Are you a "Spammer"?

This is one of those topics which never goes away. No matter how many times the subject comes up, it's not long after we are spammed. The following are general guidelines to follow.

It's NOT acceptable to:

- Email your entire address book ads
- Forget using a mailing list
- Forget reading guidelines on groups
- Offer "great ways to make money" to someone that didn't ask for it

Basically put, s*pam is a message you send to profit yourself which they don't want. They didn't ask for it, they don't need it. It doesn't matter how great your specials are or how wonderful your business opportunity is. There are millions of great website and opportunities on the internet, and even if you think your's is the best it may not be to someone else.

What IS acceptable:

- Always use mailing lists
You must use some type of a professional mailing list where others can subscribe or unsubscribe themselves. Double opt-in is a must, which means when they enter their email address it must be confirmed before they are officially subscribed.

- Always include contact information
This is a spam compliance law - you must follow up your mailings with your publishing info INCLUDING mailing address and phone number.

- Always read group guidelines
The fastest way to make a group owner mad is not following their guidelines. You want to make friends, not burn bridges. Remember: "I didn't know" is never an excuse, and if someone were to report your email as spam your business could suffer dearly. They say "Ignorance of the law is no excuse", and the same applies online. To own a business of any kind is a large responsibility, and your job is to know
everything there is to know about starting. This includes licences, spam laws, local requirements, etc.

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About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. Learn how you can be successful in your company by visiting: www.DirectSalesHelpers.com
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Note to publishers: The above article may be reprinted in your publication as long as the bio is kept intact and links are not altered. Please send a courtesty copy to mommyshelperonline@yahoo.com

Holiday Promotion Tips

Are you ready for Mother's Day? Yes I realize it's still a week or two away, but if you haven't started your Mother's Day promotions yet it might already be too late. I know of one company that has completely sold out of their big Easter product 3 weeks prior to Easter (yes completely sold out!). So if you haven't done so already, work up some Mother's Day promotions and start contacting your previous customers and lists.

Why promote Mother's (or any holiday for that matter) when it's still more than 2 or 3 weeks away? Why do you start seeing Halloween costumes for sale in September and Christmas decorations in October?

There's several reasons, but the two biggest ones are:

- To stay ahead of the competition

- Keep your business in mind when your customers begin their holiday shopping.

It's especially important to advertise products and specials far ahead of time in direct sales, because we need to keep in mind shipping times. If your shipping time is 1-2 weeks, your customers only have this week to shop.

If it's too late for Mother's Day, start thinking about Independence Day and what you can do to spice up your business!

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About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. Learn how you can be successful in your company by visiting:
http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com
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Note to Publishers: This article can be used any time of year. Just make sure you change all the holidays listed to be used for the
time of the year you're using the article.

6 Time Management Tips for Moms

Many of you have expressed the challenge of not having enough time
to accomplish all your needed tasks and not being organized. Having
good organization and management skills is absolutely imperative to
your business. Being well organized can greatly affect your
successfulness. Applying a few of the following tips will help you
become more organized and make better use of your time.

1. Learn to delegate
Most of us are mothers and as moms we tend to automatically take on
everything and are used to doing everything ourselves. There's
absolutely nothing wrong with delegating different tasks.

2. Set business hours
One way to keep yourself and your business organized is to set
regular business hours. You know Monday through Friday 1 - 4 or
whatever times works best for you and your family and try to stick
to it as much as possible.

3. Keep your office organized
Have a place for everything keeping like things together.

4. Group like activities/errands
Keep track of errands that need done and try scheduling most of them
on the same day.

5. To-do lists
Having a to-do list keeps you motivated and lets you know what needs
done at all times.

6. Plan for tomorrow
Make it a habit to review the following days schedule at the end of
each day.

Take a few minutes right now and start a list of everything you need
to get done. Take that list and re-write it by placing the things
that most need accomplished and place them at the top of your list.
Once you're finished get back to work and cross off tasks as you go.
Not only will you find yourself getting more accomplished you'll
also find a sense of fulfillment.

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About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms,
and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. Learn how you can be
successful in your company by visiting:
http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com

Reaching Goals in Direct Sales

From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals for their business. We've also noticed that while the goals being set are good, the results aren't. Around 90% of those in Direct Sales do SET goals, but never reach them.

So the question comes to mind.....are you making the right plans to reach your goals? It's GREAT to set a certain amount you want to make, so you have a little motivation, but without the proper planning reaching that goal is going to be more difficult.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What have you done in the past that created sales?
How can you improve on ideas for creating sales?
What ideas for sales have you seen but not tried?

Take a minute to write down every way you can think of to make your sales (such as through parties, catalog shows, drawings, etc), then make some more specific goals for doing each task. Such as "contact 10 people and book at least 3 shows".

Once you have a plan in motion, be sure to stick with it! A dream won't become reality if you are just simply wishing for it.

If you have an idea of how to get to your goal, well that's half the battle. The next part of course is taking action. You should have your goals AND plans clearly written in a place you can see. It's true everyone has their own way of setting and reaching goals, which is fine, but everyone needs to have them BOTH written down in some way.

If you don't have a goal or even a plan, now is a perfect time to start!

About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. Learn how you can be successful in your company by visiting http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com

Top 4 Promotional Materials

Top 4 Promotional Materials (other than business cards!)

Sometimes a business card just doesn't cut it, and we have to look to other means for getting the word out about our business. Some of the following ideas you may have seen, others you may not have thought about. Regardless, each method is meant to help get your name out there and increase your sales.

Flyers
These can be effective for announcing events or any type of major announcement. Before you start posting, make sure you have permission first!

Brochures
Think of them like mini-catalogs, able to highlight the best or most interesting products in your line. If your company doesn't offer these, you can easily make them on your home computer. You may want to check with your company to make sure this is allowed first, and that you are able to use product pictures. Hand them out to customers and only those who show interest in your products.

Catalogs
These should be saved for your current customers only, showing the most current products you offer. If your company doesn't offer catalogs, again you can always make them at home. Don't forget to check with your company before handing them out!

Printed Promotional Products
This would include things like pens, shirts, or any other item your name and info can be printed on. Some direct sales companies offer these, while others you will have to take to a printing company. If you decide to look into something like this, be sure the product matches your company. For example, if you sell food mixes, you may want to use candy bar wrappers with your logo. Check with your company first before investing large amount of money into this.

These are just a few ideas to help jump start your business, and help get your name out there. Make good impressions - give your customers and future customer something they won't forget!

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About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. Learn how you can be successful in your company by visiting: www.DirectSalesHelpers.com
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Note to authors: The above article may be reprinted in your publication as long as the bio is kept intact and links are not altered. Please send a courtesty copy to mommyshelperonline@yahoo.com