Not Sure How this is Going to Work

Today, I am endeavoring something new on my blog, make that every one of the three of my websites (My Ambiance Life, At Home with Tricia's Baskets, and P. Lynne Designs). It is a hazard that I will take. All things considered, they are my sites, however, there are additional standards of leadership in the blogging scene. One of those principles is about copyright, and yes, and I am going to endeavor a copyright encroachment…. On myself. First off, let’s look at copyright.

What is copyright

I do not have to fully explain what copyright is, but in its simplest of forms, it is basically copying another person’s work, style, everything that is on a picture, a document, piece of music, dance routine, THAT IS PUBLISHED.  This is the key element, it has to be published.  So, when you see a court case by an unknown who files a complaint on Billy Joel because his music, Uptown Girl, sounds similar to this unknown’s music, Girl from Upstate New York, that is a case of a possible copyright infringement.  The music may have the same beginning but sounds totally different towards the end of the two songs in question.  The most recent famous case of this was Marvin Gay’s family filing a lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for Blurred Lines (2015).  I do not have to explain the verdict in this case, but the family won.

So, What does This have to do with Blogs

Everything, but what is being able to use this information that another person without letting them know that you are using it.  When this happens, and it is a written piece, it called plagiarism.  Teachers warn you about it from the moment you start writing a research paper that needs a reference point in it.  In the U.S., that is around the 2^nd grade (for me it was in the 4^th grade, kids are so much advanced now than I was, LOL). If you get information from Google, Bing, Alexa, Siri, or Safari to name a few, you better back that information up, or you will get dinged by your teacher.  The same thing for any written piece of work that you do not have an expertise in.  Even if you are an expert on the subject, you need to have documentation on where you based your theory from. 

So, What does that have to do with my Three Blogs?

Look, Google is no dummy.  It does treat my three blogs as if three Patricia L. Logans have written the blogs.  So, they would want me to cite that I got it from my own website.  Now there probably will not be too many times when two of my posts will refer to each other.  For now, it is just this post.   I am still trying to figure out what style I want to go with the other websites.  This is the part where I am copying myself.  I want you to know where you can find the information you need to do, act on, and share my information so you will not get confused. 

The Real Reason Behind this Blog Post

Before I get to that, I want to let you know that the blog links will be cited at the top of the page of each blog.  For right now, let me introduce to you where you will find all the goodies.  I know, I might be rehashing what I said in a blog post a couple posts ago, but this is in more detail:

My Ambiance Life

Page from My Ambiance
Life.

This blog will continue with writing tips, blog tip, and how to posts on how to increase traffic on social media (including the blogs), as well as inspirational messages.  What is gone for good are the current events, celebrity bad person/good person posts, and other controversial posts (I will be doing a sweep of old posts and deleting them).  Why?  The world is negative enough without me adding to it.  There are enough people who talk about the Donald Trumps and the Bill Cosbys of the world without me adding to it.  I want to promote peace within all my posts and blogs.  Does that mean that there will not be any situations that I am just dying to write about?  Sure, but I should not add to their misery.  It is no longer relevant to this blog (or any of my other blogs for that matter). If you see a post that you are not happy with, please let me know in the comments section or email me. I will address the issue and make it right.  I am here to give you a pleasant experience and to make you smile.

P. Lynne Designs

P. Lynne Designs

My main focus is for all the crafters who do papercrafting.  I am still developing what I want to bring to you, which is the crafting tutorials, how to organize your craft room, and how I do things in my crafting world.  This is actually the first blog that I started in 2009, and things have been halted for over a year due to some things in my life that happened. 

I do not need to continue to explain this.  Sometimes in your life, you need to take care of things that matter, not that my audience mattered, and I know that those who have been patient with me understand while others have moved on.  It is a fact of life.

At Home with Tricia's Baskets

Changed for this Year to At Home With
Tricia's Baskets 

Is this a new blog?  No, it is not in sorts.  It is a combination of Tricia’s Baskets, Traveling to the Mouse’s House, and Simply Organized Crafts.  So, in a nutshell, it is new.  I have explained a couple of times what happened to Traveling to the Mouse’s House and Simply Organized Crafts and what happened to me and Longaberger over a year and a couple weeks ago.  No use beating this into the ground.  It is what it is, and I have moved on.   I have deleted old posts that refer to Longaberger products, except the first post and the last post before the switch over. 

What will you find on this blog?  How to decorate and organize with anything including Longaberger products.  This will not be exclusively Longaberger products anymore, except also mentioning that if you have a similar product from ANY store, it will do very nicely.  As of Saturday, June 30, 2018, I will not be a consultant.   I am technically not due to the company shut down, but if they do come back, it is a “no” for me. (as Simon Cowell says).  Will I buy?  Of course, I still love the products and I will also report to you how I organized with a basket or pottery piece.  They just cannot be part of my income earning any more.

You will also find family and traveling posts.  So, yes, I will reference my travels often and what you find in those places.  I will be doing it from a single person’s point of view as well as when traveling with family.  No longer will the blog posts be just Disney or the Orlando, Florida area, but you may find cruising information, ports of call, and even ship information (I am overdue of what I think of my first cruise on this blog).  You will even see some reviews of things to do in the Central Ohio Area, where I live.

Finally, you will find a single person and family stuff.  I am ironing out details of that as well.  This will be a wonderful blog as well.  These will include things such as adoption, nieces and nephews, and other singlehood stuff.  For O. Gs, this may sound familiar because it was on My Ambiance Life. I simply moved it.

If you have to be a reader of any of my blogs for a while, I have removed pages that are or will not be relevant to my blogs anymore, and as I find them, I will keep on removing or revamping these pages.  I will be adding new ones that are relevant to that page.  I am still learning how to increase my blogging, vlogging, and social media views and being more consistent.  Like you, I also wonder too, sometimes, what has happened to my regularly scheduled reading (or watching) blogs and YouTube channels.  I promise you that by Fall (or Autumn if you do not live Stateside (U. S./North American Region)), you will see a change in schedule and how I process all of this.  For next series, I will continue to address how I changed this blog for the better, as well as the other blogs.  This series includes, how to know when to change your blog, how to know when to let go, deciding on your subject and what to keep and what to let go.   This is just a taste.

OK, I have overstayed my welcome, and yes this is a long post.  Probably too long.  I will address why as part of my updating your blog series.  No takeaways today, sorry, just an update.

I am not Organized-Blog Revamping and Niche Change to a Blog

What Are You Talking About-Intro?

Trying to Revamp Some Blogs
P. Lynne Designs

I had it all figured out.  I thought I could do it, 100% committed to this whole blogging thing.  I am ready, writing my posts and <tire screech> I do not.

I have been pouring my heart out with My Ambiance Life, stopping every couple of months to check on life (and my parents), and I forgot I have another two blogs I have totally ignored.  Yikes.

I thought I had closed one of them, Tricia’s Baskets, where all posts, sales, and news about The Longaberger Company lived.  It was the perfect place for someone to come, find out how to decorate with the product, and actually order from me. I started thinking, probably around 2016, that I should concentrate on my Facebook page, Tricia’s Baskets-Longaberger.  I have more to say on that for another day that does not have to do with Longaberger’s recent announcement.  As a consultant, you are allowed to run your business as you see fit, as long as it operates within the company’s policies.

The second blog, P. Lynne Designs is, of course, for my second company.  The idea of neglect there is concentrating on my Etsy shop by the same name, getting set up to move the whole writing portion to my WordPress store by the same name, P. Lynne Designs.  Life got in the way, or rather the whole idea of getting behind was overwhelming and doing too much too soon.  The store is still coming, but actual opening day sounds closer to Christmas 2018 than Summer 2018.  I have some kinks to work out, like when can life take a temporary backseat to me playing with the website to my liking and to potential customers.

Life tip: Sometimes, no matter how good you try to make things, you have to prepare to roll with the punches and adapt to the situation at hand.

What am I going to do about this?

I am regrouping these two blogs.  Due to recent events that I mentioned in two of my posts…. What are you fighting for…Prepare to Win and Motivational Monday: Self-Doubt, one of my blogs, Tricia’s Baskets is getting a regrouping and sort of a niche change.  The other, P. Lynne Designs, the blog needs a little updating. 

My thought Process-Tricia’s Baskets

As I said in the previous segment, I am regrouping and changing the subject (niche) on this blog.  At first, I was going to leave the blog as is, but again, due to Longaberger’s announcement to the Sales field, my future with them is up in the air for now.  I must think fast since I want to keep this blog open.  The best thing for me to do at this point is to change it to a home lifestyle blog, similar to the Simply Organized Crafts Blog I had two years ago.  I still have the name of “Simply Organized Crafts” on my Facebook page, so, I will officially change the name to Tricia’s Baskets-Home when I get the blog changed.  The name of the Blog will reflect that change, by me adding “Home” at the end of the name.  In case Longaberger decides to continue in the Direct Selling industry, I will keep this name, since I had planned on exiting the company at the end of June 2019.

My thought Process-P. Lynne Designs Blog

For this blog, I plan on updating it.  There will be no name change, and a simple, “Where have I been” post will suffice, for now.  I want to update it so that I can add it to the store portion when I get that part updated. Hopefully, I will not take too long to do it.

So, why am I Telling You my Plans?

To be honest, I am not sure.  Maybe I want to help you out in your blogging journey, and the only way it to give you my plans as examples.  Maybe it is to be accountable to not only to myself but to those people who have been reading my blogs (My Ambiance Life, P. Lynne Designs, and Tricia’s Baskets), subscribed to them, and waiting to see if I am going to post something new.  Or, perhaps I am admitting that I am human after all. I admit that I made mistakes in my businesses, and perhaps this is one way for all of us to learn from it.  I am glad that these mistakes are not the kind that costs me money or gets me in trouble with the law. 

My one takeaway from this is honest with yourself and your readers if you have a blog, a website, or any type of CyberMedia.  In fact, be honest, period. Admit to your mistakes, correct them, and move on from there. One of the things I admitted to in my “Self-Doubt” post is that I always blame my mistakes of the past on why I cannot get ahead.  I cannot go back to correct them, so, the only way to correct them is to learn and do not make the same mistake.  Regrouping and updating my blogs, P. Lynne Designs and Tricia’s Baskets is one way of correcting my mistakes.  I could have shut them down, but what good would it do my readers.  I am an influencer and I need to act like it.

I cannot speak for you.  I hope you learn from this exercise of becoming organized in your cyber life.  I want to take you all along for the ride of recreating these two blogs and in turn, learn how to update this one as well.  For this blog, I feel like I have outgrown Blogger, and have felt like that for a while, but that is another subject for another day since I had setbacks with this blog as well.  It is all in the process of being a writer in the 21^st century, as the writing industry has grown from the typewriter to what we have now, and do not get me started on that subject either.  I tend to have a “squirrel” mentality lately. (For those of you who have seen the Disney Movie,” Up” would know what I am talking about, LOL)

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and if you want to see more like it, let me know in the comments section.  

Motivational Monday: Self Doubt

As usual, from my Facebook status (I am starting to have a lot these days): “This is a retweet I shared about two years ago. I still feel the same as this person. I was raised to believe this and I will always carry this even I am about to draw my last breath. I also going through a period of uncertainty that reaches even before what happened over the weekend with Longaberger.

As a person, I am willing to stand by this company, but I need to be honest, I am not sure how long I am willing to do this. My first priority as an Independent Home Consultant is to take care of customer's needs. I hope the owners of this company know that. It is not what keeps them coming? New products can wait. If you cannot serve the general public with your service of provision, then maybe you should close your door for good. Yes, I am angry, and I am hurt. I may not have had many sales over the past few months with you and the reason was quite simple, I was dealing with self-doubt.

I had self-doubt in my abilities as both a consultant with a once upon a time billion dollar company and as a stationery/graphic designer/writer/crafter, trying to build a company from scratch. Why did I self-doubt? Simple, no sales, and no money to do promotions. I thought that by promoting on social media (especially my FB page) would get me sale from both Longaberger and my company, P. Lynne Designs. There were periods where I would just stare into the screen and wonder why am I doing this? I would hear the voice of God saying, "You got this", but I was not hearing it. Even when I did two projects last year for Judith Sharpe and Tiffany Thomas (which I still thank you both for believing in me), the doubt was still there. I still did not try hard enough to get the work I needed.

Two months ago, I made a decision to really get in there and push. That was when I accepted a scrapbook project from Pat Meadows that I can truly feel proud of (not that I was not proud of the other two projects from last year. I am finding my self-worth again, which is my long-winded speech of saying, self-doubt is a mood killer, a dream killer, and the devil's advocate. Do not give in.

One last thing: To all independent consultants, rather you are with Longaberger or with some other direct selling company, I decided back in 2010 to have another source of income. take those skills that you gained with the company, and use them to your advantage and have backup income. I am not saying leave direct selling, but have a secondary income, even if you have a spouse or partner. Like so many companies before Longaberger, you were told everything is fine, and then one day, you cannot contact the call center. I believe that Longaberger will return in one form or another, but now is the time to come up with a backup system. I can now understand why consultants ask to join another company. That is not what I am talking about. Use your skills as a consultant to maybe teach a class. having home parties have taught you to not be afraid of audiences. This is one example, and I am reposting this on my blog.

Never self-doubt your skills or your abilities to help others.”

It is pretty self-explanatory, this post.  It sums what I have been going through in the past few months, including why I have not been posting on a regular basis for both my blog and vlogging channel.  It comes from a quote from Twitter that I reposted in 2016 (my Facebook and Twitter accounts are linked):

Retweeted Melanie※ (@SimplyShayXO):

#ThereIsAlwaysRoomInMyLifeFor God. Even though the darkest time of my life, even when I pushed Him away, He was there. He is always there.

It is the post I just wrote that I want to focus on.  To give you a backstory, this is what transpired ever the weekend (without giving out company info because I still stand behind this company for their products):  I was told, along with other consultants and leaders to not put in any orders until further notice.  You can read into it however you want, I am not spilling tea yet until they officially declare bankruptcy, or I can go back to submitting orders for myself or other customers. You can get angry at other people without hurting the relationship, and at the moment, I am angry at owners of Longaberger.  Please note that I am also angry for and at the former owners of Longaberger. The reason:  for softening the blow of what was really going on with the company and why shield it from the sales force and the employees?  I am going to leave that question right there because the same thing was going on with Toys R Us, Sears (I was let go from two stores because I was in the dark of problems stemming from that fiasco), even my most recent former employer, Archivers. 

Most people blame Amazon and Walmart for their company’s problems, but I smell an even bigger problem, which is why I choose to stay out of company politics, but when you are messing with my money, my livelihood, you need to speak directly to me.  Longaberger owners JRJR Enterprises was not speaking to the sales force loud enough, long enough, and early enough to say there were problems.   Actually, I take that back.  I did receive an email, stating for everyone to increase their sales, but they did not say why.  I thought it was them encouraging you to increase sales, like a normal motivational talk, not a “we are losing sales” talk.

So back to the whole reason for this post.

I was thinking about my reason behind the post on Facebook, other than this post resurfaced (which is a good thing), and I was in that funky feeling.  It was the kind of feeling that you were happy but not that happy.  That is one thing that Facebook is famous for, to remind you of your post.  I am the type of person who posts what I have to say on social media and leave it at that.  A post.  Like others, I do post what makes me angry, but I have calmed down my anger over the past few months, since some people pay attention to it, and sometimes they do not.  I do not post to get a reaction anymore.  If it is inspirational I make it a point to have my Facebook friends (and Twitter and Linked-in friends since the accounts are linked) to read it.  I want to make sure that you know where I am coming from, and I do not like posting junk, which is the reason behind me not posting when I get a high score on a game.  I want people to learn and be inspired by my experience.

I want you to feel loved.

I want to solve the problem that you are having.  That is the whole reason behind P. Lynne Designs, my stationery/scrapbook company.  Let me give some examples:

• You want to capture that moment when you first went to Barbados.  You decide to go on a cruise and you decide to take a lot of pictures.  Now, you may not think that a scrapbook album is an answer to everything memorable, but it is.  You can put in more than photos.  How about that ticket stub to a benefit concert put on by Rihanna, who happened to be visiting her mom, and it was for a neighboring school that she attended when she was a child.  Or the first time you tried rum punch. How about on the Lido deck? The program from that concert? 
• You need flyers for an event
• You need an article about the on-going effects of global warming or how to make canvas wall art.
• You need wall art.

Yes, this is how I give of my talent, but I cannot give if I am constantly doubting if the client is going to love it or not.  I need to trust my instincts more.  I love the way I see things, which is with an open-mind that says that the world is more than one way.  So far, my clients have loved my work.  I get results. 

This also brings me back to you, and my takeaway from this post. 

What is your talent?  You do not have to be a good artist, singer, dancer, or speaker.  Listening can be a talent.  Listening with the intent of offering good advice can be a talent.  Chad Raider, Youtuber from GabeBabeTV is a known baby whisperer.  Every time a baby is near him, they calm down, which has worked so far on the newest member of their own family, Reagan Elizabeth.  Know this, if people turn to you because you can make the best Mac and Cheese that can beat a 100-year-old recipe, that’s talent.  If someone says that you can light up a room with your smile, that’s talent.  Talent does not always be a physical thing.  It is your mood, your attitude, your very presence.  In other words, confidence can be a talent as well.  Being modest without being overbearing is a talent.  Patience is a talent.  Find that talent, and never self-doubt it.

The Truth about Lead Programs

This morning, I was thinking about the many jobs I had in the past.  As I was remembering each position at these companies, one position, rather two struck me and made me wonder why I did ever decide to accept these positions.

Photo by P.Lynne Designs

 As you see by the title, one of the positions was a sales rep for a lead company, and if you never had a chance (and I hope you never do) work for one, it is an interesting experience, to say the least.  

To protect the innocent employees of the company, I will call my former employer, New Leads for Me.  Like I said, New Leads for Me works pretty much like that other company, Welcome Wagon, in which businesses get leads based on new residents and homeowners.  These are not people who move into an apartment complex, but people who have bought a home.  Companies like New Leads and Welcome Wagon, bank on the idea that new residents do not know the area, and they will need some type of service (carpet cleaning, hair salon, etc.…) The businesses, introduce themselves to these new residents before they start calling around looking for services.  

So, if you have recently moved, and you get a welcome to the neighborhood package of some sort, chances are that the business card you are holding used a company like “New Leads for Me”, and you may get a phone call about their services.

My day to day work schedule….

This was my last job before working for a Temporary Worker company, then Archiver’s, a Memory Store (which the online store shut down in March 2017), but in my head, I can still hear the motivator (I guess that what he called himself) as he bellows out the words, “GOOD MORNING, NEW LEADS”.   (at which I and the other employees are to clap and cheer that we were happy to be here).  This guy makes the announcements, sets a goal for the newbies, and tells everyone to have a great selling day.

Next, if you are a being trained, you go to your training room, everyone else goes to their cubbies. You put on your headset and start calling.  There is a regular customer service area, as well as a quality assurance area.  Customer service is for people who are having problems with their accounts, while Quality Assurance made sure everyone from the two departments was in compliance with the company and national government policies.  As you can tell by now, I was on the sales floor.  I do not want to bore you with the other day to day operations, except to say, when you are cold calling a company, and you get a sale, they celebrate it, and you get your commission in your next two-week check.

I hated it, and I was plotting to get away from New Leads, but they beat me to it.  I got home one day, after a long day of work, received a phone call from my supervisor, Stephanie, and she thanked me for being part of the team.  After she told me what was going on with my employment, I let her have it, with all the anger I had in me about this company, and what I hated about the position I was about to lose anyway.  Forget about the good reference I should get from her.  This is how you do not get your next position with a new company.  I do not recommend it.

I also do not recommend working for this type of company.  This leads to my title, but first, you may be wondering why I am talking about it now in 2017, instead of 2002 when I was let go?  First, blogging was not really a thing back then. Second, writing was not my thing back in 2002.  I was a happy person looking for her next 9-5 job.  Last, I was finishing my marketing degree at Franklin University, which I graduated from in 2003.

What are lead programs are to the customer?

I explained briefly what is a lead program.  My example is this: You are a new company looking for customers.  I will use my businesses, P. Lynne Designs, and Longaberger as an example. (Because I have shortcuts in MS. Word to type the company names faster and I will not get complaints if I use another company, LOL)

I may not need a lead program like New Leads for neither company.  Longaberger has a lead program for consultants if they need new customers, and since New Leads only provide leads from new residents and P. Lynne Designs is looking for brides (although I will accept anyone), it may not be the service for me.  Let just say for now that I need them.

(c) 2017 P.Lynne Designs

First, I am on their calling list.  There is a website for people to use.  There is an 800 number for companies to call, and you cannot apply on the website.  By the way, they have moved from their former location and is now called New Leads Communications, but they pride themselves of cold calling your company. I will concentrate on the cold calling aspect of the sales floor.

They will ask for the owner or CEO of the company, and the rep introduces themselves and who they represent.  At this point, I can turn them down, but I need leads (customers), so I continue with the call.  The rep asks what does my company do, and I explain that Longaberger sells home goods of baskets and pottery to people who like to organize and entertain, and P. Lynne Designs sells stationery goods like invitations, note cards, scrapbooks, and freelance writing.  At this point, the rep (who is now Mandy), asks what areas of the country would I like to concentrate on to get my new customers.  I would tell her something in the Columbus, Ohio 43215 area.  This is downtown, and I can attract residents as well as other business who may be looking to collaborate with me and bring customers over to my businesses, and I would do the same for them.

Mandy goes into the database of new residents and pull several names and gives me a quote.  At the time when I was a customer (which was for 6 months), I was quoted a price of $7.50 per month, which is not bad if you have the budget for it, but some lead name list can grow to as much as $200 or more.  This is the first thing you need to watch for because it can add up quickly, especially if you are starting out in a business of any kind. 

What can you do with leads?

Some ideas for leads:

·         New campaigns

·         Mailing list

·         Offer coupons and other discounts for a first order

·         Recruiting for a new team^* (^*Longaberger and other Direct Selling companies), although it is not recommended that you use the leads list for that purpose by any reparable direct selling company, your products should speak for themselves at your parties and through your hostess and your presentations.

·         Wedding, baby, and new home registries.

·         When a customer only wants one type of product in your line.  This is mostly for businesses who have collections.  The customer does not have to be on your main list, but a more specialized list.  For instance, I have a customer on my Longaberger mailing list who only buys the baskets.  She does not want to know about the pottery or even anything from my other business.  She loves the Horizon of Hope Collection specifically.  So, when a new piece comes up, I let her know about it.

Why am I against lead companies?

I am not totally against lead companies.  They can be quite helpful if you are willing to pay a one-time fee for it.  Most companies like New Leads, however, do not want a one-time commitment.  I am letting you know now, but there is a way to do this without paying the monthly fees.   It is called “try it before you commit to it”.  This is not getting out of paying for the list.  I do not condone that move at all.  You pay for the one list, but before your next list comes, and it will say it on the invoice when the next shipment of names is coming, at least it should, you cancel the account.  You need to do a little research, like reading the website first.  There may be some hidden costs behind getting your first list.  You may have to commit to the first 4 lists, for example, before canceling the contract.  If you are not willing to pay those costs, do not call, and do not buy when prompt. I am letting you know up front that this may happen.  These companies already know what might happen, and they may talk you out of canceling. Be firm and give the reason, that it is not working out for you.

There is a total out for lead companies….

Put a contact list on your website or blog if you have one.   It is as simple as “If you find my information helpful, and you would like to know more, feel free to sign-up for my mailing list.  I will send you a newsletter and other goodies to your inbox”.

Tip-feel free to use that wording too. 

I use MailChimp for this, but there are many services out there for you to collect names. You can also use MS. Excel or MS. Access for this task as well.  Keep in mind of the last two, unless you are a programmer, they will not automatically send out the materials, however, you can still start out in these programs (and others like them), and when you are able to include an online program like MailChimp in your budget, you can download your current mailing list into MailChimp without having to reenter every name in manually. 

Tip:  When I set up my mailing list for the first time, I used the wording, “I dislike spam as much as you do.  I will not send your name to any third-party companies.”  This assures the new customer that you will not be sending your mailing lists to anyone, and their name and information are secure in your database.

What does that mean for writers….

Many of the tips work perfectly for you, especially if you have a freelance business, and write and publish books.  It works for bloggers as well, especially if you want repeat customers.

Takeaway for you:  I am not totally against these companies, but you do have to watch them.  Many of these companies can and have been scam companies whose sole purpose is to collect and sell information.  Read all information on any company especially if that company is exclusively online.  Check consumer reports, reviews, everything before committing to a lead company.  Create your own mailing lists.  If you do not have the time, hire someone to do it for you (a senior, teen, or virtual assistant).  They can also maintain it for you as well. This post is for anyone who reads it, and I am no expert on the subject.  I am a person who had a couple of experiences with these companies, both as an employee and a customer.  If you must hire a lead company (and that is what you are doing when you receive leads each month), take it slow and find a way out if it is not working out for you.  

Directly Selling to you…

(c) 2016 P. Lynne Designs

In continuing with the whole making money theme, today, I am focusing on direct selling.  My disclaimer for today is, there may be some affiliate links in this article, in particularly with a company I am a consultant for, however, they did not pay me to write this article.  I am doing this on my own as part of this blog. I will also give you the pros and cons of this business, so, if you want to be a part of this type of business, either through the company I represent, or another company (5,000+ strong) you can make this decision yourself.

In case you did not catch my previous article (which I highly recommend you read), I am an Independent Home Consultant for The Longaberger Company or Longaberger for short. I will not go too much into the company itself, but it started in 1973, in a little town, about an 11/2-hour drive from where I currently live in Columbus, Ohio called Dresden, Ohio, by a man named Dave Longaberger.  Longaberger makes and sells baskets and pottery, along with other accessories for the baskets and pottery.  I got started selling them in 2001 and have seen many changes in the company in terms of the products being sold, and ownership.  Dave’s daughter, Tami Longaberger took over the company when he died in 1996, and sold the company in 2013 to JRJR Enterprises (formerly called CVSL), the only thing that stayed constant was the making and selling of baskets. (Pottery actually was added to the line in 1993).

What is Direct Selling?

My take on what direct selling is “the art of marketing and selling of products to the customer in a comfortable environment through parties.”  It is a little different from what I said in the previous article, which was, “the art of selling exclusive products to a customer in hopes of developing a life-long relationship (buying of product).”  Both are correct, except there are other ways that a person can buy direct.  To me, infomercials is another, but, the problem is the marketing form is through television, not an actual person selling to you face to face.  If you do not feel comfortable with the product being sold on the television, you change the channel, right? 

Direct selling, before the home party movement, was mostly made up of the door to door salesman (think Fuller Brush man or the insurance person making house calls).  Today, a person asks you if you want to have a party, you say yes, set a date, invite a few of your closest friends to view the product, have them bring a friend who is interested, and they eat and mingle, while the consultant presents a few of the latest products. The guests make an order, and cha-ching, it is money in the bank.

OK, it easy to do, right?

I did not say that it will be easy to ask for the sale (getting someone to host a party or make a purchase).  Sometimes the hardest part about earning commission is hosting a party, but it is.  I cannot speak on behalf of all the consultants out there, even from my own company.  Everyone has different experiences as a consultant, but if you stick with it, you can even make leadership. 

Let me get this off my chest for a moment:  I have never made leadership with Longaberger or with the other 2 companies I was briefly a consultant with (4 years with Tastefully Simple; 1 year with Your Inspiration at Home).  I had a team that I inherited in the almost 15 years I have been with Longaberger. Personally, I think the person I inherited the team from, cheated, because when I called up my team members, many did not know that they were consultants, they just wanted to buy from her.  That is a big no-no, because, you can lose a lot of friends that way, not to mention, problems down the road when you leave the company, and your team gets inherited by your upper manager.  Because of this, I am slowly rebuilding a team, and I have had a lot of people who have said they want to sell Longaberger, but end up not making the commitment it takes to be a consultant.  So, in this business, it takes time, and commitment, because you are building a business.  You are building a team of people who have that same drive to work the business as you do.  You start off small, and in time, you will have a viable business.

What this business is not:

While you can make money off this business, it is not a 6-figure business, directly.  There are ways to doing it, but I have not been able to do it, so in this article, I will not steer you towards that goal.  The way that some people have made 6-figures, has turned me off to not even try to cheat my way into it. 

What can I get from this?

If you are seeking for a way to get in front of people, this is the business to do just that, but be aware that not too many people will buy from you at first. You have to learn how to promote your business and promoted it well. This is the only way you can gain customers without depending on your friends and family.

You can, however, ask your friends and family to help support and start your business, but the best way to earn more commission, is to have an open house or tag along with your upper manager to one of her parties. If you have an open house, be sure to ask your upper manager to come to your first open house, that way, she can give you pointers on how to make your parties better. If he or she comes, be sure to take notes, and apply them to your next party.

Most party planning direct selling businesses allow you to at least a 25% or higher commission. You also will get incentives for earning certain levels. You can also earn a percentage of the earnings from the people who are under you. Be sure to check with the company decide to sign up with.

There is much more where that came from.

That is all I have for you today. If you have general questions about joining a direct selling company or have specific questions about joining Longaberger, please comment or ask below. If it’s something that you have to ask personally, you may send an email to me at plogan721@att.net. You may also send me a message at my Facebook page, Tricia’s baskets – Longaberger, my Twitter account @Tricia721.

Next week, I will have an article about handmade businesses. Until then, I hope you would at least give this a try if this is something you are looking to do. Remember, there are startup costs when going into a direct selling company, but you will make up your money in no time after a few parties. Also, let me know if you want to see more of this type of article. Be well.

It is hard to say good bye…

Snowed in car in 1978 Pickerington Ohio
(c) 2015 Google.com

To January 2015.  I really did not think much about January.  I never do.  It is a hard act to follow after December of the previous year.  Yes, it is the first month of the new year, but if you live in a mini snow belt, like Ohio (the first snow belt being the New York/New England area of the country), it can be a hit or miss. 

There are some years, where Ohio can get as much snow as the first Snow Belt, especially around the Cleveland area.  These are the days, where if you venture out of the house at all, it is to go to the local store, get your goods, and go home, never vowing to go out again as long as you live.  Then there are the years where you feel like that God forgot to let Mother Nature know that it is winter, and temps stay decent and no snow is to be seen for miles (unless you are in Cleveland).  I live in Columbus, so snow is a hit or miss, unless you were around last year (2014) or the Blizzard of 1978.  Now those were some doozies.

In 1978, I was in the 8^th grade.  We had just moved from McGuire AFB, NJ a few months prior.  I was loving my new school, and everything was going great.  My brother was in the 1^st grade, and my parents have never consider being foster care parents (that came much, much later).  My father was working on base as a security police officer, which was totally different than your mall cops (sorry if I am throwing shade at your occupation, you are important).  It had been snowing, but Joe Holbrook (my Grandmother’s favorite weatherman) had forecast 1” or 2” inches, that’s it.  All I remember was there was no school the next day, in fact the next couple of days, and I loved it.  What kid would not?  My father was stuck in a barracks on base, until the streets were clear enough for him to come home.

Last year was a little different.  I do not mind blizzards (especially the kind with chocolate-ok wrong type of Blizzard), but I hate polar vortexes.  These are the kind that do not allow a person to get into their garage of their condo, without taking out their car and/or the side of the building.  I did not do that, but I did not get in.  1998 Honda Accords are not good snow plows to pack down the snow. Now a 2013 Cadillac CTS is.  I went back to my parent’s house and my father went back to my house and mowed over the snow with his car.   Now I see why his car cost more than mine, LOL.  1998 Honda=burnt rubber, 2013 Caddies=snow plow/snow packer.  You know a polar vortex is bad when Mickey Mouse cannot come out and play (Disney saw this thing to and shut down the parks).

January is supposed to end with a bang for Central Ohio, because we are supposed to get a good one tonight.  I am glad that our Mayor, Mike Coleman is not having a new conference telling us how to prepare for the next wave of snow coming.  I would hate to see him end up like the mayor of New York City. (Yellow does not look good on him-egg yolk)

In other news…

Sales are not looking great this month, and I am talking mine. I know this a writing blog, but how would you like to hear about what is going on with my other blogs from time to time?   I am thinking of doing that, and by doing so may mean I have to plop a sale or two on here.  I have a blog called Tricia’s baskets, and I am an Independent Longaberger® Home Consultant.  In case you are wondering what Longaberger sells, it is a direct selling company that makes baskets, pottery, and wrought iron pieces.  They make their sales through independent consultants like myself and in their showrooms.  The company is based in Newark, Ohio, with a showroom called The Homestead.  It was founded by the late Dave Longaberger, and you can read about the history here. I have been a proud member of the sales field for over 14 years.

This is the end of my January posts for the month.  I did not contribute too much in the way of my writing prompts and that is something that I have been trying to do for months.   It is not easy when you have a busy life, even when you are single and have No Kids.  I do help out my oldest nephew, who will have a birthday next month.  Wow, 19 year old.  I remember 19.  More on that later.  My sister is in crisis mode, but I have to get permission to share what she needs.   I made that mistake with asking for prayer for my mom in November, and got chewed out by my father.  I did on Facebook.  He felt it was no one’s business, so lesson learned (or learnt as they say these days)  My brother is good, and so are my parents.

Bye January.

Buyers, Beware?

This will be an antique in 2214

The year is 2214, and your computer’s dusty hard drive has just resurfaced at an antique store. Write a note to the curious buyer explaining what he or she will find there.

Dear potential Buyer:

Thank you for purchasing my hard drive.  I want to let you know before you unlock the secrets of this hard drive, what you will find on it.  I have no doubt that things are a lot sophisticated now with your new technology, I know you will wonder how people got along in 2014.

First of all, I am from the Northwest part of country (if there is still a country called the United States.) Columbus, Ohio to be exact.  You may find a lot of reference of the city and state on here.   You may also out about a company called Longaberger as well.  I am an Independent Home consultant, and I have a lot of business stuff on the hard drive.  I hope the company is still in operation.  I have good faith that the company is still striving, and that Dave Longaberger’s legacy has not gone to waste.

I like Disney, a lot, and you may find planning materials on the hard drive.  I was trying to plan a trip since 2009, and had to revise the plan several times.  We finally went in 2016, and had a blast.  I was able to scrapbook the trip in 2017, and had found memories of making the scrapbook.  I did not digitize it, I made it the traditional way, and my offspring should have the book.  I did make copies, so if you want to know what Disney was like through my eyes, you can take a look, before you erase the contents (I assume that is what you are going to do with the drive).

Scrapbooking was another hobby of mine, turned into a business, a booming business.  By the time I died, it was a billion business.  Something I never thought of happening in 1995 when I first got started.  You may have heard of the company, P. Lynne Designs.  Well now you can see the humble beginnings of this company unfold before your eyes.  There were several times that I wanted to just close the business, even a few days before I died, but my daughter, my niece and nephews, and even my parents convinced me not to do it.  I am so glad I did not close the door on a company that was my heart and soul.  You will find several files pertaining to it.

You may find that I was also spiritual and that I love inspirational pieces, especially pieces that pertain to God and His son.  I wrote for a living as well, and became an author.  I never thought in a millions years that I would being doing something like that, especially the number of marks I received from my papers in school.

Finally, you may find random stuff, like a schedule of me working at the Longaberger Homestead, birthday reminders, meetings, and other appointments.  Most of all, I hope you will find what kind of person I was, which a person who cares about people, especially her family, her customers, and life in general.  I cannot say that my life was easy, because nothing is easy in life.  You have to roll with the punches.  Don’t slouch, it makes for a bad back. 

If you really want to get to know me, the real me, you will find some personal journals as well.  You will see my entries on how I went through life in 21^st century, hopefully getting alone with my 50 year old body and beyond.