This is a guest blog post from Laurie Ayers of Thriving Candle Business.
Busy busy busy. No time. Wish I had more time. So much to do. Argh! I’ll never get it all done.
Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Maintaining a successful direct sales business is definitely work. Many consultants certainly enjoy what they do, but nonetheless it is still work. Those who are doing fairly well and are managing a large organization either have good time management skills or good delegation skills or a little of both.
Those consultants who say they truly do have the desire to succeed but claim they aren’t successful due to time constraints may be able to eke out a little more time to work their business. That said, if I were to show you how to have more time to work your business, is that all it would take for you to get your next promotion in rank?
If you honestly believe you’re not successful or not as successful as you would like to be in your direct selling business right now because you simply don’t have enough time, then it’s time to take a deeper look at the root cause why you don’t have enough time.
Do a time study for one week.
You’ve heard of dieters keeping a food log of everything they put in their mouth for a period of time; this is the same thing – only it involves how you are spending your time. Don’t worry about tracking your time on the weekend. All workers are entitled to have a weekend off from working. Starting Monday morning from the time your feet hit the floor, write down the various activities you do – and don’t cheat, you want to be successful, remember? Cheaters never win and winners never cheat. Finish tracking your activities Friday evening.
Write down everything you do, work related or not. If you need 2 hours to get up, get coffee, check email, get the kids on the bus and get yourself ready for the day – write it down. If you work a job outside the home, write down time you commute as well as what you do during breaks and lunches. If you check in on forums or talk on the phone or make dinner or do a crossword puzzle or walk the dog or bag and tag product – write it down.
Resist the temptation to alter your standard behavior while you are keeping a log of your activities. I know when I was keeping a food log I didn’t want to have to show anyone (myself or others) that I ate a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies or a half a bag of lime flavored tortilla chips, so I just didn’t eat it … that week. Sure I ate healthier that week, but did it really do me any good if I was just going to go back to sinful eating when no one was looking?
If you are sincere about wanting to find some more time to work your business then try to go about your day as you normally do, with the exception of adding the task of writing down all activities and how much time was devoted to each. You can’t get to the root cause of a problem if you don’t have an accurate picture of the current situation.
You may already suspect that you spend too much time on the computer either on Facebook or reading forums or chatting with others. You may even justify it that you’re networking for your business. If you’re honestly spending a great deal of time “networking” (wink wink) has it paid off for you? Or … not so much?
Another area you may want to look at is the amount of time you are spending on the telephone. Sure there are the potential recruits who call, and the new team members who need help and even some veteran team members whom you’ve gotten to be really close with. Much of your time spent building a rapport is absolutely necessary. But if the rapport is already built or if you’ve already answered questions and you’re still spending a great deal of time on the phone, then likely you’re just chit chatting.
By all means, take a break during the day; you deserve it. But just remember that even when smokers buy cigars online and go outside for a Smoke Break, they can inhale a cigarette in seven minutes. They don’t stop working for 30 minutes all in the name of a “break.” If you find that you are spending too much time on the phone, it may mean that your team members, friends and even recruits get a little put off because they’re used to having more time with you. It’s time to nip that in the bud. Remember – it’s just business. Run your business like a business. If friends or others are monopolizing your time it’s within your span of control to put an end to that practice.
You may find that you don’t have too much idle time during your day. Between being wife, mother, worker outside the home, volunteer and now direct sales business owner, there very well could be very little time that you’re wasting. If that is the case you need to be honest with yourself about your goals and ambitions where your business is concerned. You can still be successful, it just may take you a longer time frame than you’d like.
Whatever the results of your time study, be truthful with yourself. Either you need to be more productive during the day or you need to stop beating yourself up because you feel you’re failing at being Wonder Woman. There is only so much time in a day and only so much we can do. If you’re doing your personal best, then that is all anyone could ask.
About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Deutschland and the UK. You can find Laurie at http://la.Scentsy.us or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com