Set Deadlines

Don’t just give people responsibilities; you should also set deadlines for them to meet those responsibilities. For example, if you have someone that orders stock for you, then make Friday the deadline for all orders to be placed so that you have product in time for the next few events. Without deadlines, you are just making suggestions and not delegating responsibility.

- Have Consequences

When you ask someone to help you with your growing direct sales business, you cannot assume that your assistants have the same level of dedication that you do. When you delegate tasks and set deadlines, be sure that you also create consequences for people who do not meet their goals. Consequences mean more to people when you are paying them for their services. It helps you to make sure that jobs get done when they are supposed to.

It is not always easy running a growing sales business, but it can be extremely rewarding. When the time comes for you to delegate tasks to assistants and other people in your organization, be sure that you know how to delegate with authority.

Deb Bixler is a home party plan business coach who teaches systems that create success in any party plan business. Incorporating her direct sales business tips into your business you will create a consistent income year round. Learn more about party plan success systems that work for all companies at: http://www.CreateACashFlowShow.com