The Waning Days of Summer
I woke up this morning, looked at the calendar, and discovered much to my surprise that August is already upon us.
When I was a kid, August 1 meant another full month of vacation. Not any more. In fact, many kids will head back to school in three weeks – or less! Like many parents, I find myself with mixed emotions: a little joy at the prospect of getting back to a familiar routine, and a little sadness that another carefree summer is coming to an end.
This was reinforced on my way to work when I stopped at the store to pick up a couple things for my son’s last day at Art camp and saw that the entire front of the store was filled with fall foliage and Halloween decorations!
While I’m not ready to start hanging ghosts and goblins in my front yard yet, it did occur to me that while many people prepare for back to school, there are also many people who are preparing to start or reinvigorate their direct selling businesses in anticipation of the holiday season.
People become direct sellers to earn extra money for a variety of reasons, and the impetus is often seasonal. Fall is a time to work toward Christmas, spring offers a chance to save for a summer vacation – and summer sales can help pay for back-to-school clothing and supplies.
Similarly, direct selling is a great way to get your holiday shopping done early – why not beat Santa to the lunch this year and check off everything on your shopping list before Thanksgiving – all while having a great time and catching up with friends and family? Many people are busy right now setting up and conducting home parties and in-person appointments to help get ready for whatever the rest of the year has in store for them.
If direct selling is a part of your plans between now and December, please share your plans with us here. And, I hope everyone enjoys these final, precious days of summer.
August 9th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Amy, I definitely can relate to the summer disappearing and fall time coming too quick. However, the fall time (from a business perspective) is a great time of year.
Over the years, I have taught direct sellers how to capitalize on the fall months by beefing up their promotion through the summer months. Even though we are a third of the way through August already, direct sellers can still bring some great fall values (or back-to-school values) to their prospects and customers well before their competition does.
As you mentioned in another post, “the key is excellent customer service”. If direct sellers remember that they can increase sales and overall growth by going the extra mile on service to their customers, they can cash in big through the coming months… and even create a nice avalanche of profits through the end of the year holiday season.
My plans are to teach people through the fall months on the universal fundamentals, so they can increase the cash flow, growth, and profits in their business. My focus is on enhancing competency and improving credibility, which is something every direct seller needs for their team (and this great industry).
TIP - One tip for all direct sellers is to go the extra mile by practicing the principle of giving before receiving. You will be surprised at how this simple fundamental principle will help you gain your prospect’s confidence in you… a great credibility builder!