The Joy List

We have just launched a new 3-month promotion to support new people becoming Independent PartyLite Consultants. Instead of booking 6 shows to start, a new consultant can start with 2 firm dates. With free training for new consultants, we can teach new consultants how to turn those first 2 shows into a reliable income stream.

A few years ago, my friend Angela and I learned about a list of all the benefits you get when you start a PartyLite business. We call it The Joy List. Here is the letter we created. Feel free to adapt it to your business.

The Joy List
"Find what brings you Joy and go there." 

You deserve the freedom to have...

• Quality time and a career that you love and enjoy!
• Flexible working hours
• Quality family time
• Time for you and your passions
• No deliveries

Starting your own business as an Independent PartyLite Consultant is simple! With no costs at all (simply host a Starter Show with $550 in sales) and by investing about 10 hours a week of your time you will receive:

1. A selection of PartyLite current best selling products worth over $600 in your Starter Kit
2. An immediate income (start at 22% of all your sales) as soon as you join
3. A comprehensive training guide and on-going support from your Leader from day one
4. Literature, stationery and a fragrance set free to compliment your business
5. Monthly unit meetings that are fun, informal and encouraging
6. Gifts worth $112.50 when you hold six shows in your first three weeks of business, Sponsor in your first month you will receive another $73.50 of gifting.
7. Products, gift certificates & commission of approx $3,000 when you are a bonus earner* in each of the first three months of your PartyLite business
8. Consultant discounts on every product in the catalogue (40% off everything)
9. A subscription to Reflections, PartyLite’s monthly Consultant magazine
10. Access to Candle Connection, PartyLite’s monthly E-newsletter for all your clients
11. Free $50 hostess gift vouchers in your first month of business
12. Direct online access to PartyLite’s internal website (CBC) for news, updates and events
13. Online ordering and credit card processing (offline still available if you prefer)
14. Direct access to your own personal sales information and client management database
15. An invitation every year to the PartyLite Annual Conference (Aug 2-4, 2012, Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour)
16. An opportunity to receive a free vacation (Hayman Island in May, New York in June for PartyLites’ 10 years in Australia!)
17. Your own personal business coach… me!
18. PartyLite is about enjoyment. You run your business and invest the time that suits you and your family. There is no pressure, you simply choose how much you want to earn and your Leader will support you to help you achieve the goals you set for yourself and your business.
19. On top of that, you get paid weekly 22% profit of all your Sales from your shows and independent orders. Bonus earners* get 28% profit.

And finally, you work when you want to work. Family and personal time comes first. And that's the way it should be!

• How much difference would an extra $100 a week make to your life?
• How much difference would an extra $1,000 a month make to your life?
• Does your job pay enough for you to live the life you want?

Results and Actions: Week 1

Here is my weekly update on my progress. This is more for me than for you. I've been honest. :)

Goal: Have 10 shows
Status: Now have 7 booked in March (2 complete, 5 to go). Still want 3 more. I did follow-up on the 5 potential parties discussed last week at my networking group. Booked 1 for a show in April and 2 for shows in May. Got an order from one. Still waiting for a date back from another. Great result.
Actions: Follow up with hosts who postponed in January and February, follow-up with people I've sent information to, book a home show.

Goal: Lose 4 kilos
Status: Oops, didn't weigh in last week, so I can't report results. Did shop for food and cook at home, did watch my portions, did write down what I eat and drink (that helps a lot), drink lots of water.
Actions: Weigh myself in the morning. Add yoga to my diary for Wednesdays, add group fitness 2x other times per week, watch my portions, write down what I eat and drink, drink lots of water. Keep cooking at home.

Goal: Hold 8 latte appointments
Status: Still only have 1. Did offer the business opportunity to my Saturday host and to one of her guests. Have sorted heaps of door prize slips and should have an easy time making a list.
Actions: Make a list of people who told me they might be interested this year (look on door prize slips for my notes), call (don't email) each one, invite people to my Unit Meeting, follow up with excellent candidates after a show and offer them a free coffee for 20 minutes of their time.

Goal: Practice my guitar for 3 minutes everyday
Status: Getting better, Wendy. Didn't play everyday, but the guitars are organised and one is permanently plugged in and ready to go. Easy to pick it up.
Actions: Keep it up.

Goal: Follow-up every lead
Status: Cleaned office. Yay! Even used my label making machine.
Actions: Organise a way to capture business cards (my husband says there's an App for that), referral slips, sms, emails, and facebook requests for information/orders, use Outlook to capture next steps required. I've got this started. Expect more progress this week.

Goal: Complete my 2011 taxes
Status: Cleaned office. Yay! Have one drawer with 2010/2011 and one with 2011/2012. Ready for next step... Excel. Made appointment with Accountant for March 15 (a full one week early).
Actions: Collate 2010/2011 receipts into Excel file on Friday. Before EOM, do through February 2012 to be ready for 2012 taxes in July.

Goals versus Strategies

In February, I went on a 2 week holiday to the USA. After a big January (which I can barely remember because my brother got married, turned 40, and then came out to visit), I set my February goals to bonus before I left, to help Angela prepare for the Unit Meeting, to complete New Consultant Orientation for a few new Rainbows, and then to leave and RELAX.

Done and done.

So here it is, March 1st, and I’m back from my holiday and raring to go. My goals are to have 10 shows, lose 4 kilos, hold 8 latte appointments, practice my guitar for 3 minutes everyday (ask me why if that sounds silly), follow-up every lead, and complete my 2011 taxes.

Notice, I didn’t say HOW I was going to do each of the above. Sometimes I hear people ask how I achieve all I set out to do. Well... first of all, I don't. But I like to set aggressive goals anyway. However, the real reason it looks like I achieve so much is that I do actually think about HOW I'll achieve it and then I schedule time and activities that will move me from where I am to where I want to be. After I make the list of WHAT I want to achieve (sometimes that's the hardest part), I then put a little effort into HOW I will make it happen.

This month, I've decided to blog about the HOW.

Goal: Have 10 shows
Status: Currently have 5 in my diary
Actions: Follow up with hosts who postponed in January and February, contact people I've met through my networking and offer them the opportunity to host a show, follow-up on 5 potential parties discussed this morning at my networking group, book a home show.

Goal: Lose 4 kilos
Status: I ate lots of food in Colorado and Arizona. I need to eat less and exercise more. One kilo per week.
Actions: Shop for food and cook at home, add yoga to my diary for Wednesdays, add group fitness 2x other times per week, watch my portions, write down what I eat and drink, drink lots of water.

Goal: Hold 8 latte appointments
Status: Currently have 1 in my diary
Actions: Make a list of people who told me they might be interested this year (look on door prize slips for my notes), call (don't email) each one, invite people to my Unit Meeting, follow up with excellent candidates after a show and offer them a free coffee for 20 minutes of their time.

Goal: Practice my guitar for 3 minutes everyday
Status: I am haphazard about practicing and need to develop a habit.
Actions: Keep guitars out, pick up one everyday, play for a minimum of 3 minutes (FYI, I can't do that... once I pick it up, I usually play for at least 30)

Goal: Follow-up every lead
Status: I am pretty good at following up on my leads, but I am horrible at documenting what I've done and what the next step is. I think I'm letting things slip through the cracks.
Actions: Clean office, organise a way to capture business cards, referral slips, sms, emails, and facebook requests for information/orders, use Outlook to capture next steps required.

Goal: Complete my 2011 taxes
Status: Room full of paper
Actions: Make appointment with Accountant for third week of March, schedule 4-5 one hour time slots to collate receipts into Excel file. Do through February 2012 to be ready for 2012 taxes in July.

Okay... there you go. On the interwebs for all to see. I'll write an update next Thursday and let you know how I'm going.

Rainbows Meetings 2012

Never miss a meeting or coaching call and you'll be well on your way to a successful business.

January 28, Saturday - 10:00-3:00 – Regional Meeting - Blair Athol
February 21, Tuesday - 7:30-9:30 – Angela’s House
March 9-11 – CANDLE CAMP NSW/ACT
March 21, Wednesday - 7:30-9:30 – Wendy’s House
April 23, Monday - 7:30-9:30 – Regional and Unit Meeting – Wendy’s House*
May 22, Tuesday - 7:30-9:30 – Unit Meeting – Angela’s House
June 20, Wednesday - 7:30-9:30 – Unit Meeting – Wendy’s House
July 23, Monday – 7:30-9:30 – Regional and Unit Meeting – Angela’s House*
August 2-4 – CONFERENCE
August 22, Wednesday - 7:30-9:30 – Unit Meeting – Wendy’s House
September 25, Tuesday - 7:30-9:30 – Unit Meeting – Angela’s House
October 13, Saturday - 10:00-3:00 – Regional Meeting - Blair Athol
October 24, Wednesday - 7:30-9:30 – Unit Meeting – Wendy’s House
November 20, Tuesday - 7:30-9:30 – Unit Meeting – Angela’s House

* The webinar regionals can be attended via the web if you cannot make the meeting in person.

All of these dates are on Google Calendar http://rainbowsandcandles.blogspot.com.au/p/unit-meeting.html.

Location information is sent out in personal emails to active candle consultants. If you would like to attend a meeting, visit, or invite a guest, please contact wendy at wendy @ wendythecandlelady . com.

Hints and Tips for Online Invitations

Today, PartyLite launched online email invitations for our hosts. I have been using these for the past month and have the following hints and tips.

1. Read the instructions before setting up your first host. This is a professional service and you need to know how it works before sending it out.
2. When you get the booking, offer your new host the option of email and postcard invitations in addition to facebook and SMS.
3. Explain clearly that the set-up is completely private; you will never have access to the email addresses she enters.
4. Write a confirmation email to your new host and reiterate your two available options to assist her in inviting guests.
5. Test the system once with a friend as the host so you can see what happens on the host side and explain it more clearly for other clients.
6. Make the benefits all about THEM not you. DON'T say, "It's cool because I can see how many people you've invited." DO say, "It's cool because the emails are beautiful, you can see who has responded, and you can send out reminders automatically a few days before."
7. Give your hosts incentives to use the online email invitations. For example, if they invite 25 people using e-invites let them know you'll buy them a box of tealights.
8. Encourage them to use the online email invitations as just one of their invitation methods. Personally, I use email, facebook, SMS, and postcards for every show. Not necesarily for every person, but different people get different invites.

I hope these hints help you. Let me know what successes and suggestions you have with online invitations. Happy selling!