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.

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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!

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March 24,2010  by Jill Pfefer

Whether your home based business is in direct sales or any other industry – I find it helpful to be organized and accountable in my work. The following are 5 basic tips that I do to keep on track. Many of us both work at home and run a household and it is important to be able to balance the two and feel successful in both arenas.

1. Don’t procrastinate- I do live by the saying “Do what you can today and don’t put it off until tomorrow”. It feels good to accomplish all that you can today because you never know what will come up tomorrow- especially with kids! Setting reasonable goals and finishing your tasks will give you a great sense of acheivement.

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The following are some tips of where you can leave your business cards behind in your direct sales networking efforts. It is such a simple gesture but can lead to more business for you.

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If your direct sales or network marketing company is like most these days, they either have a Facebook Fan Page or are planning one.  And the large majority of direct selling companies are using their Facebook Pages to talk to YOU, the consultant.  Why?  Because their strategy is to empower you with resources that you can use to build your business.  After all, many of your customers and prospects are probably already on Facebook. Why not provide you with resources that you can pass along with a simple click?  It just makes sense.

So are you making optimal use of the resources that your company provides? (more…)

 Are you searching for a new endeavor and considering the home party industry.  Below are some helpful tips…

1. Direct selling is a great way to own your own business.  You get to be your own boss and set your own goals. If you are self motivated and conscientious you will appreciate this freedom.

2. Flexible work schedule.  You can set your hours based on what works for you and your family. For example, you can make your follow up phone calls when your children are at school or you can have your parties at night and on weekends after your full time job. (more…)

It’s the New Year and a new start! Now is a great time to start evaluating you and the direction of your home party jewelry business.  Take advantage and start with a clean slate.

1. Changing your focus changes your outcome! You are in control of your business in 2010 and ask yourself what it is you truly want.  Focus on the right things to help you achieve your goals.

2. Break your goal down into logical monthly steps.  What you do today will benefit you in the next 90 days!

3. Small changes add up to big results.

• Make a commitment to ask everyone at the party to see if they are interested in having their own party
• Offer and explain to everyone the Sydney Andrews opportunity
• Plan to spend at least 15 minutes a day working on your business such as prospecting calls, social media and networking.

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Do you assume that all successful business people are outgoing and extroverted? Well, that is just not true. Many successful business people are shy and like to work behind the scenes. It may take some practice but interacting with the public and promoting oneself is imperative to continued success.

The following 4 tips are great suggestions to help combat shyness and conquer self-promotion.

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Trixie and Me

This past weekend Sydney Andrews participated in the Jr. League Holiday Mart event in Denver.I have attended this event for several years as a customer and have always toyed with the idea of selling my work there.  This year I decided to give it a try.

The following 9 tips are recommendations I would like to give you to help you with your shows and events (more…)

Are you considering starting your own home based business? In this economy many people are considering starting their own business and becoming their own boss. Especially, when times are tough -many people turn to direct selling as a viable option to either make a little extra cash, make large sums of money or are looking for a career change. Now is a great time to consider direct sales- it’s a $2 billion industry!

Below are 6 key points to consider when researching this industry….(continued press more)

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