Career Detour Can Improve Skills

Tips I Took Away After I Quit Multilevel Marketing

For a few years, I was in the home party business. In the long run, it wasn't for me, but I learned skills that I apply often in my freelancing career.

I had experience in retail, working in an outlet store in college, but with small kids at home I wasn’t ready to go back to the night and weekend hours retail requires, so I thought maybe direct sales would work for me. I did it for about five years, and got to work with some incredible people, but I was never really comfortable in the role.

I’m a bit of an introvert, and I think that made it hard for me as well. Going into people’s homes, talking in front of a group, encouraging people to try 10 different kinds of dip, somewhere in there I had to draw a line.

Plus, it often seemed more money was going into buying the products, samples, catalogs, and supplies than was going into my bank account.

However, I did learn a few skills that I have been able to transfer to my own freelancing business when it comes to productivity, goal setting, education, and the importance of networking.

Productivity

With the multilevel marketing business I was in, many people had kids or were working sales as a second job, so many of the training calls focused on making sure you set aside time to get things done. Even if it was just an hour in the afternoon or evening, you had to be ready to buckle down and tackle your project.

This often entailed making lists, a list of people to call, a list of dates to fill, being aware of your calendar and the need to fill it. Once a party was booked, you had systems, when to send out invitations, when to remind the hostess to find out how many people were coming, setting up folders, making samples, and so on.

Then, when you had time to make those calls, you were ready with your scripts and list of people to call.

I am a big list maker, I like to use my planner to make lists, what needs to get done this week, what needs to be done daily, etc. Then, when it is time to get to work, you aren’t spending the first half-hour figuring out what needs to be done. You already know you need to set up interviews, or write social media posts, or brainstorm about blog topics and you can just get right to it.

It is important to set things up when you have a few minutes, so the day before the interview, make sure you have the time for a call in your calendar or phone, the name and number for the person, so you are not scrambling at the last minute.

Being aware of your calendar, what days you are posting on social media for yourself or for clients, making sure you have content and photos to post ahead of time, will make these systems flow easier. I use tools, such as Planoly or Hootsuite, to schedule posts and to visually see what still needs to be filled in and planned out.

Also, using tools like this allows you to write a number of posts when you have the time (or schedule the time) to do it, and then if you are busy on the day it needs to post, it is already ready to go, just cut and paste and post, or set up automatic posts. Set up a few weeks of posts at a time, so you aren’t caught empty-handed.

By setting up a monthly calendar with blog posts, social media schedules and e-mail newsletters, you can plan how you are staying in touch with your clients and audience and then look back to see what is working and what isn’t gaining views.

Goal Setting

Setting goals was a big part of direct sales. Whether you are setting sales goals, making a list of 25 people to call, booking four or eight parties a month, it was all about goal setting.

One of the ways this was rewarded, in addition to making money, was trips or conferences. You could earn your way to pay for a trip. But you also set personal goals – looking at what is your why? Are you trying to pay off credit cards? Pay a mortgage? Fund a family vacation?

• Think about these goals, what it would take to reach them. How much money do you need to make and how many hours do you need to reach that goal? How many clients would be ideal? Or how many stories do you need to pitch and sell?
• Break these goals down into smaller chunks that you can tackle. If you have a certain three-month goal, what does that mean for each month? Each week?
• Don’t forget to work some small rewards in there for yourself – if you reach a weekly goal decide what your reward will be: a fancy coffee, a new book at the bookstore, a break to watch a show on Netflix. Celebrate in your successes!
• Push yourself past your comfort zone and don’t doubt yourself – instead believe in yourself, that you can do this. Find out what it takes, if you need some training or want to work with a mentor to further your goals, then do that and make that part of the plan.

A great way to do this is to have a supportive team that you stay in touch with. Share your goals, find out their goals and encourage each other to keep moving forward. Have an accountability partner, someone to help keep you on track.

Education

I mentioned training above, it also is important to work education into your schedule. Whether you are reading a book about building up your business, listening to a podcast or watching a Ted Talk, it is important to keep yourself not only informed but motivated.

I recently took a course about pitching and writing stories, which also covered topics such as invoicing, keeping track of finances for taxes, and ways to organize your projects. If you are pitching, it is important to read the publications or websites to see what kind of topics they are covering and what has been written about recently.

If you are blogging, read other bloggers you enjoy or ones who are leaders in your topics of interest. With social media algorithms constantly changing, stay up on these changes and best practices. 

Networking

It is good to get out and meet others with similar interests, to talk about how they are doing, what is working for them.

There are many Facebook groups where you can network, ask questions, or offer your services. There are groups for journalists, content writers, or fiction writers that offer resources and job opportunities.

However, getting out and meeting people also helps you continue to grow and expand your business. I recently got involved in a Rising Tide Tuesdays Together group that meets monthly to discuss different topics of interest to small creative business owners.

• Talking about how other people find clients, promote their products or increase their own productivity can help you think of ideas of what might work better for you. Creating these relationships can lead to working partnerships or they may recommend you to another friend or business owner.
• Being involved in a local Chamber of Commerce can help you find out about local events, meet other business owners, and gain clients. They may organize job fairs or other events you can be involved in as well.
• Work on your “elevator pitch” in a low-stress environment. Your elevator pitch is being able to explain what you do in a minute or less. When someone asks what you do, be ready to answer, whether it is “work with small business owners to help them promote their best work” or “write content for small business websites” etc.

Moving Forward

I was drawn in by the promise of quick money without a lot of effort, but direct sales weren’t for me.

It makes more sense for me to focus on my writing and help others improve their writing skills than try to sell “easy-to-prepare food items.”

I hope this has helped you see how even a career detour can help you improve your skills and move forward. In the comments let me know tips you have learned from a job that wasn’t right for you.