Managing Your Direct Sales Management
One of the most commonly asked questions of home based business entrepreneurs, is, how do I get organized. Yikes.
Really, where to begin. I suppose the most obvious thing is that you absolutely MUST have some form of designated area in which to work your business. Now this would preferably be a room of its own where you could close the door and work without interruption and make phone calls without background noise. However, if this is not possible, at least make some logical working space for yourself where you keep all of your business tools. Without this, I think it would be next to impossible to function with any degree of efficiency.
Having an office space is simply not enough, you must organize it. Equipping yourself with office / administrative tools is the first place to start. Make yourself a list and get the supplies you need. A filing system is also very important as I have yet to come across anyone who works efficiently with stacks of paper everywhere.
If you have limited amounts of time, which most of us do, the last thing you should need to do is clean your area or look for important information when it comes time to work. You will burn up all of your time with this wasted time. What you should be doing with this time is making money.
A common hurdle that many of us in this business have is that many of us have small children. This does not mean however that it is impossible to get anything done or be successful, people do it all the time!
What you need to do is think ahead and plan ahead. Figure out when it is you can work on your business and when that time comes – work on your business. Refer to your task list and calendar to tell you what you are supposed to be doing. Do not make excuses to yourself as to why you can not get these things done, when the time comes, JUST DO THEM!
Jillian Middleton spoke to Usborne consultants at the Calgary convention in January 2009 about setting Store Hours and this is one of the best systems you could possibly implement. You set the hours in advance that you will work in any given week, (they can change each week) and then, You Stick To Them. Ask your supervisor for more detailed information on setting store hours.
Learning to work with children around is unavoidable. If you think you will be able to run your business without ever making a phone call, sending an email, assembling paperwork, planning your schedule, packing for a party, cleaning your office area or any other business related task while you have children around you are mistaken.
Children who grow up in homes where mom does things other than tend to the house and children adjust very quickly to this. They can even be a big help when they are old enough and you will have built in assistants! Until this time though, you have to be creative and learn to work around them. All kids can play independently for short periods of time while mom works and they will become accustomed to this very quickly. This way, you will not be restricted to nap time, and after bed time to do your work.
Another thing you can do is bring in a babysitter while you are home working to play with the kids. You will be able to get tons of work done and will still be available if they need you. Bringing in a babysitter one or two days a week after school for 3-4 hours will make more of a difference than you could imagine. Of course, for those of you with unlimited help and babysitting won’t have to worry about this but for everyone else, it’s a great option.
Being able to get more done in your allotted work times by being organized and utilizing help will make sure that you are able to stay balanced. Your work will get done in your designated work times and then you will have the time you need for other aspects of your life.
Brandy Burge has been in direct sales for 6 years. She is in the top 10 consultants in Canada with Usborne Books at Home, a Sales Manager with Norwex Enviro Products, and proud owner of NorwexWebsites.com and DreamcatcherWebStudio.com. She does all of this with 2 small children at home.
