Marketing yourself as a Leader

To keep active within a company there may be guidelines or minimums you are expected to meet. Besides sales, a lot of companies believe a Leader should be able to recruit a minimum of 3 new recruits a year. This can be very challenging for some Leaders. When you are new and you have 1 or 2 Consultants then meeting those minimums can be very difficult. The fastest way to get more bookings/sales or more recruits is having a web presence, an email opt-in list plus numerous other ways. Here are some ideas to finding those numbers but remember it is more than numbers. It is about forming relationships and meeting needs.

- Marketing You - when it comes to finding an audience it has to start with you. If you are a fun, out going and easy going person then more people will be open to talking and listening to you. This does not have to mean changing who you are but more about learning what impressions you are giving other people. You can start by rehearsing your pitch in front of the mirror. Remember that your pitch is important too (see other postings about this). Also talk to friends and other Consultants about what your clothes or personal style are saying about you too.
- Video promotions - the fastest way these days to find an audience is by promoting yourself through a video. Now the video is not suppose to be about you but rather it should be about the service you provide, what you are looking for. Example: recruiting - demo how easy it is to be a Consultant and how much money you can make. I will say that in doing GOOD videos there is an entire learning curve that goes with it. You may have to purchase/download editing software or audio content software, etc. There are tons of "How to" places where you can post your video as well as "You Tube".
- Social Networking - Places like Facebook can really help you find people, post ads, reach an audience that you may not already have. Create a Facebook business page like "Susan's Partylite Parade" or "Nancy's Tupperware Tribute" - you want to make it stand out and personal to compete with other reps who may have a page on Facebook.
- Opt-In Email Marketing - You should create a list that people can opt-in or join. With privacy rules changing all the time it is best that you have a signature from the people who choose to be on your email list. I believe you should be in contact with these people on a monthly basis. I highly recommend Networking Gals newsletter as a non-selling way to stay in touch with your email list. Having an opt-in email list is a little like having a piece of gold - valuable enough to sell.
- Webinars & Promo Companies - These two categories are both good ideas to get involved in once you have a team and some spare change. They do cost money but can really help you find an audience which in turn gets your message out to more people.
- Blogging - I think that blogging is a great way to communicate without selling or forcing something down peoples throats. It is a great way to talk about your experiences as a Consultant or Leader or Party Plan rep. People like to hear about others experience and you may even find that other Consultants want to hear what you have to say. Share your blog with family/friends but also on Facebook and to your email list.

Without a doubt Leadership is challenging in the beginning but I always say that it is worth every second of it. I loved my time with my Consultants and I learned and grew as a Leader over the course of time. Our world is changing so quickly these days and trying to stay on the pulse of everything is huge. The ideas I shared here are just some but there are many different ways to market yourself. I would love to hear what you do to stay active in the market and how you market yourself! Remember......

                                        Life is too short..................so go out and Party!!!

Reflecting on your Dreams

As a Leader it is so easy to get lost in all the things that need to get done. We have our business dreams (booking, recruiting), our team dreams (getting them trained, helping them to become consistent), and our daily life dreams ( buying that house, happy healthy family, etc.) then beyond that we may have so many other dreams that we seldom have the chance to acknowledge or pursue.Time is so crucial in all things, which is why Networking Gals has created the presentation "Calendar Control" but beyond that there is a ton of unwritten guidelines that we have never looked at which I hope to illustrate now.

Basically I believe that each day of the week has a function. Some of my ideas have been long standing but also I have noticed over the years a shift in what those days are. Here is my idea of what a week could mean:

- Meeting Mondays - It use to be true that this was the day for meetings but it seems it is no more which is good. Now you can make Mondays the day they should have been all along - Ordering/Banking Mondays - after a busy Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday of doing shows then you will need to get those cheques into the bank and put those orders in. Double check your supplies before you put your orders in so you can order what you need too!
- Training Tuesday - This is usually a good day to go to meetings or have meetings. Perfect time to follow up with your team and do that training conference call if you can't all meet.
- Working Wednesday - This is the day for your Hostess Coaching, filing and finding recruits. This the one day a week you really want to reach out and touch people both by phone and by going out.
- Thinking Thursdays - Believe it or not this is one of the most important days of the week!If you are not making time for this then you are losing out.I spend this time looking at my "Vision thru Focus Board" (we will be talking more about that later in the week) re-evaluate my dreams, but I mostly spend time with my calendar in hand and looking forward into the next week. What appointment do I have that can not be forgotten or changed, What do I have to do to be prepared for those appointment and do I have anything I need to accomplish to even get to this appointment. When I look at my "Vision thru Focus" board I try to  spend time realizing my dreams and also I try to take away a feeling or a desire that I want to focus on for that week. IE: you look at your board and you realize that one of the items (dreams) is to get more organized so maybe your thought for the week is organization, perhaps you will try to be more organized and envision what being more organized may do for you.The most important thing to Thinking Thursdays is taking the time to do something in your life/business that propels you forward!!! Thinking Thursdays is also about me time, getting re-energized, refocused, refreshed with your life and your business.
- Future Fridays - This could be the first day towards a hectic weekend so take time now to plan ahead. Do I have everything I need to do my shows? Have I arranged any meal preps I may need to or did you schedule the sitter, etc. Then do 1 thing towards the future of your business. It could be taking a Hostess out for a coffee, handing out business cards out front of the mall, having a mentoring lunch with a manager, placing ads on various free sites, etc.

The rest of the week is up to you. I have left it that way because you will most likely be doing shows. One final point I want to make is this; real feelings like joy, caring, sincerity, hope, love, etc. come from within us - they come from the heart and can not be produced in falseness. This means you only cheat yourself if you choose to fake those. If you can come from a real place of joy, hope, sincerity then you will have the power to move more people and more obstacles in your life. Use the power within you to reach out to people and it will always pay you back!! Remember...

                                        Life is too short..............so go out and Party!