By Jill Pfefer

I fell in love with this wrap. I liked the design and I especially like the colors in it. All my neutral colors wrapped into one accessory. My mind was swimming as to how many ways I could wear it and how many things I could wear it with. Of course, the jewelry is first to my mind for me. How many times in the past have I bought my outfits to go with the collection.

Here are some examples of outfits and accessories I thought would look good with just this one wrap and with Trixie! Here I have a chocolate brown long sleeve t-shirt, the Oh Bee-Have necklace and the wrap is tied like a scarf. The browns and the golds are picked up in the wrap and both accessories make the outfit look complete. This would look great with jeans and a pair of brown boots!

This is a black long t-shirt with the Stirred Not Shaken necklace and the scarf with the tie in the front. This looks great with a jacket or just plain as is. Again this is a great casual look and will keep you warm.

I have seen a ton of sleeveless tops for this Fall season. I loved the neckline and texture on this top. It is a little fancier and looks great with the It’s Just Black and White Necklace. I like the necklace with this top because it is not exactly the same colors but it all gets tied in with the colors in the wrap. Tie it around the waist to accentuate the waistline and show off your neckline.

(more…)

By Jill Pfefer

When choosing a perfect necklace to finish off your outfit you should consider your neckline.  Here are a few examples of how you can accessorize and compliment your look. I used our manequin Trixie to demonstrate a few pieces.

This choker necklace mimics the roundness of the blouse.  The reds and oranges are accents colors that repeat in the blouse.  Although it is not an exact match the two pieces are similar in feel and compliment each other.

(more…)

By Jill Pfefer

Trend Alert! Color Blocking is huge here in Fall 2011!  It is not a new concept but it is big- now. This fashion statement combines the use of two or more blocks of color in an outfit. This can be from a shirt, blouse, pants, purse or jewelry. It can include monotone, bright colors, muted colors, contrasting and complimentary colors. Clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories can all feature color block designs or can make up different color blocks of color to be put together to get the color block effect.

Here are some tips to keep in mind with this trend. (more…)

I love this time of year- the New Year. Everyone is re-evaluating themselves and seeing how they can be more successful in the year to come. It is a time to set personal and professional goals and figuring out a way to be accountable and to stick to them. The important thing is to set realistic and attainable goals so that you can measure and see your results. By having disapline you will be able to see your results.

1. Look at the overall picture in monthly increments, with specific actions you’ll be able to map out and plan for the upcoming month in a broad view.

2. Break down each week, you can start by using a sample week and breaking it down to how long you will spend on your business each day. Mark which times you will make your sponsoring phone calls, which times you will hold sales calls and which times you will block out for your parties/events. By actually marking your calendar you will be able to block out the time for your business and put other respinsibilities into other parts of your day.

(more…)

By Jill Pfefer

It’s true- you can turn 11 hours a week into an extra $1000.00 a month! By setting up your office and planning out your time you acheive efficiency! I recommend setting up office hours when you work from home . By setting those boundaries you will focus on your work during the designated times and not get distracted by social phone calls, social media, the laundry etc.

Eleven hours a week can be broken down into- 2 home parties a week (3 hours per party- which totals 6 hours a week) and 1 hour a day ( 30 minutes of personal business contacts and 30 minutes of office work)

(more…)

By Jennifer Fong

Recently, a direct sales company client of mine launched a hugely successful Facebook Page. But what I enjoyed the most about that launch had nothing to do with what the company did (although they did a lot of things right) but instead had everything to do with the company’s consultants.

You see, consultants immediately jumped onto that page and starting sharing with each other. They shared tips, advice, and more. When customers asked questions, they offered sound advice. I was impressed that this company’s consultants largely avoided self-promotion, but instead focused on helping the company create a compelling, lively environment which ultimately caused visitors to the Page to want to book parties, buy product, and join the company.

And this is not something that has to be limited to one company and its consultants. Every single direct selling company out there has the exact same opportunity. But it takes YOU, the direct sales consultant, to make the magic happen. The result will be greater excitement about your company brand, which means more opportunity for you.

Here are some specific things you can do to create this kind of excitement around your company’s Page: (more…)

By Jill Pfefer

There are many people who we cross paths with and affect us deeply. I’d like to introduce my amazing grandfather who just turned 95 and share with you how he has helped me grow into the business woman I am today! He has taught me about optimism, to be persistent, generous and to live life with love and compassion.

(more…)

By Jill Pfefer

These days it is very important to keep in contact with your customers and future prospects. One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they want to jump into a sale before the relationship has actually evolved.  In fact, a great parallel is that there has to be  a courting period before a marriage. Developing a relationship takes TIME and ENERGY! Outlined below is a natural progression to keeping your audience connected and interested.

Target Audience- Know your target audience and market to them. Actually visualize who that ideal person is. Is it Sally who is 42 years old, has two children, drives a SUV, owns a house and lives in the burbs?  Marketing to that person would be very different than marketing to Alice who is 23 years old, lives in the city, doesn’t own a house and a car and is single.

(more…)

By Jill Pfefer

After spending 4 days in Los Angeles at the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance (DSWA) conference it was  evident that there are new trends in the home party plan industry.  In fact, direct selling in general has changed. People are looking  for a conversation rather than a presentation.

I believe a lot of this has to do with technology and the new era of social media. People are spending a great deal of time on their computers and smart phones and are not conversing as much in person. Therefore it seems that when people communicate with  technology they feel that they have to get straight to the point and offer their product as soon as possible before losing their audience. WRONG! So many times I see on Facebook , Twitter or 3rd party sites  the deal of the month or why their product is the greatest product on earth. WRONG!

(more…)

By Jill Pfefer

Vic and I just got back from a wonderful weekend at the DSWA Celebration.  This was a non-stop, exciting and very informative conference.  We literally did not leave the hotel for 2 1/2 days because every minute was planned to help each person learn and grow in all facets of the direct selling profession! We went to classes regarding leadership training, met other company executives and brainstormed at round tables with consultants and leaders from many different companies.

(more…)