SimplyFun Buddy Terri Kasseth Shares Her Family Game Story: How "Drive" Saved My Summer!

How Drive Saved My Summer!
submitted by Terri Kasseth

We were just about halfway through summer and 3 of my kiddos (ages 4, 6,& 8) chose to bicker constantly from sun up to sun down. Cartoons ruled my house and the kids tried to rule each other with their choice of cartoons. I was going crazy constantly breaking up fights.

One afternoon, I was on the phone losing my mind with a friend and said, "This is why God made schools, because not all mothers are intended to be with their children all day long!" It was at that moment I knew I couldn't let the next 6 weeks of my summer be this way.

The next morning we woke up and I did not allow any cartoons at all. The very first thing we did was sit down and play Drive. A wonderfully quiet, calming, and relaxing game. Everyone, even the 4 year old, understood how to play and enjoyed the game. We played for an hour. Then they ate breakfast. After breakfast the mood was cheerful and everyone enjoyed their own activities, a couple of them even played together without fighting. The routine took place each morning that week.

However, when the kids came to wake me up early they were asking to play Drive instead of watching cartoons.

The atmosphere in my house was such a dramatic change, I couldn't believe it. We now enjoy time together playing Drive each morning. My kids are happy and enjoying each other and that makes Mom very happy! Thanks SimplyFun for such a fabulous game!

Make Time for Family with 30 Minute Play Solutions

Too often I hear, "I don't have time to play games."

To that I ask, "Can you make 30 minutes a day for your family?"

In just 30 minutes of game play you can:

• reconnect with your family and/or friends
• create fun, lasting memories
• build essential life skills
• enjoy meaningful conversations
• experience family bonding
• reinforce family values
• strenthen relationships through healthy play

When searching for your own 30-minute play solutions, look for choices that have everything you need to play a complete game in one box or pouch. You don't want to waste time searching for those little add-ons, like a pencil and scoring pad. You should be able to just open the box, take a minute or two to read the quick rules, and begin playing a fun game.

Might I suggest checking out SimplyFun products. These games are just that: simple to learn and fun to play! I've found SimplyFun to offer the best solutions for 30 minute play. This is one of the many reasons I chose to become a SimplyFun games consultant. As a work-at-home-mom, I have lots of 30 minute blocks of time to play games with my family.

Check out this "Christmas in July" Sales Event going on right now. http://bit.ly/Trtzj Watch demonstrations of many games on the web or attend a SimplyFun games party to experience these 30 minute play solutions first-hand.

Healthy play is essential for a successful, balanced and happy life. I invite you to rediscover the people who mean the most in your life and together take time to celebrate the importance of play each and every day. It only takes 30 minutes a day to fit game play into your busy schedule. Grab a game and play with your family!

Here’s My Best Kept Secret that I’m Ready to Share with YOU...

Here's some great news about an offer I am able to extend to you for a limited time. As you may already know, I have been a member of the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance for quite a while and I am excited about all of the benefits I receive that help me grow my direct selling business! I’ve gained new skills, strengthened my commitment to the profession, and feel a part of an international family of people who love helping others achieve their dreams.

The DSWA’s member website is rich with success resources, tips, articles and hundreds of archived tele-classes on topics related to growing a direct selling business. Are you curious yet? Check out the benefits of a DSWA membership now:

http://www.mydswa. org/membership/ 1dollar.html

Here’s the really great news…
As a part of the DSWA’s Join in June and July Membership Campaign the DSWA Founders, Nicki and Grace, are asking me to pass on a very special offer to you. When you join the DSWA during the months of June and July using my unique membership link below you will receive one additional month of membership at no charge! Please key my name -- Lynn Ewy -- in the "referred by" in the box on the $1 membership registration form to be sure you get this special added bonus. I’m so excited about this offer because I know a DSWA membership will have a positive impact on your business, too.

Now it’s up to you! Click on the link below to learn about becoming a DSWA member! Hurry! Time is running out as this $1 membership offer expires July 31, 2009.

http://www.mydswa. org/membership/ 1dollar.html

I look forward to hearing that you have made this investment in yourself and your business.

Work Your Plan – The 5 P’s that Turned Around My Home-Party Business (Part 2)

(Part 2 - This list is a continuation from the previous post.)

1. Products: (mentioned in the previous post)
   
   
2. Programs:
   Study the programs your company offers to your hosts, sponsoring leads, and new consultants. Those programs should also be duplicable.
   · First, I make a monthly appointment to update your contact list. Whether you do this on your computer or on note book paper, this is a valuable business tool. My contact list is a fundamental part of my business that constantly changes.
   · Next, I approach each new calendar month as if I were reliving my “launch” period over again. You know that time; it was during the first few weeks of your new business career when you had lots of enthusiasm, numerous parties dated and a growing support network. Even long after our “freshman year” as consultants, we can still repeat this process over and over each month. You can have the same experience by planning a “Lift Off” to get your business off to a good start each month. For me, my “Lift Off” objective is to submit two parties at least $400 each during the first 15 days of the month.
   · Third, I set a personal sales goal, which varies each month but I always strive to be somewhere on the top sellers list for my company. That way my team sees that I am working to achieve my own goals. Boast about your achievements! Put a hardcopy of the top sellers list, with your name highlighted, in a company Brag Book (a collection of news, announcements, reprints, etc. in a 3-ring binder). I even highlight all the names of those in my down-line of consultants who are also listed in each category on the top sellers list. At my parties I make a point to share my Brag Book with the host and guests. Leading by this example is the easiest way to find the brightest new consultants at our parties.
   
   CALL TO ACTION: Continuously update your contact lists, submit two $400 parties within first 15 days each month, and set an achievable monthly personal sales volume and strive to see your name on the top sellers list for your company.
   
   
3. Purpose:
   Every direct sales home party company has a mission. Learn that mission and how it applies to you personally. When you find one with a mission in which you can believe, you’ll want to share it with everyone! About a year and a half into my career with my present company, I began living the mission. My son was old enough to take a genuine interest in our products. For me it is now personal. When I realized that the mission became personal, my approach to running my business, sharing the products, inviting people to join the programs, and everything else also changed. For you, it may become personal when you have first-hand play experience with your company’s products.
   
   CALL TO ACTION: Find within yourself what makes your company personal for you!
   
   
4. People:
   Day in and day out with my direct sales home party business I have the privilege to work with so many wonderful people: those within the company, on my own team and among the growing customer base. Do yourself a favor and take time to get to know the persons in the company with whom you will be working. Attend training meetings, listen in on conference calls various levels in the organization. Make note of the new ideas you hear at the meetings and during conversations. Twist them to fit your personality and business mode of operation. That is what I’ve always done at when attending training.
   Another thing that helped with my approach is a suggestion by Ilene Meckley, a successful direct sales coach, who said, “no matter what you are offering, inviting people is much better than announcing it” to them. Once I began applying this advice, sharing what I have to offer with everyone became easier for me. After all I’ve been practicing for many years and now most of the time the right words seem to come naturally. Don’t get me wrong, I still need more practice as I apply what I have learned and find what works in certain situations with different people.
   
   CALL TO ACTION: Practice, practice, practice the right words to say in many different situations when you meet people both at and away from your parties. You will eventually perfect your own technique.
   
   
5. Plan:
   It’s said that the most successful people in direct sales are those who are goal driven. Here is where I decided to plan my work then work my plan. Part of my new plan included setting achievable short-term and long-range goals for me and my family. It is with these goals in mind that I created my “Dream Board”. Almost two years ago now I collected images from magazines and catalogs to create a collage that visualizes what we as a family wanted to accomplish. Still today as I walk into my home office, my Dream Board is in my line of sight the minute I enter the room. This visual reminder is proof of what is to come and what I have already achieved thanks to my home-party business.
   
   CALL TO ACTION: Dream, brainstorm, then create a list of your business goals. Visualize your goals in the form of a Treasure Map, Dream Board, or Dream Book. Watch it change as you cross off tangible and intangible items just for doing your job as an independent representative for your company.

If you are considering a direct sales business opportunity, use these Five P’s to help you make the right choice when selecting a home party company that best suits your personality and needs. If you are already in a direct sales business and need a boost, following my example will take you to the next level.

My suggestions are not anything new for the veteran independent consultants but rather my own spin on how I managed to turn around my direct sales home-party business. You likely already know where your personal business needs improving.

I do “get up and go to work everyday.” And you can too. I do this by offering the products I represent to everyone, introducing the programs to my hosts and sponsoring leads, and bringing together a fabulous group of people to join my growing team. When you make it personal, the rewards are gratifying.

None of my successes would have been possible had I not set forth to plan my work then work my plan. Practice the right words to take your personal business to the next level. Follow my example and you too will gain confidence to realize your dreams.

Work Your Plan – The 5 P’s that Turned Around My Home-Party Business (Part 1)

Work-at-home business opportunities are all over the web and no doubt you are getting invites quite often to attend in-home party plan demonstrations. You hear little about many industries having as much success during these trying economic times. Direct sales continues to thrive in this economic climate and I'm a proud represent a company that is part of this industry!

Recently I heard a comment that 80% of the women earning $100,000 or more annual income are doing so with their own direct sales business. Though I’m still working to achieve a six figure annual income, I am proud to have experienced success as a work-at-home-mom in the direct sales home party industry.

For those of you reading this with an entrepreneurial spirit, any direct sales home party business is ideal because you can run it right alongside all the other things in your busy life. I know this to be true because I have a family, manage a home, work a part-time job outside the home, and also volunteer at my church and in the community. Yet I still regularly contribute to our family income with the profits I earn by owning a direct sales home party business.

Through the past 10 years I have owned three different direct sales party plan businesses. I always began each new adventure with high hopes. This last business opportunity was no exception. However, this time it’s working to my advantage and I am now making a profit. Don’t get me wrong, it took a lot of hard work, determination, dedication and perseverance to get to a profitable income level.

Here’s how I was able to make my direct sales home-party business a success story…

At a company leadership meeting about a year and a half ago, I experienced an attitude adjustment. That was when I made a decision to “get up and go to work everyday.” What that means is I make a point to do something to help me grow my home-party business each and everyday. My day isn't complete until I make personal contact with at least six people. If I’m at a party, my success rate is much higher! It is when making these contacts that I encourage everyone to take advantage of the many different services I have to offer. This attitude adjustment and a busy schedule empowers me to “get up and go to work everyday.”

Through the years, I’ve learned that there are Five P’s to running my direct sales business. It wasn’t until that revelation in March of 2008 that I began approaching my personal business with these five P’s in mind:

• Products
• Programs
• Purpose
• People
• Plan

Listed here are more details and examples for applying the Five P’s to aid with your start-up or help you turn around your existing direct sales home-party business.

1. Products: Of course, I’m referring to the collections of items your company has to offer. You must first enjoy the products you represent and show some degree of passion when you demonstrate the collection. You can’t expect to place the products into the hands of your customers if you yourself are not willing to use them. With that in mind, I’ve always found more success when you are able to genuinely “romance” the products you represent at your parties and events. In direct sales, to romance something is to enthusiastically demonstrate the “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why” and “how” of a particular item. Romancing your products boosts your own personal sales, helps your host increase his or her party rewards, and allows you to date more future bookings. Your goal is to eventually have everyone begging for your products.
   
   CALL TO ACTION: If you don't already have any one particular direct sales company in mind, search for one with products you are passionate about presenting. Chances are you are already a repeat customer for such a company. Then get to know your company’s products and find the words that make it comfortable for you to “romance” the items you put on display at your parties.

(Tomorrow this list continues with Part 2... )