Stella & Dot
haughty dotties team weekly updates
REFRESH Your System
I have a confession to make: I don't have a system.
Well, maybe I do... If you call Post-It notes and scratch paper a "system."
The stylists who have the highest sales and sponsoring numbers in this business are those who have a system. It's not that they are doing anything different. It's not that they are lucky. It's simply, and truly, because they have a system.
So, yes, I confess, I haven't had a tried-and-true system. Boo hoo, wah, I suck, etc.... But you know, with the new REFRESH mentality, I remind myself that the past doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how horrible I was with follow-up or time management due to my non-existent system... because it is in the past! ;) Rafiki is hitting me over the head and telling me to only look forward.
So I am. And I encourage you to do the same.
Let's Focus on System #1: Time Management
The next few weeks, I am going to focus on tips on how to improve and tweak your business systems so we all become more effective... Afterall, it's about working smarter, not harder! :)
First, I want to address time management systems. Here are a few ways to buy back your time, find more time, or just restructure your day altogether.
Time Management:
- Time block hours. Write down WHEN you will work and WHAT you will do. And be specific. For example, "Monday morning I will sit down for one hour to send prospect emails, trunk show follow-up emails, update my FB page, and create a customer e-newsletter. On Tuesday, I will listen to the leader call at 10AM while taking notes. On Wednesday, I will set aside two hours to print out trunk show invites, mail out catalogs and hostess planners, call my hostesses, call 5 prospects and follow-up with Sally about her order." - Note: I know we keep talking about this. And I know you still aren't doing it. So hurry up, get with the program, and implement this already... Treat your business like a business!
- Show the kids when you're working. Notice that I wrote SHOW, not TELL. Kids respond to visuals. So get creative and think how a first grade teacher would think. Post a sign on your office (or bedroom) door of a traffic light. When Red is up, it means they need to STOP because Mommy is very busy or on an important call (emergencies only). If Yellow is up, they proceed with caution and knock. When Green is up, they are available to come in. -Or- Post an image of a thermometer with different sales levels (perhaps the Summer Splash levels?) and show the kids what goal you're striving for. Have them fill in each level after each trunk show. This way, they see the progress and become invested. And you create a built-in support system in the home. (Not to mention, you are showing them how to set goals, be tenacious and go after them - a great life lesson!)
- Restructure your time. This is a biggie... and one that is hard to figure out. Many of us ladies are set in our ways. We fold laundry better than the hubby. We like the pasta cooked a certain way. When your teenager sets the table, it doesn't look as good as when you do it. Well, you know what, ladies... You gotta pick your battles. And here are your choices: You either learn to delegate and submit to a job that's "not so great" or you just do it all. And you know you can't do the latter. We think we can... We think we can do it all, but there are only 24 hours in the day, and we need to restructure how we spend those 24 hours sometimes. A few ideas: What if you throw food in the crockpot every Thursday morning, and spend that 40 minutes you WOULD have spent making dinner, calling 10 potential hostesses instead? What if every Wednesday night was pizza and game night? You set aside one hour for work - kids do homework and parents do their work/chores/to-do list - and when the hour is up, you all can look forward to playing Head's Up and eating pizza as a family. -Or- Hire someone to do laundry. Yes I'm serious. Do you know how many clothes little kids go through? Do you know how much time it takes to wash, wait, dry, wash, wait somewhere, dry another load and then friggin' fold it and then, geeze!, put it away?!? Yeah, I know you know... It's annoying and takes up a lot of your time. Outsource that job to someone who can do it for $40 each week and go spend that time booking a new trunk show. Or, ya know... Just relax.
- Schedule in networking and fun. We're in the people business. We're also in the sales business. And we need people to buy our product. Simple, right? Yes, it is... But we also should be mindful of our customer base and we should go out into the world to replenish it every once in a while. Bunko, book clubs, tennis lessons, a pottery class... Kill two (or three) birds with one stone, and do something fun, interesting or heart-pumping with a new/different group of women. Some of my best trunk shows and new stylists have resulted from attending a random event, joining a charity group or taking up a new hobby. (Plus, you get to learn something new or get your workout in for the day - score!)
Erin Markland, Director
Email: simply.stylish@yahoo.com
Website: www.stelladot.com/emarkland
Location: Orange County, CA, United States
Phone: 949-395-2347
Facebook: facebook.com/erinhelene
Twitter: @itsthestylefile