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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I love it when consultants come up with creative ideas as to how to get their product out there and get bookings for their parties. Being able to step outside the box can help you stand out above the rest. The following are examples of what some of the Sydney Andrews consultants have done to go the extra mile!

1. Tracy P. who happens to be a wonderful photographer as well as being a Sydney Andrews consultant has utilized her skills by photographing herself with each necklace and earring set. Every day I see a new posting on Facebook of her modeling the “jewelry of the day” She posts them at different times and different days of the week to capture various audiences.  She also posts recommendations and advice of what to wear with the jewelry and to what sort of occasion. I love this because it’s visual and interactive!

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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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Social media is such a fantastic tool for your direct selling business.  However, it IS social, which means that there are LOTS of people there…not all of them good people.  Now some people decide that they’re not going to engage in social media at all because of this.  However I believe that this approach will cause more harm than good for your business.  After all, if you want to attract leaders to your team, studies in our industry show that most director-level people started the business in their 20’s.  This is Generation Y, and they’re more comfortable communicating through social media tools than talking on the telephone!  And because there are SO many people engaging online these days, chances are you’ll miss out on a LOT of potential orders and reorders if you choose not to engage.

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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…)