Market your products AND keep your followers

Being an entrepreneur isn't easy.

Putting your livelihood on the line to do something you believe in can be scary.

If you found a product or service you are passionate about and are willing and able to do that, I applaud you!

But if you are doing this and are frustrated by your results, there's a good chance the people who are (or were) following you on social media are frustrated as well.

While this applies to many types of sales, it is especially true with Multi Level Marketing opportunities.

This isn't meant to point fingers at any one company or person. I see it every day. From many, many companies and many friends and not-yet friends both... and I have some friends who do what they do VERY WELL!

But so often I hear a sales pitch or see a post and cringe, saying nothing. Really though, I want you to succeed... and how are you going to do that if nobody tells you that there are better ways to market your products?

I'll admit. I'm no expert. Not all of my marketing ideas work... but one thing I do know is that you can always learn something new! And, the more you are willing to learn, the more successful you will be.

Here are some common ways to lose followers...

• If you add me as a friend and immediately start trying to sell to me
• If your posts are almost exactly the same as the posts of someone else in my friends list who sells the same thing
• If you serial post (filling my feed with your posts)
• If I answer a question on a seemly non-related topic and you follow up with a sales pitch

Most people know more than one entrepreneur who is selling the same product, so not only is it important to not get "unfollowed," but it's also important to set yourself apart in some way!

Here are a few ways you can do that...

• We need to see your product in action daily in your own life, not attached to a sales pitch.
• Be passionate about the product, not just the opportunity. Focus on selling the product and people who love the product will want to sell too.
• Tell the stories of others who have used your products and services without attaching a sales pitch.
• Be real. We won't believe that your product has fixed every aspect of your life. Tell us about your struggles as well as your wins!
• Just build relationships with us and let us choose to try your products when we are ready.
• Be generous. People want to do business with businesses who give back!

Above all, keep learning! It's okay to not know it all!

I often learn from the weekly podcasts from Entreleadership. In fact, I was re-listening to some older ones and was inspired to write this post because of one that I heard yesterday. If you sell anything... you need to listen to the first 20 minutes of this podcast. The rest is really good, but the first 20 minutes talks about so many of the mistakes being made in social media marketing today and what to do instead.

Listen to this podcast to learn... How to Market Without Everyone Hating You

Three steps to more housework help and less stress

I'm going to share a secret with you today.

I don't know why it is a secret... but it seems to be.

Are you tired of never having anyone want to help you with the housework?

Are you frustrated with the lack of attention to detail your family members have when they do help?

I know all too well that feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I see a child of mine folding towels. It seems very similar to the feeling a friend of mine gets when she sees her husband loading the dishwasher.

We've told them how time and again, and yet they still won't do it right! WHY!?!

There is a solution to this. It's a simple one, although it is more difficult than it sounds.

Are you ready? Here it is...

Step ONE... Stop it.

No, really. That's all. Stop it.

Stop caring how your kids fold the towels. Stop caring how the dishes get loaded into the dishwasher.
Stop griping and mumbling and complaining about how you are the only one who ever does anything the right way at this house.

You have a life, and a busy one at that. There will be time for perfectly folded towels and hand washed dishes when you don't have kids around anymore. Whatever gets done now, however wrong you think it is... is still a blessing to your family!

I Corinthians 13:1 says "If you have all these things, but you have not love, you are only a clanging cymbal."  When you complain, nobody says, "I need to learn how to do this better." They say, "She is so picky. There is no pleasing her, so I'm going to try half as hard next time."

Learning not to care is easier said than done, but it does work. Nobody at my house complains about folding towels anymore... and as they've done it more, they've gotten better at it!

Step TWO... Be appreciative.

Yes, I know it is their house too and they are contributing as part of the team... but appreciation is one of the best forms of encouragement. Whether it be your husband, your child, or a helpful extended family member or friend, say "Thank you!" and mean it!

There are lots of ways to be appreciative. Have you told your husband lately how sexy he looks running the vacuum cleaner? Have you finished a round of chores as a family, looked at the kids and said, "You know what? I think we all deserve some ice cream!" even though they fought you all the way through? Stick to the positive reinforcement. It makes a difference!

Step THREE... Call us.

Oh, come on... you had to know that one was coming, right? If the first two don't work for you, the last one will absolutely do the trick. Hire A Housewife is here to do all the things you want done and want done correctly. That might mean dusting and vacuuming or it might mean laundry or dishes. Maybe you'll want someone to sweep out the garage or get dinner started one night a week. Or, maybe, you crave streak-free windows... Whatever it is, we'll handle it.

If we don't hear from you, we'll assume the first two worked. :-)

Love Where You Live Updates and Giveaway!

Since the Love Where You Live program was introduced earlier this year, some changes and updates have been implemented. Here is a rundown of how it works, followed by a giveaway offer!

Love Where You Live helps you get your home more organized and keep it that way! We are already helping people in the area make progress with their homes!

With Love Where You Live, Hire A Housewife owner, Kindall Nelson, helps you learn how to break down organizing your house into manageable steps.

Here is her description of how the program works:

When I come for your first 90-minute appointment, I'll be ready for a complete walk-through of the house to determine what needs to be done and how the work should be prioritized. As we walk through, I take both notes and "before" pictures. If there is enough time left, I will help you tackle a project while I am there. We will discuss goals and strategies for the week, and I will give you homework to complete before our next appointment.

When I return the second week, it will be with a binder that has been created with your home's plan in mind. We will discuss wins and losses for the week and also tackle a project together to help give your motivation a boost into the next week.

If there is a specific project that you need done but don't want to do yourself, we can discuss having my staff or I do that separately from our regularly scheduled appointments.

I will also haul away, or arrange to have hauled away, anything you have marked for donation during the week.

There is a minimum commitment of 4 weeks, which comes to $240.
($60 per 90 minute appointment)

Please know that while Hire A Housewife is always dedicated to guilt-free, judgement-free cleaning and organizing, this does take a commitment on your part to participate. I work hard to give you strategies that fit your life. But if you don't follow those strategies, things will not change.

I want to make a difference for you!

Now for the giveaway...

Are you ready to make some changes in your home?

Do you need someone to give you strategies and hold you accountable for those changes?

Tell me in 300 words or less why you would benefit from our Love Where You Live program and send  a couple of photos (they will not be shared) of some example areas where you would like help.
I also need your name, address, and phone number.

I will be choosing someone I believe will be committed to the program to receive 4 (FOUR) Love Where You Live appointments with me, and will announce the winner on May 16th!

Send to [email protected]

with the Subject: Love Where You Live Giveaway

Love Where You Live

How long has it been since you've had someone in your home?
Do your friends feel welcome to stop by whenever they want?
Does the thought of someone doing that cause a little bit of panic to set in...
      maybe more than a little bit of panic?

I'm sure you've probably had these thoughts before...

When its warmer outside...

When we get a bigger house...

When the kids are old enough to help pick up...

When my oldest leaves for college...

THEN I'll get this place organized.

The good news I have for you is this... You can do it NOW and I want to help.

I've said many times that I am perfectly happy if I can help others get the home they want without ever using our service. That is true. I will give you tips and tricks all day long if they will help, but what most of us need is a plan of action and some accountability. That's what I am presenting here today.

With Hire A Housewife's new LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE service, I will help you decide what needs to be done, break it down into small steps, and walk you through the process, holding you accountable each step of the way.

You've heard of a life-coach before? Think of this as life-coaching for your home. The end goal is not for you to continue to use our services, it is for you to be able to keep up with your home yourself!

How does it work?

At your initial appointment, I come in and do a walk-through of your home.
(Don't panic! I am coming to help, not judge!)

I will take a look at each room in the house and make a detailed list of things that need to be taken care of at some point. I will also take "before" photos that will not be shared with anyone but you without your written permission.

Lastly, I will give you a small amount of homework to get done before I come back.

At your second appointment, I will present you with a personalized binder to help guide you through the steps. We'll talk about your strategies and then tackle a project together.

I will return weekly or bi-weekly for one-two hours to help you continue to move towards your goal.

Additional options: 

     * Scheduled text messages and/or email reminders.
     * Phone consultation between appointments for encouragement or advice.

     * Hire A Housewife services to help you reach your goals more quickly.

Why you need this:

     

     I am not going to pull any punches.    

     I am not afraid to ask you the tough questions. 

     I am not afraid to tell you that it is time to throw something away.

     I have no problem loading up the things you decide to donate 

          and driving them to Mission Mart (or your preferred donation center) for donation.

     If you follow the plans laid out for you, you will regain control of your home and
          it will become a place that you love.

Charges:

First, 90-minute appointment 

& binder creation:                                        $ 100

Following Appointments:                            $ 40 per hour, 90 minute minimum

Text and/or email reminders:                       $ 5 per week

Phone consultations:                                    $ 10 (approximately 15 minutes)

Minimum charge to start this service is $280. 

This includes the first session and three follow-up sessions. 

Payment can be made via check or cash at the time of the first appointment with Kindall, or via PayPal to [email protected]

Hire A Housewife owner, Kindall Nelson, is the only Love Where You Live specialist at this time. Space is limited, so to avoid being put on a waiting list, contact us now! There is current availability on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.

Feel free to leave questions in the comments here or on Facebook page link. 

I look forward to helping you Love Where You Live!

Tackling the girls' room (Days 1 & 2)

When the girls came home from their dad's house, I put them to work cleaning the floor and warned them not to touch anything else... They complied. Everything was sorted into bags and boxes like I asked.

The next step was cleaning out their dressers and shelves. They got part way through on the first night, but I soon discovered the drawers on the short dresser were full of junk. Ella's answer, "I don't want to keep clothes in my dresser." (Nice try.)

By late afternoon on Day 2 (after school Tuesday) they had almost finished cleaning out the dressers and shelves.

However, I had a meeting from 6:30-8:30 on Tuesday evening and I came home to find they had jumped ahead a few steps in the process. They were going through all of the boxes that I told them not to touch without my permission.

They put most of it back, but the stacks themselves are much less organized now.

I also found a Build-A-Bear rescue had been initiated, their newest stuffed animals pulled from the garbage bags, now laying on the bed.

So what is the next step?

One bag/box/tote at a time everything from their floor is being washed, dried and put in the living room on the couch. I don't want any mass decisions made about anything. We will touch each piece of clothing and decide if it is a keep, donate, or trash item... as well as who it belongs to. You wouldn't believe how many times I said to myself when I was picking up the clothes originally, "Hey! I wondered were that shirt went..."

We probably have 4 or 5 loads to go today... and there is household laundry mixed up in this... but before I let them touch anything else on the broken bunk bed, we will decide where every piece of clothing goes. I have a feeling that will be a battle in itself. I have yard waste bags waiting to be filled to be dropped off at Mission Mart.

Even for 5 people, we have a lot of clothes to go through.

This might take awhile... 

Tackling the girls' room

Anyone who has heard my testimony knows that I am not usually afraid to tell it like it is. It's important that people know me, my household, and my family are far from perfect. When I come into yours, and give you ideas or help you clean something up, I am not judging you... I have no right to! I say that whatever mess you have, we have already seen it and cleaned it up before, and it was probably in our own house.

Well, if you don't believe me after this post, I don't think I'll ever be able to convince you.

My three girls, ages 17, 11, and 9, share a bedroom. I am constantly telling them to clean it up, pick it up, put laundry in the bathroom, throw away the water bottles, etc. When the bottom bunk of the bunk bed broke a couple of weeks ago, I realized that even if I found a replacement, I couldn't get into their room to change anything out.

If you read regularly, you have no doubt seen my posts about how you can de-clutter anything in 15 minutes a day. I have to say, that doesn't include a child's bedroom if they are still living in it and not picking up after themselves. Today I decided I was fed up the less than enthusiastic efforts of my children, and took it on myself to get them started.

Here are the steps I have taken so far to move us forward in this process...

1. I took pictures of everything.

2. I started bagging things up while they were gone today.
 
     *All stuffed animals and pillows in garbage bags.
       EVEN FAVORITES (Motivation for later.)
     *Anything else washable from the floor into totes and garbage bags.
       ESPECIALLY FAVORITES (Motivation for later.)
     *Books, movies, etc. went into boxes.
     *Shoes went into a box

3. I didn't pick up any trash.

4. As I worked, I swept everything to the center of the room. EVERYTHING. And I stacked the stuff that had been bagged and boxed (all will be gone through one at a time.)

5. I worked until I was tired and had other things to do.   
     Then I wrote this note for when they came home.

I also added that they were not allowed to put anything "away" ... because all of the "aways" still needed to be cleaned out as well.

Next step: To have them clean off their dressers and bookshelves so there is a place to put whatever they decide to keep.


This is honestly a risky blog post to put out on my business blog... I mean, what if we don't get it done? What if it turns out that I'm too busy or too exhausted to stay on them and three months from now my 17yr old is still sleeping on her mattress on the floor because I didn't stick to this or make them stick to it either!?!

Well, that will be just another reminder that I am human as well. Hopefully, though, instead of that, over the next week I will be able to show you that even though sometimes things get out of control at my house too, it is possible to take back control.

When I said I "other things to do" and stopped cleaning and wrote that note... I didn't just mean writing this blog post...

Today I'm going to take down the Christmas tree.