One of the easiest ways you can recognize, support and encourage your direct sales team is to send them handwritten notes. I built productive, loyal teams, and I believe the handwritten note was one of the keys to the success of the teams.

People save handwritten notes, especially when they are words of encouragement, recognition, and celebration. They put them on display or tuck them away in a drawer for safe keeping and easy access. When someone is discouraged or frustrated, she can take out the stack of notes you’ve written her and get an instant pep talk.

You don’t have to have a big team of top producers to use the handwritten note as a success tool. You can start with your first downline.  Woo Hoo notes are the easiest to write. You can say everything in just three sentences:

1. Reason for the note/congratulation statement
2. Specifics about accomplishment
3. Hope/good wishes and/or something personal

Celebrate her first win.

Yay! You did it! You launched your...

Whenever you make an offer in your direct sales business, be sure that the recipient of the offer is clear on what it is going to do for her. You don’t have to mention what it is going to do for you. Making it about her is excellent customer service and leadership. And your intentions and motivation might be to serve; sometimes direct sellers use language that doesn’t come across that way.

I have a big goal, so I’m offering a discount to the next 5 people who place an order.  

When you lead with yourself or your goal, you are making it about you. Some of your customers might care that you have a big goal, but most of them don’t. If you want to offer a discount to boost sales, do it, but leave yourself out of it.

Instead: Flash Sale: 10% off the next 5 orders.
Call it a Flash Sale. Just the name gives people a sense of urgency.

Better: Flash Sale: 10% off all orders placed by 5 pm.
Instead of limiting it to the number of orders, give people a time...

There are always new things to learn in your direct sales business. Every time you want to increase your party schedule or promote to a new title, you have to learn new skills and systems. Master leaders of large teams do different things and do things differently than new leaders. The best way to learn new skills and systems is to be coachable. The two keys to being coachable are to be open to new ideas and to be clear on where you want to go.

You can hire a coach, join a group coaching program (I hear there is a really good one called Spark, wink wink) or be coached by your upline. The advantage to being coached is that the coach has a bird’s-eye view of your business. She can see things that you can’t because you’re in the thick of it. She’s probably been where you are, and if you’re open to coaching, she can help you get where you’re going faster.

People who are coachable are open to new ideas. You can’t do the same things and expect to...

Yesterday I wrote about what you can do to boost your personal volume at the end of the month in your direct sales business. I also wrote about what not to do. Do not tell people you have a goal and need their help.

Today we’re going to talk about why you don’t want to do that.

1. Most people don’t care about your goals, but they are polite enough not to tell you that. The first time you do it, you’ll probably get a pass, and you might even get one the second and third time you do it. But a pass isn’t a sale. It rarely works, and the few times it does pay off isn’t worth risking your friends unfollowing you.
2. It’s bad leadership for your team and future team. Your team watches what you do. Your future team, especially the ones you don’t even realize are considering the opportunity, also watches what you do. Do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do is a terrible leadership strategy. It’s confusing and hypocritical. You want to be clear and have...

Summer gets a bad rap in direct sales. It’s hard to get parties in the summer. Everyone is on vacation. It’s too hot. Those are all myths. Well, except for the hot one. Except here in San Diego. When it gets into the 80s, people lose their minds. Try growing up on the East Coast with no air conditioning. That’s hot.

Anyway, summer can be an amazing season of your business if you work with it not against it. Sure it’s a different rhythm and vibe than other seasons, but that’s what makes it so fun.

Here are some tips that will make summer your favorite season of business.

1. Make your parties shorter. Try to be done with your presentation before the sun goes down. If people want to stay and hang out, that’s fine, but no one is going to be disappointed that they sat through a short presentation.
2. Do more one-on-ones or small group presentations. You’ll be able to make stronger connections which will make your business (and life) better. Your...