All posts by blogger

Leadership Team Development Review 5 Questions you need answered before you start building your Leadership Team Development biz

By blogger on

If youre here its probably because you heard of Leadership Team Development when you went to an information session or from a friend or relative who offered you an opportunity to review the business as an option for you and you determined to do some research for what you can learn concerning the business.

This article will help you learn the answers to some general questions that people ask concerning Leadership Team Development. Leadership Team Development has been involved in creating 1000s of success stories from its support and training system.

1. Is Leadership Team Development a scheme, ponzi or pyramid scheme?

When I first started building my business in the network marketing industry I had no idea what a pyramid scheme was. These days I hardly ever get this question however occasionally someone asks this question so here you go.

To start with, the succinct answer is No, Leadership Team Development is not a scheme, ponzi or pyramid scheme of any kind.

Now I could leave you to do your research, but I want to explain this to you such that in case you ever get asked this reservation one day you’ll know how to handle it, therefore Ill use the time to explain what a pyramid scheme is and why Leadership Team Development isnt one. The founders of Leadership Team Development have been in business over thirty years ago and presently does millions in yearly sales.

Pyramid schemes, ponzis or schemes involve a large number of individuals being recruited into an organization and those recruited pay the person that sells them and they get no benefit for their money. Typically the only folks that profit from a pyramid scheme like this are the people that get in early. Pyramid schemes, ponzis or schemes are illegal in many countries around the world.

A second thing to bear in mind is Leadership Team Development is a recognized Amway training system. Amway works in business with several of the leading companies on the planet selling their goods and services. If Leadership Team Development were a pyramid scheme, ponzi or scheme can you imagine the legal counsel and board of Amway and its partners would have permitted a partnership with them?

2. Is Leadership Team Development a scam?

This question sometimes goes in conjunction with the question is Leadership Team Development a pyramid scheme, ponzi or scheme? There again, the answer is No. A pyramid scam intends to dupe a person to get something of value from them with no value exchanged. Leadership Team Development is a business that gives rewards fo results produced. While there have been many other scams, Leadership Team Development isn’t one.

Amways Rules of Conduct spell out rules that keep all Amway independent business owners safe and protects the brand that Amway has developed in its 5 decades of business. Amway also approves the education and training systems that partner with IBOs. Refer to question two above. Review the Federal Trade Commission websites, Better Business Bureau and many other sites and youll realize that Amway and Leadership Team Development have a very solid business model that has stood the years and they have mitigated every complaint that has been made against them.

3. Will I pay shipping and taxes on my orders?

Leadership Team Development charges sales tax on all orders shipped with a destination in North Carolina unless they have a classification as tax-exempt. Shipping charges are a small percentage of the order.

4. The IBO Business Plan used 150 points as the standard. Is this required?

No. 150 PV is not a necessity, but it’s a decent starting point. There are no minimums that must be placed every month, then again we also know from experience that team members that aren’t familiar with nor are regular purchasers of Amway products typically are less successful than others that buy products often.

5. Where do I find the facts concerning Leadership Team Development?

A lot of people post information online, many of those same individuals share opinions, or the opinions of their friends. Each person taking Leadership Team Development into consideration should get the whole story about the organization and when considering the opinions of other people its critical to think about the levels of success they reached within Leadership Team Development. If the person that posted their opinion doesn’t have individual experience or the results you want its best to chat with someone who does.

There are many credible websites you can read to find out more regarding Leadership Team Development. Check together with the person who invited you to get a up to date list of sites to review.

Why Your March Sales Suck

By blogger on

Journal entry: December 10, 2009
“My calendar is full and my sales are on track. Looks like Ill end the year ahead of target. This means my boss will finally stop bugging me to get my sales on track. After several years of developing my client base, Im making headway. That means I can finally relax and start taking it a bit easier. I cant coast but the momentum should carry me well into next year and by then Ill have even more customers to which will make it easier to reach my quotas.”

Journal entry: March 21st, 2010
“Sales are below target and it doesnt look like Ill reach my quota this month. I was on track earlier this year but now it seems like Ive lost my momentum. I thought the recession was over and that business was supposed to improve. Companies are still reluctant to move forward and the people I have sold to arent reordering. Guess Ill have to step it up a notch to get back on track. It seems like this is a never-ending roller coaster ride.”

Sound familiar?

Its a very common problem that far too many sales people encounter. They forget that the action they takeor fail to taketoday, will affect their results several months down the road. They get caught up in the “moment” and fall into the trap of reducing their prospecting efforts when they are busy or when sales are on an upswing. They mistakenly believe that their sales will continue to improve even though they cut back on prospecting. Unfortunately, this creates the “peaks and valleys” syndrome whereby the sales person has a great month followed by one or two month of mediocre performance. As sales decline, the rep increases his/her efforts and a few months later their sales begin to improve again. As their sales start to climb, they scale back on hunting for new business. And they continue the pattern.

Unfortunately, every company and every person has to work at generating new business. Age, experience, seniority or expertise does not exempt you from this. I recall a conversation with a colleague who said, “Ive been at this for 20 years; I feel a sense of entitlement and I dont feel that I should have to work this hard to get new business.” We have all seen and heard about companies who went out of business after several decades of success. The business landscape constantly changes. New competitors enter the marketplace and erode our customer base. Products, services and solutions that were once state-of-the-art are now obsolete. And customers who were once loyal to you and your company abandon ship and no longer buy your product, service or solution.

This all means that you need to take consistent action to generate new business leads, regardless of how long you have been selling and how well established your business is. When my wife first started her business almost 15 years ago, her accountant suggested that she invest a specific amount of time each week marketing her business. It was wise advice then, and with the increase in competition that most businesses now experience, his words are even more valuable today.

This is even more important if you work with only a few customers and each company represents a large portion of your revenue. Many sales people and companies have found themselves scrambling to find new sources of revenue because a major client stopped using their services. Its a tough wake-up call that can be prevented by avoiding the complacency trap and assertively prospecting for new business on a regular basis.

So, what do you need to do to ensure that your sales dont suck in March?

It is essential that you block time in your schedule for prospecting. Otherwise one of two things will happen. First, the busyness of your day will take over and you wont invest time on prospecting activities. Or, you will spend too much time in just one area and will neglect other opportunities to prospect. Its easy to get caught up servicing your existing customers, dealing with emails, and other tasks. Whether you make cold calls, send direct mail campaigns, attend networking functions, ask for referrals, give presentations, or participate in social media; you need to determine exactly what type of prospecting activity you will do each day/week. Control and manage your time by blocking each activity in your calendar as an appointment. If you are diligent at keeping these prospecting appointments, your March sales wont suck.

MMIX Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Why An All Round Cleaning Company Will Be Better Than A More General One

By blogger on

What does your cleaning company do? Now that might sound like a bizarre question surely cleaning companies clean, dont they?

Well yes they do, but the ones which provide the best services do far more than just clean. Thats why it pays to think about the company you are using to see if you have enlisted the help of the right one for you.

If your current cleaning needs are quite basic, you might be wondering why you should even be considering hiring alternative commercial cleaners instead. The reason is simple. Every business changes and grows over time, and what is adequate for your needs now may not be right in just a few weeks or months from now.

There is also the question of services that you might only need from time to time. Lets say you have a need to move offices for example. Even if you are only moving to different offices in the same block you are in now, it isnt a simple process.

There will be furniture to move, boxes to pack and then unpack at the other end, and cleaning to do when you leave your old premises behind. There might possibly even be cleaning that needs to be done before you can move in to your new location.

Could your current office cleaners achieve all that for you?

The chances are they wouldnt. That means you would have to put in the effort to find and shortlist a number of new and unknown companies long before the move itself takes place. You would then have to decide who to opt for and get to know them to a certain extent before the big move took place.

Can you see how awkward this could be? Wouldnt it be so much easier if you could simply get in touch with your contact at your existing cleaning company to ask them to give you a hand?

An all round cleaning company would be able to do this quite easily. They would have the resources, the staff and the experience to organise such a move and handle all the cleaning as well.

You can probably see that with a moving company and a cleaning company involved, you would have staff from separate companies tripping over themselves to try and get the job done. Whereas if you only rely on the one company that you know and you are familiar with, you can rest assured that everything will go smoothly.

There is no doubt that a versatile company has many more benefits than one which concentrates only on cleaning. You can probably think of many other things right now that could be done by just the one all round company. Wouldnt it be easier if you had one point of contact instead of several at a number of different companies?

So if you are thinking of changing companies in the near future, bear in mind what an all round cleaning outfit can do for you.

Starting and Running a Successful Mary Kay Business

By blogger on

Selling Mary Kay products can be the perfect career choice, especially for people who prefer flexible hours and enjoy connecting with customers. But to move your business from a sideline hobby to a profitable career requires attention to some key factors. This article provides fundamental guidelines that can make the difference between success and failure, from why Mary Kay products are a good choice to effective customer service techniques.

Your business success starts with the company and products you represent.

When you choose selling Mary Kay products as a career, you are choosing a reputable, high-quality product line from a stable, ethical, and successful company. Mary Kay has been providing high quality skin care and cosmetic products since 1963, and is a well-respected global leader in direct sales. Mary Kay as a company and Mary Kay executives have been directly involved with the Direct Selling Association (DSA), an established trade association that requires its member companies to follow best business practices and adhere to a strict code of ethics. And Mary Kay products stand on solid scientific research in collaboration with dermatologists and medical experts worldwide.

Selling products you use and love makes your job easier and much more fun!

Unless youre a good actor, its hard to fake enthusiasm. But its easy to be genuine and passionate about products you use and love. If you have been using Mary Kay products for any time, youre an excellent candidate for a successful career selling Mary Kay. Your knowledge and experience with the products as well as your passion for them is infectious, and will give your customers confidence that theyre buying tried and true products.

Treat your business with professionalism right from the start.

Success as an Independent Beauty Consultant requires you to keep track of myriad details regarding customers, inventory, time, and money. Computers have streamlined such tasks, and a professional-level software program that tracks the details for you is worth its weight in gold. Find out what software tools are available, especially programs that are designed for the Mary Kay industry. Then pick the right one, not the cheapest. Look at the reputation of the company, the software features, the frequency of upgrades and improvements, and customer service. A professional business management software program with excellent customer support puts a winning team on your side right from the start.

Get to know your customers as individuals.

Find out when their birthday and anniversary is. Pay attention to their likes and dislikes, what products they buy and how often. Then keep track of all these details meticulously in your software program. Personal service is one of the reasons customers like to buy from you rather than a department store, and the key to great personal service is anticipating your customers needs before they know they have them.

Manage your inventory effectively.

Besides your customers, your Mary Kay inventory is the next most important aspect of your business. Carry too much and youll tie up too much money on your shelf. But carrying too little means you may not have what your customers need when they need them. If youre tracking your customers buying preferences, youll notice trends. This helps you set the right inventory levels and decide which products to stock. A good software program should allow you to look at your inventory and your customers product usage and give you the exact information you need.

Automate as many aspects of your business as you can.

You make money by servicing your customers, not by figuring out what you should be doing with your time or counting the products on your shelf over and over again. Notice the amount of time you spend on each aspect of your business and look for ways to streamline by using your computer and mobile device. Does the Mary Kay software program you chose have a calendar feature? Does it sync with a PDA? Can you generate invoices electronically? How can you better use web tools? Let your computer and PDA do their job so that you can concentrate on what you do best: interact with your customers.

Follow up with leads and customers.

You never know when youll meet a potential customer. Carry your marketing material with you and develop a way of recording information about each meeting or interaction. Remembering and recounting details about your first meeting and all subsequent interactions with a person tells them they are important to you, and indicates your dedication to customer service right from the start. Follow up on samples and, later, purchases to see how they like your products. Send them birthday cards and offer special discounts during their birthday month. From lead to customer, show them they are special. Chances are, they dont get that kind of treatment from a department store.

How to Keep Existing Customers Happy and Buy More from You

By blogger on

Communication

Stay in touch with your customers and communicate with them on a frequent basis. It is not easy to determine the optimum frequency for contact initiations that you contact them often enough that they do not forget about you, but not too much that they get annoyed by it and start ignoring it or worse, consider it spam and filter it out by automated means. This is a science by itself. Next to the frequency is also the message itself very important. Not every customer has the same needs or interest. The “one message fits them all” approach is not only less effective and converts poorly, but also increases opt-outs and filtering out of those messages.

Making a message personal for every customer is not easy, although it is the ultimate goal, but you can at least make customers feel as if the message is personal for them. The easiest thing to do is to address them with their name rather than addressing them like “Hello Customer”. To provide messages that are as relevant as possible, is it useful to segment your customer base. The segmentation can be done based on a number of criteria and depend on what you offer and the types of customers, their interests, financial status etc. A single customer can be assigned to multiple segments, which overlap and serve different purposes.

There are numbers of methods you can use to contact your customers. While a phone call or snail mail can be appropriate and useful so is email still the most common and cost effective way of communication between e-tailers and customers. There are tons of services out there that let you manage your email lists, segment your customers and keep the list clean and up to date. The cost vary significantly and depend on the number and type of features you need, how much of the work the services will do for you, if you can’t or do not want do everything in-house and from the size of your mailing list and frequency of mailings (= email volume).