Check out this Notebook, very very nice looking. The ultimate Fashion Laptop (you can’t be too thin).
If you are in the Fashion Business this is the look for you.
Link to story: here

Technorati Tags: Direct Sales, Fashion Notebook

I have been using Skype since last year and have found it to be great for small business. Skype is a free phone service over the internet. It can be used for local or long distance calling between two or more computers. Skype also has versions for MAC and Linux so the person you are calling does not have to be just using a Windows PC.

In addition there is a paid feature I really like called Skype-Out that allows you to call regular land lines (friends/family/business) without a PC/Internet. Skype-Out is an annual fee of $30 and allows you to call any land line (and some Cells) in Canada and USA. Note, thats unlimited calling, very cool. You can also setup an account (via PayPal) and prepay long distance to most of the world (starting at around 2 cents a minute). I have called Europe many times and the quality is pretty good (of course if the person you are calling has a PC you can call them for free using regular Skype).

Skype has a even better feature of those building teams (downline). It supports conference calling with up to 10 people per call. You can have a Sales Meeting on the phone, very cool. Even a long distance Sales Meeting, even cooler.

There is several more features you may like, Sype-In allows you to receive calls from land lines/cells (called does not need a PC or Skype, or even know that they are calling you over Skype). Also there is Text Messaging service which is very competitive with cell phone prices per message. Now you can Text Message your kids from your PC without even owning a cell phone or having to type on those tiny cell phone buttons. Again, very cool.

I am planning on adding an auto-dial feature to MBA’s regular phone numbers (for those who have a modem in or connected to their PC) and I am now planning on adding Skype support to MBA as well.

One last thing, Skype is owned by eBay (which also owns PayPal and VeriSign). So this is not some little startup company. The risk in using it is very minimal and the feature list and coverage is sure to grow.

To get more info on Skype go to their website at www.skype.com

Technorati Tags: Direct Sales, Avon, Skype

As I learn more and more about the business of Direct Sales I can see there are many reasons for getting into the business. More reasons than the obvious one of earning money. Some of the most popular reasons have to do with flexibility of time. Some like the products and just want to earn enough to pay for their own personal product purchases with a little profit on the side. Others like it because they can start small without a large commitment (of money and/or time).

In a previous Blog post I talked about that most people have always had a dream of owning a small business. I was thinking that maybe some people could use Direct Sales to fulfill that dream. Like I mentioned above it’s easy and affordable to get started in Direct Sales. They could get three important things from Direct Sales.

1 - Experience in running a small business. In Direct Sales your the boss, you call the shots. You must organize your time. You must learn how to motivate yourself (Hey, some days its fun, others its work. When its going to be work you need to be able to motivate yourself). Learn about accounting, expenses, taxes and all the other stuff you have to know to run a small business.

2 - Earn money!!! If you are going to start the dream business some day you are going to need money to get it started. You can leverage the low cost of a Direct Sales business into making money. Money that you can save to start your real dream business (Cafe, Flower Shop, Fashion Store, etc.)

3 - Saved the most important for last. Sales and Marketing. One of the most important skills a small business owner can have is marketing. Without Marketing and Sales your dream business will quickly turn into a nightmare.

Bonus reason, one more just for good measure. In addition to the previous three your Direct Sales business will provide you with additional income. Most small businesses take time to start making money so it is hard for the owner to take money out in the beginning. Keep your Direct Sales business going to provide that extra income. It’s flexible hours will be an added bonus then just like they are now.

Technorati Tags: Direct Sales, Small Business, Dream Business

I had a bad eCheck come back today. It got me thinking of all the problems I have had with Sales/Payments over the last few years. I counted 5, thats it, just 5. It works out to less than one quarter of one per cent (< 0.25%). Makes me realize that Avon Reps are very decent people. Hey and I have the numbers to prove it.

We sometimes guard about bad things happening. It’s what you have to do in business. But this make me realize how we tend to over estimate how much bad is out there. Even if these numbers were double or triple they would still be less than one percent.

We see bad things on the news everyday. We know that bad people are doing bad things right in our own own town or neighborhood. We must be diligent to protect ourselves and our families. These numbers also help point out something else to me. Over 99% of the time bad things are NOT happening to us, our families or our friends. Sometimes it is easy to loose sight of this very important fact. Statistically speaking, most days are great days. The numbers tell it all, be little bit diligent an a whole lot happy.

Technorati Tags: Avon, Avon Reps, Direct Sales