What is your Cookie Lee business plan?

If you really want to move forward with your Cookie Lee Jewelry business  you'll need some sort of a business plan.  Utilizing the “10 Questions for a Strong Business Plan” from Julie Anne Jones (copyright Julie Anne Jones, Inc.) and sharing it here.


1) Do I have a goal for the number of parties I intend to hold each month?
2) What is my ideal sales month?
3) Do I have a purpose? Why am I in business?
4) Do I have a set schedule for my business?  On a scale of 1-10, how well do I stay on track in committing to my schedule?
5) Implementation: On a scale of 1-10, how well do I practice and implement what I learn? What practices have I put off implementing the I KNOW will bring me greater results?
6) Do I make excuses for not applying energy to my business? What are the excuses costing me?
7) On a scale of 1-10, how well do I follow through with my agreements?  Am I of my word?  What will I change?
8) Am I fearful of failure or rejection?  Have I searched for the limiting beliefs that block me from succeeding?
9) Do I know my goals for this week?
10) What is my action plan? What will I do to make these weekly goals a reality?

Take a few minutes an do this for yourself....It really helped me to focus and build my business...and to meet you!

Don't forget our conference call on 5/16 - details are on Facebook.  :)

4 Tips for dealing with Chaos

Today's guest blogger Katie Violette is a busy mom who also struggles with Crohn’s Disease and Fibromyalgia. Here are her four best tips for working your direct sales business when your life is more chaotic than calm.

What if I can’t always help my customers immediately?

Life happens. There is never a direct sales emergency! If you are not feeling well, your child has a school commitment, or any one of a million other things that come up in life, you must prioritize. Does that mean neglect your business? Of course not! Communicate with your customers so they understand how thing are progressing. Preplanned events where you will not be available are always best to be laid out in your schedule so your customers are not caught off guard when you are unavailable.

What if a hostess or customer isn’t happy with their party or purchase?

Ideally, it would be great if this never happened, but back in reality there will occasionally be customers who are not happy with their purchase or party. One of the ultimate ways to avoid this situation is to represent a company you believe in. A company that is reliable is your best asset. Selling a product you love shines through every aspect of your business. Knowing that you can rely on your company to provide consistent quality and overcome growing pains provides you the peace of mind that your customers will be treated with the same level of quality you strive for no matter what the situation.

You can only give 100%. Knowing that you have done everything in your power to run your business and keep your customers happy to the best of your ability! As long as you do everything within your company’s guidelines or financial ability to correct any discontent, there is NOTHING else you can do, so stop losing sleep over it!

What if I’m not at 100% at an event or party?

If you are not feeling well, or the baby was up all night and you only got 2 hours of sleep, or any of the other issues that like to creep up right before an event, have a backup plan. If you have a customer who has their eye on a certain product, why not offer to pay them with that product or discounting that product for helping you at an event, setting up, or putting together informational packets before hand? No one ever said you have to run your business by yourself!

If you need help, use your upline as well! Chances are they have been in the same or similar situation and can at the very least give you pointers on how they got through rough times in one piece. If you don’t communicate with or feel embarrassed talking to your upline, friends who are also in direct sales make a great support system as well!

How can I be a good sponsor with the chaos in my life?

Your life experience makes you unique! If you have a unique situation in your life, that doesn’t mean someone without that situation would be done a disservice to have you as their sponsor. Talking to your customers and possible recruits about a funny, embarrassing, or silly blunder makes you accessible. Talking to your customers and possible recruits like you have never had a snag in your career makes them question if they can ever live up to the façade you are presenting (because we have ALL had a glitch or 2 at least here and there).

ulie Anne Jones is a direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific systems, language, and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

A Must Do List for A Successful Fall Selling Season

You've been hearing it for a few weeks now, like the theme song from "Jaws"playing in your head…Dah dum…dah dum… dahdumdahdumdahdum…getting faster and faster. The fall selling season for direct sellers is sneaking up on us and you better be ready! Take a deep breath. There's still time to get set up for success in your direct sales business before the crazy holiday selling season hits you right between the eyes. Here's a must-do list that should help you get ahead of the game and be prepared to take advantage of all the momentum you can during the 4th quarter of the year: Make a plan – This is the place to start if you're serious about your business. I'm getting ready to sit down and create my quarterly plan next week, so when October hits, I have a step-by-step vision and clear projects I know are planned. Take an hour and set your goals for the 4th quarter of the year. Click here to download my "Goal Setting Worksheet" taken from our "Powerful Tools for Your Direct Sales Business: Leader's Edition." It will help you make a strong plan.   Create a contact list Include people you haven't contacted recently – I guarantee, there are at least 50 people with whom you could follow up but haven't. Think about your customers, guests from your parties, previous hosts, and any other leads that may have fallen through the cracks. Make your goal to actually come up with 100 names and 50 will seem easy.   Throw your own celebration party You have lots to celebrate th is time of year in your direct sales business (and lots of awesome new products to share). Invite all of those people on your list of 50 and everyone else you can think of. Choose a fun theme and offer lots of great give-aways to compel people to want to attend.   Think about who needs help This time of year, as we head into the holidays, people are wracking their brains trying to come up with great gift ideas. If you've worked with someone they need to give a gift to, you've got some great ideas! If you don't have contact information for spouses or significant others, contact your customers and let them know what you're up to. They'll be happy to provide the information for you. Consider setting up a special "shopping" night in your home for husbands, have the gifts shipped to you, and deliver them wrapped and ready to give once they arrive.   Give back This is a great time of year to do fund raisers, which also generates greater interest in your business. You can make a difference while growing your business.   Make sure your customers know they can shop with you online If you don't have an e-mail list with your customer's information, work on that now and then be sure you e-mail them at least once mid to late November with clear instructions about how they can "shop from their chair" with you on your webiste. Julie Anne Jones is a direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com