Organizing Your Day with a Different Perspective by Annette Bourget

How do you organize your day? There always seem to be so many things on the to-do list that many of us get bogged down and become paralyzed into inaction. If this sounds like you, then organizing your daily activities will help.

Begin by looking at your list through different eyes. All that "do, do, do" can begin to look like doo doo (if you know what I mean). One way to shift your attitude about your daily tasks is to rename your list. When I started calling my to-do list my "inspired action" list, I immediately felt better about it. This gave me a different perspective about my daily actions. There are many names you can use; "business-building list", "get-it-done list" and "steps on the path to success" are just a few ideas. Try renaming your list and notice if you look at your day from a different perspective.

Having a daily list makes business sense, as it gives structure to your day and helps you to organize your time. If you make a list and realize that there is way too much to accomplish in one day, review it and see what can be put on tomorrow's list, or even put off until next week. This is not to advocate procrastination, but simply to be realistic about what you can accomplish in one working day.

Every morning, review your list and choose the two most important items. What two tasks are critical to bringing in revenue or absolutely must be done today? Flag those two and if at all possible, complete them before moving on to the rest of your list. Some people like to do the easy items first for the satisfaction of crossing them off the list, but an even deeper satisfaction comes from getting the key things accomplished. Imagine how you feel when you've completed the vital tasks for the day; everything else you do that day will feel like a bonus.

At the end of each business day, review your list. Cross off everything that is complete and re-schedule everything that is not. Not all unfinished tasks will need to be put on tomorrow's list; some can be rescheduled for a future date. Once you have rescheduled the remaining items, cross them off of your daily list. When you view your "inspired action" list with everything crossed off, you can end the day with a feeling of completion.

The last step is to look at your calendar and schedule the actions for tomorrow. Rather than just figuring you will fit these tasks in between your appointments and networking events, designate when you will do the tasks. You will be more productive when you actually make appointments with yourself to make calls, answer emails, work on your website or write your marketing copy. Remember, tomorrow is a new day with new challenges and new opportunities, and an organized perspective will prepare you for both.

Annette Bourget is a small business development coach and public speaker. She helps consultants and salespeople get more clients, make more money and reclaim their personal lives.  Email her at annette@callingforth.com for more information, or click here to subscribe to her monthly newsletter.

We are at the TOP!!!!

Congrats, go out to the Dream Team!!!!

Leadership Team we were #1 in the District for Leadership Growth 2010-2011 :)

Then this team did not stop, because we were #1 in the Division in Sales Volume 2010-2011...Way To Go!!!    :)

But wait you did more we were #3 in the District in Total Unit Sales Volume 2010-2011.

Thanks for all that you do, because without you this Team could not have been at the TOP, so let's make it happen for 2011-2012.....

40 Prospects/Customers in 4 Mintues

Are you staring at an empty lead box/customer list and wondering how to fill it?  Here’s a quick way to jog your memory of friends and acquaintances you could invite to join your successful Avon business unit or become your customer.  It’s easier than you think.

But you’re probably thinking, “Why 40 prospects/customers?”  Typically, not everyone you invite will be open to the opportunity or becoming a customer at first, so it’s important to invite more than you anticipate.  Just don’t be disappointed if some prospects don’t sign-up or become your customer right away.  Sometimes an invited prospect/customer doesn’t join/buy, but perhaps she will respond to a future invitation/brochure.  Or, even if she isn’t interested in earning and saving money (is there anyone like this?) you can ask her for a referral of a friend who would be, so make an index card for everyone you think of!

Now grab your lead box/customer list, and try the following exercise.  You’ll be surprised how quickly your box/list fills up!

4 Relatives

4 Friends

4 Co-workers

4 Neighbors

4 Church/Social Friends

4 Business people (Bank, etc)

4 Other Ind Sales Reps (Mary Kay, Tupperware, Priemier, Stampin’Up, Candles, etc)

4 Spouses’ Co-workers

4 Previous Co-workers

4 Contacts through Kids

Home Parties & Grand Opening

One of the best ways to get started in your new business is to have a home party or Grand Opening!  One of the best ways to rejuvenate your business is with a home party!

Here are some suggestions on how to get started.

Make your guest list and mail invitations, and then  - call people. Don’t just rely on FaceBook, or eVite, or even mailing invitations, because it’s that personal follow-up phone call that will get people to attend your party and once they are at your party, you can share the Avon Earning Opportunity and customer specials.

Now, during your party you will be sharing both the Earning Opportunity as a potential Avon Representative on your team, a Hostess for your next party, or a customer.

Make the party simple and fun!  Create a Theme which will make your party unlike any other party they’ve ever attended. Consider having a Mystery Host party where you’ll do a drawing to see who will take home the hostess rewards. This will help entice more people to come.

At the party, be sure to share what your audience will get if they book an Avon party and your how easy it is to get started with Avon and how easy it is to Earn with Avon.

Don’t miss these parts as they’re important steps to growing your business.  Your goal at your Grand Opening party should be to book 2-3 more parties and find 1-2 people who would like to find out more about joining your Avon team, and of course to generate new customers and sales.

Be sure to schedule one-on-one’s and VIP events with anyone who can’t come to your party. Just because someone can’t attend your party, doesn’t mean that they aren’t willing to get together with you and learn a little bit about your business and  your product line.

So, start planning your party now!  Keep it simple and have fun!

Tomorrow is Payday for what we do today.

A great advantage in network marketing is that it is possible to do something today, and then get paid on it over and over again.

If we come into this business with a job attitude, seeking immediate rewards, we will be disappointed. Network marketing's strongest point is the chance for residual income. With this in mind, we might want to change some strategies.

For example, instead of pushing for a one-time retail sale, we might invest more time with this prospect in building a stronger relationship. Then, later we would approach the prospect about our business.

There is an old saying, "If you need money now, get a job. And if you want residual income for the future, start building your network now."

The Miracle of Personal Development by Jim Rohn

One day my mentor Mr. Shoaff said, “Jim, if you want to be wealthy and happy, learn this lesson well: Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”

Since that time I’ve been working on my own personal development. And I must admit that this has been the most challenging assignment of all. This business of personal development lasts a lifetime.

You see, what you become is far more important than what you get. The important question to ask on the job is not, “What am I getting?” Instead, you should ask, “What am I becoming?” Getting and becoming are like Siamese twins: What you become directly influences what you get. Think of it this way: Most of what you have today you have attracted by becoming the person you are today.

I’ve also found that income rarely exceeds personal development. Sometimes income takes a lucky jump, but unless you learn to handle the responsibilities that come with it, it will usually shrink back to the amount you can handle.

If someone hands you a million dollars, you’d better hurry up and become a millionaire. A very rich man once said, “If you took all the money in the world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was before.”

It is hard to keep that which has not been obtained through personal development.

So here’s the great axiom of life:

To have more than you’ve got, become more than you are.

This is where you should focus most of your attention. Otherwise, you just might have to contend with the axiom of not changing, which is:

Unless you change how you are, you’ll always have what you’ve got.

Earn While on Vacation

Here’s how to keep your summer sales hot.

Summer vacation plans are about to take shape. But just because you and your Customers might take time off this summer, your business doesn’t have to. Plan now to keep your Avon sales working for you.

Here are some tips:

·       Start a tradition that promotes your own warm weather sales incentives. Got Customers with summer birthdays or special anniversaries coming up? Motivate them to purchase from you with seasonal specials and use these incentives to advertise your business as the summertime place to shop.

• Create opportunities now that can pay off big later. Retailers know summer is prime-time clearance season. The same goes for Avon. Start talking up our annual Summer Makeup Sale, so Customers will be prepared for our upcomeing campaigns. Many Customers wait for this annual opportunity to get the most value and lowest prices on beauty, in addition to jewelry, apparel and more.
• Increase your visibility. “What some people consider a slow season is a time of fresh opportunity for me,” says Susan Bratton of Columbia, South Carolina. “Order extra brochures to give to people in the park and other outdoor public places. Include your business card and a FREE product sample.”
• Stay in touch electronically. If you’re not an eRepresentative already, look into how yourAVON.com can add ease to managing your business. It can be a breeze for Customers to view brochure specials online, and for you to place orders online anytime, any place. Plus, you can set up eCards and other electronic reminders ahead of time, to automatically send to Customers while you’re away.

Put these plans into action, and make your summer sales sizzle!