Some of you may have heard a Rumour! The Rumour is shhhhh….

January is the slowest Month of the Year in any Home Based Business!

Well, thankfully that’s just a Rumour!!!!

For the 9 yrs I was in the Direct Sales Company I bonused (didn’t do just the minimum sales) Each and EVERY January!!!!

I’m going to share with you some of my Top Tips on how to maximize your January sales NOW!!!!

Scene #1
So, it’s near the end of the year! September, October, and November have been totally amazing. Sales have been through the roof, you are glad there is a lull so that you can finally slow down for your own Christmas Agenda.

Then, a funny thing happens! It’s January 5th and you have no shows left!

No customers to talk to!

Realizing, yikes, how did this happen? I better get on the phone and do some calls!

So in a panic you start phoning a tonne of customers, hostesses, then you bug your best friends (again!) to please look at the new catalogue and ask,

Sound familiar?

How does this sound instead?

Scene #2

It’s January 5th and today I’m calling my 6 hostesses that I already have booked, letting them know the new catalogue is in, it’s amazing and I give them 3 great New ideas that they can tell their guests about to help get them to the shows!
They are:
1) Fabulous Gifts for each guest in attendance
2) New products at the show
3) Shipping is on me (or whatever you want to offer)

Now, I don’t know about you….but I’d rather have Scene #2 and Know what I am doing…then doing something out of Frusteration and Desperation!

If you had been building Bridges behind you then Scene #2 is totally possible, if not, it’s not too late!

Here are my three Easy Breezy Ways to build some bridges for the New Year!

1) Stay Connected with your Past Hostess’s/Customer’s
2) Have a mail-out list
3) Keep up connections with their family (spouse/parents/siblings)

Let me Expand on each of these for ya!

1) Stay Connected

• Go through all your sales from the past year…YES..the past year. List all your Hostess’s/names/address’   Also make a list from your customer base…put them in 2 categories…those who bought under $50…those who bought Over $50  

2) Have a Mail Out List

• After you have made out your Connections you will now have 3 different mail outs!!!
• One to all your past Hostess’s thanking them for their time and business (include your new catalogue & that you are going to have an event in the New Year…just for them!)
• Second to all your customer’s who ordered over $50…let these ladies know that they are now one of your “preferred customer’s” and that they will Always be in the know of upcoming specials
• Third…will be to your customer’s who ordered under $50…thank them for their patronage..and how happy you were to meet them.

3) Keeping up Connections with Family

• You want to make sure that you get to know every hostess’s family! 
• Make sure you write down in your hostess’s file their husband’s name, sister, brother, mother etc…if you can…then when there are great Christmas specials….Valentine’s Special’s…and in the summer Anniversaries….you know Who to talk to & help them choose fav gifts for your special Hostess

(some of my most successful & lucrative parties have been my Spouse parties….one was well over $10,000 just before Christmas!)

So there ya go!
Some great ideas for how to Jumpstart your January!

I’d love to know how you stay connected with your Customer’s!

JODY )

Jody Maley is Motivational Speaker & Trainer, mom of six,retired entrepeneur, ToastMaster, Queen of the Home Party Plan Biz!

http://www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com

“Where its not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to Get there!”

“Do you use a Conference Call line? Or phone one?”

I am a Conference Caller Junkie and I’m not ashamed to say it!  There, now that I got that off my chest!

In the last few months, I have been ‘awoken’ to the “internet rampage”….where at the tip of your fingertips is knowledge and learning.  I have to admit though that I am a “Sensory” learner…I like to ‘read’ what I am learning, and ‘hear’ what I am learning. So I have been opened up to the whole “Free Conference” experience.

It’s great and wonderful!  For about an hour every day, I love learning about Personal Development, Business Development and all sorts of wonderful things….all for the price of a telephone call, as well as Hosting calls too!  So, I got a great North American phone bundle from Telus…and off I went.

All was great until a few weeks ago…Telus phoned me to ‘inform’ me that the States has made some ‘drastic changes’ to their area code numbers.  They had decided that two area codes (712) and (218) would no longer be available to ANY group plans….that a flat rate of .20 cents per minute would be initiated ASAP.   So, reguardless of what ‘telephone package/bundle’ I had, I would now be charged.  Telus had a personal rep phone me and let me know of this change….as they had noticed that I phoned BOTH those area codes quite frequently….ya think? (I also host 2x’s per week Women’s Mastermind Groups…one for Home Business..and another for Women’s Empowerment)

Sure enough, I looked up my Free Conference line numbers, and yup…the (712) area code was in each and everyone of them.  That means that for me to Host…or to Listen to a Conference, TeleSeminar etc…it’s now going to cost me about $20/hr!  PER HOUR!!!

Thank goodness that I have a wonderful telephone provider that called me personally and let me know of these changes, but then I got thinking about the Thousands of other people who use “Free Conference” or any type of Conferencing Line? Do you know of the changes?  How will this affect your business??

Last week our Mastermind group had to be VERY creative….because I didn’t want to pay that fee…so we arranged several people to three way each other…and somehow managed!

So, check who you use….ask your telephone service provider if you are affected by these changes, because at the end of the month, I can guarantee that there are going to be some very very HUGE phone bills for alot of Canadians and American’s…and that You will be caught “unaware” until too late.

Here is a link you might like to read up on…  What’s with the 712 area Code?

Sincerely
Jody In Beautiful BC
www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com
“Where it’s not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to get There”

Hey Everyone,

My hubby posted this on his blog…and I thought it very relevant to what our readers think too! Enjoy and don’t forget to let us know your thoughts!!!

Click Here to Read Article!

Jody & Charlotte

http://www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com

“Where it’s not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to get There!”

Ok…as a new blogger I joined a blogging group a few months ago and the group recommended I join MyBlogLog.com!

This is a great piece of advice….my site has been seen and commented on..as well as I’ve read some great blogs as well. You do need to set up a Yahoo email…this is promoted by yahoo..and gets quite a few hits through yahoo.

Enjoy, Join…and add me when you get there!!!

Sincerely JODY

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Or the 80/20 rule!

This principle simply means that 20% of the work you do Accounts for 80% of your results!

Top income earners have also become top Procrastinators…or perhaps here is a more positive word…Discernment!  These people, when polled, knew what tasks in their business made them money and what tasks didn’t!  So they CHOSE to do the tasks that made them money first…then gave the other tasks to someone else.

I fondly remember when I had first decided to hire an assistant…we worked out our pay structure (lucky for me she loved candles….and I sold them) so we ‘traded’ time for candles!!!

She handled things like:

• Wrapping my door prizes for my next few weeks of shows
• Making sure my hostess packages were all put together
• Cleaning out my demo bag…making sure catalogues were in ‘new’ condition
• Organizing my tote boxes and cleaning my display items
• Birthday/Anniversary cards

While she did that I was able to concentrate on my making money activities:

• Hostess Coaching coffee dates
• New consultant training
• my Daily calls
• Personal Invitations
• Calendar Control
• Putting in shows/new consultant agreements

I had never heard of the 80/20 rule years ago, but knowing it now…I certainly lived it and my paycheck was proof of that!

So decide today & everyday what are your money making activities….do those activities FIRST before you check your emails, go on FB, read other people’s blogs, twitter…etc….and I guarantee that you will start getting the results you want!!!

JODY )

Jody Maley is Motivational Speaker & Trainer, mom of six,retired entrepeneur, ToastMaster, Queen of the Home Party Plan Biz!

http://www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com

“Where its not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to Get there!”

A few years ago I was doing a home party show and was doing my Hostess Coaching with a great gal!

I knew she had done a few other different parties with other companies, but even knowing this I made it a point to set a coffee date so that we could sit down and go over the hostess package!

I met her at her home, brought the package and proceeded to go over the details.

We went over some key things that I do for every hostess:

• Brainstorm for guest names
• Discuss that if someone cannot make the show, they can definitely place an order
• I always tell my hostess’s that they know their guests better than I do, and how I do not like to “push sales on anybody”, so with this in mind if she has a guest who is on a ‘fixed budget’ this would be the ideal person that she could talk to…to host her own party!
• We also discuss how the hostess will contact people, and a ‘warm way to invite them’

My hostess was ECTASTIC and over the edge with happiness!

She gushed on how “no other consultant had set out clearly” about having a party!

UH???  I was stunned.

I had “ASSUMED” (ya know the old saying…it makes an ASS-Out-of-U-and-ME) that because my friend had several other parties with other companies, she would know all the fun details about being a hostess!!!

I was also pleasantly surprised by her warm “thanks” about how to even “invite her guests”…this was always something she had dreaded doing in the past…and she mentioned such things like:

• I never knew Exactly what to say when I invited people….so I’d usually say something stupid like “oh just come…have fun…I don’t expect you to buy anything” ((uh, even tho she did want them to buy a little something))
• Sitting down and making a list was always daunting and I put it off…but now we’ve done it together..thanks!!
• I never thought of keeping the food simple…I had no idea about giving people too many choices..I always thought I had to put together a huge COSTLY spread..thanks for simplifying it!
• I’m looking forward to this party, you have made it fun!

It just goes to show ya all….never assume that people who have had tonnes of other parties know even just the basics of having a Successful party…sure you mite get the seats filled…but filled with people who have no INTENTIONS of spending anything!!!

Think about it & I’d love to hear some of your most fun Hostess’s!!!

JODY )

Jody Maley is Motivational Speaker & Trainer, mom of six,retired entrepeneur, ToastMaster, Queen of the Home Party Plan Biz!

http://www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com

“Where its not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to Get there!”

Being a “mompreneur” is the new logo for moms all around of one key essential, Balance.

Having balance today means that a mom can have the option to choose a different path! We wear many different hats today by being a mom. Mom, taxi driver, cook, psychologist and oh yeah, major six figure executive.

I’ve been a “mompreneur” for over 13 yrs and I wouldn’t change one thing.

Choosing to have my own business can sometimes be scary (uh, but isn’t that how one grows and stretches?), it can sometimes be hard to maintain that balance (many business TeleConferences have been interrupted by a bleeding something or just the need for a hug), but I would not choose anything else!

Being a “mompreneur” also has many rewards too!

No time clock! I work when I want to, not when I have a boss pressuring me to get a report in.  BTW this makes my work the best quality I have ever produced, because it comes from True Passion vs Obligation!

My children (six in total) have never seen the inside of the daycare system!  This is something that has no price tags, my time is my most valuable commodity and I will not settle for someone else watching my kids take their first steps.

When I do have to go away for work, yes I get booked quite a bit to speak, run seminars and do Business Coaching, it’s like a mini-vacation.  It’s more Fun than work and it’s always a pleasure knowing I’m getting paid for this too!  When I return home, refreshed and ready with more ideas, my family gets the best of mom.

I always shake my head when so many moms come to me frusterated, burnt out and definitely not in Balance.

Here are some of my best tips to help you restore that Balance in your home/business and hopefully bring back some of that passion that made you start your own business to begin with!

1) Take care of YOU! Set aside a few minutes every day to drink  your tea, write out some things that make you happy and just ‘take in the moment’.  This will literally take about 10-15 mins, but you need to take this time for YOU!
2) Make sure you have a great day planner/calendar for your whole household.  This way your family can see when your set ‘working hours‘ are and you can plan when you are going to have your family time.
3) DreamBoards are essential! How do you know how far you have come, if you have no clue to where you are going?

These are just a few things that I make sure are done everyday to bring balance to my own life.

So don’t hide your light under a ‘bushel’, step out and say I’m a mompreneur and I’m proud of it!

There have been many times in my business where I have felt “Stumped” and “Stagnant” & it’s at those times that I take a close look at what is holding me back!

There are so many ‘options’ out there today for business’s and ways to ‘grow your business’, ‘make money online’ etc… that many people get themselves into a state of “Overwhelment” and then the funny thing that happens is this…”Nothing” gets done/accomplished.

One of my favourite history stories is about Hernando Cortez, who crushed the Aztec Empire.  He made their level of committment ‘essential’ by burning his armies boats, so they had ‘no choice’ but to move ahead.  To move towards their goal with no ‘other options’.

This is definitely a story that I think about and ponder when I’m in that ’stagnant’ stage.  I give myself permission to ‘Look at where I am at’ and ‘who I am being’.  I know that my level of committment is being hindered by the boats(or our lame exuses) that I am hanging on to!

Once I have clearly identified the boats (exuses) I give myself permission to burn them down & give myself no other option than to “move forward”.

I highly encourage you right now to think of where you are in your business & if you are happy with your level of success/income/business development…are you 100% happy with it?  If not, then you need to identify what your boats/exuses are, write them down, then have a good old ‘burning session’.

“The key to change…is to let go of Fear!” Roseanne Cash

Start right now to get rid of too many options, and move yourself forward ‘one option at a time’.

Jody Maley

owner of www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com

“Where it’s not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to get There!”

This week on a radio program I will be speaking about “Quick Tips for Home Office Organization“.

With summer just about over many ‘home entrepeneurs’ are now focusing on business for the fall, so here are some of my best tips to get your summer out of your head and how to Juice up your Fall!
Now is the time to take ACTION!
Here are a few ideas that YOU can incorporate right now to help organize your home office!

Tip#1 Organize or decide where your workspace is going to be!

I find many WAHM’s don’t have access to ‘their own space’, so if at all possible set aside the computer desk, a spare room, or even make space in a well lit area! (I personally do not like working in a cramped part of the basement and find that a well lit, natural sun spot gets my own creative ideas rolling much more better!)

Tip#2 Once you have established where your “Space” is going to be spend 15 min’s per day Getting it into a “Creative Zone”

This can be ‘de-cluttering’ or ‘beautifying’ your area! A nice plant, a few pictures, or best yet…this is where you will put your “Dream/Vision Board”
Tip#3 Make your Dream/Vision Board

If you haven’t already done one, I highly recommend this for any Home Business! You need to have handy a board that you can look at for at least 2-5 min’s before you start doing any work to “Remind” yourself of your “Why”.
I also love to have mine right beside my computer so that when I’m doing my writing I know exactly WHO my audience is that I’m attracting to me every day!

Tip#4 Have a Great Calendar on your desk!

This is one of my fav tips! I like to have a big monthly calendar right at my space.
I jot down phone numbers, my conference call schedule, set my ‘work hours’.
For those of you in a Home Party Plan Business you might want to put the days that you are doing your shows so that your family will know your schedule, and don’t forget to schedule in your ‘training time’.

Tip#5 Run your business like a Business to get paid like a Business!

If you could put your business on speed-dial to 2-3 yrs down the road and “Saw Yourself” making huge amounts of money…what would your office hours look like? Where would your children be?

I think one of the biggest obstacles holding alot of WAHM’s back is the fact that they just don’t know what to do with their children while they are ‘working’….so no set ‘working schedule’ gets put into practice.
The best tip that I can give you (especially having at least one child at home for the last 17 yrs while running a significant 6 digit business) is make sure the children know that now is “mommy’s work time”.

Arrange with them that they can quietly watch a movie, or play in their room for about a 30 minute time period. Don’t budge on this….& don’t constantly tell them that ‘mommy is working, or mommy is on the phone’ is just setting yourself up for interruptions!
I found that if I had a consistent daily time of 30 min’s to make calls, write, read etc…that the kids got used to this being my Work Time. Then immediately after my 30 min’s I make sure to do a ‘planned activity’ with the kids! (BTW I do not consider Facebook and Twitter activities into this 30 min’s…sorry girls!)

Consistency is the key here, and I found that I accomplished more in a concentrated half hour than most people do in three days!
Even if I had no calls to make, I use this time to write, answer emails, or read something that I can learn to move my business forward!
This is your “Daily Action Time” and is Essential to move forward and make your business Pay you like a Business!

So these are my top Five Quick Tips for Home Office Organization that I know will help move Your business forward to a more productive Fall!

In closing, I’d also like to say that when you & your family know that you are taking your business seriously you can move that 30 min’s into longer periods as well.
For example, I now host several ‘one hour’ radio programs, have ‘one hour’ business development TeleSeminar’s and ‘one hour MasterMind groups’ that my family (spouse and children both) know is BIZ time!

To your Fabulous Fall!

Jody Maley

owner of www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com
“Where it’s not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to get There!”

I have recently been listening to Robert Kiyosaki’s book Rich Dad, Poor Dad in my car (the only place it’s ever quiet enough for me. He illustrates a lot of good information in his book. It’s a great way to learn how the wealthy think. He talks about jobs; how they are NOT for earning money. HUH?

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