How to Overcome Struggles in your Direct Sales Business

I remember going trick or treating as a kid. I loved dressing up in costume and getting to be a princess or Minnie Mouse or a witch each year. It was fun going door to door and getting all of those treats. My favorite was always the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Halloween is a fun time, but can also be scary. Ghosts, goblins, spider webs, horror movies with evil villains and haunted houses all wait to trick you into being afraid of non-existent things.

If you think about it, our direct sales businesses are a lot like trick or treating. There are many treats we can enjoy through our direct sales businesses but there are also a lot of things that can trick us or cause us to struggle.

Let’s look at some of the TREATS direct sales offers:

• Flexible schedule. We get to decide what days, what hours, when and how often we want to work. We get to be our own boss, and there’s nothing better than that!
• Extra Income. We make an average of $100+ per home demonstration. We get to help others find products they love, want and need then earn a 25-50% commission from what they choose to purchase.
• Free products and prizes. Who doesn’t like free stuff? Most all direct sales companies offer great bonuses, prizes and incentives for actively working your business. I have earned literally thousands of dollars of free products, jewelry, gift cards, vacations, appliances and electronics and even a free convertible over the past five years.
• A sense of pride & accomplishment. It is great to have something of your very own, that you built with your own hands, mind, talent and personality. Direct sales companies offer exceptional recognition in person, online and at meetings and events for those who are actively working their business.
• Friendships. The friendships, relationships and connections I have made are truly been the most rewarding part of the business. Those connections and relationships are what will last long after everything else is gone.
• A social life. Direct sales businesses are great for the stay at home mom who needs a break from the kids or the single or divorced adult, for older adults with an empty nest or for someone who is shy and does not have a lot of friends or family. It is also great for the outgoing, people person.
• Fun. Let’s face it, owning your own business with a company that pays you to party, rewards you just for showing up to work a few hours a month and gives you free prizes and trips is just plain amazing. If you attend your team and company meetings and group outings you will experience even more fun.

We know the treats and they are sounding pretty delicious right about now. I have to warn you though, you will encounter a lot of tricks on your way to building a successful direct sales business.  Let’s look at some of the TRICKS you might encounter in direct sales and how to get past them:

• Fear. Did you know that your body has the same chemical reaction when you experience fear and as when you experience excitement? I read somewhere that “Fear is just excitement that needs an attitude adjustment.”  We have to get past our fears in order to be able to reach the other side of our dreams. Give your fear an attitude adjustment. The more you work your business, the more you learn and grow, the more confident you will become.

• No Candy! When you go trick or treating you will come to some houses where no one is home or they do not have any candy to offer to you.  In your direct sales business, you will experience a lot of no’s.  Get used to it and learn to embrace the no’s. I learned a long time ago from one of my mentor’s that “NO means Next Opportunity.”  Statistics show that it takes 100 no’s to get 10 yeses.  Children don’t give up when they find an empty house, they just move on to the next house. Their goal is just to fill up that plastic orange pumpkin bucket so they can get home to sort through it and pull out the good stuff. Make it your goal to fill up your bucket and you will find lots of good leads when you do your sorting.

• Spider webs. Spider webs catch bugs and trap them.  Negative thinking can do the same to us and our goals. If you think, act and speak positive and surround yourself with positive people, positive things will happen.  The opposite is also true. It can be difficult to re-train our brains especially if we have dealt with multiple disappointments in our lives. Don’t let yourself get stuck in the web of negative thinking. Clear out those cobwebs, be positive and replace those negative thoughts with excitement.

• Ghosts. Have you ever dealt with a ghost in your direct sales business?  I sure have. Ghosts are hosts that disappear on you! Parties will cancel. Learn to accept that now so it doesn’t spook you out in the future. If you want to hold 6 parties a month, you should be booking 10-12 parties. It is very likely that at least 30% of all parties you book will cancel on you.  If you date extra parties and they don’t cancel, that’s great. It just means more profit in your pocket! Learn how to be a ghost host buster by effectively coaching your hosts on how to have a successful party and communicating with them in the weeks and days leading up to their party.

• Villains. Que the spooky music here. Feel your heart start to race and your forehead sweat…. Procrastination, Excuses, Irresponsibility and the Dream Stealers are all on the prowl. Jason, Freddy and all the Zombies out there have nothing on these guys. Those four things can trick you into failure before you even know what has happened. Be pro-active in your business instead of being a procrastinator. Have a schedule, create work hours each week and stick to them.  Don’t make excuses. “Excuses are the nails that built the house of failure.” Take personal responsibility for your actions, reactions and results. Remember “If it’s to be, it’s up to me!”. Watch out for Dream Stealers. These are people who will call you crazy or try to convince you that you won’t be able to make money in your business. They may say it to your face or behind your back. They will try to kill the hopes and dreams you have for yourself and your family. Don’t let them. Your dreams deserve to come true. Prove them wrong.

This Halloween, put on your superhero costume, grab your big orange plastic pumpkin bucket and hit the streets of golden opportunity! Don’t let all the tricks trip you up on the way to getting all of your treats! You deserve to enjoy the sweet rewards your direct sales business has to offer!