It's a Tuesday evening and Pam Johnson is having a party with ten of her friends. Pam loves to entertain and is always open to inviting a few girls over for a "ladies night out". So, when Pam's neighbor, Lisa, asked her to host a jewelry party for her by inviting friends and serving up a few light snacks and refreshments, Pam gladly obliged. Yes, Pam loves to entertain and have her girls over, but what really enticed her was all the FREE jewelry she could earn as one of Lisa's hostesses.  Each guest spent $75 or more that night on fabulous silver pieces and had a great time. Lisa and Pam had a great night also, Lisa walked away with $750 in FREE jewelry of her choice and Pam, the representative, made a cool $750...cash! Not bad for three hours of work, all in the form of a party. Plus, everyone raved about Pam's delicious, homemade red velvet cake, so to Pam, it was a good night indeed. Pam can't help but imagine herself as a representative for Lisa's company. Lisa invites her to lunch the next day to discuss the possibilty of Pam joining her team. Yes, it's true...the direct sales business is booming and more black women then ever before are signing up as representatives and loving every minute!

According to the Direct Selling Association, 15.2 million people worked as direct sales consultants in 2006, up from 14.1 million the year before; 85% are women, who helped generate more than $32 billion in sales. Black Enterprise reports that 12.5 % of direct sellers are African Americans. That means there is still lot of room at the TOP for us, my goal is help black woman everywhere understand the viable business of direct sales.

However, I believe it is very important to 'do your homework" and ask yourself some questions before jumping into this industry. Here are four things every woman of color should consider before she says YES to direct sales:

1. Make sure you believe in the product, don't sell anything you don't believe in. When you are truly passionate about the product or service your company offers, you will be more likely to succeed. Do you research online, visit the websites of various companies that interest you, contact corporate and ask lots of questions. Join social networks like I Love MLMBlackwoman.com, here you will find many black women that are already in the business representing a variety of companies, products and services. Ask for their recommendations, don't be afraid to ask questions before you make your decision.

2. Make sure you are fine with pitching products to family, friends, co-workers
and church members. Everyone you know, and everyone they know is a potential customer or future consultant on your team so you must be comfortable sharing your products and opportunity with others. A good company will have sales training available to you, so don't worry about being a master salesperson. However, you need to be willing to put that "salesperson hat" on in order to market your products effectively.

3. Be a guest at the party or show of a local consultant in your area. Being a
guest first is a great way to "test drive" a company and see how the job is really done. The best consultants tend to be guests, hostesses or product users before they sign up to sell the product themselves.

4. Please be realistic about your earning potential, especially in the early years of
your business. We always hear stories about top consultants that make thousands of dollars a month within their first year. Fast success does happen, but it is NOT the norm. Please don't get "caught up in the hype", again true stories, but you need to understand that building a direct sales/network marketing business takes time and the big money usually comes later. Your income will depend in large part on how much time you can put towards parties, one on one appointments, recruiting, follow-ups, etc. The average direct sales consultant works about 5 to 10 hours a week, earning about $200 a month. However, there are many that work the business full time or very aggressively in their first few years and build to a nice extra income within 2-4 years. Just remember, the more you put into it, the more you will get out. Time and consistency are the keys to success in this business.

Direct Sales offers black women an excellent opportunity to create an additional stream or a full time executive income. I encourage you to find out more about our profession and find the company that is right for you!

Much success and many blessings,

British
MLMBlackwoman@gmail.com