We have ALL experienced what you are about to read.  I have not read a truer article in a very long time and I think Julie Anne Jones does an exceptional job explaining to us why it’s so important to “get real” with your direct sales business.

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Successful relationships are the foundation of all success in life: both professionally and personally. Professionally, effective relationship building skills can mean the difference between triumph and defeat, particularly in a sales and/or service based environment. The importance of building strong, long-term professional relationships by taking the time to effectively “follow-up,” cannot be overstated. Yet many sales specialists such as realtors, pharmaceutical sales representatives and small business or home-based business owners simply fall short in this area, not for lack of trying, but simply because they lack guidance and expertise. Following-up is an art form that once mastered, will be an invaluable element for sales success. As Robert Collier once said, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

The Importance of Follow-Up? Everyone wants to feel special, valued and remembered. Our frenzied schedules often leave very little time to think about, appreciate or thank anyone in our lives, especially new contacts. However, that’s the essential ingredient to successful relationship building. By taking the time to make someone else feel valued you make yourself stand out in a crowd, helping to build a positive rapport of trust and respect with prospective and existing clients. To paraphrase the principles of the Law of Attraction, whatever you put out into the world is what you will get back in return. Thus going the extra mile, which might only take an extra few minutes a day, to appreciate your clients and/or prospective clients is a must to attaining your goals. Focus on giving instead of getting and remember that relationship building takes time, organization and perseverance but it is well worth it in the end.

ALWAYS Follow-Up With… -It’s always a nice touch to follow-up in both your professional and personal life. However, sometimes it’s hard to follow-up with absolutely everybody. Thus, professionally you’ll want to do so with associates and people you meet at seminars and other events; existing clients i.e. on their birthday; referrals from existing clients (make sure to thank the source of the referral as well); prospects from sales meetings; coworkers who have assisted you in some way; friends; people who may have sent you a compliment or congratulations on a sale/accomplishment, or remembered a special event, anniversary or holiday. Think of how nice it feels for you when you receive a follow-up call, email, note or card. The same is true for everyone else as well.

The Elements of Flawless Follow-Up – Set defined professional goals prior to attending networking/connection events, prospect meetings and collecting business cards. Some people you meet will be good for business leads and referrals, while others might act as mentors and/or coaches in the future. Thus, take the time to have an active conversation with new people to find out more about them and their interests and expertise. When you make a new contact, immediately afterward, make sure to take notes regarding why you want to contact them in the future, note something specific you discussed and how best to follow-up. This will help you stay organized and will allow you to maintain a personal touch in your follow-up. It let’s the other person know that you were actually listening and were genuinely interested in learning more about them.

Stay in on-going contact with your new prospects…in fact think of them as new “friends.” Consistency is key to building a positive rapport. The more of an effort you make to stand out, the more likely that they will remember you, your company and services/products as a resource for their own personal or professional needs down the line.

Most important is the type of follow-up you choose and there are quite a few options. Use the annotations you made after your initial meeting to assist in choosing the appropriate method of follow-up. The following are the tried and true of sensational follow-up:

• Thank you notes: Take the time to show your customers your appreciation. Not only will they feel great, they will also almost certainly refer other clients your way. Poor time management often leads Entrepreneurs to neglect this small but effective touch so if you “follow through” you’re one step ahead of your competitor. Consider opening an account with an online greeting card company that will stuff, stamp and mail for you. This is a fantastic and more cost effective way to track contact information, set scheduled mailings, set reminders all while providing that extra special touch.
• Remember to mark special occasions: Keep a database to track client information (online greeting card companies allow for this and will automatically remind you of your clients/prospects special occasions). Birthdays, anniversaries, baby on the way and the like, are important to your customers, so they should be important to you as well. Remember their special day with a greeting card and they won’t soon forget you!
• Send a thoughtful gift: For an extra special “thank you,” consider sending a well-timed gift. For instance, following a real estate transaction send a personalized greeting card along with a gift card for a home remodeling or design store. Or send a gift basket that includes a restaurant gift card, delivery menus for the area and a free movie rental to welcome new homeowners. Going the extra mile will engender lifelong loyalty. Once again, certain online greeting card companies provide the gift card option right on their website, thereby saving you time yet allowing you to go the extra mile…without actually having to physically “go that extra mile!”
• Send out monthly mailings: Use these pieces to provide interesting, fun and informative information. The goal is to make the recipient smile while simultaneously reminding them that you’re still around. Send postcards, pamphlets, newsletters or greeting cards with useful tips, monthly calendar fridge magnets, client of the moth profiles, contests to win free movie passes, recipes, community events etc…
• E-mail updates: Once a month email your clients to keep them updated on your latest sale, achievement, product/service updates and personal milestones.
• Face time: Try to schedule some one on one time with clients, either over coffee or a quick lunch. Take an actual interest in their lives and they will remain loyal customers.
• Quality assurance: Call your clients to inquire as to the quality of service they received. What worked for them? What, if anything, didn’t and could be improved upon? Most importantly, are they happy overall? Customer satisfaction is job one!
• Set up your own client referral program: Use your client database to generate business for them as well as for yourself. The sincerest form of flattery is a referral. Send business their way and they will do the same. Give to get back…it works!

It’s proven and unequivocal, the essence of establishing long term, profitable business relationships is first-class follow-up. Time and time again, those who are the very embodiment of professional success; people like Jack Welch former CEO of GE and Real Estate Mogul Donald Trump, confirm that they make follow-up a top priority. If you want to turn that new lead or contact into a loyal client, the secret is simple…follow-up is foolproof!

Sources: Realty Tracker Online/LookSmart: Find Articles Online/Business Creator Pro/”Following Up Builds Business
Relationships” by: Kelle Campbell.

Barbara Theodosiou is the founder of Mommy Mentors. Mommy Mentors goal is to encourage and assist every woman to share her inspirations, hopes and dreams with other women throughout the world. We know that by sharing our weaknesses we can build strength, and by sharing our strengths we can become stronger. To learn more visit www.mommymentors.com

If there’s one thing many people dread when running a home business, it’s promoting themself. It’s not a comfortable thing for most. You’re taught for so long not to brag that talking about yourself, your skills and your business becomes quite uncomfortable.

Unfortunately for those who aren’t comfortable, it’s also quite necessary. The trouble with this is that you are assuming that your offer will be rejected, that it is unwelcome. You don’t know that this is the case, but you assume so. The reason you often feel like what you are going to say is going to be unwelcome is that you think of it as a sales pitch. No one enjoys listening to a sales pitch. But they can enjoy hearing about something you are enthusiastic about. I did medical transcription from home for 3 years.

When I told people about it, obviously I wasn’t trying to sell them on the concept. Yet I constantly had and still have people asking how they could get into it. My enthusiasm and interest in that career brought out their dreams of working from home. That’s one of the best ways to talk about your home business. Any time you can guide the conversation towards work issues, it has the chance to come up naturally. The people who are interested will ask you.

Of course, if you aren’t recruiting but only selling you will want to guide the conversation toward something relevant to that. The key is to keep things relevant to both yourself and the other person. If you do nothing but talk about how great your product or opportunity has been for you, that’s great for you, but may not be so interesting for the person you’re talking to.

Then there’s one of the easiest forms of self promotion – the business card. If you keep a stash of business cards with you, you can hand them out any time someone wants your contact information. They get just a touch of information about your business at the same time.

Find what works for you. If it’s not comfortable for you, it’s not going to work. Talk to other people with home businesses and find out what they do to promote themselves and their business. Even if it’s not something you would do, you may find inspiration. And don’t forget to have fun. If you aren’t enjoying your business, why stay in it? The best ways to promote your business can be fun.

Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips & hints, Points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques & insights pertaining to promotion, Do please browse for more information at our website :- www.greatpromotionsite.com

In- Home parties are a great way to market your home based business. For one, you are invited into someones home and are now a trustworthy contact for their friends and family. Secondly, you are now a friend and someone they can trust. Sales boom when customers feel like you are “one of them”.

However, just because you are invited into someones home, doesn’t mean that every party will be worth your time. Here are a few tips to make sure that this event is a great success for both you and your hostess.

Hostess Coaching:  Work closely with the hostess to invite her guests. Give her an attendee goal and help her with the invitations. For example, I would recommend inviting through several means: phone calls, snail mail, evite, facebook, or text. People respond to different medias and you want to make sure they feel personally invited to the party.

Speak with your hostess at least 3 times before the event.
1. To explain how a party is run and the hostess benefits. Perhaps give her an attendee goal!
2. To discuss her created guest list and ensure that all invites have been sent out.
3. To gather a guest count and remind her of her hostess benefits.

Gather the names, phone numbers, and emails of the guests and contact them the night before to remind them of the party and see if they have any questions.

Do not be nervous to call the guests who have not RSVPed. People are busy! If they haven’t gotten back to you, it doesn’t mean that they are not interested. It simply means that they are busy and forgot to reply, or maybe they have questions regarding your product before they commit to attending a party at their friend’s home.

Successful In – Home Party Presentation:  Have fun! This is a social gathering of friends, as well as a product demonstration. This is a time to build relationships, ask questions, and get to know your guests needs.

Keep it simple. Keep food to a minimum. You do not want future hosts to feel like they have to provide a buffet for their 2 hour home party.

Be organized and have a clear plan so the guests know what to expect.

Party Follow – Up:  It is important that you follow up with your guests several times over the next few months.

Remember the 2/2/2 rule:
1. Two days after the event to thank them for coming and see if they would like to book a party,
2. Two weeks after the event to make sure they received their order,
3. Two months after the event to see if they have any questions and are still pleased.

This follow up is an important piece of the puzzle as you build relationships and gain more business!

If you’re truly looking to have a lucrative and fun home party, the above tips should get you off to a great start. To learn my BEST secrets for having a great in-home party, check out the following link: In-Home Parties

Denise Walsh is a direct sales expert and certified Life Coach. You can read more about Denise at her blog, I’m Loving Life

Making money through home parties is great way for great revenue… party preparing has significantly became popular amongst one on one retailers and people within the multi-level marketing online community since it is proven to become possibly the best methods to gain effective deals. Sales and profits throughout party planning are actually really powerful. Through holding a sociable celebration, it is possible to make use of the big event to show and present your products or services for your guest visitors.

When the party is really a financial success, you may take on orders placed for your merchandise prior to the get together closes. The main prospecting method for home party plan product sales is through the home party by itself. Here are several tips you need to bear in mind to throw not only a fantastic party although the one that really sells!

Making money through home parties & Time period – An additional issue in organizing parties will be the precious time. Day time events throughout the week wouldn’t be readily available for folks who work all through normal business time. Week-ends could be a little bit challenging as well because many might have by now arranged it to see relatives time. The key for this issue would be to think about what type of men and women you’ll be getting over so you can prepare and plan a party that a lot of these if not all will probably be readily available for.

Making money through home parties & the right place – It is crucial to determine a spot that’s available to you and your guests and even one that’s favorable for that party. In situations where you will find that there’s insufficient space in your house, contact a good friend or a family member and request to get the meeting over at their location.

Making money through home parties & Party style – choose regardless of whether or not to opt for official cuisine of informal tea afternoons. Set in your head that far more official occasions are likely to frighten many people today from going to. It might be ideal to come up with a concept that would certainly be comfy for everybody.

At the end of this article I will show you were to get the hottest information about the best and easiest ways to make money through home parties.
Making money through parties & your Attendees – The guideline is easy: invite as many folks as you possibly can. A few people may get prior obligations; other people may merely not be fascinated. So it is usually much better to come up with an extended checklist so the probabilities of good turn-outs are great. Recommend on your own invite that folks bring in along a buddy. Anticipate about fifty percent of your checklist to appear.

If you are really trying to have a profitable and exciting home party, the above mentioned tips should get you off to an excellent start off! To learn my Very best secret for having a great in-home party, just go to the following link: http://marketingclassesonlineblog.com/making-money-through-home-parties/