Gourmet Candle Home Business Blog

Believe me, I can come up with a million-and-one reasons why I’m not able to follow-up with people. Which only proves that I can be just as stupid as anyone else!

I’ve discovered a few things that are helping me to improve my Follow-up ratio:

1. I write down my weekly follow-up goals. I have my Daily Score Card. I challenge myself to accrue 8 points a day - which includes making new contacts as well as following up with existing ones.

2. I work on my Daily Score Card for five days a week. A very smart man said that if you want full-time income with your home business you need to work it “full time.” A full-time job in Corporate America is 8 hours a day for 5 days a week equalling 40 hours per week.

So, if I want a full-time income from my home business then I need to work towards 8 “points” a day for 5 days a week and accrue 40 “points” a week. I’ve found that it keeps me on track - on a daily basis - and keeps me motivated to succeed.

3. I found that when I focus on my Daily Score Card - picking up the phone was easier. All you really have to do is 1 follow-up or make 1 new contact. If you want to build faster, then continue to add contacts and follow-ups.

4. Once I got it in my head that I have something that other people want and are asking for - a home business opportunity with a great product & service - picking up the phone was easier.

5. I “Go for NO” - I have a contest with myself as part of my Daily Score Card to see how many NO’s I can get in a single day. The better I get at talking with people the harder it is to get “NO.” You can even give yourself extra points on your Daily Score Card for getting a specific number of NO’s. The harder you work for NO, the more YES you will get.

6. I write down my monthly goals - and I’ve started putting down a reward I will give myself when I achieve those goals. Honestly, I always thought doing this was bogus. I know what I want and I know where I want to go and I know how to get there, so why write it down?

If you feel this way too, write down your monthly goals just ONCE and use the Daily Score Card during that time and I know (from personal experience) that you will see a HUGE difference in what you will accomplish during that time. I know that I did.

The short answer is that you may know where you are going and what you have to do to get there (the big picture) - but you probably can’t keep track of how well you are doing unless you write it down — and time will get away from you … breaking that down in your head just isn’t possible for most of us.

Be specific with your goals - and make your monthly goal something that you can reach during the month. Write down on your Monthly Goal sheet exactly what you will reward yourself if you reach your goal.

Post that goal sheet and that reward where you can see it every day.

7. Be honest with yourself. Be brutally honest with the Daily Score Card and your goal sheet. If you really didn’t do anything yesterday, don’t fudge the numbers.

As you go along you will begin to see trends, not only in yourself - but in your business building. You will start to see when you get results, when you build — and the why & how behind it.

8. Follow-up can be picking up the phone, sending an email or sending a postcard or greeting card. Have the tools at your disposal to let your prospects know you care about them as a person - as well as a potential member of your team.

9. Have fun with this - you are striving for something that will give you freedom! The more fun you are having, the more that will show in your attitude, your voice and in your whole posture. It will make people want to join you and your team because they will want what you have.

10. Remember that it’s very important to GIVE. Concentrate on what you can do for someone else instead of what they can do for you. The more you want and need - the less attrative you will be to others. The more you are willing to give and do for someone else’s sake - the more attractive you will become to others. It’s just the way the universe works.

If you are interested in my goals sheet and/or Daily Score Card, please fill out the opt-in form below (if it shows on your screen) or you can fill out the one on the left sidebar and I’ll send it to you.

I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter what business you are in - whether it’s network marketing, direct sales or your own niche - following up with your prospects and customers is the mother lode to bringing in more team members and/or more customers. That ultimately means more money for you.

There’s a reason why the saying goes … “The Fortune is in The Follow-up.”

Sounds pretty logical and even childishly simple … all of us have been told over and over again to make sure we follow-up with our leads, but how many of us actually do it? (I’ll give you a hint - all of the successful people in your industry.)

Ask around … if you are like me I’ll bet you’ll find that many of your team and your colleagues will sheepishly admit to not following up with their prospects and customers. If they are successful now, I’ll lay odds that they can tie the beginning of their success to when they started following up with their prospects and customers consistently.

Seems kinda silly to me that many of us avoid the one thing that is guaranteed to build our business.

Following up with these folks is like shooting fish in a barrel. I mean, seriously, they are already highly qualified prospects or customers. They are pretty much sold on your product, service or opportunity. Why do we leave them just hanging there?

They just need to know you care and that you remember them.

The important thing to remember is that if you want to build YOUR business and YOUR team … and you are concentrating on what YOU want — the bonuses & the new titles & the car or trip — you’ve just goofed up.

You have to shift your focus. It’s not about you any more. Now, it’s about THEM … what they want and what they need. If you concentrate on THEM and make THEM your priority, your business will grow as a natural result of you caring about them.

There are 3 big reasons why we stumble and struggle with following up with prospects and customers:

1. We are afraid to hear “NO”

2. We are a procrastinator by nature

3. We forget to shift our focus to what our prospects & customers need & want

Stay tuned for ways to stop being your own worst enemy and start building the business you deserve!

I recently read (and re-read) a very good book. It’s called Beach Money by Jordan Adler. In this book he explains in exquisitely simple terms exactly how to achieve your goals with Network Marketing so that you have “Beach Money.” The money you need to have every month so that you can spend your time at the beach (or where ever you choose) instead of going to a dead-end job every day.

Please note that if you run out and buy this book expecting it to tell you how to get rich quick or get rich without hard work, please save your money. This isn’t that type of book. This book deals in REAL LIFE POSSIBILITIES. And the book shows you exactly how to do it … one of which is hard work.

So if you are looking for quick & easy, keep looking. And while I’m on the subject of hard work and time … if you aren’t willing to give your current (i.e. one - not several - not jumping around) network marketing business at least 4 years of HARD WORK to build a lucrative residual check, then when you quit - don’t blame the company, the products or the economy.

Network marketing takes courage … grit … determination … obstinacy … and the unwavering belief that you can do it.

You will notice that I didn’t say it took money … intelligence … a college degree … special training … internet know-how … tools … and other bells & whistles.

I’d like to share some of the Beach Money truths with you - I highly recommend that you go out and buy his book.

http://www.BeachMoney.com

Beach Money Truths to Consider:

1. No Experience Necessary - you don’t need a special education or experience … anyone can do this.

2. A Perfect Business - network marketing provides a simple, low-cost, turnkey opportunity for creating the lifestyle you want and deserve.

3. Little to No Risk - network marketing allows you to be in business without the typical risks associated with starting your own company.  (Believe me, I know!)

4.  Ongoing Residual Income - by focusing on an opportunity that pays you over and over for work you do just one time, you can grow a substantial residual check in 2 to 5 years.

5.  Your Greatest Gift - typically your greatest fears and your biggest obstacles represent the hidden opportunities that will lead you to your dream life.  Embrace your fears and those obstacles.  Sometimes your fits won’t show up for a few years … DON’T GIVE UP!

6.  Time Off - you can work for a few years, stop working and continue getting paid long after you have stopped working … focus on that instead of on all the hard work & roller coaster ups & downs that you will face getting to that point.

THANKS Jordan for reminding us what is important and what all of us are capable of if we just put our minds & hearts into it … work really hard … and NEVER give up! 

Our candle business opportunity is recession proof!

Why? Well - first off, because I don’t really believe that there is a recession going on — but in the minds of America, there is. So a business opportunity that you can start & build on a shoestring budget and puts money in your pocket right from the start is one that more and more people are going to be interested it.

Do NOT believe the media that the economy is terrible, a recession is here, and we’re close to a new 1929 market crash and 1930’s Depression.

Why do I say don’t believe them??

a. Amusement parks are full.
b. High-end restaurants are full.
c. Campgrounds are full.
d. High-end hotels are full.
e. Lakes and rivers have high boat and watercraft traffic.
f. Disney World & Six Flags have long lines.
g. Cruise lines are full.
h. Movie theaters are at full capacity.
i. There are lots of RV’s towing recreational toys on the roads.
j. People are at malls with bags & bags of purchases.
k. Planes are full & turning away stand-by flyers.

Recession??? WHAT recession???

Yes, gas is high.

Yes, food costs more.

But, so what? You have the PERFECT method of helping others make the extra money they need to pay for higher gas prices & the luxuries they deserve.