How Hard is it to Have a SOC Business?

Hi Friends,

I am sharing a question I received in an message today: "How hard is it to have a SendOutCards business?"

While "Easy" may have been simple enough, click here for my answer.

Shoot for the moon,

Danielle

Financial Freedom is NOT Promised

Hi Friends -

You might be thinking the title is tough and unlike all the other teases to blogs, videos and ads! I don't want it to be tough, I want it to be real.  After nine years in network marketing, I will share with you first-hand that financial freedom is not promised.  Financial Freedom is not going to 'just happen' as you sit there.  Financial Freedom is POSSIBLE.

View this short video from me and look at the network marketing company you are with or that you are considering joining.  What is that company's history... and what is the company's future? What is your investment to join?  Time? Money? Etc... and how fast can you earn the investment back?  You need to do your homeork - talk to your spouse, partner, family and make the best decision for you!

IF you are not involved in network marketing, I recommend you read any book by Robert T. Kiyosaki, including "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and "The Business of the 21st Century."  It'll will be well worth it!

Cheering you on,
Danielle

Staying In Touch -

I was asked to write a blog entry for Professional Building Network (PBN) Group and I wanted to share the content with you too.  Enjoy!  To your success - Danielle

Staying In Touch by Danielle Mohr

Are you one of the 40% of sales people that do NOT follow-up with a prospect?  If yes, stay tuned for a future blog. However, if you are one of those that do follow-up, how do you keep in contact with those you have networked with or met?  How do you set yourself apart from others?

The best advice I could share would be to stay in touch and with this staying in touch efforts, make sure you are giving to give… and not necessarily gain business immediately.  The referrals and business are the goal, but with kindness and appreciation you will achieve that success. You will quickly learn that appreciation will “win” over self-promotion every time.

The first idea someone has to stay in touch is using e-mails.  While it is convenient to send emails, you need to make these attempts personal. Write and send a personal e-mails asking how the customer/client is and and briefly share a couple sentences what you have been doing. This isn’t a sales solicitation.  And yes, the phone still works… pick it up, dial and say “Hello!”

The goal is to try to stay in touch with your customers, clients and prospects on a regular basis. Eighty percent of sales are made between the 5^th- 12^th contact or interaction.  A hand-written note is a great way to show you care and stand out from the crowd. Send the card to your customer/client on special occasions and send them “just because” for fun & a positive contact with your recipient.  Send out seasonal cards – I have a client who swears by sending Thanksgiving cards for his business. It is his moment to express his gratitude for their relationship and business. By sending Thanksgiving cards, he believes he is standing out among the traditional holiday card. 

While holidays are a great time to send out cards, you can get pretty creative when to send other cards to have an opportunity to make those customer/client contacts.  Try sending recipe postcards or themed cards: “Spring Ahead – Set Your Clocks Forward” or notes of appreciation: “Thanks for your business or Thanks for the Referral” with a gift card to a coffee shop or such. Send notes about career changes, marriage, new houses, babies and sympathy cards. The gesture goes a long way.  These handwritten notes carry a great return on the networking you began. You may look at your contacts in business or with other businesses and think how will I be able to write all those cards?  There again, is another blog entry or you can contact me for the how-tos or try it out for FREE!.

The underlying key no matter what form you use to stay in touch is to build the relationship. Keep connected and nuture the friendships so they don’t disappear. These relationships are with people who you support and will support you. The first step is up to you.

And remember, "a card a day - keeps the competition away."

Just Keep Swimming

Today at our son’s swimming lessons, I heard myself tell the big boys to “just keep swimming.” Of course, that quote ties us back to the movie Finding Nemo from 2003.  Find the video on You-Tube or follow along the script below – and I’m going to bet you hear yourself singing.  J

Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you've gotta do?
Marlin: No I don't wanna know.
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.
Marlin: Dory, no singing.
Dory: [continuing] Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho. I love to swim. When you want to swim you want to swim.

Again, another powerful lesson my kiddos (or at least their movie) seem to have taught us today.  And of course, I want to pass on these moments to our CardsAndMohr team and others reading who have their own businesses – especially other mompreneurs in direct sales.  The quote is simple, but by ‘just keep swimming’ you are ready for the entire race – not just the marathon.  We often need reminders of such in business.  I’ve seen so many friends and acquaintances start a direct sales business with a burst of energy… and then after exhausting their immediate circle of family and friends, they’ve run out of prospects. 

There are so many ways to continue this blog.  I could write about your target audience of customers – unlike those of us in Send Out Cards, perhaps your audience has been narrowed to one gender and even slimmer with or without children.  I could write about the “WHY” – Why or what is the reason you chose the business or want to have your own business?  When you know your WHY and if it’s strong, you will “just keep swimming” towards your goal because of your WHY. Despite all the challenges he faced during the course of the movie, Marlin kept swimming to find Nemo.  Finding Nemo was Marlin’s WHY – and he wasn’t going to stop until he was reunited with his son. 

When we ask our Send Out Cards team members for their WHY statement, often the first response is money (or time).  But we ask more questions and dig deeper and break it down– what will money or time bring you? Make $X a month… WHY? …to quit job… WHY? ...because I want to be home with my family (kiddos)… WHY? …because I want to enjoy all these family moments.  When you “just keep swimming,” you don’t lose track of your goal; you keep your focus just as Marlin did.  Sure, Dory got a little distracted – and so may you, your partner/spouse or even your downline, but tomorrow is another day and a chance to improved, refocus and recommit to your goal.  Use your Sponsor or Accountability Partner to help you stay on course for your goals. 

As someone who has been in the business for nine years, I would tell you to remember your goals and “just keep swimming.” It is not a race and really is about the law of averages. You need to give yourself at least six months to make your relationships strong; and really a year is a good ride.  And remember on days that you struggle, “just keep swimming” and you will pass the difficulty and be one step closer to your goal(s).  Always cheering you on - Danielle

Play til the Whistle Blows

It’s time for the NBA Playoffs and we are excited to see the Dallas Mavericks back in the finals.  Watching Game 2 last night was not pretty and we saw (read on FB) lots of friends sign off and ‘give up’ on the game to go to bed.  These friends just assumed that it was over and the Mavs were going to lose… what happened?  The Mavs launched a comeback and won Game 2 on a last second shot; now the series is tied 1-1 and the Mavs have a chance to win the next three at home and claim the championship. 

What a great lesson for all of us – you, me, our kids in this game of life. We should play every day like its game day and play TIL THE WHISTLE BLOWS!  How different the outcome would have been if any of the players decided in their minds that the game was over when they were down.  You (and your personal voice) are sometimes your biggest obstacle.  Get rid of that self-defeating voice and believe in yourself just like we believe in you.  No matter your business, make your goals and keep pursuing them. For anyone on our team, please share them with Tim or I – or another accountability partner, your spouse, your family. When others know your goal, they will help you stay in the game and achieve that success.

Sure, we all have good days and not so-good days, but remember tomorrow is another day.  You’ll see ups and downs in business too, but you’re in it for the long run. You do not start a business with a ‘get rich quick’ mentality. All the practice and time you’ve put into your relationships will be rewarded – I constantly share this with our Send Out Cards team. I spent eight years in another direct sales company and never have seen the success we’ve had with Send Out Cards in one year. It’s all about the Law of Averages and you need to stay in the game, focused on your goal and play hard til the final whistle blows.  Our best to you as you shoot for the moon!  --Danielle