This week, our featured Shop Consultant is successful UnFranchise® Owner Julie Scholl. Last Wednesday we asked our Facebook audience what questions they would like to ask her about building a successful business. Interested in seeing if she answered your question? Read on!
Market America: What was the most challenging scenario you came across while showing the business, a product, or the SHOP.com portal and how did you overcome it?
Julie Scholl: The most challenging thing for me when I started my UnFranchise® business was not taking the “no’s” personally. We have to realize that this business is not for everyone, but it is right for others. We just have to sort through and share with enough people to find the individuals it is right for.
When someone says “no,” they may just mean “not now” because their timing isn’t right, or they may currently be having a financial challenge in their life, so always leave the door open to follow up with them at a later date to update them on what’s going on and what’s new.
MA: What’s the best piece of advice you were given when you started your UnFranchise® Business?
JS: Never give up! Even when it seems like it’s not working as fast as you had hoped, it’s only a matter of time. The only way you can lose is if you quit. We all get discouraged from time to time, but take a deep breath and keep moving forward toward your dreams and goals. Remember: it’s a 2-3 year plan, not a 2-3 month plan!
MA: How do you explain in 30 seconds or less what you do to someone you just met? What are the key points you make an effort to hit every time?
JS: When you are just starting your UnFranchise® business, it is a good idea to have a “canned answer” for when people ask “what is it?” It is kind of like having training wheels for a way to get started.
Once you become a “seasoned” UnFranchise® owner, you will probably drop the “canned answer” and move to more of a “conversation volley.” As a starting point, when asked what I do for a living, I say, “I own my own business.” This usually brings more questions, which leads to the “conversation volley.”
Remember: it is important to listen to them during the conversation to identify what their needs are. This is about them, not you!
At the end of the “conversation volley,” you should mention that you are considering expanding, and do they know anyone that would be interested in a part-time opening that offers unlimited income potential that could lead to full-time? If they say, “yes, I would be interested” set an appointment with them and move on. Whatever you do, do not proceed and try to explain the business verbally. It is impossible to explain verbally in that moment how this business works, so it’s important to simply say something that strikes interest, and then set an appointment to sit down with them to explain it. Your goal is to set the appointment, so once that is completed, put a muzzle on it!
Also, if I know the person I am speaking with is a mother, I usually mention that I work from home, because that’s something a lot of moms are looking for.
MA: What are your top 3 business building tips?
JS: Learn AND Master the Basic 5 (ALL 5); do 3-way calls with your sponsor and/or senior business partner; and get on a team that will keep you accountable so that you don’t let your life and excuses get in your way.
MA: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only choose three Market America branded products to have with you, which would you choose and why?
JS: My Isotonix™ Custom Cocktail (about 10 Isotonix products including OPC-3), Royal Spa™ Tri-Protein Plus Conditioner, and Cellular Labs™ Moisturizing Day Crème.
I chose these products because these are the products that I never leave town without. There are many more I bring with me as well, but the question was for my top 3, so there it is.
MA: What is your favorite product to sell and why?
JS: Isotonix ® OPC-3, because it has a ton of awesome ingredients that support a healthy body!
MA: What is the #1 tip you would share with someone starting their own UnFranchise® Business?
JS: Learn and master the Basic 5. Not 2 or 3, all 5!
MA: How have you utilized social media to build your business?
JS: When I started my UnFranchise® business, there was no such thing as social media. But social media is a great way to promote your business and products. It is also a great way to meet new people you may otherwise never have the chance to meet.
MA: What’s your favorite business-building or entrepreneurial quote?
JS: You can make money, you can make excuses, but you can’t make both!
MA: How do you keep your contacts organized?
JS: I personally use a Prospect Tracking Sheet to keep my prospect contacts organized. I keep mine on paper, but you can keep them on your computer as well. Once they become a distributor, I start a Distributor Tracking Sheet on them to track their progress.
MA: If you could expand your business to any country on earth, which would you choose? Why?
JS: The United States of America, because it is where I live, they speak the language I speak, and because I believe you should begin building your business in your backyard and expand from there. When I started my business, I was told, “don’t build your fire farther than you can carry the wood.” I followed that advice, and it worked.
MA: What does the Shopping Annuity mean to you?
JS: The Shopping Annuity is what’s created by being a product of the product. It’s what you’re generating each time you shop from yourself at your own UnFranchise ® business.
Business 101: do business with yourself! If you owned a grocery store, you wouldn’t shop at your competitor’s grocery store; you would shop from your own. The same applies to your portal!
MA: What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
JS: When I started my UnFranchise ®business I was very shy. I noticed that none of the top money earners at the time where shy, so I made the decision that I was going to learn not to be shy anymore. It may sound crazy, but I practiced talking to people I did not know at the grocery store about anything I could think of because I figured I’d probably never see them again anyway. Crazy, yes, but it worked! I’m not shy anymore!
Another challenge I faced that many others face was staying focused, staying consistent, and not letting life get in the way. You have to make your UnFranchise® business a priority in your daily life. I overcame this by making a prioritized to-do list every day, which included at least one Market America result-producing activity every day!
My advice to you is to make a commitment to yourself not to go to bed at night until you have done at least one result-producing activity for your UnFranchise® business every day!
MA: Do you have any new year’s resolutions for 2013?
JS: My 2013 New Year’s resolution is to teach others to build their UnFranchise® business by staying focused on the basic fundaments of the business, The Basic 5!!!
We would like to thank Julie Scholl for taking the time to speak with us and revealing some of her best business-building tips! To submit a question, keep a close eye on the Market America Facebook page. Every Tuesday at 12pm we’ll give you an opportunity to submit questions for that week’s Shop Consultant. Then, read the MA blog on Mondays to see if your question has been answered!
Now it’s your turn: which one of Julie’s tips do you think will be the most helpful to your UnFranchise® Business and why? Comment your answer below!