I remember my first train ride.  My husband and I were on a company incentive trip.  After getting our bellies filled at a brunch in Union Station, we climbed aboard a privately owned train car with our sights set on Santa Barbara, California.

The train started out with a jolt and then chugged along, picking up speed faster and faster until buildings and trees were whizzing by us.  I was fascinated---mostly with the revelation of how similar that train was to how I was running my business.

Are you running your business like a train?

It takes a lot of energy for that train to get moving, but once it does, it becomes unstoppable!  Do you have that kind of momentum with your business?  What would it take for you to get going and become unstoppable? 

Here are five things I've found that can help you get your momentum going.  Get ready for a breakthrough to success!

1.  Get a healthy list of potential recruits and potential hostesses.  Do you know what I mean by healthy?  A lot of names on your list make a "healthy" list.  When you have so many people to contact, you won't waste your time on the people who say no.  And you won't waste your time on the people who just lead you along and give you a glimmer of hope, even though they're really not interested.

How do you get a lot of names?

• referrals from current customers

• pass out five business cards a day

• hand out samples of your products

• participate in a trade show, craft show, business expo, or county fair

• offer to do a free presentation at a local business club, women's club, library, chamber event, or church group 

• put an ad in the newspaper

• sponsor an AYSO soccer team or other sports teams

• pin up flyers or leave business cards in coffee shops, medical offices, daycare centers, sports and fitness centers

• get leads from Cutting Edge Media at http://www.femaleprospects.com

The point is this:  get your information and your name in front of as many people as possible and get their contact information for your lead list.

2.  Plan your work week.  Get out your planner right now and mark down every personal and business related activity you know about for the next three months.  Now it's time to go through your schedule and mark the days you'll do parties and the days you'll do recruiting interviews.  Go back to your healthy lead list and start making calls.  Remember, the hardest part is that first call.  Just make it.  Once you get going, the momentum will kick in and you'll feel productive.  Anytime you feel productive, the guilt feelings will go away and you'll be energized.

3.  Once you get parties booked, you'll want to ensure they hold.  The best way I've found to do this is to get your hostess' guest list and send the invitations for her.  I had been doing this for the last seven years when I had my business.  Once those invitations went out, rarely did a party ever cancel.  Guess what else?  If you get 21 names, addresses, and phone numbers from the hostess, not all of them will come to the party.  The ones who don't come, you'll be able add to your lead list!

4.  Get good at booking parties from parties.  Sprinkle seeds throughout your presentation about the hostess benefits.  Make a big fuss over your hostess and the presentation of her free gifts.  Package them so they look pretty and inviting.  Create an atmosphere so people will want to share you and your products with their friends. 

Now, don't panic if you do a party and you don't get anyone climbing over the table to get to your planner.  Just pick up the phone and call everyone the next day.  I can't tell you how many times I went home from a party with no bookings.  Was I discouraged?  YOU BET!  Did I give up?  NO WAY!  I learned early in my career that a phone call to each person the next day yielded huge results.  I booked parties over the phone and was able to also use that time to invite my potential recruits to hear the benefits of a home-based business. 

Did I always book parties the day after?  No!  But I tried and that's what counted.  Again, go back to that healthy lead list.  You won't even sweat this thing when you have so many names to move on to.  (Are you seeing a pattern here?  Everything goes back to that lead list, doesn't it?)

5.  Don't stop for anyone!  You want to have a posture of confidence and security.  That means your train stops for nobody.  Once you pull out of your station, let that momentum begin to carry you forward at top speed and don't you dare slow down or ever stop for any reason.  So often we become needy---we just NEED two more recruits to earn the incentive; or we just NEED three more qualified parties to get that jewelry.  When we're needy, we begin to spend way too much time with unqualified potential recruits and hostesses.  Your train doesn't stop---not even at the stations.  If someone wants on board, then they better be running fast to jump on because you're moving---you have goals to reach, dreams to capture, and money to make. 

If it's been awhile since you've focused on your business or you've been derailed for a spell, tomorrow is a new day.  Get the engine fired up and start moving, even if it's just a little bit at first.  Soon you'll see results from your purposeful action steps.  That will bring about excitement and more activity, which will lead to greater and greater momentum--and you'll be unstoppable!

Success to you!

Tonya Grimes

Dynamic Performance Institute, Inc.

http://www.tonyagrimes.com