How to Save Time Writing Emails

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.

1. Open Outlook
2. Tools > Options > Mail Format
3. Select Signatures
4. Select New and name your signature (e.g. Host Thank You)
5. Type in the words you want to use in most every email you send to hosts. Include contact details at the bottom
6. Save
7. Now Create a new message
8. Click on the Signature icon and select the one you want to use
9. Voila! No typing other than to personalise the email.
10. 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

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?

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.