Hello friends!! Whew!! You did it! What an amazing holiday busy season you had. You should all be extremely proud of yourselves and everything that you accomplished. I am sure you are all ready for a little rest, relaxation and perhaps a glass of wine...or two. Go ahead and kick back, you deserve it!! But not for too long....why? Because now is the time to take advantage of the little down time that you have and start preparing for a successful 2017! You don't want to lose your momentum or let all of those leads you collected while you were partying in November and December grow cold. Here are a few tips to keep your Direct Sales Business thriving in January and beyond.
1. Organize Your Leads -
The first thing to do when preparing for January is to go through all of the leads you have
collected in the last few months and organize them. Your leads are the most important asset in your business. Run through all the names you have of people who said no because the timing was not right, or something was going on in their
life that prevented them from starting their business. By organizing that list NOW, you’ll be ready to call on prospects right after the New Year. The New Year is a great time when people are open to starting something new. I keep
a lead spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel that I am continuously updating. My leads are organized into 4 categories: Scheduled
Parties, Tentative Parties
, Potential Customers and Recruiting Leads. Here is what qualifies a lead to fall within a particular category.
- Scheduled Parties - You have already scheduled an upcoming Party with this hostess. Make sure if she does not have a hostess packet to send her one right away. Celebrate the new year by letting her know how you are really looking forward to planning a Party with her.
- Tentative Parties - These are the leads that have not committed to a Parties just yet, however, told you to "call them after Christmas" to set something up. You want to contact these leads right away before their every day life takes over and calendars start to fill up again.
- Potential Customers - Potential Customers are the individuals that contacted you about placing an order for a Christmas gift, yet never followed through. You want to follow up with them to see how their holiday was and if they were still interested in placing an order for perhaps another occasion.
- Recruiting Leads - Recruiting is typically slower in December as women are busy doing the shopping for their families. Not a lot of people have time to start a business around the holidays, however, they have heard about your Limelight by Alcone opportunity and really want to look into it more once life has settled down for them. Perhaps they asked you a lot of questions at a recent Party or have sent you an email asking for more information about the business. Follow up with them via email and let them know you were thinking about them and if they had any questions about your amazing direct sales opportunity.
Once you have organized your leads, set aside some time each day to pick up the phone and follow up. Remember, the fortune is always in the follow up!!!
2. Customer Care Calls - If you have been meaning to implement Customer Care Calls into your business routine, now is the perfect time! Call all of your guests who placed orders with you these last few months to see how they are enjoying their products. Thank them again for their purchases and if the conversation leads to other opportunities with your business like hosting a party, scheduling a makeup consultation or becoming a Beauty Guide, then be sure to have information handy to share with her! Your customer will appreciate your thoughtfulness and it will show that you truly care about her experience.
3. Book Parties Using your New Spring Catalog or Customer/Hostess Special - Who isn't excited about the beautiful new product line coming out in just a few days? Isn't that what your customers have been asking for? Now is the time to book those January and February parties by sharing the new line with everyone you know. Host a 'Jammies and Java in January' themed Party by having guests show up in their most comfortable winter pajamas. Who doesn't love to shop in their jammies while sipping their favorite cup of coffee?
Ladies love having a low-key, comfortable and fun shopping experience!
4. Update Your Monthly Newsletter - I know this is something that I really need to do and am very much looking forward to working on in the next few days. I collected several email addresses from holiday vendor shows, partied, single order customers and email inquiries over the last few months and I want to keep in touch with them. The monthly newsletter is the perfect opportunity to keep your leads informed of the latest information and products.
5. Organize Your Office and Inventory - Every Corporation goes through a year end close process and you should not treat your own business any differently. Organize and file your paperwork, purge what you don't need and de-clutter your desk. I am the type of person that needs a clean and clutter free desk to feel organized and productive and can not wait to tackle that pile of papers just sitting in my in bin! I also carry a decent inventory and know that it is starting to look a little picked over after all of the last minute gift orders I filled for friends and neighbors in the final days leading up to Christmas. I keep a spreadsheet of all my inventory and know that it needs updating. Once my inventory report has been updated and organized, I plan on putting through a business supply order to replace anything that I may still need.
6. Set Your Goals for 2017 - As you are setting goals for 2017, don't be afraid to dream big and step outside your comfort zone. Challenge yourself to try something new. If your goal is big, don't forget to break it down into smaller goals so that you can celebrate along the way! It won't be easy but with hard work and determination, you will look back and realize that when you reach your goals, it was the greatest decision you made. When we take the time to set goals, we ensure our life is geared toward getting the most out of every moment and making our business our own.
I am just bursting with excitement to see what 2017 will bring to you and your team. Wishing you health, happiness and much success in 2017!!
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