WLC's Candle Website

How to Email Good Looking Order Summaries

2011-12-01T11:43:00.001+11:00

I use a free software to create a pdf (portable document format) of theorder summary.

www.cutepdf.com is where Idownloaded the free software. I get no commission from CutePDF.

After downloading and installing the software,when you print the document, you select the CutePDF printer. Instead of your physicalprinter starting, a window will open up for you to name the file. Save your ordersummary in to a specific folder (perhaps one named: Order Summaries) and name itso that you can find it easily (I suggest the Hostess Name followed by the Monthand Year).

You can now attach that pdf document to any email.

Have fun!

How to Save Time Writing Emails

2011-11-23T16:52:00.001+11:00

After a party I write an email note to my hosts letting them know that the order has been submitted and thanking them for their business. I also attach a pdf version of the Order Summary.

Then I write an email to all the guests who gave me their email addresses. I blind carbon copy them so that their email addresses are hidden from each other. I thank them for their order and remind them about how to order more later.

I frequently email people with my banking information so they can pay me through direct deposit.

Often I write to people to explain our hostess benefits.

What I found was that I was retyping the same things over and over again. Or I was looking in my sent items to find a note I'd written before and then I was copying it into the new message.

I don't do that anymore.

In Outlook, I now use a variety of signatures to pre-write all of these standard emails. One is called Host Thank You, one is Guest Thank You, another is Banking Details, and a new one I just wrote is PartyLite Benefits. My contact details are at the bottom of all of these signatures. I simply select the signature I want to use and then customise the "form" to suit each recipient.

It's been an amazing timesaver and I was introduced to it by Karen from A Little Elf. She is brilliant.

Try it with one and see how you go.

Open Outlook
Tools > Options > Mail Format
Select Signatures
Select New and name your signature (e.g. Host Thank You)
Type in the words you want to use in most every email you send to hosts. Include contact details at the bottom
Save
Now Create a new message
Click on the Signature icon and select the one you want to use
Voila! No typing other than to personalise the email.
Relax and feel super smart. :) (Then create more....)

I hope this is a good a timesaver for you as it is for me. :) All for now.

Finding Your Stride

2011-11-15T09:37:00.001+11:00

This morning I went for a short walk with my dog, Copper. I was pretty sore from working out on the weekend and thought that a walk would help stretch out the muscles and get them feeling a bit better.

I was right.

But if I workout more often, I bet it won't hurt as much....

So now I'm sitting at the computer about to enter a few orders that have come in from clients. One is a $420 order from a lady I met once at a 40th birthday party. Her friend is a customer of mine who showed her a catalogue last week. Another is a $160 order from a man I met once at a candle party. He has bought $160 worth of tealights every few months for the last 4 years. I've offered him a party every now and then, but he's happy to just order the tealights in bulk via email. Another three small orders came in as friends dropped by over the last week. I just had the fragrance samples out. If they start ordering, who am I to stop them?

I've exercised my business for the last six years and because I work at it a little bit each day, I'm not sore.

I've planted seeds and gained a reputation for being approachable, reliable, available, friendly, knowledgeable, and well-balanced... a professional candle lady.

No matter how big or small you want to build your business, you need to do the same.

P.S. I make mistakes. I forget things. When I do, I apologise, fix it, and move on.

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So You Want to be a Leader?

2011-11-03T11:57:00.002+11:00

Sunbeams and Moonbeams

I'd like to take a minute to congratulate Sandra on becoming a Unit Leader this month and creating the Sunbeams. I'd also like to congratulate Nicole on her ever-strengthening unit, the Moonbeams. Together we will one day form the Nirvana region and I'm super excited to help the next group of aspiring Rainbows to join us in leadership.

What does it take?

When you become a Unit Leader in PartyLite, you learn how to develop the business as a business. Your personal sales remains very important and should represent at least 75 percent of your time. It does for me. I enjoy doing shows, meeting people, and providing excellent customer service.

The other 25 percent of my work time is spent doing leadership things. It is my job to help the team succeed. Here are three key areas I focus on:

New Consultants - Training new consultants is critical to their success. We have between 3 and 10 new consultants in the Rainbows every month and I really enjoy meeting each one of them and getting their business started. I consider it a 100 day commitment for them and me to get them off to a great start. (Here are my articles on New Consultant Training.)
Aspiring Leaders - giving aspiring leaders individual coaching and group training is something I've prioritised this year and will continue to do. (Here are a few articles I've written on Leadership.)
Corporate Training - PartyLite and my upline offer great support and training for all leaders. I take advantage of all training and planning meetings because all of them help me grow my business. It's not a big time commitment and it takes the pressure off me to do it all myself.

You DO Have Time

Meeting regularly with the leaders in our Region helps all of us balance our workloads. There's no need for us to do it all ourselves. Our smaller group of Angela, me, Nicole, Ana, Holly, and now Sandra, is a dynamic leadership team with heaps of ideas and experience. With Eliana and Janelle helping us upskill we also have heaps of corporate support.

Even as leaders, we are still in business for ourselves, but not by ourselves.

Non-Rainbows

Your leader has the same goals and objectives that I do. Talk to your upline about your goals and work with her or him to make it happen. Our business is entering its 10th year in Australia and we need to work together to get the word out! Let's make PartyLite a common brand name with uncommon, platinum-level attributes. We are all leaders, actually, because we have the best products and service levels in the world. All we have to do is make it so.

Creating Candle People All Over Australia!

2011-09-30T17:31:00.000+10:00

A great thing about our business is that so much of it is really done over the phone. Meetings, training, coaching, client calls, hostess coaching, and making sponsoring appointments are all easily done over the good old phone.

Another great thing about our business is that we don’t have any territorial boundaries other than the edges of the country.

Another great thing about our business is that we get together at Regional Meetings, Conferences, Summits, and Incentive Trips with Candle Ladies from all over the country. Our network is vast.

So if you know someone, meet someone, or are introduced to someone who is perfect for this business, but who doesn’t live in your area... that’s perfectly okay.

Sponsor them.

I picture this as two phone calls. The first one to call and offer information. If they want information, post them the 10 Reasons brochure and schedule a follow-up call to discuss it. The second call is the “Latte” appointment. Ask the person questions about their interest. Their motivation. Their fears. Their goals. Their objections. Use the 10 Reasons brochure to address everything they come up with. It’s all in there. Assess their interest and if they want to proceed, book the starter show.

To travel or not to travel... that is the question.

There are pros and cons to travelling to conduct a starter show.

Pros of travelling

You get to meet face to face
You get to develop a relationship
You get to do the kit issue with her in person
You get to do her new consultant training in person
You get to show your new recruit how YOU do a show
You get to travel somewhere new or somewhere you want to travel
You get to meet her friends and get them excited about her new business

Cons of travelling

You have to pay for the travel expenses (petrol and/or airfare, accommodation, food)
You have to find the time to travel
You have to organise everything at home while you are away
You can’t do parties while your'e away

I contend that you might be better off organising for someone else to do the starter show for you.

Pros of hiring someone else to do the party

You develop a strong phone relationship (which you’ll need anyway)
You get to do the kit issue with her over the phone
You get to do her new consultant training over the phone
You don’t have to pay for travel
You don’t have to leave your home
You can book more parties
She gets to see someone else do a party – variety is the spice of PartyLite – hopefully she’ll observe several different shows
She gets to meet a consultant who lives near her – a buddy

Cons of hiring someone else to do the party for you

You don’t get to meet face to face (of course, there’s always Skype)
You don’t get to show your new recruit how YOU do a show
You don’t get to travel somewhere new or somewhere you want to travel
You don’t get to meet her friends and get them excited about her new business
She might "steal" your new consultant from you (I don't believe this will ever be an issue if you (1) hire the right person, (2) clearly articulate what you are asking her to do, and (3) pay her to do the show.)

How do you hire someone to do a starter show for you?

Talk to someone in your upline who has strong relationships with consultants and leaders all across Australia. Ask them who they recommend in the area where your new recruit is located. Have that person contact that person and explain the situation to her.

You don’t need her to do the latte appointment – you’ve done it.
You don’t need her to train your new person – you’ve either done it or scheduled it.
You don’t need her to do the kit issue – you’ll do it yourself.
You don’t need her to hostess coach – you’ll not only hostess coach the new consultant, but you’ll help train her on hostess coaching for her first six shows.
You don’t need her to process the order – you just need her to provide the new consultant with all of the order forms and payments so that your new starter can fill in the Show Order Forms (with your assistance).

You just need her to book the party into her diary, talk to the new consultant to plan the party, present the party professionally, and take orders and payments.

The consultant who does this show for you is a very important person. She will show your new consultant how to set up a display, how to greet guests when they arrive, how to gather people to start the show, how to demonstrate the products, specials, hostess benefits and consultant opportunities. How to engage the guests and make the party fun. How to get the door prize form filled out. How to take orders. It’s a fantastic demonstration, because she has a strong business of her own. She is probably a leader herself or some with leadership aspirations.

How do you get someone that good to do a show for you?

You pay her.

Personally, I pay anyone who does a starter show for me the same amount they would have gotten paid if they would have done a show themselves. If she is a leader, I pay her 33% of total sales. If she is a consultant, I pay her 28% of sales. Let’s face it, she isn’t going to get any credit for her work from PartyLite. The sales will not count toward her bonusing that month. The sales won’t count toward her sales achievements that year. The sales won’t be added to her total unit sales. She doesn’t get leads, she doesn’t get bookings. And she could have (and probably would have) booked a show of her own at the same time. I could give her gift certificates, but with our 40% discount, they aren’t worth as much to a consultant as they are to a client. So to make it a professional relationship, and to make sure my new consultant gets to see a great demonstration, I pay professional rates. No discounts.

As our entire team grows, this issue will come up more and more. Travelling is fine, but the leaders around the country know that they can find excellent support in every corner of the country. The culture and values of PartyLite support helping each other out. “Wanting for and not from each other.” Doing what’s right.

So let's use our strong network and sponsor our faraway friends!

What do you think?

Celebrating Our Success

2011-07-18T09:26:00.002+10:00

Dear Rainbows,

Saturday night at our annual conference, I was surprised, honoured, humbled (not a normal thing for me), and proud. We - not me - WE were inducted into PartyLite's Circle of Excellence for our cumulative sales achievements as a unit in 2010/2011. Congratulations to us all. Be proud and share this achievement with your family, your clients, your hosts, and your friends. You are a part of a GREAT team.

This unexpected honour was an absolute joy to receive. As most of you know, the accolades we receive as a unit mean more to me than my own. Much more. In fact, the recognition received by individual Rainbows over the course of this conference made me burst with pride.

The highlight of the conference for me, was watching your faces and listening to your conversations as you discovered for yourselves the possibility of what you can achieve through your PartyLite business.

Goals are dreams with deadlines.
~Diana Scharf Hunt

My dreams are to have a beautiful home, to travel with my friends and family, to have a relaxed and healthy life, and to give other people the opportunity to do the same.

My goal in 2011/2012 is for each and every one of us to set and achieve our individual goals. To achieve this, my focus will be on goalsetting for us all, my personal business, leadership development, new consultant training, and providing inspiring unit meetings.

If you were not at conference, come to our Unit Meeting this Wednesday to catch our excitement. If you were at conference, come to share your highlights and goals. Together, we will continue to rise to the top.

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers.

But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, 1996

All the best! WLC.

Candles and Candle Holders in the Cold

2011-07-04T17:25:00.001+10:00

Okay... in most of Australia it's not as cold as it is in the picture here... BUT it is winter.

I thought I should address candle care.

When candles and candle holders are cold, it takes longer for them to liquefy. The ColourLites votive holders are very thick glass and they hold the cold. When the votives melt to the sides, they harden up again because the holder is cold. So in the winter there will be more wax left over than in the summer. This is normal. (This is why we say that candles last between 8-10 hours. It’s all dependent on the environment. Temperature and draft are important components.) Pillar, 3 and 5 wick candles also are affected by the cold. They simply take longer to liquefy to the edge. I burnt my 5-wick for about 12 hours yesterday. It’s burning really well, but it needs to burn for a long time.

Note: in the summer it is the opposite. A warm candle will need to be extinguished when the wax melts too close to the edge. That sometimes is faster than 2-3 hours for 7 cm pillars.
The best thing to do is prepare your clients for these things by explaining them during the show. It’s part of the PartyLite service to let people know these little tidbits about candles.

Happy burning! (And stay warm....) WLC.

How to Organise Yourself at Home

2011-05-30T08:34:00.001+10:00

Do you have a few PartyLite shipping boxes in your living room right now? Do you store your kit in your bedroom? Have you got empty boxes filled with airbags filling up your garage so much that you can't fit the car in? You're letting your business creep into every room of the house. It's time to get organised.
Whether you have just received your starter kit or if you've been a consultant for a while and have collected even more than those original three boxes, you need to THINK about where to store your business supplies. Here are some suggestions:

Literature
If you have a home office or desk, this is the most obvious place to make room for your literature. Notice I said "make room." You need to carve out a place specifically for your PartyLite literature and work. If you don't have that space, you might need to create it. A simple solution might be to buy a shelf, install it, and then use boxes or other small storage items on top. Make it easy for you to check levels so that when you need to restock, you can check it all at once and save on shipping for your Consultant Orders.

Your kit
I keep my kit in 2 bags, one for literature (over the shoulder) and one for product (a rolling shopping bag). The kit isn't very big and I can roll it inside after a show and put it into my office. It is black and doesn't look silly, so if I didn't have an office, I could probably find a closet or a corner in the living room where it could find a home. Look around your house and decide where you will put your kit each time you come home. Make sure it is a place where it won't get too hot so your wax products don't warp or melt.

Candles (literally anything wax)
Think about how much product you really need. I need a lot because I burn a lot myself, I do a lot of shows each week, and I give away a lot of tealights. So a few years ago, I bought a dresser and I store my votives in one drawer, tealights in another, pillars and jar candles in another, and so on. You might not need a dresser to store yours... perhaps another shelf with small storage boxes will do. Make sure you store the candles in a room that will not get too hot. And always store the candles in places that you want to smell MARVELOUS. If you find that the fragrances are too strong, store the candles in plastic tubs with lids.

Full boxes/Empty boxes (non-wax = won't melt)
Over time, you will collect lots of product. As a consultant you will be able to earn free products and as a consultant you will find the host specials are sometimes in the "too awesome not to buy" category. So... over time you collect stuff. Those are the full boxes.

My kit doesn't have boxes in it, but I keep my boxes so that I can store my products safely and eventually raffle, donate, or sell them when the time is right. These are the empty boxes.

It is important to keep your home as a showcase for the beautiful products not for the beautiful boxes. :) You need to develop a storage solution. All of these non-wax items can be stored in your garage, at the top of closets, in sunrooms, etc.

When you find that you have too much inventory, it's simple, clear it out. Products (especially retired products) can be used as booking incentives, gifts, raffle prizes, or donations to charities. You really don't need to keep it all. Of course, it you like it, use it. Put it out and make your house look beautiful. You earned it!

Clean, De-Clutter and Decorate
Part of the PartyLite motto is to Decorate Your Home, so use your business as an excuse to have a clean, decluttered, and well-styled home, filled with beautiful fragrances, and the soft glow of candlelight. Get rid of the clutter. Find a place for everything. Do one room (or even one corner) at a time and let PartyLite inspire you to have that beautiful home. You'll find that your family will appreciate the space and the ambiance (and the separation of your business from the rest of the house). You will also be able to invite your FRANK list over with confidence that you walk the talk.

It takes a bit of thought and it might take a little investment in some storage solutions to make it all work, but it's worth it.

Do you have any tips or tricks to manage your business supplies? Add them as a comment here.

Happy burning!

A Small Change... A Big Difference....

2011-05-04T09:09:00.000+10:00

I'm pretty good at follow-up after shows, but I've just gotten better.

Old Process

Print out order summary. Put it, door prize slips and order forms into a sheet protector sleeve. Put sheet protector sleeve into binder. Look through binder in future to follow-up with hosts and clients.

New Process

Print out order summary. Put it, door prize slips and order forms into a sheet protector sleeve. Put sheet protector sleeve into active show follow-up folder. Follow-up with host on the delivery. Call all clients once the order has been received. Then put sheet protector into binder for record keeping.

NOTE: Never throw away order forms unless you have shredded them. Especially when they have credit card information on them.

Meetings, Training, and Recognition

2011-05-03T08:46:00.002+10:00

Hi. I realise some of the newer consultants (especially those new to party plan) might not be aware of what our different meetings actually are. Here is a little overview.

New Consultant Training (NCT) - a 10 step process the way I recommend it....

2 hour orientation with Wendy (in person, phone, or via Skype)
Show observation #1
Show observation #2
Reading the catalogue and the consultant guide
Show #1 and debrief
Show #2 and debrief
Show #3 and debrief
Show #4 and debrief
Show #5 and debrief
Show #6 and debrief

Rainbows Unit Meetings - All consultants in my unit are invited to attend (and to invite guests to attend) a monthly two hour meeting at my house. Usually I hold 10 per year. (I do occasional Skype and teleconference alternatives for remote Rainbows.) Unit meetings are a great way to stay motivated, keep up with training and promotions, and to get ideas from other Consultants.

January Kick Off
February
March
May
June
July Post Conference
August
September
November
December Holiday Party

Believe Region Meetings - These are meetings where a group of Units in a Region get together to celebrate, train, and motivate each other. All of the Unit Leaders work with the Regional Leader to organise, promote, and present at a Regional. The friendly competition, inspired networking, and cross-pollinating of ideas makes a Regional exciting and effective.

January
April
July (combined with conference)
October

Conference - the big annual event where all Consultants, Unite, Regions, and guests get an amazing, in-depth view of PartyLite. Conference has such an impact that it can literally change your life. This should be a high priority for all Consultants to attend.

At the orientation session, I always let new Consultants know that I'd rather have them say no to a show than to miss a meeting. I truly believe this. A meeting will benefit you in the long run. Put your personal priorities into your calendar first and then put your meetings in. Fit your shows around those two things and you'll be set up for success.

Need More Bookings?

2011-04-30T09:22:00.001+10:00

Hi. At our Believe Regional Meeting this week, I was asked to train on how to get more bookings.

I decided to focus on the basics: 10-3-2. There are more advanced ways to get more bookings, but I think most of us want to know what we can do better, not what else we can do.

How Long Does It Take You To Do a Show?

Most people would answer this with about 3 hours.

I don't.

It takes me 5 hours to complete a show. That's because I consider all of these steps to be a part of completing a show.

Showing up, setting up, doing my "presentation," offering a show to each guest, taking orders and payments, spoiling my host, packing up, leaving. Approximatelyely 3 hours.
Putting the order into the online ordering system. Approximately 30 minutes (less for repeat clients).
Calling 2 leads to offer to give them more information about the business. Schedule appointments if yes. Approximately 15 minutes (less if they say no).
Contacting the host (by phone, email, and/or post) about her order status. (3 contacts: it's been ordered, it's been shipped, and did you receive everything and was it all good). Approximately 15 minutes.
Sending out 1,2, or 3 host packs, thanking new hosts for booking, following up to make sure they have everything they need, and hostess coaching for their shows. Approximately 30 minutes (that's for everything and ALL follow-up calls).
Calling all 10 clients to make sure they are happy with their orders and to see if they need anything else from me. (I remind them that they don't need to have a show to order, but that if they do, they can get all the host rewards. I also say something like, "if your friends comment about your new candles or how great your house smells, don't forget to tell them about Wendy the Candle Lady.") Approximately 30 minutes.

And that's when a show is complete.

Do you see how that process would generate bookings? Do you do all of those steps? Do you want to try it out and let me know what your results are? You can see my results in Reflections. :) It works.

To get bookings, I certainly could have talked about many more things. Things like:

Have pretty host packs as part of your display.
Hand out bonus hostess vouchers to every guest.
Hand out bonus hostess vouchers to people you meet outside of shows.
Host home shows (well... I did touch on this a bit - I'll write more).
Make your show fun, relaxed, interactive, and informative.

There are lots of ways to get bookings, but the most important thing is to keep offering. Offer for everyone to host a show. Be proud of your products, your presentation, and your host rewards.

Be proud to be a candle lady (or a candle man). I am.

Now get out there!

Little Things Mean A Lot

2011-03-16T13:46:00.000+11:00

Did you know that the Signature Reed Diffuser oil refills DO NOT fit in the Tropical Reed Diffuser? The bottle is shaped differently. My customer solved that by using an empty oil bottle from another fragrance.

Thinking of you!

March Madness

2011-02-28T17:00:00.001+11:00

Hello. Did you know that I use my Wendy's Candle Website Facebook page to communicate short and sweet ideas, hints, and tips? If you like that idea, then 'like' that page. :)

"March Madness" is a US term for an annual college basketball tournament which reaches its frenzied conclusion during March. The whole country seems to go basketball crazy during that time. Football (grid-iron) season is over, baseball hasn't started, and pro-basketball and hockey are only mid season. So College basketball gets an exciting spotlight for a month.

I thought it would be a good description for my business: March Madness in Wendy's candle land means that my business is accelerating, growing, and changing to meet my aggressive goals for the year. I certainly intend for that to be the case.

Here are a few hints and tips I've gained since January.

1. Keep learning. I've been listening to the free tele-seminar series at The Mind Aware. I listen to these one hour interviews and learn from every one of them. It's not too late to get involved. And it's free. You just have to prioritise your time. FYI, this is their vision:

At The Mind Aware, we have a vision. Transforming network marketers' lives. Every moment. Every single day.

2. Keep listening. The best way to find other people who would benefit from their own candle business is to listen carefully to what people say. Finding 2 leads at every show means listening to every guest and finding out what is important to them. Ask questions. Then ask more.

3. Keep learning. Every training opportunity and every meeting available to you will help your business grow. (I prioritised, prepared for, and paid to attend our annual Leader Summit in Maroochydore in January. I prioritised, prepared for, and paid to attend our Quarterly Regional Recognition and Training Event. I prioritised, prepared for, and paid to attend Terry Hawkins LEAD seminar in February.)

4. Keep listening. Stop thinking about what you are going to say to other people at networking events, and start actively listening to what they are saying. Be generous with your knowledge, contacts, and attitude and it will come back in spades.

5. Keep learning. I have three business mentors: Angela, Eliana, and Janelle. They give me great advice, super coaching, and training when I need it. In case you don't know, they are my upline. And it's free for me to engage with them. Just like it's free for the Rainbows to engage with me (and Angela, and Eliana, and Janelle). Uplines are GOLD. Use yours.

I invest in education. I buy books and audio recordings, I go to networking events, and I read blogs. You are investing in your business by reading this blog. Keep it up. And then add more....

How have you been learning and listening lately? Why not comment and let us all know.

P.S. Don't forget to find Wendy's Candle Website Facebook and click the 'like' button. If you like me, that is.

10 Things to do Before the Holiday Break

2010-12-19T13:00:00.000+11:00

Before you tackle these things, make sure you've identified and separated work time and holiday time. We don't want you or your family thinking that you are not taking a well-deserved break.

Unfinished business - Check all orders in the CBC and follow up with deliveries that have happened in the last fortnight. Make sure everyone is happy and correct any issues that arise.
Take stock - Empty your kit, bring together all of the candle accessories and candles you've accumulated over the past year, and organise them.
Clean - Whatever needs to be cleaned... clean.
Decorate - Put out nice pieces to make your home look fabulous.
Clear out - Create a pile of items you no longer want for your own use or your kit.
Price - Make a list of the items you no longer want and note the retail price (I suggest using Excel). Decide how much you would sell each piece for. I usually sell used items for 40 to 60 percent off retail.
Plan a home party in January - Pick a date now and let people know about it over the holidays. Sell your unwanted items to people who attend your home show.
Organise your January kit - Include a few items being discontinued so you can promote the discontinued list at your shows. (I sometimes use only items being discontinued to create a sense of urgency.)
Hostess Coach - Write a "thank you for booking" note to each of your January hosts and include a printout of the discontinued list.
Hostess Coach - Email the January specials to each of your January hosts (once they are released).

I will be taking December 23rd through January 4th off, so I won't do these things then, but I have 3 days this week to get this list done. And I will....

Employee Review

2010-12-15T11:14:00.000+11:00

Today I should do a video blog because I feel like having a chat, but then I'd have to do something to my hair and I'm not in the mood. :)

Our PartyLite year is almost over. Was it a good one for you? Did you accomplish everything that you wanted to? Have you added it all up and taken stock of what you did accomplish? If you're striving for more, never forget to celebrate the victories you've had so far in your journey. They will help push you through tougher times when they occur.

One thing I absolutely love about working for myself is that I do not have to give or receive an employee review. It was one of the elements I hated most about the corporate world. I like immediate feedback and immediate corrections.

That said, I do see the benefit of a periodic look over time. A retrospective course check. Am I headed in the right direction? Am I achieving the goals I set out to achieve? Am I performing to my expectations, below them, or above them?

We start New Consultant Training with a look at your personal vision and goals. It's sometimes hard for a new consultant to do, because she doesn't yet know the potential of her business. But once you understand what is possible, you may start to increase your boldness in setting goals. I certainly did.

I revisit my goals when I need to; usually after I've accomplished a lot of what I had set out to do. This month represents an amazing crescendo of completion for me. On the 30th of March 2009, I made a vision board for my goals. It's been above my desk since I created it (see picture). Here is what the pictures represent:

Wen & Bendy (music): Get more gigs and play
Home: Replace the windows in my sunroom
Home: Add a deck
Home: Upgrade the outdoor bathroom
Home: Upgrade the outdoor laundry
Home: Get a jacuzzi
Home: Buy a new car
Travel: Ski Copper Mountain in Colorado
Travel: Take Alan (let Alan take me) sailing off the northern Queensland coast

Before the end of 2010, I will have accomplished all but the last of these goals. I will carryover the sailing to my next vision board and start again. I know a few other things I'll be including:

Travel: Take a trip to Spain and Italy in 2012
Home: Refurnish and decorate the house
Home: Complete the garden
Work: Promote two leaders before Conference 2011
Music: Be an important part of an amazing original band

I'll give it a lot of thought over the next few weeks and share the updated vision board with you.

My candle business is enabling me to achieve all of these goals. I use the goals everyday to motivate me to make the calls, to invite others to come on the ride, and to help the Rainbows to succeed.

Now is the time to take a look at your vision and goals for the next year or two. Will your candle business enable you to achieve your goals? Only if you let it....

ANNOUNCEMENT: At 7:30 on January 12th we will have a great Unit Meeting. I've asked Rebecca Wells, a business and life coach (among other things) to join us for some fantastic training on visions and goal setting. She is wonderful. I have room for about 30 people in my house, so if you're in Sydney on the 12th and want to come, please pop me an email. Rainbows will take top priority, but I'm sure we'll have room!

Backorders

2010-10-25T13:52:00.000+11:00

We've had quite a few backorders over the last 30 days or so.

The extent of this backorder issue is uncommon. PartyLite will occasionally run out of stock, but we manage our inventories closely, and the delay is not usually as long as the one we've been experiencing. I've made some inquiries and learned that the problem has been exacerbated by the huge amount of imports due to the high Aussie dollar. Apparently the clearance docks at customs are chock-o-block and that has been holding up our containers.

Not an excuse, but a reason I thought worth sharing.

Most of the hard work getting the backordered stock out was completed last week. You should check with your hosts and make sure they are informed and happy.

Six Ideas to Finish October Strong

2010-10-25T10:46:00.001+11:00

You have six days to go and you want more sales this month. So how can that be done? Here are some ideas.

Host a home show.
Take the catalogue around to a few people each day and take outside orders
Focus on the 2 guest promotions

Tealights – 3 boxes for $33. Only this month.
Illuminescents Porcelain Fragrance Warmers– great present idea! Only $45. Only this month.

Call your FRANK list
Follow up on people who you’ve talked to or shown a catalogue to – let them know that you’re putting in an order
Buy $165 in tealights yourself – that’s 15 boxes of tealights and you get 15% more for free. I calculate that with your 22% commission payment, these boxes only cost you $7.83 each. Bonus and they are even cheaper. :)

You’ve got nothing to lose. No matter what your results, it will be great practice, super for networking, and could get you some great results.

Get out there!

PartyLite Reward Card

2010-10-20T08:34:00.001+11:00

This October, PartyLite Australia introduced a Reward Card for customers. The idea is called a "bridging" promotion. Why? The promotion will help us bridge the gap that could occur between Christmas and the new catalogue launch. In other words, it will help us get sales in January.

(Another bridging promotion we will have is the discontinued stock list. When PartyLite retires fragrances and products, it gives our clients a deadline to buy. Deadlines are gold.)

So, yesterday, Leaders received the pdf version of the Reward Card brochure showing the free products people can get when they use their Reward Card. I printed the brochure in colour, lamintated page one by itself, and laminated pages 2-3 back to back, and 4-5 back to back. I took it to my show last night.

It was FANTASTIC!

Check the CBC (it's not there yet) or ask your leader for a pdf copy of the brochure so that you can use it NOW. You'll get a good copy in Reflections later, and we can buy them on Consultant orders ($2 for 5), but using it last night made all the difference.

Now that my clients can see what they could get for free, several of them are seriously thinking about booking a party in January. I always tell them that I'll do the show if they want me to do all of the work, but I give them the opportunity to collect orders, too. (Idea: write an article for/letter to your clients with ideas about how to collect $400 in orders.)

Seeing is Believing

PartyLite always gives us an opportunity to earn things for free so that we can promote our business better. This month's sales promotion, for the Espresso Twist products, is exactly that - an opportunity worth striving for. The Espresso Twist set is part of the reward program and I think it will be so impressive in real life that people will book parties. Set your goal for October to submit at least three $550 shows so you have part of that set!

Happy selling!

Frankly Speaking

2010-09-20T16:01:00.000+10:00

Your FRANK list will eventually be the strong,
solid tree trunk as your business branches out.

Howdy! Today I had a latte appointment with a prospective new consultant and I shared with her my suggested approach for starting her business. I thought it would probably be a good thing to share with all y'all. :)

This business is not about cold calling. It is about network marketing. The first step is to network with your network. In a nutshell, your FRANK list is a VIP list. They will get your business started if you give them some information, ask them for help, and get them excited about your new business.

The FRANK List

Take the time to write out a really good list of your friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours, and people you know through your kids (alternatively, people you know who have kids). Don't just include women in your FRANK list, this list should include everyone.

The Phone

Call each and every person on your FRANK list to share the news about your candle business with PartyLite. Use the scripts in the Power Hour section of your consultant guide to you get started.

The Offer

Invite each and every woman on your FRANK list to host a show.

The Referral

If they do host a show, they will effectively be referring their network (their FRANK list) to meet you in person. If they don't want to host one themselves, ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in hosting a show and ask for a personal introduction.

The No-Strings-Attached Invitation

Invite anyone who does not have a show to an open house at your home.

The open house will be a casual opportunity for your FRANK list (men and women) to see the products, look through the catalogue, smell the fragrances, and learn more about your business. Clean and declutter your house. Put out your kit in beautiful displays throughout your home. Turn out a few lights and light the candles. Turn on some nice relaxing music. Have simple refreshments. Put catalogues and fragrance samples on your dining room table and encourage people to sit and browse for a few minutes.

You have three goals for an open house:

Make people in your network aware of your business selling platinum quality PartyLite products.
Make people in your network aware of the benefits of hosting a show.
Give people in your network an opportunity to place an order and experience PartyLite themselves.

Ask for Advice

Ask each and every person on your FRANK list to give you a piece of advice about how to grow your new business.

Offer Platinum, Personal Service

Let each and every person on your FRANK list know that you would be happy to take their orders any time, happy to give them gift ideas for special events, happy to assist in candle requirements for special events (e.g. weddings, charity dinners, birthday parties).

Death and Taxes

2010-08-16T12:08:00.004+10:00

Big disclaimer: I'm not a professional tax person. I use a professional accountant to file my taxes. I do not expect you to take this post as anything other than a story from Wendy. It is not advice. It's a story.

Once upon a time there was a candle lady named Wendy who lived in the land of OZ. She had an annual responsibility to pay her taxes because she made so much darn money from her candle business that the government of OZ considered her candle business to be just that... a business. She loved paying taxes, because it really made her feel like she had made it as a business person.

However, Wendy didn't want to overpay her taxes, because she (and any business) should only pay taxes on profit. Wendy's profit was the amount she got paid (the incommies) minus all the expenses she spent money on in order to make the incommies (the outgoies).

Outgoies

So, each year, Wendy thought about what outgoies took to run her business.

The Car - Wendy owned her car, got it serviced, insured it, had roadside assistance, and put petrol into it regularly. She saved receipts for these things. One year, she showed her accountant the receipt for the car she bought and for the car she sold. She left it up to him to figure out if there was part of that big outgoie that could be subtracted from her incommies. Turned out there was, but it was too complicated for Wendy to figure out on her own.
The Phone - Wendy paid a monthly bill for her mobile phone. She also paid a monthly bill for her home phone. She estimated that her business use of these two was 75%.
The Product - Wendy bought display products to use at her shows, for door prizes, and for team raffles and incentives. She saved receipts for these things.
Show Costs - every time Wendy's hosts had a $400 show, Wendy paid a $10 fee for the $50 bonus hostess voucher. She kept track of these payments on her Profit Statements.
Training and Events - Wendy loved to go to training, Leader's Summit, and the Annual Conference. These things made her a better Consultant and a better Leader. In 2009, Wendy was part of the 101 Dalmatians (award winning costumes) at Conference and you know what? She even kept track of the $10 she paid Eliana for making the Dalmatian Suit. She kept track of all her outgoies for these - including the coffee at the airport.
Books and CDs - Wendy invested in books and CDs to help her and her team improve in many areas (sales, leadership, network marketing, networking, etc.). She saved receipts for these things.
Advertising - Occasionally, Wendy would seek approval from PartyLite to advertise her business in various publications and at fetes, fundraisers, and market stalls. These advertising outgoies would result in leads and, hopefully, sales. So Wendy kept her receipts for these.
Customer Events - Wendy hosted parties at her home several times a year to give her VIP clients some VIP treatment. She bought food, drink, and used candles at these events. She kept track of these outgoies.
Consultant Events - As a Leader, Wendy ran Unit Meetings and New Consultant Training. She had raffles, gave away literature, and bought nibbles and drinks.
Bank Fees - Wendy set up a special bank account just for her business, so she kept track of all the outgoie bank fees she was charged.
Internet - Wendy used the Internet almost exclusively to build her business. She invested in a faster connection so that she could provide better customer service and so she could be more efficient in putting in her orders. She estimated that 90% of her time on the internet was related to business.
Computer - Wendy provided receipts for her new laptop to her accountant. Laptops are equipment that can be claimed over a few years, not all at once, so Wendy left that up to her accountant to figure out. But Wendy also used lots of printer toner and paper, so she kept track of those outgoies.
Networking - Wendy got out into the world to meet new people. Sometimes she attended breakfasts and lunches and meetings where there were fees. She kept track of these outgoies because each event helped her grow her business.
Mail - Wendy and the post office were very close. She knew her postal delivery man by name and she also had a big fan base at the post office (they liked the way Wendy's deliveries made the place smell so good). She bought lots of stamps and cards and envelopes. She kept every receipt for those outgoies. (And she wasn't too happy every time the postal fees got raised).
Business Cards - Wendy had business cards made and she went through a lot of them. They help spread the word about her business, so she kept track of those outgoies.
Display Bling and Giftwrapping - When Wendy wanted her display to look great, she bought some fake flowers, some placemats, and some coloured rocks. She also bought gift bags, organza bags, gift wrapping paper, and ribbon. Lots of things to advertise her shows and her business. Those outgoies were all carefully tracked.

Wendy put all of these outgoies into a spreadsheet and filed the receipts into a big envelope.

Incommies

Incommies for her PartyLite were easier for Wendy to track. Each week, PartyLite would create a report (a Profit Statement) for Wendy showing how much money she had been paid. Wendy would just put that information into her spreadsheet. She could also get year to date information off the CBC.

Other Jobs, Other Income, and Other Tax Deductible Expenses

When she used to have another job, Wendy got a Group Certificate for that job, too. She would give that to her accountant. She also had an investment property that she shared with her husband, so every year she had to bring that information to her accountant, too. Whenever she gave money to charity, she'd keep track of that. When her health fund would mail her its annual report, she'd put that into her tax file. (Wendy didn't have any income from places like Centrelink, so she wouldn't have had any idea how to account for that. Absolutely no idea. Definitely an area requiring special research!)

The Hero of the Story - The Accountant

Every year, Wendy took all of this information to her accountant and gave him a rundown of what she was giving him. He would ask questions and make sure she had included everything. He would look at her strangely when she asked if she could claim dog grooming outgoies since it made the dog more attractive and better smelling to consultants and clients. (Alas, no.)

She would pay her accountant every year (also a business-related outgoie). He would crunch all the numbers and make sure Wendy only paid the taxes she was supposed to pay.

How Wendy Saved For Her Tax Bill

Wendy actually liked to have all her tax money saved up before her tax bill would come. She hated surprises, especially when they were outgoies! So Wendy used the Stash Cash program to save money for conference AND for her tax bill. She found that by putting $50 aside from every show, at the end of every financial year, she had plenty of money for her annual conference, her taxes, and any leftovers were her self-created "refund." As a reward for being such a good saver, Wendy loved to spend her "refund" on full body massages.

Why Wendy Had to Deal with GST

In 2009, Wendy sold over $75000 worth of candles which was one criteria for her to have to register for GST (there were other criteria that might have made this happen, too). She dealt with this with her accountant and now keeps track of GST, too. (One hint: Don't register for GST unless you have to - it's an unnecessary headache. One other hint: If you do register for GST, tell PartyLite right away - it changes a few things about how you get paid.)

The End

So in the land of OZ, Consultants who ran their candle business as a business started keeping great track of their outgoies so that they could pay the right amount of tax. Not too much, not too little. They all got accountants to help them. They all started saving early for the inevitable tax bill (a sign that they were making lots of money).

And they all lived happily ever after.

Repeat big disclaimer: I'm not a professional tax person. I use a professional accountant to file my taxes. I do not expect you to take this post as anything other than a story from Wendy. It is not advice. It's a story.

Conference 2010: Comment and Photos

2010-08-10T09:45:00.006+10:00

Hi. Sorry it's been awhile since I've written here. There is so much to do before and after conference that I've been a little bit offline.

Once again, conference was amazing. Everything we wanted it to be, it was. We were recognised, rewarded, inspired, motivated, informed, educated, pampered, and exhausted!

Here is a list of the free products we got for free from conference! The retail value is worth more than the cost of the conference registration.

Iced Snowberry Oil $15.95
Illuminescents Snowflake $39.95

Polar Pals Votive Holder $49.95

Garnet Tealight Holder $34.95

Ring of Light Centrepiece $99.95

Metal Snail Votive Holder $34.95

Ikat Votive Pair $44.95

Summer Tealight Sampler $27.95

Present Jar $41.00

Tealight Sampler (not for sale) $15.50

Total Value: $405.10!

In 2011, conference will be held in Sydney at the Sydney Convention Centre on July 14-16. It's exciting for me as a leader because so many of the Rainbows are in New South Wales.

I hope all of you will be able to come to conference.

See it. Have a look at these photos. Visualise yourself there. In the audience. On the stage. On the dance floor. At the training sessions.

Say it. Put it into your diary. Tell your family you want to go. Start saving a little bit of money from each party you do to ensure money doesn't stop you from attending. (Stash Cash registration will be available again in September.)

Feel it. Come to Unit Meetings and ask the people who came to conference to tell you what it felt like to be there. Go to regional events and work towards the challenges put out by your leaders. Work to get your name in Reflections.

Do it. Whatever it takes, just be there. Conference is a commitment to yourself to make this business all it can be for you.

Make it a great day! WLC.

Manual Orders

2010-07-20T09:29:00.000+10:00

Online ordering makes our lives so simple. It keeps track of what each of our customers have ordered. It enables us to send Candle Connection to our customers. It ensures that our credit card information is typed in properly and assures us that they are approved on the spot. There are lots of benefits to online ordering.

There are only four reasons I can think of to use manual ordering.

Starter shows
Inactive consultants
You don't have a computer
The online system is down and you have a deadline to meet

The Consultant Guide has a whole section on how to complete a manual order. Still, I get lots of questions about it, so I thought this post would be a good one to add to the site. In a nutshell, you need to provide PartyLite with:

A Show Order Summary of what the guests ordered (totalling your compensatable sales).
A Show Order Form providing details of the show, host benefits taken, and payment methods used - this is a form you should have in your files - a pack of them came in your starter kit. You need to provide the bonus hostess voucher number on the Show Order Form - the new forms have a specific place for that number, the older ones don't - that's okay, just write it in and add the $50.
Payment information

Rather than write out 1 and 3, I use a spreadsheet and I type the information in. I do this for legibility and for accuracy in my calculations. PartyLite does not care who ordered what, but I include a name column so that I can use that tab as a hostess summary, too. I also use a second tab in the spreadsheet to put in the host benefits so I make sure to add them all up correctly. On a third tab, I type in the credit card type, numbers, name, expiration date, and amount due - the residual amount due is taken from the registered consultant credit/debit account of the ordering consultant.

When you're done, you fax the show in to PartyLite (02 9678 9077). You can mail it if you don't have access to a fax machine.

If you are an inactive consultant, it must be at least a $400 show. You should contact your leader to let her know that you are submitting the order so that she can inform head office and help track the order. Your consultant account will be reactivated about 24 hours after PartyLite has entered the order and all of the credit card transactions have been approved. If any of the credit cards fails, PartyLite will contact you and your leader.

Cool bananas!

Things to do with a New Consultant:

2010-07-08T11:06:00.002+10:00

Congratulations! You’ve met someone and offered them the PartyLite opportunity and they want to join up. What next? Here is a list of things you need to do to get her (or him) off to a great start.

NOTE: This is standard operating procedure for the Rainbows – talk to your Unit Leader to see if your processes are different.

1. Complete a New Consultant Agreement (get Section 1 and 3 out of the way and let details in Section 2 wait until the Starter Show is complete and the six or more bookings are organised).

2. Call your Unit Leader to arrange the kit issue (which may be able to occur before the Starter Show, depending on availability). If it cannot be issued before the Starter Show, the Unit Leader will:

Send her the current Reflections, and
Send her a copy of the Start with Success workbook.

3. Set a Starter Show date

Her target is $550 in sales or more. Details on how to handle a smaller show are in the Consultant Guide. All promotions require a $550 or higher Starter Show.
She will not receive the normal host benefits for a Starter Show.

Product Credit: She will receive 1:1 product credit for every dollar in compensatable sales over $550. For example, if her starter show has compensatable sales of $620, she will get $620-$550=$70 in product credit.
Bonus Hostess Voucher: She is eligible for the $50 Bonus Hostess Voucher (because her Starter Show will reach the $400+ in sales).
Hostess Specials: She is eligible for the Hostess Specials (because her Starter Show will reach the $400+ in sales and she will have more than the one required booking).
Discounted Products: She would not want to take advantage of the 30% Discounted Products because she gets a better benefit as a Consultant (40% Discounted Products).

You will not receive the normal compensation for a Starter Show. You will building your business by building your own downline. Ask your leader for details.

4. Help her organise 6 shows to get her business started.

Use the Start with Success workbook to guide her in setting up these shows.
Let her know that she will be paid for these shows. Based on a $500 show average in Australia, she will earn about $840 in commission from these shows.
The Starter Show cannot be processed until she has identified on her New Consultant Agreement the name, phone number and date for at least six shows.

5. Arrange for her to observe 2 shows in training. I recommend that one be a show of yours and one be a show of your Unit Leader.

6. Set a date for both of you to attend New Consultant Training (NCT) with your Unit Leader. At the NCT, the Unit Leader will set up weekly 15 minute coaching calls for her first 10 weeks as a Consultant.

7. Give her the dates for the next three Unit Meetings.

8. Show her how to subscribe to the http://www.rainbowsandcandles.com/ website.

9. Her best course of action before NCT is to study the catalogue and work through the Start with Success workbook.

Things she will need that PartyLite does not provide in the Starter Kit:

Trolley or Suitcase
Bubble wrap
Pens
Calculator
Lighter
Stamp/labels for literature
Business cards (you can use your Live by Candlelight Cards)

Definition: Compensatable Sales: The total dollar amount of retail show orders (guest purchases) submitted and accepted at the PartyLite head office, not including shipping and handling, tax (if shown separately), hostess purchases, 30% discounted host purchases, hostess specials or other hostess offers.

Sponsoring a new Consultant is a great thing. Make her feel welcome. Make her feel involved. Give her the tools for success. That's your job as her sponsor. If you print and use this list as a checklist, you will have a happy, well trained, and successful new Consultant. Congratulations!

10 Steps to Increasing Your Guests Per Show

2010-07-06T13:41:00.001+10:00

Hi. One thing we can really work on with our hostess coaching is improving guest attendance. It's simple to measure; we can easily see how many guests on average we have per show. Once you know what your average guests per show is, how can you improve the number?

Do you even know what the target is?

Any PartyLite consultant should be able to tell you that the target is 10 guests. That's a standard part of 10-3-2 training. So how do you fill up 10 chairs?

It's All About Hostess Coaching

Do you share your goal of 10 guests per show with your hosts? You should. That's really step one. It's also the only goal I really share with my hosts. I figure the 3 bookings and the 2 leads at each show are my responsibility, but the 10 guests... well, she really has to be the one to achieve that. But she's not alone. Let her know the target. If it's less that's okay, if it's more that's okay, but the target is 10.
Give her a Hostess Envelope and run through the sections. Ask her to use it to keep track of who she's invited.
Walk her through how to develop a FRANK list. If she only invites friends or only invites neighbours, the chances of getting 10 guests is reduced. If she involves all 5 areas, she is much more likely to achieve the target.
Provide her with enough invitations/reminder cards and offer to provide more if she needs them. (I provide 20 to start.)
Write an email invitation for her. She can modify it if she wants, but it's a good way to support her.
Do not encourage her to use Facebook to get people excited about the party.
Do encourage her to call and personally invite her guests.
Ask her if she enjoyed the show she went to and find out what she liked. Suggest that she share that information with people as she invites them because a PartyLite show is fun, relaxing, and not a hard sales event. People like that.
Call her two days before the show to remind her to send reminders.
Encourage her to ask for her guests to bring a friend. You might offer to give a free candle to every person who brings a friend your host doesn't know. (Of course, give one to the friend, too.)

So there you go... 10 ideas on how to improve your guest attendance. Last month we had an average on only 5.9 guests per show but a guest average spend of $88.72. Imagine if you could improve your guest average by 1, you would have $88.00 more in sales at every show. If you can get to an average of 10, you'd have an $880 show average. That's working smarter!

Do you have any tips to add to my list? Feel free to comment here. I love your input!

A New Layout: Just for Fun

2010-06-29T09:31:00.003+10:00

I was just playing and the Blogger software has been upgraded quite a bit. I love it. :)

I also found a cool little tool on another website. Have a look at what this little blog comes up with for a word cloud when a computer and a graphic artist get together and analyse it. I really like that the biggest word in the word cloud is the word "business" because I know PartyLite is a great business.

Bye for now. More coming!

July Focus

2010-06-25T09:47:00.000+10:00

At our Unit Meeting this week, we talked about things we should keep doing, things we should think about, and things we should stop doing in our business. Here is a list of the ideas we brainstormed:

GREEN LIGHT - What we're good at:

Talking
Calling customers
Using the call tracker
Being creative
Burning candles
Paperwork

YELLOW LIGHT - What we're unsure about:

How to pack up quicker
What to take to shows
How to talk to guests as they arrive – breaking the ice
How to deal with “No”
Being persistent versus being pushy
How to address price

RED LIGHT - Things we’ll stop doing:

Procrastinating
Giving away too much
Stressing about things we can’t control
Talking too much

This month I will post articles about each of these topics to help us all. If you would like to send me your own input to these topics, I will be happy to include your ideas in the posts. You can send your input to wendy @ wlcenterprises.com. Thanks. WLC.

The Press Conference

2010-06-25T09:25:00.001+10:00

Oct 28, 2009 - Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images Europe

Sports analogies are used all the time for businesses. I was watching a press conference last week sometime. I think it was after the NSW Blues were trashed in game 2 of the State of Origin by the Queensland Reds. Anyway, for some reason it really struck me that these coaches and players get asked questions about their performance immediately after the game whether they win or lose. They are force to analyse their performance and their feelings about their performance immediately after the event.

It's part of their job.

It made me wonder if we should do the same thing.

Introducing: On Reflection....

On Reflection... is a little press conference you can have with yourself, with your family, with another PartyLite buddy, or with your Leader. You really need to do it right after a show to get the best impact. Here are the questions you need to answer. You might need your door prize slips to answer all the questions. For highest impact, I think you should write the answers down.

What went right?
What went wrong?
Who was interesting?
Who was interested?
What would you change?

Don't forget to also ask yourself how you feel about the show. Sports people are always asked about how they feel. They are either elated or gutted. Either way, they make changes and then go out again the next time. And so will you. Win or lose - just keep learning from each show.

On Reflection... you will get better and better.

What do you do to recap your show experience each time? Do you think that using On Reflection... would make a difference to your business?

Getting Organised

2010-06-16T15:24:00.000+10:00

One of my favourite strategies of late is the Daily Action Plan promoted by Eliana. It is simple and achievable. I probably don't have it exactly right, but here is my synopsis:

Call a client
Call a host
Call a lead
Call a consultant (someone in your downline)
Read a book (not the whole thing, obviously)

For most consultants, this daily action plan could be modified to this:

Call a client
Call a host
Call a lead
Call or write to your upline
Read a book

Four calls and some personal development. That's pretty simple. Maybe it'll work for you.

How am I getting organised?

Today I took some time to organise my office and my schedule around daily, weekly, monthly, and ad hoc activities. Everything in June and July has been diarised, but I used big chunks of time so that I could be a little bit flexible while still giving myself some much-needed discipline. The goal was to enable me to MAKE THAT CALL five days a week. After all, this is my job. If the plan works well, I'll do it for the rest of the year.

I did have one major breakthrough in my thinking as I set up this system. Let's say that I wanted to spend one hour making client phone calls. In the past, that process has been pretty labour intensive. That's because I would pick a name, look them up on the CBC, see what they've ordered before, decide what to call them about, and then call. It's called procrastination and I was really good at it.

My breakthrough in thinking is realising that all of that prework is important and should happen, but that I can do it as an administrative task to get ready for my calls. Then, when it's time to make the calls, I'm ready. The hour of calls is nothing but an hour of calls.

Even for a daily action plan that breakthrough works. If you are going to make four calls today, who will you call? Why will you call them? What is their number? And what actions will you have once the calls are done? That's the prework.

So, how to get organised? Each night, make a list for your daily calls the next day and do a little research so you are prepared to make those calls. Divide and conquer.

Getting organised... it's a breakthrough!

Have you subscribed to Mary Christensen's free monthly newsletter yet? Here is a link to the sign-up page.

http://www.marychristensen.com/freenewsletter.asp

Sweet, sweet carrots!

2010-06-05T14:41:00.001+10:00

Ange and me at the Furama Resort in Da Nang

We returned from our trip to Vietnam on Wednesday morning. From the sun, heat and humidity of Da Nang to the overcast, cold and wet of Sydney took a little bit of adjustment.

It was a fantastic trip and I could wax on about it (pun not originally intended, but how great was that?) for pages and pages, but I have another idea....

My good friend Ben and I were having a coffee together this morning and we were discussing how amazing the trip was. I told Ben that I hadn't written my blog yet and that I honestly didn't know what to say. As we talked, we compared the benefits of PartyLite to all the other jobs we've had in the past. No one else had ever offered us the same sort of reward for doing our jobs. No one. We asked ourselves, why does PartyLite do it?

I think I figured it out. It's all about carrots.

After thinking about it on my walk home, I'd like to share something personal with you. Something I'm not sure you'd probably think about me.

The reason PartyLite is so generous in its rewards, recognition and incentives, is because it has to be better than every other opportunity out there to keep me involved. To keep me interested. To keep me motivated. To stop me from throwing in the towel when the going gets tough.

Yes, even I think about throwing in the towel.

This job is fun, simple, social, flexible, lucrative, exciting, and free. AND sometimes it is just plain hard. Hard to stay motivated. Hard to put up with no. Hard to deal with cancellations and postponements. Hard to fit it in with other things (work, family, and friends). Hard to regroup and get bookings. Hard to make that call.

So sometimes I do think about throwing in the towel and getting a "real job."

But that's where the carrots come in. The incentive trips are incredible: five star, exotic, no work, all play. No business will match them. The fact that I get to work when I want to (or work when I can) is amazing. No business will match that. The money I earn from my shows is great money for a simple (fun) activity. No business is as fun as a show. The money I earn from my leadership activities is unlimited. No business will match that. The training and development and inspiration and friendship I get from others in PartyLite is constant and uplifting. No business can match that. The freedom I have to do what I want, how I want, and when I want is unheard of in a "real job." No business can match that. The investment I make into developing my PartyLite business is time, not money. So even (nay, especially) starting my own business doing something else can't match that.

So when the internal voice in my head says it's all too hard, I think about the next incentive trip and I consider the possibility of not going on the next one and I completely change my attitude. I simply can't miss out.

That's why PartyLite does it. It's to motivate people like me. Because I need motivating to keep this up just like everyone else in the business needs motivating.

No matter what your goals are in this business, I can promise you this: you're not alone when you think of quitting. It is hard. We step outside our comfort zone everyday. But here's what you need to remember: That's why they pay us so well. That's why we get recognised for what we do. That's why the carrots are so good. That's why PartyLite does what no other company in my professional experience will do.

That's when you should take a deep breath, a time out, and start again tomorrow.

And you know what? It is worth it. Every time.

Eat your carrots.

Find Your PartyLite Mojo!

2010-05-17T17:18:00.003+10:00

Hi. I'm blatantly getting a lot of this post from an email I just received from Evelyn Ayerst-Pettitt, PartyLite Australia's Sales Events Manager. She gets writing credit. I'll just edit. :)

But before I do that... I am proud to tell you that right now we have a record number of Rainbows registered to come to conference. Congratulations to all of us who have made the decision to register and go. Get those flights organised, and we'll make sure everyone has a roommate at our next Unit Meeting.

Okay, the countdown is on ... can you believe it? We have only 72 more sleeps until our National Conference, the 'not-to-be-missed' event on every PartyLite Consultant's calendar.

There are only 6 weeks left to register (deadline: June 30), and we have already reached 60% capacity for National Conference. More registration forms are coming in, so, if you have not as yet registered, I encourage you to not delay, register today! (You can get a registration form from me.)

Are you still undecided about attending this year? Let's take a few moments to consider the benefits of attending National Conference. National Conference is the opportunity to:

Re-energise your business
Discover powerful sales and booking techniques
See (touch, smell) new products from our Everyday Volume 2 Catalogue
Network - meet, connect and share stories and tips with Consultants from across Australia
Hear first-hand the destination of our exciting Incentive Trip for 2011 and learn what you need to do to go
Cash In! Collect your Cash In! coupons, if applicable, and go into the draw to win some amazing prizes
Be a part of history as PartyLite Australia proudly presents a cheque to the Children's Hospital Foundation Australia
Become inspired from key field, staff and a very special external speaker, Terry Hawkins
Celebrate and be recognised for your achievements and those of your PartyLite family
Applaud the recipients of our extraordinary annual awards at own Awards Evening & Gala Dinner, including the most coveted award, The Spirit of Mabel Baker.
Receive 'free stuff' - product giveaways
Bag a bargain or two by visiting Conference Shop
Participate in 'Scent' Sale Auction and win some fabulous new product

It doesn't matter if you are an active consultant, striving to bonus every month, if you are brand new to PartyLite, or if your candle business has stagnated and needs a jump-start, conference is a great place to find your PartyLite mojo. Some consultants just come for the free products. Some come for the recognition. Some come for the break from their everyday life. Some come to see friends from last year. Some come just to take advantage of conference shop. Some come to absorb as much training as they can.

Whatever it is for you... you should come.

Print the PartyLite Consultant Guide

2010-05-12T17:14:00.001+10:00

When I began my PartyLite business, we received a paper copy of the Consultant Guide. Over the first month that I was in business, I read it from cover to cover. To this day, I refer to it often: for information, for ideas, and for inspiration.

We probably asked PartyLite to provide this guide to us on a disk so that we wouldn't waste paper. However, I contend that the paper version of the guide is read, used, and important to the growth and development of our consultants, new and experienced.

For my Unit, I'm going to look into the cost of printing the guide myself, but it seems to me that the $30 investment to buy the printed guide from PartyLite is money very well spent. As I've said in previous posts, if any new Rainbow buys the guide and qualifies in her first business month, I'll reimburse the $30.

We've improved our New Consultant Training tremendously over the last five years, and I think we need to reintroduce the printed consultant guide into the starter kit to make it even better.

What do you think? Can I start a movement?

Love Thy Neighbour

2010-05-05T17:13:00.004+10:00

Last night I had the pleasure of attending Eliana's Unit Meeting. I thought I would share the words used by one of the Ignite consultants, Laura. Laura did a successful letter box drop in her neighbourhood. She stapled a nicely printed card to the front of a catalogue. Here is what it said:

I am excited to introduce myself as your new local PartyLite Consultant!

Have a look through this fabulous new catalogue and give me a call or e-mail and we'll set a time for your own showing!

All you need is a couple of hours, a few friends to relax with and you will earn great benefits to..

Decorate your home,
Celebrate your life and
Illuminate your spirit

She, of course, included her contact details at the bottom.

I absolutely love the boldness of her first line: "...your new local PartyLite Consultant." How brilliant is that?

Letterbox drops to your neighbours are not always successful. You really need to stand out from the crowd. A note like this might be the difference between getting your catalogue noticed and getting it filed in the recycle bin.

Do you have a success story from a letterbox drop. What works? What doesn't? Leave a comment and share so we can all be better neighbours. :)

Make it a great day! WLC.

How to Achieve Bonus in May

2010-05-01T13:04:00.001+10:00

Sell $2799 in a month, earn $615. (22%)

Sell $2800 in a month, earn $784. (28%)

That's $169 in BONUS MONEY!

It's that easy.

The key to bonusing each month is to book shows. With PartyLite’s 8th birthday being celebrated this month, it will be very lucrative for guests and hosts alike. So what you need to do is entice the hosts to book their shows this month. With at least 6 shows, you should bonus. If that is your target, you really should book 8 shows so that you won’t be disappointed by cancellations or postponements. Here are my hints:

Have your diary with you at all times. At our April Regional Meeting we were ultra inspired by the pocket sized diary used by our top sales person, Colleen.
Make that Call! Call your hosts and guests from April to make sure they are happy.
Give away $50 bonus vouchers to everyone you meet with a expiration date of May 31.
Book your own show and invite people as you run into them.
Revisit your FRANK list and make sure everyone on it knows that you’ve started this business.
Offer people the opportunity to get over $130 in free products just for hosting a show (based on a $400 show).
Take outside orders.
Find one networking opportunity each week in May (see this article for suggestions on how to network).
Ask everyone for referrals.
Treat it like a business – not a burden. Your attitude needs to be positive, passionate, and professional.

Need some personal inspiration? Take advantage of your leader and make an appointment for a free coaching session.

Get out there! WLC.

NCT #3 - What do you need to know?

2010-04-16T16:28:00.000+10:00

Here's a little checklist of the things you need to know as a Consultant. If you feel you need help in any of these areas, check your Consultant Guide, review your New Consultant Training Notes, call your sponsor, or call your leader.

In no particular order, you need to know...

How to manage your diary
How to get a booking with a date and time
How to hostess coach
How to host a show yourself
How to take an order
How to set up a display
How to process a show
How to collect payments at the time of sale
How to do a presentation
How to calculate host benefits
How to network
How to ask for referrals
How to identify leads
How to burn all of our candles
What is in our catalogue

Do you feel pretty good about all of those things? If so, great! Congratulations on your hard work and study. If not, it's not hard to learn. In addition to some reading and training, observing other people doing a show is another great way to become more familiar with our ways. Hopefully you watch two shows before you do your own. And I don't mean observing shows by going to them as a guest like you may have done before you decided to become a consultant; I mean using show observation notes and really thinking about what the consultant is doing from beginning to end. It is different.

The PartyLite way is to do things right, to not be pushy, to respect other Consultants, to respect our hosts, to respect our guests, to respect our competitors, and to be ethical in our work. We don't gossip. We don't cut down others. We want everyone to be successful.

Especially you.

Only One Week to go for the Rainbows Conference Early Bird Offer

2010-04-16T09:21:00.003+10:00

Every time I get an email back letting me know that another Rainbow is coming to conference, I get more and more excited. This is going to be so much fun!

For those of you who've come before, I know exactly why you're coming back. For those of you who've been part of our team for awhile and haven't been able to make it to conference - it's never to late to start. For those of you who are inactive and don't think that you should come to conference, I encourage you to rethink - conference is a great motivator and might be just what you need to start the ball rolling again. For those of you who are new to PartyLite.... I can't think of a better way to start your business.

(For those of you who aren't Rainbows, don't fret - there's lots of good information in this post that might help you make the decision to go.)

Kudos to you all for considering this investment in YOU. Now... let's get you some valuable information.

Conference Registration RAINBOW EARLY BIRD OFFER
Conference registrations are open, and I’d like you to make the commitment now. So here is my offer. Every Rainbow who registers for conference before the close of business on Thursday, April 22nd will get a fantastic early bird present when you attend conference. If you register after April 22nd, you won’t get the early bird present. New consultants who start after today will have 2 weeks from their start date to register, and, if they do, they will qualify for my early bird gift, too. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS THURSDAY – 22/4/2010.

Conference Registration RAINBOW OFFER
I will give all Rainbows who register for conference a pack of the new catalogues once they are released (value $27.50). REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 30, 2010 (or earlier, if capacity is reached).

Conference Registration RAINBOW CANCELLATION OFFER
If you need to cancel your registration (which you must do in writing before the close of business on Wednesday June 30, 2010) you will still receive the pack of new catalogues. (This means it really only costs you $22.50 to reserve your conference seat.)

Conference Accommodation ROOMMATE PLANS

Part of the reason we need to register now is so that we can organise our rooms and our roommates at the Royal Pines Resort. I will be happy to assist all Rainbows in organising a roommate. Rooms are discounted to $170 per night for conference attendees, so the cost per person for 3 nights is $255. I do not recommend sharing 3 to a room, because the third person gets a trundle bed and the trundle bed costs an additional $45 per night. It is available, but I think 2 per room is more comfortable.

Conference AIR TRAVEL
Conference Registration opens at 1:00 on the Thursday afternoon and the conference starts at 3:00. Airport arrivals after 1:00 pm are not recommended. The gala dinner on Saturday ends after 11:00 and it is usually a late night, so plan your flights out according to your sleeping requirements. I won’t leave until about 2:00 – no rushing for me.

Conference GROUND TRANSPORTATION
You should definitely share taxis getting to and from the Resort. You won’t need a car.

Conference FOOD
Light snacks are served on Thursday evening, so we usually eat a pizza or something at the hotel bar after the meet and greet. Hotel breakfasts are discounted to $22, or you can be thrifty and bring your own breakfast to the hotel. I eat breakfast in my room most mornings, but on the Sunday morning, I usually go out. Friday morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea are provided, and we will go out to dinner as a region. Cost of dinner is usually less than $50 and the restaurants in the past have been BYO (so I bring a bottle of wine from home). Saturday, other than breakfast, all food is included: morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and the gala dinner.

Conference SHOP
You are under no obligation to participate in conference shop, but there are usually some great bargains to be had – exclusive to conference attendees. I buy door prize items and small host gifts. You can also do personal shopping, gift purchases, and stock up on wax (usually discontinued fragrances). Extra credit if you can get a picture of Sandra, Nicole, and me sneaking down to conference shop in our pyjamas at 6 in the morning to avoid the crowds.

OK – I hope I’ve given you lots of reasons to ask more questions, get planning, and get your registration in! You will absolutely LOVE conference. Once you go, it’ll be something you’ll tell other people they shouldn’t miss. I promise.

NCT #2 - Bookings

2010-04-10T12:50:00.000+10:00

The key to this business is bookings. New consultants need to organise 6 shows in order to get started. These shows are very likely to be with friends or family as hosts. These shows should occur in a 2-3 week period. The point is to use these shows as training. Most importantly, the goal is to get 2-3 bookings form each of these shows. That way you begin to expand your business outside of your immediate circle.

How?

1. Be honest. Put learner plates onto your display (yes, literally - they're free at the RTA) and from the beginning let people know that you are new to the company and in your training period.

2. Be yourself. If you practice your presentation a few times before you do your first shows, you'll be more relaxed at the shows and you'll be able to be yourself.

3. Be direct. Let the guests know that you'd love to get more bookings so that you can meet more people. Tell them that the best way for them to refer people to you is to host a show. Be sure to explain the host benefits during your presentation. Through our host program, most hosts get $150 in free products and qualify for savings on more.

4. Be prepared. Have your diary with you, have it marked with the days you are available, have a pencil, and have your Bonus Hostess Vouchers. (I have all of these things wherever I go - not just at shows.)

5. Be helpful. Rather than let someone struggle to choose a date or time, make suggestions.

"I find that Thursday night shows go really well - they are casual late night shopping."
"Most people have family plans or footy on the weekend, you might want to choose a Tuesday evening - that's a night most people are available."
"I suggest that your show starts at 2:00 - that's after lunch and before any night time plans."
"I suggest that your show starts at 7:30 - that's after dinner, but not too late if they have work in the morning."

6. Be relaxed. Don't take any no's personally. Don't force people into dates. Don't beg people to book. Don't worry if they don't.

7. Be inquisitive.

"Did you see some items you like?"
"Did you learn something about candles that you didn't know before?"
"Did you have a good time?"
"Would you like to have $150 in free products by hosting a show?"

8. Be referred. When you arrive at the show, talk to your host. Ask her why she decided to host a show. Ask her if it was difficult to organise the party. Ask her if your help before the show was helpful (providing invitations, literature, and advice). Ask her what her favourite product is. Ask her which Hostess Special she would want. Then, later, in front of everyone, ask her to share those answers again. She will, in effect, be referring you to her guests.

9. Be professional. After taking orders and bookings, calculate the host benefits, take the host's order, confirm the shipping address, pack up quickly, thank everyone, congratulate and thank the host, and leave.

10. Be positive. You can do it. You have a great offer. You have great products. You have support from your leader. You have training in how to overcome objections (Section 5 of the Consultant Guide). Keep a positive attitude and a smile on your face whether people say yes, no, or not now.

For Your Diary: Consultant Training Dates

2010-04-06T20:27:00.001+10:00

Hi. We've grown. And we're growing. The only boundary we have is a national one. We can sponsor anyone, anywhere in Australia. So instead of listing only the dates for Sydney, I've put the dates for all Consultant training across the nation. Action: Add the appropriate ones to your calendar and remember that all these dates are here (and on the CBC).

April 2010
19 Melbourne Area (VIC) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
21 Adelaide Area (SA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
22 Perth Area (WA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)

May 2010
15 Toowoomba Area (QLD) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
17 Brisbane Area (QLD) Leaders’ Day Seminar (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
19 Sydney Area (NSW) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
22 Rockhampton Area (QLD) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
24 Cairns Area (QLD Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
25 Cairns Area (QLD) Leaders’ Day Seminar (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)

June 2010
15 Brisbane Area (QLD) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
21 Melbourne Area (VIC) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
23 Adelaide Area (SA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
24 Perth Area (WA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
26 Kalgoorlie Area (WA) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)

July 2010
29-31 National Conference ~ Gold Coast, QLD

September 2010
4 Coffs Harbour Area (NSW) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
9 Cairns Area (QLD Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
15 Sydney Area (NSW) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
18 Wollongong Area (NSW) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)

October 2010
16 Bundaberg Area (QLD) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
30 Darwin Area (NT) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)

November 2010
15 Melbourne Area (VIC) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
17 Adelaide Area (SA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
18 Perth Area (WA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
22 Brisbane Area (QLD) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
24 Sydney Area (NSW) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
29 Cairns Area (QLD) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com

NCT #1

2010-04-06T20:16:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the first of a series created especially for new consultants. I intend for these to be short and sweet suggestions, information, ideas, and actions to do in your first 30 days as a consultant. Perhaps you have good suggestions that I should include? Send them to me at wendy@wlcenterprises.com and I'll incorporate them into a future post.

Here are 5 things you should do when you get your PIN from PartyLite.

Log into the Consultant Business Centre (from here on in, called the CBC). You can find the CBC by going to www.partylite.com.au and clicking on the consultant log-in button in the bottom left of the homepage.
Click on the PartyLite learning centre and watch the Welcome to PartyLite video.
Make your first consultant order online and order the $30 printed version of the Consultant Guide (NOTE: all consultant orders incur a $9 shipping and handling fee). (If you are in the Rainbows, I will reimburse you the $39 when you qualify with $2000 in sales before the end of your first business month.)
Find online, print, fill out, and send in via mail or fax (1) the direct debit/credit form and (2) the Candle Connection registration. They are in the Downloadable Brochures section under Forms and Sales Aids.
Add all unit meetings, training dates, and conference dates into your diary.

That's a great start!

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com

Where's Your Commitment?

2010-03-19T17:34:00.002+11:00

Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.

~ Barack Obama

PartyLite is about to begin the 3 months of challenges that lead us into National Conference 2010.Whether you are an active consultant right now or not, I want to ask you a simple question: where's your commitment?

First, make the commitment to attend. Conference is fun, exciting, motivational, amazing, a great boost to your business in the lead up to Christmas, and something you really should experience. It is absolutely worth your effort and your investment to go. You don't need to pay for it all now; just $50 will hold your place.

Second, make it worth your while. Read the brochure that will be in our next Reflections and get to know the criteria for earning tickets. The targets will be shows, sponsoring, and leadership development. Set your own goals for achievement.

Third, plan yourself for your trip and prepare others for your absence.

Planning for you:

Flights are very inexpensive if you book early - travel up on Thursday morning and back on Sunday. Carpooling with other conference attendees makes transfers to the hotel inexpensive. Bringing your breakfast makes your mornings inexpensive and hassle-free ( I eat cereal and juice in my room). Finding a buddy (or 2) to share a room with will save you money and get you a new friend. It's all very affordable if you plan ahead.

Preparing others for your absence:

Put in a request at work for the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Organise for childcare, babysitters, or pet-sitters. Call in some favours and/or offer some in return. Tell your family why you are going and how important it is to you that they support you as you go to learn more about the candle business. Share your personal goals (holiday, debt-free Christmas, new pool, new car, whatever). Let them know that when you go to conference, you'll come back knowing how to make more money and they all will benefit. It's absolutely true.

And finally, make it happen. Now is the best time to make this commitment to your business, to your family, and to yourself. Now is the best time to get your registration form in, your budget prepared, your targets in mind, and your excitement inside. Now is the time.

Conference will change your life.Where's your commitment? Make it happen.

Did You Know?

2010-03-02T14:55:00.003+11:00

Did you know that PartyLite Australia does not send informational emails to Consultants? It just doesn't. So you need resources to get information about your business. That's easy....

Unit Leader

One role of the Unit Leader in PartyLite is to communicate all important information to the Consultants in her Unit. So when your Unit Leader writes to you... you probably need to read the email. In fact, when your Unit Leader writes to you, the information is probably incredibly important and time critical.

Consultant Business Centre (CBC) - my.partylite.com

The CBC is another really important source of information. It seems almost everyday something changes on the home page of the CBC. Today, for example, Jenny Messenger posted an update on the Children's Hospital Foundation. Yesterday, PartyLite announced a great promotion to help motivate your hosts to have 10 guests at each show. And everyday, the Product Hotline is updated.

Only active consultants can log into the CBC. If you have been inactive and can't log in, just call your Unit Leader.

Your Consultant Guide

Obviously a guide won't have "timely" information in it, but it does have enormous amounts of information critical to your business. The disk comes in your Starter Kit. Pop it into your computer and poke around for awhile. If you prefer to read it in paper form, buy a hard copy in your next Consultant order. The $30 fee gets you every page, double sided, and a nice, branded binder. I use mine every week to answer a question or to motivate myself. Buy some dividers, get out some Post-it notes and use it. Don't try to keep it tidy - get it dirty!

I think the printed Consultant Guide is so important that, starting this year, I will give all new Rainbows who invest in the printed guide their $30 investment back if they qualify in their first business month ($2000 in sales).

Your Unit Leader, the CBC and your Consultant Guide... three keys to your success.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

Simple Things to Improve Show Attendance

2010-03-01T12:19:00.002+11:00

So you had a show last Friday where only four guests came. Funny, because the show on Thursday only had five. Neither show got to $400 in sales. You mentioned to the hosts that 8-12 people would be ideal. So what happened?

Not every show will have great attendance. So don't fret if a percentage of your shows are small. But you can improve your results with some disciplined hostess coaching.

Don't do it like this guy! :)

Hostess coaching is probably the most important thing to your PartyLite business. Learn how to do it well. Coaching is a skill that you should really work on. You want to know how I think about hostess coaching? I consider it like calling a friend to see if she needs any help getting ready for a party I'm attending. Do you want to know what it really is? It's calling a friend to see if she needs any help getting ready for a party I'm attending. It really is that simple. Don't yell... guide them through the process.

When You Book the Show

Whether you meet the host at a party, on the phone, or out and about, here's what you do when she books:

Show her your diary and select a date. If she isn't sure, select a tentative date, and use a pencil.
In your diary, write down her address, phone number and the start time for the party.
Give her a filled out $50 Bonus Hostess Voucher. In case the date changes, make the expiration date the end of the month for the party.
If you have it with you (at a show), give her a hostess pack with the invitations, the hostess envelope, and the Discover PartyLite brochure.
If she agrees, let other people at the party know that she has booked a show. Suggest that they put the date into their diaries.

Total time: 5 minutes

After You Book the Show

Send a note in the mail (or a hostess pack if you didn't already give her one) to thank her for the booking and to confirm the date and time. I include a letter with some hints and tips for a successful show.

Total time: 5 minutes

After You Send the Confirmation Note

Two days later, call the host to make sure she received the pack. Ask her if she has 5 minutes to talk. Review the contents of the pack with her. Here's what I include and say:

I included a hostess envelope so you can make a long list of people to invite. There are some great tips and hints on the envelope, so have a look at it and use it to keep all of your show related paperwork.
I suggest that you give or post the reminder cards to people who accept your invitation via text, email, or (best) phone call. I also suggest that you have 10 cards in your purse to give to people who you see as the show date approaches. A personal invitation, with a handwritten reminder card will give you great results.
I included three order forms for people who cannot make it but who want to order.
I also included a yellow brochure called Discover PartyLite. This brochure outlines all of the benefits you'll receive as a host. The key is to have 8-12 people at the show and you will be very likely to qualify for all of those benefits. That brochure also covers the benefits of becoming a consultant. This is a great job and your show could qualify as a starter show. If you're interested in learning more, let me know and we can set up a time to talk about it.

Review the hostess and guest specials if you have sent them. Or send them via email and discuss them. Make sure she understands the guest specials so she can promote them or take outside orders. Ask her to let you know if she needs more catalogues or reminder cards. Tell her you'll call her again to see if she needs anything.

Total time: 5 minutes

At the End of the Month

I always review my monthly bookings at the end of the month and I send another note to let the host know that I'm looking forward to her show. I do this especially for hosts who booked more than one month in advance. It's a nice reminder.

Total time: sometimes 20 minutes - but that covers all shows for the month

One Week Before the Show

I call the host to ask her if there is anything she needs from me as the date approaches. I also ask her if she wants me to bring any specific products in my kit. Most of the time, this call is a very timely reminder that I'm coming and that she needs to get people revved up to attend. Sometimes the host will comment about how many people are coming. Whether the number is high or low, I have the same advice: keep inviting new people who you think of, don't underestimate the power of a reminder call or SMS the day before the show, and always let people know that they can bring friends ("party crashers").

Total time: less than 5 minutes

The Day Before the Show

Call the host to confirm how many people she expects to come. Tell her you want to make sure you bring enough catalogues. If her numbers look good, remind her to send reminders. If her numbers look low, suggest that she calls the people who are coming and see if they would like to bring a friend. Tell her that you will give free candles to people who do bring friends to the show (give both the friend and the invited guest a nicely wrapped tealight).

Total time: less than 5 minutes

Do you have other tips and suggestions for hostess coaching? You are in this together. Hostess coaching helps the host get what she deserves for having a show. It will make her feel great to have a successful show. Hostess coaching deepens your relationship with your host, too. And it helps you make the most of your time and effort in preparing for, driving to, setting up, presenting, taking orders, tearing down, driving home, and putting the order into the system.

I promise you, the 25 minutes you put into hostess coaching for each show will pay off in spades when you increase the number of guests at each show.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 28 - My How Time Flies!

2010-01-28T13:13:00.000+11:00

Oh my goodness, there is so much to say.... Tick-tock, tick-tock. It just keeps going, doesn't it?

First of all, I just read a great post on the Flying Solo website. I suggest you read it, too.

Second, we had a fantastic unit meeting last night. It's not just me saying that either:

"Unit Meeting today was great to get me motivated and excited. Some fantastic ideas were discussed, too. Thanks!"

See? Not just me. :)

Third, I'll just let you know what I'm up to for this last push in January.

Sent reminder notes via snail mail to my guests for Experience the Difference.
Wrote emails to all my clients who have purchased the Thai Pillar Sleeves or anything in White Gardenia Truffle.
Getting ready for three shows (stamping catalogues, preparing six host packs etc.).
Calling people who's Candle Connection email bounced to confirm email address.
Sending packs to all of my February hosts.
Setting up my February home show for Saturday, February 27th 12:00-2:00

This list of things will take me a few hours. Probably three if I'm focused. I will finish all of them before the end of Friday. Make it a great day! WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 22 - A Video Blog

2010-01-22T15:33:00.000+11:00

Hi. Here's a Video Blog for your entertainment. I'm sorry if the audio and video aren't synchronised... I'm working on it.

Personal Commercial

Do you have a personal commercial? Even if you do have one, you might want to revisit it and really think about it. Why did you join PartyLite? What do you love about PartyLite? Why are you having success? Here's mine - revamped and revised - but all true.

I joined PartyLite because I had been to so many shows that I knew the presentation upside-down and inside-out. I was busy working a full time job already, but our cash flow was poor and we definitely could use some more money coming in. I had no intention of making PartyLite into a career... but I did. Here I am almost 5 years later and I absolutely love being a candle lady. PartyLite supports me with so of the things I need to run my business and I get to focus on my clients. Personally, I have the time to play my guitar, walk my dogs, see my friends, write and travel. Nowadays many people are time poor... well, I’m time rich, and I love it. My formula for success is not a secret; I make calls, I listen to people, and I manage my calendar like a crazy woman. Setting and achieving big goals for my business, my holidays, my home, and my family makes it all worthwhile.

Make it a great day! WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 21 - Being Proactive

2010-01-21T16:45:00.000+11:00

Today I ran out of tickets for the upcoming (sold out) Sydney "Experience the Difference" Roadshow. The people I've invited are incredibly happy. I wish I had 20 more tickets. Maybe 30 more.

As an Independent PartyLite Consultant, it is my job to buy my tickets for my clients. It's my job to call my clients and invite them to the event with enthusiasm. It's my job to order new literature and new fragrance pots. I make calls. I meet new people. I am proactive.

Yesterday I sent out an email invitation to my home show. I have had a fantastic response. I have over $300 in orders already. Today I called more Rainbows to talk about 2010. Tonight I have a show. I am really looking forward to it because the host told me yesterday that she is excited.

Do you have a "should do" list in your head or a "to do" list on paper?

Are you being proactive about your candle business?

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 18 - Monday Monday

2010-01-18T09:38:00.002+11:00

Hi! Hope you had a great weekend. I've talked to a few Rainbows over the past few days and I'm really excited about your plans for 2010. It's exciting to have goals and work towards them.

My business? Well, today I'll be submitting 2 shows from the weekend, sending out 4 host packs for new bookings, calling 10 clients about the soon to be discontinued Thai Pillar Sleeves, and continuing my calls with Rainbows. I'm also going to send out an invitation to my Saturday afternoon home show. (You're invited to come, too - I'll have a table filled with old stock available at at least 50% off. Write me if you want the details.)

My life? I'm going to take my Golden Retriever for a walk around the bay, practice my guitar, and see Avatar in 3D.

Make it a great day. Do you have a to do list?

P.S. This morning, I posted on Profitable Party Plan - I think you'll like it and I'd LOVE your comments.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 15 - Halfway to February

2010-01-15T09:35:00.001+11:00

Hi. The month is half way done. I've just looked at my goals for the month and realise that even with this daily dose of reality to motivate me, I still have a lot of work to do. Best get to it!

Dates for 2010

Yesterday I looked on the CBC to see if training dates have been published for 2010. They have. So here is a summary for my Sydney and Brisbane area teams. (Sorry, no ACT or Gold Coast workshops are available. It's definitely worth the drive to attend these workshops; so by planning ahead, I'm sure you can make it.) There are lots of other markets, so check the CBC Events tab if you are elsewhere in Australia.

Sydney Consultant Workshops - 7:00-9:30pm - location TBA

March 24th
May 19th
September 15th
November 24th

Brisbane Consultant Workshops - 7:00-9:30pm - location TBA

March 22nd
May 17th
November 22nd

Just a reminder that our Regional and Unit Meeting dates for the year have already been published here. I hope they are already in your diary. :)

Make it a great day! WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 14 - A Virtual Show

2010-01-14T09:32:00.000+11:00

Hi. Yesterday was successful. I booked a show in February. I also got this brand new computer. Thank goodness! Six days without my computer was painful. It's easy to do when I'm on vacation, but not in a month where I have daily goals to achieve!

Today I am going to practice my guitar, meet up with three consultants, and host a virtual show.

You see, I had a show scheduled, but it is one of the shows that has postponed. So I'm going to use that time to make calls. From 7:00 to 8:30 I'll be on the phone with clients who have purchased the soon to be discontinued White Gardenia Truffle votives (do you know how easy it is to look that up on the CBC - check it out or ask me how). Make that call!

You know how I'm not on Facebook anymore (Why I Quit Facebook)? Well, one of my readers (it's so good to know that you're out there!) sent me a good idea. You can post a link to this blog on your Facebook page if you want to share the love. You don't have to... remember that I do this blog mostly to get my head straight and to document information and ideas for my unit. But if you think others will enjoy... feel free to share.

OK - coffee - then guitar. Ready, set, GO!

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 13 - Proud

2010-01-13T08:29:00.000+11:00

One of the things that has changed for me since I started selling PartyLite is that I've become proud of myself, my business, and my lifestyle. I'll admit, at first I was a little bit (or maybe a lot) embarrassed to tell people about what I do. I certainly didn't bring it up in conversations when I met new people. At shows, I'd make sure the guests knew it was a part time thing I did on the side of my real job. I'd even downplay the reason why I started. "Oh, I just thought I'd give it a go."

What a horrible way to start.

Imagine if I'd decided to start for all the right reasons and been proud of that decision from the start. Imagine if I had the power, the strength, and the confidence to say, "I've just started a PartyLite candle business and I'm excited to share it with you." Imagine if I had read more books about how a network marketing business works and how I could make it successful. Imagine what the power of pride would have given my business from the start.

Be proud of what you do. Part time or full time, this little business you have is filled with women (and a few men) who love candles, who enjoy sharing how people can have the most beautiful homes, and who actually make money out of party plan whether they do one show a month or ten.

I'm proud of this business of mine. The day that happened, everything changed.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 11 - Reality

2010-01-11T22:24:00.002+11:00

When you are in a room surrounded by PartyLite leaders, you catch a fever. A good fever. One where you know everyone is winning. Everyone has a success story. Everyone has a passion for what we do. Everyone is striving for the same thing.

It's a warped reality.

When you leave, you want that fever to continue. You want your family to catch it. You want your friends to feel it. You want your hosts to believe in it. And you see the potential for infection in almost every one you meet.

Well, I'm back in reality. And in the real world I now just need to apply what I've learned without the rest of the world wanting to put me into a quarantine (or a straight-jacket).

I can do it.

OK - just a little bit of information about what I did today.

I looked at iMac computers to see if I should buy one. I decided not to go with the iMac, and instead I am buying a new laptop. Why? Because while I was a Summit, our home PC died. (Yes, everything is backed up. Phew!)
I contacted everyone who has left me messages over the weekend. Three shows have now converted from physical shows to book shows. Another has been cancelled altogether, but I have made a commitment to make it into a book show anyway. I am sure that the people in that circle will love getting a call from me.
I submitted a $552 show sent to me over the weekend. This is the third year in a row this lady has taken advantage of the Magic Tealight promotion. She is addicted. I love her.
I made appointments with a few Rainbows. (Just so you know, I will be calling each Rainbow in January to make sure I understand your goals for 2010. Whether your goals are small or grand, I want to understand them so that I can support you.)
I delivered an order to a lady who ordered from a home show in December. She had left the country before the order arrived. She is happy.
I looked up my Sponsoring statistics for the first half this year (Recognition YTD). I was awarded a certificate at Summit for achieving the halfway mark for Sponsorning Excellence Level 1. However, I was pretty sure I did not have the six consultants qualified. I was right. The certificate was not earned and I'll give it back. (I now want to achieve the Sponsorning Excellence Level 1 even more.)
I sent three host packs out.

So I had to borrow computers to accomplish a lot of this, but I made it happen.

Tomorrow is another day and I'm excited to make calls. In the morning, I'm going to revisit my big to do list for the month and make sure I'm on track.

Hey... if you've been inspired by these posts, why not share a few words with the rest of us? Click here to go to the site and leave a comment. It'd be nice to know if all y'all are out there. Anyone? :) WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 10 - Home Sweet Home

2010-01-10T21:42:00.001+11:00

Wow. What a fantastic weekend. The Leader Summit was a great event. I have a new catalogue now, I've seen all the new products, I've been trained, motivated, wined, and dined. It's time for some sleep.

Tomorrow is another day. I will revisit my to do list, look at the notes I took over the past couple of days, and recalibrate. I hope you had a fantastic weekend, too. Good night! WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 9 - I've Got a Feeling

2010-01-09T10:40:00.000+11:00

On Thursday, I woke up at 6:00, packed my bags, and jetted off to Melbourne with Ange and Nicole. We decided to arrive a day early for the Leader Summit so that we could take advantage of the Melbourne shopping. We had a brilliant day.

On Friday, we woke, had breakfast, had pedicures, manicures and facials, and then did a little more shopping. We made it to the Melbourne Hilton with only 15 minutes to spare before Summit began at 2:00.

I won't give you a play by play here and now. The event has been wonderful, action-packed, and inspirational. I am so proud to do what I do. I'm proud to have made this social network of clients, hosts, consultants, leaders, and friends into my chosen career. I am motivated to enjoy the ride and take every day as it comes.

But I've gotta go. We're on a coffee break for morning tea and have a full day of activities. I will have time to write again tomorrow once I get home. I'll have lots to tell you.

Watch the video below and see if it makes you happy. I just love it. And I've got a feeling that today's going to be a good day, tonight's going to be a good night, and 2010 is going to be a great year. Make it so! WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 6 - A Few Humble Suggestions

2010-01-06T16:13:00.012+11:00

How can you kick start your business in 2010?

I just watched a video with 3 simple suggestions. (1) Call your clients and friends and ask them for some referrals. (2) Contact someone you look up to in your business and ask her to mentor you. (3) Invite a friend to come to a show with you and get some feedback from her about how your proesentation can be improved. I think those are pretty good ideas.

I also think that you could use some personal motivation. This daily dose of me might be enough, but, you might need a few different perspectives. So go get yourself a book or two. I can suggest one that will be quick to read and will help you think about this business as a business: The Skinny On Direct Sales. Another one I strongly recommend is Mary Christensen's Be a Network Marketing Superstar.

And finally, two events that I can't recommend highly enough are:

Experience the Difference Roadshow
Sydney - Monday, February 1
Brisbane - Wednesday, February 3
Other capital cities as applicable
Tickets available from PartyLite Consultants (order form here)
Mary Christensen in Australia
Sydney - February 11
Melbourne - February 22
Brisbane - February 24
Tickets available from the DSWA (click here)

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 5 - Yes, Really... Start the Month this Week

2010-01-05T10:00:00.002+11:00

Hi. Just in case you haven't been to this website before, I usually don't write in it everyday. I just decided that it might be a good idea to motivate myself (and maybe my unit) by sharing my daily activities in January 2010.

Following up with clients early this month is paying off. I've had cancellations, people change to book parties (which means I can do another show on those dates), and I've also revved up a few people. These are all good things. Better for me to deal with them now and adjust my strategies accordingly.

I've just found a cool website where I can upload pdf documents and share them easily. I've uploaded the discontinued items there. I hate sending files in emails when I can send a link to a file instead. You can use these links too. Here they are:

Last chance to buy some of your favourites in January!
Click here to see the PartyLite Everyday 2009 Products Being Retired
Click here to see the PartyLite Summer/Holiday 2009 Products Being Retired

But please don't think that sending that list will get her attention all by itself. If you are going to send out the lists, you should also Make that Call to follow-up. Just let her know that you sent the list as a courtesy because some really nice items are being phased out and you don't want her to be disappointed later.

This morning I'm training a new consultant over the phone. This afternoon/evening, I'm going to make some more phone calls. Yes, Wendy... Make that Call!

What's on your to do list?

Make it a great day. WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - PartyLite Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 4 - Like a Tortoise

2010-01-04T17:38:00.001+11:00

The best thing about working for myself as a candle lady is that I do have time to do things.

Like go to the post office.

Today I posted 4 packs to hosts. This afternoon I called each one to ask if she would like to have some order forms for outside orders. It was a gentle reminder about her show, a nice reminder about the Magic Tealight promotion and the $550 target, and a non-pushy reason to make contact.

I also posted out the tickets to the 3 confirmed ladies who are accompanying me to the Experience the Difference night.

I am not working at my normal speed yet... I'm more the tortoise than the hare. But that's ok. We all know that the tortoise finishes eventually. He takes one step at a time and gets to the finish line. So these little things I'm doing now are my steps toward my goals. It really is just a matter of changing the inertia.

I am excited about Leader Summit this weekend in Melbourne. I'm sure seeing the new catalogue and being surrounded by other leaders will ignite my fuse again. The hare finishes the race too, you know. :)

Ah-deeb-a-deeb-a-deeb-a, that's all folks! WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - PartyLite Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 3 - Cancellation and Phone Inertia

2010-01-03T14:18:00.002+11:00

This morning I got the call... my host only had two people coming and didn't want to waste my time or hers. I chatted with her for a few minutes and offered to come anyway, to have a more casual chat with her and her guests, buy she decided to just not go ahead. She felt pretty bad cancelling at the last minute.

You want to know what I did?

I invited her to come to the product launch. She brightened. She is going to check with a friend of hers (another great client of mine) and see if they can come together. It made me feel good and I hope it helped make her feel better.

Be empathetic to what it feels like to invite people over and have them all be too busy to come.

Postponements and cancellations mean that I have an afternoon available to Make That Call.

Inertia: the tendency of an object at rest to remain at rest, or an object in motion to remain in motion.

Phone Inertia: the tendency for Wendy to not make any client phone calls, or for Wendy to get on a roll and make lots of client calls.

Phone Inertia makes it hard to start. But Phone Inertia also makes it hard to stop once I get going. I'm going to make 5 calls right now....

...Wow! Inertia. I made more than 5 calls, I made 8. I now have three confirmed VIPs coming with me to the Crowne Plaza on February 1 (wish I had more tickets). I left a few messages. I've prepared a pack for one client who wants to exchange a product, but doesn't have a catalogue. I've also decided that I will host my first ever Saturday home show this month. I'll do it as an open house on the 23rd.

OK - I'll fully admit that it was hard to start. I even though about getting up from the desk and getting a coffee first, but realised that I was just procrastinating. Once I got started, I just kept going. What made me stop? Well, I need to get ready for a gig this afternoon. So I'm off to get ready for that.

Hope you're having a great weekend. WLC.

P.S. FYI - Including writing this, that was a total of 1 hour work on a Sunday.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - PartyLite Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 2 - It's the Little Things

2010-01-02T08:15:00.001+11:00

Hi. Today is a busy one, filled with a family BBQ, 3 hours of singing and guitar playing in a pub, and a dinner out with friends. So I don't have time for much, but I do have things to do.

Get ready for my show tomorrow. I already called my host Thursday to confirm. She doesn't have many coming, but it's all still a go. I'm going to stamp catalogues, check my kit, and prepare my mobile office (order forms, New Consultant Agreements, laminated specials, etc.). If I do it now, I won't worry about it tonight and I'll sleep better.

Be ready for today. Bookings are everywhere, so I'm also going to pop 4 tealight gifts into my purse and replenish my business cards in my wallet. I'm bound to meet a few people who ask me what I do.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Expert in Profitable Party Planning

January 1 - Clean and To Do

2010-01-01T19:33:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year. I've decided to blog a little bit each day this month to let you know what I've done for my business. To be honest, I'm also doing it to monitor myself. You know how, when you are in an ethical dilemma, you are told to consider what you would do if your parents were watching. Or to consider what the headline would be if an article was written about what you've done. Well... I'm going to write the article myself. Let's see if I'm proud of the headlines.

January 1 - I gave myself only two tasks today. First, to clean up my office. I think I've done a pretty good job on that one. Second, to write a to do list. I've done that with small tasks, but I think here is a good place to document what I want to achieve this month.

Complete my 2009 tax preparation and submit to accountant
Finalise my public speaking brochure and develop a marketing plan for that
Practice or play my guitar 1 hour per day
Exercise 3 times per week and find a yoga class nearby
Keep my office clean
Confirm 15 people to attend the Experience the Difference event on February 1
Book February completely (I only have 11 days to do shows in February, so I need to get them filled)
Schedule 2 latte appointments each week
Attend Leader Summit in Melbourne (January 8-10)
Make 50 client calls each week (use the discontinued list to develop a list of who to call)
Help each of the Rainbows to establish her 4 month business plan before month end
Host a fantastic Unit Meeting on Wednesday, January 27th
Celebrate my 21st wedding anniversary
Use my Outlook Calendar to achieve more
Host the first monthly Rainbow Bonus Earners lunch on Monday, January 18th

Cool. So that's the big list. I'll use it to guide me in my activities each day and at the end of each week, I'll check it to see if I'm on track or not. You'll get to watch my progress on this blog. Hopefully this will inspire you to set your own goals and to do the activities necessary to achieve them.

One last thing.... As I was cleaning my office this afternoon, I came across a very good quote. Thought I'd share it:

The seeker goes to the mountain top and asks the learned one:
"Where does wisdom come from?"
"Good judgment."
"Where does good judgment come from?"
"Experience."
"Where does experience come from?"
"Bad judgment."

~ Old Sufi Story, Dr Pierre Mornell, Psychiatrist and Author

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Expert in Profitable Party Planning
Photo credit: Fatal Cleopatra

What Matters Now - A Free E-Book

2009-12-15T08:55:00.000+11:00

Hi. I have just spent a half an hour reading a free e-book. Hint: Don't print it. Read it. My analysis: about 5 of the pages were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, about 70 were great, and about 5 I skimmed and let go.

Personal development comes from investing some time in reading, learning, doing new things, and sharing ideas.

I'm sharing this. What Matters Now. WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Expert in Profitable Party Planning

2010 Unit Meeting Dates and a Surprise!

2009-12-01T15:03:00.003+11:00

Hi Rainbows! Here are our Unit Meeting Dates. All Unit Meetings will take place at my home or via Skype. The Regional Meetings will be somewhere in Sydney. (I can't wait for these! We can bring guests. Lots of training and celebrations. Sort of like a mini conference.) The surprise is that PartyLite has let us know when conference is, too, so you can add that to your calendar already. And of course, there is the trip to Vietnam....

January Unit Meeting: Wednesday 27th
February Unit Meeting: Wednesday 24th
March Unit Meeting: Wednesday 31st
April Regional Meeting: Tuesday 27th
May Unit Meeting: Wednesday 26th
~ Vietnam! Thursday, 27th May-Tuesday, 1st June
June Unit Meeting: Wednesday 23rd
July Unit Meeting: Wednesday 21st
~ Conference! Thursday 29th July-Saturday, 31st July
August Unit Meeting: Wednesday 25th
September Unit Meeting: Wednesday 22nd
October Regional Meeting: Tuesday 26th
November/December Unit Meeting: Wednesday 1st
December Celebration: Wednesday 15th

Still to come are dates for the training workshops. I'll add them in another update as soon as I have them (link added April 2010). Cheers! WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Expert in Profitable Party Planning

Magic Tealight Promotion Clarification

2009-11-13T14:41:00.003+11:00

UPDATE: The promotion cutoff has been modified to be Sunday, January 31st. I've changed the information below to match that.

Hello Aussie PartyLite people. I just wanted to clarify the very specific cut off dates and times for the Magic Tealight promotion.

The month end for January is midnight on Friday, January 29th. Shows submitted before midnight will count in January and will be eligible for the promotion.
The cutoff for the promotion is midnight on Sunday, January 31st.
Any shows submitted after that date WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE for the Magic Tealight promotion.

Please ensure you collect all payments at the shows and coach your hosts and guests appropriately to ensure everyone is happy when the bell tolls midnight. If you have a show on Sunday, January 31st - be strong and be organised!

Happy selling! WLC.

Wrap it Up!

2009-11-12T19:45:00.003+11:00

What's Wendy Say?

This is the third in a series about what I say for the different cards.

This card reminds me to cover three things with you. The first one is that candles make great presents. And I think it's important to remember that men enjoy candles too. Women enjoy candle parties, but men love candles. :) So as you flip through the catalogue, think about upcoming events like housewarmings, birthdays, showers, BBQs, Christmas, christenings, and the like. I bet you can find something unique, special, and long lasting that they'll love.

Second, I like to make sure I always cover our product guarantee. PartyLite offers a 90 day guarantee on everything. Even if you just change your mind. If anything is broken, damaged, or defective, please call me and I'll get a new one to you right away. If you select something and when it arrives, you decide that it's just not right, call me and I'll exchange it for something that you prefer. Or I'll even give you your money back. I want you to be 100% happy. So please contact me if that's not the case. Just remember, we have 90 days.

And third, I'd like to cover my ordering process. I take orders tonight, I take payments tonight, and I'll put the show into our online system tomorrow. Then in 2-3 weeks, the order will be delivered to your host. She then gets to open up the boxes, look at all of the cool things that you've ordered, and pick out what she wants... just kidding! But she does divide up the order and then you can organise pick up or delivery from her.

So that's the "Wrap it Up" card. Any questions? OK... who's next?

Series Recap

$100 a Night, 2 Nights a Week, Fun, Easy and Free
$100 Shopping Spree Plus More
Wrap It Up!

Three to get ready...

2009-11-03T16:23:00.001+11:00

One for the money
Two for the show
Three to get ready...
Three to get ready...
Three to get ready...

I'm in the middle of listening to a book review on another website and I had to push pause, open up another tab and post this message to you. The man responsible for these thoughts is Gary Ryan Blair. I've been participating in his 100 Day Challenge for 32 days now. It's an amazing program. Here's the WOW I just heard (paraphrasing):

Most of us spend our time getting ready to do something. Preparing. Training. Practicing. Dreaming. Considering. Wishing.

Just do it.

The purpose of setting up goals is to accomplish them.

So now, go back to the post I wrote yesterday and ask yourself what you've done in the past 24 hours to accomplish the goals you set for yourself.

It's unbelievable how easy it really is....

FYI - the book review is worth your time. It's about 60 minutes. It's in American accents. It's promoting a program you can't sign up for now (though I hope he runs it again). And it's still absolutely worth you listening....

I'm going to do a spell check and then get back to the rest of the review.... And four to GO! WLC.

What Will You Achieve in November?

2009-11-02T11:35:00.001+11:00

OK candle consultants, it's November! At the end of this month, which statements do you want to be true?

I submited enough to be active.
I called my clients from October and made sure they were happy.
I bonused.
I hosted a home show for over $550.
I took November off.
I took my PartyLite business seriously and it changed my outcomes for the better.
I attended the Rainbows and Sparklers Unit Meeting at Ange's on Wednesday, November 25th.
I did what I usually do and I got the results I expected.
I sold more this month than I've ever sold in a month before.
I made $1000 to buy presents for my family for Christmas.
I brought three people to Wendy's Monday Info Nights and two of them booked starter shows.

Me? I will achieve 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11.

How do I know I will achieve them? Why aren't I saying that I'll try to achieve them? After all, it's only November 2, so how could I possibly know that I will achieve them?

Do you believe I'll achieve them?

I bet you do. I bet you believe in me. You know that I set goals and then work to achieve them.

If I were to miss my goals, I could have plenty of excuses on the ready for not achieving them. I'm going on a week long vacation that is taking 2 weekends out of my available November dates. I have 2 gigs on Saturday nights. I have housework and shopping and rehearsals and practice and workouts and new consultant training and Copper's physical therapy (my dog who is rehabilitating from being hit by a car in late August) and, and, and....

But I choose to plan around those things. To know that they will be happening. To work my PartyLite business into my life.

You have a busy life, too. So pick a few statements from my list above and make them fit into your life this month. Or make up your own. You will do it if you set the goal and then do it. Just don't try to do it. Make it happen.

Advertisement: Please visit my revamped website about profitable party planning. With the content there, next year I'm publishing an e-book about how to run a profitable party plan business. I'd love your input and feedback as I publish articles.

How to Host a Home Show

2009-09-19T13:37:00.005+10:00

Here are some simple tips and alternatives for hosting a show at your house.

Have a show regularly - I suggest once a month. Set the date one month ahead of time.
Keep track of who you invite - Put a piece of paper into your purse to keep track of who you've invited. As you invite people, add their name and phone number to this list.
Invite people - Write out or print 30 invitations and have them in your purse. Give these invitations out liberally to people you meet/run into in the course of your daily routines. Make more if you need to. Keep track of who you give these to on your list.
Invite more people - Promote the home show at your other shows. "I live in [suburb name] and I'll be hosting a show on the 23rd. You are all welcome to come and to bring a friend. Please let me know if you'd like a card with the details." Keep track of who takes one on your list.
Invite even more people - Make the home show a part of your client calls "I'm calling to see how you are enjoying the products you bought and to let you know that I'm hosting a show on the 23rd for people who can't make it to a show this month." Send reminder cards to people who respond well and keep track of interested clients on your list.
Outside orders - Take orders over the course of the month and add them to the show.
Remind people - One day before the show, call (and/or email and/or SMS) to remind everyone on your list about the show. Remind them to bring friends. Note if they are planning to come. Calling will give you the best results.
Reason to come - Let people know that you usually only bring 10 items to a show, but when they come to your home, they can see everything you have.
Reason to come - Hold a raffle for anyone who orders and give the winner $50 in free products or a $50 GC. (Buy the GC out of the product credit you earn from the show. You can have as many winners as you want based on the sales at the show.)
Make it beautiful - Plan time to clean up the house and to set up displays.
Follow-up - Contact people who you thought would come, but who didn't. Tell them you're sorry they couldn't make it and ask if they want to add anything to the order.
Follow-up - Contact those who did and let them know that the order has been placed and should arrive in the next three weeks. Let them know you will contact them when the products arrive to orgainse delivery or pickup.

Show Option - start at a specific time

Introductions are really important since guests are not likely to know each other.
USE THE CARDS at the show. Promote the hostess benefits. Promote the business opportunity. Promote the specials and promotions.

Open House Option - suggest 2 hour window only

Invite couples. Ask your partner and/or a friend to help host.
Let conversations occur naturally but as you move from group to group, direct conversations to candles - ask people what they like. Offer candle advice (3-5-7, Snip, Snuff, Hug, Show it Off) to people as you chat with them. Ask if they want to buy now or host a show and get it for free.

The key is to promote your home show to lots of people. You have to keep a list of who you've invited and I highly recommend that you call each person the day before to remind them and to let them know that they can bring a friend.

Benefits to your business

If you do this regularly (monthly or at least quarterly), you will become a better hostess coach. You will be able to articulate the benefit of inviting people personally, sending reminder cards, and doing follow-up calls.

Another benefit is that you will always have a reason to talk to people about your candle business.

And of course, you will increase your commissions. You will promote the host benefits and get more shows. Even if people don't buy immediately, you are promoting your business.

No matter how many people come, be professional. Network well. Enjoy the event.

Do you have other ideas for home shows? Please share them with us.

Make it a great day! WLC.

Building a Network

2009-09-11T14:09:00.004+10:00

If you are in your Brite Start period (or if you're thinking about starting up again), you should read the latest blog from Seth Godin. It's worth reading. Why? Because the circles he refers to are exactly the circles (i.e. networks) we need to build.

You simply must build a network away from your initial FRANK list to make this business work.

I liken it to growing a tree.

"Plant a seed, grow a strong root system, feed your tree well, and watch the new branches grow, the leaves sprout, and the trunk get stronger and stronger every year."

Make it a great day! WLC.

Weekly Goals

2009-09-04T15:11:00.004+10:00

Our specials and our profit plan emphasize monthly plans and end of month deadlines. As a result, I think we slack off a bit at the beginning of each month because we think we have heaps of time left.... I know I do.

So starting now, I'm setting weekly goals and work to weekly and even daily plans.

Next week my goals are to do 2-3 shows, to hold 2-3 information appointments, to contact 10 consultants on my team, to keep track of my business income and expenditures, and to contact all my clients who took delivery of their items this week.

You can see that these goals now enable me to make a to do list. I think it'll drive my business forward more than monthly goals.

What are your weekly goals? Don't have any? Well, maybe that's goal #1. Get to it....

Free Six Show Trial

2009-08-27T14:31:00.003+10:00

Hello. At the Annual Conference earlier this month, I listened intently as successful people shared their successful activities with everyone. Words are so important. I'd like to share the words I found most exhilarating.

"Our Free Six Show Trial"

WOW! Those words are powerful to me. They capture the element of no monetary investment and they overcome feelings of long-term commitment by limiting the effort to six shows.

"If you've been looking for an opportunity to make some extra money, but
don't know if the party plan business is for you, just try our free six show
trial. Host a show where I present, and organise 6 shows for yourself. If you
find you don't like the business after the six shows, simply let me know and
I'll work with you to transition your customers to another consultant. Whether
you stay or go, you get to keep the starter kit. Watch what I do today. It's
fun, easy, and free to start with our six show trial."

And that's all there is to it. Using this introduction, I actually see multiple people nodding at the prospect. Those are my leads. I then do the show, learn more about them, and as I take their order, I invite them to meet me for an information appointment later.

At the information appointment I read the 10 Reasons to Discover PartyLite brochure to them. Yes, literally. I read it to them. I also bring a New Consultant Agreement with me and hand it to them once I get to the back cover. It's the first step listed, so I offer for them to sign it.

"Why not?"

That's what I've heard from a few people I've talked to. Now I that feels good.

Be confident. Be proud. Be generous. Be strong. You simply need to be consistent and persistent. You can do it!

Paraffin Wax

2009-08-21T17:25:00.004+10:00

Did you see the article about paraffin wax in the Thursday Telegraph? I actually had a client call me on Thursday morning to tell me about it. I didn't panic. I hope you didn't either.

Be in the know and you will be able to handle customer questions, concerns, and challenges. I implore you not to argue with clients. Inform them. Here is some official information I have just received from PartyLite. I encourage you to read it thoroughly and make sure you understand it. You don't need to know the science. You need to know the right words if questions come up.

We had a few queries about the article in "The Telegraph" which stated the following:

"Burning candles made from paraffin wax –– the most common kind used to infuse rooms with romantic ambiance, warmth, light, and fragrance –– is an unrecognized source of exposure to indoor air pollution, including the known human carcinogens, scientists are reporting. Levels can build up in closed rooms, and be reduced by ventilation, they indicated. The researchers say said that that candles made from bee's wax or soy, although more expensive, apparently are healthier. "

Toxins are emitted from all burning things. Paraffin and soy release almost exactly the same ingredients in the same amount when burned. The amount of toxins released by a candle are far below any level that is a concern to health. A study conducted on behalf of all the candle associations in the world demonstrated that fact. The summary of the report can be found at: http://www..kerzentest.de/eci/pdf/Oekometric-Wax-1797_NCA_NL_42908.pdf

My presentation (and my candle burning habits) will change very little as a result of the article. I hope you will call me if you are uncomfortable in addressing this issue so you can develop your own words with truth and confidence.

Happy (and healthy) burning! WLC.

Once You Get On a Roll....

2009-08-21T16:52:00.003+10:00

Wow. I've just been making some calls to invite clients to our upcoming Decorate Celebrate Illuminate night (I'm calling it our Customer Appreciation Night). What a pleasure it's been.

It's interesting, isn't it? The feeling of inviting someone to an event where it's all about them has made these calls easy. I feel like I'm giving back a small bit to people who have given me so much.

I'm calling to invite you to the launch of our supplemental summer/holiday catalogue. It's an opportunity for you to see all of the new product ranges. We're offering champagne on arrival and we'll have some fantastic raffle prizes to raise money for Children's Hospital Foundations Australia. No formal presentations, just tables of beautiful products and an opportunity to see them all live and in person. Would you like me to send you some tickets for you and a friend?

The response is quite good. Much, much better than I've ever gotten with my emails and post. Even written invitations didn't get as good a response as I'm getting now.

And you know what? I'm enjoying making the calls. I've developed a pattern and have a process so I know who I've called and what my action is. It's working!

I have hundreds of clients, so this will take me awhile. I want to have all of these calls done by next Wednesday and then I'll prepare my reminder SMS for the day before the event and the day of.

I hope I've inspired you. Call me if you want to know my process - it's working a treat. :) WLC.

An Invitation

2009-08-20T09:38:00.004+10:00

Hello my fellow consultants. I would like to invite you to view and subscribe to another website I publish: Profitable Party Plan. After over four years in party plan and with all of the research I do on this business, I've decided to share some general information about how to actually make money in the party plan industry.

Whether you call it Direct Marketing, Direct Selling, Multi-Level Marketing, or Party Plan, I think our industry has a haphazard reputation and I'd like to do something about it.

So please have a look at the site (it's pretty new) and if you're interested in viewing the content as I add it, I suggest you subscribe to that site, too.

Here's my tagline for that site:

Wendy Lloyd Curley is an Expert in Profitable Party Planning

www.profitablepartyplan.com

Oh No, She's Got a Video Camera!

2009-08-19T17:08:00.001+10:00

How to be a Unit Leader in 2 Months

2009-08-14T12:19:00.004+10:00

Want to be a Unit Leader? Are you impatient? Me too. So here is an easy formula to get you there fast.

Hold 8+ shows this month (you now have 8 immediate leads and 80 guests who might be leads)

Invite all leads to information appointments this month (using the new 10 Reasons to Discover PartyLite brochure - invite your hosts to meet with you before their shows)

Submit 2 starter shows this month

Participate in Start With Success Training with your new Consultants and your Leader (train all starters to be active and to sponsor one person per month)

Hold 8+ shows next month (you now have another 8 immediate leads and 80 guests who might be leads)

Invite all leads to information appointments next month (using the new 10 Reasons to Discover PartyLite brochure - invite all of your hosts to meet with you before their shows)

Submit 2 starter shows next month

Assist both of your new consultants from Month 1 in submitting (at least) one starter show

Participate in Start With Success Training with your new Consultants and your Leader (train all starters to be active and to sponsor one person per month)

Desired result in month 2:

You achieve $2800+ in sales.

You have 4 personally sponsored consultants.

You have 6 active consultants ($900+ in sales, 4 of whom must be qualified, i.e. $2000+ in total sales).

Official result: you are promoted to Unit Leader on the 1st of the next month!

Want my help to get there? Set up a weekly coaching call.

Why the Tree?

The tree represents your business. The roots represent your strength, your support, your effort, your discipline. The trunk represents your income. The branches and leaves represent your downline. Plant a seed, grow a strong root system, feed your tree well, and watch the new branches grow, the leaves sprout, and the trunk get stronger and stronger every year.

With consistency, persistence, and discipline, we can all be RVPs!

Add it up!

2009-08-12T08:51:00.004+10:00

Vietnam! Have you looked at the website for the hotel we'll be staying in? Go on. Have a look. There's music on the site, so if you're in an office, you might turn down the volume.

Some of you are looking at the website and saying, "I wish I could go, but I won't get there." And with an attitude like that, you're right.

So change your attitude. :)

Take Some Action

I've been making calls for our September 1st Decorate, Celebrate, Illuminate product launch at Parramatta RSL. Some are very excited - I'm sending them tickets. Most people I call cannot come, but they want to see the new catalogue. For VIPs, I'm posting them out liberally, and for other clients I'm suggesting that they host a show so I can send them a hostess pack with both catalogues. I'm also inviting them to my own home show later this month. (If they insist, I'm sending them a catalogue, too, but you can bet that I'm keeping track of them and will follow up in a week or two to get either a show or an order.)

But here's the cool thing. I'm also taking orders.

"I've been meaning to call you" or, "I was thinking about you the other day" are words I've heard from lots of clients. Thank goodness I called them!

But none of them needed $150 worth. What was I to do?

One solution: Three clients all needed tealights in one suburb, so you know what I did? I submitted the $174 order and gave the product credit to one lucky lady who will be receiving the delivery. That's my way of paying her for calling the other two and arranging pickup.

Another solution: I'll put in an order myself and deliver the items over a fortnight. Some people might come to me to pick up the orders. Regardless, I'll give great customer service and hopefully get some good face to face time with clients I wouldn't have gotten to see otherwise. I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

The best part is that I've got happy clients. The second best part is that I get double points for Vietnam in August, so I've just gotten another 348 points. Yippee! It all adds up!

I think I'll go make more calls.... Tạm biệt! ("Bye for now!")

Conference Reflections

2009-08-10T14:20:00.006+10:00

You can click on these pictures to see them in bigger sizes. Then hit your "back" button to return to the article.

Every year that I attend PartyLite's Annual Conference, I am inspired by the stories from my peers and amazed by the generosity of the company. Not particularly for the free products that we receive (though bringing home over $400 of products from the new catalogue will help my business a lot), but for the information and inspiration that they shower upon us. I don't usually take many notes, I prefer to listen closely and let it all sink in. Here are a few things I remember very clearly because they were so powerful that I wrote them down.

1. Eliana had five show tips for us as we launch the supplementary catalogue with the everyday: (1) keep it simple (perfect 10), (2) use three placemat settings, (3) display in simple groups representing about $150 in product each, (4) show off our product versatility wherever possible, and (5) use your display to emphasise the hostess benefits.

2. Dracy took it one step further. Offer our beautiful products at full price. Offer each setting to future hosts who want to collect the whole table for free by hosting 3-4 shows. And offer impatient people (who want it all now) the opportunity to do a six show trial and get the whole table full for free. That was a WOW for me and I'm going to say something like that at every show.

3. Duplication is the key to succeeding grandly in this business. If you sponsor 1 person this month, and if she and you both sponsor one person in September, and if the four of you sponsor one person in October, and if the eight of you sponsor one in November, and if the 16 of you sponsor one person in December, and if the 32 of you sponsor one person in January, and if the 64 of you sponsor one person in February.... Well, you can see the power of duplication. Not only would you have an impressive downline, you would be a Unit Leader, you would be earning your personal commission and 6 % of what your downline sells, and surely 5 of your personal sponsors would have qualified in their first business month, so you would have lots of points to go to Vietnam. You would indeed be succeeding grandly.

I read my Reflections from cover to cover last night. You should get it early this week. Janelle has written some great training inside. The back cover has an article by Debbie Phoenix that all of us should read several times. Debbie is an inspiration. I am so happy that she shares her ideas and her knowledge so freely with everyone.

The Rainbows Unit has plenty to be proud of. Eliana gave us some regional recognition that, to be honest, surprised and delighted me. We had the highest regional sales and the highest regional sponsoring of all the Units under Eliana. We even beat Eliana's Unit, Ignite, which is the first time that has ever happened. I am so proud of the Rainbows and so happy that our successes have been recognised. There are beautiful awards filling up my new office. And plenty more to come, I'm sure!

Each year, the Butterfly Ceremony is a special tradition for new Unit Leaders. I was honoured to escort Nicole to the stage and to light her Unit Leader candle. It would make me incredibly proud to do the same for every member of the Rainbows. Leadership with PartyLite can make you as happy, proud, and financially independent as I am... and more.

Our guest speaker, Lisa McInnis-Smith, was an absolute show-stealer. Her messages to us were ones we can and will take into our daily lives as women, wives, mothers, employees, and PartyLite Consultants. If she sold DVDs of her presentations, I'd buy them to share with you all. I sincerely hope that you get to see her one day. Everyone could use a little Lisa!

So I'm back on the ground and putting my nose to the grindstone. August has brought me a new catalogue, double points for Vietnam, cool candle weather, and a heap of new words and ideas for shows. I'm going to make that call everyday and grow my business. If RVP is the place to be, I want to be there. And if I have to put a date on it, why not make it there within 12 months? Well there, I've done it. I've put it in writing. I know where I'm going. Who's coming with me? :)

Letter to New Consultants

2009-07-21T12:30:00.003+10:00

Congratulations on booking your starter show! I’m looking forward to coming to your starter show on [date] at [time]. You are joining a fantastic team of consultants, selling a respected range of products, with a company that offers unlimited income opportunity, exceptional rewards and recognition, and unparalleled support. PartyLite is a great business.

Just a reminder about some of the benefits of being a PartyLite consultant:

Unlimited income opportunity
No cost to join – just host a $550 or higher starter show
Paid on-the-job training at your first six shows
Free new consultant training (NCT)
No deliveries
Online ordering and reporting
Monthly training and support meetings
No boss – you’re in charge
Great support - your sponsor and your unit leader are available to train, coach, and reward you
Great product discounts

How to prepare for your starter show:

Schedule NCT with your sponsor and your unit leader. (You should do NCT as soon as you can after scheduling your starter show.)

Organise your show planner. Make up a calendar for the month of your starter show and next month. Make sure to block out family time, training dates, and other commitments first. Then highlight the days you are available to work.

Treat your starter show like a grand opening. Make a list of all the people you want to come. Call each person on that list and let them know you are sending them an invitation. Share with them how important it is to you for them to be there. Ask them if they know someone you don’t know who should be invited. Write out some blank invitations and keep them in your purse to hand out when you see people. Restock when you need to (your leader can provide you with more invitations).

Do call first to make it personal
Do follow-up with an invitation via post
Do follow-up with an invitation via email
Do not use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace – these are not personal

Collect RSVPs and keep a list of who’s coming.

Offer presents to people who bring guests (one for them and one for the guest)
Encourage “party crashers” (extra guests)

If people can’t make it.

Invite them to come over, browse the catalogue, and pre-order. Use the one on one time to share your excitement about starting and to ask for their referrals.
Let them know that you want to set up at least 6 training shows. Invite them to host a show themselves. Tell them that most hosts receive at least $150 in free products.
Invite them to your follow-up launch. I strongly recommend you set up another show on a different day of the week a couple of weeks after your starter show.

Don’t over cater! Candle shows are social, fun, and informative. Depending on the time of the show, your guests might just like a drink and a light snack. Most of the time, coffee, tea, and a plate of biscuits is all that is needed. Or maybe a bottle of wine with some cheese and crackers. It doesn’t need to be extravagant... the candles will be.

Ask a friend to help you host the party. Part of your training is to watch me do the show. A friend who can get drinks, answer the door, or get food out of the oven for you will be very helpful.

Call your sponsor or your leader whenever you have questions – we’re here to help!

My biggest hint: First call people to invite them. Then send the invitation.
Please do come to our unit meeting on [date and time]. It’s at [location]. For NCT, please let me know if you can do [small selection of dates and times] [include location].

Welcome to the team! WLC.

Make that call (again)

2009-07-21T07:39:00.004+10:00

Here it is Tuesday morning. You were diligent over the weekend and called ten clients. Only three of them answered the phone. The rest you left messages for. Did the messages sound something like, "Just calling to see how you are enjoying your candles. Please call me if you need anything." Or maybe you got one of those cool (annoying) phone recordings that will leave your callback number if you wait until after the beep. Surely the person you called will phone you back if they are interested....

The cold hard truth is that you need to call those seven people back.

My husband taught me a very valuable lesson about a month ago. It's been really liberating for me. He told me that a good salesperson always takes the action to get back to the customer.

Sorry I missed you today. I am calling you to see how you are enjoying your candles. I'll call you back later in the week.
I'm so proud of you for lighting them and enjoying them. I'll call you next month with our specials and to see if you need any more.
Sure, I'll pop a catalogue into the mail for you today. I'll call you on the weekend.
Please read the information in this sponsoring pack. I'll call you tomorrow to answer any questions you may have.

I'll call you. I'll call you. I'll call you. I'll call you.

It's simply not their job to call us back. And that's why they don't.

Some of you are reading this and thinking that you will feel like a stalker. That if you have called someone 4 times and they haven't called you back then it indicates that they don't want anything. But that's simply not true.

You are a sales person. Our calls are easy. You are calling people you've met. People who've spent money with you. People who are either burning their candles and loving them, burning their candles and disappointed in something, people who gave candles away as a gift, or people who haven't opened the boxes yet.

My inspiration for this article was another brilliant post from Seth Godin. The little shovel is our phone calls. The bigger shovel is when we sponsor people.

So, this week, go back to your list and make that call (again).

Celebrating Success

2009-07-09T13:41:00.004+10:00

Note: This site was down this morning. I'm not sure what happened, but I've corrected it (I hope).

I wanted to share this photograph with you. From left to right it is Angela, me, Eliana, and Nicole. We were at last month's Sydney Business Development Training hosted by Janelle. We were celebrating my friend Nicole's promotion to Unit Leader and my promotion to Senior Unit Leader. Angela (in case you don't know) is my best friend, upline, and she sponsored me. And Eliana is our friend, mentor, upline, and PartyLite Australia's Business Development Manager for NSW and ACT.

We make a great team! Thanks for being a part of it with us. Feel free to join us in leadership; this is the best job in the world. :)

Happy burning! WLC.

PartyLite USA

2009-07-08T11:25:00.003+10:00

Hi. Occasionally I have a look at the PartyLite USA website. There are some really neat features that the PartyLite USA consultants have access to. Things like their own personal websites that fit in with the overall PartyLite brand image. I hope we get those someday.

I also know that there is some online training available in the US. The PartyLite Australia leader team has been briefed on this training and we hope it will be customised to our market and launched to us in the next few months. I expect we'll have a few surprises released at our conference training. Fingers crossed!

There are also some really neat online modules that cover the PartyLite USA opportunity. Unfortunately they are not tailored to the Aussie market, but they still pack a powerful punch. If you are looking for some inspiration about why PartyLite is still the right path for you, or if you are looking for some support as you discuss the incredible PartyLite opportunity with others, this website (http://usolc.partylite.com/Stage/Opportunity/) might have some things on it that you like. Click around on it and watch a few videos. They are all short and sweet.

Happy burning! WLC.

Do You Love Your PartyLite Business?

2009-07-06T10:17:00.006+10:00

Would you be happy to shout about it from the rooftops?

I know I would. In fact, I do. And I thought you might be interested to see what other candle ladies are saying about their experience with PartyLite.

Jan Joined us in March and has this to say:

I am so excited about where I am now! I didn’t realise how much I needed this change in my life, but after being in the same job area for 36 years it is a breath of fresh air. I was aware this direction was totally outside my comfort zone but now I am so glad I rose to the challenge, finding myself in a far better place.

I cannot believe it is not that long ago I started. I am proud of myself for forging ahead, appreciative of the confidence others have in me helping me take each step as it comes. I will continue to learn about the business and about myself as a person and about my hidden abilities now blossoming!

I am enjoying the journey, meeting such lovely people along the way in both PartyLite and at my shows. At last I so enjoy going to work and I look forward to building a ‘bright’ future in the wonderful world of candles.

Jan W 6/7/09

What is is about this business that has made you a better person? Do you have a similar story to tell? Why not write to me and I'll publish your story, too. Let's start a wave! WLC.

How to Sell Our Amazing July Specials

2009-07-03T15:22:00.005+10:00

At our Unit Meeting several really good questions came up.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

What fragrances are in the three holiday mini barrel jar sets? The Answer:

Holiday 07 (Item 26) Iced Snowberries, Frosted Pines, Glowing Embers
Holiday 08 (Item #27) Sparkling Amber, Black Orchid, Mistletoe Kisses

TEA FOR TWO

A few of you asked me if I would share my little Tea For Two brochure with you. Hopefully I've figured out how to attach it here well enough for you. You can make your own or just use the Tea For Two coupons.

ESSENTIAL OILS

We discussed essential oils. I have followed up with Eliana on this and she reports back:

I have spoken to the office and they stated that we don’t mention essential oils for any of our Wellbeing or Fresh Home. It’s stated they are exclusive oils in the catalogue.

So please use the words "exclusive oils" in all instances.

30 % HOSTESS CREDIT

How impressive is 30% host credit? Maybe not as impressive as our hosts getting an average of $230 in free products! Yes, the Rainbows have a $600 show average, so on average our hosts will get $600 x 30% PLUS the $50 hostess voucher.

Hi, it's Wendy the Candle Lady calling. On average my hosts will get $230 in free PartyLite products just for hosting a show in July. I have a couple of dates left, should we get the girls together for our Christmas in July specials?

Ok, now it's time for me to MAKE THAT CALL for real. See you later. Happy burning! WLC.

Win Long Term Clients by Doing Simple Things

2009-06-30T10:39:00.005+10:00

UPDATED TO INCREASE THE DELIVERY TIME TO 2-3 WEEKS.

I collect email addresses from more than half of my clients. Diligently, I add that information to my client database on the CBC. Candle Connection has been good for my business. It's a great talking point. I know it works.

But I've been missing out on a golden opportunity. Using that email address one time at the beginning to establish a better relationship with my clients from the start. Many of you may already do this. For me - it feels silly that it's taken me so long to think of it.

The email is below for your perusal. I will send it to every new client I add to my database. I'll customise it each time, of course, but I thought you might want to see it, and maybe comment if you have suggestions. If this is successful, and if I'm really diligent, I might actually see if sending snail mail equivalents to people who don't use email is worthwhile. I might test that on a few people this month....

Here's to your success! Cheers and happy burning, WLC.

Hello. Thank you very much for coming to XXXXX’s candle party. I wanted to send you this email so that you have my email and phone contact details as well as some important information.

Delivery
The order will be delivered to XXXXX directly and she will contact you to organize pick-up or delivery. I processed the order today, so it should be delivered to her in 2-3 weeks. Please contact me immediately if there are any problems with your order as I do want you to be 100% satisfied. Remember that we have a 90 day limit on returns or exchanges.

Candle Care
If you have any trouble with your candles or forget any of the tips I gave you, feel free to contact me. I love to help.

How to Reorder
When you need more candles or if you decide you want more things you can call me to order. I take a lot of orders over the phone. If you collect $150 in orders I’ll give you a 15% more in free products. If you collect $400 in orders, I’ll give you 20% more. Of course, having a party yourself is the most fun, best value, and I do the work instead of you. When you host a $400+ show, not only do you get the 20% more for free, but you also get a $50 voucher. On average my hosts get over $150 in free products at every show.

How to Become an Independent PartyLite Consultant
If you want to know anything at all about my business or how you might be able to start your own, please just let me know. I’d love to share what I know with you. This business is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It could be for you, too. There’s no harm in asking questions. Let me buy you a coffee and let’s have a chat.

Candle Connection
To keep you informed, I will send you a monthly email called Candle Connection. This email comes out every 28th of the month and it includes links to all our new specials and promotions. When you get it, if you see something you like, please give me a call! If you change email addresses, just send me a note and I’ll update your address.
Thanks for letting me be your candle lady! Happy burning!
WLC.

Is This Business Really Just All About Numbers?

2009-06-19T09:43:00.007+10:00

"It's a numbers game."

That's what many people will tell you about the party plan business. Even I have said this at Unit Meetings, to my husband, or at a training session.

But it's wrong.

This business is all about relationships. It's all about being human. It's about touching a person and making a difference in her life. It might not be a monumental difference, though sometimes it is, but simply teaching someone who doesn't light candles to light the candles she already has... well, that is a real a breakthrough.

Mass marketing is all about numbers, and party plan is definitely not about mass marketing. PartyLite is no exception.

So why do people (even me) sometimes say it's a numbers game? Well, one customer won't make this into a business. To be successful, you need to develop long-lasting relationships with a lot of people. Some will become your favourite customers. Some will decide to become consultants themselves. Some will call you when they tell friends about PartyLite because they are excited to help you. Some will write you emails when they get Candle Connection just to say hi.

Some will order once and never be heard from again. Why? Because you don't have a relationship with them. You didn't connect.

Here are a few thoughts:

Emails, facebook, and websites don't form relationships. They are simply a one way form of communication and they are probably not even close to the first priority of your clients. Use them as talking points only.
Clients don't get action items. Always (always) be the person getting back to them. Unless they ask you not to contact them, it is your responsibility to get back to them. Successful sales people never leave a conversation without taking an action item.
Be personal, but don't take "no" personally. In fact, turn it around in your mind. "No" simply means that they are happy with their current situation. So, if a client doesn't want to have a party or to order the June specials, that means she is happy now. It doesn't mean you shouldn't ask her again in July.

Instead of thinking about this business as a "numbers game," think of it as a way to meet more and more people. You are asking people who you connect with to introduce you to their FRANK list. That list is sacred and important. Treat every client individually, professionally, with kindness, and as a person, not a number, and your business is sure to grow.

What Goes Around...

2009-06-16T18:13:00.006+10:00

Hello! In May, I earned $4,347.50. Yay for me, but why am I telling you this?

Fulfilling a Promise

You might remember that in March and April, when I knew I needed shows in May because of my travels, I promised to give 10 percent of my earnings to the McGrath Foundation. Since my friend Lisa passed away, I have been a big supporter of any organisation that benefits people and families affected with breast cancer or any group that works to get us closer to a cure. I figured I could do a good thing and fill up my calendar.

So I am exposing my income to you and the world, so that I can shout from the rooftops that I have sent the McGrath Foundation a donation for $434.75. I've never donated that much to a single organisation at one time. It feels great!

Food For Thought

For those who think PartyLite is only a hobby, I have news for you: you can and will make lots of money at PartyLite if you follow your leader. It might not happen overnight, but it can happen quickly. Over time, if you just keep your store open, your business will grow if you simply follow your leader. Do shows, make calls, offer the opportunity, and give great customer service and you will build yourself a great little business.

Imagine what $1,000 a month would do for you. Now imagine what $4,000 a month would do for you. What about $10,000 a month? The best part is that there is no limit. The other best part is that you don't have to give up anything else to do this. Your family can remain a priority. Your other job can remain a priority. Spending time with your friends can remain a priority. Do PartyLite when you want to.

Be Unselfish!

This is not about me, and growing your own business is not all about you. It's all about unselfishly sharing our great products, our incredible hostess benefits, and our unlimited, flexible, free, fun, amazing consultant opportunity. Give it all away with passion. Share all of what you already have.

Now is always the time to talk about the business opportunity. Always aim to bring a guest to your Unit Meeting and let them see the camaraderie, the training, the rewards, the recognition, and the benefits of being with PartyLite!

And when you can, give a little. 'Cause what goes around....

Happy Burning! WLC.

Aloha

2009-06-09T13:17:00.004+10:00

Last August at Conference, Angela and I were in the audience at our Gala Dinner when they announced that the incentive trip destination was going to be Hawaii. I'd already made up my mind to go. It didn't matter where we were going or when. I was going to go. The moment that Hawaii was announced, I started singing, "We're going to Hawaii! We're going to Hawaii!..." It wasn't a question... it was a statement.

The picture to the right is Angela and me in our Mustang Convertible on our day trip around the island of Oahu. What a great day. What a great holiday.

There is nothing I would love more than to have you come with me to our next destination.

On August 8, 2009 we will find out where and when our next incentive trip is. The points required, the way to earn points, and the terms and conditions will all be revealed. But you don't have to wait until the announcement to prepare. You just have to build your business.

Do YOU want to go?

If you do, my strongest recommendation is for you to build your business now. Have a strong June, book for a strong July, then pack August and September with bookings. We don't know what the contest dates or requirements will be, but it really doesn't matter. You'll be better placed for the incentive trip if you simply build your business now.

Practice sponsoring now. You will certainly have to sponsor in order to earn the trip, so give it a go now and see how easy it is once you start. Simply offer the opportunity at every show. The seeds you plant now may be the ones that bloom for you later. Inspire others to start their own PartyLite business.

Basically, I'm telling each and every one of you that I guarantee that you can achieve this. If any other business you've been in offered you a free overseas trip just for doing your job, you'd do it. So if you want to go.... just do it.

Dream it. Believe it. You will achieve it!

Free Brochure: PartyLite Featured In...

2009-05-22T14:26:00.005+10:00

Hi. If you click on the image to the right you will be able to download the brochure created for us by Jan (click download, then print, you can change settings to eliminate the header and footer if you want - or use scissors like I did). I am going to print this, laminate it, and bring it to my shows to brag about our great publicity.

Happy burning! Yay Jan! WLC.

How to Win Customers for Life

2009-05-04T10:11:00.005+10:00

Hi. I received this email from fellow Rainbow, Shell. There's really nothing I need to add - this is gold. One RMC point for you Shell!

Just a note re: the importance of customer care calls. We talked about it on Wednesday – but WOW, did I get a kick up the butt last night to make more of them.

September last year, customer bought Reed Diffuser from show.
November I did a customer care call and she said she was not happy with it as she couldn’t smell it. We worked out it was next to an open window. Customer moved RD and was very happy with performance.

Anyway, I saw her at a show last night – she said she loved it, raved to others how long it lasted, how I helped her work out the placement of it (ie, away from open window), and how she wanted to buy a refill.

She later said to me how much she appreciated that customer care call last year, because she was dissatisfied with the RD before my call. She said she came to show last night, because I had given her a call to check if products are OK.

I don’t make enough time available for these customer care calls – how vital they are for our businesses – how many customers do we have who may be disgruntled and a simple call can change everything for them (and us).

I have asked this customer for a show several times, but at the end of last night, she is now booking her own show.

Building rapport through customer care calls builds our businesses and our reputations as “The Candle Lady”.

Shell

Well said. Congratulations!

Success stories in May... yes... already!

2009-05-04T09:45:00.004+10:00

Hi. The May specials are already having an amazing impact on the Rainbows. Here are a few excerpts from the emails I've gotten this weekend.

"WOW is what I have to say about the guest promotion had four customers jump at the offer and sales went to 856.25 and now have 3 more parties to go at the moment for May"

"I managed to put together a show myself without leaving home over the weekend for $777.45."

"I CANT BELIEVE IT 3 SHOWS DONE ON THE 1ST OF MAY TOTAL COMP SALES $1894.45."

These ladies simply got behind the 7 for $77 guest special. They made calls. They got excited. They sent out email and they made that call to follow up!

As a result, here it is on Monday morning and we already have over $10,000 in sales. You know we can do it - let's be record breakers!

May Sales End on May 29th

Please don't forget that for bonusing and activity qualification, the month ends on the last business day of the month. So this month will end at midnight on Friday, May 29th. Any shows submitted after that will count for June.

One Page Flyer for the Extra Specials

You can click the flyer above and download the full size flyer, created by fellow Rainbow, Jan, for the additional items listed on the CBC. Thanks to Jan and Michelle for making this flyer. I used it this weekend and it was very successful.

Happy Burning!

CBC Outage Next Week

2009-04-24T15:55:00.003+10:00

On Wednesday May 6, 2009 there will be an outage lasting from 7 am until 5 pm.

Have a good last weekend in April. What a month! Remember: to get the 3-5-7 Wax promotion you need to have your $550 April shows in by midnight on the 30th of April.

That's all I've got. :)

Need Some Bookings?

2009-04-14T10:52:00.005+10:00

You can probably tell from my results in Reflections that I consistently have 8-12 shows in my monthly diary. Getting bookings with that sort of a show schedule is pretty easy. But what if you don't have as many shows as you need and you want to get some more? Well, here are my top booking hints:

1. Always, always have your diary with you. Even if you simply carry around one page with this month and next month filled in, it is really important to be able to show your potential hosts your schedule. Have a pencil with you! No one should be scared to pencil in an appointment. It's much easier to reschedule a penciled in appointment than to book a show later.

2. Always, always have your booking voucher book with you. My personal goal is to give away one entire book every month. I give them away at shows, I include them in hostess packs, I give them to nice people I meet. I mail them to people who booked last year and who didn't end up having the party.

3. Answer the question, “What do you do?” with a happy compilation of what you do. If you don't mention that you're a candle lady, how will they know? If you come across as negative about it, how interested will they be? If you are happy, up-beat, and proud of it, your good vibes will be felt! Here are some examples. Do you say something different and have you found it to be effective? Please share your answer with us here as a comment.

I’m a full time mom and I sell candles at home shows twice a week.
I’m a nurse by day and a PartyLite Consultant by night.
I sell the best candles in the world.
I give away candles.

4. Give interesting people a tealight and tell them you want to know what they think. Get their number so you can call them to ask. This takes practice. You simply have to follow up to get it to pay off. Be confident about the quality that you are representing and be genuine in your desire to hear what they think.

5. Book your own show and invite people to it. If they can’t make it, give them a $50 voucher to host their own. I do this all the time. At least 6 times per year. Last Thursday, I got 2 bookings and I sold over $400 worth of candles while catching up with people I truly like. What a great way to spend an evening.

6. Definitely register for Candle Connection. Make it a priority to get your client email addresses so they can see what our specials are each month. If you didn’t get the email address at the show, what a great reason to give them a call.

7. Get on the phone and make customer service calls. This is the number one way to keep up with your clients. Emails don't do it. SMSs don't do it. Wishing they'd call you is a pipe dream. Just pick up the phone and call. There is no bad time. Always ask them if it's a good time to talk. Actually, I don't ask that - I ask if it's a bad time. If they say no, I keep my pitch short and sweet and get straight to the point. (Great. I'm calling you because...) If they say it is a bad time, I ask what time I should call them back. There are heaps of reasons to call your clients. Confirm their email address, point out the hostess specials, tell them about some guest specials, tell them you are putting in an order and thought they might need a top up by now, invite them to a Unit Meeting so they can learn more about the business, follow-up because they were interested in booking a show. Don't be afraid to ask for referrals on these calls.

8. Simplify your shows. Make them fun for you to do, easy for hosts to host, and fun for guests to attend. If it all looks to hard, then it probably is.

9. Don’t get stressed when people say no. In fact, give them an opportunity to say no. Don't make them feel guilted into having a show. Make them feel comfortable. If they say no, thank them. Here's a cold, hard fact: You should feel absolutely fantastic if you get 2 YES responses out of 10 calls. And once more, you should feel absolutely great about the 8 NO answers because they represent you giving great customer service. If you are only getting 1 YES out of 10 calls, then you just need to practice more. If you are getting 3 YES out of 10 calls, you need to train us all on how you get those results!

10. Follow up bookings you do get with great hostess coaching. Hostess coaching is so important. You are the pep team for your hostess. You need her to feel motivated and happy even as she gets rejections from her group of friends. Make sure everyone feels like this is a social event with a great product and that it will be fun. Remind your host of that. Keep her interested in you and your business. Make sure she knows you care about the outcome as much as she does.

One last suggestion... unless it is really a burden (e.g. heaps of kilometres away), don't cancel a show because of a small turnout. The host might call to say that she thinks she should cancel because she only has 3-4 people coming. I have found this to be a great opportunity and usually results in a short show with great sales and great relationships.

OK - I'd better get to the phone now.... Happy burning!

Ten Things You Need to Know About Starter Shows

2009-03-29T16:39:00.005+11:00

There are really only three criteria for a show to be turned into a starter show. The first one is $550 in sales (though there are alternatives if a starter show does not reach that amount). The second is six (6) initial bookings. The third is a signed New Consultant Agreement.

Once the new consultant has achieved these three criteria, she is ready to go. If she hasn't already done it, she should sign up for New Consultant Training ASAP (within 10 days of her Starter Show).

Here are ten things you need to know about/do for Starter Shows.

You need to send in the Starter Show forms via mail or fax. Starter Shows cannot be done online.
You need to use a Show Order Form and tick the Starter Show box.
The hostess credit is calculated differently. Take the compensatable sales and subtract $550. The amount remaining is the earned product credit. Then add the $50 bonus voucher. (Basically this means that for a starter show, she will get 50% off all purchases. Starter Shows should generally not use the 30% off option because that won't get her the best bang for her buck.)
The hostess is eligible to purchase the Hostess Specials.
You need to send in credit card information. You can either fax in the Guest Order Forms OR you can rewrite/retype the credit card information out and mail/fax it in on one page. I retype them to improve legibility.
You need to keep an eye out on the Show Order Status to make sure the mail/fax is received. You also need to make sure that the order is being processed. PartyLite will not process the show if any of the credit cards doesn't work. They will call you if there is a problem. Call them back right away to deal with it quickly.
If it hasn't already been issued (sometimes your Unit Leader can arrange a Starter Kit to be pre-issued), the Starter Kit will be sent out to the new Consultant right away - usually within 24 hours of processing the paperwork. If it has been issued, please note that on your fax cover page.
Any Starter bonus products will generally be sent out with the guest orders.
You need to provide your new Consultant with a list of guest orders. For a Starter Show, I usually leave one copy of the guest order forms with the host.
You will not be paid the 22% profit on any Starter Show. The Compensatable Sales will count toward your total sales for the month. If you achieve bonus, you will be paid the 6% bonus on the Starter Show Compensatable sales.

Why aren't you paid for Starter Shows? Starter Shows are an investment in your business. By bringing new Consultants into the business PartyLite and you are growing your potential revenue base, so PartyLite and you both contribute to the cost of bringing on the new Consultant.

All of these details are in your Consultant Guide. I just wanted to point them out since we have so many people sponsoring these days. Good on you! Happy burning! WLC.

Why Do I Have All the Answers?

2009-03-21T09:07:00.006+11:00

Hi. First of all, I want to laugh at the audacity of that thought: that I have all the answers. I'm learning. Everyday. Just like you.

But seriously, many of you have commented that I'm so smart or so quick with an answer or that I know what to say.

Thank you for saying that. It's completely due to two things I've learned along the way.

Look it up

When I would do my homework when I was little, I used to ask my mom how to spell words. Her response was always the same, "Look it up." I remember asking her how I could possibly look it up if I didn't know how it was spelled, but she would just smile and say, "Look it up."

She was teaching me to be independent. As a result, I'm pretty self-sufficient. I don't often need to ask people how to do things, where to find things, or what things mean. If I don't know, I look it up. Google is a great source, but I use dictionaries, thesauruses, online encyclopedias, books I've read and, get ready for it, the PartyLite Consultant Guide, almost everyday. Seriously.

Just Do It

What a simple concept, but you've heard it since you were little. Practice makes perfect. The Beatles weren't born great musicians. Bill Gates wasn't born a computer wiz. Jamie Oliver doesn't have magical cooking capabilities. Wendy Lloyd Curley was not born knowing how to conduct the perfect PartyLite show. (I do like the idea of being compared to the Beatles, Bill Gates, and Jamie Oliver, however, and since it's my blog, I will do just that.) :)

This Nike tag line is so valid. Just do it!

The Moral

I often say that I "make it up." That's not really true. I just do it. I just push through and learn from my mistakes and look up the answers when I don't know them. My confidence increases after every experience - even if those experiences weren't perfect.

There's no such thing as the perfect gig for the Beatles. There's no such thing as the perfect code for Microsoft (how many patches can there be?). Jamie adds and dilutes and tastes his way until his concoctions are tasty. For me, there's never a perfect show, just a great practice session for the next one.

This article was inspired by a quote I just read from a site I subscribe to: "Great managers insist that their employees “Think”, and instead of giving them an answer, they give them the tools to find many answers."

You aren't my employees. I'm not your manager. But the tools are all here.

So get out there! Look it up. Just do it!

You Only Have 14 Days!

2009-03-17T15:35:00.007+11:00

Do you know anyone who might be interested in earning some extra money with no cash outlay, no boss, no deliveries, no cold calls, no inventory, and free training?

OK, you have 14 days to go before the awesome $1000 Starter Kit goes away forever! How about making up some flyers and passing them out to people tomorrow to let them know about this last chance offer. How about calling each of your hosts and letting them know aboutthe $1000 Starter Kit available in March only? How about contacting people who you thought were interesting and letting them know about the $1000 Starter Kit. How about calling 5 people a day and asking them if they know anyone who would be interested in earning some extra money with no cash outlay, no boss, no deliveries, no cold calls, no inventory, and free training? What other ideas do you have to get people interested in this amazing Starter Kit and this amazing business?

If you were in charge of your own company (and you are) and if you had a $1000 Starter Kit available (and you do) plus a free Essentials Hurricane for the $550 show with 2+ bookings (which you have) and 14 days to attract a person to this business, organise a Starter Show, and make it happen - could you do it????

Of course you could!

What ideas do you have? What are you doing to excite your clients about this offer? Please share your ideas by commenting here!

Non-Pushy Reasons for Calling

2009-03-10T15:08:00.008+11:00

When I started writing this article, I thought specifically of you because I know you are always looking for ways to call people without coming across as being pushy.

And that's how easy it is....

Every time you make a call, you need a reason to be calling. Mary Christensen says that the magic word is "BECAUSE."

I thought of YOU because....

You see, pushy sales people call to talk about themselves. We aren't pushy. We provide Platinum Customer Service. So when we call our clients, it's to help THEM. As individuals. Always. Every time.

Here are a few great reasons to call your clients.

Her delivery has been shipped.
The host has received the goods and you want to see if she received everything in good order and is happy.
An item has been listed on backorder and you want her to know what the process is (contact the host and the affected client).
His Candle Connection email bounced and you want to make sure he gets it in the future.
The monthly guest specials have just been released. Is she attending a show this month? If so, great. If not, she is welcome to place and order through you to take advantage of the specials.
When she does need more candles, she obviously can host another show OR she can simply call you to order more.
She ordered a reed diffuser in 2008 and she might not know we have refills now.
Let a past host know that if any of their guests want to order more, she can add it all to her order and have it shipped straight to her.
Make sure you let every client you have know that orders of $150 or more are shipping for free and earn 15% product credit for whoever sends in the order. If you forget to say that at a show, call them to tell them. If you remember to say it at the show, call them to remind them.
Let her know you have been thinking about her - tell her why.

Here's a challenge for you. Make 10 calls. Don't ask for anything. Just give. Give feedback, give information, give a compliment, give advice. Call for a reason and practice using the word, "because." Then tell me the results and how you feel. I can't wait to hear!

Lessons from Butterflies

2009-03-06T13:28:00.004+11:00

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that this was natures’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. The restricting cocoon and the struggle required was necessary for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening to be able to fly.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we went through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

Eliana's March Challenge!

2009-03-06T13:08:00.005+11:00

Hi Rainbows. We've been challenged! As you know, I love a challenge! This is one I think we can all sink our teeth into. The picture is of the trophy Eliana is offering. She also wrote this note to the leaders in her region, Ignite (that's our region):

It’s time to have some fun again... This time it’s not laughing at me but something that you can treasure for time to come.
Create some magic into you and your team. Our region goal is to sponsor 30 new consultants into March...and I will publish and award the following:
You can be part of the Stars of Champions... Be an exclusive member of this special newsletter to be published with your name and photo. There are several ways to get your name mentioned in the newsletter.
1st leader in top sponsoring
1st unit in top sponsoring
1st consultant in top sponsoring
2nd leader in top sponsoring
2nd unit in top sponsoring
2nd consultant in top sponsoring
3rd leader in top sponsoring
3rd unit in top sponsoring
3rd consultant in top sponsoring
There are three very special awards to be handed out and your name could be on any one of them for being in first position.
Encourage your team to sponsor and be part of this special moment to be the stars of Champions for 2009.
This is a once of a life time achievement for our Region... Go for it and let me put your name amongst the stars....Remember we must do the 30 sponsors...
~Eliana

Let's keep the Rainbows on top. A little competition is always great. We have a fabulous March Sponsoring Promotion to help get us there. And, as always, I'm available to all of you for coaching or latte appointments.

If each of us sponsored just one person, did just one starter show, we'd cover the challenge for the whole region! Come on! Go for it! WLC.

PartyLite National Conference 2009

2009-03-02T19:02:00.007+11:00

Hello Rainbows. It is time. Time to get excited about Conference 2009!

Here are a few handy hints to keep you on track.

Put it into your diary. August 6-9. Plan around the dates. Don't accept shows. Don't accept invitations. Do put in your leave forms at you other jobs. Do organise for other people to care for your little ones (and your significant others).
Send in your registration now. You don't pay now and you will owe nothing at all if you need to cancel as long as you cancel in writing to Head Office by Monday July 6.
Tell me you're coming. Email Wendy.
Book a room. Find one (or two) roommates. Rooms are for two, but for a $45 fee you can add a third person. Don't have a roommate yet? That's OK, I will distribute a list of who's coming and who they are rooming with via email and those without roommates can buddy up.
Buy your flights. There are sales all the time. I suggest you buy your tickets now to get the best fares (I'm getting mine tonight).

Here's the inside scoop:

Thursday - Arrive in time for registration. Go to afternoon session. Go to room and get dressed up for the Meet & Greet Party - Hooray for Hollywood! Fancy dress - we'll discuss costume ideas at future Unit Meetings! I suggest you bring some munchies to the hotel in case you're hungry - there's never enough finger food to be "dinner."
Friday - Eat breakfast and then go to the sessions all day. We have dinner together on Friday night with everyone under Eliana. Everyone chips in for that meal.
Saturday - Eat breakfast and then go to the sessions all day. Award night - time to dress up! A fab dinner is provided.
Sunday - Pack up all your free stuff (easier said than done), check out and go home!

Can your family come? Sure, but don't make plans to be with them much. It's full on work and play! I'm going out a day early so I can relax a bit and enjoy the spa at the hotel - there's no real time to yourself once the Conference starts. You'll love it!

Who Signed the Star?

The people listed below signed the gold star to say that they want to go to conference. Please update me and I'll keep this list current!

Judy A
Kylie B
Di H
Shell B
Leanne M
Libby G
Sandra B
Lorelei H
Natasha K
Michelle C
Jacqueline A
Nicole B (rooming with WLC)
WLC (rooming with Nicole B)

Ideas to Book More Shows

2009-03-02T06:50:00.004+11:00

From the Wednesday 25 February 2009 Rainbows Unit Meeting

Bookings Presentation – Training by Shell, Notes by Dianne

You can talk to the person better if you have a reference point, ie, you have done a mail out (e.g. Shell sent out a birth announcement for the new Baby Elephant). This is a memory jogger for the person and it gives you the opportunity to lead into talking about having a Show. (WLC Note: Candle Connection is another great reference point.)
Shell added incentive for herself by photocopying a $100 note and having it by the phone when she was making calls – every booking she got earns her about $100!
Cancelled bookings – call them! By committing to a booking in the first place their Hostess received benefits – now they can keep up their end of the bargain.
FRANK List – revisit, revise – add new people (Shell’s son started school this year which gives her new people to add to the list). Same for when your kids start playing a new sport – new families you meet there.
Don’t overdo the asking at the Show – Shell found that she was asking all the time, starting to sound a bit desperate.
Be casual – both in your presentation (but professional!) and in how you approach people. Make it part of the conversation.
Bookings at Shows – Ask them to choose something they would really like if money wasn’t a problem, then tell them they can get it for free! (WLC Note: Read Kim Wood's article in this month's Reflections about Hostess Stacking. Great ideas!)
Existing groups – these are groups that have had a few Shows already. You don’t have to use the cards, talk more about the products.
Take your Hostess Pack with you to your Shows – Shell puts a catalogue, pretty pen, tealight, enviro bag, invites, Hostess and Guest Specials (laminated if you like) etc into a gift bag and tells the guests that they can take it with them tonight when they book their own Show.
Tell the guests that we don’t just sell candles. Also, words matter; we are all about "home décor," not "accessories." (WLC Note: Top Tip! I've changed this one word all weekend and what a great effect it has had!)
When talking to people out and about, or to your friends, tell them we’re about home décor – candles, candle holders, pieces that stand alone unlit (Global Fusion Hurricane for example).
Enlarge pictures of a few key products to actual size (e.g. the Sahara Sands Lamp, page 42), laminate them and take them to Shows so guests can see the products in proportion. Have a tape measure with you as well to help guide guests.
Offer a booking special – Shell is offering a Mini Barrel with Shade for a limited time. The Hostess will receive it at their Show.
Have a monthly kit – tell your customers that your display will be different every month, that way they are not seeing the same old same old.
Have a script when you’re calling to get Show bookings – this helps to keep on track and be concise. Ask are they happy with the products.
Use monthly promotions from Head Office – monthly specials for Hostesses and Guests, special promotions etc.

February 2009 Unit Meeting Recap

2009-02-26T05:25:00.005+11:00

Hi. We had a wonderful Unit Meeting last night. I'm energised by the discussions and training we had. Here is a list of topics we covered. If you want any details, please call me.

Introduced Rainbows Leadership Team - Wendy, Sandra, Shell, and Nicole

Recognised Sandra on her Promotion to Team Leader

Trained on PartyLite Professionalism

Trained on and Discussed How to Get Bookings (Great training and great discussion!)

Looked at three beautiful placemat displays (Wow!)

Introduced the Rainbows Membership Cards (Lorelei has already filled 2 cards!)

Recognition for Starter Shows, Bonus Achievers, Active Consultants, High Show Averages - the PartyLite Zippo lighter went first!

The raffle! Iced Crystal Trio, Votive Sampler, Kindness Angel, and Linear Lites Pillar/Votive Holder - lucky (and generous) winners all around

Did you miss us? We missed you! Come next month! Here are the next three dates for your calendar:

Wednesday - March 25 - Unit Meeting @ Five Dock
Wednesday - April 8 - Business Development Training with Janelle @ Hills Lodge Boutique Hotel in Castle Hill. Here is a link to a map.
Wednesday - April 29 - Unit Meeting

Do You Know What the CHFA Does?

2009-02-18T08:38:00.003+11:00

From the Children's Hospital Foundations Australia website:

Funds raised nationally through Children’s Hospital Foundations Australia are divided equally between the five partners and directed into the areas of most need in each hospital.

Each of our hospital partners utilise donations to transform competent care into extraordinary care. The focus is on the provision of excellence in each hospital key area - whether that be through funding ground-breaking research projects leading to childhood disease cures, or by engaging the brightest medical science minds that Australia has to offer to constantly improve upon treatments, or by purchasing state-of-the-art equipment that provides faster, more thorough diagnoses for our sick children.

Read your Reflections and look at the CHFA website and be aware of what they do; your knowledge will make you look really smart and caring in front of your guests. That has to be a good thing. :) WLC.

Raising Money for Charities

2009-02-17T19:18:00.004+11:00

With the Victorian Fires and the Queensland flooding, lots of you are asking me about fundraisers. PartyLite Australia’s official fundraising is done for the CHFA. Officially, PartyLite encourages us to do all we can to support that charity at our shows. Any additional fundraising is done and funded by the Consultants themselves.

I do heaps of fundraisers. You can do it a variety of ways (or combinations therein):

Sell raffle tickets to guests and raffle off the hostess benefits. Donate the raffle ticket earnings to the charity. (No cost to you.)
Donate cash to the value of the product credit earned. I keep the product credit for myself. (You can only use the GCs for product so are giving up your 40% discount.)
Donate an item to a mystery raffle. (Cost of item.)
Pre-purchase some raffle prizes with your own cash and then make up gift baskets to be raffled off. Take the product credit to pay yourself back for the expense. (Pre-pay for gifts but you get it back – you give up your 40% discount – also you are guessing at the dollar amount of the product credit)
Offer to donate some of your commission to support the fundraiser (Suggest you make it a percentage of sales to encourage people to buy big).
Offer a 10% cash donation for all outside orders brought to the show (decide if you be giving that from your commission and replacing it with product credit or just giving it from your commission)

Those are just a few ideas. Make sure to balance your giving with your income. Only give what you intend to give. Most often I give them the product credit in cash, take the product credit for myself, and give up my 40% discount when I use the GCs. I have lots of gift certificates from sponsoring people and I do use those for nice raffle prizes which I’m happy to donate.

FYI, I have decided to donate 10% of my profits in May to Susan G Komen for the Cure. Why May? Because I will be out of town all but 8 days and I want those 8 days to be filled with bookings. Why Susan? Because that cause is important to me. Why 10%, because I thought that would be a good number.

It’s all up to you. Be creative, but don’t give up everything. Make it worth your while. WLC.

P.S. You might have read on the CBC that PartyLite has made a substantial donation to the Red Cross on behalf of all Consultants. Yay!