How to Beat the Summer Slowdown in Direct Sales

Hello friends!   I hope you are all having a great week!  The weather has been beautiful here and we are enjoying every bit of this beautiful Summer!  

With July month end approaching, I am already starting to hear from my team members that they are already feeling the affects of the Summer Slow down.  Summer Slow down?  What Summer slow down?  I am here to help you get past that dreaded Summer Slow down so you can rock your Direct Sales business this Summer!!!

I put together a list of ideas to help you in thinking outside of the box and start booking those Summer parties and find new Customers!

• Summer Themed Parties:  Summer is such a fun time to host a party!!  Stick with cute Summer themes that everyone loves such as: An Icecream Social, Wine and Cheese Tasting Party, Pool or Patio Party or Backyard BBQ Party.

• Have a Facebook/Virtual Party - Connect with your friends all over the country.  Set a date and time for everyone to log in to Facebook.  Offer a door prize to those who attend, an additional incentive to those who ask questions about your business and then let them shop away!  As the hostess, you can either earn the hostess rewards for yourself to earn inventory, or raffle off the rewards as an extra incentive to those who attend and place an order. 

• Party On the Go - Fill up a pouch or bag with a few catalogs, orders forms, hostess exclusive flier, recruiting flier and a few product samples.  Give it to a friend or willing hostesses to take to work, a friend's house, family get together or a girl's night out.  She collects the orders and earns FREE or discounted products.

• Mystery Hostess Party - Guests earn tickets various ways in order to win the hostess rewards.  This can be done on-line or in a home.  Guests can earn tickets by brining a friend, bringing an outside order, booking a party, or signing up as a Consultant.  Get creative!!!  Once all the orders are in, draw a ticket to see who wins the hostess benefits.    

• Heels and Deals Booking Blitz - Pull together your list of FRANKS (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Kids (Mom's of Your Kids's friends), Spouse (Wife's of your Husand's friends).  Put on your sassiest pair of heels, your hottest lip stick and set the timer on your phone for one hour.  Call as many people as you can in that hour asking them to host a party or just to say thank you for supporting your business.  Build that relationship with your customer, a phone call really does go a long way.  Having those sassy heals and lipstick on really does go along way, when you feel sassy and confident, it will shine through to the other end of the line.  Try it and see what happens!!!  

• Booking Blitz Buddies - You know how they say you are more likely to succeed with your diet if you have a buddy?  The same goes for Booking Blitz's!  Try the Heels and Deals booking blitz with a fellow Consultant.  Knowing that you have the support of a fellow team mate will make the Booking Blitz go a lot quicker and will be a little less scary if you know you have a buddy cheering you on.  Once your power hour is up, call each other to share your success stories!

• Open House/Launch Party/New Product Premier - You do not have to have your launch party ONLY when you first become a Consultant.  You can have an Open House/Launch Party/New Product Premier style party ANYTIME to celebrate a new catalog, a new special, or just an excuse to get your family and friends together. 

• Kid's Sporting Event - I am actually using this idea from a fellow team member.  She set up a small table display at her child's Soccer game and the Soccer Mom's went wild!!  Make sure to pass out catalogs to all the Mom's for both the home and away teams.  What Soccer Mom doesn't love to shop?  Don't forget to purchase in advance a lot of product samples to pass out!

• Mommy and Me Tea Party/Brunch - Have Mom's and Daughters of all ages gather at your home or even a Tea room/Coffee shop for a morning of fun and pampering.   Serve finger sandwiches, cookies and tea/punch.  You can even team up with anther direct sales company that offers pampering products and have her invite her guests.  You can both share in the leads and the pampering!

• Neighborhood Ambush - Distribute fliers with your information and a coupon for 'One FREE Product' for scheduling a party with you.  You can choose your neighborhood or every neighborhood in the city!  I love to do this during my Kid's naptime.  I load up the kids in the car with a few hundred fliers and pass them out to all the neighborhoods in my city as the kids sleep soundly in their car seats.  It's a great way to have a very productive nap time!

• Shopapalooza - Team up with friends who sell for other Direct Sales Companies and host a one stop shop!!   Each consultant will invite their friends, family, contacts and previous customers.  In return, you all gain new customers from the huge pool of attendees.  It's a great way to network with other Direct Sales consultants and gain new customers at the same time!

• Have Your Friends Help! - Give your friends some products at a discount in return for becoming a product ambassador.   Have them share their testimony with everyone they come in contact with while arming them with catalogs, samples and business cards.  It's a great way for your friends to earn discounted products and come into contact with those outside of your network.

• Booking Games - There are so many different booking games out there to play during your home parties.  My personal favorite booking game is Deal or No Deal, and it has worked many times!!  My team can provide real life testimonials on how well it has worked for them too!

Great Places to Leave Catalogs for Customers

• Hair Salons/Boutiques/Personal Gyms - Ask to set up a small display with catalogs and fliers, if a display will not work, ask to leave your catalogs in a common area of the facility.

• Doctors Offices/Hospital Waiting Rooms- I have personally left several catalogs my kid's Pediatrician's office and Hospital Waiting rooms.  Be sure to introduce yourself to the receptionist and let her know of your new business.  See if she will mind if you leave a few catalogs behind.

• Break Room at Place of Employment -  Leave a catalog in the break room/lunchroom at your place of employment.  Are you a Stay At Home Mom?  Then ask your spouse to bring catalogs to work and pass them around and leave them in his break room or lunch.

• Leave a Catalog with your Waitress - If you received amazing service while you were out to dinner or think your waitress would make an amazing Consultant on your team, leave her a catalog or your Business Card.  Leave a personalized note just for her on how she would make an amazing addition to your team or party hostess.  She will give you a call just to hear more!  .

Do you have any tried and true ways that helped you beat the Summer Slow Down?  I would love to hear!  Please leave me a comment and share your success stories!

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Tips for a Successful Direct Sales Convention

Hello friends!  I hope you are all having an amazing week and enjoying this beautiful Summer.  It's that time of year again and everyone in the Direct Sales Industry is gearing up for their company's National Convention.  Needless to say, I am over the moon excited for my company's National Convention and have been busy preparing for the big event.  I want to chat with you today about National Convention and how important it is to your Direct Sales business.  National Convention is designed to help you grow both personally and professionally by learning from top leaders within your company.  Did you know Direct Sales consultants who attend National Convention are 40% more productive the year following National Convention then those who do not attend conference?  An absolute game changer for your business!! 

One of my most favorite aspects of National Convention is getting the opportunity to truly see the big picture and what this amazing opportunity is doing for others.  The success stories that come out of convention are truly mind blowing and can motivate anyone!  The high energy that you will gain from hearing these stories first hand will refuel your passion to a level that will lead you to your very own success story.  Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your National Convention:

Attend All Training Opportunities Offered

Time will be set aside throughout the week for training and personal development which is typically led by top level leaders within your direct sales company.  Here you will learn important tips first hand on how they were able to grow a successful business and show you how to implement them to take your business to the next level.  I always bring extra pens, a notebook and my personal planner to be sure I don't miss any important takeaways during these valuable sessions.  I also use my iPhone during each presentation to take a short video or snap pictures of any visual aids so I can easily apply the information learned back at home.

Share in the Cost of National Convention with Other Consultants

The cost of National Convention can quickly add up, however, you can keep expenses to a minimum by sharing them with others.   By planning ahead, you can find other consultants interested in sharing a hotel room and public transportation which can be big ticket items.  Not only do you get to share in the cost of convention, there is nothing more rewarding than late night giggle sessions and morning coffee runs with your roommates.  And all National Convention business expenses are tax deductible!

Network with Top Leaders and the People You Meet on Your Journey

I truly believe you become who your surround yourself with and at convention you will have the opportunity to surround yourself with some of the most successful leaders in your company.  You will also be meeting up with fellow team members from across the country so be sure to pack LOTS of business cards.  Do you have a BFF that you met on your team message board that you just know that she would be just as awesome in real life?  Yeah, she will be there and she really is as awesome as you thought she would be. 

One would think that there wouldn't be a lot of opportunities to make a sale being surrounded by thousands of women who also sell the same thing as you do, however there are!   Your excitement will be so contagious, you are going to want to share it with everyone that you see along your journey.   Your Uber driver, the barista at the airport Starbucks, your waitress, the flight attendant and even the passengers sitting near you on the plane.   Be sure to have catalogs handy, they are going to want to know more about what is putting that extra spring in your step that week.  One thing I love to do after my flight is to leave an extra catalog in the pouch in the seat in front of you.  You never know who will be sitting in your seat next and they just may be in the mood to shop!

Take Advantage of Unlimited Attraction Marketing Opportunities

Convention is full of attraction marketing opportunities and to live out your brand through social media without completely annoying your friends and followers.  For example, posting a cute picture of you and your girlfriends with the caption  "I love getting paid to hang out with so many amazing, successful women!" speaks volumes.  You are sharing a lifestyle without coming across as sounding salesy or spammy.  There is such a thing though as too many selfies so keep them to a minimum and don't over do it.  One of my favorite things to do during convention is to create a hashtag that you can use on all social media platforms so your followers can easily share in your journey and live vicariously through your experience. 

Plan ahead for Convention Incentives Offered

Several Direct Sales companies offer incentives ONLY for convention attendees.  Be sure to plan ahead by looking into which incentive programs your company offers to save you money and boost your business.  Early bird pricing is often offered to those who purchase tickets way in advance.  This will guarantee you are purchasing your convention ticket for the lowest price available.  Your National Convention ticket could even be earned for FREE if you meet certain sales goals throughout the year.  Companies will also offer convention attendees deep discounts on exclusive new products to be used for the next catalog season.  You will be rocking your next party showing off all of the exciting new products!!

National convention is all about investing in yourself and your direct sales business, the experience will take you to the next level and set you up for success for years to come.  By planning ahead, convention can be both successful and affordable for any Consultant.  Are you planning on attending your convention this year?  Let us know in the comments below. 

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Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Hey Mamas! I hope you are all having a great week!  Summer has finally arrived and Karen Tucci Beauty headquarters has officially moved from my home office to the neighborhood pool. 

These are the moments I'm extra grateful for a job that can be worked just about anywhere.  There is nothing better than working from my phone by pool as my kids play in the water.  I love that I never get to miss a moment with my two little blessings!!

Today I want to talk to you about an important issue in Direct Sales that can really knock the wind out of the sail of even your biggest rock star on your team. I know we are all guilty of at one time or another... comparing ourselves to others.

To be honest, I too am guilty of comparing myself to others.  I’ve come to the realization that the only thing I should be working on is being the best version of me.  Being the best leader I can be.  I know I should only focus on my own goals and personal growth along the way. Easier said than done, right?

Social Media is an amazing tool for communicating with our team, hostesses and customers, however, how many times have you logged on to Facebook only to read another Consultant reach the promotion or personal volume level that you have had your heart on achieving?  Even though you had just accomplished a personal best in both recruits and personal volume, some how that just doesn't seem to matter.  Reading the news about the other Consultant has completely zapped all of the joy and momentum you were feeling only moments ago.  Has this happened to you?  We need to stop this now!

When we waste valuable time and energy comparing ourselves to other Consultants, we are over looking our true potential, and the opportunity for growth in our own business. We might be trying to duplicate what another Consultant is doing, and in the meantime missing our goals we set forth to accomplish because we aren’t doing what we were supposed to be doing!  We are too easily distracted by what others are achieving and lose focus on what we set out to do.  We are now thrown off course and drifting aimlessly, not sure of where to turn next.

It’s time to stop comparing and competing with others. Focus on YOUR goals and YOUR accomplishments!!  Let them fuel your motivation and don't allow the success of others to steal your joy!

The next time you log onto Social Media, go in with confidence and a positive attitude knowing that today you refuse to allow your joy to be taken from you just because someone may appear to be doing better than you.  You do not know what other failures or set backs these others have experienced along the journey which have completely stolen their joy too.  Focus on yourself, do not forget who you are, what you do best, and how many people will be inspired today by you!

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Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tip #9

To keep makeup looking flawless in the Summer HEAT, use a translucent powder over your foundation and finish it up with a setting spray.  I always set my foundation with a pressed powder and finish up with an extra coat of Setting Spray.



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Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tip #8

Cleanse your face every morning.  This helps yours makeup stay on longer throughout the day.  It removed excess oils which will keep your makeup from smudging.  
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Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tip #7

When applying primer, allow it to sit on your skin for at least TWO minutes to dry before applying your makeup.

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Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tip #6

Remove your makeup first and then cleanse your skin.  It should be a TWO step process.  This will prevent breakouts and drying of your skin.  I use makeup remover cloths and then cleanse with a cleanser that includes an ingredient that removed makeup.  
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Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tip #5

The secret to flawless makeup?  You must take good care of your skin.  Invest as much I your skincare as you do in your makeup.  Good skincare products are the secret to flawless makeup.  
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Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tip #4

Did you know going to bed with your makeup on will age your skin 7 times faster?

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How to Pick the Right Foundation Shade

Hello friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  I wanted to share with you a few tips on how to pick the right foundation shade.  I use these tips when trying to color match a customer because I want her to feel confidant that we have picked the perfect shade!  Are you still struggling to find the perfect shade of foundation?  Here are a few things to consider when finding that perfect shade...

KNOW YOUR SKIN'S UNDERTONE

Knowing your skin's undertones is essential to finding the right foundation.  Not sure?  Look at the inside of your wrist to see if you are more pink, yellow or somewhere in between.  Another thing to consider are the color of your veins.  If they are more blue, you are a cool tone.  Green veins indicate more of a yellow tone. 

ONE SHADE DOES NOT ALWAYS FIT ALL

One shade may not always be a perfect match for you.  You may find that you need to combine multiple foundation shades to achieve your perfect match.  Are you in between two shades?  Try blending them together to see if that will give you the look you are going for.  

WHEN IN DOUBT, GO LIGHTER

If you are still stuck in trying to choose between two foundation shades, you want to always choose the lighter shade.  By choosing a darker shade, your neck will not match your face or the rest of your body.  You can always darken the shade by blending it with a darker foundation shade or apply bronzer to contour.  Still in doubt?  Buy them both!  Our ever changing skin color during the year will sometimes call for a darker shade during the Summer months.

PICKING A SHADE IN THE SUMMER MONTHS

Our skin color is constantly changing throughout the year which is another reason to buy 2 similar shades of foundation.  In the Winter months, you will want to choose a shade as close to your natural skin tone as possible and then go one shade darker in the Summer.

XOXO, Karen  
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Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tip #2

Knowing your skin's undertones is essential to finding the right foundation.  Not sure?  Look at the inside of your wrist to see if you are more pink, yellow or somewhere in between.    
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Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tip #1

Happy Friday friends!  I hope you are all having a great week!  I know I am ready for the weekend and I am sure you all are too :)  I wanted to share with you an exciting new blog series that I am launching today...Karen Tucci Beauty Makeup Tips.  As a leader in the direct sales beauty industry, it is my goal to help women feel more confidant every day and by doing so, I absolutely love sharing my favorite beauty and makeup tips.  I plan on sharing my best makeup and beauty tips often so be sure to check back periodically to check out my latest tips.

Have a great weekend!!

XOXO,

Karen 

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How to Achieve a Fast Start in Your Direct Sales Business

Hello friends, I hope you are all having a great week!  I absolutely love helping all of my new team members reach success in their business and to provide them with the tools to achieve the fastest start possible.  To help them reach their fast start goals, I put together a list of ideas to help them spread the word about their new business and to start making those connections!

• Have a Facebook/Launch Party - Connect with your friends all over the country.  Set a date and time for everyone to log in to Facebook.  Offer a door prize to those who attend, an additional incentive to those who ask questions about your business and then let them shop away!  As the hostess, you can either earn the hostess rewards for yourself to earn inventory, or raffle off the rewards as an extra incentive to those who attend and place an order. 

• Party On the Go - Fill up a pouch or bag with a few catalogs, orders forms and let the products sell themselves!  Give to the hostess to take to work, a friend's house, family get together or a girl's night out.  She collects the orders and earns FREE products from all the hostess benefits.  

• Mystery Hostess Party - Guests earn tickets various ways in order to win the hostess rewards.  This can be done on-line or in a home.  Guests can earn tickets by brining a friend, bringing an outside order, booking a party, or signing up as a consultant.  Get creative!!!  Once all the orders are in, draw a ticket to see who wins the hostess benefits.    

• Heels and Deals Booking Blitz - Pull together your list of FRANKS (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Kids (Mom's of Your Kids's friends), Spouse (Wife's of your Spouses friends).  Put on your sassiest pair of heels, your hottest lip stick and set the timer on your phone for one hour.  Call as many people as you can in that hour asking them to host a party or just to say thank you for supporting your business.  Build that relationship with your customer, a phone call really does go a long way.  Having those sassy heals and lipstick on really does go along way, when you feel sassy and confident, it will shine through to the other end of the line.  Try it and see what happens!!!  

• Booking Blitz Buddies - You know how they say you are more likely to succeed with your diet if you have a buddy?  The same goes for Booking Blitz's!  Try the Heels and Deals booking blitz with a fellow consultant.  Knowing that you have the support of a fellow consultant will make the Booking Blitz go a lot quicker and will be a little less scary if you know you have a buddy cheering you on.  Once your power hour is up, call each other to share your success stories!

• Open House/Launch Party/New Product Premier - You do not have to have your launch party only when you first become a Limelight Beauty Guide.  You can have an Open House/Launch Party/New Product Premier style party to celebrate a new catalog, a new special, or just an excuse to get your family and friends together. 
• School Events - Ask to set up a table at a School sporting event, Open house, PTA meeting, Band Concert, etc.
• Kid's Sporting Event - I am actually using this idea from a fellow team member.  She set up a small table display at her child's Soccer game and the Soccer Mom's went wild!!  Make sure to pass out catalogs to all the Mom's for both the home and away teams.  Soccer Mom's love Limelight!
• Mommy and Me Tea Party/Brunch - Have Mom's and Daughters of all ages gather at your home or even a Tea room/Coffee shop for a morning of makeovers.   Serve finger sandwiches, cookies and tea/punch.  You can even team up with anther direct sales company and have her invite her guests.  You can both share in the leads and the pampering!
• Neighborhood Ambush - Distribute fliers with your information and a coupon for 'A Free Makeover' for scheduling a party with you.  You can choose your neighborhood or every neighborhood in the city!  I love to do this during my Kid's naptime.  I load up the kids in the car with a few hundred fliers and pass them out to all the neighborhoods in my city as the kids sleep soundly in their car seats.  It's a great way to have a very productive nap time!
• Shopapalooza - This is a great idea to do around the holidays.  Team up with friends who sell for other Direct Sales Companies and host a one stop shop!!   Each consultant will invite their friends, family, contacts and previous customers.  In return, you all gain new customers from the huge pool of attendees.  It's a great way to network with other Direct Sales consultants and gain new customers at the same time!
• Have Your Friends Help! - Give your friends catalogs and product samples.  Have them share the items at work, the grocery store, Target, their kids' extracurricular activities.  Arm them with Business cards too so when people ask them where they bought their products, your friends will let them know!
• Booking Games - There are so many different booking games out there to play during your party.  I love playing Deal or No Deal, and it has worked many times!! 

Great Places to Leave Catalogs

• Hair Salons/Boutiques/Personal Gyms - Ask to set up a small display with catalogs and fliers, if a display will not work, ask to leave your catalogs in a common area of the facility.
• Doctors Offices/Hospital Waiting Rooms- I have personally left several catalogs my kid's Pediatrician's office and Hospital Waiting rooms.  Be sure to introduce yourself to the receptionist and let her know of your new business.  See if she will mind if you leave a few catalogs behind.
• Break Room at Place of Employment -  Leave a catalog in the break room/lunchroom at your place of employment.  Are you a Stay At Home Mom?  Then ask your spouse to bring catalogs to work and pass them around and leave them in his break room or lunch room.
• Teacher's Lounge at Your Child's School - Ask your child's teach or principal if they have a lounge that they could leave a few of your catalogs in.  Teacher's love makeup!
• Leave a Catalog with your Waitress - If you received amazing service while you were out to dinner or think your waitress would make an amazing consultant on your team, leave her a catalog or your Business Card.  Leave a personalized note just for her on how she would make an amazing addition to your team or party hostess.  She will give you a call just to hear more!  .

Do you have any networking ideas that worked for you?  I would love to hear!  Please leave me a comment and share your success stories!

For even more tips for your Mompreneur business, follow me on Instagram,Twitter,Facebook

The 5 Easy Steps to Setting Goals in your Direct Sales Business

Hello friends!  Happy New Year!  I hope you all had an amazing weekend and are excited to take on 2017.   Let's talk goals, have you written down what you would like to accomplish this year?  Do you have an action plan in place to achieve those goals?  I personally believe that setting goals is critical in achieving what you want in life and in your Direct Sales business.   Whether it's achieving a certain sales goal or a certain rank within your company, goals are what drives you to make it happen!

When setting goals there are a few things to keep in mind...the key to setting goals and achieving goals is to visualize them by writing them down or creating a vision board.  I personally love writing down my goals and putting them in my planner.  I keep them front and center on a post-it note with everything I do as a constant reminder of what I want to achieve.   Also, you want to align your goals with YOUR personal vision and what is important to you.   With that in mind, let's talk about the 5 easy steps to setting (and achieving!) your goals.

The 5 Easy Steps to Setting Goals 

1. Set Goals that Motivate You - If your goals don't get you excited or make you want to move forward in life, then you will never achieve them.  When setting your goals, keep your "why" in the forefront, your "why" will always ignite your passion to move forward.

2.  Set SMART Goals - As a former Corporate Accoutant, we were always told that our goals should be measured by the SMART method.  SMART stands for:

SPECIFIC - Be specific in what you would like to achieve.

MEASURABLE - Your goals must be measurable, if your goals seem to large, break them down into smaller, measurable goals.

AGREED UPON - Be sure your goals are agreed upon and align with your family's priorities.

REALISTIC - Be sure your goals are achievable, if they are too out of reach, it will be hard to stick with your plan. 

TIME SENSITIVE - It is important to set a deadline to reach your goals, it also helps to set smaller deadlines within your time frame to make the goals seem more achievable.  For example, if you are wanting to achieve Director status within 12 months, set a goal for yourself to achieve Lead Consultant in 2 months, Senior Consultant in 6 months, etc.  By breaking down your goals into specific, achievable deadlines, the goals seem much more achievable and far less daunting.

3. Put Goals in Writing - As I mentioned above, put your goals in writing, create a vision board or even share them with an accountability partner.  By putting your goals out there, it makes them easier to visualize and achieve!

4. Create an Action Plan - Creating an Action Plan will help you to break down your goals into specific and achievable steps. 

5. Stick to It - I certainly can understand that sometimes life just happens and can throw you off the course of achieving your goals.  If your current routing isn't getting you closer to meeting your goals, revisit your Action Plan to see where you can improve areas to get you that much closer and to keep distractions at bay.

What are your goals for 2017?  I would love to hear!  Leave them in the comments below.  Looking for a better way to take control of your Direct Sales business routine so your can achieve your goals?  Sign up to receive my FREE Top Secrets to a Perfect Direct Sales Week.

Have a great week!

XOXO,

Karen

For even more tips for your Mompreneur business, follow me on Instagram,Twitter,Facebook