Fill Your Fall Business Bucket!

The following is an excerpt from Beth Jones-Schall publication, The Eagle…. (from Jean Douthitt)

Fill Your Fall Business Bucket!

It's the Fall selling season and you want to fill your Fall business bucket to overflowing with sales, bookings and new team members. Great! The following are 10 steps to get your bucket ready!

1. Passion - re-kindle your passion for why you do what you do, the difference you make in your business. Thinking that just having a job or just making money will not keep your passion alive. Be clear about the difference you make in your business.

2. Commitment - you job is to sell, book, recruit, participate. Commit to your job description daily. Show up, follow up, go up is the path to success. As author Rick Warren has written, "Strong people keep their commitments. They guard their commitments. They don't play games with their commitments." Don't play games with your business. Commit to it.

3. Schedule - to have a filled bucket of business this Fall, you cannot be random in your daily actions. You must schedule time each day - an hour at least - to work on your business. As well, be certain you reserve in advance 4-8 days each month that you will schedule shows. Your bank account cannot be full if your calendar is empty. Take charge of your schedule.

4. Training - there will never be a time when you know it all, so establish a plan for the training options you will engage in this Fall to help enhance your selling, booking, recruiting, leadership skills. As the saying goes, "The woodcutter who stops to sharpen his axe cuts more wood."

5. Systems - anything you do in your business that has several steps, and that you do repeatedly (like hostess coaching), turn it into a system (think checklist). Don't waste precious time re-inventing the wheel. Be efficient to be effective.

6. People Skills - your business is a people business, but people are not always easy! Make a purposeful effort to really listen to others, tune in to their needs, their style, their personality. Make subtle adjustments to better communicate with each hostess, customer and team member. One size does not fit all. (Need help in this area - see our Resources Page.)

7. Accountability - being your own boss is both good news and bad news - good in that you can make the decisions, bad in that you might make no decisions! Every direct seller needs an accountability partner - someone who will hold them accountable to taking action and meeting goals. If you do not have an accountability partner that you talk to weekly, stop right now and take the steps to connect with someone who will stand with you in your business.

8. Relevance - business is moving so quickly these days, especially in the area of technology. Are you up-to-date with the latest technology in your business - website, Skype, social media, texting, podcasts, webinars, etc. Stay relevant by staying up-to-date.

9. Mentor - have a mentor and be a mentor. Look for someone more experienced to learn from - not just business experience, but life experience. Then look for someone less experienced that you can mentor by sharing your experiences. Be willing to develop yourself and be willing to develop others for future leadership opportunities.

10. Prepare - let your business be one of anticipation - anticipate the upcoming opportunities each month so you can act upon them and not miss them. As well, anticipate potential obstacles each month might bring so you can be prepared before they arrive, and thus overcome them more quickly.