Create A Cash Flow Show

Chris Carroll, Guest Direct Sales Blogger

Our guest direct selling blogger is Chris Carroll. Chris is a professional who has made direct sales her business of choice and who enjoys sharing with others. She offers direct selling tips and guidance for industry professionals.

The Cost Of Customers

Have you ever sat down to figure out the cost of a new customer?

I don’t want to scare you, but it can be expensive if you include the cost of the brochures, the time it takes to find the client, any advertising expenses, delivery of products, and all of the other nuances along the way.

Acquiring a new customer is expensive. So keeping this hard-earned, expensive customer happy and coming back for more is the key for the overall success of your business.  The good news is that keeping customers has a high gross profit margin.

Direct Selling Customer Service System

Developing a system of customer service for your direct selling business is how you can keep customers happy and keep them coming back time after time!

• Establish rapport immediately.  Take the time to chat.  Ask about their family, their product likes and dislikes, their wish list.  Make a mental note and then write it down in your office in a manner that you can use to keep track of all of your customers.
• Keep records of what they purchased as well. By tracking their purchases, you can then offer suggestions on items that will work well with their tastes and desires.  Offering a special grouping on things that work well together can increase your sale and their gratitude.  Good customer service will take the guesswork out of their hands.
• Be consistent on placing orders and on deliveries.  Don’t make your customer hunt you down to find their products. They should know when it is coming, and if it’s going to be late, let them know immediately.
• If you are in a party plan business, make sure the customer knows they can reorder at any time.  You could set up a consistent day per week or every other week to accept individual orders.
• Drop postcards in the mail every so often and let your customer know about upcoming specials or new catalogs.  Make sure to personalize the mailing, even with a simple “I thought about you when I saw this product. I’ll call you soon.”
• Call your customers after the delivery of a new product and make sure that they love it and know how to use it.  Attaching instructions or tips for use with the product is a great service and is always greatly appreciated.
• Ask for feedback.  How are we doing?  What are your needs?  Are we fulfilling your needs?  Be quick to respond to any and all feedback.

Discover & Improve Customer Service

Take the time to improve your customer service skills.  When you put time into discovering more about your client, you will be able to spoil him or her with personalized customer service.  Cherish that and respect it.  Relationship-building is so important in this marketplace that you have to take the time to think ahead and do something special for each guest. Maximize the dollars that you spend finding your new customers so you can make sure that they will be your satisfied customers for years to come.

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Copyright Chris Carroll All Rights Reserved

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Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793

Elizabeth Saunders – Time Management

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach who empowers individuals to build businesses and achieve work/life brilliance™ through Schedule Makeovers™.  Her time management & empowerment coaching frees individuals from guilt, frustration, and being overwhelmed! Elizabeth has been featured in Inc magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and on NBC.  She is always happy to be interviewed for your team, broadcast or publication.

Elizabeth’s Advice

I’m a time coach who aims to authentically live life by following my own advice on prioritizing time. That means I have to face the same challenges you do as home party plan reps. Like this one…

This month, I’m traveling nationally and internationally for work and fun. That means I need to carefully guard my time so I can both prepare and keep up when I’m on the road. I’ve been blocking out my weekly schedule, leaving room for big projects and setting limits on my work hours so that I can also take care of my personal responsibilities.

How To Prioritize Work

Well, a couple of situations arose that gave me pause and the need to think about my priorities. One was with a fantastic young professional woman with whom I’ve been trying to meet face-to-face for months. She couldn’t meet during the time slot I had available and suggested some alternative times next week.

I waited a day to respond.

You see, I needed to face the internal struggle between wanting to spend time with this fantastic individual, and wanting to complete my work on the preparation for the coming month. (I average about two networking meetings or phone calls a week so I do make this important activity a priority.)

Finally I decided that I needed to stick with my original plans. I sent her an e-mail affirming that I wanted to meet with her, but that it would need to be a phone call because my time and work schedule was booked out for the month.

She kindly understood and we’re arranging for the appropriate follow-up. I felt relieved because I had kept my schedule aligned with my values and wasn’t compromising the short-term gain of making someone happy for the long-term advantage of being balanced and feeling good about what I accomplished personally and professionally.

Time Management In The Home Business Workplace

How about you?

Are you managing your time in your home office or workplace? Are you aware of what’s on your schedule and making the tough choices with courage and confidence? Especially if you’re a party plan consultant, the success of your business and the maintenance of your sanity depend on consistently making the best choices aligned with your values and your top priorities.

Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793

Direct Sales Marketing Is Art!

Sunrise On Ski Roundtop

Don’t take the ART out of direct sales!! Today I got my third automated recruiting call  stating that I signed up for learning more about a business opportunity, which I did not.  A week never goes by without at least one call from someone marketing their opportunity with me.  When actual real people, actually call me, then I do not mind so much.  You have to give them credit for trying.  As long as the caller respects my answer and accepts ‘no thank you, I am not interested’  it is perfect, but most often they continue to sell their opportunity.

Direct Sales Consultants – Accept No For An Answer!

When a potential customer or lead says ‘no thank you, I am not interested’ that is a clue to the sales consultant to say ‘cool, I can respect that’ rather than continuing to tell why it is so important that I listen to the special or watch their video. Last week I got a call asking if I would be interested in learning more about something-or-other and I said ‘no I am not interested in actively growing a sales organization because I am actively marketing my speaking and training business.’  Then the direct seller  proceeded to share why what he had to offer would be good for my business and would I speak with his boss (read between the lines: upline).  I stated very clearly that I had absolutely no interest in an opportunity or recruiting interview and he assured me that whatever he was marketing would benefit Deb the motivational speaker and sales trainer. So, being an open-minded individual, I said OK and we had an appointment for the next day.

Sales Technique – Get Your Upline On The Call

When he called back with the “boss”, they used the classic recruiting technique for recruiting or a phone sales interview by getting the upline on the call.  I  told the “boss” that I had made it clear the day before that I was not interested and the “boss” continued to go on about this video he wanted me to watch.  I told him I hated opportunity videos (and I do!) but somehow he strong-armed me into saying yes. Do you believe that after all that, they never followed up and sent me the video link!

It is really the automated messages that aggravate me the most, though.  I know for a fact that I did not ask for or sign up for any list. The recordings do not give you an opportunity to opt-out of future calls either.  Today the call I got was the same exact call that I got the past three days.  Do people REALLY sign up from an automated message that sends you to a website?  This certainly takes the ART out of selling!

Direct Sales Jobs

This makes the direct seller no better than a person in a tele-marketing job.  Network marketers using the phone system and and automated technology as the story above tells, have stooped as low as a tele-marketer whose job it is to ignore the real NO and just plow along. This disregard for the emotional connection is what gives telemarketers and network marketers a bad name.

Please share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section below.

There is absolutely no emotional connection when it comes to automated recruiting.  Now I do believe in networking on the internet and also as a lead generation system, but do not totally take the personal piece out of the sales or recruiting of your business.  It cannot really work!

A good snow maker could tweak the settings and make the most beautiful snow possible.  Now, the attendant is only there to be sure nothing goes wrong.  No more careful attention to details to create the most beautiful ski slope possible.  Just turn it on and make sure it lands on the hill.  You get what you get! The ART of snow making is gone!

Don’t let technology take the ART out of your life and your business!

Please share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section.

Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793

Home Business Strategy = Business Systems

People never fail; only systems fail!

If you are not getting the results you want in your home-based business then don’t quit!  Just find some new systems. I often say that line: People never fail; only systems fail!  I was recently asked what I mean by that and what is a system for your home business?

The most effective home business success strategy is to do what other successful businesses do.  All successful businesses are founded on systems. Some systems work better than others.  You may have a system of host coaching, for example, that is not effective. If you are getting a lot of show cancellations or poor show attendance, then possibly you need a new host coaching system.  In the manufacturing world, the system of the assembly line has been  incorporated into almost every factory operation starting with the auto industry.  Today, tomato soup, couches, clothing and even your Big Mac are created using the system of the assembly line.  The system of making cars prior to Henry Ford did not work well.  Many people think that Henry Ford invented the car but really he only invented the system that made the car affordable.  Prior to that, the system to make cars was one at a time, slowly and very cost prohibitive.  Instead of quitting like most manufacturers of his time did, Henry Ford found a new system.

Home Business Systems

It is not uncommon for home business owners to get discourage and quit.  Frequently they feel as though they failed.  What really happened is the business system they were using failed, not them personally.  As newcomers in home party plan businesses, most people are taught the system of asking friends and family help them kick off their businesses.  I know when I started I was told to make a list of my 40 best friends that I have known since kindergarten and ask them to have a show.  The plan was to schedule 6 shows and then find more business at those shows.  This is an OK system to start a business for about 6 days.

• How many businesses do you know who rely on friends and family for an income?
• How many businesses do you know who start out with six customers then expect those customers to bring them the rest of their business?

This is a system of business start up that is prone to failure.

Business Success Strategy = Good Operational Systems

A system is a mode of operation that creates a protocol for operation.  All successful companies use the strategy of creating or finding a system that works for their operation.  Companies that do not have good systems usually operate in a state of chaos.  Good systems will effectively generate sales, business, or operations with greater success, profit and effort than poor systems.

There is always more than one system, so finding the one that works for you sometimes means trying new things, participating in training, and networking with other like-minded professionals.  A system of host coaching that works will reduce cancellations, increase sales, make the act of hostess coaching easier and most likely more enjoyable.  A system of lead generation that provides an unlimited supply of new business on an ongoing basis is one that will ensure success and reduce failure.

Effective systems also take the stress out of business.  When your home business operates with good systems that match your personality, product line and services, business will become  efficient.  You will be able to do the same amount or more business with less effort.  Like Henry Ford, you will become streamlined.  Oftentimes sales leaders ask me how they can possibly grow a team when it takes all of their efforts to generate sales. How could they possibly have enough time to keep the income up and train a team?  Systems are the answer!  When you no longer worry about where to find bookings because you have an unlimited supply of business, you will have time to train your sales team.  When your host coaching system generates a higher show average, you will spend less time out of the house and make more money.  That extra time will go into training your sales team. Systems give you time and money.

If you are not getting the results you want from your business, then be willing to try a new system.  This entire website is dedicated to home business systems that will create an effective income from your party plan business.  Do you want:

• Higher sales?
• Fewer cancellations?
• More recruits?
• More bookings?
• Better team retention?

There are hundreds of free direct sales articles, home business videos and marketing  audio recordings on this website that are proven business systems specifically designed for the party plan business.  Most of them will work in any home business!  If you answered yes to any of the above questions then take advantage of the many resources here.

There are two premier products on this site that are the systems that I used to build a direct sales business that allowed me to quit my full time job in 9 months.  The Create A Cash Flow show program is a set of party plan systems that are specific to the home party.  Host coaching, sales, bookings and recruiting systems all focused on your home party.  The Power UP For Professional Results program is a set of professional systems that will assist you in marketing and finding business.  When you incorporate these systems into your home business, you will never worry about where to find business again.

Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793

Keep Sales UP After Holidays – Customer Loyalty

During the pre-holiday season customers are buying gifts for everyone on their lists, sales are good and you’re making money. But what happens when the holiday buying is over… and sales come to an almost screeching halt?  How do you re-engage home business customers & keep them buying after the holidays?

Customer Loyalty Marketing

Everyone these days is handing out a customer loyalty card. There are paper punch cards, plastic store rewards cards, direct mail and emailed marketing promotions with special offers, coupons, and more. You know what I’m talking about and I would guess your wallet is undoubtedly stuffed with marketing bait that companies use to lure you back time after time by creating a loyal customer. After all, it’s easier and more profitable to generate business from repeat customers than to look for new ones.

Techniques For Creating Customer Loyalty

There are many techniques that will generate repeat business.  You should incorporate some strategies that will generate repeat business year-round.

• Create incentives to keep them buying
• Offer Product Purchase Discounts
• Create Coupons & Product Club Cards
• Offer discounted Product Bundles for special value buys
• Offer a future Savings Coupon to redeem on their next order
• Offer Free Shipping on orders
• Customer Drawing Promotions
• Create your own Promotional Sales & Special Offers

Create a Customer Relationship Management Program

• Polish your Customer Service Skills
• Make customer service a priority
• Send personalized Thank You cards
• Do Customer Care Phone Calls
• Make Personal Customer Visits
• Send personalized Postcard Sale Reminders
• Schedule Customer Order Follow-up Calls
• Practice Relationship marketing
• Make Customer Referral Calls
• Create Marketing Tools for Customer Referrals
• Create a Customer Rewards Program
• Have your Marketing Plan in place for the new year

Customer Appreciation Tips

A face-to-face thank you can go a long way in building and maintaining good customer relations with your customers.   If you have an important customer, stop by his/her office with cookies or candy or host a small lunch with a few of your best customers. Customer appreciation will keep them coming back to you.

Direct Marketing Tips

Up-selling: Maintaining your current customers costs less and yields significantly higher revenue than marketing to new prospects. To build sales, use direct marketing, including e-mail and direct mail, to offer special promotions to your customer base throughout the year.

Ask for referrals: Do you rely on referral services to send business your way? It’s not enough to simply call on your referral prospects. You must also create a group of marketing tools for your referral sources to use with your prospective customers. Suppose your business is a health care company. By supplying brochures and other materials to hospital workers to give to patients requiring at-home care following a hospital stay, you’d ensure that your complete information got through to your most qualified prospects

Rewards: Build excitement by letting customers know exactly what rewards they can expect and how they can earn them.  For example, suppose you were shopping online, and one site promised future savings if you signed up for a rewards program, but it didn’t convey exactly what you might earn, while a second site offered a gift with purchase at enrollment and a bonus with every third buy. Wouldn’t you find the site with the clear rewards more enticing?

Offer graduated customer rewards: To stimulate maximum participation in your program, make your rewards readily obtainable–and graduate them so that you transform a higher percentage of your database from low-value to high-value customers. Graduated rewards can also energize sales of your higher-priced items, including those that customers might otherwise consider out of reach.

Provide in-kind rewards: What would compel customers who earned rewards to come back and buy from you (rather than another company): two free movie tickets, or 20 percent off on their next purchase? The bonus on their next purchase would bring them back to make a subsequent purchase. It would also make the program itself more memorable because the reward would be associated directly with your product. Best of all, the 20 percent discount would represent real value from the customer’s perspective, while your cost would be minimal.

Direct Sales Home Business Loyalty

Create an ongoing communications plan will create home business customers who are loyal to your sales business.  Frequent customer communication is key to forming and maintaining good relationships with your customers.  Follow the example of major online and off-line retailers by communicating often and sending follow-up mailings or emails after each purchase. There are many direct sellers out there so it is important to stay in communication!

Higher January Sales

The key to keep your sales from nose-diving after the holidays is to take action now.  Start implementing strategies now and you will increase customer loyalty and trust and will encourage your customers to respond to your offers and promotions as they represent real value and savings.  Create your strategic plan for generating repeat business now and throughout the year.

Merilyn Strange is a small business development coach and public speaker, an Independent Avon Sales Leadership Representative and Certified Beauty Advisor with a team of over 100 representatives.  She has mentored, coached and trained sales and leadership representatives in building successful businesses as well as product knowledge, beauty makeovers and skincare consultations for over 18 years.

Merilyn Strange is a small business development coach and public speaker, an Independent Avon Sales Leadership Representative and Certified Beauty Advisor with a team of over 100 representatives. Visit Merilyn’s expert page.

Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793

Deduction Home Office

Tonight we talked about the home office income tax deduction that is available for home business owners on the DSWA tele-seminar.  I was the guest speaker on the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance tele-seminar tonight and after the call I had 10 emails saying that the access code did not work.  So I decided to give the call to you as a holiday gift.  Now is the time to put your plans in place to be IRS compliant with your business for next year!  The regular training call for our Power Hour on January 6, 2010 will be the same call with more information so mark your calendar for the next home business tax deduction training call.  If you are not on the home business newsletter list be sure to sign up!

Home Office Deductions

Some people and even some lawyers or accountants are afraid to take a home office deduction for fear that a red flag will go up.  The IRS does not have a flag pole that they run out to and raise a flag every time a home office deduction is taken.  There are two tax structures in the United States and in many other counties too.  One for the business owner and one for the employee.  The business owner gets the advantage of taking many business expenses before taxes.  While the employee is required to deduct taxes first then pay expenses, even expenses associated with going to work!

Home Business Tax Deductions

The IRS is not out to get home business owners who take the home office deduction and follow the law in doing so.  They made the law so that you can use it properly.  This call is all about setting up a business plan that keeps you compliant when using the home office deduction for your home business office expenses.

Australia has similar laws to the US.  Visit http://www.ato.gov.au

Home Business Tax Deduction

This audio shares more about home based business tax deductions.  Please keep in mind that I am not giving you legal advice and that you should consult you tax accountant.  If you need an IRS compatible business plan template, then the Power UP For Professional Results program is for you.  It includes a data disc with the IRS approved business plan created by a direct sales specific tax attorney.  If you need a referral for a direct sales specific tax consultant send me an email: Deb@DebBixler.com

Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793

There is an unlimited supply of business out there and anyone who applies themselves to achieving a solid business can succeed in direct sales. These 7 marketing tips will set your business on the track to achieve your direct sales goals.

1. Determine Your Sales Niche

It is important to find a niche within your product line or industry. ” Direct Marketing” is a huge industry with intense competition. Knowing your niche will help you set yourself apart and create your brand.

2. Be An Expert In Your Business Niche

You must be an expert in your niche. How can you solve problems? Sales is all about solving problems and serving your guests. Customers are looking for an expert who can help them solve a problem. Show your customers your expertise and how you can help them.

3. Market Your Brand Not Your Company

Yes, your company is important.  Yet what makes you different than everyone else in your company? It is essential that you “create your brand.” You must take the time to create a memorable name, tagline, and logo for your business.  Then showcase your “brand” EVERYWHERE!  As an example; “I teach fun, fast and healthy cooking so that families can spend more quality time at the dinner table eating good-for-you foods!”  Who wouldn’t want that?  When I say that sentence, someone always asks: “How do you do that?”, which is the response that you want to get when you market your brand.

4. Create A Solid Base For Your Business

Every successful business needs a solid foundation. Utilize all aspects of your company’s services. For example, market live shows, catalog shows, bridal showers, gift certificates, etc.  Also, take advantage of every marketing technique available to you. Don’t use  just one. One of the reasons many party plan businesses fail is the focus on only party plan as a lead generation system.  Party plan is a referral system that utilizes friends, family and acquaintances.  A solid business base will include contacts that fall into 7 categories.  These categories are friends, family, acquaintances, work, schools, organizations and strangers.  When you create a solid base for your home business by utilizing all marketing techniques and all services possible, you will set up a home business that will self-perpetuate.

5. There Is An UNLIMITED Supply Of FREE Direct Sales Leads

There are hundreds of places to market your business for FREE.  If you do not have enough business, then chances are you are not taking advantage of all the resources for free leads. Marketing your business without any financial investment is certainly possible as there is an unlimited supply of free leads. Some examples of lead generation systems that do not cost money are:

• Fairs and Expos: Go as a guest and network with the vendors.
• Public Speaking: This does not have to be speaking to hundreds of people. There are hundreds of clubs, organizations and groups that are looking for free speakers within only a few miles of your home office.
• Libraries and Seni0r Centers: Both libraries and senior centers are always looking for programming.
• Internet Directories: Searches on the internet for your niche market will turn up hundreds of lists of people who have an interest in your product line.
• Social Clubs: Both online and offline clubs will also be a lead generation system that can be tapped into.
• This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of ways to market your direct sales business without spending money.

6.Stay Committed!  Practice Acceptance!  Be Consistent!

The 80:20 rule would not exist if everyone practiced this secret direct sales success.  Most businesses and business owners do not stick around long enough to attain success.  You must accept the process and create systems that will allow you to consistently work your business on an ongoing basis.  You cannot fail if you practice this tip.  The very definition of commitment is that you keep going until success is achieved.

7. Incorporate Systems Into Your Home Business

People never fail, only systems fail!  If your system is not successful after you consistently work it, then find a new system.
The only way to fail is to stop.  Effectively working these tips and staying in the game will assure success. This website is dedicated to bringing you direct sales systems that will work for any sales business.

The Create A Cash Flow Show program is a set of home party plan systems that focus on making your home party efficient and consistent so that you  make more money at every show.

The Power UP For Professional Results is a series of lead generations systems that will keep your business rolling along forever with an unlimited supply of leads.

Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793