Don’t Just Sit There, Do Something!

People email me all the time and say the same thing:
“I’ve been reading about having a home business for a week now and I haven’t made any money at all. It must be a scam.”

Well, that’s a slight exaggeration, of course. But here’s the deal.

You just can’t listen and think you’re going to be successful at anything. You have to be engaged.

Purchasing an educational course isn’t enough. You have to open it, read it, try it and keep going when it looks like it isn’t working.
Those who succeed in anything are those who never quit.

They look at problems as challenges and ask themselves how they can solve them.

They don’t let details stop them.

Creating a successful business takes longer than most folks think it will. Most “overnight successes” took years to create.

In America, we have been educated with an employee mindset to think that jobs and money will be handed to us in exchange for a few hours of work.

Developing the mindset of an entrepreneur who no longer exchanges his hours for dollars, but learns to create products, systems, and streams of income, requires a huge learning curve.

And part of the problem is this: nobody ever teaches us this stuff.

So not only are you suffering from lack of education to be able to create and operate a small business, but you also have to overcome the handicap of starting with the wrong mindset.

Get the education you need and just do it.

Figure out how to make it work for you and your family.

Hey, it took years to get where you are. Making a major change isn’t going to happen overnight.

Most folks go to college for 4 or 5 or even 6 years to get a job making $40k to $100k per year.
If you focus on building your own business, eventually, you can learn how to make that in one day!

Don’t laugh. With the Internet, it’s very possible.

You only fail when you give up and quit.

So decide now, that you are going to do whatever it takes to take back control of your life.

Don’t just listen, take action and don’t quit!

So many books, so little time…
Rhea!
who is here to help you Go For It!

Doing Something Differently

We’ve had an artic blast here in Alabama which mean temperatures have dropped well below freezing for the first time this year.  One of my favorite things to enjoy when it is super cold is a fire in our fireplace – so warmy and toasty!

Every morning my husband builds a fire before the rest of us get up so that we can enjoy breakfast in front of a fire – a great way to start the day!  After everyone gets out the door, I usually look over my shoulder wistfully at the cheerful flames and head off to my office which is far far away from the cozy warmth.  I’ve got calls to make and emails to read and “stuff” to do – and it’s got to be done in my office!  —-or does it?

Yesterday, I decided that I would work in the living room in front of the fire for a little while.  No calls were scheduled – I just had some writing to do.  My husband had the laptop with him so I had to go completely unelectronic – a tad scary!  I got a pen and a piece of paper and snuggled into the couch and wrote out my work long hand.

 What a treat!  I was more creative and less stressed – actually I was in a whole different mental place in that environment and did some of my very best writing. 

Now I realize I can’t always work outside of my office, but…..here’s the question.  Are there things that I CAN do in a different environment – an environment I enjoy – that will give me a mental shift?

I believe the answer is a resounding YES!  I may have to get creative and let the answering machine catch a few calls and let my email go unanswered for a few hours (heaven forbid!).  But the payoff is worth it!

When I had to return to my office, I didn’t mind it so much because I had given myself a break, recharged my creativity and my spirits – and still gotten work done that needed to get done.

So, do you have some business tasks you can do in an environment that you just love?  I bet there are.  I bet you could write out lists of names and phone numbers – heck you could even make the calls from some wonderful place.  I challenge you to try this just one hour this week and see if it lifts your spirits.

Love & Success!
Sarah

Getting Back on the Horse after the Holidays

The holidays have come and gone and I for one am excited to start a new year in my business.  It’s been great having extra time with the kids and other family and less time with my computer, but it’s time to focus again. 

It’s time to start putting the plans and goals that I thought about and decided on over the break into action.  Plans look good on paper, but only when we put them to action can they be great! :-) 

So, who’s ready to get back in the saddle with me?  If you are, let’s get started with some tips for getting back into business mode after the holiday (or any) break. 

1. Don’t overload yourself right off the bat.
   We’ve all got big plans for our business and the key to seeing them through to reality is to take it one step at a time.  Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to get all your goals started at once.
2. Break your plans down into manageable steps and tasks.
   I’ve said this before, but if you simply write your major goal down and then hope to accomplish it from those few words or sentence you see on your paper, the odds of actually achieving the entire thing are few and far between.
3.  Schedule your time to make things happen.
   As I talked about in one of my posts here at Internet Based Moms not long ago – scheduling wasn’t always something I enjoyed (in fact for a long time I avoided it like the plague), but as a business owner with a household to look after and take care of, scheduling has become crucial for me. 

Now is a perfect time to start (if you haven’t already) scheduling your personal and business tasks.  Making a point to leave room in your schedule for adjustments is important, especially after the recent holiday hiatus.  Just like the kids, who take a few days to get back into the swing of things after break, we as moms need time to adjust to our new routines too, especially if those include plans and growth for our business.   

Here’s to a getting back on the horse and having things running smoothly while still meeting your goals and plans for the 2008!

Learn The Art Of Saying “No”

How many times have you agreed to do something that you actually didn’t want to do? A project, something for your friends? Even your spouse? All you had to do was say no, but you just couldn’t get the the word to come out. So you end up doing it…and later resent it.

Here are a few ways you can politely let others know you are not available to help them. You don’t have to just tell them no and leave it at that.

- If the task is something you are interested in doing, but don’t have the time to commit at that moment, tell them that it is something you are definitely interested in, but you will need to review your schedule. This gives you time to decide if you can commit to the project or if you must turn it down.

- Resist the urge to immediately say yes by telling the person that you need to look at your schedule before you can commit to them. Let them know that you want to be sure their project is getting your undivided attention.

- You can also say something along the lines of “That sounds like a great idea, unfortunately, I don’t have time to help you with it at the moment. However, I do have time available on this date.”

- Make it very clear that you value their time so you are not comfortable taking on the project at this time. You won’t feel you’ve done your best due to the fact that your schedule is already full. Then offer them the next available time you do have open.

You can’t possibly be everything to everybody. The sooner you realize this, the less you will feel like you are being pulled in a hundred different directions.

In order to keep moving towards your ultimate goals you need to know when to say no and when to push things off your plate. It can be hard, but in the end you will be happier, gain more respect from those requesting your assistance and get more done in the long run.

Where Do You Get Your Product Ideas?

I received this question from Mara B.

“You have come up with so many wonderful products. Where do you get ideas for them? What research do you do to determine which projects to release when?”

Great question Mara and here’s your answer.

There are many ways to research information products. You can do keyword research, surveys, question and answer sessions, and many articles on creating your own ebook/information products show you how to do this.  For me, it’s a matter of listening to my readers and dedicating myself to serve their needs. Over the years, I’ve developed a loyal readership that I have learned from…just as much as they have learned from me. I listen to their problems. I see where they spend their money. All this helps me know what they really want.

How do I listen to their problems?

- I read and absorb the comments they make on my blogs and the replies to my newsletter.
- I visit their blogs and the forums where they hang out.

In other words, I pay attention and see where common problems are found and figure out potential solutions. Of course, knowing their problems doesn’t automatically directly lead me to profitable solutions. Although, I might be able solve their problems, they may not want to pay me for that solution.

How do I see where they spend their money?

- I keep an eye on other companies selling to the same market. I watch companies that have similar values to mine and reach a very similar target audience.
- I track the links in my emails to see which offers my readers are responding to.
- Again, I listen to what they say on blogs, forums, etc. to see what they are buying.

How do I know when the time is right?

As far as timing goes, I don’t think I have any real big secrets. I might tie in promotions into a certain part of the year, but when I see a need, I go after it and create a solution, no matter what time of season it may be.  I know some people say that there are certain slow periods for selling to my market of other online business owners, but I really believe the slowdowns are often self-induced.  Many people get the thought that something won’t sell at a certain time and therefore don’t even try. For me, I try to go against the grain and keep making those offers which in turn gets people to keep taking them.

Is it the Death of the Blackberry?

Before I begin, let me say upfront that I am not a Blackberry addict — I have one, but I seldom use it. It’s good for when I travel and don’t feel like lugging my laptop.

I can check my email, but it’s pretty much useless for web surfing or anything else that I really want to do. The keyboard is just not big enough, and it’s never caught on with me. I almost never take it with me unless I’m actually leaving town.

Since I’m not a frequent traveler, it’s cost per use winds up being about $200-300. Pretty stupid, huh?

So a few weeks ago I heard about a mobile laptop, one that’s about as big as a DVD case, weighs less than 2 pounds, allows you to surf the Net and use Skype, and retails for $399.

It took me all of a week to decide to buy it, even though I just bought a super-duper Dell XPS with Dual 20″ monitors, one for my desk, one for my treadmill desk. That frees up the laptop that I use on my treadmill desk. And it frees up the Dell Dimension that I had for 5 years before buying the Super Duper Dell. The triplets will get that one, and the laptop is for whatever.

So why do I need a new one?

Because it’s so CUTE — you should see this thing!

It weighs next to nothing…it can easily fit into a regular size purse or even a large fanny pack. I have a Baggallini wallet bagg and it almost fits. If I need to carry more stuff with me, there’s a backpack purse — I just tried it and it fits with room to spare. I think I’ll be carrying the backpack more often.

I just got my Asus today, so I can’t give too detailed a review, but the screen looks great. The icons are big, so you get the feeling that you’re looking at a Blackberry with a very large screen. I haven’t been able to connect to the Internet yet, so I can’t tell you how the web browsing part goes, but so far everything looks readable and the keyboard is typable.

If it all works out, I may get rid of my Blackberry, unless I need it for connecting to the Internet. According to the reviews at Amazon.com (that’s where I bought it), it’s supposed to be easy to connect to the Internet. I’m reasonably tech savvy, so I think I’ll be able to do it.

Here’s the info:

Asus Eee 4G-Galaxy 7″ PC Mobile Internet Device ( 512 MB RAM, 4 GB Hard Drive, Webcam, Linux Preloaded) Black

It’s also available in white, and a new version is coming out that offers 1 GB of RAM and an 8 GB hard drive for $100 more. I didn’t want to wait, though.

So far I love it, but the proof is in the using! Stay tuned…I’ll post my review after my trip to L.A. next week.

Stop the Month-End Insanity!

Today is January 9.  You have 22 days until the end of the month.  Plenty of time, right? 

Well, let me ask you this: during the last few days of your month, are you calm, cool and collected, wrapping up the loose ends of all the production you and your team created this month? 

Or, are you frantic, frazzled and stressed, trying to figure out how you are going to get anything on the books that will get you anywhere near your goal – and if your team members could just get their acts together – then you wouldn’t be having this problem in the first place?

If you are anything like many direct sellers I hear from every day, my bet it on the later.  I’m also betting that the end of every month is usually like this for you, in spite of the fact that you always promise yourself it won’t be.  The end of the month doesn’t have to be this way.  It really, really doesn’t.  And I’m going to give you three strategies you can put in place right now, this minute, so that this month will be a truly different experience for you.

The bad news about that is my strategies may seem so simple or so different that you won’t be willing to try them.  The good news is, “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you are going to keep getting what you’ve always gotten”.  Trying something new and different may be just the thing to turn your business around.  So, read through them and pick one you’d be willing to try.  Just one.  But try it with your whole heart before you declare it just won’t work for you.

Suggestion #1.  Finish up what sales you can for this month by the 25th and shift your focus to next month.  You can’t get blood from a turnip in those last few days.  So do what you can in terms of personal and team sales and recruiting to make the most of the next two weeks.  Then carve out just a little time this very week to book classes for NEXT month.  Tell your team members to do the same. 

Suggestion #2.  Set selling and recruiting goals for the 15th of every month.  This will help you stay focused on the first half of the month.  If you work diligently and hit your mid-month goals, good for you – keep going.  If you don’t hit it, seriously re-access the goal.  One of two things is true.  Either the goal was unrealistic and needs to be changed or sales aren’t happening the way you projected and you need to employ a different strategy.  Either way, isn’t it nice to find this out on the 15th when you still have time to correct your course?

Suggestion #3  Get a hold of you calendar!  In my free audio “5 Key Strategies for a Wildly Successful Business”, you will find a lesson on designing your Success Calendar.  You do this by choosing now what days you will work and exactly what hours you will work.  Then you will structure each work day so that you know exactly what you will be focused on the minute you walk into your office.  You must also decide when you are not going to work, so that you can re-charge your batteries.  More profit.  Less stress.  Isn’t that what you’ve hoped for all along?

So there you are: three relatively simple ideas that could change the course of your business in the very next month.  Would you like the month to end in a different way – easily, predictably and calmly?  Then step up to the challenge of implementing one, two or all three of these suggestions in your business right now.  You (and your unit and your family!) will be so glad you did!

Love & Success!
Sarah

What Kind of Seller Would You Like To Be?

We discussed a bit about how sellers seem to fall into three categories:

1. hobby seller

2. business seller

3. marketing seller

And a couple of you have shared that you are hobby sellers… I’m curious – what kind of seller would you LIKE to be? Are you interested in having an eBay income? Or, do you just want to sell to get rid of ’stuff’ here and there? Do you run another business that you would like to market through eBay – but don’t know how?

We are headed into the New Year (who am I kidding – it’s HERE! Happy New Year!!)… what kind of changes would you like to see in your business that might include eBay? I’m planning out the year and would love to hear where you want eBay to take YOU…

How to Write Catalog Copy That Sells

If you sell products on your website, you have likely faced the struggle of describing your copy in a manner that is both informative and entertaining.  Here is a simple strategy to craft catalog copy that entertains, informs, and yes inspires a purchase. 

Stress the benefits.  If you are selling picnic baskets, what features benefit a potential user?  For example, if the picnic basket comes with a blanket your caption could be, “Never spend another picnic sitting on the ground.”  If the picnic basket has straps and can be worn as a backpack the benefit might be stated as “When the perfect picnic spot is more than a few steps from your car.”   

Paint a picture.  Once your benefit has been stated you can then paint a picture blending the features of the product in.  When you paint a picture, your prospect may actually envision themselves using and benefiting from your product.  This is exactly what you want.   

For example a tote bag description might look like this:  “Forget about losing your keys, sunscreen, or favorite sunglasses at the bottom of your bag!  Fun and fabulous, this large flip flop tote bag offers an abundance of pockets and sleeves to keep your small items safe.  This large beach tote bag also offers enough room for fun and lunch and a protective outer cover keeps your items safe and dry. 

A shoulder strap makes it easy to carry and a lifetime warranty guarantee means you never have to worry about replacing it.  Available in Pink/White with flip flop fabric outer or Apple/Black flip flop fabric outer.  This large flip flop beach tote is a great size for a day excursion to the beach, barbecue, or picnic and makes a great holiday gift.” 

It isn’t necessary to take your description and imagery as far as the J. Peterman catalog copy goes however, weaving the benefits your customer will receive into the description of your product will go a long way toward increasing your sales and your bottom line.

New Year’s NOT Resolutions!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I don’t know about you, but I sure loved the laid back part of the holidays that come AFTER Christmas.  That week between the 25th and the 1st is just so relaxing!  In fact, I got so into it that I told my assistant I could get very used to not working – if I did not have to earn money that is:)

Since that isn’t an option for me, I’ve decided to focus on creating what I want for my life in 2008.  This is different from writing down New Year’s Resolutions.  I am not a big fan of those.  They don’t work for me and I’ve really never seen them work for my client’s either.  Just the word RESOLUTIONS makes it feel big and difficult and full of effort.  Yuck!

Instead of going through that exercise at the beginning of each year, I think about what I want to create in the 12 months that are in front of me.  It is an exercise most of my clients have now adopted and really love. 

Here are some questions that will help you design a plan for Creating What You Want in 2008 for your direct selling business:

1.  When you think about December 2008 – what would you most like to have happen?  What you would you like to celebrate?  For the purposes of this exercise, pick one very specific thing.

2.  Not to be a buzz-kill, but check this against a little reality.  Based on what you’ve accomplished in the past, is it a realistic stretch for you to actually create this thing?  There is nothing more disheartening to me than to see someone choose something that is so far out of reach that they set themselves up for disappointment.

3.  If The Thing You Want to Create passes the reality test, what stands between you and creating it in the next year? Be speicific and write down the hurdles you’ve got to overcome.

4.  Got your Hurdles list?  Great, now plot out your strategies for getting over them.  And remember, hoping they will go away or magically disappear does not count as a strategy (despite the high number of people I’ve seen who keep trying to make hope a strategy!).

5. Write down a Vision for Creating The Thing You Want – including the journey to getting it.  Make it compelling and fill it with details.  Think of it like a map.  Where is your starting place, what towns will you go through, what happens if you encounter construction and have to take an unexpected detour?  How faboulously amazing is the place you are going?

6.  This is the last, and most crucial step.  Plot out daily, weekly and monthly steps that will take you there.  You’ve got to get these specific steps down because they will give you guidance every single day. 

You will also rely on them as a compass when the inevitable distractions come along.  Will pursuing the distraction take you toward or away from your Creation?  If the answer is “towards” then by all means pursue it!  If the answer is “away” you’ve got a decision to make – change where you are going or leave the distraction alone.

The exercise of Creating What I Want In The Year Ahead is worth the effort and has much stronger staying power than Resolutions (ugh – there is that word again!) because it is all about compelling action that is heart-centered.

Go on- give it a try! I would love to hear how it works for you!

Love & Success!
Sarah

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