There are so many aspects in running a successful direct sales business, it can get overwhelming if you let it. Do you find yourself continually running out of time and not getting anywhere in your business? If so, you are probably spending your time on “time suckers” instead of money making activities.

Well, here’s a little evaluation you can use to ensure you’re spending quality time building your business instead of wasting time on activities that are keeping your business at a standstill.

When working on an activity, ask yourself these questions to determine if it’s a task worthy of your time.

~ Is what you’re doing going to help your business grow and make you money immediately? The most obvious money making activity is holding shows and selling product. Does the activity you’re working on involve booking and holding more shows? Does it involve selling your product? If the answer is yes, then that is a money making activity.

~ Is what you’re doing going to help your business grow and make money in the near future? Planning ahead for future business is always smart and in direct sales this also involves recruiting new people to your team.

You don’t want to waste your time trying to force someone into the business who isn’t interested, doesn’t love the product or have the time to put into the business to make it successful. This is a real time sucker a lot of consultants get stuck in because they are trying to recruit anyone and everyone into the business. Following a few tips when considering having someone join your direct sales team will ensure you are not wasting your precious time.
When your are interviewing potential recruits, there are 3 things you want to be sure of in order for them to succeed.

1) They are truly interested in the business or learning more about it
2) They love the product and excited about it.
3) They are ready and have the time to start a new business.

Is what you’re doing helping you be a better consultant? If you are working on getting more organized or learning to speak better in front of people, those are definitely not time suckers. Bettering yourself will always help you be more successful in all you do. Just be sure you use what you learn and don’t let it go to waste! Knowledge without action is a time sucker! What’s the use of knowing something but never putting that knowledge into action?

Below are some additional time suckers which are easy to get caught up in:
• Talking to the same people over and over about holding a show for you or becoming a recruit when they’ve already told you they’re not interested is a time sucker. Move on into new territory and don’t continue wasting time on them.

• Being unorganized is a huge time sucker that a lot of people have to learn to overcome. When you are unorganized, you waste valuable hours trying to find a sales order, or the phone number of that customer whose call you need to return.

• Being unprepared for your shows or interviews is a time sucker. You may think that preparing for a show or going over questions to ask a potential new recruit is a time sucker, when in fact the opposite is true. When you go into a show without having gone over your check list first and organizing your products and displays, you will waste valuable time trying to arrange your products or displays. Plan ahead how you are going to set your products up for your shows; be sure you have all the items necessary to display your products professionally and in an organized manner. That means packing your displays and products away properly at the last show, so get a system set up that makes this process smooth and easy. It will save you hours of valuable time; hours you can use making money.

Whatever task you are working on make sure that the things you are spending time on are in fact money making activities. Doing this simple little exercise each time will ensure you are spending your time wisely, getting you closer to your business goals.

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Copyright Chris Carroll All Rights Reserved
Chris Carroll is a sales professional that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing with others. You can sign up for tips on managing and increasing your business at her site DirectSalesTalk. You can also find her at her business site Beauty On A Budget. If you would like to use this article for your newsletters or website, all links must be live and clickable.