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.

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By Jill Pfefer

I have been asked many times about my thoughts on “Matchy-Matchy.” Matchy- Matchy means wearing the same coordinates together such as the same necklace, bracelet, earrings and/or ring together. Well, I guess I would have to say it depends on your customer.

Yes to “Matchy-Matchy” if your customer

- is very tailored and all pieces of clothing are very similar

- does not mix and match gold and silver

- dresses conservatively

No to “Matchy Matchy” if your customer

- Dresses contemporary

- is confident in making a statement

- likes to think “outside the box”

- daring to be bold and individualistic

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By Jill Pfefer

It’s true, more and more I am seeing a strong trend today in providing education and letting your guests experience your product.  It’s how you can provide information and stand out amongst the rest!  The trend to sell with hard core tactics and by convincing your customer into a sale  is quite “passe”. I see more and more people explaining practical purposes for their product and how it can enhance their life.

Show your customers that by adding a simple accessory they can feel better about themselves instantly!  How great is it to get a compliment on something that they wear and get noticed by people they simply pass on the street! Teach them by adding, for example, a necklace they can mix up their wardrobe and and save money.  Instead of buying a new wardrobe, the necklace can compliment and tie into a lot of  their pieces they have had in their closet for years.

Here are some ideas you can mention at your next party….

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By Jill Pfefer

I admit it, growing up I was a very shy little girl. Even through adolescence and early adulthood I would consider myself timid. But, as I have gotten older I have learned to be more specific with my needs and my goals.  How have I achieved my success? I have learned that quite plainly if  ”you don’t ask- you don’t get”. Granted “you don’t get” every time but the odds of reaching your goals are much greater if you just simply ask for it.

Don’t be afraid to introduce your business with just a few questions….

1. When you receive a compliment on your product- such as the necklace you are wearing that day, tell the person that you are selling this product and would like to know if they would like more information or would like a copy of the current catalog.  This is a great conversation starter because the person actually opened the door by telling you she likes your product. Give back information as to how they can purchase it or receive it as a hostess gift.

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There are many benefits to selling products through direct sales, specifically through home parties. Many advantages to shopping with a direct seller versus going to a local store or shopping on the internet are outlined below.  Feel free to take note of these  key points and share them with your potential customers.

1. The store/boutique is in a home setting and comes to customer!  How convenient to be able to shop in the neighborhood, usually on a weeknight evening when it is easy to get away from the family for a little bit!

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By Jennifer Fong

This week I asked the question on my Facebook Page, “What’s the number 1 thing you need to do this week to build your business?” And there were a lot of responses. But I found that I often had to encourage folks to be specific in what they needed to do.

You see, it’s very easy to say “find new leads for my business.”

But how?

We all know the outcome we need. But what’s more important is the road map. HOW will you generate new leads? Will you:

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By Jill Pfefer

How do you spend your time building your business? I bet some of the actions you take to build your business are direct while others are indirect. You may want to analyze and actually look at and the time you spend doing both your direct and indirect marketing.

Directly growing you business involves parties, opportunity interviews, one on one sales, follow up calls and building long term relationship with your customers. These activities directly result in making sales and having faster growth in your home party business. For example, up to ninety percent of your time should be spent on your income producing activities. Make it a goal to speak to at least 3 people a day about your home party business. This includes talking to people face to face. So many times we hide behind our computers and chat online but a solid contact is built more solidly face to face. Set goals whether they are having a party once or twice a week, 5 one on one sales or participating in a local event. Follow through with your goals by putting yourself out there and check off the milestones you have achieved each week.

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By Jill Pfefer

It’s the beginning of the year and for some, a time to reflect.  A time to look back on the past and learn from it by planning a new future. Analyze what worked for you in your home party business and what things you need to change. What ideas come to you that you can actively pursue to take control and create a strong business year ahead.  The following are some ideas you can use to rekindle and/or spark this year by starting your year off with a blast!

1. I commend you for reading this blog post! Doing research on the internet in your field can help give you ideas that you may have never thought of before.  Look at other people’s suggestions and see how they like to book, sell and sponsor.  Maybe one person’s approach has shed some light on how you can tweak your own approach.  Maybe an idea comes to you that you would have never thought of on your own.  The internet is a wonderful resource you can use to rekindle or refresh your own ideas.

2. Attend your company’s webinars.  At Sydney Andrews we have several training sessions a month focusing on how you can improve on your sales and sponsoring.  Learn from the experts who have been successful through their own experiences.

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By Jill Pfefer

Last month I took a wonderful class with Beth Jones-Schall from Spirit of Success. She gave a lecture “From Generation to Generation”based on information from researchers Strauss and Howe.  I didn’t realize it at the time but I took away so much information that afternoon that it has taken me several weeks to absorb it all. It was quite interesting when you break down the 4 generations, you can see how differently you will want to approach people with booking, selling and sponsoring .

Traditionalists (silent generation) 1925-1942 – The people from this generation are very adaptive because they have gone through so many events in their life such as the Great Depression and WW11. They are great helpers, they love their community and most of all they are loyal. It is very important for them to leave a legacy. The best way to communicate with them is face to face, on the phone or with a written letter. When approaching them, let them know that they are needed and they will make a difference.

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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.

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