I let my racket do the talking. That’s what I’m all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches. Pete Sampras

It’s officially the start of the French Open Tennis. One of the reasons I love tennis is the individual effort involved with tennis. It’s very much like being a solo entrepreneur or direct sales consultant.

When you’re  on court, there’s no one to rely on but your game. And the game of tennis is as much a mental sport as it is physical prowess.

I’ve been an avid tennis fan since I was a teen and the one thing that’s missing in top tier tennis players is mental toughness. The mental toughness to hang in there, point after point, and match after match.

It takes that kind of intensity and focus to reach the top tier level. The same could be said about your direct sales business.

Tennis is a lot like being in business for yourself but not by yourself. Tennis players have an entourage of coaches and trainers, just like a direct sales consultant has the support of the company she/he represents, sponsor, and colleagues in the business to bounce ideas and share challenges.

But when it counts the most, in this case, making sure you’re selling products and/or sponsoring, it’s an individual business. YOU, are responsible for coming up with the goods, and only you.

Knowing you have the power to come up with the goods is one thing. Being disciplined, day in and day out, and DOING the work is the reason success eludes most people. It’s not lack of talent.

Tennis is a game of preparation and so is your direct sales business. Top players are prepared everyday. They practice daily and play to win.

Daily preparation takes a lot of work. Some days I don’t feel like putting in the work. I don’t feel like coming up with a topic for my blog. It’s common to have some down time. And when you’re down for a while it takes even more mental energy to get yourself back up.  

But you need to do the hard work to play the game of entrepreneurship. It’s a mental grind at times.

Before you make a sale, you need to do the prep work. You need to market your business to attract leads and this takes work. Joining the business won’t automatically bring customers and I don’t care how great the product is or how scientifically superior it is if you’re not marketing your business.

Blogging is one of the main ways I gain traffic to my site which helps build leads when people opt in by email. Loyal readers also help spread my blog by retweeting on Twitter, liking it on Facebook, bookmarking it, and so forth. This is one of the ways I prep for growth by consistently marketing my blog.

You don’t have to be a tennis fan to understand the analogy. Tennis is an individual sport that requires mental toughness and preparation. And so is being an entrepreneur.

My guess is that what’s missing in most people’s business isn’t lack of knowledge. Information is everywhere and it’s never an excuse to say you don’t know how to build your business. Whenever you’re feeling unmotivated, it’s good to take a look at what’s really missing in your business.

Your thoughts?

’til next time,

Janette Stoll

P.S. Anyone a huge tennis fan?

**This is a special guest post from my friend, Jo Whipp-Prickett. Here’s some background on Jo. She is a Wealth Masters M2 Consultant and shares time saving tools and tips on her Roadtrip to Freedom blog and YouTube Channel.

Enjoy the article and share your thoughts in the comment area …

How To Succeed On The Home-based Entrepreneurial Journey

As a home-based business entrepreneur you are choosing to do something bold. You are taking a journey on a road less traveled. Obviously, if I tell you that 95% of all business fail you’ll realize that to succeed you will require safe directions.

You’ll have to make decisions like, is this going to be a real business? Will it be a move from where you are now to land of Freedom? Or will it be just some additional income for you and your family, a little pleasure trip?

The choice you make will determine rather on not you will have an opportunity to end up in the top 3% of the income earning population. Whatever you choose you will need a few things to make your journey feasible.

A vehicle: The business you’ve chosen. Some girls like fast cars some girls don’t. Some girls are going to spend the money, some want to start with the economy model.

A map: The system that your company already has in place. Others have already followed this map and know the directions work. They know what roadblocks to watch out for and where the potholes are. You only need to follow the directions and not try to reinvent the wheel.

A coach to ride shotgun: Your sponsor, partner, or mentor. Remember the map? Whoever rides shotgun will be there to guide you. Sometimes you’ll have trouble reading the map. They’ll know and understand the roads because they’ve already traveled on them. It’s a win win situation.

A suitcase: You’ll need clothes, makeup, and some good reading material. Let’s talk girl talk for a minute. You can’t make a first impression on the second try.

Increase your first impression power by dressing a little nicer and putting your best face. I do not mean you always have to wear a business suit and make up. Keep in mind however what kind of impression you want to make.

As for reading material you should be reading books and magazines that will improve your knowledge. Do you know who you want to be? A businesswoman learns about her company, how to run a business, finance, and yes, she works on personal development.

A set of keys: Your mindset, how you think and what your beliefs are. How you talk to yourself.

Your ‘why’, is it big enough? Are you passionate enough about your ‘why’ for it to see you through any hardship you will, most definitely, encounter on your journey?

Your character, are you diligent, humble, and giving? Do you have integrity? You can have the best vehicle, map, and coach and still not succeed. You must have the right keys.?

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  • How do you feel about money? Are you afraid of it? Do you believe it is evil? Do you believe you deserve it?
  • How do you talk to yourself? Do you tell yourself encouraging things like, ‘I am unstoppable.’ ‘I am in the process of becoming a self-made millionaire.’

Your ‘Why’

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  • Why are you taking this journey? What are your dreams? What are your objectives?
  • Are you passionate enough about your reason that you can keep your destination foremost in your mind in through the storms of life?

Your Character

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  • Is this all about you? Are you doing this solely to make your dreams come true or do desire to help others? Are you seeking to live a joyful thriving existence through philanthropy? What would that look like? Feeding the poor, building wells for water in third world countries, helping abused women, or perhaps giving to stop sex trafficking across the world.
  • Are prepared to lead with integrity? To brand your name for the world to see knowing you will be under scrutiny of everyone you come into contact with.

Are you unstoppable? Are you prepared to stop for repairs, most of which will be to your own mindset? Are you willing to discover the real you? There are a lot of questions here. They require answers.

Usually people find the greatest success when they take the time and effort to write out the answers to these questions. Use this article like a worksheet by copying it and writing the answers out.

As you read this you had thoughts and feelings about how you would answer these questions. They are telling you about you. These answers can be used to assist you on your road trip to Freedom.

By now you see the advantage of having the right tools and guidance. Decide now to commit to equipping yourself with the right keys. Remember that you cannot possibly fail unless you give up.

’til next time,

Janette Stoll

P.S. I hope you’re inspired by this awesome post! I know I have. Be sure to visit Jo’s sites .

There are many rewards for doing your direct sales home business well.  What drives people to succeed isn’t always easy to pinpoint.

But there’s no doubt we’re all motivated by rewards whether it’s external or internal.

If you work in a job the external rewards can be promotions, pay raises, titles, status, corner office, and so forth.

Similarly, the external rewards in your direct sales business can be paid vacations, monthly gifts, free products - which are based on your sales and recruiting efforts.

To some extent, we only have so much control with external rewards. Your pay raises depend on the profits of your company and other factors. As for selling and recruiting, you can do everything right and not necessarily close the sale, or sponsor that new recruit.

Your potential customer didn’t like the product sample; had a bad reaction to the ingredients; or got sick from the vitamins. There are reasons beyond your control. But no doubt the setbacks affect the outcome of your business.

This is why it’s important for your sanity not to become attached to the outcome of every situation. You should always do your best, ask questions, and look for ways to improve, but there’s only so much you can control from the outside.

Instead of driving yourself nuts by taking things personally and getting hung up on all the x’s and o’s on why so and so didn’t buy your products – focus on what you can control and that is your internal rewards.

Your internal rewards is a reward in and of itself because your success is based on the values that are most important to you. 

Internal rewards, to me, is the most rewarding because you are rewarded for doing the work because it’s meaningful to you.

Now, I know *meaningful* can be a catch phrase because sometimes people don’t even know why they’re in direct sales, much less what it means to do work that’s meaningful to them.

Sometimes people just want to have fun; do a few parties; make a few extra hundred bucks to pay the bills. Other times, people really do find value and meaning in what they’re doing. They’re on a mission to change lives.

When this is the case … you’ve found your internal rewards which is a powerful motivation to doing your business well.

At the risk of sounding like a Mastercard moment but internal rewards are “priceless” because you’re doing the work because you love it.

Your internal drive can be your compass that guides you through the ups and downs and many cycles of your business. It keeps you grounded and help you maintain your *truth* which is based on your internal rewards.

The message here is you need to find a balance between internal and external rewards so you can stack the odds in your favor for achieving success.

Rather than seeking external rewards as the primary motivation, focus on your internal rewards, and dig deep on what really drives you?

This isn’t to say money isn’t a powerful motivation that drives people to succeed but if that’s your only reason, your motivation will be short-lived, when you’re faced with challenges.

As the saying goes … do what you love and the money will follow right? Or am I being a “pollyanna” here?

Your thoughts?

’til next time,

Janette Stoll

P.S. Speaking of doing what you love. I recently started an article writing and internet email coaching that is coming along with paying clients .

There are many components to achieving success in your direct sales business.

Two vital areas that entrepreneurs should consistently work on are marketing and personal growth. 

As solo entrepreneurs, you need daily inspiration to help you achieve success in business and in life.

It’s impossible to stay motivated all the time without inspiration from books, blogs, and associating with other like-minded positive thinkers.

With your business, you need relentless marketing to create exposure and attract leads. Without leads, you have no business.

You also need to nurture you, work on your personal growth, to develop the best you.  Personal growth is essential in developing your leadership so you can achieve long-term success.

Why is personal growth so important to your business success? Because complacency is human-nature. It’s easy to settle and find comfort with the status-quo. It’s one of the reasons most people don’t succeed because it’s too uncomfortable to challenge themselves.

The minute things get “uncomfortable” in your business, it’s easy to revert to the status quo.  If you plan on  being in business for the long haul, get used to being uncomfortable because it’s necessary to grow as an individual and as a leader in your business.

This is why you need inspiration to keep you in the business game. Here’s how I stay motivated: nurturing a marketing mindset and personal growth.

Here are my recent favorite blogs on personal development and all around great blogs to keep you motivated. 

The business tools are everywhere to build your business but if you don’t have the motivation to get into action, the tools are useless. These blogs will get you fired up to take action.

Top 5 personal growth/development blogs:

#1 The Prosperous Coach Blog. It’s a blog to help coaches find their niche but the tips apply to any business.

#2 Mountain Moving Mindset. Great weekly tips on how to shift your mindset and strategies personally and professionally.

#3 Solopreneur. Business tips and personal growth. A lot of great posts on marketing, social networking, web 2.0 and more.

#4 GoodLife Zen. Practical inspiration for a happier life. Who doesn’t want that? . I love the colors and design on this blog. It’s clean, simple, and so zen.

#5 The Goals Guy. Chock full of goal setting tips, books, seminars, and other cool stuff.

There are so many great blogs on business and personal growth that it’s impossible to read them all or list them. I’ll try to share them every Friday to go with brag your blog friday on Marketing Direct Sales Facebook Page.

What are some of your favorite blogs on business or personal development?

’til next time,

Janette Stoll

P.S. By the way, one of the blogs inspired me to start a sub-niche blog on article writing and marketing to help direct sales professionals how to use this powerful and free method for generating leads effortlessly. Stop by and say “hi”.

photo credit: freedigitalphotos

Attending Taekwondo is one of my son’s favorite activities. It’s fun and teaches these youngsters a ton of values such as self-respect, respect for parents, teachers, and building self-confidence.

What’s even more impressive is a mental commitment to getting to black belt. High up on the wall, above this gigantic sparring floor, hangs all the belts starting with the white belt.

The message in bright bold colors – “the goal is getting to Black Belt”.

The moment my son knew Taekwondo was one of his favorites, he had his eye on getting to black belt. Every time he shows up, it reinforces his desire for the end goal.

Here’s why …

Every time you step into that sparring room twice a week you’re reminded not only visually from the signage but from watching your black belt masters training you that the end goal is to be one of them.

You practice twice a week with the objective of testing for the next level. If you have kids in Taekwondo you might guess how giddy at the prospect of getting to the next belt.

It’s competitive i.e. competing for the next level but in a nurturing and fun atmosphere.

So what does this have to do with your direct sales business?

Actually, quite a bit …

Hopefully when you signed on to be a consultant for your company your goal was to be somewhere.

Every company has different levels of leadership, just like in Taekwondo. What’s your goal with your direct sales business? Is it to be a “black belt Star Director”?

Your direct sales company typically offers weekly or even bi-weekly training calls and rah-rah sessions.

Make an effort to show up for those weekly practice sessions and get on those “sparring” training calls. It reinforces why you’re in business and helps you focus on getting to the next level. 

Whatever motivation you use to get yourself committed to your success will be vital to your success. We all need visual or metaphoric reminders, in this example, as to why we do what we do.

You need goals to remind you what you’re working towards.

All I know is every time I drop my son off for Taekwondo and see that huge goal signage, it’s a subtle reminder for me too.

Do you have a goals signage somewhere in your home office?

’til next time,

Janette Stoll

P.S.  Kindly share this post with your pals if you like it … thanks so much!