Jamberry University

Over the past month, I've been going through the newest consultant training - Jamberry University. I used the information in conjunction with an event that gave me a whole lot of leads, and I have to say it's incredibly beneficial. I told Deanna that I wanted to explain the reasons you should be going through Jamberry University, and we agreed on how I should do it.
I'm going to explain to those of you who haven't gone through the "coursework" what is involved and why you should be going through it. However, I won't be giving enough specifics that, if you don't have access to the University, you'll be able to skip the courses and benefit. If you're currently a hobbyist, the courses involved will more than make up for the $12 you spend for one month of a website, if you follow through with them.
However, that last phrase is really the key. The University is only what you make of it. If you go through the coursework as quickly as possible then never actually follow what it says, you're not going to get anything. Just like a "real" university, you're actually going to have to do the coursework like a student would. I took about 2 pages of notes for each section and really thought about the questions that were asked and the answers that I gave. That's the only way you're going to have success through the University.
There are currently 10 classes in Jamberry University. Each one of them is a little more difficult than the previous. You should expect each lesson to take an average of an hour. A couple took me half an hour, the last one took me 2 hours. That means, if you took one course every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of April, you'd be done before May. It also means you'd only have to find 3 hours a week, and you can work on it in small bits at a time. There were days I'd watch the video then go do some chores then come back and do one of the sections and repeat. Breaking the courses into the 15 minute intervals I talked about in Time Pockets really helped.
Each course is broken into 4 sections and they are as follows:

• A pre-test that asks questions you may not have ever thought of. Answer honestly, and you'll see where you need to improve. Jamberry doesn't care if you don't already know the things they're about to teach you.
• A video that is broken down into the subheadings of the lesson. In this video, Jamberry leaders explain their understanding of the mini-concept. I took tons of notes in these videos as their advice is not generally repeated in the actual lessons.
• The actual lesson. This is the reading portion of the course, and it is generally broken into 3-4 subheadings. You have the ability to highlight important phrases within these sections; however, I took tons of notes so I can reference them outside the internet. That's how I learn best.
• Each of the sub-sections will have an open answer section that will ask you to really think about what you've just learned and make a plan accordingly.
• A post-test that asks exactly the same questions the pre-test did. If you took the lesson seriously, and answered all of the open ended questions, you should score perfectly on this. If you still didn't understand something, go back and re-read.

Finally, I wanted to give you the run down of what you'll learn in the University. I realize some people might not want to sign up for their website because they don't know what's in the University. The concept of taking an online course for something when you don't know the content is a little scary. I will say, most of these concepts will be able to be found on outside websites, but I can't find a single site that will provide all these topics without a cost. Even if I could, they wouldn't be tailored specifically to the products that you sell. From what I've seen on other training websites, $10/$12 per month is incredibly inexpensive, especially for what you get from the University. Here is the current list of courses available through Jamberry University.

• Lesson 1: Cultivating an attitude of success
• Learn about persistence, passion, values, and taking time off from your business.
• Lesson 2: Earning Income with Jamberry
• Learn about the Jamberry Compensation plan, Retail commissions, level overrides, Fast Start rewards, and advancement bonuses.
• Lesson 3: Planning and managing your time
• Learn about clarifying your "Why", understanding your business expectations, setting attainable goals, and how to break down those goals into daily tasks & activities. 
• Lesson 4: Telling your story effectively
• Learn about promoting by wearing product, creating elevator speeches for products and business opportunities, and how to have make a presentation "short & sweet" when you need.
• Lesson 5: Business is Everywhere
• Learn about expanding your network, developing social media marketing strategy, creatin g a daily contact schedule, and following up and closing after vendor events.
• Lesson 6: Coaching your Host for Success
• The title is pretty self-explanatory, but this also includes how to turn a hostess into a recruit and follow-up time lines.
• Lesson 7: Successful Parties and follow-up
• Again, self explanatory. Learn about how to hold a party, full-service checkout, and following up.
• Lesson 8: Positive scripts and self talk
• Learn about anticipating objection, overcoming fear, and creating a positive mind-set and attitude for yourself.
• Lesson 9: Come from a place of service
• Learn about exceeding expectations, maintaining excellent service, and giving back to your community.
• Lesson 10: Developing and building your team
• Learn about leading by example, personal development, training new consultants, and building and effective team.

Email Ettiquette

A couple weeks ago, I attended a wedding expo and literally entered every drawing I could. I did this for two reasons - a) I wanted to win and b) I wanted to see how the sales people drafted their email to maximize their after-expo business.
I noticed something very concerning that could have been altogether avoided - almost half of the direct saleswomen who emailed me let me see every other email address they used. That means, if I were someone who wanted to phish information, I now have hundreds of people's email addresses - and they have mine.
This is such an easy thing to avoid that I wanted to take a second and explain how to do it, as well as some other finer points of email usage that are easy to miss when we're in a hurry.

BCC

When you compose an email, there are three potential fields in which you can put your email addresses they are as follows:

• To (or C)
• CC
• BCC

These are remnants of the old way we used to send mail. C stands for Copy - or the original addressee. CC stands for Carbon Copy. Back in the old days (can you imagine that in an old lady's voice?) we used to make a copy of the original with carbon paper to send to those whom the letter was not addressed to. Each person knew who the original addressee was and everyone else to whom a copy had been sent. BCC stands for Blank Carbon Copy. These were carbon copies sent to third parties as well, but these parties did not know who the original addressee was or who else had gotten a copy.
Email works in a similar way. When you use the C or CC fields, every single person you include in said field will see every other person you include. Alternatively, when you use the BCC field, every person only gets an email addressed to her and no one else. This serves 2 purposes:

• You eliminate the possibility of people stealing others email addresses.
• Each person feels like you took the time to email her specifically.

On a side note, if you use a mailing list service, it automatically does it for you.

Reply All

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY, DO NOT USE THE REPLY ALL FUNCTION ON EMAILS!!!!
I'm really sorry about that, but I had to get it out of my system.  Please forgive my fervour on this one. I am going to try to remain calm, but you should know that I am currently fighting this battle with my daughter's gymnastics parent association.
Let's say, for example, that you get an email from someone (we'll call him Bob) who doesn't know how to use the BCC field  on his email and they sent that email to 100 people. Let's again say you need to tell Bob how to use the BCC field (or anything else equally important) so you hit the reply button.
Did you check to see if you hit Reply or Reply All?
Here's what's about to happen if you hit Reply All. Every single other person that Bob sent the original email to will now receive a copy of your email and your information, if you have an auto-completing signature. This continues until people lose interest in the email. I get emails constantly like this and it sets off my "new email" buzzer constantly.
Of course, if Bob had known how to use the BCC field, none of this would have happened in the first place.

Hope this helps!

Creating a Google Form

I was on the Jamberry Consultants page the other day when someone mentioned using Google Docs to ease the sample request process on "Try it Tuesday"s. This peaked my interest, so I followed the thread until someone mentioned that they were using Google Forms to achieve this goal, and another linked her form. I used this example as a springboard for my own, and made a tutorial on the way.
First, if you don't have a Gmail account, you're going to have to have a Google Drive account. Sign up for that first.
1. Log into your Google Drive account and click the "Create" button.

2. Select "Form" from the drop-down list.

3. You will be taken to another page where you can choose the theme of your form (to make it pretty). Choose whichever suits you most and name your form. Mine is "Forbes' Fabulous Fingers - Sample Request."

4. The next screen will ask you to title your first question. Mine is "First Name."

5. After you name your question, you're going to want to change it. Because we're asking for someone's name, you'll need to change the question type to "Text."

6. You can make a field required by checking the box at the bottom. All address sections are required on mine.

7. Add a new field with the "Add Item" menu.

8. Continue this process until you have all the fields that you need. Mine has "First Name," "Last Name," "Address," "City," "State/Province," and "Zip/Postal Code."
9. Click the "Image" option in the Add Item menu.

10. Add an item of the samples you have to offer. Here's a suggestion.

11. Give your guests the option to choose one or two samples. I require them to pick one and give the option of a second. I used "Choose from list," but you could use "Multiple choice" or "Checkboxes," whatever you want.

Here's a link to my completed form. Once someone submits your form to you, you should get an email with the request and all of the requests should go into a spreadsheet for easy access.

Neutralizing Naysayers

We've all had them - the women at the party who seem to have come simply for the purpose of making you feel like you might have chosen the wrong career.  Whether they ask questions, make statements, or simply give you looks that make your other guests doubt the product, they make you feel like the party, and by extension you, is a failure.  How do you stop their negativity while remaining professional, polite, and above all, successful?  Well, you start by being a bit ahead of the game by knowing your product forward and backward so that when you have a Negative Nellie at your next party, you already know how to neutralize her before any harm is done.
The next thing you have to remember is to keep a cool head.  Remain calm, no matter what someone says to you.  I've found they won't be outwardly rude around their friends, but they may make snarky comments aimed to get your ire up.  Remember that, if you lose your patience or are rude to them, their friends will not want to buy your product.
Here are some of the most common negative comments that I hear consultants trying to overcome:

It's too expensive!

As odd as I find it, I hear about consultants being told our product is too expensive all the time.  I've never personally had someone say this to me, but that's because I try to nip it in the bud when I talk about the price.  For example:  "Each sheet is only $17 plus tax and can do up to two manicures and two pedicures.  I challenge you to find one manicurist that will give you two manicures for less than $20!"
If you have a client who argues that painting their nails is cheaper, you can always ask how long painting their nails lasts.  You can also suggest our nail lacquers which give a lower cost per manicure.  You may also run into the argument that store-bought wraps can be purchased for as low as a dollar. In that case, you might want to skip to the next argument.

__________ product or service is better.

There are tons of nail wraps out there.  You can get them almost anywhere from the Dollar Tree to Wal-Mart to Sally's to other direct sales organizations to high-end nail salons.  They range in cost from a dollar to almost $100.  They also vary in material and quality.  When I have a client ask me about other nail wraps, I have found the best option is to know my product and its competitors.  I've found that the following two images help me.  The first can't be shared as-is (logo issues) and the second is not social media approved, but it keeps popping up.  They're both incredibly useful.

So, one of my stock answers when people ask me about store-bought nail wraps, I usually say something like, "Most of the wraps in stores are made out of dried nail polish printed out.  That means that they have the same toxins as nail polish, and the same dangers.  They also dry out once you open them, and that means you only get one application out of them."
You can also point out that, though the less expensive wraps (Dollar Tree in particular) are not made of nail polish, they don't list ingredients, don't claim to be cruelty-free, and don't form to your nail shapes as well as Jamberry do.
As far as the salon-applied nail wraps there.  I haven't had someone who claimed they'd rather spend over $50 to have nail wraps applied, but I'm sure they're out there.  I have no argument for that.
As far as "I love getting manicures," which I do hear all the time, I would suggest to those people that they can still get their mani/pedis without polish and put on the wraps afterward.

I can't wear things on my nails because of my job.

If you get this challenge, I encourage you to clarify what your guest means by this.  This is because there are
four very different prongs to the argument:

• Some jobs, such as food preparation, do not allow any kind of nail decoration.  This is what we all assume the guest means when she says, "I'm not allowed to wear these at my job."  If you run into this, you should mention that our nail wraps can be used on toes.  Even people who can't wear nail polish on their fingernails like to get pedicures.  Megs LeGray also suggested that this is an excellent time to bring up our nail lacquers.  The lacquers offer a lower cost-per-manicure and gives your client the option to paint her nails with the same non-toxic alternatives on a night out and take it off before work.
• Some jobs don't allow eye-catching patterns on the nails.  However, they do tend to allow solid colours, basic ombres, and french tips.  For these situations, you might indicate the Sparkling Solids and French Tip sections of the catalogue.  My line is, "We carry everything from clear to crazy."
• Some jobs don't allow nail wraps.  This is a new one I heard the other day.  Health-care fields are starting to crack down on nail wraps because of a concern that they may trap pathogens under them.  You can't argue with this one, but you can suggest our non-toxic lacquer and, again, with the wraps on toes.
• There are people that think they can't wear wraps because of their jobs.  Their jobs don't actually have rules that say they can't wear nail polish or nail wraps, they just think that an aspect of their job will make the wraps not work. I've heard everything from acetone to hand sanitizer. For this instance...

I can't wear nail polish because of my hobby.

I swear that every time I have a party there is one person that can't wear nail polish because of something she does in her spare time.  I've heard everything from gardening to rock climbing and every person has tried and loved the product.  I've started to nip this in the bud a little by talking about clients I have had that can use our nail wraps.  I talk about my vet tech friend who does surgery in her Jamberrys (we learned that clear-based wraps weren't her friend) or a friend who works in labs.  However, that doesn't always work. Sometimes they are adamant that their hobby is somehow different from the extremes that I discuss.  In those cases, I point out that
a.  They have samples on their nails right now. I suggest they go do what it is that they go do what it is they're telling me about and report back to me about how their samples played out.  If they don't do that within the next 2 weeks:
b. We have a 30-day money-back guarantee. If their hobby is in fact to hard on their nail wraps, I will refund their money, no questions asked. If they aren't planning to do said hobby in the next 30 days, they're probably just giving you a reason to not buy.

I don't wear nail polish.

Okay, so I hear this all the time, and it's one of the hardest to overcome because it's much more complex that "I can't". "I don't" indicates a willful choice to not wear nail polish. Usually, I ask her why she doesn't wear nail polish. If it comes down to one of the many reasons why Jamberry is so much better than nail polish (chipping, cracking, repainting), I go back to "I can't because of my hobby," responses. On the other hand, I've had people who don't wear nail polish because of the toxins. They're my favourites because it's the easiest thing in the world to overcome.
Then there are people who just don't like nail polish. They don't want to wear nail polish, and you're not going to make them. Try to focus on our nail care tools, because they're of professional quality, or the hand care system. Even people who don't wear nail polish like their hands to feel nice.

I don't have any nails.

I swear that I pray for this argument to come up at every party. It is my favourite objection. You know why? Because when I started using Jamberry, I had less than no nails. I had nails that were bitten down to stubs, and were weak and brittle. Every time I tried to stop biting my nails, they would break and I would start evening them out with my teeth and then I'd be biting them again. Then came Jamberry! Jamberry protected my nails from the elements and prevented me from biting my nails (I always tell people "You can't bite through them!"). I have nails because Jamberry exists. There is no such thing as nails too short to wear them.

This is too difficult.

I have never gotten this complaint after someone tried applying the shields, but I have heard it plenty before the actual demonstration part. There are some people who will swear up and down that their non-dominant hand is incapable of doing anything. For this situation, I assure them of the ease of application. If they're very insistent, I give them examples of people I have had successfully apply samples. I've had a woman with Multiple Sclerosis apply them with ease!
If all else fails, just get them to try a sample.

I hope all of this helps; I put a lot of thought into it. If you have any complaints or arguments that I haven't touched on, let me know and I'll add it to the next one.

Having a Successful Party

Hello fellow Jamladies!! I feel so honoured and privileged to be invited to blog about my parties that I have had! I have been a Jamberry consultant since December 1, 2013 when it opened in Saskatchewan, Canada. Since then I have had 5 in-house parties, and 3 online/book parties. I have been asked to write about how and why my parties have been fairly successful. The parties have ranged between $300-950 insales prior to the hostess rewards. Here are some of the things that I have done prior and during in-house parties!
1. When the party is booked, I meet with the hostess and give her a few samples and have her apply a wrap, and match the wrap with a coordinating polish (of her choice). This is a way for her to see the product for herself, but also she can show everyone around her what the product is, and how it compares to polish. I also give her catalogues, and order forms to carry around.
2. At the same time as step 1 - I give the hostess a handful of business cards with a sample stapled to it, with the instructions also included. I ask her to hand these out to everyone who is interested! Ideally I want them to try it ahead of time so they know how great the product is. Once they try it and see how great it really is, they are definitely more interested in coming out to buy! The product really does sell itself.
3. I encourage the hostess to set up a FB event and invite EVERYONE on her friends list. Even if she doesn't think they would be interested. Its always surprising to see who comes out of the woodworks and places orders online! I will post on the event page videos, pictures, my website and my FB page, information, etc. And really encourage them to ask questions!
4. A few days prior to the party, I contact the hostess and see if there is anything she needs -more catalogues, order forms, samples etc.
5. Once the party has arrived, I try to be at her place about 30 minutes prior to the start time. I try and set it up so that where we actually try the samples on is separate from where the guests are while I do my little speech. Otherwise I find that they are so busy playing with the samples, they don't really hear what I have said! Here I hand them each a pen, catalogue and order form, and a little kit that I have prepared for each guest. This includes a nail file (not Jamberry, but I have found packages of 32 for $1.25 at Dollarama, and they are purple!), business card, with 1 sample stapled to it, basic instructions, a sheet with my FB page on it, and an alcohol pad). I encourage them to take this sample kit home and either keep for themselves, or share with a friend, family member or someone they know who would enjoy it! Then I touch base on a few key things:
     a)I talk about why I got into selling Jamberry Nails - as someone who almost always has her nails done, and owns 45+ bottles of polish, and stickers, gems, stamps etc - this was right up my alley!
     b)I talk about what the product is, how long it can last, the ease of application and removal.
     c)I will talk about the benefits of hosting, thank the hostess and provide her with a gift - usually a half sheet of wraps (her choice), a buffer pad, rubber tipped cuticle pusher and an orange stick. I will also talk about the fun I am having being a consultant
     d) Then once I have done my piece, and answer any questions that they may have, I let them loose on the samples, after all - that is what everyone is there for!! I also lay out any lacquers I have, the nail oil and the Indulgence line to let them try it all. I own 2 heaters, and lay out 30-40 single cut samples, show them either on myself or the hostess the basic application techniques, and then let them have their fun!! This is where the product is sold in my opinion!! Once they see truly how easy it is to apply - its hard to dispute the product!
6. During this time I hand out a draw form for them to fill out in 2 ways:
     a) name only if they only want to enter to win a half sheet.
     b) name and contact information if they want more info on holding a party or becoming a consultant. Once everyone is done doing their samples, I will make the draw.
7. Once they have all tried the product, they usually have a few questions, but also start filling out their order forms. I remind them that if the combined order comes to more than $200 there is free shipping, otherwise the shipping will be split between the orders that get sent to the hostess.
8. After the party is done, I keep in touch with the hostess to see if she has received any follow-up orders. Usually this is where I see orders start trickling in, as her friends who couldn't come - see her nails, and other peoples nails who were at the party. I usually encourage the party to be left open for about a week after the actual party date. During this time, I also advertise on my FB page that I have an order going in and that it is free shipping (if the party is in or near where I live for deliveries). I usually get an additional 1-2 orders this way. I have to admit that I actually haven't done any games at the parties so far - it may be something that I incorporate in the future. So there it is - these are my steps, and what I do for each of my parties. My in-house parties have typically been more successful than the book or online, as they have the ability to see, feel and try the wraps, but I think as people hear about it up here, and see it all over the place - the online and book parties will be just as successful! Please feel free to ask me any questions, in case maybe I didn't explain very clearly! Thanks!!

Prep for the month

This will be my final post classified in  the New Year 2014.  Originally, I planned to only go 31 days, but it ran over a little. I hope it was helpful
Today is the day you should prepare for your February parties, interviews, and anything else you might not expect.  On the last couple of days of the month, I make a list of what needs to be done before my first party of the month.  I never want to run out of sample packets, hostess packets, or recruiting packets.
So, I started by setting a goal for how many of these things I want to have on hand at all times.  I made those numbers high enough that, if I run out, I've had a freaking amazing month!

• 50 Sample packets
• 20 Hostess Packets
• 20 Recruitment packets

Today is also the day that I prepare the binders for my next month.  Because so much changes each month, I start making my new documents for them.  I can't send out for printing until the first of the month because I always include the Sister Style for the month in it.

So, today, count how many of each of these you have and figure out how many more you need to meet your goals this month.  Either send out for printing (I often find sending everything to Staples is easier than printing it myself) or print it yourself.

Homework:  How many of what do you need to make?  Post it today and we'll encourage you through it!  Due today!

Keep learning!

Einstein once said that if a person spends 15 minutes a day studying a subject, he or she would become an expert in that subject matter.  Well, this month you've spent a minimum of 15 minutes a day getting your business organized and learning new party, booking, and recruiting techniques.  So, my message today is to keep it up!
After a month of pouring information into this blog, I can only hope that it inspires you to keep learning more about your business.  Take 15 minutes every day and learn something that will help you with your business.  The best thing about owning your own business is that you get to choose what you think is going to help you the most instead of anyone else.

If you feel like you know everything there is to know about Jamberry, spend your time researching other at-home businesses.  What works for their consultants will often also work for us.  You can adapt the games they play at their parties to your own; you can look at their layouts or their flyers and find new ideas for your own.

The thing is, you don't need to just be a Jamberry expert, you need to become a marketing and business expert.  Learn how to best market your product while you're walking around or at a party or even when you're not there!  Learn how to build your business and meet your goals.
Where do you learn these things?  Well, Google is an amazing thing.  I've found tons just googling something like, "at home business party games" and the like.  Just think of what you want to learn and Google it.  You'll find something.  There are sites that are set up just for this, one of which (Party Plan Divas) I am thoroughly entranced in, but they often require a financial commitment to continue to use them.  The other place you'll find Jamberry and at home business tips is on YouTube.  There are dozens of videos on these kinds of things there.
Go, find something to learn and tell us all about it!

Homework:  Spend 15 minutes learning something and write us an article!  Due February 28.

The Journey Box

I've recently been in contact with Kat Roberts who learned what a Journey box was at a regional conference and explained it to me.  She got the idea from a leader named Lisa who told her what was in her Journey box.  I thought it was a great idea to add some fun to your parties as well as drumming up some interest for recruits.  The box is a tool to tell everyone about what Jamberry means to you. You can use it at a party to do a give away. Get a roll of tickets and every time someone guesses what the item you pull out means to you they get 1/2 of the ticket. You drop the other one in a container to draw from.

You start by saying, "This is my Jamberry journey Box and inside are items that have special meaning to me concerning my Jamberry Journey."
Here are some items you can put in your journey box:

• A flag-meaning that the products are made in the USA, are vegan free, etc.
  
• Luggage tags for all the fun places you will travel by earning incentive trips 
  
• Pom-Poms everyone loves recognition for a good job 
  
• Pen-write your own check. Jamberry is your own personal ATM: Any Time Money where else can you party for a living? 
• BFF necklace for all the friendships you will develop 
  
• A cut up credit card---you will be debt free by partnering with Jamberry 
  
• A bra (yes that's right! A bra) because it's the most uplifting and supporting company. Lisa also added that because of Jamberry she was able to go out and spend $50 on a bra now. 
  
• Product because it's great and simple 
• Last but not least: a $100 bill (fake and enlarged play money) because that's all it takes to start your own business
  

Hope this helps and you can adapt it to your needs.

Demonstrating Indulgence

If you look at our Jamberry products as a whole, it often feels like "one of these things is not like the other" when you see Indulgence.  It's has a different price scale, packaging, and purpose than every other product Jamberry offers.  Therefore, it seems harder to sell than our other products.  The application kit?  You need all those tools to get your Jams on.  The heater?  Silent alternative to hair dryer.  Indulgence?  It uh...
So, I wanted to tell you how I sell my Indulgence sets.  It's very similar to the way I used to sell another, similar product from another Direct Sales Company.  The way I use this method, your guests should be loving the product and wanting it.  Use that desire encourage bookings to earn Indulgence for free or half off.

1. Order an Indulgence Set from Jamberry.  You don't have to pay full price for it.  Wait until you have some hostess rewards to turn in and get your own for free!
2. Buy a pack of baby wipes from the dollar store.
3. Take the Indulgence to every party you have.  Statistically, the more you demonstrate the hand care line, the more likely you are to sell one!
4. As soon as you get to your hostess's house, put your Buff bottle in front of your Jamberry heater and turn it on (not too close, or you're melt the bottle).  The colder Buff is, the harder it is to squeeze out of the bottle.  If you get it warm at the beginning, you're going to have a better time later.  Retrieve it right before you start introductions.
5. You're going to demonstrate Indulgence right after the introductions.  I do this so that the lotion has plenty of time to soak into their hands and won't hinder the adhesive.  I say something like this, "Our newest product is the Indulgence hand care line.  It makes your hands feel absolutely scrumptious in a way you can only understand if you feel it, so we're going to try it right now.  Before we try it, though, I want you to really feel your hands."  At this point, I always have at least one guest show disgust at how rough or dry her hands are.
6. Walk around the table or room and give each guest a pea-sized amount of Buff on their hands.  As you're doing this, you should talk about the product.  "The first part of the hand care line is Buff.  This exfoliant is so gentle that you could use it every day, but you shouldn't have to use it more than once or twice a week.  Rub this all over the front and back of your hands paying special attention to any areas of your hands that were especially rough."  I always give them an example of my own hands to make them feel like theirs aren't so different. "I notice that the area between my knuckles is my roughest spot, so I always make sure to really scrub it in.  Once you're done, wipe it off with your baby wipe."  Be prepared to give them extra baby wipes if need be.
7. After my guests are all cleaned up and before the next step, I always have them feel their hands before lotion.  The exfoliating step reveals soft skin which is often surprising.  "Before we get to the next step, I want to invite you to feel your hands again.  I want you to notice how much better your hands already feel."  Usually the same person who was upset about how her pre-hand care hands felt is now stroking her hands lovingly.
8. Again, go around the table or room and give each person a pea-sized amount of Nourish.  "The second step of Indulgence is an amazing lotion called Nourish.  Massage it into your hands and notice how little it takes to fully moisturize them."
9. You may notice that, at this point, your guests are muttering to each other and feeling their hands and smiling.  If you don't want to demonstrate Quench it's up to you, but this is how I do it.  "The final step is called Quench, and it's a deep moisturizing cream.  You don't need very much, so I'd like you to just push your fingernail through the top and get a tiny bit.  Then just tap it onto your cuticles and rub it in."  If that's confusing think about scratching the top, but do it in reverse.

After you demonstrate the Indulgence set, mention that this is one of the many items you can get for free or half-price when you book a party.  The last party I did this with, I got an order of Indulgence and a party to earn one.  Good luck!

Party Games 2

For Party Games 1, click here.

It was requested that I put up some more party games to keep our home shows fun and interesting.  The problem is that I'm really bad coming up with ideas on my own, so this list will be populated by other peoples' ideas I found around the internet.  Every game I post here will have a link back to where I found it, originally.

Auction!

This can increase both sales and bookings.
Items Needed:

• Play Money
• Prizes (2 for every 5 guests) 
• Wrap each package so guests do not know what is inside..

Distribute money as follows:

• $100 for Attending the Party
• $200 for Bringing a Friend
• $100 for Placing an Order
• $200 for every $50 Ordered
• $200 for Paying for Order at Party (I make everyone pay at the party, so free money!)
• $200 for Booking a Party
• $300 for Booking Party to be Held Within Two Weeks
• $500 for Requesting Information about Becoming a Demonstrator

After everyone has placed their orders, begin the Auction of the items wrapped. The highest bidder gets the item.
Note: You can also issue money during the party as prizes for other games you might play, someone asking questions, etc.

Let's Make a Deal

Great way to get bonus bookings!
Items Needed: 4 envelopes and a basket with your inexpensive door prizes.

Inside each envelope, put a small piece of paper folded several times so they can't see it.
n one, write $1.00; another $2.00; another $3.00; and another $5.00.
Tell everyone what is inside and that they are gift certificates for tonight!  Have the first person to your left pick one of the envelopes. But tell her she CAN'T LOOK!  Now, play  the "Right-Left" Game and the envelope travels right and left.
At the end, tell the person with the envelope "DON'T LOOK" ~ Because I want to "Make A Deal" with you. 
Say: "Since you didn't pick the envelope, maybe your luck is better than hers...so you can trade for another envelope if you want to."  Hold the other envelopes out. Usually everyone is hollering "trade" or "don't trade."
Next, say, "DON'T LOOK!" ~ "I'll make another deal with you...(Pull out your gift basket). "I will trade you the envelope for an item in my basket....that envelope could be worth $5 or maybe just $1." Everyone is again yelling "trade" or "don't trade."
She then makes her choice. Then say, "DON'T LOOK!!!" ~"I have another deal to make with you....I will give you your envelope back and DOUBLE what's inside or give you TWO prizes from my basket IF you will book a show tonight and help (Hostess) out."
If she doesn't book she gets either what's in the envelope or her gift but MOST of the time they will book.

Purse ABC's

Bring a bag of candy with you to the party (Hershey Kisses, etc.).

Tell guests not to eat the candy during the game. Call a letter of the alphabet, and the first person to SHOW an item from their purse representing that letter wins a candy.

Each person who wins, gets a piece of candy; the person with the most candy at the end of the game is the winner.

Only use about 8-10 letters or so, then stop the game and do your party demonstration.

You can play the second half of the game at the end of the demonstration, but this time the guests must ask you questions about your direct selling career and company to earn a piece of candy. Imagination counts. It could be a description of an item, the brand name, color, etc.

You'll notice that the same things can be called different names, but they all work for this game. It's a lot of fun to see what people think of when you call a letter.  Sure to bring you lots of laughs.

Jamberry BINGO

Okay, so I can't attribute this to just one person because it's all over the internet.  A lot of direct sales businesses recommend you have customers write down different products then mark them off their card as you talk about them, but that doesn't work very well for Jamberry as we don't have enough different products to fill a card.
I thought long and hard about how to adapt it to Jamberry.  I have 3 potential solutions for you:

1.  Download these blank BINGO cards I made and give each one to a guest.  During the time between demonstration and sales, have them go through the catalogue and fill out their own BINGO card.  Make sure they know they can choose anything from the catalogues - Heaters, Indulgence, etc.  Then draw designs and products from a hat (here's a file with all of the designs that you can cut up and use for draws).  First one or two with a BINGO win! 
        Pro:  Gives you an idea of what designs and products your customer really wants.  Use that as a booking or recruiting tool 
        Con:  Takes a long time.  If your party's running long, use pre-printed cards (see below.)
2. Download this list of all the designs and products (different from the draw slips above) and make your own pre-printed BINGO cards using this site.  Cut up the draw slips and play as before.
3. Skip all of the previous rigmarole and print off my BINGO cards.  (Note:  My BINGO cards don't include Collegiate, Sorority, or Holiday Designs, so the draw slips are different.)

Time Pockets

The other day I was listening to a training that talked about time management.  During the training, she mentioned a concept that I use all the time, but I'd never had a word for it:  Time Pockets.  The concept behind Time Pockets is that, we're all busy and have full lives, but we have to find little pockets of time to make our lives flow best.

Since I found that quote, it's been my favourite thing because it's so true.  You can't claim you have less time than anyone else because you don't.  Is your life busier?  Perhaps, but you still have 168 hours every single week during which you can strive for your goals.  The point of this post is to help you find when your free time is.
First, I want to explain fully "Pockets of Time."  Finding Pockets of time means finding small amounts of time that you can use to meet your goals, even if they require lots of time.  If you have a large project that's going to take you two hours, who says it has to be done all at the same time?  Who says it can't be done in 8 segments of 15 minutes you find during your day?  Very few things require 2 hours without a break.
Think about everything you can do in 15 minutes - whether it be work, home, or play.  The speaker I was listening to broke it down into 10 minutes, but for now, let's just think about 15 minutes.  Things that take 15 minutes or less that can benefit you include:

• Empty the dishwasher
• Fold part of the laundry
• Clean a room (or a part of it, depending)
• Meditate (really you should do that)
• Pray (it you believe in this kind of thing, you should probably do that too)
• Read a religious or self help text
• Call your leads

There are tons more, but this is a starting list that gives you an idea of what you can get done in that amount of time.  I'd love to hear about what you can get done in 15 minutes!
Now, I want to give you this document.  Print it out, get a marker, and sit down at a hard surface.  This is something I used when I was studying Forensic Biology in College.  In my second semester, I began to feel like I had no time to study which resulted in me feeling hopelessly overworked and unable to complete my courses.  Then I had a brainstorm - what if I actually looked at the time I used and tried to see where my empty time was instead of trying to find it in the moment?  The method I'm about to outline worked for me and every single one of my friends who complained to me about not having the time to study, eat, sleep, and socialize.
The page you downloaded is your complete day, for any day of the week broken into 15 minute segments.  Start with any day you like.  I'm going to show you how I'd break it down for my friends when we were in University.  Your schedule will be different, count on it.

1. Start with scheduling time to sleep.  If you don't sleep enough, everything in your life will suffer.  Mark on the schedule when you need to wake up.  For me, it was 7:00 every morning.  Black out 8 - 8 1/2 hours before that.  If you need an hour to fall asleep, black out 9.  Because I woke up at the same time every single day, my sleep times were consistent from day to day.  Maybe yours aren't.  Customize it to your needs.
   
2. Look at times you know you can't move around.  If you have a job outside Jamberry, black out times you're actually working (don't black out lunch yet).  If you're taking classes, black those out.  At this point, only include the time you're actually there.  If your job is 9-5, that's all you should be blacking out (minus lunch).  What you see here is my Monday class schedule then my Monday work schedule (I worked on campus.)
   
   
3. Now add in the driving time it takes you to get from home to work and vice versa.  It took me about 20 minutes, so I scheduled a full 30 so I wouldn't be late.  You'll also note a driving time around 8 PM because I that's when I went to go pick up my daughter from gymnastics.
   
4. Now we add in meals.  Think about the time it will take you to prepare and eat your meal.  If you're given 30 minutes for lunch where you work, but you always have extra time, it's probably only 15 minutes.  Breakfast is a 15 minute ordeal for me on weekdays.  On the other hand, I always budget an hour and a half for dinner - an hour to prepare and 30 minutes to eat with my family.
   
5. The white spaces are what's left.  Are you surprised with how much time you actually have to spare?  I know I was when I did this the first time. I stared at the sheet and said, "What do you mean I have almost 4 hours left on Monday?"  Even if I gave myself 30 minutes to get ready in the morning (and it never took me that long), I was left with 3 hours and 15 minutes of open, empty time with which I could study.

Now, the reason I'm having you do this is because you may not realize how much time you have.  When all was said and done, I had over 20 total hours left over on weekdays only.  My weekends were virtually empty.  Many of us never realize we have all the extra left over because we're spending it watching TV, surfing Facebook, watching kitten videos on YouTube, or any other number of things.  We stress over having no time when our time is sitting right there waiting for us.

How do we use this time?

Okay, now that you see all that extra time, you're trying to figure out how to use it.  Well, my first bit of advice here is don't use it all.  You don't need every second of every day to be filled with activity.  You work hard, so you absolutely deserve to be able to watch one TV show without having to do anything else.  However, you might not deserve to watch 3 or 4.  There are certainly things you can do sitting in front of the TV.  You can make hostess packets, refill your guest binders, fold your clothes, or write customer thank you cards (during commercials).  So, choose one TV show every night that you get to watch uninterrupted then do something during the rest of your watching time.  I usually take half of a show to do what's required of me then I relax for the rest of the show.  This probably results in more down time than I really need, but it works for me.

If you're guilty, like the rest of us, of spending hours on Facebook or other social media, set yourself a timer.  Let yourself surf like crazy on Facebook for 10-15 minutes then get up and do what needs to be done for 15.  Repeat as necessary.
Here's the last piece of advice - when you complete something that needs to be done, celebrate it! Seriously, we as women often feel like our accomplishments are not worth celebrating, but they are.  Who cares if you give yourself a mental pat on the back when you get the laundry folded.  No one's going to tell you that your success dance is uncalled for if you called customers for 15 minutes.  If they do, tell them where they can store that opinion.

Homework:  What can you do in 15 minutes that I didn't mention?  Let us all know!  Due today!

Hostess Packets

One of the most common questions I see asked, no matter what Facebook page or direct sales organizations, is "What should I put in a hostess packet?"  Your hostess packet sets you up for success for that party.  If you put too much in it, you risk the hostess feeling overwhelmed.  Too little can lead to an unsuccessful party.  I'm going to tell you what's in my hostess packet and why, then you can decide what you want.

• Catalogue.  I usually only put in one, but you could put in multiples.  Your hostess should know that she can always ask for more.
• Sample packets.  I put in 3.  My hostess knows that when someone says they can't come to the party, she can give them a sample to try.  That sample has all of the information her friend needs to order online.
• Booking letter.  This is something that I got from a woman in Phoenix.  She uses it to explain how to have the best party possible. 
• Hostess Planner.  I have used the ones you can order and had them printed from the workstation.  This is a great place for your hostess to create her guest list.
• Hostess Rewards table.  I know there's one on the hostess planner, but I made one big enough for my hostess to read. 
• Hostess Games.  I include games for my hostess to play that will help her have the most successful party.  I give her three and let her choose which, if any, she wants to use.  You can edit these however you want. 
       Hostess Tic Tac Toe  - I give her this grid with different goals for her party.  She gets an "X" in every square that she completes, and earns prizes for it.
       Hostess Scavenger Hunt  - I've seen a different one of these for every direct sales business.  This is one I found and made my own document.  Tell your hostess that, a woman can only count for 1 category (red-headed pregnant women can only count as a red-head or a pregnant woman).  If she tries to invite 1 of every kind of woman, she's totally going to have a great party!
       Raffle Squares - Before you do this, check to make sure there aren't any laws against it.  Give your hostess the grid and have her "sell" each square for $1 a piece.  Each person can buy as many or as few as they want.  She should write the person who purchased the square in its box.  Once all the orders are made and paid for, you draw one of the numbers that have been purchased.  The person who purchased that number gets the total sold in Jamberry product - up to $100!  This is a great way for your hostess to get a $100 boost to her party sales
• 
  

Recycle Your Business Supplies!

Now we're getting to the end of the month, and admittedly, I was starting to run out of ideas when someone posted one of the projects I'm going to talk about.  Then it hit me!  We have so many freaking boxes, envelopes, stickers, etc being sent to us that we should be recycling them as much as possible.  So, here are all the ideas I could come up with.  I'd love to hear more!

Jamberry Labels

These darn things:

Before I started making my sample packets, I had such surplus of these things that it was frustrating.  I'd get 50 with every set of samples and I didn't want to throw them away, so I kept a snack-sized Ziploc bag full of them.  I still have that baggie somewhere, and it even has old-style Jamberry labels in it.  If you don't want to use your Jamberry labels on sample bags, here are some other ideas.

• Put them on your pens so that you have cheap "Jamberry" brand pens.
• Put them under your return address on Jamberry mailings so your customers know what's coming.
• Put them on items in marketing baskets to make sure everything has a logo.

Purple Envelopes

These:

We get one of these every time we make an order, have a party order sent to us, or turn in hostess rewards. Basically, any time we get wraps in the mail, you get one of those.  If you're like me, you've been tossing them in the recycle basket, but Alicia Pettus came up with this startlingly amazing solution:

Okay, seriously guys, in the blog post where she shows how to make one, she explains that she had this epiphany after seeing that bulletin board business card holders are $7.99 for 4.  Now, $2 each might not be a ton, but these are free, except for construction and they're customized to our product.  For those of you who have lengthwise business cards, make her template a little longer and the "front" of the box a little shorter.

Catalogues

If you don't know what one looks like...I don't even have words.

You can make shopping bags and envelopes out of expired catalogues.  I know we all have a few left over when the new inventory comes out and using them for shopping bags could solve 2 problems at once.  Now that we don't have gift envelopes any more, I'm sure your customers would love to have a bag to carry their purchases away in.  Unfortunately, the only video I could find that explains how to do this is from a lady who does "Passion Parties," so you might want to make sure no impressionable eyes are watching it.  I'll do my best to make my own video with Jamberry materials soon.

Shipping boxes

These:
It seems that I'm getting a shipment in one of these all the time, and they might be the things that have the most versatility.  Deanna uses them for her Book-to-Look boxes.  I use them for filing away smaller papers or pieces of inventory or business items I'm not using right now (like out of season Book-to-Looks).  Currently, I have one of the longer ones filled with old receipts and one of the shorter ones filled with customer care cards.

Homework:  Tell us how you recycle these or other business supplies.  Due tomorrow.

Vendor Events 101

When I started talking to Deanna about topics for the New Year's Tip blog-a-thon, she mentioned posting a Fair/Event 101 which was a great idea.  However, I didn't really know how to write it, and she really didn't either, so we turned to Tamara Busko Allen for her event checklist.  This is adapted from that!

The first thing you should know about vendor events is that you should not look at them as a place to primarily sell and make a bunch of money and success should not be measured necessarily by "if you broke even", especially at a big, more expensive event. Getting contact info from which future parties are booked and recruits are gained is by far more valuable in the long run than a few dollars on a single sale. Some sales, bookings and recruits my not be made until months later, but are people you otherwise never would have met. So you need to look at how you think about bigger events not so much in terms of immediate $$ made.

You do not have to spend a lot of money on expensive banners and things to be successful at an event.   A neat, professional looking table featuring the product and a place to do samples is the main idea.  When talking to the event coordinator ask if there is a way your table can get placed near an outlet so you can use your mini heater.  Your enthusiasm about the product and interaction with people is the most important part - get out in front of the table and talk with people, show them how great Jamberry is and have fun.

You can get a black tri-fold display board from Wal-mart for about $4.  It makes a nice backdrop and somewhere for you to post product pics and information.  There are 5 x7 display cards of wraps in the workstation.

I have found that having a “look-book” of pictures with the wraps on hands helps people to see what they really look like on.  You can use a 4x6 photo album or binder with photo refill pages in it.  You can also display wraps in those.

Ideas for displaying inventory:

• Clip and spin

• Pegboard from hardware store with tool hangers

• 2 plastic crates stacked up and use paper clips to hang

• Wire cooling racks and clips

• If you do not have a lot of inventory - do not worry- many people want to order what they like from the catalog and have it shipped to them. (Remember to bring receipts!)

Event checklist:

• table and tablecloth

• trifold display

• catalogs, host / join brochures, business cards

• survey cards from workstation and enter to win box and small prize

• look book

• heater, extension cord

• samples and application supplies

• calculator, pens, order forms

• calendar with your available dates for parties

• credit card reader is helpful or computer with hotspot

Try to have some form of booking incentive to give people a reason to book their party right there, instead of saying they will call later.  Some ideas are:  book to look boxes, a free half sheet for booking, roll dice odds are a prize, evens grab bag prize, spin the wheel for a prize, pop a balloon for a prize….. Something engaging works well - so many people ask me if they can spin my wheel.

Don't forget to get to your event early so that you can set up and do some statement nails!

Homework:  Ask any further questions you have about fairs and events on the group page.  Due any time.

Dress for Success!

Okay, the topic I'm about to write about is probably one of the most contentious subjects in the direct sale world - how you should dress.  Very few of you have ever met me, but you should know that I am possibly the least fashion conscious person on the planet.  You should also know that I have more body issues than Time magazine.  However, I recognize that this is important, so you should probably give me 15-20 minutes of your time to read about it.
How you dress is what gives the first impression to your next client; there are no two ways around it.  It doesn't matter where you meet her.  It could be at a home show, a fair, or where you buy your groceries.  The fact of the matter is, if you don't look like someone she wants to work with, she'll probably ignore you and go on.  Before we get to what you should look like, I want to tell you a story.

When I started my first direct selling business in 2003 I was told that I was to only wear skirts when marketing my product (that product will remain nameless, but at least one person knows what I'm talking about).  I was told to go out and buy a suit in which I should do parties - a suit with a skirt - and if I were to vary from these edicts, I was not welcome at the meetings.
What you may not know is that 2003 was the year that my daughter was born.  The doctors forced me to go well over my due date and I gained a lot of weight in those extra four weeks.  Because I had a cesarean, I couldn't do very much in the way of exercise, and I was out of work.  I turned to direct sales because I could have a job that would let me rest and watch my daughter, and the first thing they told me was to go buy clothes that were going to cost me more than my start-up kit.
So, I broke that rule.  I bought a single pair of really nice slacks from a sale rack and some tops that could fit my new shape.  I found women wouldn't talk to me at meetings, and no one wanted to help me boost my business.  I stopped selling that product because of the attitude it had toward clothing.

I told you that story to explain why this is such a difficult topic.  I know that you're comfortable in your clothes and you don't want to buy any more.  I also know that, if you're not dressed well, you're probably not getting as many leads as you want when you're out and about town.  The third thing is, that most of us, honestly, began direct sales and thought "great, a job I can do in my pajamas."
Well, you can do your job in pajamas - when you don't leave the house.  Seriously, wear all the pajamas you want in your own home, but remember that every time you leave, you have the potential of a selling opportunity.  If you leave your house in a torn t-shirt, sweatpants, and bed head, what are you going to say to the cashier that says, "Omigod, I love your nails?"  Would you say, "Thanks, I sell these," and give her your thirty-second commercial or would you sheepishly thank her and walk out wishing you had looked better?
Every day that you leave your house, you are confronted by dozens of women you could market to.  This is to help you feel more confident about doing it.  As much as we all hate to admit it, everyone judges the book by the cover first.  You want your outward appearance to be that of someone they can talk to.

Okay, so, speech over.  I don't want you to run out and buy a new wardrobe.  I mean, if you were planning to do that already, more power to you, but more than anything I want you to be conscious of what you're presenting to the world.  Here are some basic tips for going out and meeting the world.

1. Wear clothes that fit you well.  That means that your blouses shouldn't be so tight you can see every thing, but they also shouldn't be so baggy that they're falling off.  Everything in your closet that doesn't fit well should be out of the running for everyday wear, anyway.
2. Don't wear clothes with holes in them.  Okay, so now they make designer jeans with purposely worn areas in them.  Though I don't like those, I'm not talking about them.  I'm talking about your favourite top that just developed a tiny hole in it.  If it has a hole, you're going to play with it which will draw attention to it.
3. Wash/brush your hair. I am not going to get into the argument about how often you have to wash your hair, but before you leave the house, look at yourself and be brutally honest.  If your hair is dirty, wash it.  If it's clean, do something with it, even if that something is just brushing it.
4. Put on some lipstick.  Again, not getting into the argument about how much makeup is necessary.  The bare minimum for your make up should be some lip gloss.  Some women say, "lipstick and mascara"."  That's fine.  Put on something that says, "I tried."
5. Do your nails!  You sell nail art.  How are you going to approach a stranger about nail art if you're not wearing any?  I don't care if it's lacquer or wraps or a combination of both.  Make your nails look great!

That's it.  Simple steps.  You can wear a pair of jeans and get new clients, just make sure they aren't those jeans you paint in.

Homework:  Go through your closet/dresser and organize them into clothes you go outside in and clothes you wear at home.  No due date. This is for you.