Struggling to Stay Motivated in My PC Business - Seeking Advice

[bejams]

I can't seemed to get excited about my PC business. I started a new job in September and it has been a difficult adjustment. I have had 1 or 2 shows a month sense then, with fairly good sales. In December I had 1 show that was almost $1000, and 6 bookings, that should have made me want to jump over the moon. I don't know why but I just can't get excited. I really loved this in the begining. I really want to do a good job with my upcomming shows, but I fear that my attitude needs a severe adjustment. I am not good at host coaching, that seems to be the thing that scares me the most. I realize I have a great opportunity with these 6 shows and I don't want to blow it and regret it later. Any suggestions on keeping motivated.

 

[cwcollins]

your just in a slumpyour just in a slump - when I get down about my business, my sales I just think about the money I can make if I did this or that, or make these calls, or put together this flyer, but we all hit slumps. you have a lot to look forward to & sounds like these shows are great hopefuls. stay hopeful & you'll get out of your slump & if not - I'm moving to Little Rock in Feb & will gladly take them off your hands!

 

[kimmers]

I don't have a problem doing the host coaching, my problem is the cold calling. I almost feel like a telemarketer. But I am going to have to get over that. I really want my PC business to work, because I envision one day quitting my "real" job and concentrating on my PC. To do that, I need to make it successful.

Keep your head up, you're doing a great job if you got 6 bookings out of the show. That's something to be proud of. My kitchen shows have been really good sales wise, but didn't get any firm bookings from them. Keep up the good work. Like it has been said, you're just in a slump, so it should pass.

Kim

 

[friday]

Host coaching can be one of those things. It is really easy to put off, and I know myself, I can get a little nervous about What ifs. What if she cancels. What if she wants a recipe I don't know how to do. What if she won't listen to me about invitations. And then it gets put off and 4 days before the show I dont know if there is a show- and that is a lot more stressfull than making the calls. So I do the calls. I force myself to make the calls consistently. I do the calls on the same day every week so that it is a regular part of my schedule. And if I am not excited about the host bonus, or the program at that moment, I fake it.
It sounds like your new job is taking up a lot of your enthusiasm (I hope it is a great new job!), so you will have to push yourself a little on this. You have 6 shows ahead, and that is a great start for your New Year. Don't let your new hosts down, and don't let yourself down.

friday

 

[heat123]

in the same boat! I am in my ss3 starting Jan. and I am kind of in a slump too since I have had this down time from my last show 12/09/05 and my first Jan show is not until 1/20/06! I also got a raise with my other part time job so I dont' have to push so hard with PC shows to make that much extra income with it. I can make it more of a hobby thing now I guess. I have 3 shows in Jan, 2 in Feb and 2 in March so far and am not excited about any of them right now! Maybe because I worked soo hard in my ss1 and ss2 months (13 shows in 1.5 months) that I am just burnt out right now?? I received all of the bonuses too. You would think I would be excited huh-
I have to snap out of it! Although, I am excited about receiving the new spring line for the sell a thon (I reached the $2k level) ! I cant' wait to see what I get!

well best of luck to ya. just wanted to share that I feel your pain!

 

[emiley]

Some questions and suggestionsFirst of all, it's not common to have very high shows so soon after starting, especially only doing 1-2 shows a month, so it sounds like you're on the right track! Good job on the bookings, too!

This may be a bit long, so bear with me.
1. Have you talked to your Director about this? Your Director is your number
one resource should you have any problems. You were wise to use this
site, too. It can be very helpful.

2. Have you attended New Consultant Trainings, cluster meetings, etc.?
This are vital, especially to a new consultant. Many times when we
say "I'm not good at _____", it may be because we simply haven't learned
to do it and have not practiced it. (Yes! You should practice!)

3. Did you set goals for yourself?? This is a big one that made the world of
difference in my business. Setting, posting and sharing goals is a powerful
driving force. Perhaps you're down because you haven't figured out yet
what you want from this business? After all, if you don't know where
you're going, how will you know when you get there?

4. Your definition of "success" is different from everyone else's. Don't be
tempted to compare yourself to what others are doing. If you don't want
to do 8 shows a month, then don't and be happy with your decision! If
you are accomplishing the goals you set for yourself, then you have
succeeded, regardless of what anyone else is doing.

5. Touch your business every day. Even if it's only for 1 hour, do
PRODUCTIVE work, not busy work. Work that gets you closer to your
goals is what you want to focus on, especially since you have another
job. You will feel a sense of accomplishment every day because you are
working toward what you want every day.

6. Invest in the FranklinCovey organizer. It's worth every penny. They
have such an insightful and efficient way of helping you figure out what's
important to you, and they teach you how to stop wasting time on the
unimportant.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps. I kid my cluster when I say I'm the Queen of Starting Over, because I've gone inactive and reactivated so many times in the past! These are things I've learned the hard way, so glean from it what you can, and here's to YOUR success!

 

[pamperedbecky]

I totally agree with Emiley's advice for anyone who may find themselves in a slump. Especially the point about attending cluster meetings! Those always rejuvenate me and if I'm ever in a slump, they definitely help me get my spark back. If it's not possible to attend those every month, definitely do some of the teleclasses or other phone conferences that may be available to you. Nothing beats the in-person training and recognition of a cluster meeting, but having some other means as input for you is so helpful.

This is a tough time of year and it's easy to lose your motivation. I haven't had a show since 12/7 and I don't have another one until 1/14, plus I was having about 6-8 kitchen shows a month, so that's a MAJOR slow down for me. It's so easy to sit back and coast, but you'll see a downturn in your business if you do that. I agree with the point about working your business EVERY day even if it's just for 30-60 minutes. That doesn't always have to be phone time or customer care calls, but personally that's the best use of my time this time of year. You'll be very happy in the long run if you're taking some time each day to do something for your business. This is a perfect time of year to get yourself organized. I have the Franklin Covey Organizer too, but need to listen to the CD. It'll be a refresher for me because I did do that workshop at conference and I KNOW it'll help me prioritize better. If you're sick of doing calls to customers or potential customers, take a few days off from that and organize your workspace. Organize files, weed out stuff you don't need. If you're like me, you'll have lots of "piles" to go through and what better time to do it!

Lots of consultants go through this this time of year. But you guys who have had some AMAZING shows and a VERY consistent show schedule are off to such a great start with your business. Keep that momentum going! You don't want to look back and regret letting that slide when you didn't have to. You'll get back "in the zone", don't worry! Just enjoy the downtime, definitely attend your cluster meetings in January and soak up all the great new products, incentives and programs!! January will have TONS of great new stuff introduced and I can't wait to find out what everything is!

Good luck!

 

[pchefinski]

Hi there Like Emiley said, having GOALS is a great place to start. Even if they're teeny tiny goals to begin with, they're still goals, and they'll give you a high of achievement when you attain them, thus boosting your motivation. Make your goals a challenge, but make sure not to make them impossible, because you'll just set yourself up to be let down; and that's not going to get you out of a rut. Even making a goal of "spend 15 minutes organizing my PC paperwork/supplies" or "call Betty Smith and Mary Jane today" are tiny goals, but productive when you put them all together. Don't overwhelm yourself, or you'll be even more frustrated. I went to the $ store and bought a calendar and on it I put my PC goals. There are some that are posted on specific days [Make 5 host packets up before Jan 7th] and some that are more general [Book 6 shows for January], but they're simple goals that I feel I can attain, though they might be challenging. And having the calendar posted in the main room of my house helps me to stay focused on those tiny goals--looking at it one day at a time. Oh, and reward yourself when you attain your goals! Goal to promote to Future Director? Go out to dinner when you do. Or take a 3 or 4 day break from PC (plan accordingly so you don't mess up your schedule before/after). Why do you think those incentive trips are so rewarding?!

Another thing that has helped get me out of TONS of slumps is to take the tele-classes. I've only been able to do the pre-recorded ones, but they have helped me SO much.. SOOO much. It gets the little tickers in your brain going, and helps you to focus on something other than your slump. They have given me a lot of ideas and helped me to remember why I started PC and what I wanted out of it when I started. It might help to realistically re-evaluate what you want out of PC. If you have a job now, PC might be something you just want to do on the side. If that's so, then your goals need to reflect that, and soon you'll find satisfaction and motivation. But really, if you have an hour to listen to one of the classes, you should. It is one of those over-looked things that helps so much.

And last but not least, do you have anyone that is your support system? I tried for 9 months to have my PC business without one. Yes, I had support and encouragement from other PCers on this board, and even some from my cluster, but there were times that I couldn't make the meetings and I didn't even want to read about PC much less sell it anymore. Now, my husband is my huge support system. Before now, he never knew about PC.. just the here and there that I mentioned. But once we sat and talked about it for more than 2 minutes, he found out more about our products and the trip incentives, and conferences, and recruiting and commission.. and now he's excited about my business and helps me to set goals and keep them. Having a PC business is great b/c you're your own boss.. but it's easy to let something slide when you're the only one accountable. But when you got someone else watching you and keeping track of you, it's harder to let things just slide. Mind you, pick someone who's loving and supportive--if I wanted a jerk to hold me accountable, I'd go back to my old job!

Sorry my post was so long too. I've been in the valley many a times, and I know it was encouraging to have someone remind me of even the simple things. It only takes a few steps to get out of the valley and back up the mountain..

 

[janel kelly]

You know I honestly think its the time of year. Its right after all the chaos of Christmas and everyone has been on vacation and lazy and all. So its hard to get back into the routine. I think after the holidays are over and the routine goes back to normal it will be easier to be more excited about our shows. It will only take one good show and you'll probably get back your momentum.

 

[keril]

I agree that it's slow this time of year, but I am confused as to how you are not excited about this business? Have you tried figuring out how much $ you are making at the job you started in Sept vs. PC? I have been in this biz for almost 5 years now and it's still so much fun and quite lucrative! If the host coaching is the block that is standing in your way, the tele-classes certainly can help. But I think that just by doing it over and over, you'll feel comfortable with it and see what works. Good luck!--Keri

 

[emiley]

"That time of year?"Wow! Great responses! I'm beginning to like this site more and more. About the "this time of year" thing. Be careful not to be so ready to accept that that might be the issue here. Although, as a mother of four, I am just as busy as the next person, we've all been trained (I hope!) to know that what our business is like today will reflect what it will be like 3 months from now. Make sure, when it comes to "this time of year", that you're being proactive, not reactive. Big difference! Being proactive means planning for the "slow time": more host contact, overbooking, etc. Being reactive means you're having to face bad circumstances the moment they appear, and stressfully trying to deal with them in order to catch up. Of course, even being proactive can't guarantee you won't get some cancellations, but you will have planned for it so it won't be so hard to reach your goals and it will prevent the "slump" feeling. As with any month, front loading is great if you can work your schedule around it. You focus on hitting the majority if not all of your goals within the first two weeks. There are many benefits from this: if you have direct deposit, you'll have a nice paycheck coming mid-month. If you have cancellations, you still have two weeks of the month to make it up. Anything after the first two weeks would be icing on the cake. And if you haven't noticed yet, many of the company's incentives this year have been "do this by the 12th, 15th, or 20th", and you'll get (whatever) free."
Best thing I did was spoke to someone who consistently had an awesome December. I asked lots of questions and I put those ideas to use. My December was good for a part-timer, about $2500 in 6 shows, 7 bookings, and 1 recruit! I'm not trying to brag, just letting you know that had I not asked, it wouldn't have been half that good. All my shows were in the first two weeks, and I could relax and spend time with my family.

 

[bejams]

Thanks so much for all the good advice.I am going to take some time and try to take in all the great ideas you all passed along to me. I think I need to work harder on the areas that are hard for me such as, host coaching, and show closing. You guys are so helpful.