Perfectionism

It could be from my life as a competitive gymnast, and it could be that my mother was so smart, I had too much to live up to, but I am a serious perfectionist.  It's horrendous because it leads to procrastination, which leads to depression and feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness.

This DOES affect my home businesses.

I spend HOURS writing a thank you letter, for instance, making sure it's just right and second guessing what each word may mean to the receiver, regardless of what and why I wrote in the first place.

Even here, on this blog, I never ever re-read and edit it because to do so is death.  I would never get anything published. I have to close my eyes and push "publish post."

Great ideas are easy to come by in the wonderful world of writing-I write on the wall ideas all day AND night long. I have ideas for books, articles, screenplays, essays, poems... you name it. And they really are great ideas (I know because after a while, someone else thinks of it and makes a ton of money), but that first word gets me each and every time. It must be perfect. It has to be right or I cannot go on.


I self edit as I write, yet I'm a one-draft-deadline writer, and here's why:  the first chapter of The U-Haul Murders is the Littlest Angel/The Last Day; it's been rewritten more than one hundred times and I'm not joking.  No matter how good it is, by my standards for fellow readers, it can always be improved. Knowing Shakespeare and the Bible can be rearranged and changed for improvement - two perfect works of art (Shakespeare=all his work) - doesn't make me feel any better or edit any less.

I've been trying to earn the ChaCha bonuses (tell 'em ChaStriss sent you so we can be on the same team!), but I'm slow because I want the answers to be perfect. I want to earn 100% on the quality scores.  As a former ChaCha user, I know for a fact I'm too hard on myself compared to others, but still, I sweat it each and every time.  It's a hindrance, I tell you.

When I decide to make cold calls for my AtHome America (which, yes, I am re-instated and working until June to see what happens and how the customers deal with the new direct shipping) business, it's the same thing. I take hours to prepare and make sure I know the specials of the month and the next month. I make sure I have everything at hand, either the hard copy or the reproducibles on the computer... and I'm scared to death that I'll either be asked something I do not know, or worse, I'll know the answer and will not be able to recall it, even with everything in front of me.

Now, I know that no one is perfect and I also know that I probably won't lose a penny by a stutter or two, yet, there I am, striving to get it right before I start.

By the time I've gathered my wits about me and am ready for ChaCha or the cold calls, I've pretty much gone into the next time crunch for me, where the kids are home and I need to work on homework, or dinner's supposed to be ready, or the time zone where the customer lives is wickedly late... always something.

This perfectionism not only does not work, but it works against me.  By wanting to be perfect, I am earning less money by researching less on ChaCha and earning less money by having less home/online parties/sales with AtHome America.  0% of 0 is $0, no matter how perfect it is.

Taking the five minute idea and the knowledge my way isn't working, what if I spend just five minutes a day on ChaCha and five minutes a day making cold calls with NO PREPARATION and let whatever comes my way... come my way?

As for the writing?  I'm going to have to change it up a bit more.  No more "freewriting" because I know it's just a bunch of rambling with no intentions ever of going anywhere.  Instead, I'll have five minutes of completely unedited REAL WORK that has a preplanned purpose.  Every other day I'll write, and the next day, I'll take five minutes (and only five minutes) to edit the piece and improve as needed.


Practice makes perfect; nobody's perfect.

Email: Blessing and Curse

When you can't meet a client or hostess in person, and you are unable to contact them by telephone, the next best thing is email.  Email can be instantaneous, however, due to that nature, the wait can often drive you mad or, at worst, it can be paralyzing.


Questions creep into your brain: "Did the email bounce into the SPAM box?"  "Does the client or hostess not want to be contacted?"  "Did the client or hostess change his mind?"  "How soon is too soon to contact him again?  What if..."


To validate your questions, but not your obsessive fear, reread your SENT email and make sure you included your name, telephone number, email address (even though you've sent it via email, you need to include it again in the body of the letter), and physical address if applicable (if it turns out you forget to give contact information, send a follow-up email with a very short message and the information).  If you included contact information, just wait.  Three days for a follow up email (unless time is of the essence), but you can call the following day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SAMPLE EMAIL

for a home-party-based-business to an online Lead
Thank you, Michelle, for sharing your letter!

Dear [Insert Lead's Name Here];


Thank you for contacting us; it's an exciting time to inquire about AtHome America, to host a party and earn free HomeWares or to become a HomeStyle Specialist.


The company is sending you a packet of information, including our latest catalog, and you can also view the catalog online at http://AtHome.com/Teraisa.


April and May have fabulous hostess and customer specials, including HomeWares to share on Mother's Day, which you can have free when you host a qualified home, catalog, or online party or by becoming a HomeStyle Specialist (HSS) yourself.


Whether you are looking to supplement your income, schedule your work hours around your family, travel for FREE, decorate your house, meet new women, or just need to get out of the house, AtHome America (AHA) is the right place to be.  AHA offers the flexibility and the income to do all of these things. Be the first in your area to begin an AHA business with a brand new product line that is sure to please everyone who attends one of your shows.


For starters, you can begin your business for only $49 (INCLUDES tax and shipping and handling) - this means you receive more than $425 worth of products and business supplies similar to those on the attached flyer [be sure to attach any pertinent information].  You KEEP the $49 HomeStudio by submitting $900 in home party sales within 35 days of your HomeStudio being shipped out; you can earn this easily by hosting your own Grand Opening and two other parties ($300 in sales or more each). Talk about parttime!


These three parties not only earn you the HomeStudio, but you'll also receive commission ($225), you'll be on your way to earning a Jeep Patriot (we'll talk!), and you will have earned MORE FREE HomeWares if you hosted your Grand Opening. Don't worry about learning the ropes, once you sign up, you'll have access to training videos and guides, and you can always call, text, or email me (123-456-7890 AHA.Home.Decor@gmail.com) - you may own your business, but you won't be in business alone.


I have been selling AHA since last November and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I can't wait to see what's in store for my team this year. The sky truly is the limit.


If you'd like to host a party, let's get you set up (I'm attaching our hostess and product specials' flyer) [don't forget to attach flyer!] with a date and invitatons your guests.  If you want to join AHA, choose a date to host your grand opening (two weeks from now is perfect) and five friends who will help you practice by hosting your first parties and keep you on track to all AHA has to offer. I'll send you the online application.  Together, we CAN do this!


Teraisa J. Rogers, Hawaii
123-456-7890
AHA.Home.Decor@gmail.com

Successful Home Business Tips

Regardless your business, there are many ways to successfully market your business, yourself, or both.  We've all created and used signatures in our emails and electronic groups by now (now is a great time to change it up a bit), but there is more you can do. 

Writers!  Tithe your writing once in a while. Write for a magazine, newspaper, or website FREE.  It gets your name, bio, and website out there and gives you experience and writing clips.

Home party specialists can offer a product, wrapped nicely with a catalog and information card, to local charities raising money.  For instance, if your local high school is hosting a quarter auction, give away a gift you'd like to win.  You'll have advertising in the program, during the auction, and again by word of mouth from the winner (a bonus is those collecting the prizes and putting the event on will ALSO be checking you out and are potential future buyers and/or hostesses).

As a victims' rights advocate, I speak at local schools (free of charge) and offer information. Rarely is there not at least one person who contacts me outside of the event for themselves or another or to offer assistance.

I've tried to give examples of things that have worked for me personally in the past, but that's not close to the end of the list. I've taught classes, performed public speaking, sent out monthly and weekly newspapers to specific audiences, advertised on and offline, donated services to different events and charities, as a new At Home America homestyle specialist, I'm constantly looking for ways to share the opportunity without being aggressive.

For those of you who have physical products to share, get yourself a booth at the local craft fairs, or other such crowd gatherers.  The people are there specifically to see your stuff!  You can not only earn sales, but you can plant seeds for home parties.  Throw in a cool drawing, a great prize in return for giving you information (name, email, number, address, do they want to host a party, are they interested in earning full time money working part time, etc.).

Opportunities are endless.  They're all around you. I encourage you to take five minutes and list as many ideas for marketing your business as you can, no matter how crazy or silly. Don't stop for anything, just write.  Then come back here and share the best of the best!

  

 

How to get organized in your direct sales business

What Can You Accomplish with Just Five Minutes?

When our kids were young, we often called them in for a "quick five minute clean-up." Because there were so many kids in a small house (seven), they often tried to get away with doing very little (yes, even less than a whopping five minutes of work!). You know what we'd do?  We start the time over. EVERYONE pays when someone slacks on a measly five minutes. 

A year into it, I realized they didn't really understand the concept (they were ages 4-13 at the time).  By having each one, separately, set the time and do as much as fast as they can until it goes off, they realized they could literally make a difference-an impact, really-by working gung-ho. Their five minute quick clean up work was usually much cleaner than when they'd take a half hour to do the same job.

For each action is a reaction; a consequence.  Because they took their five minutes seriously, they often didn't have any other cleaning to do for the day.  You can say the reward was immediate AND delayed and, quite honestly, they were proud of themselves.

Yesterday, I wrote I'm on a type of leave from work (purposely planning ZERO home parties with At Home America and letting the writing slide).  Though I do not have a home party planned, I do take a few minutes to find a great sale item and list it in my signature, on a postcard, or perhaps on Facebook.  And that's when lightning struck.

Why not do a five minute quick WRITE UP?  The kids cleaned five minutes. When I was a personal trainer, I would tell clients to exercise even just five minutes, knowing it often led to five more, and so on.  So, why not use the same idea with writing?

Before putting the timer on, I made a decision about WHAT to write (since I usually try to do eight or nine projects all at one time and make little or no headway).  With the decision in place (the screenplay), I wrote. And wrote. And wrote some more.  It's only been fifteen minutes, yet I wrote more, and more seriously, than I have the entire week.

Who'd ever think it'd be this easy?  Just five minutes a day.

Holiday Stress: Use It Before You Lose It

This year, don't let holidays get the best of you. Sure, we love holidays, but often, they can also mean a lot of work and preparation.

If you work in sales - be realistic. People are buying gifts, even with the economy, why not let them buy from you?  Don't decide for them whether they can afford your service or not, just let them know it exists, and how they can use it.  If they bite, run with it; if not, let it go.  The worst they can do is say "no."

If you work in a home party business, know that this time of year is both the best and the worst time for a home party.  Don't be pushy with the person who doesn't work her buns off to have the best party, be polite, work your best, and give it your all-just don't push, she may have so much pressure, it might be easier for her to call it off. Instead, surprise her. Perhaps you can make the last minute reminder calls?  Maybe you can encourage the party to close that every night, that way people can make their decisions and get on with life.  We are supposed to make life easier by having a party at home, not burdensome.

Creative workers may find they have too much on their brain all of a sudden. Why is it that when you have the most things to do, at a time you most want to do it (in other words, the chore you happen to love) your creative juices kick into overdrive?  It doesn't matter. What matters is what you do with it. Did you know or realize that the more things you have to do, the more you get done? It's true!  Maybe you only have five minutes here and there to write that book, make that craft, or paint a picture, but that's five wonderfully glorious minutes.  Sometimes five minutes produces more quality than five days.  Keep your mind open and look for opportunities.

Too many things these days are stressful. Surely the lines in the store or the traffic on the highway are going to be big ones for the next two weeks.  Turn that stress into good stress. Use time in the line to make a business call you've been putting off until the "right time."  The traffic is great to shake off the negative and clear your mind. How? Turn up your radio and sing. Sing as though no one can hear you.

Mistakes: FIXED!

Thanks to the At Home America Pro Team, my ridiculous but potentially serious mistake is fixed.  I put in my very first order from the Grand Opening I put on at our community center.  When I ordered, I did not RECHECK the address, I simply submitted as is. Instead of our products being shipped to my house, they were set to ship to our community center!

It's expensive enough to ship to Hawaii, can you imagine me having to reship? Pay for reshipping?  And the time waiting?  CRAZY and not going to happen thanks to the Pro Team.

My upline showed me how to handle it, advised me to do it fast and viola!, it's taken care of.  It's also a mistake I now know how to avoid and how to teach others to avoid as well.

Busy, Busy, Busy

This week has been busier than usual. We have family in town and that's actually quite rare, as we live in Hawaii on a military installation.  Of course the best thing about my jobs are that they are extremely adaptable. Family? No problem; schedule around them or take that time off.

For the home parties, of At Home America, you can book two additional parties before and after their visit. This is ideal, you won't be rushed to be home in order to prepare and you won't feel guilty or continually apologize for your absence or abruptness.

Writing - a no brainer. Write in the morning, write in the car, write before bed, write in the bathroom.  All you need is a pencil and a napkin or a receipt and you can write anywhere.

Everything else I do is 24/7 and no need to push back a thing.

Of course, Murphy's Law comes into action. I am grateful to receive two leads, a catalog party, and an order in the past 24 hours and the best story idea ever within the past 24 hours, AKA My Break.

Tomorrow our family returns to the mainland and life returns to normal.  What's normal?

You Gotta Love It!

My favorite part of owning a home business?  Every moment is a moment of its own.  You can be depressed or devastated easily, for many reasons, yet it takes so little to turn that frown upside down.

A lead. A sale. An offer to host a home party.  ~At Home America specialist

Someone asks. Someone listens. Someone changes.  ~Victims Advocate

A story informs. A story persuades. A story entertains.  ~Writer

A hug. A kiss. Both.  ~Mother

A thank you. A "let me do that for you."  An I love you.  ~Wife

An ear when I pray.  ~That's all God

Home Party Business: Is It Worth It?

I've yet to hold the first home party. The Grand Opening.  And yet. I can't order supplies. I've wasted an hour ordering and re-ordering because after submitting the numbers, I'm told there's been "an error" and that they apologize.

Do I bother ordering again, seeing as there's no way the supplies will be here when I need them for the last party I have signed onto?

I'm sure I will.  But please, don't let me see another error message. Four in one hour is four too many.

On another note; all the other work is going well.  We checked out the laws for freelance writing on federal land and we pass!  We need nothing!  At least something's going our way.  Now, if only to write.

What a LONG Night!

My mind is reeling. There's so much to think about, many ideas swirling in my head, so many pretty things to look at and sort out.

The night couldn't go fast enough; all I wanted to do is get up and WORK. Crazy. Does it die out? Once I host that first party, will I change my outlook?

By the way, my first party was a catalog party and is mostly a bust. I MAY get a sale out of it, but because we ship to the hostess... her guests couldn't pay for shipping twice. When I set that first party up, I had not even applied. I was determined (and required) to set up 6 parties prior to the application. Once I was in, I learned the catalog parties are great, they're easy, BUT there are certain things you need to know and explain before you begin.

This could be a blessing or a curse. You see, you may get a few EXTRA parties out of it, as those who are too far, may decide to host their own party. Or, you'll lose all the guests, as I did.

I'll be sharing a post on direct shipping and I'll try to get a list of other home based opportunities and their policies. As I said in another post, I'm here to change things for the better. And I will.

Home Party Business: Things I'd Like to See

If we learn nothing from this blog; it's not done it's job. This series of Things I'd Like to See (At Home America) has two purposes - one is to make a note of ideas and to be able to recall if necessary, the other is to look back and see if the needs I perceive then have been met in some way or if I've changed my needs (why and how).

You can skip over these, they're really more for personal, but you are welcome to include your own and more than welcome to show me why the idea is already implemented or not needed. Okay?

In the Hostess Communication Station, I'd like to be able to personalize invitations (home shows and/or e-shows) as a group or separately. So far, it's not an option. I do not want anymore space than a short paragraph, perhaps 100 words. There's a way to include it into the invitation as it is now, which looks great and feels personal, even though it's the standard for all. Perhaps I know a customer is looking for all red homeware, I can direct her to some fantastic pieces. As the hostess, I might want to encourage my friends to book a party and remind them that I'll be there and I'll bring a friend (after all, starting with two people makes it easier to say "YES!").

This is one I'll probably make on my own - I'd love to see a Powerpoint of everything available to learn (the reproducibles), and have it updated at least monthly. It's just easier and less overwhelming to the new consultant!

Direct shipping available to all customers, if they want or need it. At a home party, I think charging an extra $2 would be as high as you could go (assuming they may be penalized for wanting it delivered to their home) and NOTHING EXTRA for any online order, whether through an e-show, and add-on for a home show, or a regular web order (again, nothing EXTRA, not free!).

That's it for now. I'm new, this list will grow, but so will all the wonderful things I'm learning and sharing. I LOVE IT!