Hi everyone!

I am so excited to introduce a blog party with you called the 30 Days of Faves sponsored by Lynsey Jones, The Party Plan Coach.   You can see how she came up with the 30 Days of Faves in her blog post Introducing the 30 Days of Faves Blog Party.  I think this is a great idea and it’s going to be a lot of fun!

So keep your eyes posted for daily blogs and hopefully a few videos on my SendOutCards business!  Plus, I’ll be sharing tips with how to organize your time so you never miss another birthday or anniversary again.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

You know as busy moms, we need help too.  I have a few tricks up my sleeve that help me keep my sanity…well a little bit of sanity.  I still “lose it” every now and then!

I’m looking forward to the next 30 days!  Ready to join us?

Have you heard the phrase, “Bees and dogs can smell fear?”

Well the same is true for people, we can smell desperation.

Being in the direct sales industry has taught me a lot over the last few years.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve learned more about how to build my business the right way in the last year, than I had in the last 15 years with various companies.  This is in no small part due to the information on the internet.  I thank coaches like Lynsey Jones, The Party Plan Coach, Lisa Robbin Young at Direct Sales Classroom and others for sharing their knowledge and to pick up where my uplines left off.

I don’t want to sound like a snob or anything but it used to drive me nuts that I didn’t have the “success” like I imagined I would have with my other direct sales companies.  I did almost EVERYTHING they told me to do in the training documents.  I followed the scripts to a “T”, I consumed every marketing idea and tried it, I talked to people about the business opportunity…

And nothing.

Well not “nothing” exactly, but far less than what I expected.

It wasn’t until the last year that the light came on and I realize that the direct sales business is really about relationships and not about promoting my product and opportunity.

I also belong to the largest referral organization in the world and I have learned the right way to network and life has gotten so much easier.  But, it has also taught me how to spot the “wrong” way to do things.

I can spot a desperate person a mile away.  They’ve got that crazed look in their eyes like, “I have to pass out all my business cards so I can get some business.”  They introduce themselves and all they start talking about is themselves and their business.  They tell you what they sell and ask for the sale before you’ve had a chance to look at their name tag.

When I meet someone in another direct sales business, I know their opportunity before they even know my name.

Eek…

I’m sure I sounded like them too because I was focused on me and growing my business, rather than building relationships.  And that is the key.

The other problem is that when people sense you are desperate, it turns them off to you, your product and your opportunity like a light switch.   You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.  When I see a desperate person at an event, I run the other way  – so does everybody else.

Right now I’m at a crossroads because an acquaintance of mine in another direct sales company who stinks to high heaven of desperation.  I don’t know what has transpired over the last few months that has made her so aggressive about her business, but it’s really bad.  Friends that I have introduced her too have told me they don’t like her because she’s too pushy.  Now I don’t want to introduce anyone else to her for fear of the same feedback, yet I want to help her build her business.

I’ve tried to talk to her to see what’s going on, but she has these walls built up and she hasn’t shared anything personal, she just wants to talk about business.  I want to help her and tell her how she’s coming across, but she won’t give me a chance.

Her main goal is recruiting to get people under her to make more money.  People see that and run the other way because they know she doesn’t have their best interests at heart.  Plus, the people who do sign up with her are likely to have the same aggressive personality because you attract the type of person you are.

It’s a vicious cycle!

The only way to stop the cycle is is to change the mindset about the business and opportunity.  If you work on building relationships and helping people rather than trying to see what you can get out of everyone you meet, you will be much more successful in your business.  Plus, you’ll meet some really wonderful people, build great relationships and you’ll actually get to enjoy your business.

Trust me, it works

If you are in any direct sales company, you know the challenges of keeping your business organized.  One of the true benefits of being a direct sales professional is that you can run your business right beside your personal life with kids, family obligations and errands.

Staying organized is no longer a challenge – if you have The Diva Success Planner.  The Diva Success Planner is the first and only planner designed specifically for the party plan professional.

As a direct sales consultant myself, I find that I try to make “other” things work.  So I was using my current calendar and adding post it notes and tabs and using big clips to keep papers together so I could keep everything in one place.  I’m almost embarrassed to tell you I have lost a few slips of paper every now and then.

That’s why I’m so excited about The Diva Success Planner!  You can watch the short video below to see a detailed overview of what’s included in the planner, but here’s what I’m most excited about:

• Month and Week at a Glance: this will help see what’s coming up in the week and month ahead.  If one of those “surprise” opportunities presents itself, you’ll know in an instant if you can participate!
• Hostess and Customer Profiles: it’s great to have all your hostess and customer info at your finger tips so you can call them ASAP with a special that’s perfect for them or maybe pick up a unique thank you gift for that special customer or hostess
• It’s 8″ x 5″ which fits perfectly in any purse or diaper bag
• Goal Tracking system: keep track of your monthly goals all in one place so you can stay on target for that special incentive you’re working on!

The Diva Success Planner was created by Lynsey Jones, the Party Plan Coach.  Lynsey has been in the direct sales industry for more than 13 years and knows what it takes to build a successful business.  This is truly a custom made planner for us! (Listen to my exclusive interview with Lynsey http://www.wahmbahm.com/exclusive-interview-lynsey-jones-party-plan-divas.)

If you’d like to order The Diva Success Planner, go to The Diva Shoppe and click on “Tools for Success”.

This is what I’m getting myself with my March commission check!

I am so excited to share this exclusive interview with Lynsey Jones of Party Plan Divas!

Party Plan Divas is the largest online community and training resource for everyone in direct sales.   The reason we did this interview is because I am consistently getting questions from moms who want to work at home and are really unsure about the direct sales route.  They want to try it, but they are not sure how to succeed.  Others have tried it and they weren’t successful so they are frustrated because it’s the only option for them.

This interview highlights how anyone can be successful in direct sales and work from home if they work hard.  Direct sales is not hard as in difficult, but it does take commitment, passion and the investment of time to make it work.  So, listen to this interview to learn how YOU can be successful in direct sales.  There is a wonderful community of hard workers just like you who want to help you succeed.

This is the first call in a series of 4 calls designed to help you learn about the direct sales industry and what you can do to succeed.  You can also follow Lynsey on Twitter @PartyPlanDivas.

Enjoy and let me know what you think by posting your comments below! 

A work at home career as a direct sales consultant for one of the many fine companies is hard work.  It takes time to build a business, build a downline, and an income.  But there are tools available that can help you get ahead quickly, and make wise decisions.

I want to let you all know about a great resource, Party Plan Divas.  The Party Plan Divas is a community that helps direct sales consultants from all companies, all over the world.  The Party Plan Coach, Lynsey Jones, has developed a system to help any one in direct sales business work their business in just 30 minutes a day.

Lynsey has taken great care in developing her coaching program and forum.  The resources available on the membership site are numerous.  As a former consultant for a few direct sales companies, I can truly say this is an invaluable resource.  I wish I knew about the Party Plan Divas when I needed the help and support!

There are many wonderful components to the Party Plan Divas program.  First, there are daily tips that can be sent to your email on how to build your business.  Some of the tips have been advertising options, customer prospecting ideas and yellow page directory suggestions.  The newsletter is chock full of helpful tips to help any one grow their business.

And I have to mention now, is that the most impressive thing about the resources provided by the Party Plan Diva, is that it can be applied to any direct sales business.  There is a paid membership option that is very reasonably priced.  The resources available as part of the membership program is huge.  Anything you ever needed or wanted to know about building a business is in there.

The topics covered are for the beginning direct sales consultant, to the experienced.  There’s a special section called Getting Started that details how you can start your direct sales business, how to get organized, what should be in your home office, and how to start marketing your new business.  But that’s just the beginning.  There are even scripts to help you get started and get comfortable with your presentations for selling, booking parties and recruiting.

Then, there are ideas for booking parties, how to have a successful party, customer service, party games, recruiting ideas, goal setting, time management and leadership success.  There are also the templates, a huge library of forms and tools to use in your business to collect customer data, organize party information and advertise your business.  The templates are even categorized by business type like skin care, candles and home decor, scrapbooking, etc.

Like I mentioned before, I wish I had known about this community when I was in direct sales.  This would have been a great resource for me to learn how to build my business and network with other direct sales consultants.  My upline did not stay in the business too long after I joined.  And before she left the company, she moved and I never really heard from her again.  Now, ultimately, it was my responsiblity to work my business to be successful.  But when I was just starting out, I needed more support.  I needed someone to brainstorm with.  I needed someone to share their success stories and challenges.  I wanted someone to show me programs that worked so I could try them for my business.  The Party Plan Divas does that – for any one in any direct sales business.

Why do I keep mentioning that the program is for everyone?  Because it’s one of the few communities I have seen that is not company specific.  As a matter of fact, I have no idea what company Lynsey represents.  That shows true passion and dedication to help direct sales consultants.  Not to mention the fact that you know that someone is not going to try to recruit you and invite you to change companies.

As it has been mentioned several times, any work at home career is hard work.  No matter what you choose to do, you own your own business and need to work at it every day.  Having a support system and resources is critical to your success.  If you are in direct sales, you need to check out the Party Plan Divas!

As a special bonus, Lynsey has offered to giveaway a FREE one year membership to the Party Plan Divas – that’s a $49 value!

Here’s how to enter:

NOTE:  Please come back here and leave a comment each time you enter.  Every action is a separate entry for more chances to win!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Party Plan Divas and sign up for the FREE newsletter.  (REMEMBER to leave a comment here to let me know you did this. )

1. Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect – 1 entry
2. Follow @PartyPlanDivas on Twitter www.twitter.com/partyplandivas- 1 entry
3. Follow me, @ivettemuller01 on Twitter www.twitter.com/ivettemuller01 – 1 entry
4. Become a fan of the Party Plan Divas on Facebook www.facebook.com/PartyPlanDivasInc - 2 entries
5. Tweet about this giveaway – 1 entry per tweet (limit of one tweet per hour) “Enter to win a one year membership to the Party Plan Divas Membership Program http://bit.ly/PPDgiveaway“

Contest ends Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at midnight EST.  Winner will be chosen at via http://www.random.org/.  Make sure you enter your email address on each entry so we can contact you if you are the winner!

GOOD LUCK!

Disclosure:  I was given a two week trial to review the Party Plan Divas membership program and review the templates available for this review.  This did not influence my opinion.  As a former direct sales consultant, this is my honest opinion of the resource.