Do you feel as if you have the answer to be successful?

As you know, there are options to working in Corporate America, if you are open to the possibilities, you will have some takeaways from this post on Direct Sales.

Every year thousands of men and women across America sign on with
direct selling firm-Tupperware, Amway, or a cosmetic
company-hoping to make money enough for new draperies, a new
davenport, or some new clothes. They sell a little merchandise to
a few relatives and close friends. Then they are through. They
quit before they give themselves a chance to learn the basics of
success in sales. “I am simply not a born salesperson,” they
often say.

No one is born a salesperson, any more than one is born a doctor
or born a lawyer. Sales is a profession. To be successful in any
profession one must learn not only the basic techniques, but also
how to apply those techniques. Success in sales makes use of all
the abilities one is born with, plus all those acquired through
education and experience.

If you are looking for a career opportunity or “extra income” to
help with the family budget, direct selling offers you
dream-fulfilling possibilities. However, you must give yourself
time to learn the techniques of sales. Ask yourself. “How long
does a doctor to be study? A lawyer to be study?”

WHAT IS DIRECT SELLING?

Direct selling is marketing a product directly to the consumer
with no middleman involved. Most reliable firms are members of
the National Association of Direct Selling
Companies. They bring to the public fine products that are
modestly priced in order to insure mass consumption.

Most direct selling companies furnish their representatives with
a starter kit and essential supplies below-cost prices. In many
instances the investment is under $100.

There is an old adage which says “Give a man a fish and you feed
him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a
lifetime.”

Many of them were able to change their lives for the better. They
took their families on nice vacations. They purchased a piano or
an organ and provided music lessons for their children. They
saved money for college education. They redecorated their homes,
bought needed furniture. One highly successful saleslady built a
new home.

The rewards of direct selling are many

1. You can be your own boss.
2. You can set your own hours.
3. You can own your own businesses with little or no investment.
4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay you.
5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business grows.

It is only fair to tell you that there are failures, too. There
are people who will not work for themselves. When working for a
boss, they rise early, are well-groomed, and get to the office on
time. However, when they are their own boss, they are still in a
bathrobe, drinking one more cup of coffee at 11:00 A.M.

If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do what
has to be done when it has to be done, direct selling offers a
most unusual earning opportunity.

THE TEN STEPS

Here are ten steps that will assure your success:

1. BE A GOAL SETTER. What do you want to accomplish? Do you want
to save for college education for your children? A new car? A
new home? You can have whatever you want, but you must want it
enough to do the things that have to be done to get it. Whatever
your goal, write it down and set a target date for reaching it.
Divide the time period into blocks of achievement that are
reachable. Work consistently toward accomplishing each day, each
week, each month what you set out to do. Goal-setting is a must
in every area of life. Little is ever accomplished without
definite goals.

2. BE A LIST MAKER. Each evening list all the things you want to
get done the following day. That gives you an organized approach
to each day. As each task is finished, mark it off your list. It
is amazing how much gets done when one works with a
“things-to-do” list. Also, have a notebook listing appointments,
potential clients, repeat clients, and referrals, and keep it
with you at all times. You will be adding to it constantly.

3. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. Enthusiasm is the high-octane “fuel” that
salespeople run on. Enthusiasm generates its own energy. Energy
and good health are synonymous with busy, happy people, people
who are achieving.

4. RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAGIC WORD IN SALES IS “ASK.” In direct
sales we don’t have to wait for business to come to us. We create
our own business by asking for it. Ask for appointments, then you
can do business. Ask for business, then you will close sales. Ask
for referrals, then you always have a full list of potential
clients. Be quietly, yet firmly aggressive.

5. EXPECT NO’S. Realize that no’s are not personal. In sales, as
perhaps nowhere else, the law of averages works. Every no gets
you closer to a yes. Keep track of your ratio. It will help
improve your techniques. Are you getting ten no’s to one yes? Is
your ratio five to one? Remember, the yes’s are your income. Also
remember that “no” does not necessarily mean “no.” Often a “no”
is simply a stall for more time to think. It may be a request for
more information about your product or your service. What your
client is actually buying is assurance. Assure here by your
helpful attitude and your complete honesty, that you want what is
best for her. She will most likely respect you and do business
with you.

6. SCHEDULE TIME WISELY. A schedule is the roadmap by which
salespeople travel. It takes the frustration out of the day. It
assures that the necessary things get done and get done on time.
Plan your work then work your plan.

7. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR ATTITUDE. Success in sales, as in all
areas of life is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent aptitude. All
of us must work at developing habits of constructive thinking. I
am proud to be a salesperson. Sales make the wheels of our
economy turn. Bernard Baruch, advisor to several presidents, is
quoted as saying, “If every salesperson sat down and took no
orders for twenty-four hours, it would bankrupt our country!”
Every company that manufactures any kind of product depends upon
salespeople to move that product. Without salespeople business
would be paralyzed.

Remember, sales is one of the highest paid of all professions.
Statistics show that good salespeople enjoy incomes far above the
average.

8. HAVE AN OFFICE AREA. Most direct salespeople work from their
own homes, but it is essential to have a place where you can work
in a organized and efficient manner. An office plus a strict
working schedule gives you dignity. Both are absolutely essential
for efficient operation and accurate record keeping, so important
to the success of any business.

9. BE INVOLVED. Most sales organization offer contests to
stimulate production. Include winning contests as part of your
business goals. Contests make your business fun as well as adding
considerable dollar value to your income.

10. LEARN TO HANDLE MONEY INTELLIGENTLY. A regular nine-to-five
job usually means a paycheck at the end of the second week.
Direct sales “reps” handle money constantly. Direct sales is
instant income and constant income. Therefore. it is absolutely
necessary to become an efficient money manager.

Deposit every penny collected from
clients into a checking account set up especially for its
business. Since bank statements show an exact record of all
monies collected, and business expenses can be verified by
canceled checks, record keeping becomes simple and accurate.
Everything except a few “petty cash” transactions can be directly
taken from bank statements.

Money saved regularly and put at interest, soon develops a second
income in addition to earned income. A long-term goal, which is
realistic in direct sales, is to be able to live in retirement
off the interest earned on savings.

Would financial security mean a lot to you? If so, ask yourself
these questions:

* Am I honest?
* Do I really like people?
* Am I willing to learn?
* Am I willing to work?
* Am I capable of being my own boss?

If your answers are yes, to find a good product
for the direct sales market, one that you like, one that fills
the need of a lot of people, and go to work for yourself! .You
can turn dreams into reality.

Flourish and Prosper,

Ellery Bennett
313-590-3347

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When you hear the word coach, what comes first into your mind? Do you picture a basketball team with a man/woman shouting out directions? Or perhaps a football team with a man/woman pacing to and from and calling out the names of the players?

Coaching is no longer reserved to sports teams; it is now one of the key concepts in leadership and management. Why is coaching popular?

Coaching levels the playing field.

Coaching is one of the six emotional leadership styles proposed by Daniel Goleman. Moreover, it is a behavior or role that leaders enforce in the context of situational leadership. As a leadership style, coaching is used when the members of a group or team are competent and motivated, but do not have an idea of the long-term goals of an organization. This involves two levels of coaching: team and individual. Team coaching makes members work together. In a group of individuals, not everyone may have nor share the same level of competence and commitment to a goal. A group may be a mix of highly competent and moderately competent members with varying levels of commitment. These differences can cause friction among the members. The coaching leader helps the members level their expectations. Also, the coaching leader manages differing perspectives so that the common goal succeeds over personal goals and interests. In a big organization, leaders need to align the staffsí personal values and goals with that of the organization so that long-term directions can be pursued.

Coaching builds up confidence and competence.

Individual coaching is an example of situational leadership at work. It aims to mentor one-on-one building up the confidence of members by affirming good performance during regular feedbacks; and increase competence by helping the member assess his/her strengths and weaknesses towards career planning and professional development. Depending on the individuals level of competence and commitment, a leader may exercise more coaching behavior for the less-experienced members. Usually, this happens in the case of new staffs. The direct supervisor gives more defined tasks and holds regular feedback for the new staff, and gradually lessens the amount of coaching, directing, and supporting roles to favor delegating as competence and confidence increase.

Coaching promotes individual and team excellence.

Excellence is a product of habitual good practice. The regularity of meetings and constructive feedback is important in establishing habits. Members catch the habit of constantly assessing themselves for their strengths and areas for improvement that they themselves perceive what knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to acquire to attain team goals. In the process, they attain individually excellence as well. An example is in the case of a musical orchestra: each member plays a different instrument. In order to achieve harmony of music from the different instrument, members will polish their part in the piece, aside from practicing as an ensemble. Consequently, they improve individually as an instrument player.

Coaching develops high commitment to common goals.

A coaching leader balances the attainment of immediate targets with long-term goals towards the vision of an organization. As mentioned earlier, with the alignment of personal goals with organizational or team goals, personal interests are kept in check. By constantly communicating the vision through formal and informal conversations, the members are inspired and motivated. Setting short-term team goals aligned with organizational goals; and making an action plan to attain these goals can help sustain the increased motivation and commitment to common goals of the members.

Coaching produces valuable leaders.

Leadership by example is important in coaching. A coaching leader loses credibility when he/she cannot practice what he/she preaches. This means that a coaching leader should be well organized, highly competent is his/her field, communicates openly and encourages feedback, and has a clear idea of the organizationís vision-mission-goals. By vicarious and purposive learning, members catch the same good practices and attitudes from the coaching leader, turning them into coaching leaders themselves. If a member experiences good coaching, he/she is most likely to do the same things when entrusted with formal leadership roles.

Some words of caution though: coaching is just one of the styles of leadership. It can be done in combination with the other five emotional leadership styles depending on the profile of the emerging team. Moreover, coaching as a leadership style requires that you are physically, emotionally, and mentally fit most of the time since it involves two levels of coaching: individual and team. Your members expect you to be the last one to give up or bail out in any situation especially during times of crises. A coaching leader must be conscious that coaching entails investing time on each individual, and on the whole team. Moreover, that the responsibilities are greater since while you are coaching members, you are also developing future coaches as well.

Do you have what it takes to lead people? Once you have people follow you can you coach them to achieve their goals? If you answered yes to both questions, I would like to speak to you, I am seeking individuals that believe in themselves and can be successful in leading and coaching people. Provide your contact information in contact box on the leftside of this blog.

Flourish and Prosper,

Ellery Bennett
313-590-3347

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What makes someone decide to take on a leadership role versus being a follower? Some people like the spot light, while others would prefer to be in the background. When we call someone a leader, what we sometimes mean is that they are the best in their particular field; they are inspiring because of how much they accomplish. To be highly accomplished is impressive, but that isn’t what leadership is about. True leaders are not just high achievers; they also support the people around them to achieve, and, in certain cases, to become leaders themselves. In other words, true leaders do not create a static group of followers. Rather, they create an environment in which everyone can develop their potential. True leaders don’t get so caught up in the forward thrust of their own energy that they forget about others or the larger environment. They set an example with their actions, and they also support others to act. This is why true leadership is so rare.

My daughter is 9 years of age and is in the last year of elementary school, at the time of publishing this article, she is running for Vice President of her school. I was President of my High School in my Senior year. My daughter asked me about the leadership role, I thought to myself, there is no better time to show your leadership than at a young age. Not everybody is cut out to be a leader, but most of us have the potential to serve in a leadership role at some point in our lives. When doing so, we might want to be inspired by the highest manifestation of leadership, remembering that we are meant to forward not only ourselves but a whole environment—an ideal, a plan, the people around us. While this won’t be easy, it is the true meaning of the job, and we can trust that we are capable of it. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t find ourselves in the position to lead.

Some of us recognize that we enjoy the leadership role, which can come into play during childhood, playing sports, in Corporate America or as an entrepreneur. We will focus on being an entrepreneur, building a team and recognizing that people are looking for someone to provide leadership to assist them with not being forced to live a life of unhappiness. A life of working from paycheck to paycheck in a corporate environment that doesn’t care if you come or go. It’s also possible that some people have determined that their gifts are best applied in a secondary position, supporting the efforts of a leader whose vision we admire. In this case, we can ensure that our energy is best applied by holding the person for whom we work to a high standard of leadership. In this way, we take responsibility for our own gifts by guaranteeing that they will be appreciated and developed in a way that best serves the whole.

Have you taken on a leadership role? Would you like to take on a leadership role? Leaders are in demand in the business I have chosen to be involved in, so if you are a true leader and feel you are not appreciated or are not earning the income you deserve. Give me a call or provide your information in the contact form on the left side of this blog. Either myself or one of my associates will contact you to discuss how we can utilize your leadership skills with creating a business that you can work from home.

Flourish and Prosper,

Ellery Bennett
313-590-3347

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