Ideas to Make your Business Sizzle this Summer

There is a nasty rumor going around that summer slows down.  Poor summer.  We wait all year long for summer and when it finally arrives it gets accused of slowing down.  Well of course it isn't summer that slows down, it's US. 

Imagine what you would think if you woke up this morning, grabbed the morning paper and read the headline, "WalMart to close June 1^st.  Will Reopen September 1^st."  We would probably all gasp a loud "WHAT?"  We simply couldn't imagine not going to WalMart for 3 months.  So what would we do?  We would go to Target.

Well our customers think the same way.  If we are "closed for business" from June - August our customers or leads will just go someplace else.  For those of you who consistently work your business this is good news!  You will be ready to handle the extra work that is being ignored by others.  For those of you who "take it easy" during the summer, this is not such good news.  Having a home business means working consistently.  Just like WalMart or Target or any other business.  In fact, many traditional businesses DOUBLE their efforts in the summer to reach customers.

Remember, an opportunity doesn't go away; it just goes to someone else.

So what can you do to ensure you have a sizzling hot summer?  LOTS of things!  But first, we need to take care of some basics:

1. Get your head in the right place.  If you are expecting a "summer slowdown" then that's what you will find.  So don't expect one!  Refuse to believe that business will be slow this summer.  Your own mindset will make a huge difference.

Anybody familiar with the name Hershey?  I know we think of chocolate, but the founder of Hershey, Milton Hershey, was really a brilliant man.  But he did many things that are simply outside of what would be considered normal business practices.  One of the things he did was he decided to build a hotel.  Not just any hotel, but a grand hotel, during the height of the Depression.  So while everyone, including his own mother, was telling him it was a ridiculous idea, he continued to build because of his own belief that it was possible to grow in dire times and he recognized that nobody else was building so he took advantage of the times.  The Hotel wasn't his only major construction project during the Depression.  He also built a Community Center, a Sports Arena and Stadium, and a Theater.  His construction projects alone provided more than 600 construction workers with employment during one of the most economically difficult periods in our history.  But it truly was his absolute belief in the possibilities that drove him to success.

So what will you believe about YOUR business?

1. Get your goals in front of yourself - in plain view - and take time to not only review them daily but think about what actions can you do today that will move you closer to your goals.  Just thinking about them won't get you anywhere.  You need a plan and you need action.  Keeping your goals in front of you will help you maintain your focus and keep you on the right path.

1.   Schedule your work time and work during your scheduled time.  Don't allow for excuses.  More on excuses later.  Work as if you are being watched by very important people.  Would you be proud of your actions?  If you were employed by corporate America you wouldn't have the luxury of telling your boss you just didn't feel like working because it's nice out.  Don't cheat your business - you only hurt yourself and if you have a team it can hurt your team as well.   After all, if you team doesn't SEE you working what message is that giving them?

1. Keep track of your daily actions.  This is really the only way to KNOW you are working on tasks that are building your business rather than busy work tasks or reading email all day.  Just like any good diet plan will require you to keep track of all that you have eaten in a day, all the exercise you did, all the water you drank, your business requires this as well.  How many calls did you make to leads today?  How many home parties did you schedule?  How many fundraisers did you confirm?  Make sure you are honest with yourself. 

So now that you have the right attitude, your goals are in plain view, you have set your work hours and are ready to track your actions, what are you going to actually DO to keep your business sizzling hot all summer long?  While there are many tasks that can be done over the summer (or anytime for that matter), we always want top put potential money making actions at the top of the list.  Got a pen and paper ready?  Here are several ideas to keep your business moving forward.  As I go through the list, I want you to pay attention to your thoughts about each action.  Is it something you could see yourself doing?  Is a particular action just too uncomfortable?  Do you get that, "what would people think?" feeling?  Okay, let's get started.

Revisit your Warm Market (those people that you know or are acquainted with personally)

• Make your FRANK list (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Kid's Friend's Parents) and get in touch with those folks.  If you are having a hard time thinking of people, start by thinking about your Christmas Card list or your Wedding Invitation list.  Once you have your list, you have a couple of options.  You can have one on one presentations or you can have group or BOSS presentations.  If you aren't familiar with BOSS, there is information in the back office under Document Downloads.
• Ask your FRANK list for referrals and contact those people.
• Hold an Open House
• Email your FRANK list.  Don't spam them, but in your normal course of email make sure you have your signature line at the bottom of all of your emails.  If you have a group that you do send jokes or inspirational messages too it is likely they will pass the email on making your signature visible to many.
• Do you ever get asked what you want for a birthday or holiday gift?  Next time you are asked tell the person you would like them to hand out 10 (or whatever number you want) of your business cards with scent samples attached to their friends and family.
• Ask for opinions.  Ask your FRANK list to take a few minutes to watch your video presentation or listen to a brief recording and ask them what they think?  If your primary focus is retail or fundraising, apply these same principles but ask them to smell different scents and provide and opinion.  Be sure to ask if they know anyone who might enjoy their own sample.
• Know somebody who has a terrible commute everyday?  Send them a Business CD to listen to while they are driving.  Make sure to follow up and see what they thought of the CD!  How receptive do you think someone might be to a home business as they are stuck in traffic headed for a dead end job?
• Expand your warm market by becoming involved in social groups.  Find a local group with a topic you are interested in.  It doesn't have to be business oriented; you just need people to meet.  If you are not sure of groups in your area, you can find groups by going to http://www.meetup.com/
• Party!  Go to those graduation parties, weddings, showers, 4^th of July picnics...You may meet some new people or become reacquainted with some people you haven't seen or thought of in a while.  Have fun but don't forget your business entirely.  Ask for business cards so you can set up lunch or some type of follow up at a later date.
• Host a summer picnic in appreciation to all the local customers you have.  Keep the focus fun.
• Collaborate with other home business owners to host a boutique.  Ask each business owner to invite at least 40 customers/guests so there will be lots of traffic all day long.

Offline Actions

• Attend FLING!  Did you hear that if you sign up for FLING before the early bird deadline which is June 6^th that for each adult registration you will receive a $50.00 product credit to be used in August?  How awesome is that?  While it might seem like FLING isn't something that will directly build your business, the opportunity to learn from so many talented distributors is priceless.
• Home Parties - set a goal to schedule 6 home parties (with friends, family, co-workers...FRANK list people) to occur before June is over.  This will create momentum through the summer and explode your Fall.   Make them FUN!  Have a theme.  A "spa" party with a kids swimming pool for everyone to soak their feet and frilly umbrella drinks as they smell tropical scents.  Or Christmas in July!  Or have the "Ugliest Candle" contest where guests bring their ugliest candles and receive a small prize for winning.  Be creative and have fun!
• Go to where the people are!  If you are hoping to meet mom's who might want products or a new business, go to where the moms can be found - the park or playground!  Offer a "Party in the Park" to coincide with supervised play time or puppets in the park time.    The parents will enjoy the adult time.
• I love this idea.  It comes from an article written by Jane Deuber so I can't take the credit.  But you can purchase several pairs of cheap sunglasses and hand them out with little tags that read, "Your future can be as bright as mine!  Let's explore the possibilities."  And of course add your contact information.
• Garage sales - attend them to your heart's content but make sure you bring your cards and samples with so you can pass them out along the way.  Often in the afternoon you will find the garage sale empty and a very bored person sitting there patiently.  It's a great time to strike up a conversation.
• Attend your local "Concerts in the Park" or "Movies in the Park" and place candles around your area.  We have these every week in our area and everyone just grabs a blanket and hangs out in the park after sunset listening to music.  Bring your candles to set around your area.
• Get a booth at a Farmer's Market or Festival.  It's a great way to make some sales, build your contact list and build your team.  And they are FUN!  Don't forget to put a drawing box on your table so you will have lots of folks to follow up with this summer.
• Along those same lines, attend a Flea Market.    You can choose to get a booth but you may want to just walk around and talk with other vendors who have booths.   They have a business mindset and may be willing to listen to what you have to say.
• Take a walk - and use our door hangers!  They are a great way to introduce your product to the neighborhood.  Select a neighborhood a week.  You will get great exercise and plant those seeds at the same time.  We recently had a woman on our team spend about 4 hours one afternoon using door hangers.  She had a wagon with some product and went from home to home with her door hangers.  For those families that were out in the yard, she stopped and chatted which inevitably ended in an immediate sale.  In those 4 hours she sold over $400.  Not many jobs you can earn $100 an hour!  You may want to check with your local City Hall to see if you need any special permits before starting this activity.
• Schedule fundraisers.  Many organizations, schools, sports groups still need to schedule fundraisers for next year.  Even though some are thought of as "closed", like schools, often there is a core - and important - staff present.  We just scheduled a fundraiser to start at the end of June.  This is a school group fundraiser and while the classes will be done for the season in early June, this group will continue throughout summer.
• Check with a local daycare center to see if they will allow you to have an open house at the center.  In exchange offer to donate a percentage of your sales.  This provides the parents with an opportunity to see your products in a simple manner without taking a great deal of time - all while their children are being supervised!
• Post your business cards or a flyer anywhere you see a bulletin board.  While you are at those bulletin boards, jot down the names and numbers of other business owners who have posted their cards.  You already know they have an entrepreneurial spirit so they may be interested in hearing about what you have to offer.
• If you live in a small town that has a parade, make a float and pass out samples (to the adults so the kids don't think it's candy!)  Lots of free advertising in a fun way.
• Teach a Community Education class on a business related topic.  Most school districts won't allow you to directly advertise your business or to have a class strictly for the promotion of your business but if you are teaching a class on Home Business Basics you can be sure the topic will come up in class.
• Offer to be a speaker.  Many times Expos and Vendor events have the option of giving a presentation.  Take advantage of this opportunity!  It's free advertising and can hone those public speaking skills all at once!  If public speaking is right up there with death on your list of things you would most like to avoid, consider joining a local Toastmasters group to build your confidence and experience.
• Become a Walking Advertisement.  Wear logo clothes, purchase pins with catchy phrases.  You will be surprised at how many people will stop you and ask you about your shirt (or whatever.)
• Get the car magnets on your cars!  People are out and about more in the summer so it's a great time to have that advertisement working for you.  We were recently at the drive through of a fast food restaurant and while we were waiting for our food, one of the employees came running out and asked us if we had a catalog.  Of course we did - and a scent sample too!
• Fill and carry a lifestyle bag.  There are many options but basically you want to be able to carry a couple of the top selling jars, a couple Bella Bars, catalogs...whatever you can fit in your bag and still be able to carry it.  Make it your goal to empty your bag every time you take it out with you.
• Follow the 3 Foot Rule.  Wherever you go always try to get a business card from anyone who comes within 3 feet of you.  Often they will ask for your card/sample as well.  But by getting their contact information you will have the opportunity to follow up at a later date.
• Place the company display boxes/candle drawing boxes in several locations in your area and check them every week.  Make sure you put the entrants in the candle drawing and follow up with them.
• Find out if your community has a "Welcome Committee" that sends information to new home owners in the area.  Ask if you can include your own business information with maybe a coupon to help the new home owners purchase a new candle.
• Purchase a stamp that has a catchy phrase (Save Gas - Work From Home!) and your contact information.  Stamp the back of each piece of mail that leaves your home, including bills.  Someone opens the mail and you never know who might be intrigued.  Do NOT send scent samples, however, unless the person has requested them.  Think Anthrax scare.
• Place ads in your local newspapers or magazines.  They can be team building focused or product focused.  Be sure to leave out the Company name, pictures of Scent-Sations products and logo names.
• Leave your business card and scent sample with your tip when dining out.  In fact, leave a few!

Online Actions

Before you take any action online, I would encourage you to review the Internet Policy that can be found in the Policies and Procedures portion of the online application.

• Submit your website on one of the many free advertising sites.
• Become involved in online networking through such sites as MySpace, Facebook, etc.  There are many distributors using these resources.  Just make sure, as with all online material, you are using your OWN material and not taking material from someone else's site.  And be sure you are following the Internet Policies.
• Join online groups through Yahoo, MSN or any number of other locations that have chat groups or forums.  Find a variety of forums covering a variety of interests.  Just be sure to have your signature line ready!
• If you have a personal website, take some time to spruce it up and make sure it is in compliance with the Internet Policies.
• Learn what it takes to increase your rankings and do it!  SEO - if you aren't familiar with SEO, ask your upline or check the internet for free online SEO courses.
• Purchase leads and work with them.  If leads are requesting information now IS the time to call - regardless of the season.  There are many people who don't work in the summer, like teachers, education specialists, college students who are looking for the right opportunity.
• Send out the COTM Mailer every month.  It's a great way to remind people you are still out there and perhaps prompt them to reconsider the business or purchase products.  You can find the COTM Mailer in your back office.
• Host an Online Party.  There are many sites that do this now.  Some charge a room fee while others are free. 
• Start a blog or an ezine or commit to writing consistently if you already have one.  If you don't really know what a blog is, check out http://www.blogger.com/ or http://www.blogstream.com/ for details.
• Along those same lines, write an article and submit it to one of the many ezines or newsletters.  Again, the topic can really be anything as long as you have a Bio at the end of your article with a link to your website and contact information.  So if you have something else in your life that is an area of interest or a hobby for you - write about that and submit your article to a newletter with similar interest.
• Learn the art of writing effective emails.  People are incredibly busy so you need to keep your emails simple and concise.  Writing long, drawn out emails will most likely result in your lead not receiving the information at all as it will likely be deleted if it doesn't immediately appeal to THEIR area of interest.

Other Tasks

• Take your own personal development seriously.  Devote time each day to learning something new.  Listen to CDs in the car, purchase an iPod and take it to the gym, read, read, read...whatever methods work best for you but make sure you are growing yourself.  It has been said many times your business can only grow as much as you grow.
• Train your team members.  Big Al always says there are no lazy distributors.  Just distributors that don't know how to work their businesses who end up paralyzed and look lazy.  Help them!  Focus on what they want to accomplish.
• Take a Mini-Vacation if you are feeling stressed.  Go on a walk, exercise, call a friend, soak in the tub...whatever will provide you with a sense of relaxation.  Once you are energized you will feel much better and will be more productive.
• Get organized.  Clean your computer files.  Clean your office or work space.  Get rid of old articles.  Make sure all your business supplies are stocked and ready for use.

So I have provided you with 50 different actions you can take this summer to build your business.  Basically you only have 2 options for business growth.  You can sell candles or you can build a team.  As you know, selling candles (through either retail or fundraising) will result in immediate or nearly immediate income.  But in both cases, you will have to continue to sell candles to bring in the money.  Team building is a slower process but will bring in that residual income and can lead to very large, life changing income over time.  Many people choose to work both options - which is a great combination!  Whatever you decide is best for you, do know that some of the tasks listed will result in immediate income while others will take longer to see the benefit.  And some are assertive steps, like calling people, scheduling fundraisers, etc. while others are passive, like leaving your business card on a bulletin board.  In general, while it may be easier to take the more passive route, it will take many, many more exposures in order to get one sale or one new team member.  While a more assertive action will generally result in faster sales and team building.

Okay, do you remember in the beginning how I asked you to pay attention to how each action made you feel?  What messages you were hearing in your head?  How many of those messages were already excuses?   I ran into a great article by Ralph Marston about what he calls "excuse busters."  I just want to share a few of the most common excuses and how to "bust" them.  See if these seem familiar to you.

1. "What would other people think?"  - Are you afraid of what other people will think?  That you will look foolish in some way?  Don't worry about looking foolish.  If you are feeling like you are being judged just hold your head high and know that you are taking actions to improve your life and the life of your family.  And really, what does it matter what other people think?  That's their issue not yours.
2. "It's uncomfortable." - Yes, some actions will require that you step outside of your comfort zone.  But I can tell you that once you step out of that zone, and do it a few more times, it WILL become much easier.  Are you committed to comfort or accomplishment?  We have all heard the quote by Einstein, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
3. "I'm overwhelmed." - Yes, sometimes we all get overwhelmed but that is exactly when you should be taking action.  By taking action you will start to alleviate those feelings of being overwhelmed.  Being overwhelmed generally means that there are plenty of things that need to be done so get started!  Start by selecting the actions that will make the biggest difference.  Don't be tempted to take care of the little things first.  If this is a regular issue for you, then check out the book "Eat That Frog" by Brian Tracy.
4. "I'm too tired." -  And sometimes just thinking about all that needs to be done makes us tired.  There is nothing more exhilarating that taking positive steps, real action, toward your goals.  So the choice is yours - if you are going to be tired at the end of the day anyway, why not at least get something out of it?   Put forth your best effort, move in the direction of your goals, and make a life of excellence for yourself and your family.
5. Or meet tired's partner, "I'm too busy." -  I have yet to meet anyone who says that they have more than enough time in a day to accomplish all the things that they want to accomplish.  What are you busy accomplishing?  Just being busy doesn't necessarily get you anywhere.  Reading email all day doesn't build your business.  Moving papers in your office doesn't build your business.  Evaluate your priorities.  If you truly are too busy, then consider what you can eliminate, delegate or cut back on?  Ask any leader in the company and they will tell you something had to give.  That they had to MAKE time.  So where, in your schedule, can you make changes or make time?
6. "I'll do it as soon as..." (fill in the blank with your own excuse.)  - Let's face it.  Conditions will never be perfect and even if the stars and moon line up just perfectly, there will always be something that will be a challenge or obstacle.  That's just part of any business.  So stop waiting and start something.  Soon you will find that you have completed one action and can move on to the next.  And sometimes, the diversion of having your own home business, can alleviate the stress of the issue that is holding you back.
7. "I can always do it later." - Yes, that's  true, you probably can.  But what happens when "later" gets here?  Do you really take action then?  Take action now.  It will make you feel in control of your business and your life.  And let's face it - even if you do plan to do it later, you STILL have to do it.  So then it just lingers over your head until you finally take action.  As Nike says, Just Do It!
8. "I don't know where to start." - First, consider your goals.  Both short term and long term.  When you look at your goals, what action steps will be most beneficial in moving you closer to achieving your goals?  Still not sure?  Talk to your sponsor.  If you can't talk to your sponsor, talk to your upline.  Don't give up just because you don't know where to start.  As Arnold Glasow put it,  "An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied." 

Well I hope you have found the list of activities and the excuse busters helpful today.  I have one last tip for you - especially if you happen to be a visual person.

You all know Jerry Seinfeld.  Well he has been asked many times how he became such a good comic.  His answer is always simple - he writes everyday.  The best way to become a better comic is to write better jokes.  The best way to become a better writer is to write everyday.  Jerry recognized that it isn't one or two big events that made him a better comic but rather those consistent daily actions - in his case writing everyday - that brought extraordinary results.

To keep himself focused an motivated he used a large wall calendar.  Each day that he completed his task, writing, he got to put a big red X on the day.  Sounds a bit like what we often do with our kids but it has been very effective for him.  As the days continue and he continues to place more and more red Xs, the Xs become a red chain.  And then his main task is to not break the chain.  Once you see the chain growing you don't want the chain to break so you do those consistent daily actions to make sure you don't break the chain.  Don't break the chain.

We all know that if you do actions consistently they will become a habit.  And that small accomplishments will lead to large accomplishments over time.  So what action steps will you take this summer?  What great habits will you form?