Dear Archive Visitor, We sent our daughter, Tess, off to college yesterday. That definitely qualifies as a bittersweet moment in time. Fortunately I had a seminar scheduled last night, so I couldn't spend the day crying. I was forced to forge ahead. I know the bitterness of her leaving will wear off as soon as her classes begin and she starts telling me about all that she's learning. Having her in college will be close to going to college without actually having to go. You see I often start a conversation with my oldest daughter by asking her what she's learning. Once she tells me, I might say something like, "I don't think I know much about that. Would you tell me about it." Before you know it, I'm practically transported into a lecture hall, with my own daughter at the front of the class! In today's main article, I'll encourage you to think about what you do, when you're at the front of the class demonstrating your products. Are your prospects on the edge of their seats or are they feeling ready to snooze? Let's find out.

How to Get Your Prospects Listening By Tammy Stanley What do you do at the beginning of your home party demonstration? Do your prospects enjoy your opening, or do they look somewhat bored? I know it might be hard to admit that they find YOUR opening boring, so instead just think back to the last home party you attended. Were you on the edge of your seat when the consultant began the demo? Hmmm... probably not if that opening was about how long her company was in business, in which state the company started, how many consultants they have, how to fill out this order form, how long it takes to get the product, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. When you attend another consultant's home party, you most likely find all that information incredibly boring. But low and behold, when you are doing a demo, you might just be falling into the same trap. A key point is to put yourself in your prospect's shoes (how many times have you heard me say this?). Now if you haven't gone to another home party recently, I suggest you do that. You need to feel what it's like to be a guest at a home party. When you attend a home party and the consultant begins the spiel about her company this and her company that, it's boring to you NOT because you're already a consultant with another direct sales organization and you're already familiar with the drill, but because that stuff really is boring to any prospect. I'm sorry to break this to you (okay, I'm not really sorry at all) but your prospects don't care about your company's 10th anniversary, how the owners of your company went to all kinds of trouble to find or make the products, etc. The reason they don't care? It has nothing to do with them and why they came to the home party. Believe it or not, people come to a home party most often with the intention to buy something! They want to see what you're selling and decide whether or not they want to buy it. Just in case you're not yet convinced by what I'm saying, imagine running into me at the grocery store. You say, "Hey Tammy, I sure love your ezine. I always look forward to Thursdays just to see that email from you in my inbox." Then I say, "Well <$firstname$>, you're in for a real treat next week because my upcoming issue is going to be nothing but statistics." OOOH! Are you excited? Are you filled with anticipation for next week's ezine. I highly doubt it. When you read that word statistics, you probably thought, "That sounds boring." And believe me, it would be - the first week of my ezine I had XX subscribers. X percent of them read it. The next week I had XXX subscribers, an increase of x percent. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. And that, dear reader, is not much different than talking about all those company details. It's just a bunch of statistics to your prospects. So give them what they came for! Oh, but how are they ever going to find out about joining you in your business if you don't give them the scoop about it during the home party demo? HELLO! Ever hear of a thing called the telephone? I know plenty of people subscribe to the idea of inviting every one at a home party to consider starting a business with their company, but I never have agreed with that. To start with, it makes it look like you'll hire anyone, which doesn't make your prospect feel singled out and special, and it doesn't make you appear selective. Imagine opening a hair salon, with the following advertisement for possible hair stylists to work for you: If you can brush a head of hair, you can be a stylist in my salon. All applicants accepted. Doesn't that sound ludicrous? Of course it does. Consider, however, that it isn't much different than announcing at a home party that anyone can do what you do. That's simply not true. Now if someone has wonderful people skills, that someone just might be able to do what you do. If someone is intelligent and observant, that someone just might be able to do what you do. If someone is highly energetic, that someone might be able to do what you do. But do you see what's going on here? I'm showing how different qualities that you observe in different people are reasons to give them as to why you think they'd be good at what you do and why you'd like to work with someone like that. If you're impressed with every guest at a home party, by all means give each one of them a call and tell each one why. A personal invitation is far more intriguing than an general invitation given to everyone at the beginning of your demonstration. And now we come back to the point of what to do at the beginning of your demonstration. Make it interesting by getting your prospects involved. My mother taught me years ago that the easiest way to get a conversation going with people is to ask them about themselves. What could you ask the guests at your demonstrations? Why not ask them something that could help you understand what they look for or need when it comes to the products you sell? By having each guest introduce herself and share a thought or two about herself and what she looks for when she goes shopping for clothes, or jewelry, or what she's most concerned about when it comes to her skin or health, you'll not only find it easier to remember people's names, you'll know what points to focus on during your demonstration. And guess what? When you talk about the things that your prospects just told you they want to hear about, your prospects will find you anything but boring! WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Author, Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker Tammy Stanley publishes the propelling 'Sales Refinery Insights' weekly ezine for direct sales professionals. If you're ready to jump-start your direct sales business, make more money, and create more value, get your FREE tips now at www.tammystanley.com/ezine/ezine_offer_ds.htm

This week I highly recommend Noah St. John's book, Permission to Succeed. This is a good analysis of why plenty of talented, intelligent, and creative people never allow themselves to succeed. If you've ever felt like you keep working harder and harder only to find yourself feeling less successful, this is a great guide that helps you discover why that is. There are some wonderful exercises throughout the book that help you to pinpoint what's really going on and how to move your life in the direction you want it to go. You can order it today from amazon.com by clicking on the image of the book above.

Tammy Stanley, founded and directs The Sales Refinery, a sales training company that assists direct sales consultants to generate more business and build long-lasting sales teams through powerful marketing, selling and leadership strategies.

Tammy has been coaching and training since 1994 and has a deep understanding of the challenges and needs of the independent sales consultant. While raising four children, Tammy built a multi-million dollar direct sales organization, reaching her company's Circle of Excellence 7 consecutive years in a row. She earned numerous sales and leadership awards, world travel, and promoted 11 offspring managers.

The Tammy Stanley Sales Refinery
Tempe, AZ 85283
Call Today: 480-775-4866
tammy@TammyStanley.com