Archive for Helpful Tips for your Business
Free Preview Call – Direct Sales Success Refresh Virtual Summit
Posted by: | CommentsThis week I have the privilege of being a part of a virtual summit called the Direct Sales Success Refresh taking place March 4-6, 2011. It’s a 3-day virtual summit held entirely over the phone featuring 10 TOP direct sales trainers and coaches and tomorrow night is a FREE sneak preview to hear more about what it’s all about. It’s exciting to be a part of this summit because it’s also the first event I will be doing under my new business platform called The Leadership Collaborative. Read on to find how you can join me!
You’ve decided to build a business in the direct selling or MLM profession. You’re excited about the opportunity and ready to soar!
You set out to share your products, services and business opportunity with your family, your friends…the world!
But wait…what happened?
- You realize that you must market your product or service but you don’t want to be “pushy”.
- You can’t seem to balance your home life, full time job AND build a business.
- You’re a leader in your company, but building other leaders seems almost impossible.
- You start to wonder if you will EVER reach the higher ranks and earn the BIG paychecks.
Can you relate to these very real, very valid issues that plague so many well intentioned direct sales, network marketing and party plan professionals?
If so…your business is ready and thirsty for a REFRESH!
The most successful high income earners in our profession have all faced these issues. The difference is….they get proper training and develop the right mindset!
Whether you are brand new to the industry or a seasoned professional looking for a way to breathe new life into your business, attending the 2011 DIRECT SALES SUCCESS REFRESH Ultimate Training Teleconference is an absolute must! This event will feature 10 TOP direct sales trainers and coaches and is specifically designed to get you on the road to success! The event takes place over the weekend, March 4th, 5th and 6th, 2011. You participate from the comfort of your home…it’s all over the phone!
Here is some of what you can expect to learn:
- Gain a new perspective around building your business from the inside-out.
- Uncover the 5 Habits of Focus.
- Attract and motivate different personalities to move them to action.
- Use social media strategically to increase sales and recruiting.
- Balance your family and work life as you build a lucrative, rewarding business.
- Learn the five most important skills for successful leaders.
OnTuesday, March 1 at 8pm Eastern there is a FREE preview call to give you a sneak peek of all the content you’ll get if you attend the 2011 Direct Sales Success Refresh, March 4-6, 2011.
Don’t miss this opportunity! Head on over to Direct Sales Success Refresh to grab your spot and sign up for the preview call tomorrow night.
Bloom Where you’re Planted in your Business
Posted by: | CommentsThis week’s blog post is one that I shared as a guest blogger on the topic of building an authentic and sustainable direct sales business. Julie Anne Jones and I have been friends and colleagues now for over 7 years and to support her while on vacation, I offered tips and insight below. Be sure to learn more about Julie Anne by visiting her website and read on for insight that will help you find internal peace and external impact whether you have a direct sales business, are a self-employed entrepreneur or a woman with a full life!
In my work as a professional certified coach, I’ve found that women in business often look outside of themselves to gain answers to their questions for their lives and businesses, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
You definitely want to gather best practices and insight from the experts who are proven successes in their field because you can learn great tips from them. This is the blessing of working with companies like Julie Anne Jones, Inc., who have resources, coaching, and training to help you and your teams grow to the next level of mastery and excellence.
At the same time, you can become too outward focused to the point where you lose sight of who you are and what you want to create. If you spend all of your time gathering information from the experts, you can become distracted, overwhelmed and lose your focus which can become a curse that diminishes your results in both your business and your life.
So what’s the answer? In my opinion, it’s about learning how to bloom where you are planted by going inward to discover the answers that live within. Once you have this insight, you can blend this knowledge with tips from the experts to catapult you to a flourishing business that is sustainable and prosperous beyond your wildest dreams.
So how do you get there?
As coaches, we use a tool called the Wheel of Life which helps you assess your level of fulfillment and satisfaction in eight different areas of life, ranging from career, fun, family and finances to your spirituality. After working with this tool for over 6 years, I began to realize it took my clients out of the heart and into the head, leading them to answers outside of themselves as they tried to “figure out” how to build prosperous businesses and balance their careers with the other areas of their lives. The end result was often overwhelm, frustration and lack luster results.
I now use a new tool called the Flower of Life to support my clients in creating thriving lives and prosperous businesses. As you’ll see by the image to the right, the center of the flower is your spirituality where the core essence of the authentic you lives. The center of this flower represents the heart of you which holds the answers to your unique values, identity, mission and purpose. With this inner wisdom, you can use these filters to make purposeful and intentional choices which produce improved results in all areas of your life as represented by the petals of the flower. Notice the impact will benefit your business, relationships and more.
The bottom line here is that knowing who you are at the core provides you with filters (i.e. your values, identity, mission and purpose) that will propel your direct sales business to a new level, allowing you to flourish in your work as you thrive in your life at the same time.
Now is the time to bloom where you’re planted. Begin today discovering who you are within so you can flourish personally and professionally during this fall selling season.
© Copyright 2010, Shannon Bruce
Shannon Bruce, PCC is a Mompreneur Success Coach, Trainer and Co-Author of the book “Direct Selling Power: Expert Advice to Accelerate your Business”. As a catalyst for life transformation, Shannon empowers self-employed women to break through their barriers to reconnect with what really matters, calling them forth to boldly go after their inspired life vision with courage, confidence and authenticity. For more information about Shannon and her work you can visit www.shannonbruce.com and www.yourgreaterpurpose.com. Receive a free audio download of Shannon’s Direct Selling Telesummit Training on her book chapter, “Ignite your Passion and Live with Purpose” when you e-mail shannon@shannonbruce.com.
A Time to Risk and Simplify
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“Simplifying is really about choices – prioritizing what is important – and then sticking to those choices no matter how tempting it is to add more to your to-do list. In fact, take those tempting activities and put them on a list of things not to do. You are the only one who can assume responsibility for your time and clarify what’s really important to you.” Rick Warren
In returning from the Destiny Project Retreat in Hunt, TX, I have a lot on my plate since I was “unplugged” from technology for 6-days. In clearing my e-mails, I received the quote in a devotional from a client and it literally stopped me and took my breath away. As I read it, the truths laser pierced my heart reminding me that at every given moment, I have a choice about how I “be” and “do” my life and work.
This idea that “I get to choose” is a hot topic for me post-Destiny Project retreat. I had the privilege of co-leading with my awesome friend and colleague Wendy Balman as we witnessed 13 incredible women break through their fears to reclaim the truth. Each one overcame barriers and courageously pressed through the resistance to give themselves full permission to dream again. It was beautiful process to watch as each and every one uncovered their authentic desires, values, identity, mission and more.
We all left the retreat transformed, including me and Wendy. As we all re-enter the “world” after experiencing a slice of heaven on earth, we are navigating how to boldly remain on our own paths, learning to guard our hearts as a wellspring of life. We choose to press on and persevere so we can become even more of the authentic masterpieces we are created to be.
What does this mean for you? It means this is a time to risk and simplify. Why? Because the world needs what you have to offer and the only way to unleash your true identity and to fulfill your unique mission is to follow the advice that Rick Warren has offered:
- Prioritize what is important.
- Stick to those choices no matter how tempting to add to your to-do list.
- Put those tempting activities on a “not-to-do” list.
- Assume responsibility for your time.
- Clarify what really matters.
A couple of weeks ago, I asked self-employed and work at home professionals to share their tips for balancing work and life in the summer months and beyond. The bottom line of their feedback is this: Schedule your work time and play time, let go of non-essentials and get support.
Here’s what I’m curious about for you:
- What changes do you need to make with your time as you schedule both work and play?
- What will you let go of?
- What support do you need?
All of this great advice is really about simplifying, yet clearly it’s risky based on the fact that so many, myself included, have such a hard time letting go of control. I encourage you to read the specifics that each friend shared as it could be helpful wisdom that guides in making the necessary changes in your life.
So now what? What’s your next step? I’d love to hear how you’ll simplify; feel free to share your comments at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.
Leverage the Wisdom of Others-Best Business Women Tips
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As a business owner and woman, you are busy balancing the plethora of demands between your life and work. In fact many of you had great insight about the topic which you posted to my Facebook wall, which will be shared in a future blog. However, in the interest of staying “balanced” as I prepare for the upcoming Destiny Project Retreat in Hunt, TX, I’ve decided to leverage the wisdom and share several Best Business Women Tips that I received from my friend and colleague, Krista Dunk of KB Women.
Be sure to take a moment to read the insight from the many incredible business owners that shared tips with KB Women. You can read more at the KB Women Blog.
In the meantime, here is the quote that I shared:
“Imagine your business is like a coin. There are two sides to this coin which requires your attention so you can create both a thriving life and prosperous business. One side represents discovering who you are authentically, including your values, purpose, mission and personal definition of success. The other side is about applying this insight into your daily life by establishing practical systems, like how to work with clients, ways to market your services and a schedule that leverages your time. When you address both sides, including the spiritual and the practical, you will achieve authentic success.”
As you read this quote, I wonder what’s your next step to balance both the spiritual and the practical?
When I answer this question for myself, it’s truly about leveraging who I am in a way that helps me to achieve more with less effort. In this moment, that means using what is already available to benefit you by bringing you this KB Women blog post. This honors my values of connection, impact and contribution (the spiritual side) and allows me to accomplish the preparation I need (the practical side).
What insight do you have to offer? Share your comments at the blog. And have a great week.
Picture courtesy of Photoxpress © Styf
Schedule an Appointment with Yourself – Today!
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In my expert call for the Direct Selling Telesummit, Sallie Meshell asked me this question: “Sometimes people listen to these calls, but then don’t take action, so what is the one action step you suggest the listeners take to incorporate your information into their businesses?” Before I share my answer to this question, I want to give some background to set the stage for my response.
My message in the book, “Direct Selling Power: Expert Advice to Accelerate your Business“ is not a traditional message. Essentially, it’s a message of “slowing down” in order to “speed up”. After coaching women in the industry for 7 years, along with being a leader in my own direct sales business, I’ve come to realize how vital it is to understand who you are in business and the unique values, mission and success you wish to create, not just for your business but also for your life.
You might be wondering why I see this as so important. Let me explain further.
At some point in your business you’ll go through a transition that requires you to reevaluate and assess where you’re headed and what you really want. These transitions could be as exciting as learning how to balance your life and business because of your team expansion and your rising up to the next level of leadership. It could also be the result of a lull in your business where you aren’t achieving the results you desire or envisioned.
Whatever the case, it becomes a crossroad point of choice inviting you to “slow down” in order to “speed up”. During this “slowing down” point, you need to look inward to gain the internal clarity and truth that is right for you, helping you make purposeful choices that will keep both your business and your life thriving.
What happens if you don’t look inward at this point? You run the risk of:
- Becoming overwhelmed and scattered which causes you to feel fragmented.
- Working harder with less impact yet expecting different results (aka “insanity”).
- Experiencing diminished results at home and in your work making you feel ineffective.
On the flip side, as you slow down and work through the exercises from my chapter “Ignite your Passion & Live with Purpose: A Guide to a Thriving Life and Prosperous Direct Sales Business”, you’ll come to understand your personal values, identity, mission, purpose and personal definition of success.
These filters provide a point of reference for making conscious, intentional and empowered choices that will bring internal peace and joy and greater results with less effort. In essence, your slowing down actually propels you beyond!
The truth is every business owner (and woman for that matter), needs to continually reevaluate and assess to make sure you’re on track to the inspired life you desire. After all, Alice in Wonderland was told, “If you don’t know where you’re going any road will get you there.” Why not be proactive, rather than reactive?
My answer to the question Sallie asked was simple:
- Block time in your calendar today by scheduling a non-negotiable appointment with yourself in the next few days.
- During this time, evaluate on a scale of 1-10 how satisfied you are in your life and business.
- Once you have your answer, decide what changes will improve the quality of your life and business? If you’re already at a 10, what more is possible? If you’re less than a 10 what action step will bring greater impact and fulfillment?
I assert that this time with yourself is not optional but rather a non-negotiable. Yesterday I actually shared, “Self care isn’t selfish; its essential to live out who you are completely.” What do you think?
We’ve all heard the quote that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. What’s the intentional step you’ll take today? Share your comments at the blog and contact me if you’d like a recording of yesterday’s call.
Enjoy your time to yourself; may it propel you into all that you hope for and imagine!
Photo Courtesy of PhotoXpress © Gale Distler
