Linda's Business Blog

Customer Service: are you a May or How person?

In a potential sales situation, which of these two approaches do you think will bring a more successful response from a customer:

May I help you?

or

How can I help you?

If you are the salesperson or the business owner who inquires, the first question most often results in only 1 of 2 one-word responses:

"Yes" or "No"

If you ask the "May I help you?" question as part of your good customer service policy chances are your sales won't be as high as the salesperson or business owner who asks "How can I help you?"

The "How" question requires the potential customer to respond with a sentence.  Even if the response is "I don't need any help," or "I'm just looking," it is far more engaging than a simple, often dismissive "No."  The hoped-for answer, "Yes," often invites an inquiry back that opens up a true conversation between sales person and potential customer such as "Do you have this item in blue?"

As simplistic as this seems, the way in which you open a sales/potential customer scenario can make or break a sale.  Have you ever been shopping and been approached by the sales person who asked "May I help you?" and you could swear you heard in his or her voice a tone that almost begs you to reply in the negative?  I have.  It's as though the sales person doesn't really want to be bothered and hopes you'll just go away.  A "yes" answer is good, it does open the conversation but it requires further questions by the salesperson such as "How can I help you?" Better to just start out with "How can I help you?"

I think the gist of what I'm saying is that if you have a business, whether you are a solopreneur or the CEO of a major corporation, you have products/services that you wish, hope that others will purchase.  If you are the solopreneur then it is you and the customer...this is the quintessential direct selling situation.  If you are the CEO then you have selling divisions and personnel responsible for the selling situations.  Whichever case, it is important that the sales person have their heart in their work:

• a true belief that the products/services are worthy of sale, purchase and ownership
• a true belief in the value of the products/services
• a true desire to serve the interests of the potential customer

I follow the work of sales and positive attitude guru Jeffrey Gitomer.  He has an excellent article on his website, BuyGitomer, titled, "What's the best part of selling? Is it really just the sale?"  In this article he talks about getting your enthusiasm back for sales in what has been a down economy.  He lists thoughts to consider that remind a person of why they went into sales in the first place, such things as [from Mr. Gitomer's list] as:

• The challenge of asking and engaging.
• The great feeling of serving customers and helping them succeed.
• The personal pride of making the sale, and knowing the customer made the right choice.

Mr. Gitomer lists 5 things to put your heart into as regards sales:

1. Put your heart into your job.
2. Put your heart into your desire to serve.
3. Put your heart into your product belief.
4. Put your heart into your presentation.
5. Put your heart into delivering customer value.

So.   What better question to ask of a potential customer than, "How can I help you?"

Human Element is essential for Customer Service Success

When you go shopping or are in some kind of retail situation, don't you want the salesperson, manager or establishment owner to be friendly, helpful and accommodating?  Who wouldn't?  Who doesn't?

Recently I wrote about the importance of point-of-sale customer service and received a great response from a reader.  This reader, a young mom, related her experiences on a recent afternoon when she planned to take her toddler [age 3] to an afternoon matinee at the movies.  Her afternoon involved not one, but two examples of what NOT to do in the area of customer service.  She has given me permission to relate her story.

Example One:  First this young mom took her son into a discount retail store to purchase some snacks to take to the movie.  She thought she had allowed plenty of time before the start of the movie...and the discount store was in the same shopping center as the cinema.  In her words:

• "...I spotted at least 5 employees in [the store] just as I was standing in line. Only one checkstand was open and the line was growing. We waited in line for over 5 minutes before someone came and opened up another line...."

Granted this seems a small thing, but the store's manager should have been on his or her toes and put the clerks to work rather than let a line of customers grow at one lone open checkstand.  At the very least, if the clerks who seemed to be loitering were not indeed yet on shift, they should not have been standing near the cash registers giving customers the feeling of being ignored.  Yes, I'd have to agree with this reader that this was an example of poor customer service.  The result of this for her was to put her late buying tickets for the movie.

Example Two:  I think we've all, at one time or another, been late to the start of a movie.  I know I have.  I've rushed from the parking lot to run to the ticket window only to be told the movie had already begun...but still I bought my ticket and quietly took a seat.  This reader had a much different experience.  Again in her words:

• "...So now we were even more late to the movie...it wouldn't matter to [her son] if we missed the first 15 to 20 minutes of the movie so I went inside to buy my ticket. The girl at the ticket counter said we were too late and wouldn't sell us the tickets. My thought...why would a business turn down a paying customer? I was willing to pay full price for less of a product! I spoke with the manager and she told me that after 20 minutes the option to sell that show physically disappears off the computer. So she used the old, 'the computer wouldn't let me do it' excuse. If I would have been her, I would have said, 'Let me ring you up for your movie,' and 'I'm sorry for any inconvenience.' But she just said the computer doesn't let them. What kind of a business has a point of sale system you can't override? To me that is poor business...."

In this I totally agree with this reader.  There are a few key factors that made the manager's decision not to sell the young mom a ticket the incorrect decision:

• this was a weekday matinee - in most cases the house is no where near full, so allowing someone to enter the theater after the movie has started shouldn't be an issue
• "humanity" should have swayed this manager's decision: surely you can't look into the face of a 3-year old little boy and tell his mom that she simply won't be able to buy a ticket because the computer says 'no!'
• every business should have 'exceptions to the rules' for just such cases as this - yes the computer system has built-in time changes for ticket sales...however, managers should have the ability to receive cash, make out receipts and then account for them at the end of day

Business reputations can be made or broken by how that business' employees or processes affect and effect the buying public.  I know what it is like to have to face the disappointment of a child when a ride at an amusement park is sold out or broken down and they can't get on as example.  The human element of customer service is every bit as important as the dollars and cents elements.  In the movie theater example of this young mom and her son, for goodness sake manager...sell her the tickets and let them see the movie!

I will say that it is difficult sometimes to know what to do in a customer service situation.  Earlier this year I was faced with making a hard choice at a convention.  This convention had a day that was open to the public.  The convention involved attendees making and then bringing and displaying things they'd created.  The 'public day,' as it was called, was to allow the general public an opportunity to see these "cool" creations.  People had to pay a small entrance fee and the viewing hours were clearly posted.  The complication came when the public attendance grew beyond all expectations.  By afternoon it became clear that people would be turned away.  My job for the convention was public relations...never an easy job.

The situation that is relevant involved the very end of the public day.  The signs were up that public viewing was now closed and the very last of the public was in the main hall finishing their viewing of the displays.  Then a woman came to one of the fellows standing "guard" at the entrance and said she needed to get in, that her family was in there.  The man at the gate told her politely that we couldn't allow anymore people in and that she was welcome to wait right there for her family to come out.  Behind the lady was a small group of those who had been turned away and, for whatever reason, just didn't leave.  A bit of an argument was arising between the man and lady so I went to investigate.

Turns out that the "family" was only this woman's adolescent son and she was concerned that he didn't realize she'd been late to arrive.  There was more to the story, but suffice it to say that I made the on-the-spot decision to allow her to enter the hall.  After several minutes she and her son came to me, both very grateful for my decision.  However, one of the people in that group of disappointed people came up and demanded to also be let in.  In this case I had to be firm and say 'no,' but did offer that person an abbreviated explanation - which they graciously accepted. 

It's my belief that customer service policies should never be so carved in stone that they become cold and unyielding.  What would I have done in the case of my reader and her son?  I'd have just let them in, free, and offered them popcorn.

What you Really need to Grow your Business

I don't think there is anyone on the planet who doesn't know that sunflowers need sun, water and soil to grow.  Good tilled soil, water given as needed and days and days of warm, bright sun will nurture sunflowers to full bloom.  The results are huge heads of plump seeds for birds and humans to enjoy surrounded by bright yellow petals.  That's what a sunflower needs to grow: good dirt, water and sun.

A home-based business needs nurturing also for it to grow.  It needs the basics...just like the sunflower needs soil and water, a home-based business needs tangible basics like: an accounting system; customers; a plan for customer care service; supplies as basic as phone service, computer, filing cabinet; business cards and brochures; its product or service [or both].  To grow your business you need financial resources, suppliers and sales outlets.  You need a business plan...that is a tangible item.

A home-based business also needs the sun.  In this case it is the non-tangible items.  To grow a home-based business it needs its owner's:

1. attitude
2. belief
3. commitment

Attitude:

• if you think you can, you'll then know you can, and you will [think it, know it, do it/be it]
• posture yourself as a winner, a leader, a visionary
• act as if you are already successful - literally see yourself as you will be and act accordingly - your mind will go to work to make reality fit your picture - remember, you were attracted to your business opportunity and your opinion matters!
• live the attitude: say out loud: I think I am successful, I know I am successful...I am successful. Period.

One of the books in my business library is one by Jeffrey Gitomer: "Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude-How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS."  I love this little book...a powerful aid to getting and keeping a forward-looking business-growing frame of mind.  At least I think so.  From the book:

• "...Attitude is your choice, not your circumstance.
• Attitude is the way you respond to the situation, not the situation yourself.
• You have control over the way you choose, and the way you respond...."

Mr. Gitomer says, "...In business, your positive thoughts and lifestyle choices lead to your personal success and career success...."

So.  What can you add to attitude to further nurture your business?  Belief.  If you don't believe in your idea, in your business, who else will?  You need to believe in:

• your initial idea
• your dreams
• your goals and milestones
• your company and its products/services

There is a saying that "...you can do anything you put your mind to...."  I don't think that's quite accurate.  Rather this is a belief based on knowledge of your current abilities and desires to achieve the stated objectives of your business and your ability to learn.  In other words your belief isn't just "pie in the sky" it is belief rooted in knowledge and abilities.

Keeping a positive attitude will fuel your belief.  The drive, determination, perseverance and boot-strap mentality of belief is what will keep you going and fuel your attitude.  Each feeds the other.

Starting a home business is no small challenge, nor an easy one.  As example, USA TODAY is following five groups of entrepreneurs from across the country as they navigate starting their own small businesses.  From a recent article, "...Financial stress for small business owners abounds: mental exhaustion that comes when completing a lengthy bank loan application; uncertainty that arises when discussing outside investors; and anxiety that goes hand-in-hand with asking a friend and business partner to pony up more dough to get the business started....."

This is an example of where attitude and belief can fit in.  The article mentions "stress" and "uncertainty" and "anxiety."  All true and actual challenges.  Just as the sunflower field will have cloudy days and rain and attacks by insects and birds, your business will face financial and other challenges and you, as owner, will face doubts and questions.  Positive attitude and solid belief can help you keep your feet planted as you build and grow your business.

Do you add a little fertilizer to the sunflowers as they grow?  Probably.  What about your business?  What can you add to attitude and belief?  Try a dose of commitment:

• to your dreams and goals
• to your success

Commitment is made of: consistency, determination, persistence, refusal to quit, creative problem solving, seeing challenges as opportunities, courage to plow through rocky fields...commitment glues you to your dreams.  If you are committed, there is only one direction: forward.

My advice?  Do everything you can to stay positive and keep your dreams alive.  Commit to your business and go for it. 

Here's a some positive reinforcement I ran across recently, from columnist Steve Strauss, USA TODAY, "...What a great time to start a business!  I don't mean that in a Pollyannaish, 'rah-rah, you can do it!' way, but rather, as a very serious business proposition. In the history of business, this happens to be an amazing time to start your own enterprise....Of course the economy is a bit rough right now; no doubt about that. And yes, that is a challenge. But what I am talking about is taking a broader view. The fact is, between technology, the Internet and global capitalism, this is the golden era of small business — a moment in time unmatched...."

Cool!  I'm working my home business, are you?

Making the case that Artists are Direct Sellers

Or: I'm making the case that I am an Artist [specifically a visual artist: mosaic and painting] and see my business as a direct selling business.  First, a couple definitions to help this conversation along: [caption id="attachment_718" align="alignright" width="112" caption=""The Jazz Player" acrylic painting by Linda C Smith"][/caption]

• Artist: first some quotes: "...What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit....  ~John Updike"  and my personal favorite: "...I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for....  ~Georgia O'Keeffe" - my personal definition of "artist" is someone who translates what they see either outside themselves or from within themselves through artistic media - could be paint, pencil, mosaic tiles, dance, music, poetry, prose, photography and more.  I think being an artist is something you have to do...like having no choice.
• Direct Selling: the best definition comes from DirectSelling411 : "...Direct selling is the sale of a consumer product or service, person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location, marketed through independent sales representatives who are sometimes also referred to as consultants, distributors or other titles...."

Taking these two definitions then, you could say that the artist creates a consumer product and then sells that product person-to-person through shows, festivals, physical galleries and online galleries.  I consider a gallery to be a direct selling situation rather than a fixed retail location as purchasing a work of art is nothing like purchasing a gallon of milk.  In a gallery setting it takes person-to-person interaction between the gallery personnel and the prospective purchaser.  There are quite a few artist-owned galleries, so this is even more the case. Having stated my case it's my contention, as a business person, that it would benefit artists if they did a bit of learning as regards direct selling. (1) How to do direct marketing: "...Direct marketing is a method used to distribute advertising and marketing materials such as catalogs, brochures or other items to consumers through mail, e-mail, telemarketing or other methods. Direct selling is NOT direct marketing...."[again from DS411].  This is an important distinction and often the two get confused.  The key word is "marketing."  Marketing is giving people information so that they can make an informed buying decision.  Once you've given someone information about your product [marketing materials] you still have to engage them in a buying situation [selling]. (2) How to be an effective direct seller: I found at the DirectSelling 411 site, in the FAQs for selling, a list of points that I think would be valuable for anyone to adopt [this list is copied and has my annotations in italics]:

• Tell your potential customers who you are, why you’re approaching them and what products you are selling.- believe it or not, I've seen artists at outdoor shows who stand in their booths with their artwork and never engage the people who come to look...these are prospective art buyers who need to know who you are, why they need your work and what you have available.
• Explain how to return a product or cancel an order.- this is as valid in an art transaction as for any other type of consumer product.  Sometimes an art buyer will get a work home then discover it just doesn't "work" for them...art is "subjective" and human emotion has much to do with the initial purchase and the purchase retention.
• Respect the privacy of your customers by calling at a time that is convenient for them.- this is good, basic business advice.
• Promptly end a demonstration or presentation at the request of your customers.- some artists will take a selection of works to a prospective buyer's home and do a "presentation;" this is good business advice.
• Provide accurate and truthful information regarding the price, quality, quantity, performance, and availability of your product or service.- in the art world, consistency of pricing is often a difficult animal to master; sometimes a buyer will be interested in a work you have displayed, but wish it were in another color combination - as the art business person, you have to know what you will and won't do for a client...and if you do it for one, you'll have to offer it for others.
• Offer a written receipt in language your customers can understand.- this may, or may not, be an issue in an artist's business; having said that, if you are an English speaker and are doing shows in a community where another language is predominant, you might want to offer materials in that language.  Some American artists travel to Italy, for instance, for shows...this might be good business in this case.
• Provide your name and contact information, as well as the contact information of the company you represent.- you would be amazed at the number of artists who do not provide this valuable information to buyers of their work...referral sales are as important for artists' "products" as for any other consumer products.
• Offer a complete description of any warranty or guarantee.- as an artist, do you offer services after the purchase such as fixing damage?  Everything needs to be clearly outlined and understood between the artist and the buyer.

It's difficult for some artists to put aside the fuzzy feel goods of getting their hands paint splattered and exchanging that for the cold realities of doing business.  However if an artist has decided to make a business of their work and efforts, then the two hats must be worn.  The business hat needs to fit as well as the creative one.  There is much more that goes into a discussion of art plus business; but for me, it helped to define my home-based business as a direct selling enterprise.  I could then further define what I needed to know and what skills I needed to learn to have a balanced business: creating work on one side and marketing and selling it on the other.

Home-based business owner ' s take on the headlines

The really HUGE things of the universe seem to be beyond the ken of the solo-preneur, home-based business person.  After all...there is nothing my little business is going to do to affect the way the U.S. congress votes...there is no reason for any of those fine folks to take me to dinner in the hopes of garnering my vote and that of my employees for some bit of pork barrel legislation.  I don't have employees.  There's just me. However, the doings of the universe can, and sometimes do, effect my micro-business.  This global economic slow-down is a real bummer because not only do I conduct commerce in my local geographical area, I am now seeking commerce via the world wide web.  I've chosen to overhaul my business...I'm still a proponent of direct selling.  I still am passionate about the products I previously shared information about with others.  But after writing about business for nearly two years and after reading about business for far longer, I decided to take the advice of making my business that which I am most passionate about.  For me that is my art.  I'm an artist and I am now making my art my product line. I have both paintings and and photo prints available.  I am the manufacturer, in a manner of speaking, of the products I represent.  The many skills learned in the world of direct selling remain quite valuable because I believe artists are in the direct selling business. Headlines in the newspaper the other day that caught my attention:

• "Reader's Digest files for bankruptcy protection" - say it isn't so!  I've read this little publication for as long as I have been able to read.  My grandparents and my parents were subscribers.  My most favorite feature was the 'drama in real life' stories.  I remember when the magazine was thick and full of dozens of articles and stories.  I remember that it would take a few days to read it all.  Recently I thumbed through an issue [which was very thin] and was disappointed to see the preponderance of advertisements.  And now this.  Remember the Reader's Digest Condensed books?  When my mom passed away a few years ago, I took boxes of her collection of those books to the thrift store.
• "Sporting Chance" - in this world of shaky economics, it is heartening and hopeful to hear of the start up of a new business.  MakeItPro is a web-based business that is based not far from where I live in the Bay Area of California.  In the 'about' section of the website they say of themselves:   "...MakeItPro™ is the only sports destination in existence that is a total resource, marketplace and interactive social network for athletes, fans, coaches and parents -- anywhere on the planet...." What I think is so cool about this is that (a) this is a NEW business starting at a time when that might seem risky, and (b) it seems to be a NEW idea...a new niche.  Who knew that someone could still come up with something new and cool-to-boot?

Two news headlines and stories, two very different flavors.  What a world we live in.

Do you know what a consumer is?

The morning business section of my newspaper has a top headline speaking about how awful sales have been and will be in the retail world.  Funny, to me this isn't news, it's just reality.  News ought to be something we didn't already know...hence making it new. But I digress. Associated Press writer Christopher S. Rugaber makes the case that "...consumers may have too many worries...." Some of the issues facing consumers that Rugaber notes are:

• "...unemployment
• flat wages
• tighter credit
• fear of layoffs
• the urge to save
• shrinking home equity
• stock portfolios...." [causing disappointment - my addition]

I totally agree with his assessment.  I'm both a business person and a consumer and feel the crunch in both areas.

• unemployment - this is a fear that affects many of my neighbors...the fear of suddenly having no income influences whether someone spends the money they currently have.  Someone I've spoken with recently said she frequently shops at Ross-Dress for Less, a discount chain of clothing stores [and household items].  Her comment was that people she knows are leery of spending money anywhere else because they are afraid they might not have a job and the holidays are just around the corner...and yet, the new school year has begun.  Unemployment is a huge fear factor in consumer spending choices.  I can agree with that.
• flat wages - this one hits close to home.  I have family members who received zero raises this year.  Consumer prices have risen, but income has not.  It is beginning to cost the most of a $5 bill to purchase one loaf of bread - at full price.  [in the 1950's it was less than 50 cents.]   As a consumer, I find myself choosing the sale price on brands I'd rather not buy because the brand I'd rather have is just too expensive.  When people's income is flat and prices rise the phrase "too expensive" creeps into even grocery shopping...not just luxury items.
• tighter credit - this is one area to which I won't spend much time...we use credit sparingly...credit is, after all, simply spending money you don't yet have...it has to be paid back - with interest.  My humble prediction is that the 2009 holiday retail shopping experience is going to reflect consumers desire to use credit less than before.
• fear of layoffs...this one is huge.  I know of a young couple who are right now having to consider the wisdom of the husband's changing jobs...his current employer recently offered a slew of early retirement packages as a way of reducing their workforce [and payroll] and there is the ever-present specter of layoffs.  Also, the new position being looked at is no sure thing...if he did get a position there, would that job be assured?  There is no sure thing.  Another young couple I know did have layoff shadow their lives this year.  Last year all was good...the husband even got a raise and a pat-on-the-back for work well done...and this year he got a pink slip.  Fear of layoff is very real...it definitely keeps money in the pocket.
• the urge to save - as a consumer I am finding myself desiring to have money left in my pocket at the end of the month.  The shaky economy has me worried enough that I'm going to have to save money in order to (1) be able to purchase those items I truly do want and (2) have a hedge against the financial unknown.
• shrinking home equity and stock portfolios I'll admit I'm not qualified to give opinions on.  We do own our home; we bought 7 years ago and have seen the value of the homes in our neighborhood rise to almost ridiculous heights and then plummet.  As for stocks...I'm just not willing to take the risk at this time...I'm not willing to divide my pool of available money and risk any portion of it.

So.  A consumer is all of us. We all buy.  We buy to have food, shelter, transportation and health care.  We buy  clothing.  We have to use our money to make repairs on cars, appliances and other items around our homes.  We have to make hard choices when our economic future is questionable. Right now a consumer is:

• a person not sure if his or her paycheck is secure
• someone unsure if his or her savings will cover a sudden job loss or wage reduction
• men and women facing hard choices in how to spend precious money reserves...or whether to spend them at all
• people who are being careful

In my own business, my home-based direct selling business, I appreciate that my customers [consumers] are being careful in how they spend their money.  I appreciate that my products are a good value for the price.  I greatly appreciate that one of the "products" of my business is the income opportunity of having a home-based business...and that right now it doesn't cost anything for signup.  As a business person I appreciate what the economic climate is from a consumer's point-of-view. What is your definition of a consumer and do you see the remaining quarter of 2009 as challenging for consumers? ***that was pretty heavy, wasn't it?  Here's something more refreshing, so-to-speak: Tune in next Wednesday, August 19th, at 9pm ET, CNBC and Fortune Magazine will present the "Fastest Growing Companies of 2009" - profiling the hot profit engines that could make you rich. Among the companies profiled during the hour are: BlackRock, Chipotle, Arena Resources, Deckers Outdoor Corporation - and more. The companies are ranked on revenue, earnings growth, and their stock returns over the past three years. See which sectors of the economy are still booming and go inside the hot companies that are taking full advantage of their position by posting sizzling growth in a slow-growth world. CNBC Managing Editor, Tyler Mathisen and Fortune Magazine Managing Editor, Andy Serwer will co-host the primetime special, which premieres Aug 19 at 9P ET.

Can you outrun your competitors?

If Life's not a race and we ought to slow down so that we can smell the roses along the way...then why are people always talking about beating the competition?  Why even use competitive language in business at all?  Does Business A really have to win over Business B?  Are we all truly vying for the exact same unique customers? I've noticed a strange phenomenon in the motion picture industry...some years there seem to be two movies that come out based on the same premise.  Sense it generally takes at minimum a year to make a movie, you have to figure there must be some competitive reason two motion picture houses would release their pics in the same year.  Case in point were the two volcano movies, "Dante's Peak," and "Volcano."   Both came out in 1997.  The plots were different yet the same...and, truth to tell, I enjoyed them both and purchased both when they appeared in the stores...I like action pictures and I like anything with Tommy Lee Jones and Pierce Brosnan.  [Well, almost anything.]  Another example were the asteroid/comet movies, "Armageddon (1998)" and "Deep Impact (1998)" - again, I enjoyed them both and now own them both and again I really do love anything with Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman. The above movie examples is a perfect argument for an industry that does indeed vie for the same unique customers.  In each case, I [being a unique customer] paid money to go see these movies at the theater.  But I argue that this is not the case for the home-based business person.  As such a business owner, I don't see myself as in competition with other home-based business owners.  Rather, I examine my business and identify more than one niche to which I market and have determined that there is plenty of market out there...in no way is my marketplace saturated enough that I have to spend time running. What does this mean? It means that I don't waste any resources on trying to beat my competition.  I spend my time in positive efforts to move my business forward.  If I talk to you about my products or the benefits of the income opportunity for yourself, it's not to keep you from using my competitors' products or getting involved with them.  No.  If I talk to you it's because I'm passionate about my products and I love to share what I know; it's because of my heartfelt belief in the value of my products/opportunity to anyone interested.  I'm confident there is a place in the market for my home-based direct selling business right alongside others.  In fact, I couldn't even list out for you who my competitors might be...but I can list out for you the benefits of my products and income opportunity and why you might want to give them a try. In the world of business, especially small and home-based business, I simply don't think we need to put on track shoes and try to outrun the competition.  I think what we do need to do is shine our shoes and give good customer service and share information.

A Zig Zigler quote ' s 3-part message for business

I love the elements I discovered in a quote I found this morning while perusing a few websites associated with my primary business:

• character
• commitment
• discipline

What the quote says is this: "...It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through. —Zig Zigler...." What does this have to do with a home-based direct selling business [this is, after all, what I blog about]? *Some days it is very hard to get out of bed and face an economy that is unfriendly: perhaps business has been down, customers have not re-ordered products, distributors have not followed through with commitments, no one showed up for a meeting...there are many ways in which "life" issues can cause a bit of discouragement and discontent to seep in.  There may be days in which you simply don't want to face your business at all...stay in bed, as-it-were.  On those days it takes character to get out of the bed...character is fortitude, persistence, determination, belief and faith. *Once out of bed, we realize that we are committed to this thing we call our business and to move it forward we need to take action, to do the work of the business.  It's the commitment we have to our business, to our vision and dreams, that will get us into action...nothing happens if you don't do something. *We got out of bed, we recognized our commitment...now we put discipline in gear to follow through with the work.  What is the work that needs doing today?  Letters to write?  Articles to write and submit?  Emails to answer?  A contact list to update?  All the commitment in the world won't build a business without the discipline to see the work done. All this from a quote.

What ' s your management style?

If you have a home-based business as I do, you wear both the leadership hat and the management hat.  You are the CEO, CFO, and every other capital letter combination there is, as well as middle management and the hourly help.  But, as in any business, you do have different functions depending upon which hat you are wearing. The leadership role is the visionary role.  When you are wearing your leadership hat you are setting the vision and direction of your business.  You're answering the "why am I doing this" type of questions and the "where do I want to go" type of questions.  With this hat on you ask yourself where you want to be five years hence and question how you'll get there.  You devise the Plan.  Then you present the vision and the plan to your management role. The manager of your business gets the job done. The manager makes sure you fulfill the vision and gets the business to its end destination by doing the work of the business on a day-to-day basis.  So, what is your management style? I thought about this because someone told me recently that they have changes at their workplace they are not quite happy with.  It has something to do with putting all the programmers into one big room together...no individual cubicles or working from home anymore.  I wouldn't like to work in that environment...it made me think about the way I do like to work. I've had jobs where I've worked under a micro-manager.  This type of manager hovers over you stifling creativity and initiative.  This type of manager actually hinders workflow due to the constant second-guessing and checking that they do of a person's work.  I'm of the opinion that if you hire qualified people and give them the tools for the job and the parameters of the tasks that you should then get out of their way and let them work. Another type of manager for whom I've worked is the absentee manager.  This one is even worse than the micro-manager.  In this case I was given practically no training and very few tools.  Right off the bat I had questions about direction and policy and basic how-tos but the manager was no where to be found...until time for the task-at-hand to be completed at which point the manager would show up and be up-in-arms about why the task was not completed in the prescribed manner.  This type of manager is the "can't win for losing" type. The very best manager I worked with actually got to know me.  This manager found out that I work best independently and that I need a window.  This manager gave me the necessary training and was available when I had questions.  I had access to the necessary tools and support materials.  The direction for the project was clear and understandable.  I could actually work without someone hovering over my shoulder every minute and I could work knowing that if I had a question all I had to do was knock on the manager's door. Now I have a home-based direct selling business. I'm the only employee.  I'm the boss and the manager and the worker bee.  With my leadership hat on I developed my vision and direction...I know where I want to be in five years with my business and I devised a plan to get there.  With my manager hat on I work the plan.  I know my inner worker bee needs independence and a window so as manager I arranged my home office to provide the window I need and the privacy I require. This may not be a comprehensive scholarly look at management styles, but my point to make is that the person with a home-based business needs to clearly understand the division of labor between leadership and management.  A home-based business needs a vision and direction and clear plan of action; it also needs the daily "doing the work" to complete the plan and realize the vision.  Figure out what kind of worker you are and manage your business to optimize your efforts.  It will help you to achieve your vision.

What ' s so bad about direct selling?

Direct selling is a great vehicle as a home-based business. That said, why does it get such a negative vibe?  You mention "direct selling" to someone and they squish up their face as if they've just bitten into an unripe lemon [which is a truly bad taste].  However, people all over the world purchase products from direct sellers every day of the week, every week of the year.  Products like cosmetics and functional beverages and vitamin supplements and baskets and food containers and scrap-booking supplies and home decorative elements and health and life insurance are all examples of direct selling products.  In fact, some of the most well-known products in the world cannot be purchased in a retail store...they have to be purchased from an independent contractor [or consultant or distributor or agent].  Billions of dollars in sales every year are generated through direct selling. So what's so bad about direct selling as a home-based business?  Here are some of the inaccuracies I've heard:

• I don't want to go door-to-door.  If you were interested in my product, you would never hear about it because I knocked on your front door.  Most products sold by direct selling independent contractors are done by invitation and referral.  In fact, the income opportunities with which I'm affiliated discourage this type of selling mechanism...it's a pure waste of time and effort.
• I can't sell. Good, then don't.  As sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer says, people don't want to be sold they want to buy.  Don't "sell" something, share information.  Ask questions.  Let's say you are in conversation with someone and the subject of health comes up and your product is a vitamin supplement; ask the person how they are managing that aspect of their health maintenance and would they be interested in some information about your product?  Give them the information and let them make their own decisions.
• I can't represent something I don't believe in. Well then, don't.  You can't get excited about something you aren't excited about.  For instance, I could never talk passionately to you about the juice product I represent if I was not already passionate about it.  And I'm passionate about it because I use my own product for my own health benefit.  And because I do benefit from it [and so does my family] then I'm quite excited to tell you about it.
• I can't afford a large inventory.  That's a good thing because now-a-days not only don't you need one, with many direct selling companies you ought not to have one.  With the internet and the availability of sales websites, your customers have the convenience of shopping online and having their orders drop-shipped to them.  You don't have to stock your garage with product that you aren't sure will move.   To me, in my business, this means I have the assurance that my customers are getting the freshest product direct from the distribution point...not from stock I've had sitting in my garage.
• It's too expensive to start a business.  Depending upon the product or service, this may not be true.  There are some direct selling companies that cost in the $200-300 range to enroll [which includes kits/samples] and there are direct selling companies that cost far less to enroll [one of the two income opportunities with which I'm involved is offering no-cost enrollment this year as example].
• I don't have the time.  Time spent working your business is a personal choice.  A direct selling home-based business differs from a "job" where it is your employer who sets your work hours.  With your own business, you decide how many hours per day/week you'll work, what time during the day - when you start, when you stop...you even decide if you don't work at all any given day.  It's your business.

There is, in actuality much that is great about direct selling...so much so that about 59 million people worldwide are involved in this industry.   If you are among the thousands of people wondering if a direct selling income opportunity would help you in your current financial situation, then give it a look.  It costs nothing to look and the benefits of involvement are rich.