Are you trying to find a way to generate the kind of money that would give you the freedom to work from home, to travel, to pay your bills, to build your dream home, or to take care of loved ones? Maybe someone you care about is trying to create a life they love by starting a business or by selling a product, and you want them to prosper. What kind of success do you see occurring?
I love things that make my life beautiful and my work easier. This makes me a perfect candidate for my friends or acquaintances who are independent consultants for any number of multi-level marketing companies. I’ve purchased jewelry, candles, skin care products, make-up, health supplements, cookware, baskets, clothing, food saving containers, and numerous other products over the years. Many of these purchases brought me a great deal of pleasure. I have jewelry that I have worn for years, cookware that I use daily, and the knowledge on healthy living I gained from some of the consultant’s seminars have had powerful impacts on how I evaluate food and vitamins.
What is interesting to me though, is that over all these years, I can only name three of these consultants that are still successfully selling their wares. At least I assume successfully because I see them on my Facebook Feed, but I haven’t heard from them in a few years with an offer to purchase.
There could be dozens of reasons why this is happening. Maybe they are more focused on coaching a team now instead of directly selling, or they might have the amount of business that they want to work right now and they aren’t trying to add more clients, maybe they have just allowed their system to go on auto-pilot with regular clients who receive monthly refills. They could also be making a mistake that I see many salespeople, and independent consultants make. They might be assuming that since I know them and that they sell a particular product or service that if I am in need of it, I’ll just come directly to them to buy. That presumption might be keeping them from having the kind of business success and lifestyle they are craving.
Let me share an example with you from my years in selling real estate. As a Sales Manager and Coach training real estate agents, I highly encouraged agents to explain the value of their expertise and communicate an offer to everyone they knew, especially friends and family. They were always excited to tell everyone that they were “in real estate now and they could help them any time they had a question about real estate.”
It never failed that an agent would come into my office crying, quite literally tears streaming, saying that they found out their brother or best friend had just purchased a new home using a different agent and “they couldn’t wait to talk about real estate and take them to see their new home.” This loss in commission was usually in the thousands of dollars, so it was no wonder they were crying.
It was always heartbreaking to hear this story and watch them learn this hard lesson. What happened to the agent is what happens to many salespeople and business owners. They fail to understand that making a statement that you sell something, in this case, it was real estate, and explaining how you solve a problem, provide a solution, or make a direct offer to provide a service or product are very different messages.
I’ve seen this miscalculation become the death of many promising business owner’s dreams of becoming their own boss and replacing their income from a “day job” that is sucking the life out of them. I’ve even watched as these hopeful business owners changed products or companies, some multiple times, investing more money believing that the problem with their ability to succeed was with the marketing, tools, or delivery that they were receiving from their company or brand.
Most often these new business ventures failed, or never reached their true potential, because the agent or consultant lacked the confidence and prowess to clearly communicate the value of what they offer, the ability to find the right potential buyers to serve or failed to put the organizational structures they needed in place to build the business. If this is resonating with you, don’t be discouraged! Here are three things you can do to change course and find the freedom you are pursuing.
The first step to your next level of success can happen right now by recognizing that you can adapt, gain control, and build your confidence. The second step is giving yourself permission to succeed and have the kind of life you want. Stop by my Favorites Page and download the Permission Slip and fill it out. The third step is to ask for help. You can find support from a mentor, coach, your team leader, or a business organization that offers training. If you are looking for guidance jump over to my Services Page and you can request a free consultation, and we will talk about where you are now and how to get you where you want to go.
If this particular blog post isn’t for you, please share it as a gift to someone you know who operates their own business or has a team of associates that might benefit from my message. My goal is to help as many people as I can find their freedom by leveraging their business to create a life filled with the people, places, and activities that they love.
