Do you find yourself constantly wondering why is it is that some people find it so easy to persuade virtual strangers to do business with them? How is it some people with minimal effort are able to build massive downlines, while you struggle daily to generate interest in your direct sales home party business?

Today I would like to address 5 things that I see daily, that are costing many home party consultants and direct sales business owners profits and home party sales, I call these Deadly Direct Sales & Home Party Recruiting SINS:

Deadly Recruiting SIN #1: Thinking that everyone that has a pulse is your prospect. Coming in at a close second is the advice to tell and ask everyone to join your business! It is true that is not your duty to decide FOR potential prospects whether the business opportunity you are presenting is or isn’t for them. However, it is not mathematically feasible that every single person needs what you have to offer!

Deadly Recruiting SIN #2: You are not selling, you are just sharing. Sales have had a bad reputation – there is still a misconception that sales people are insincere and manipulative (anything for a sale). If you are in it to share your business opportunity, in that case you had better cut your losses and call it a day. The purpose of business, any business is to realize a profit! The only exception to this rule are the much loved Not For Profit Organizations!

Deadly Recruiting SIN #3: Failure to ask questions that reveal your potential home party recruits “hot buttons” or “needs”. Most home party consultants have been trained to conduct dog and pony shows. Lay out all the features and benefits of the company, never pausing to take a breadth and a step back to find out the prospects reasons for doing for not doing business with you!

Home Party Marketing Tip: It is not about why you think she would benefit from working with your company or what qualities she has that would make her a good home party consultant. It is about, WIIFM: What’s In It For Me!

Deadly Recruiting SIN #4: Not asking for the sale. I have been to many an home party & Home Party Plan demonstration. Some were expertly and professionally conducted, others left a lot to be desired! It is always a surprise to me just many people are willing to leave the sale at the table because they fail to ask for the money. If you have been following the Prospecting 101 Video Tutorials that I created for you, you will by now have learned how to remedy this problem!

Direct Selling Success Tip: Ask And You Shall Receive!

Deadly Recruiting SIN #5: Refusal to accept a no for what it is – NO! Is an objection really a request for more information? Or is it an glaring testimony that the proper ground work was not covered? Here is an example that I recently came across, when a prospect says, “I don’t have enough time”, she may really be unaware of how much time a job like this takes. A great response is, “How much time do you think this takes?” This gives you the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions she may have about the business.

Ok, if after the end of your presentation most people are not buying, or saying no; it is safe to assume the following:-

Genuine lack of interest
Failure on your part to have conducted the necessary research on home party attendees
Failure on your part to provide the best-fit solution.
Home Party Sales Tip: Become customer centric. Remember as Mark Sanborn states “The pleasure of the buying experience is as important as the price of the product.”

What happened the last time you needed money for a sales and marketing initiative? Did management sign-off on everything you wanted — no questions asked?

If they did, congratulations, you’re part of the minority. As for the rest of us, we’re facing massive cost reductions and “spending” freezes. Everyone is holding back on Web and marketing expenditures.

So what can you do? How can you convince others that Web investments are a wise decision in a slow economy?

First, remove the word “spend” from the picture and replace it with the word “invest.” You should always expect a return from Web site enhancements. Then present an investment opportunity to highlight how your initiative will either increase company revenues or decrease company costs.

With that in mind, use these guidelines to build your case. Be concise and keep your documentation under two pages (one page is best).

1. Summarize the objective(s) of your Web site initiative.

Clearly state the expected outcome or benefit. For example, an initiative might be to increase sales leads, increase customer purchase size, cross-sell product lines, reduce sales cycle time, reduce cost of sales, strengthen brand perception, etc. Note: giving your Web site a “new look” is not a measurable objective.

Be specific. Increase qualified sales leads from 25 per month to 50 per month or reduce sales cycle time 25%. Also, be sure to communicate the monetary value of each increase or decrease.

For example, if your company values the cost of each lead acquired off-line at $250, then each lead acquired online saves your company $250. Or on the revenue side, if marginal profit on each widget sold is $X, then Y more purchases results in a $X*Y increased profit.

2. Summarize the problem(s) of your current Web site.

Document any known problems and factors that prevent your Web site from meeting the objective above.

Common Web site problems are: confusing navigation, long check-out process, absence of strategy, non-persuasive (or boring) copy, brand misrepresentation, poor load time, lack of credibility, lack of unique identity and proposition, etc.

Use quantitative data to support your analysis. For example, subtract the number of acquired Web site leads (or sales) from your Web site”s monthly unique visitors. What”s left is the number of lost customer acquisition opportunities. (See last week”s article to learn how to determine monthly Web site visitors.)

Use qualitative data. Your customer service and sales reps talk with potential customers everyday. Find out why potential and existing customers call. Was something on the Web site unclear? What did they need? For every prospect that calls, several do not. Use your findings to support your case.

3. Estimate the total investment of your initiative.

If you’re absorbing the project in-house, work with your Web tech to estimate labor efforts. Be sure to allocate time for strategic planning, design/development, file transfer, two rounds of testing and collaboration. Never underestimate and always leave room for unknowns.

If you wish to outsource, contact a Web professional to request an estimate. You can do this one of two ways.

Issue an RFP (Request For Proposal) to a few Web professionals. Be careful though. Most organizations need to thoroughly understand your objectives, requirements and timeframes before responding with an accurate proposal. (Or at least they should.)
Contact a Web professional directly to ask for an estimate. Again, most organizations need to understand your objectives, requirements and timeframes prior to the estimate.
4. Summarize your recommended solution to the problem.
State how your in-house team or selected partner will help accomplish the objective. Stand behind your recommendation and stress the investment. Include the project approach, timeframes, warranties, guarantees and any other incentives that might help the investment decision.

So there you have it. Present your Web initiatives as investment opportunities and melt the spending freeze. As long as you prove the initiative will either increase company revenues or decrease company costs you’ll win your case. (Just make sure you deliver.)

Rick Costello, The Web Site Profit Doctor is a Chicago Web Designer and Internet Marketing Consultant who can help your Website sell more product and capture more sales leads. Services range from basic web site design help to complex Web analytics & Search Engine Marketing

Attracting wealth is not as difficult as many would think. Sadly, many people look at wealthy people like they are a completely different species from us “normal folk”. This is absolutely untrue. Our ideas toward money and prosperity are drilled into us from when we are young and depending on who we are surrounded with, this programming can be geared towards creating the life we want without question or doubt or it can be geared towards mediocrity, frustration, and always wanting more. Unfortunately, most of us fall into the latter category. Attracting wealth requires tools that we are already in possession of, we just need to use them properly and with faith. Most of us are living pretty average lives with just enough money to pay the bills, a job that really does not satisfy us but gives security, and a quiet nagging that there is something better but it is just not in the cards. Right now, I want you to think objectively about most of the people in your life and the life they are living. I am not asking you to judge but just objectively think about their situations. Is there even one person whose life is so truly wonderful that you would say to yourself”Wow, they have an amazing life. I would love to live like them” . Most of us would probably say no because most of us are living to survive, think life is supposed to be a struggle and have a self image that causes us to keep our deepest desires and wants in our fantasy world and never even think we could actually have them.

Attracting wealth is possible for anyone. It does not matter what your current circumstances are at this very moment. Your present circumstances have ABSOLUTELY NO BEARING ON THE FUTURE THAT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU. This is vital for people to know because so many people look at their present and past circumstances and conclude that they must not be able to do any better. It is crucial that you know that this is the farthest thing from the truth. Every circumstance in your life right now is a result of how you have been thinking up until this point. Guess what? You can change your thinking and actions at any moment you decide to. People cling to thoughts and beliefs as if they are as unchangeable as their fingerprints or DNA. Sure there are certain things about us that we cannot change. I am white and if I wanted to be asian, I am out of luck. I am Irish and Italian but if I wanted to be French, once again, no dice. If I am a negative procrastinator who thinks I cannot be wealthy in the future because I am not right now, I CAN CHANGE THOSE THINGS. Beliefs are thoughts that you just keep on thinking.

You can change them. If you are not happy with who you are now and have beliefs that no longer serve you, get rid of them. If you do not currently study the law of attraction or wealth consciousness, that is probably your number one reason for being dissatisfied with your life and is why you do not have the things you desire. These universal laws are in action whether you know it or believe it. You may have failed at every endeavor you have ever tried before or maybe you have been working at the same dead end job for 15 years. Maybe you dropped out of college and have always regretted it. No matter what is going on with you right now, no matter how average your existence may be at this moment, no matter what you have been told about wealth, no matter what unsolicited opinions people have given you that has shaped your own self image, KNOW THAT YOU CAN CREATE WHATEVER FUTURE YOU WANT, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR LIFE IS LIKE NOW.

Our lives are a results of the choices and excuses we have made for ourselves. If we own up to this and take responsibility for our actions, we will realize that it is truly up to us to create the lives we want, and we can do it no matter what has happened up until this point, no matter what is going on around us and no matter what appearances may indicate. Decide today that you will have a better life and you will. It is really that simple. Are you up for it?

Through years of entertaining I have developed different menu combination for different groups of friends I invite over for a get together. I prefer informal gatherings with simple food. However, informal and simple should not be equated with sloppy and boring.

This Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday festivity you may be observing, jazz up your table with a few new ideas.

Dished Up. In our mom’s generation, everything matched. From the soup tureen to the salad plate to the toothpick holder. Unless you’re holding a formal sit-down dinner, you can definitely veer away from this scenario.

Use colorful serving dishes to serve up food. Colored serverware adds oomph to your food’s appeal specially those blah-colored dishes like mashed potato, pasta salad or rice or plain food like chips. Colored serving dishes also enhances the hues of stews and sauced-up food. Adding visual appeal to otherwise simple food makes them extra appetizing. The need to make perfect garnish or Martha Stewart-esque grand presentation is not needed when you use your serving plates and bowls as the backdrop for your food.

Add Shape. There is no rule on using only round shaped vessels to dish up your food so why stick to it? Use oddly-shaped platters and bowls to create an interesting presentation and stir up some compliments.

Edible Arrangements. Give your fruit basket a twist by ordering an edible arrangements fruit basket. Edible Arrangements, the company has been delivering fruit baskets since 1999. Started in East Haven Connecticut, this company now has over 870 stores worldwide and offers ordering option via in-store, phone or online.

Each stunning bouquet contains shaped premium fresh fruits which can be complemented with chocolate dipped strawberries, bananas, apples and pineapple daisies. Grace your table with one of these arrangements and it will certainly be a conversation starter or give this as a gift to one of your friends. Visit ediblearrangements.com to see if they are available in your area.