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Friday, March 22, 2013

Marketing Your Natural/Organic Business Online with Ease

If you're in a direct selling/party plan business and have not gotten online to market your business, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. I'm a huge fan of marketing my natural/organic direct selling business online because you don't have to rely solely on your friends and family to grow your business.

Marketing your business online, regardless of products or services, gives your business more exposure. You want to reach your potential customers wherever they may be.

In today's business, you need more than word-of-mouth sharing from your friends and family because it seems like everybody's online and being social through various social networks. The internet and social media offer a vast pool of leads if you're willing to invest the time to learn and apply the right marketing content.

More and more, I'm hearing people looking for a direct sales business that they can do online without doing parties. And they're looking for other ways to market their businesses in addition to doing parties.

So, is it possible to achieve success marketing your business online? Absolutely.

First, the higher the monthly sales requirements are, the more difficult it is to get those sales online, especially if you're brand new. You don't want to start spamming your Facebook friends to buy or join your business. Besides, Facebook has a policy against this and you could get your account banned if someone reports you. Same goes for Twitter or any other social networks.

The solution is to create content which can be in various forms such as ...

*Creating content through your blog.
*Sharing your blog articles on another blog related to direct selling or where your potential target market is most likely to see.
*Creating content from your social media participation.
*Every time you update your Facebook status, you're creating content.

You can mix it up because you don't want to talk only about your business. I'm more likely to share tips on organic/natural products and comment on a few updates that I want to connect with. Use these updates to post about your business, indirectly. "Super excited to spend the weekend in Phoenix and hanging out with my team!" or "I'm humbled but excited to be my company's #1 team sponsor". These are just examples so you get the idea. Your content doesn't have to be about your company.

In addition to online methods, remember to share your business offline, everywhere you go. There's a saying "always be networking". But I'd like to think of direct selling as a making friends business so I'm always looking to make new friends. The more people you know the better so it's a win-win.

Your turn. How are you leveraging the internet to build your business? Tip: leaving comments is a great way to get traffic to your website.

Best,

Janette

P.S.  If you love natural/organic personal care products https://us.nyrorganic.com/shop/jstolland want to learn how to build a home-based business online without doing parties or bugging people you know, email me: Janette campopfan@gmail.com

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Do natural/Organic remedies for acne deliver results?

Acne is a four letter bad word in my book. And for anyone who has had to deal with the pesky break outs, it can mess with your psyche, and personal life. I've been fortunate to dodge acne as a teen but as an adult, I've had my fair share due to hormonal changes (yuck), but that is life.

Like many people, I've used over the counter acne products containing benzoyl peroxide (common) and they worked to an extent because my acne was mild. Plus, I tried it because this is a common way to treat acne. However, I started noticing after experimenting with different products that I was only treating the symptom and not the cause of hormonal break outs.

It has taken me years to figure out the right products for me and even today, I'm hesitant to try new products without knowing the ingredients. Rule of thumb for me is to stay away from skin care products with nasty chemicals: parabens, PEGs, sulfates, petrochemicals (see Toxins to Avoid). But do natural, organic remedies for acne deliver results? It was a question for me and I was doubtful until I made some big changes.

Although it's impossible to avoid all chemicals nor would you want to live in a bubble because it's not practical, but by avoiding as many chemicals as possible especially where you can, is good for your health. There are so many healthier skin care and household products these days. Instead of using the mass products laden with chemicals, why not remove the toxins from your life? It doesn't cost any more money.

Not surprisingly, I've noticed my acne has subsided significantly, but I also know my case might be different than someone else's, who might be experiencing severe acne.

So, can you eliminate acne completely from using all natural/organic personal care products?

Not completely because the health of your skin also has to do with the foods you eat, how you take care of yourself, stress levels, how much rest you get, and so forth. But by eliminating or reducing certain foods that you might be allergic to and not even know it, could make a huge difference, along with using toxins-free personal care products that won't aggravate your acne prone skin.

For me, I'm dairy and wheat-free, which can be hard for some people. Eliminating carbs is always hard at first but if you take baby steps, you can do it. My good friend recently lost 15 lbs from ditching dairy and wheat after a few weeks! She didn't think she could do it when I first proposed the idea to her but she's now a size 6. It's wonderful to hear these results.

To your health and skin,

Janette

P.S.  If you'd like a FREE sample of the organic personal care products I'm using, email me: campopfan@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Why Start an Organic Skin Care Business Opportunity?

With technology and the ease of leveraging your mobile device and the internet, starting a home-based business has never been easier or more affordable. And if you love natural/organic products and you're already buying these products elsewhere, have you thought about starting an organic skin care business that is flexible enough to do from home?

That's how I started selling organic products because as my kids joke: "mom, you're obsessed with Wholefoods" which is true. When Wholefoods opened just a few minutes from my house, I was in heaven.

If you're familiar with Wholefoods, it's not exactly cheap to shop there so why has the company been able to do so well, year after year, even during the recession? It's not always the rock bottom prices that people care about although there's a market for bargain shopper but the people that love Wholefoods care about being, living, eating, using, and promoting green products.

So, I figured if I'm already shopping at Wholefoods, spending a big chunk of my money at Wholefoods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's and consuming organic, healthy products, why not do something about this organic passion of mine? I love buying my products at Wholefoods but it's not like I'm getting a 25% discount if I were to buy their skin care products.

With my organic home-based business, you can shop, share, and earn an income from sharing products you can believe in. Products that are good for people, animals, and planet. For people who sign up to sell organic/natural products, they might not be a serious business builder, but you'll find people who start using healthy products and see results from them, can't help but want to share with others.

In fact, co-founder of Wholefoods, John Mackey, has a new book: Conscious Capitalism. Here's a short description from Amazon.com ...

These “Conscious Capitalism” companies include Whole Foods Market, Southwest Airlines, Costco, Google, Patagonia, The Container Store, UPS, and dozens of others. We know them; we buy their products or use their services. Now it’s time to better understand how these organizations use four specific tenets—higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious leadership, and conscious culture and management—to build strong businesses and help advance capitalism further toward realizing its highest potential.

Sounds like win-win business philosophies to me. And let me just say my company is not only certified organic but embodies conscious capitalism that John Mackey describes in his book.

In my next post, I'll share my proven success tips on how I'm building an organic business online and how you can replicate what I'm doing with a few hours a day.

Best,

Janette

P.S. Have you subscribed to my free email list? You will be the first to get weekly blog posts on green living, business building tips, and product discounts/specials/latest news.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Why Choosing Natural Organic Products Can Be So Confusing

Choosing natural and organic products can be so confusing if you're a newbie and rely on marketing buzz words like "natural", "organic", botanicals" when shopping. These marketing jargons don't tell the whole truth. Since there are no government regulations when it comes to personal care products particularly natural products these labels are often clever marketing.

Unless you're a certified organic company which is held to the strictest guidelines by the USDA, ingredients such as "fragrance" in your products can mean hundreds of hidden chemicals. There is just no way to know what's really in your products.

The only way to know what's really in the products you're using is looking at the ingredients. The longer the list, the more skeptical, especially if you have no idea what those ingredients mean. Organic and truly natural products have ingredients that are recognizable such as olive oil, shea butter, vitamin E, etc. And less ingredients is more often than not, better.

Here's a tip: look for ingredients in descending order. Let's say if the products say "made with essential oils", I would check to see where the essential oils are on the ingredient list. If it's near the bottom this means you're more likely getting itsy bitsy amounts, perhaps just traces of essential oils.

For some people, they either don't care what's in their products or sometimes just not aware of the potential harm of using toxins in personal care products. There was a time I didn't know any better. But for those that care about using only organic products, your safest bet is to look for the USDA organic seal of approval or the Soil seal for the UK certification.

The USDA in particular is the strictest organic association and does not allow any synthetic chemicals in organic products.

If going organic is the utmost important to you, the seal of organic approval from the USDA is a safe bet or another reputable organic association. But you can easily learn to look for toxins in skin care and personal care products and what ingredients to avoid by spending a few minutes to familiarize yourself. Once you have these down, shopping for truly natural and organic products becomes a lot easier.

That said, organic doesn't necessarily mean it's better or more effective than wholesome, natural products. See what I mean when I said confusing? :) Some people are allergic to certain organic ingredients. I mean, poison ivy is organic in its compound but that doesn't mean you'd want to use it. It's more important to be an ingredient reader and educate yourself on what ingredients to look for and make an educated decision whether something can be potentially harmful or not.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of information online that is outdated and tend to scare people that using certain ingredients cause cancer. The more you know, the more informed you'll be to make the best decision for you.

Here are helpful articles on what ingredients to avoid and why:

http://www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/peg-100-stearate

http://www.goodguide.com/ingredients/255256-peg-10-stearate

http://www.organicbeautytalk.com/ingredients-to-avoid/

http://www.wellnesstimes.com/articles/top-toxins-avoid-personal-care

Best,

Janette Stoll

P.S.  If you'd like to learn more about natural/organic products- email me Janette at campopfan@gmail.com for more info and FREE samples.

Friday, March 15, 2013

The Story of Cosmetics and Why It's Important for You to Know

The Story of Cosmetics is simply fantastic. Funny and full of helpful facts! If you're not sure what's in your personal care, skin care, cosmetics products, it's a must watch video. Please watch and share.

What's Unique About Your Direct Selling Business Opportunity?

In my last post What Do People Look for in a Direct Selling Home Business I shared some key points to consider when you're evaluating a business opportunity. Since there are many home-based opportunities in the direct sales industry to choose from, how do you know which one is the right one for you?

More importantly, what is unique about the company products or business opportunity that makes people want to partner with your company?

After reading Brian Tracy's Crunch Point (one of my all time favorite authors), he shared four tips when considering your products or services and one of them is a must if your company wants to compete in the crowded field of direct selling.

Differentiation

What does the company specialize in? What makes it unique and differentiates itself from other direct selling companies? Tupperware is an iconic brand for not only being one of the originals in direct selling but synonymous with plastic containers. And Scentsy for wickless candles. And NYR Organic as the first direct selling company certified organic by the Soil Association (UK).

When you're sharing the products what is your 30-second "back story" that's going to grab someone's attention. If you tell people we're an all natural company and although this is a good thing but natural products are everywhere.

*What makes your company's natural products better than your competitor's?
*Why should your customer buy from you?
*Why should someone join your business?
*What's the back story that is so good that makes people want to jump on board and tell others about it.

Differentiation is key to selling products as well as sponsoring. If your product is just like any other "me too" already available. Or your business opportunity has nothing different to offer, your business won't be as competitive, and will probably never experience that exponential growth.

"This is the key to success in your business. What is it that you offer to your customers that none of your competitors can offer?" Brian Tracy (Crunch Point)

What is unique about your company that sets you apart from other companies? Direct selling is a crowded field with thousands of opportunities and many of them offer similar products such as various natural products, candles, jewelry, etc. And similar network marketing companies offering juice, weight loss, coffee, anti-aging skin care.

But what is the unique selling position that's going to grab someone's attention and makes her/him want to jump on board with your company?

Best,

Janette

Thursday, March 14, 2013

What Do People Look for in a Direct Selling Business?

What do people look for when they're evaluating a direct selling business? Although there are many factors but having been around direct sales pals for years I can sum up what most of the women I know look for.

In general, I believe these are the things that make a direct selling business attractive, and why women choose to partner with a company.

There is no business like a direct sales business. It's more than just selling products and sponsoring. For customers, it's more than buying products, it's part social gathering with friends, while shopping.

What makes direct selling unique goes beyond great products. Direct sales offers the experience of connecting with people and being a part of a community of like-minded women. It's "making new friends" business in my book.

*Some are on a mission to share products that they've experienced amazing results and want to share with others ...
*Some are making a difference by helping other women succeed ...
*And some are just having fun and enjoying the products. There are many reasons why women choose a direct selling business.

For business builders, all things being equal- the compensation plan must be competitive with competitors in the same product category for long term growth. There are other factors that could make a difference as to why women sign up but more importantly, why they stay.

#1 Money

It's true that some sign up just for the product discounts but if you're a business builder, you're more likely to stay because you're making money.

#2 Potential

Even if people aren't making money they've set a goal for yet, they stay for the potential. They believe in the vision and see the support, training, and all the things their companies are doing to support their potential for growth. You must believe in the company's vision for success and growth.

#3 Growth

People are drawn to growth. They're drawn to the "buzz". Think Origami Owl Living Lockets and Thirty-One Gifts when it launched a few years ago. There were thousands of people that got on the waiting list to join these companies.

It doesn't matter if your company is brand new unless it generates the buzz, the desire, and catches on like wildfire because that's what draws people to your business and that's what keep people motivated to stay with the company.

Ground floor and brand new companies get people excited initially but if they don't see the growth and potential, they're not going to join or stay with the company. There are plenty of companies that have been around for 5-10 years that I've never heard of and technically, they're ground floor because they only have a few hundred consultants.

That said, some people might like it just the way it is. Some people prefer small companies and the intimacy of working with the founders.

But for business builders looking to build large, they're not only looking for the "buzz" but they want to partner with a company that's ground floor with room for growth, financially stable to invest in growth, and consultant's programs such as training/tools.

Direct selling industry is a crowded field and the competition is fierce. New companies launch all the time and the majority fail. You need great products, capital, savvy marketing, and leadership in the direct selling business, superior training, and support if you want to be a big player.

Attracting people to a new company isn't hard but making sure they stay is the hardest part of this business.

Best,

Janette

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

It's Time to Start Anew and Spring Forward!

It's time to start anew, starting with my new blog dedicated to my passion for natural living and eco-friendly products. There are so many things I'm super excited about. Starting with daylight savings. I love longer days and warm weather. Even though it was a bit hard to spring forward with the time change but how I love this time of year. It's a springboard for so many things. There's a saying "spring cleaning" for a reason. It's a new season to start anew. I love that! If you haven't accomplished much so far this year or just needed a reason to start something new now is the best time. So what's on your radar? For me, I've got a few things in mind.

With that, here are some things I'm excited to tackle.

*Start an herb garden. Herbs are a daily ritual with my cooking (I'm a foodie).

*Learn more about essential oils benefits and how to make everyday household products using essential oils.

*Write more articles on natural living and why I love going organic.

*Get out more and do more live local networking. I love working online but with this beautiful spring weather upon us, it's time to hit up those outdoor vendor boutiques, meet new people, make new friends, and smell the roses.

*Show and share more of my yummy all natural and organic personal care products for women, men babies. Hint hint: these products are heavenly, the scents are intoxicating, so luxurious, and did I mention certified organic without the nasties? More to come :).

*Spruce up my Pinterest boards which need a make-over along with my other social media profiles. Time to get spring cleaning!

These are just some of the things on my list. How about you?

xx,

Janette