Does Your Party Plan Business Need a Health Check?

February 1, 2010 Leave a comment

I just watched a TV show about improving a small business (specifically in this case, it was a flower shop) and it made me think about a few things about my business. I wonder if it might help you with yours?

  1. Do you have a vision for your life? What do you want to achieve this year, next year, and beyond? Could you buy 3 magazines and cut out 10 pictures of people doing the things you want to do or having the things you want to have?
  2. Do you live in a cluttered world or an organised world? Which one helps you thrive? Which one makes you more effective? Which one makes you happy? Which one tells the right story about you and how you run your house, business, or life?
  3. Are you comfortable with the way you feel, look, and act? Do you need to exercise more? Do you need to throw out some old clothes and buy a few nice pieces? Are your shoes clean? Are you positive or is the glass always half-empty?

Let’s just start with those three things: your vision, your surroundings, and yourself.

Your Vision

Your vision must be about your life, not about your business. Do you see your family all on a holiday together at Disneyland? Can you see yourself on a romantic holiday? Do you know where the suburb is for your dream home? Can you picture your living room with fresh cut flowers every week? Is your wedding going to be intimate? Grand? extravagant? Colourful? You simply must visualise your dreams.

Your Surroundings

Think just about your office, your car, your bathroom, and your kitchen. How much work would it take right now to get all four of them ready for a photo session? The photos will be shown to your clients to demonstrate how calm and peaceful and organised your life is as a candle consultant. Could the pictures be taken right now? How about in 15 minutes? How about tomorrow morning? What about after this coming weekend?

Here are mine and I’m proud of three of them: my bathroom, my car (which is clutter free inside, too) and my kitchen. My office needs some TLC.

Clutter

Yourself

Taking care of yourself is vital to your success. This is a mental thing. This is a physical thing. This is a self-improvement thing. This creates sanity, enables calm, and helps you focus. If you are not physically healthy, go for a walk. If you are negative about your self, your relationships, your business, your children, your house, or your abilities, read some motivational books, go to some motivational presentations, and take action to change that attitude. No matter what your attitude, go learn something new – it’s just a fun thing to do.

Make it a great day! WLC.

Filed under Good Advice Tagged with , , ,

Email Hurts Your Productivity

January 29, 2010 2 Comments

Email ImageWith a title like that and after quitting Facebook, you must think that I am becoming a technophobe…. Not really. I actually think social media and email and blogging are brilliant technologies.

I just think they can stop me from doing other, more important, more lucrative work.

“When I turn off email, even for an hour, my productivity triples.” ~Seth Godin

Isn’t this the truth?

Here’s my advice. Check email in the morning. Write your replies. Write out a to do list. Then log off email for 3 hours and do your to do list. For ‘party plan,’ your to do list should include making calls, preparing host packs, writing letters to your up or down line, going to a networking event, restocking or cleaning demonstration products, and examining your goals. I’m sure your ‘family’ to do list is subtantial. And lots of you have ‘other job’ to do lists, too.

If in the course of your actual doing, you find that you want/need to send an email, start another to do list… one especially for emails.

  • Email Linda about golf
  • Email John about dinner
  • Email Cassie about hostess specials
  • Email team about Unit Meeting

Don’t write the emails as you add them to the email to do list…. Just keep working on your to do list(s). Then, at some set time (maybe after lunch), log back into your email, reply to new ones and write the ones you need to. Then log off again.

The computer is a tool. Party planners can use email effectively. All by iteslf, it will NOT get the job done. Interrupting your day all the time, it will destroy your productivity.

“Technology does not run an enterprise, relationships do” ~Patricia Fripp

Try my advice for a week and let us know if you got more done.

Filed under Good Advice, Improving Productivity, MLM, Party Plan Tagged with , ,

Q&A – Can You be Too Smart for Party Plan?

January 18, 2010 2 Comments

Question MarkQuestion: Yesterday I was telling a very good friend about my new PartyLite job.  Her comment was “You’re smarter than that.”

How do I respond to that, Wendy? “Then, I’ll be really good at it.” ????

What would you say if your friend said that to you?

Answer: This is an easy one. It’s also a common question. When I started, I was confronted with comments like this. Here is my answer when people ask me. I don’t necessarily say it all, but if they are interested, it’s all here and all true.

Working in party plan is a lifestyle choice. I choose to work when I want and where I want. (Insert here that you get to spend more time with your children by being a party planner. See my other post: Be a Mum!) I am completely responsible for my success or failure. I have the luxury of owning my own business, but have no capital costs to start it; no client inventory; a free marketing department to produce all the products, prices, and promotions; a free finance department to process credit cards and produce reports; a free IT department maintaining my reports, client database, and order systems; a free warehouse and distribution centre; and a free business coach to help me with my business plan. Just to name a few.

Party plan (direct selling) is a business model that allows entrepreneurial people to give better customer service than any retail store. In my business I am responsible for customer satisfaction on products and service.

It seems to be easy for people to shoot down this industry, but don’t underestimate how big it is and how fast it is growing.

The industry is global and growing. Recent figures from Direct Selling Association members throughout the world show almost fifty-five million people being involved in retail sales of over AUD 140 billion. Sales by DSAA [the Direct Selling Association of Australia] members have reached $1.3 billion annually, with more than 620,000 Australians having some involvement in the industry. With a long and proven record, direct selling is an obvious alternative to conventional retailing.

~ DSAA Website

Finally, intelligent people treat party plan for what it is: an entrepreneurial opportunity. For some it’s a small business, for others it’s a career. It doesn’t take education to run a successful party plan business. It takes training, persistence, and intelligence.

Of course, to be credible, you need to believe you have made the right choice – you need to develop pride in your job.

Success is the best way support your decision for yourself. I have seen too many women succeed in this business, and develop that pride, to not believe that. When I finally quit my other businesses to focus on party plan, people stopped wondering why, they could see why: I was (am) happy, successful, and committed.

Comments: I’d love to see what other people think. Feel free to leave a comment here.

Filed under Good Advice, Lifestyle, MLM, Party Plan, Q&A, Second Job, Working Mothers Tagged with , , ,

A Few Ideas to Get You Going in 2010

January 6, 2010 1 Comment

How can you kick start your party plan business in 2010?

As party planners, after the Christmas break (which most of us take), sometimes we need a little motivation to get started again. When you work for yourself, it is sometimes hard to get the ball rolling again. But, my husband didn’t need motivation; he just went back to work. His vacation was over. So, this year, I treated my business exactly the same: like a business.

So, do you need motivation?

Well, I just watched a video with 3 simple suggestions. (1) Call your clients and friends and ask them for some referrals. (2) Contact someone you look up to in your business and ask her to mentor you. (3) Invite a friend to come to a show with you and get some feedback from her about how your presentation can be improved.

I think those are pretty good ideas.

It’s also always a good idea to get reading. Personal development comes from reading blogs (like this), books, and company literature. So , to start off the year right, go get yourself a book or two. I can suggest one that will be quick to read and will help you think about this business as a business: The Skinny On Direct Sales. Another one I strongly recommend is Mary Christensen’s Be a Network Marketing Superstar.

And finally, if you live in Australia or New Zealand, Mary Christensen is coming to town (play video below). I suggest you book a ticket to go see her. I promise you will be motivated, energised, and you’ll leave with a to do list.

Mary Christensen in Australia
Sydney – February 11
Melbourne – February 22
Brisbane – February 24

Tickets are available from the DSWA (click here).

Well, I hope those suggestions help you. Do you have any other ideas? You are welcome to share them here so we all can benefit.

Make it a great day! WLC.

Filed under Coaching, Good Advice, MLM, Networking, Party Plan Tagged with , , , ,

What Matters Now – A Free E-Book

December 15, 2009 Leave a comment

Hi. I have just spent a half an hour reading a free e-book. Hint: Don’t print it. Read it. My analysis: about 5 of the pages were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, about 70 were great, and about 5 I skimmed and let go.

Personal development comes from investing some time in reading, learning, doing new things, and sharing ideas.

I’m sharing this. What Matters Now. WLC.

Filed under Good Advice Tagged with

Why I Quit Facebook

December 8, 2009 3 Comments

Facebook LogoMy absence was noted almost immediately. I got three phone calls within 24 hours of hitting the “Cancel” button.

“Where are you? I can’t see you on Facebook???”

And that’s when I knew I’d made the right decision. I had taken the rebellious path… I had quit Facebook.

Why? Can’t Facebook be a good tool for my small business? Can’t Twittering, My Spacing, and Facebooking with friends, clients, consultants, and others be a brilliant method of communication. A great way to stay in touch?

Perhaps.

Maybe there is a way to make it a good business tool. But you know what I found? I found that it was a big use of time. Here’s what my experience was….

I would log in and use it for mostly personal things. I’d look at my friends pictures from the weekend. I’d comment on a few. I’d click the “Like” button to send a little love to my cousins in Nashville. I’d share a recipe with a friend who was about to have her parents over for dinner. I’d look for the little red flag in the bottom right corner to see what had happened since my last login. I’d get excited when I say that someone had actually written me a personal message. I’d watch the latest David Letterman comedy sketch. I’d open the link to an article my dad thought that I’d like to read. I’d read that article. I’d repost it if I liked it. I’d see a name I recognised in the People You Might Know section and then get caught up looking through them all. I’d decide that I have too many friends in my list who I don’t really know, so I’d filter them, categorise them, and “unfriend” the ones who I couldn’t remember at all. I’d log out to get some work done, only to look back over a Facebook every now and again to see if someone thought what I had said was interesting. I’d pretend I was being good by ignoring all social/gadget/game requests (I never started a Farm, played Scrabble, or looked for one single Easter Egg).

I did these things everyday…. Several times a day…. For about a year.

I thought I was being good. I decided not to use Facebook for business. I never “friended” clients, though they would friend me. I didn’t announce much about my business on Facebook (product launches, my own home parties, conference dates), because I was friends with a huge number of other Consultants in my business. How could we all use Facebook for our business without stepping on each others toes? What if one day we complained about a host and the next day that host read about it on Facebook and realised it was HER we were complaining about. What if the incentive trip required me to recruit one more person and I blabbed about that on Facebook. Would my new recruit feel like I’d sponsored her for the right or the wrong reasons when I announce with pride, “I got her! I’m going to Hawaii! Yay for me!” Nope – I think I did the right thing leaving work out of it.

So personally, I tried to tell myself that I was being more social, but the honest to goodness truth is that I was being significantly less social. I wasn’t making more money. I wasn’t deepening any relationships. I was actually “shallowing” the real relationships I have.

This business isn’t about Facebook. It’s about the phone. It’s about the meetings. It’s about the parties.

Get off the computer and get on the phone. Make some appointments to see people in the flesh. Friends or clients, it doesn’t matter. Be real. Get real. Stay real.

Do you think Facebook can build your business? Feel free to share your ideas here.

Make it a great day! WLC.

Filed under Uncategorized

2010 Planning: My Advice Will Make Your Family Very Happy

November 19, 2009 Leave a comment

Hi. Here is my latest video blog. I hope you enjoy these. I try to keep them short and sweet. As you plan 2010, I think you’ll really appreciate what I’ve got to say in this one. I know your family will appreciate it! Make it a great day! WLC.

Filed under Calendar Control, Good Advice, Video Blog Tagged with ,

Wendy Tip: Only Sponsor People You Like

November 12, 2009 3 Comments

Friends

Make Friends in Your Business

I’ve been taught not to prejudge people, to offer the business opportunity to everyone, and that this party plan business is a numbers game. So I imagine that people might think that I’ll sponsor anyone into my business.

That’s just not true.

You see, I only sponsor people I like.

Really.

You see, party plan is a relationship business. It is the relationships we start, nurture, and enjoy that makes this business tick. Whether I’m talking about your recruits or your hosts, you simply will get better results if you genuinely like them.

The key to this numbers game is to meet a lot of people. How does it work? The more people I meet, the more likely I am to meet people I like. The more people I like, the more invitations I’ll extend for them to host shows or join the business. The more people accept my invitations, the more people I will recruit. And the more people I recruit, the more money I will make. That’s the numbers game.

If I only had one or two shows a month, I imagine I would have to sponsor people I don’t like in order to keep my business growing. But I refuse to do that. Life is too short. The best way to avoid working with people you don’t like is to increase the number of shows you do. To do that you need to be an effective networker both at shows and away from shows.

As an aside: To be a successful networker, do you know what to do? Meet people and make friends with some of them. Follow up with them when it’s appropriate to share information and ideas and laughs. But only make friends with people you like.  Here’s an article on networking that I wrote earlier.

Will you like everyone you meet? No. Will you be happier working with people you like? Absolutely. Do you agree with me? Hmmmmm? Comment away!

Filed under Good Advice, Networking, Party Plan, Sponsoring Tagged with , , , , ,

Training – Do you put in the hard yards?

October 28, 2009 Leave a comment

Stretching and training

Training will make you a better party planner.

Today I was listening to a tele-seminar presented by the DSWA (the Direct Selling Woman’s Alliance), and I gleaned the most wonderful insight. Training is different than coaching.

Training is telling someone how to do something. Coaching is asking someone how they would get something done.

The analogy used was for a sporting team. A sports team has a coach. The coach gives the team a vision (winning) and challenges each player to go do what they’ve been training to do. Training is the work you do before the game. Trainers work with athletes to hone their skills. To teach them new ones. To get their fitness to a level where, when the game begins, they can perform at their peak.

As Party Planners, we must take the responsibility to participate in training. Training is offered by our uplines, by our companies, and by industry associations (like the DSWA). We  also better ourselves by reading books, listening to CDs, and attending workshops.

The magic is that it’s all under our control. We will perform better if we train.

It is up to us to get ourselves in good shape. That way we perform at our peak performance when it’s game time. And if develop our skills to reach the peak performance , we will be easier to inspire and motivate when we involve a coach.

Imagine how successful we’d all be if we took responsibility for our own training and then asked for coaching to improve our performance. It takes both.

Be bold and make it a great day!

Wendy Lloyd Curley is an expert on profitable party planning.
www.profitablepartyplan.com

Filed under Coaching, Good Advice, Party Plan, Training Tagged with , , ,

Wendy’s trying new things….

October 20, 2009 Leave a comment

Hi. I’ve just learned about WordPress.com, a more pliable website engine than the one I was using before. I’ll be transitioning my url to this page once I get the content looking the way I want it to. :) WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley is an expert in profitable party planning.
www.wlcenterprises.com

Filed under General Information, Uncategorized

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