WAHM Forums

Hi fellow wahms. I've been reading the boards and noticed thata few of you have been having a slow start to your year (i.e. cancellations, lack of bookings, etc). I find myself in the same boat and my enthusiasm for the business is starting to wane. I'm not excited to hold parties and I'm having a hard time motivating myself to work on my business everyday. Have any of you felt the same way? How did you get yourself out of the slump?

I keep reminding myself all good things come in time. Walmart didn't grow to were it is in a month. I just keep looking for new marketing tools. I was in a slump for a couple monthes but now things are booming. You have to cross the rainbow to get to the pot of gold. Sometimes there are obstacles along the way.

I had a team member ask to come to a party with me to see how I do my amazing demo. Well, one person showed up and announced she wasn't going to buy. The hostesses son was running crazy, and right as I was packing up, 2 more people showed up, and bought 1 item collectively. They wouldn't let me put Tutti Frutti away, and wanted to keep playing rounds (though they never bought it!). So we were there a while.


I said to my team member "I'm sorry you didn't get to see howI do a party. Did you learn anything?"


She said, "I hate to admit this, but I feel so much better knowing you have crappy parties too! It actually inspired me that your parties aren't always perfect and you keep going."


So yes, we all experience it. We all have doubts. However, the key is to remember what is it that is holding you to the company and is it worth it? For me, I love the toys. I've seen the potential. And I know that to have success, I can't give up. So I remember my last $1000 party, realize this will make up in outside orders, and move on.


Hope that helps a little!


Debbie

I had a party the other week that was very successful and I had some bookings. I felt empowered again.


Ialso vented big time to anyone who would listen and finally the president of The Glass Bracelet told me to build my bridge. I also realized that yes, this is my business but it is also supposed to be fun! I was making myself crazy everyday if I didn't get a call back etc.


Ellen

I have definately had a slow start. I started in Sept and have had very successful shows and shows that have totally bombed. I also am not getting a lot of support from my sponser. She is great and does this as her full time job and was "there for me" in the begining. However, I emailed her on Feb 23 asking for advice and she has not replyed yet. I have come to realize that it is up to me to make my success. Is it easy, NO! But it is rewarding when it happens. This website is the place where I go for advice and motivation. I have thought about giving up but then I look at my catalog and love the jewelry so much that it inspires me to move forward.


I am also working full time in the corp. world and have learned that in every business there are ups and downs. You take the good and bad and weigh them up. Nine times out of ten the scale tips to the good and you fly from there. And, when that one time occurs you tweak the process and learn what works and what doesn't. It is all a learning process that usually does not end.


Remember you are not alone! Don't hesitate to ask for advice and never stop believing in yourself!


Ann Marie

That's a tuff one! I've had that happen to me twice andI did quit both companies and moved on. Do I feel it was the right decision? Yes, because I looked at why I had lost my passion and examined if I ever really had it or was it just the hype around me that was keeping me going.


The first one was I was feeding off of other team member's enthusiasm and I never really felt it on my own. That's when I knew it wasn't right for me.


The second one I truly did have a passion for but the product did not go over in my area so I thought why work harder? Instead find another product that you have a passion for that will go over well and I did!! And life is so much easier now!


I think it's like many said, you go through ups and downs, good and bad but if you know this is the business for you then pull yourself out and stick with it! Try new things, go a different route, surround yourself with other positive people (go to team meetings, get on conference calls), do some volunteer work and meet a new circle of people.


I can't give you more specific ideasbecause I don't know what you do but if you pm me or post it, I'm sure I can think of some! smileys/smiley2.gif


Best of luck to you!!

I Have a pet peeve - When you tell your Host PLEASE don't fuss with lots of food and snacks - and they go ahead and make this huge spread and then complain they've gone through so much trouble and no one showed up to eat all of it.


But you HAVE to keep your sense of humor in the party-based business. When you think about it, there is alot of things that are amusing about it all. I should start drawing some cartoons about it!

I have noticed that sales aren't as high as usual, but other than that it's pretty much been business as usual.


January/February usually have higher than normal postponements due to weather and illness. March is the beginning of the turn around and April is already full of shows! (From all of those postponements changing their dates, ha ha)


But my sales are down about $100 per show.


Go back to what got you excited about your company when you first started. The only time I started feeling yucky was when I was concentrating more on the administrative things in my business and quit doing as many home shows as I normally do... The Home Shows and meeting new people all the time is what keeps me excited daily about my business!