Direct Selling Advice

Direct Selling vs The Chewy Business

“Phffftttt!…. What the $@# is this?” my victim whines, spitting the contents from their mouth…

“Coffee.” I dryly state.

“Well that is the worst coffee I EVER had!!!… Do you have something ELSE I can drink to get rid of this taste!” laments the victim. “What was in THAT!?”

“hmmmm… let’s see water… and coffee grains… yep that’s all.” tilting my head curiously at the unsuspecting pupil, “Why?”

“… it was nasty… and… chewy…?” my victim hesitantly discloses.

“Oh! That!… I am out of coffee filters so I just threw some toilet paper in there instead.” I respond matter-of-factly.

“TOLIET PAPER!? What are you thinking!?!”

“I thought proper filtering didn’t matter to you… I have seen some of the people you have been ‘working’ with”…

*******

Direct Selling is about proper filtering. Just like you wouldn’t use toilet paper to filter your coffee (I hope!) you don’t want just ANYONE in your business. 

Yet, I see rookie direct sellers completely disregard established filtering processes.  Your businiess opportunity, more than likely, has a system in place to assist in properly identifying customers and potential downline…

Understand you are IN BUSINESS… your goal is to build relationships with people you can help… whether through your products, services or through your opportunity itself.

Understand there ARE people willing to PAY for your products and services or willing to PAY to take advantage of a business opportunity!

Rookie Direct Sellers are really good at convincing themselves that they “got one”… when in reality… they are about to waste their time, waste their resources and become discouraged and possibly one of the “I was in that…it doesn’t work” statistics… All because they like their business… chewy.

Direct Selling is work, but you can leverage long-term profits by properly leveraging relationships and make it an enjoyable, enriching experience. Simply by filtering your list of people, recognizing those looking to buy, and those looking for a business opportunitiy from those that aren’t willing to spend money or do anywork.   Be honest with them and honest with yourself and avoid having a chewy business.

(And yes the title is Chuck inspired.)

Direct Selling Communication Exercise

Your turn readers…

Ever play connect the dots?

Remember trying to figure out what the dots would make, as you were drawing the lines from dot to dot?

Did you ever get out of order and mess up the picture? 

This is kind of how communication works… as long as the dots are in the right order we see the same picture… but what if…. We had all different numbering sequences…  then we might end up with different pictures….

“Wow that guy is sharp!”

Yikes!  Are you looking at using him to cut your steak?  Butter your toast?  Saw down a tree?  What on earth does ‘sharp’ mean?

In the direct selling arena, I hear people telling me about a new prospect or direct selling client and how “sharp” they are… I have come to understand ‘sharp’ in one person’s mind is NOT the same in another person’s.

The words we use, shape our perception… in turn, influencing our decision making… and ultimately shaping our actions…

So… what does the word mean?   

I strongly believe in the power of definition.  Understanding what a word means to you opens up new understanding to the way you value, perceive and interact with world around you. 

I enjoy asking people how they define certain words… not www.dictionary.com or websters definition, just theirs… after they answer, I share other people’s definitions that I have heard.  I see their eyes light up as the dots are being connected from a different direction, creating a new picture.  Creating a new opportunity!

In your words, define Leadership.

Relationships are what adds value and direction in our life.  Some people will enter our lives and have a powerful influence even though our interaction may be brief… We learned important lessons from the playground and relating them to life and our Direct Selling opportunity.  This, while being the last lesson that will be posted, is the genesis of the 10 Direct Selling Playground Lessons and 10 Direct Selling Strategies…

10 Lessons from the School Playground

• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #1 Acceptance
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #2 Be Nice
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #3 Play Nice
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #4 Role Play
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #5 Imagination
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #6 Explore
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #7 Bullies
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #8 Friends
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #9 Teachers
• Direct Selling Playground Lesson #10 Rainy Days

Finally… Lesson 10…

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Looking through the streaks of rain rolling down the window… I gaze at an empty playground… I instinctively glance over to Danny, only to be met by his empty seat.

I can’t help but think how lonely the playground looks right now… no one laughing, no one playing, just God crying.

Memories flood back to all the fun we had, the laughs we shared, the adventures we made.

‘Danny, you did it,” I thought to myself, “…you proved all the experts wrong!… but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss you… and I will keep my promise to you…  ”

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Direct Selling Playground Lesson #10: Rainy Days – Daring to Dream

Rain.

We all have rainy days in our life.

Days where the world doesn’t make sense… there is no fun in it… no play… just rain… the rain that confines us to staying inside.

But it can be these rainy days where things happen inside…

we clean up… giving some order to the chaos…

we sleep… giving rest and renewal to a weary spirit…

we stop and think… giving clarity and revealing purpose…

we all encounter rain…

*******

Danny’s rain started when he was diagnosed with Leukemia in 4^th grade.

He was told he only had 6 months to live.

But what the doctors and ‘experts’ failed to realize, Danny had a dream bigger than his condition.

Danny was a fighter…

he made through 4^th grade…

he survived 5^th grade…

he lived through 6^th grade…

Danny, his single mother, my mom and I traveled over 3 hours for Chemo Treatments… on a regular basis…

In the back of the station wagon, Danny and I talked about issues kids our age shouldn’t even have to think about.

During his battle with Leukemia, we promised each other, we would make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.  We would live our lives to the fullest and inspire others by doing what others said couldn’t be done…  Danny chose not to let his condition hold him back or have people feel sorry for him.  Danny chose to show people what embracing life means…  Danny taught me the power of a worthwhile dream…

Our Dreams spur us on… Our Dreams are personal… Our Dreams seem foolish to others…

You see… Danny’s dream was to be in Junior High…

I still remember Danny walking in that 1^st day of Junior High with his head raised high and his “I’ll-prove-you-wrong” grin stretching ear-to-ear…

Danny proved the experts wrong… that night Danny’s rain stop… that night Danny died.  Our promise didn’t.

*******

This series was inspired last time I went to my hometown… you see we are expecting our first child, so I took a literally walk down memory lane with my wife… We ended up on the playground next to a tree… a tree where Danny and I made our promise… a tree that reminded me of a promise to renew… my wife was likely unaware what had transpired in that moment.  I knew my experiences wouldn’t relate to everyone… but everyone is not my audience.  Rather I write to the person who is wanting more out of life…  to the person who is in pursuit of something they can’t define yet keeps calling them… to the person who allowed their childhood dreams to be buried, lost in their childhood…  Direct Selling is only ONE vehicle used to pursue a dream… I encourage you find what makes you come alive and pursue it with whatever vehicle works!

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All 10 Complete and Expanded Lessons and Strategies along with an additional 5 Lessons and Strategies will be available in an e-book version later this month.

Sign up for the Frontline Newsletter (see box to the right) to be notified of the release of the Direct Selling Lessons from the Playground- Expanded & Remixed.

I hope these lessons have helped you learn more about building stronger relationships whether you are in direct selling or not… the lessons from the playground are for everyone.