While a new year is all fresh and shiny and new, it can also seem daunting to direct sellers. Too often you’re coming off of at least a two week break (if not longer) and facing a long month with few bookings. It doesn’t have to be this way and there’s definitely still time for you to turn your business around before you usher in a new year. In fact, many times January was my best month of the year when I was working my party plan business. Here’s why I loved January as a direct seller.

People Need a Reason To Party and You Party For a Living – Think about it. There are no real holidays to celebrate in January. People are coming off of the let down of the biggest holiday season of the year and what do they have to look forward to? A long, cold, dark month! If you’re making phone calls to book home parties, offer them something to look forward to with some fun themes. Remind them that your parties are all about fun and connection.

A Girl’s Night Out is Definitely In Order  – Just like in September, January is a great time for moms to take an evening and do something just for themselves. Think about how much the average woman does for other people from Thanksgiving through the Monday their kids go back to school after the holiday weekend. A break is overdue for you and your women friends and you can capitalize on that to book parties as an excuse for a girl’s night out.

Your Company Offers Great Incentives in January to Get You Moving – Because January is historically a slower month for direct sellers, chances are good your company is offering some awesome hostess incentives to help you book parties. During this time of year, your corporate office tends to “give away the store” and you can certainly take advantage of that to get more parties on your schedule.

If Funds are Short, Hosting a Home Party is A Great Solution – I hear often that “people don’t have any money in January.” If that’s the case, invite them to book a party to earn the items on their wish list. If they tell you their friends are all broke, let them know that your parties aren’t about asking people to come to your house and spend money. They’re about a chance to get together and have some fun. Focus on that and you’ll most likely find that your host didn’t know her friends’ financial situation as well as she thought she did (and lots of them will find a way to order something from you).

The Credit Card Bills From Holiday Shopping Start to Arrive – This is not just for you, but for the majority of the people you’ll meet at your parties, your hosts, etc. And wouldn’t an extra $500.00 – $1000.00 each month come in handy to pay those bills? I found, during this time of the year, people were very open to learning about how to earn some extra income and my sponsoring numbers soared. I planned an opportunity event every January so I had an event to which I could invite people who were interested. Even if only five people actually show up and you only sponsor two, would that really be so bad?

Hopefully you’re inspired now to get yourself moving and get some parties on your calendar prior to the end of the year. Even if you only book a few at the beginning of the month, January is a long month and you’ve got plenty of time to book home parties from those parties so your business takes off in 2011.

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Julie Anne Jones is direct sales corporate consultant, keynote speaker, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services and to read more blog posts, visit her at http://www.julieannejones.com.

Direct sales is a simple business model: selling and recruiting. But the execution is challenging. As easy and affordable direct sales is to get started. It is just as easy to quit the business.

To be one of the best in this business, a direct seller needs to understand that selling is not enough. Mastering the recruiting process is a must if you want to build a large residual income business.

#1 Be honest. – With the internet and ease of finding information online, transparency is key in the recruiting process. Be enthusiastic about the opportunity but be honest. You don’t need to hype the compensation plan or business opportunity.

Direct sales is a respectable and potentially lucrative business for the right person.

#2 Get to know people. - Direct sales is a relationship business. You are the deciding factor. There are thousands of other direct sellers that your prospect can sign up with if she or he doesn’t like or trust you.

People want to partner with sponsors that they connect with but also someone that can help them achieve success.

#3 Be professional. – Be warm, open, and professional. Whether the initial contact is by email, phone, or in person this is your first impression.
Always value and respect your prospect’s time and be appreciative of the opportunity. Regardless of the outcome, make your prospect feel good about her or his decision, even if she doesn’t join your business at this time.

Ask if you can stay in touch. By keeping the lines of communication open, you’ll never what might develop in the future.

#4 Talk less, listen more. – It’s tempting to over-sell the opportunity especially if you’re a new direct seller. The more you talk, the more anxious you seem, and the less your prospect hears you.

It’s not about you. It’s what it’s in for your prospect. Find out what your prospect’s problems are.

Is your prospect looking to earn money? Maybe she’s only interested in buying the products. If you’re doing all the talking, you won’t know what your prospect’s interested in.

#5 Interest level. – If you ask great questions and listen carefully, you can gauge your prospect’s interest level. Not everyone’s right for direct sales. And don’t assume others want what you have to offer either.

Direct sales requires someone who is committed to becoming a business owner. And someone dedicated to learning new skills. Products don’t sell themselves. Every direct seller will need to learn marketing skills to grow a business.

#6 Keep it simple. – Don’t overload your prospect with too much information. She doesn’t need to know the ten different ways your company pays. Tell her how she’ll earn money right away in a few steps.

Use your company’s marketing tools to do the work for you. Your time with your prospect is to make a connection. This is a critical step. If there’s no connection, your prospect’s not likely to join your team.

#7 Offer 100% support. – Don’t take on a new team member if you’re not willing to invest your time to help her. Match your time with your prospect’s commitment. Let your prospect know the type of personal support she’ll get from you.

Keep the recruiting process fun, simple, and focus on making a connection. The success of your direct sales business is in sponsoring more people like you. The best way to recruit people is start by being someone that others want to work with.

Janette Stoll is a WAHM and offers FREE internet marketing tips for home-based entrepreneurs. Are you interested in starting a direct sales business and using the internet to attract prospects? Get my FREE Report and learn how I attracted over 100+ prospects in less than 6 months. Get it here http://www.marketingdirectsales.com

When it comes to the art of booking, there’s a new twist on an old saying. Give a Direct Seller a show and she has income for a day. Teach a Direct Seller to book a show and she has income for a life time!  That is why successful Direct Sellers take time to learn the art of understanding and addressing the concerns of potential hostesses and customers.

Whether our intent is to schedule a sales appointment, a group demonstration or an opportunity interview, all direct sellers must learn to effectively ask for what they want on a regular basis. But that’s just the beginning, isn’t it? Acknowledging that you will, with certainty, encounter natural consumer resistance to your offer is important to building a thriving direct selling business. So let’s take a look at some ways you can address common booking concerns in a natural, more comfortable way.

Identify Common Concerns
Experts say there are no more than six common concerns to every selling situation. On a piece of paper, write down the most common concerns you face in your business on a regular basis. Your goal is to be prepared with one or more possible responses to each of these common concerns. Many companies provide this in their training literature so be sure to utilize the material that is already available to you.

Turn The Concern Into A Question
What makes handling concerns so challenging for many direct sellers? For most, the process of asking for what you want is frightening because it puts you in what is viewed as a vulnerable place for possible rejection. But what if you were to gain a new perspective on their response but rephrasing it not as a rejection of your offer, but a request for more information? You can do this by viewing each concern as a request for additional information.

Example: I don’t know enough people. Adopting a new perspective allows you to view her concern as a question. Is it OK if I have just a small group of friends?

Example: I am so busy these days, I just don’t have the time to hold a show.Viewed as a question, you can see that she is asking either: How much time does it take to prepare? OR Why should I spend my precious time to hold a show with my friends?

By viewing their concern as a simple request for more information you’ll be less likely to take their resistance personally and better able to provide them with the information they need to make a decision. Finding the underlying question gives you the opportunity to provide a potential hostess with an alternative perspective she may not have otherwise seen.

Feel - Felt – Found
Another creative way to address common concerns is the time-tested feel, felt, found method of offering a new perspective. What makes this so effective is that it gives you a comfortable way to remain in agreement with your potential hostess, while offering her another view on the subject.

Using the second example of an objection regarding I’m too busy,your response using the feel, felt, found method might sound something like this:

Carol, I can understand how you feel. Some of my hostesses also felt that holding a show takes a lot of preparation and time. In fact, I’ve found that my average hostess spends only about 30 to 45 minutes preparing her guest list, making a few telephone calls and sending a few e-mails. I do the rest! On the night of the show I also keep it very simple and bring everything we’ll need for a great show. That way, you can enjoy a girls night out with your friends. I promise the time you spend preparing is insignificant to the fun and free products you enjoy in return!

Let’s look at each component of the response a little closer:
Feel: I understand how you feel…
This is where you show empathy with how your potential hostess is feeling. When you show you understand how they feel, they are more open to hearing what you have to say.

Felt: I (or someone else) felt the same way
Let your prospect know she is not alone and you or others have felt the same way. Relate your experience and show empathy for the prospect’s feelings or objections.

Found: I’ve found that…
Share what others (or you) found to be true so that they can see another perspective on the situation.

Keep in mind that when you approach the process of asking for what you want and addressing common concerns as a natural and comfortable way to clarify what you are offering, you will not only enjoy the process more you will also experience the joy of having others accept your invitation more often.

Jane Deuber is a Co-Founder of http://www.DSWA.org (the only association dedicated to the needs of the independent party plan and network marketing professionals). Discover what makes the DSWA so unique. Listen to three motivating and informative free teleseminars by visiting http://www.mydswa.org/tele_class.asp