Motivational Monday-Are you afraid of the phone?

Let’s get real with your business today and ask the hard questions that most people in a Multi-Level Marketing company struggle with:

• Why am I so afraid of the phone?
• Why do I feel like the people on the other end of the line might kill me?
• Why does my heart pound as I wait for someone to answer but pray that I just get sent to voicemail?

Fear of the phone is a very real thing.  We feel like we’re invading people’s private space, we feel like a nuisance, and we feel like a telemarketer.

Stop right there.

You are not a telemarketer in the sense that you are not calling a random list given to you in the hopes that someone who did not reach out to you at all will set an appointment with your company.  There are no managers wandering the sales floor like sharks just waiting to see that phone in the air, hungry to hear someone yell, “CLOSER!”  That is called ‘cold calling’, or calling people who have had no previous contact with you or your company.

You aren't a robot being paid to bug people during the dinner hour trying to get them to do something you don’t want them to do.

You are calling from leads that you generated yourself, and this is called ‘warm calling’.  They would not have taken the time to fill out that slip at your event, or opt-in on your blog, or contact form on your website if they weren't willing to take a phone call from you.  As a matter of fact, it would be rude to not contact someone who obviously wanted to be contacted by your organization, and if you don’t do it, they will find someone else.

I think back to when I found Damsel in Defense.  I went to a gun show with my husband and off in the distance, I saw a big pink banner and lots of sparkles.  Like a fish to a big fancy lure, I was drawn directly to it, abandoning my husband in a sea of army green and black.  What I found was amazing!  Self-defense products for women?!?!  Stun guns in pink?!  I needed to have these things so badly.  I filled out a contact form and waited.  I called the number they gave me, and got nothing.  Three weeks went by and I began to get frustrated, and almost gave up on the company as a whole, but just before I did, I contacted the corporate number and said, “Don’t you want my money?!”  They reassured me that someone else would be contacting me shortly.

Lucky for me, the person who contacted me was amazing.  She did two parties for me before I decided it was the company for me, and she turned out to be an amazing mentor and is now my Director, and I have worked my way up to Senior Mentor.

Was the original gal afraid of the phone?  I’ll never know, but she didn't get my business or me as a teammate because I didn't receive the call I was expecting to get.

So, the next time you sit down with your stack of leads and get ready to give them a call, think of each one of them as me, jumping up and down waiting for you, wishing desperately that you would call me so I can learn more about the products, about you, and ultimately about the company. 

What are you waiting for?

If you're ready to learn more about Damsel in Defense, email me at susnhine@yourdamseldiva.com or find me on the web at yourdamseldiva.com.  Let's chat about your future!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Why sell self defense when everyone wants $200 handbags?

Some people wonder why I do what I do.  Why do I walk around baffled that everyone is happy to spend $200 on a handbag but turn down their nose at a $50 stun gun.  "I don't need it" they say, "I'm fine without it."  "Nothing will happen to me,", "I'm capable of fighting for myself."

I met a man this weekend who teaches dirty self defense.  Not fancy "1-2-3 hi-ya" self defense, but kidnapper-jump-out-of-the-bushes-pull-you-to-the-ground-and-tear-your-clothes-off self defense, and he drops women who have their black belt in less than a minute.  How?  He uses the same tactics as an attacker.  He knows exactly how you're going to react, how to counter your fight, and the element of surprise.  He's ready, has a plan, and knows exactly how to subdue a woman, no matter how strong, no matter how well trained with her hands....unless she has a stun gun in her hand.

Then I watched this video, and it just hit me.  Word after word, slamming into my heart with thunderous meaning.  There are so many slaves because we are slaves to believing that we can get ourselves out of any situation. 

Every day, the meaning of why I do what I do gets deeper, and deeper, and deeper, because of the constant reminder that somewhere tonight, there is a mother that won't make it home.  A sister that someone will never see again.  A daughter who has to endure the horrors of the sex trade. 

Do not watch this video if you want to stay oblivious to what's going on.  Do not watch this video if you want to remain unaware. 

With all of the above off my chest, the other question I get all the time is, "How can you talk about this stuff all the time and not be depressed?"

Because I know that hundreds of women so far are safer because of me alone, and that number grows and grows every day with my team and the women we reach.  I know that for the first time EVER, we have a chance to lower the statistics of violence against women, and that I get to be part of the very core of that group.  That fills me with such joy, such meaning, and such purpose. Instead of trying to pull ahead and be in it only for the money, we are pulling organizations such as RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network) and Wiper Every Tear together and tethering to them so that everything we do can assist them in everything they do.  God gave us this opportunity, and we refuse to squander it with selfishness.

Many of you know from my Damsel in Defense facebook page that I have been working deeply inside the core of why I am so in love with this company, how much of an impact it has made on my life, my family, and my little slice of the world, and aligning it with appropriate goals that will help me realize my full potential.  It feels like before, I was a mine field of millions of teeny tiny little fragments orbiting God.  Broken, shattered, colliding, insignificant fragments of pain, shame, fear, and facades.  The more I work this business, the more I learn about myself.  The more I focus on this opportunity that God provided me, the more I see that I'm not a mine field made up of jagged dangerous fragments of the abuse I used to use to define myself.  I'm a field of precision parts being pulled together by the gravity of Damsel in Defense.  I am no longer scattered around the universe with only God to hold me together, but parts of a Veyron 8.0-litre, quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine fed by four turbochargers that God has been restoring and rebuilding so that when I am whole, I will be a Bugatti Veyron fueled by Him, and when that happens, there is nothing we can't accomplish.

Are you ready to join my 1200 horsepower team?  The start line is at yourdamseldiva.com.  What are you waiting for?

Watch this beautifully created video  by the incredibly talented Megan Depaso and join in the fight against sex trafficking by understanding the brutal reality behind what is really going on.

Motivational Mondays-do overs

Even if today was a total disaster, don't worry.  Tomorrow is a new day.  Take what you learned from this day and apply it from here forward.

When you own your own network marketing business like I do with Damsel in Defense, there are days you will be on fire and taking names.  There will also be days when you can't seem to pick up the phone, file a single sheet of paper, or get more than a couple of things on your to-do list out of the way.

THAT'S OKAY!  Take a deep breath and think about where your day went wrong.  Was it that little voice in your head trying to sabotage you?  Was it that you are unorganized and don't know where to begin?  Or was it that you are overwhelmed, have too much on your plate, and your brain is telling you that if you don't schedule some 'me' time, it's going on strike?

Most of the time, it's the latter.  Me time is so important, especially in a network marketing job.  There are always a million things to do, training calls to be on, webinars to tune into, books to read, leads to call, orders to place, parties to book, and the list goes on and on and on.

Make sure to fit some time for self care in your schedule, or you might burn right out.

Not sure if network marketing is right for you?  Email sunshine@yourdamseldiva.com with questions or visit yourdamseldiva.com and check it out for yourself.

How to share your business with other business owners

There’s something that a lot of people in network marketing are having trouble overcoming, and that’s business loyalty.

This definitely goes for Damsel in Defense Independent Pros, but isn't limited specifically to any one network marketing company. 

What I mean by that is when someone embarks on a new business and they are full of vigor and excitement, they expect everyone in their circle to be filled with vigor and excitement as well, especially from the people in their circle.

Friends and family are quick to give support, booking parties and ordering products, and that is great, but unless you can branch out beyond your immediate circle your great new exciting business dies somewhere in the outer reaches of your bff’s.

Next, we branch out into our pool of business acquaintances only to be shot down, ignored,put on hold, or just plain told ‘no’.  This area is a network marketing graveyard unless you can find a way to maneuver through. 

Feelings get hurt when you have a great relationship with the person who owns the local dog grooming shop that you frequent, or the local nail salon, or the local –enter business here- where you spend your hard earned money faithfully every single month, send friends and strangers every chance you get, and in return, they won’t give you one evening out of their lives to book a party.  ‘Well then, maybe I’m in the wrong business’ most people think, feeling worthless, like they’re spinning wheels and not gripping the ground.  Wrong.  That’s the road to failure and working harder for less return.

One thing we have to remember about business owners is that they are busy.  Busy, busy, busy.  Super, unbelievably busy with books, meetings, scheduling, talking to vendors, working, ordering, and a million other things that go into running a business, then they go home, do the books, pay the light bill, and drag themselves to bed and do it all over again.   When they see a network marketer coming, they see important family time slipping away.  They literally feel like they do not have any time.

The first thing you need to do is breathe, and remember that they are humans too.  After you accomplish this, do a lot of little things.  Drop off a thank you card with your card in it.  Send them a letter on your letter head.  Give them a brochure, but don’t expect anything.  Get them familiar with what you’re doing by talking about it in passing, but also ask about how they are doing, and listen.  Nurture the relationship and help them to realize that you are not going to knock down their doors every second of the day and steal their time like a greedy vampire.  Let them mull around the idea of your products for a week or four.

After that, act like every other person trying to get in front of them and make an appointment.  Be early, and keep it short.  Show your brochure, a couple of your products, tell them why you feel like it’s important for them to see your presentation, and schedule your party. 

Remind them during the meeting that you have been a faithful customer.  They have earned your business.  You send everyone you know to them.  They’ll recognize the business you've brought to them.   All you’re asking is for them to give you a chance to do the same.

If the answer is still no, don’t let yourself be hurt.  Part ways friends and don’t ever burn your bridges,   You never know when they will call you a year down the road and ask if you’re still doing your business or refer someone to you.  They won’t if you end your business relationship badly or you have a negative attitude about them for turning you down.

Also keep this in mind when other network marketers approach you.  Just because your family may be partied out with the launch of your business doesn't mean you can't do subtle book or facebook parties, or even purchase inexpensive items from them to add to raffle baskets and hostess gifts.  Just as we wanted to be lifted up, others need us to lift them.  In no way does this mean go broke and buy from everyone, but at least hear your fellow home party entrepreneurs out.

If you keep this in mind when you’re building your business, you’ll find the road through the network marketing graveyard.  Let the fallen that surround you be a reminder never to quit, and that every no leads to a yes.

Chins up, and stay safe out there!