1. I don’t have enough money to get started.

Solution: I will be happy to show you how you can pay yourself back by holding a couple of parties in the next 30 days. Let’s put in perspective how little it takes to start a home-based business versus a franchise or brick and mortar style business.

2. I don’t have time to add a new business into my busy life.

Solution: How much time do you think it takes? If you can utilize drive time to make calls and watch TV or operate a computer an hour a two less each day, you can have a very successful Sydney Andrews business.  Busy people make the best Consultants because they are typically very organized and have a built in support system. They also know a lot of people and come in contact with propspective customers on a regular basis.

3. I don’t have any sale experience

Solution: Great, because none is required.  If you can follow some simple training tips and love to make people look and feel good about themselves you will be very successful with the jewelry at Sydney Andrews. We offer fashion trends and style suggestions rather than selling merchandise that is commonly sold in chain stores.  It’s a cliche, but true in this case, the jewelry sells itself.

4. I don’t know enough people

Solution: One of the many benefits to having a Sydney Andrews business is the fact that you will meet and make a lot of friends and acquaintances as you build your business.  You simply start with your warm circle of family and friends and they will lead you to people they know and you don’t. And so on and so on.  You usually know more people than you think.

5. I’m very shy and don’t think I can talk in front of people.

Solution: If that is something you would like to become more comfortable with, having a Sydney Andrews business can help. One of the most beneficial parts of having a business like this one, is the personal growth you will experience in all areas of your life.

What obstacles do you face when discussing this business and what suggestions would you make to encourage people to join our team?

1. Time and Convenience (I’m too busy to make a commitment.”)
2. Money (“Everyone I know is out of money or work.”)
3. House or location (“I’m never home”, or “My house is a mess.”)

For the time and location issues, try using the Low-Carb Alternative party*–in other words, just give them the meat. Low-Carb dining is popular. Just as a Low-Carb meal needs to be light, flavorful, instant and satisfying, so it is with low-carb booking success.

Light: Minimize the presentation time and the number of guests required.

Flavorful: Power-pack the mini product demonstration tailored to their needs.

Instant: make it easy to book with you with minimal planning or lead time-book in close.

Satisfying: Cut the time, but don’t skimp on customer service.

One nice thing about Low-Carb parties is that they can be done virtually anywhere! Before and after presentations work well. They are done before the movies, after work, after exercising; in fact, meet them at the gym! Because the Low-Carb party happens without much notice, invitation are informal (a call or an email) and the hostess need not be stressed about her home or refreshments.

Of course, this recipe only works if you make the booking calls and offer! It might sound like this: “Sally, I would love to conduct a party for you because I know it would be successful and fun. I offer two options: we can do a regular party with all the bells and whistles, or I now offer a lighter low-carb alternative. What sounds most appetizing to you?”

She may laugh, but she will certainly ask you to tell her more.

Address the money issue with free product offerings for the hostess or for a guest who provides referrals. Also, adopting a genuine no-pressure sales attitude is the key! If you are passionate about your jewelry, you know they will love it once they see it. 

Catalog parties have become quite the craze. It’s a matter of  dropping off a catalog and some order forms and having them fill out the information on their time and place.

Here are some suggestions of where to find sales…

-School Front Office- the ladies love to wear the jewelry and show it off to other parents

-Doctor and Dentist offices

-Starbucks, Panera (post a flyer on the corkboard)

-Discussions in the gym locker room

-Supermarket

-Church or Synagogue

-Airport

*Thanks to Build and Big and Joellen Sutterfield, direct seller, for her low-carb alternative idea.

When you are learning how to promote your direct selling and hostess opportunities with a prospect via telephone you will find that there are actually two reasons to encourage the other person to share their feelings, hopes and dreams with you. One is for the reason stated above. The second, is that a prospect doesn’t usually end a conversation…while THEY are talking about something important to them!

Bring that thought into any direct selling process, whether on the telephone or in person. Make it a goal that, whether you are simply establishing a realtionship with a prospect, or actually giving a party presentation that will hopefully result in a sale, that you talk only 25 percent of the time and listen 75 percent of the time. And, the way to accomplish this is to ask questions. Ask questions that the prospect wants to answer, allowing her to engage in the conversation and and this will help her toward the decision of joining in your Sydney Andrews business, or selecting the perfect piece of jewelry to enhance her wardrobe.

Remember what the great sales master, J. Douglas Edwards used to say “Questions are the answer”. How are you doing, percentage-wise in terms of listening versus talking?

In October 2008, Vic and I were just beginning the initial launch of Sydney Andrews and a friend introduced us to Monica H, a woman who lived in South Florida who was battling a malignant brain tumor. Monica had received a piece of our jewelry and loved it. Although she was receiving radiation and chemotherapy, she wanted to do something to help keep her mind off of her own medical condition. Monica joined Sydney Andrews as one of our very first consultants.

Monica threw all of her energy, when she was well enough to work, into Sydney Andrews. She held numerous parties, introducing her friends, neighbors and their friends and neighbors to Sydney Andrews. Her parties were very well attended because not only were the women in love with the jewelry, they were supporting Monica in her journey to be social and productive throughout her tough and grueling battle with cancer.

Unfortunately, Monica lost her battle last month and not only did we lose a terrific Consultant we also lost a very good friend. Monica also left behind a husband and daughter as well as many, many great friends. At Monica’s funeral her girlfriends all wore the “Heart Felt” necklace pictured above. They did this to honor Monica for her courage through adversity and because it was one of her favorite jewelry pieces. The Heart Felt Pendant has now come to symbolize Monica’s bravery and strength.

Monica’s girlfriends have decided to carry on her love affair with Sydney Andrews. One of our newest consultants Sheri L. from San Diego, signed up so she could hold parties and accept orders with 100% of her commissions being donated to a special fund set-up in Monica’s honor. Other friends of Monica will be holding catalog events to generate donations to this fund.

In honor of Monica, Sydney Andrews has arranged for 10% of the sales of the Heart Felt Pendant and Earrings to go to Stand Up 2 Cancer (www.standup2cancer.org) This organization provides advocacy and funds research for all types of cancer. We are very pleased to be a part of the mission of this worthwhile organization.

In addition to the donation on the Heart Felt items, we will continue to donate 10% of the sales of For The Cure Necklace and Earrings to the Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.

Both Vic and I are committed to ensuring that Sydney Andrews provides success for our consultants as well as gives-back to the community that provides that success. Both of us have lost friends and relatives to cancer and anything we can do through this company to be part of the “solution” is important.

Please help get the message out by highlighting the cause of the “Heart Felt” and “For The Cure” pieces. There are very few who haven’t been affected by this terrible disease either directly or indirectly.

Much thanks,

Jill and Vic

“We had people trying on many different pieces and I was there to help people make decisisions. It was very interactive.

I think it is important to advertise that it is a colorado based business and I talk a lot about Jill, the designer, and letting people know who Jill is and what Sydney Andrews is about. People were very impressed with what the company is doing. I always tell people I’m trying to get the Sydney Andrews name out there. I say that several times during the party. Lots of people again took catalogs.

I think people with outgoing personalities are going to be the best at selling BUT you have to love the Sydney Andrews jewelry because it makes it much easier to sell and for people to believe you and I do love it! I never in a million years thought I would ever do anything like this. I also like helping people look their best and I think I have a knack of knowing what looks good on people and what doesn’t. It helps knowing your audience as well.”

People often ask me where I get my ideas from for my designs. Every 6 months I come up with a Spring and a Fall line. Being the CEO of Sydney Andrews, I have several responsibilities but wherever I go I constantly have my mind on designing. When I am at the mall, on vacation or even at The Great Indoors store my mind is on what my next piece of jewelry will look like.

Color is a very important component of my work. I love being surrounded by color and why not bring it to your everyday wardrobe. Accessorize with colors that make you feel good. My customers seem to really like my multi color designs for their versatility. I look to a lot of Israeli designers for their color combinations.

I also pay a lot of attention to shapes in my pieces. Inverted shapes and creating symmetry can really add excitement to a peice. Assymetry can also add a lot of interest to a design. In my Tini Martini design- I use inverted circles with alternating sizes and colors. I got the idea for this design with scrapbooking paper. I actualy tore up the paper and placed it on my sketch and shot it in photoshop.

I get a lot of feedback from my reps and my customers that help me improve my designs. In fact, some of my best suggestions have come from them! My brand new Tri and True Belt came from an idea from one of my reps- Amy M. We were looking at a tri-color bracelet and she thought about how great it would be if a similiar design was intergrated into a belt.

It’s funny, I never in a milliion years would have thought I would be a jewelry designer. I was an art major but fashion was never top on the list for me. It started as a hobby and I got tons of encouragement from my friends and family to pursue this as a career. Being a jewelry designer has been such an important part of my life. It has given me the opportunity to contribute to my family financially and to add another dimension of myself and be known as the “jewelry lady.” I am very passionate about offering other women the opportunity to provide income for their families with flexible hours and to allow them to add dimensions to their life they didn’t know was possible!