Ricci is moving!  As if her and her family haven’t moved enough (9 times in 14 years)!  Fortunately, this time, it’s not her home – it’s her website!

Visit Ricci at her new site RicciNeer.com

Soon, everything here at She Sales will be moved to Ricci’s new site, but go on ahead and visit now.  All her latest stuff is already there.

How many times have you heard the very true phrase “The money is in the list”?

If you read my post on Pangaea and 500k Names, you know how powerful your list (address book) can be.

If you are using an email newsletter system that is charging you a monthly fee to host your mailing list(s), there is little incentive to grow your list because you are being penalized (charged) for adding more names.

I’m not against newsletter systems.

But if you are new in business or aren’t yet making enough profit to justify the cost, I’ve got an easy solution.

Google forms via Google Docs.

If you have a Google account, you can create a free form for your website.

Simply log in and open docs.  Click on “New” and then on “Form”.  From there you can create your questions and how you want them to be answered.

When you are done, you get a little code that you can embed into your website and your form will appear on the public page.

When your website visitors fill out the form, the results are stored in a spreadsheet.

You can download the spreadsheet and use the data to communicate by sending emails, newsletters, and direct mail.

Two resources I recommend for sending group email on a budget is gmail (Google Mail) and Swiftpage.

Gmail has great “grouping” capacity.  You can import contacts from your spreadsheet into a group, then send a BCC email to your group.  

Their group sending limit is 499 – much higher than I’ve ever been able to send through Outlook.  (FYI – sending more than 500 will get your gmail service temporarily suspended).

You can’t use pretty graphics or templates, nor is there any tracking with gmail.

If you want something more visually appealing with bells & whistles, you can try a free swiftpage account  The send limit is only 50 mails a day, but even their first paid level of service is good at $14.95 a month (250 emails per day).

The difference is 250 emails a day vs 250 contacts in the contact manager.  Many of the web-based newsletter systems base their pricing on the number of names that you have in your account – not on how many emails you send.

Which is why I prefer Swiftpage.  Since my contacts are broken up into different groups, it’s easy for me to send a blast today, another one tomorrow (to a different group) and another one the day after that to another group.  

If I have 250 names in each group, and I’m communicating throughout the month with different groups, then I could talk literally to thousands for the same price that I would have paid to talk to 500 with another service. 

The only drawback is that Switpage can be a little more technical to understand and use than some of the other web-based services.

The difference is, how much easier it can be to use with Google Docs forms.

If you have multiple forms, it’s as easy as downloading the form into excel, clicking the (pre-installed) Swiftpage button, typing in your message and hitting send.  The service merges the emails in the spreadsheet with the message you typed, with a newsletter template you have on file, then sends it out through their servers.  It can be personalized “Dear first_name,” and you get a whole host of tracking info (have you ever wondered who opened your email or if people are clicking on your links?).

My hope is that you find the tools and resources you need to help you stop spending money ON your list and start experiencing profit FROM your list :)

Ricci

Last night, I posted about Twitter scheme, TweeterGetter.

Little did I know that it would provoke such an intensive debate.

This morning, as I study the aftermath and weigh in on the responses, I can see why this struck a strong chord in me (and apparently, others).

Part of my mission revolves around kicking the hype and spamminess out of network marketing & direct sales.

The “shortcut to riches” mentality is what has given the network marketing industry a bad name and what has ultimately led to it being blanketed with “pyramid” cries.

People who enter the industry with good intentions are then trained to do off-putting things, such as tricking their friends into coming to meetings, trolling for people in need of an “opportunity” at the local coffee shop, and consuming their lives with hyped up recruiting.

It’s an exhausting way to do network marketing and it ticks people off.  Not to mention that all these ideas are designed to change the natural order of a business model and trick it into “overnight” success.

TweeterGreeter is a program designed to change the natural order of the Twitter model and trick it into overnight success.

Is network marketing about the numbers?  How many people you can sign up into your thing?  

How well does that work?

If you’ve ever been in network marketing or direct sales, you know how well that works.  

I work hard to raise the image of direct selling as a profession.  How much better would it have been had it never experienced people who tried to shortcut their success and thus left a bad taste in the mouths of the innocents?

Twitter is a precious resource.  It’s a shame that right now, the stream is being polluted by innocents eagerly trying to short cut to their idea of “success” (numbers?) by using a tool being hyped around by a scammy spammer with something to prove.

Good luck with that.  Hope it won’t be too hard to clean up your mess.

Twitter has been an invaluable tool & resource in my life.

Actually, it’s been much more than that.  

I can be fairly passionate about the things I love, and Twitter is actually a love in my life.

When something comes along to prostitute Twitter – like stuff that will do advertising for you on it – I can get a little defensive.

Such as it is with today’s prostituting tool of the day – Tweeter Getter.

It’s a ponzi game.  Like you get for the dollar bills or recipes.  Just put your name here, do this with the two ahead of you, send this to x number of people and get rich – get recipes – or in this case, get followers.

So, you want a lot of followers?

Well, do it the right way.  Any other way is a cheap imitation and does nothing but devalue what Twittering is all about.

There are no shortcuts to Twitter.

Ok, let’s say you play the game.  Then what?  You end up with a big juicy number on your profile.  Yippee.  

But there’s no connection.  No relationship.

And that’s not what Twittering is all about.

So please, resist the urge to be a Twittering A-Rod and don’t ruin the game for the rest of us.

Ricci
Tweeter Getter Boycotter

*For the “Morning After” post – see: ”Why TweeterGetter Struck a Chord“

So yesterday, I wrote about a glaring mistake that rookie network marketers make when approaching somebody about their product.

The number one thing network marketers, direct sellers, independent agents or anyone who is working to promote their business has to do BEFORE the pitch is Q.U.A.L.I.F.Y.

I jut can’t say it enough.  Qualification will save all of us from awkward coffees, chasing “prospects”, resistant follow-up & lost friends.

Qualifying is simply getting permission to share.

If you don’t qualify, care and get permission, you become an ineffective activist.

Activists who effectively accomplish their mission, they are the ones who make a difference, the ones who get books written about them.

So start by engaging.  

Step one – change your thinking from “my product is for everyone!” to “my product is NOT for everyone”.

I might get flack for that, the whole positive thinking thing, but there is a difference between thinking positively and thinking so unrealistically that it hinders your progress.

It takes a lot of energy to save the world, so put some of that in reserves so you don’t crash & burn.

Ok, now that you have adjusted your expectation, you’re going to come across more authentic.

People can smell desperation and if you have the “I’m on a mission” mentality (that is actually, “I don’t care about anything else”), it’s a turn off.  

I’m not saying that everyone who is on a mission doesn’t care about anything else.  I’m talking about those who are so wrapped up into their company, that they start losing touch with who they were before they got started and their friends don’t like them anymore.

So what’s the point?  Pomegranate pie.

Here’s an appropriate way for an xyz juice rep to approach a successful stranger (in real life or online) who’s just said that he has a belly full of pomegranate pie.

xyz rep – “Wow, really?  I’ve never had pomegranate pie.  Tell me more about that.”

pie guy – “Was raised eating it, it’s my grandma’s recipe”

xyz rep – “How do you avoid the seeds?  Isn’t it difficult to eat?”

pie guy – “My grandma used this strainer thing, so it’s just the juice, and then she adds some other fruit for texture.”

xyz rep – “So is it really good, or do you eat it more for the health benefits?”

pie guy – “Oh it’s more for the health benefits.  My grandma was never sick a day in her life.”

xyz rep – “wow, it sounds like you are into the benefits of good nutrition.  Are you into other supplements & stuff, or just the pie?”

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Yes, it’s a made up conversation, but it’s highly effective.  More effective than shouting in their face “xyz juice is better than pomegranate!!  It’s has all of this science and you will live forever, and you can make a bunch of money selling it, you need xyz juice for the rest of your life!! forget that pie and drink my juice!!”

Ok, maybe the rookies didn’t actually say all of that…but that’s what pomegranate pie guy – and the rest of us – heard.

Ricci

Thoughts?  Leave a comment -

So last night, I’m working on the new video for the She Sales Membership page.  

I like to upload my videos to Facebook and then embed them into my website.  (I know I can upload them to my own site, but that’s another story for another day).

Anyway, I’m over at Facebook and I see a comment in my stream that I want to respond to.

I go over to the guys profile and what do I see on his wall?  A big fat FAIL for a couple of network marketers.

Let me just show you what I saw (the faces & names have been blurred out to protect the innocent AND the guilty!) -

Obviously, these two commenters DO NOT get social media and I am willing to bet that they act like this at real-life networking events too.

The fastest way to turn people off is to start hyping your product, especially when it doesn’t make any sense.

You can’t eat Mona Vie or Noni juice pie.  

Ok I get it.  They heard the word “pomegranate” and it’s like sonar.  They’ve been trained that their fruit thing is better than pomegranate, so they have “share” their mission with the world!  *sigh*  

Look, I’m not saying that their fruit thing isn’t better than pomegranate.

Personally, I love fruit things.  I drink them, I buy them and I support network marketers/direct sellers whenever I can.

This post isn’t about the product.

It’s about “nasty networking”, a term my friend, Scott Ingram of Network in Austin, recently coined.

Just a note to network marketers…you must understand one thing.  When you lead with the product, you MAY get one or two people who say “what is xyz juice?” and open the door for you to tell them about it.  

This could lead you to think that you are doing something right.  

The unfortunate thing is that you also just turned off 50 smart, savvy networkers (like the ones you want on your team and buying your stuff).

Savvy networkers AVOID nasty networkers.  If you want to engage them, you can’t conduct yourself like this.

If that’s you, we’ll chalk it up to you being a rookie.

But, if you want to separate yourself from the rest of the people who are doing the same exact thing you are, you have to do something different…like listening, interacting and asking questions.  

Oh wait, that takes too long.  And you’re probably not in any hurry to wait.  That’s too bad.

For those of you that are eager to know the RIGHT way to respond & interact with the pomegranate pie guy, click here.

Ricci

2008 – A Year In Review

As I begin 2009, I’ve started thinking about all that I have to share with all my friends and connections.

The friends that I’ve met recently…and the ones that have been with me during this five year journey.

A lot has happened since the death of my primary direct sales company in 2003.

Have you ever been rocking and rolling..heading in a fantastic direction..and had the rug pulled out from under you?

We all have…and as they say, it’s what happens when you are laying on the cold concrete that determines your future.

A lot has happened since my experience with hard, frigid floors :)

My family and I have moved five times (six, if you count my office move to downtown El Paso).  Through it all (as you can imagine), I’ve experienced a lot of starts & stops, both personally and professionally.

I won’t got into details, some of you know them, some of you will hear of them one day, and for some of you, it doesn’t really matter much.

But I will fast forward to the part that brings me to the future.

On November 6th, as I sat in what was supposed to be a goals-setting workshop in Austin, I had a vision. Ok, so it was what’s considered a guided vision but it was *still* a vision.  

It was my vision – clarified.

If you’ve ever had a dream unfulfilled…if you’ve ever gone through the motions of doing other things “until” your dream comes to pass…you’ll understand what I’m about to share with you.

Since 2003, I’ve been working along a path.  It wasn’t a matter of what I was supposed to be doing, it was a matter of finding the way there.

I was always busy working, creating, helping people, doing all the things I knew to do in hopes that it would take me in the right direction.  (You can read more about me and this journey by clicking the “About” tab along the top of this website)

None of It wasn’t time wasted.  All of my endeavors had lead me to that day.  The day I was inspired to take the leap.  (My workshop leader actually calls her business, the Inspired Leap.) 

What was I waiting on?  Permission, validation, a personal invite from an unknown figure?  

Fear of success or failure?  That wasn’t it.  I’ve succeeded and I’ve failed.

It was some sort of other block.

Whatever it was – I took a peek on the other side of it…and proceeded to walk around it.   

I knew the next step and I immediately set up a one-on-one.  I set up my plan, set the launch date and got busy.

Today, I’m happy to say, I’m right on track.

My mission is a simple one really – to empower direct sellers and work-at-home moms & women to find success on their terms.

Each month, I consistently ran a five-figure personal retail sales volume…and I never held a home party.  I couldn’t.  With the schedule of five kids all under the age of eight and a husband with an erratic work schedule, home parties were just not an option for me.

What I did have was a borrowed laptop and a dial-up internet connection.  Behind the screen, I gave myself a killer education, got personal satisfaction and made money while tending to the needs of my family.  Isn’t that why we get into direct sales in the first place?

With that said, I have something to share.  I know that there are women who want to work from home or who are struggling with their home based business.  I know that what I have to share will help them.

I also know that I have a passion to educate people who are NOT in the industry to consider shopping WITH the industry and to support direct sellers.  That’s part of my mission too.

This website will be a resource that will include an affordable, level-based learning program for direct sellers who take initiative towards their own training and development.

I am currently scheduling live workshops and seminars in Austin & the surrounding areas, and speaking engagements for organizations and open-minded companies who are willing to train their consultants on how to harness low-cost technology resources to achieve success.

If you are in direct sales and would like to know more, please consider registering as a member so that I can communicate with you directly about my training programs and schedule.

If you are not in direct sales, you probably know someone who is.  Please consider sharing this website with them.  Also, when you need to make a purchase or give a gift, would you consider supporting the direct seller in your life?  Your order might just be the inspiration that they need!

Thank you for your support, time and well-wishes.  I can’t tell you how much it has meant.

Wishing you great Success, Prosperity & Joy in 2009 and beyond,

Ricci

If you read the October 7th (2007) edition of the Austin American-Statesman, you might have seen the story of the new Pangaea lounge that’s slated to open in Austin soon.

Both the concept and the creator, Michael Ault, are a rich marketing study.

First, Ault has taken a basic element, a nightclub, and turned it into an exclusive, posh, who’s who, brand of his own.

Second….and this is key….he has a personal phone book of 500k+ names.

Though he was born and raised in a uniquely wealthy and privileged environment that not many of us are privy to, we can learn from his techniques and apply certain principles to our own businesses for outlandish success.

In the article, a leading graphic designer stated that Ault was “responsible for creating the blueprint for the modern lounge venue”.

How can you set a new standard in your own industry?

Now, back to that personal rolodex of 500k names. The article went on to state that he uses his connections to “help promote parties”. Studio 54 was mentioned, and, as a side note, according to wikipedia.com, Carmen D’Alessio, who was a former fashion PR agent, was hired to promote the opening of Studio 54. She sent 5,000 invitations to her exclusive mailing list and the most notorious club in history was born.

Can you see the POWER of a mailing list and the importance of having a personal rolodex?

If the fabulously rich and wealthy grow, and use, their mailing list, how much more should everyone else?

PS – Throwing your cards into an organizer or a desk drawer doesn’t count as a method of growing and using your mailing list!

(Originally published December 7, 2007 in Ricci’s publication – The Marketers Gazette)