Your Holiday System is More Important than Sales Ideas

I recently completed my 1^st half marathon. I took the time to research training programs and found one that fit into my busy schedule, discussed the time commitment with my family and found a buddy to train with. I had a solid PLAN. I had a solid SYSTEM for training. The day of the race I felt ready, and because I trained properly, the days after the race I felt great. You see, I had trained for 18 weeks prior to the race and my body was ready for 13.1 miles (of hills!). I spoke to many runners that day who hadn’t finish their training, or didn’t have a program they were following to train. They randomly selected a program and didn’t develop a system to make them successful. On the day of the race, those 13.1 miles were grueling for those people.

It came down to they had a clear goal (running the marathon) but didn’t have a plan for training so that they would succeed. As the Holiday selling season rolls around, it’s easy to get lost in the plethora of ideas to help you succeed. But sales ideas (Holiday Trunk Shows, Secret Santa, MK Bucks, Holiday Open House) are not nearly as important as your System for success. You need a Plan you believe in, a Plan you can and will execute with a profit intention, and a way to measure your progress. Otherwise, you’ll end up like those runners who didn’t have a System for preparation, which swayed their success on race day.

Four Little Steps toward a Profit Plan

Step 1: First thing you need to do is come up with your ideas. How do you want to try to make extra Mary Kay income this holiday season? Take a few minutes to come up with a BIG list of ideas you’ve collected (need some, write me!). Take a little time, do a little research, ask successful consultants and directors what has worked for them in the past. Soak up their tips and knowledge. No Idea is too “out of the box” at this point. Write a huge list of ideas.

Step 2: Filter these ideas. DON’T skip this step!!! Evaluate each idea and see if it fits for YOU! The difference between those who are wildly successful and those who are trying everything and not getting results is… the ones who have a system can see which ideas will work BEFORE they spend the time on it. Does it excite you? If so you CAN sell the sizzle! Does it make you want to throw up? If so you’re probably not going to do it (at least long enough to see the results). Has this method worked for you in the past? How can you modernize it for 2011? Does it fit into your time frame (both time you have and effort you are willing to put in)? Do you have the resources you need (i.e. lots of gift wrapping/basket/gift supplies, product on hand for cash & carry, list of contacts, etc.) If it doesn’t excite you, or you don’t have what you need to make it work, go to the next one on your list of ideas.

Remember, you don’t want to have to put a ton of money out to make an “idea” work! That directly decreases your PROFIT.

Step 3: Once you have selected the BEST idea for YOU… go test it out! Find 3 people to Book, or 3 companies to sell corporate gifts to, etc. Give it your ALL! Figure out your non negotiable schedule of INCOME producing activity toward this idea. Figure out your overhead cost (and try to keep it to a minimum!). Figure out your best contacts and start contacting them right away. ACTION! Action is the key. If you are giving it a lot of time and there is no monetary results… move on! You will have a list of 50+ ideas… go to the NEXT best idea for you on the list and repeat steps 2 and 3! Once you get the hang of it you will be able to recognize your hot buttons and your hold back items more quickly.

Step 4: Measure your results with the numbers, not just your feelings. What was your monetary goal? Use Ascend Live to track your extra income in a separate envelope. Evaluate the income vs. expense to see if this was a great idea for you or just a good one. Then intentionally spend that extra income with purpose! Dare I say plan what you will do with it BEFORE you earn it?

Pep Talk

Everyone loves ideas and “tricks” to the trade… but be aware! All the tips in the world are useless if you don’t USE them! Don’t buy into your own fear based excuses. Don’t stop before you start! If you find yourself making excuses, ask yourself, why you haven’t already tried this idea? What are you afraid of? Then feel the fear and do it anyway, but with a PLAN you can measure!

The Holidays don’t have to be a time of frenzy and feeling overwhelmed. If you take the time to PLAN and develop a system you can make that extra income and ENJOY the holidays all at the same time!

Be sure to visit us on our Facebook page and share what worked for you and what didn’t. We can’t wait to hear about your fabulous results!