Are You Ready for a Vacation?

by Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank
http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com

While this may seem like the perfect title for an ad, this is really an
important business topic! There's much to do before going on vacation,
and your business needs to be ready.

We all need a break sometimes. Running a business is hard work, no
doubt about that. If you are planning your family vacation, don't forget to
make sure your business and customers are taken care of while you are
gone!

- Notify friends and communities
Be sure to let all your groups and communities know you will be gone
for a set amount of time. Email your closest associates to let them know
when you are leaving and when you will be back. You never know if
someone will be looking for you, so you'll want to have a few that can say
"she'll be back on this date". If you help moderate any message boards,
communities etc, make sure you let the board owner know you will be
gone.

- Put groups on "No Mail"
Make sure all your groups are set to no mail or daily digest, so you
aren't overwhelmed when you return.

- Notify team members
Be absolutely sure you let your team members know you'll be gone until
a certain date. Give them back up emails and phone numbers to call in
case they need immediate help. You may consider asking your upline or a
trustworthy (knowledgeable and active) downline member to help with
some basic questions for you.

- Notify customers
If you have a personal website, edit your home page to mention you are
on vacation. You can still take orders while you are gone, but if you
ship them out yourself, make sure they know the order won't be filled
until you return.

- Have back ups
If there is someone who can take over some of your duties while you are
gone, contact them before you leave. Make sure they have access to
certain email addresses and websites.

- Do NOT put your email on auto reply!
Many do this and it's not a bad idea, although it's extremely annoying
for those who already know or don't care. Auto replies go to everyone
who sends you an email, including newsletter owners, groups, etc. You
could be doing more harm than good with auto replies!

These are some of the basics of taking care of business while you are
on vacation. The most important thing to remember is not to worry -
remember, you are on vacation to RELAX!

Have fun!

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Anita DeFrank & Kara Kelso, authors of Direct Sales Success, specialize in coaching direct sales representatives to reach their goal of becoming successful in their field. Visit http://www.directsaleshelpers.com for free weekly tips.