Be a Direct Selling Superstar: Achieve Financial Freedom for Yourself and Others as a Direct Sales Leader - Softcover

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MARY CHRISTENSEN is one of the most sought-after speakers on the direct selling circuit and the author of Be a Network Marketing Superstar, Be a Recruiting Superstar, and Be a Party Plan Superstar.

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“Rarely does a book provide insight into both the rich tradition and the bright future of direct selling. Mary nailed it! Every person interested in entrepreneurial success should read this book.”

— Heidi and Orville Thompson, owners, Scentsy, Inc.

Direct selling is a booming $30 billion business. With its lure of flexible hours, low start-up costs, and the potential for high earnings, more than 15 million people in the United States and 100 million worldwide have signed on to sell every­thing from cosmetics to candles to nutritional supplements. But only a small fraction will realize their professional and financial goals. You can be one of them.

Industry superstar and bestselling author Mary Christensen has helped thousands of people sidestep the pitfalls and launch themselves successfully in the world of direct selling. Now, she can help you master the challenges of the far more lucrative and ambitious arena of enterprise building.

Be a Direct Selling Superstar explains how to select and guide a team of committed people who are motivated to achieve their financial dreams—and yours as well. This step-by-step crash course covers every key personal, business, and leadership skill you’ll need to succeed, including how to:

Set high, yet reachable goals

• Eliminate self-sabotaging behaviors

• Market your products and business opportunity effectively

• Communicate persuasively

• Recruit a network of serious sellers

• Be an influential leader

• Create a clear roadmap for others to follow

• Inspire and lead a wide range of personalities

• Maintain work–life balance

• Manage your time and your money wisely

Whether you feel stuck in your job and are looking for fresh, rewarding opportunities . . . or you’re searching for fast, fun ways to help cover the bills and pay for extras for the kids . . . or you’re craving the independence and flexibility of entrepreneurship without the huge financial risks . . . or you’re ready to make the leap from direct selling to building a sustainable, more profitable direct selling busi­ness —this is the one book that makes sure you get each step right.

Mary Christensen is one of the most sought-after speakers on the direct selling circuit and the author of Be a Network Marketing Superstar, Be a Recruiting Superstar, and Be a Party Plan Superstar. She lives in Monterey, California.

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Introduction

The magic of a direct selling business is that it allows you to control your own income. And when you control your income you control your life. By building a direct selling business you can achieve a lifestyle most people only dream about. And you’ll do so by helping others achieve the income and lifestyle they dream about.

Income on the sales your business generates will be just the start. Cash bonuses, exotic travel, luxury cars, expensive jewelry, and tax benefits are all part of the package. You’ll form lifetime friendships with excited and exciting people.

By growing financially you’ll expand your horizons. Direct selling is a personal growth business, and it is impossible to grow your business without growing yourself. Whatever product you represent, or corporation you partner with, this book will equip you to promote to the highest levels of your compensation plan.

Millions have traveled the path you’re on, and reached the elite levels where the most exciting rewards await. You won’t have to blaze your own trail, as they have already discovered everything you need to know. All you have to do is follow their footsteps.

Success comes from making the right moves at the right time, and now is the time to build your direct selling business. Here’s why:

1. While owning a business has always been the American dream, crippling costs topple the majority of these businesses before they start making a profit. From interest on money borrowed to get the business started, to rent, utilities, inventory, and wages to keep it running, the bills keep coming whether the business is generating income or not. Losses through customers who default on their payments, as well as shrinkage through theft, damage, and obsolescence, make it harder to profit in good times, let alone tough times.

In direct selling, the lion’s share of the investment comes from the corporation you partner with. You won’t have to use your personal savings to fund your business, or incur significant costs to run it. By taking advantage of the significant tax breaks available to home-based entrepreneurs, you’ll keep more of what you earn.

2. This century’s economic wake-up calls have spun attitudes toward employment 180 degrees. Workers who used to seek security in employment now accept the fact that the only security is self-reliance. Direct selling is the ideal solution for anyone who wants to control his or her paycheck, not live with the frustration of subsidizing lazy coworkers or the fear of being laid off, forced to take a pay cut, or denied a raise.

Professions that reward seniority over performance are driving many talented workers to self-employment. The last-on first-off policy that exists in teaching is a case in point. Many former teachers who are now successful leaders in direct selling cite job uncertainty as the key factor in switching careers, and they are happy to find that their training and skills can be utilized just as effectively in direct selling as they were in teaching.

In direct selling there’s no discrimination based on longevity or on any other factor. You get to call the shots on when you work, where you work, and with whom you work. You won’t have to work with people you don’t like, or compete with coworkers for promotion. The better your performance is, the higher your paycheck will be.

3. Smart technologies equip you to run your businesses with resources that equal those of any large corporation. By taking care of the back end of the business, the corporation frees you to work the front line, where you’ll generate your income. Tasks that used to consume time, from keeping in touch with customers, prospects, and team members to placing and delivering orders, tracking performance, and staying informed, are now performed at the click of a button. You can be at the ballpark with your kids or on the treadmill at your gym and still check on your business in an instant.

4. Because direct sellers are independent contractors, the profession attracts a wide range of ages, ambitions, and experiences. You’ll find young entrepreneurs who are shunning traditional employment in search of freedom and flexibility as well as experienced workers who are tired of playing office politics. You’ll find career professionals who have climbed the corporate ladder only to realize it’s leaning against the wrong wall, and mom-preneurs who want to achieve a balance of earning an income while raising a family.

Census figures explain why direct selling is a magnet for women. With shocking inequalities, such as women earning seventy-seven cents for every dollar a man earns, it comes as little surprise that women account for more than 80 percent of all direct sellers.

Many ambitious women are waking up to the fact that discrimination gets worse the higher they climb. Ten years after graduating from college, women can expect to earn sixty-nine cents for the same job their male classmates are paid a dollar to do. CNNMoney.com reports that only twelve Fortune 500 companies are currently headed by women CEOs, and only 16 percent of Fortune 500 corporations have female board members. Direct selling does not favor one gender over another. The cream rises to the top.

5. A direct selling business is mobile. Whereas retail stores have the mobility of a stalled car, direct selling is a high-erformance vehicle in motion. Direct sellers take their business direct to their customers, instead of waiting for customers to come to them. They do in-home presentations to showcase their products to shoppers who are bored with the monotony of malls. They buy each other’s products and attract new prospects at trade shows and fairs. They create contacts in their community by speaking at clubs and professional associations, and sponsoring events and fund-raisers.

6. As a direct seller, you’re in business for yourself but not by yourself. You’ll receive all the support you need from your corporate partner and from the person who sponsored you into the business, and in turn you’ll experience immense satisfaction from helping the people you sponsor. You’ll spend your time with people who aspire to have more, do more, and be more in their lives, as you do. Their energy and excitement will kindle yours, and their successes will inspire you to reach higher.

With more than two thousand direct selling corporations to choose from, each with unique products and services, direct selling offers an opportunity for everyone. According to the Direct Selling Association (dsa.org), there are more than fifteen million direct sellers in America. Many countries, including Canada, Australia, and South Africa, have more than one million, and there are more than a hundred million worldwide. Explosive growth in China, Central America, South America, Europe, and many emerging economies has created a true global business opportunity that you can take advantage of from your own home.

7. Few workers can afford the luxury of an abrupt career change, but aspiring entrepreneurs can start a direct selling business while working their full-time job. The opportunity to build a business by working part-time or even in your spare time gives the profession an edge over most opportunities....