As a percentage of your working time, what amount do you dedicate to keeping in touch with your team? Do you have a system in place to do this?  Natalie Collinson, Phoenix Trader

The most successful Leaders in the Party Plan Industry will tell you there is one word to keep in your mind at all times in this industry – BALANCE.  Whether you are talking about the balance between work and home, the balance between your personal business and your team, or the balance between sales and recruiting, the #1 best thing that you can do for yourself and your business is strive to always be in BALANCE.

Obviously the balance between two parts is 50/50 – meaning of your work time you should spend 50% of your time on your own personal business, and 50% of your time on your coaching your downline.  Sound impossible?  It really isn’t.  Let’s look at some ways to find the balance and get control of your time!

Your Office Hours. Every Leader must schedule time for her team.  By offering her undivided attention to her downline on certain days, your Consultants will be able to schedule their coaching times within your schedule.  For instance, consider doing one-on-one coaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays (per The Diva Success System) so your Consultants knows those are the best days for their one on one coaching.   Then you both can schedule what time is best with each other, and know that for that time you have each others complete undivided attention.

Weekly Conference Calls – Having a one hour weekly conference call with your team is a great way to get training out to a large group at one time.  Schedule your calls to be the same day and time each week, so that your members will know exactly when they are, and when to tell their new  members to join in as well.  On your conference calls you will go over any Recognition, Incentives, Corporate Happenings, etc as well as training and a Q&A section.  Services like FreeConferenceCalling.com give free conference call lines for up to 250 people!  You can also record these calls to be embedded into your training website, or downloaded as mp3 for future training.

Contact Methods - Obviously in order to coach and work with your Downline, you need to be reachable.  This is another great way to put in some boundaries around your time.  Using a service like YahooMessenger allows you to control when you are reached.  Simply put – if you are logged in, you are available.  Also, encourage your team to use text messaging and email over the phone on days that are not scheduled for coaching.  On the phone we all have a tendency to lose focus and start talking about life, the weather, family, etc and before you know it, you have spent an hour on the phone and gotten very little done.

YahooGroups – This has to be my favorite service for team building, training, support, and coaching.  Yahoo has this awesome service that has been around forever that I recommend EVERYONE – regardless of the size of your team – implements immediately.  YahooGroups are an open discussion forum that offer a place to store files, photos, polls, databases, discussions, and more.  You can set the privacy to moderate new members so that you only allow your team members into the group.  If a team member has a problem/question, she can post a message to the team YahooGroup, and get answers from all of the other team members as well as from you.

Obviously you want your team to always feel that you are there for them and that you support them, but having boundaries and balance is crucial to the longevity of your business.   Remember also that your team will mirror what you do – so instilling these boundaries will pave the way for your up and coming Leaders to do the same.  If you look stressed, over worked, and overwhelmed – “Leadership” will not look very attractive.  Showing that you can in fact have a fantastic team and personal business, while still maintaining a relaxed and balanced life is the key to building a strong and active team.

Business is easy when you have the right tools. Talk to any carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc and they will tell you how important having the correct “Tools for the Job” will make work run more smoothly. The Party Plan Business is no exception to this rule. My Top Ten favorite Tools For Success (in no particular order) are:

My website – PartyPlanDivas.com with a SHOPPING CART!! Ok, obviously Party Plan Divas IS my business, but  I too use the Template Library and Training Library for my own personal Party Plan Business.  The shopping cart is also a no-brainer -did you know that $146.4 BILLION dollars was spent on online shopping in 2006?!! (source) Would you like to tap into just a FRACTION of that!?  You can – with an online store!!  Yep it’s REALLY that easy.

Gmail Email – I use email for everything. Truly. I have several different email accounts, all through Gmail which all come to my iPhone, Outlook, and PC so that no matter where I am, I can see when new emails come in. I get all of my Social Media Notifications, Order Notifications, Party Leads, etc all delivered via email.  I would say that 95% of all of my correspondence done on a daily basis is through email.  Also with tools such as Constant Contact I can send out several thousand emails in just a few clicks!!  Talk about “spreading the word!!”

My Blog – The Party Plan Coach.com – My blog is a great tool for business because I am able to really show you who *I* am as Lynsey, not just as The Party Plan Coach.  I get to do fantastic reviews, giveaways, participate in weekly Memes and link with other bloggers and so much more.  Plus I am able to write my thoughts, experiences, and events that go on in my life. Blogging can be time consuming – but just like with journaling, for some reason when you begin to WRITE THINGS DOWN - they actually begin to happen.  Start a Blog and begin writing your life and see what happens!

Facebook – Facebook has become my #2 most visited website each and every day.  Though I do not waste time on any of the games or apps, I do absolutely love reading what is going on with everyone, chatting about World News, Pop Culture, Mommyhood, and other things that interest me.  I see so many awesome websites, meet fantastic people, and link up and network with other coaches, trainers, and product developers for our industry.

Twitter – Twitter and Business just go hand in hand now. I found Twitter long before it was as popular as it is now, and thought it was a silly waste of time.  My account sat dormant for months.  It wasn’t until just a few months ago that I attended a Networkers Toolbox Training Seminar that I really grasped the concept of Twitter and how it can be used for business.  I have since been Tweeting away happily and using tools such as HootSuite to manage all of my Twitter accounts and keep it touch with all of my Twivas in the Twitterverse…

iPhone or Smartphone – Whether you have an iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, or any other “Pocket PC” style phone, the Smartphones of today are absolute “must haves” for the Party Plan Industry.  As I raved in my Top Ten Tuesday – iPhone Alls For All Party Plan Divas post there are so many tools that are downloaded right onto the phone to have on the go wherever you are.  Get your email, Social Media, Tax Stuff, and even the Weather right at your fingertips.

Mobile Office – This tool I talk about so much in my training and it is an absolute “must have” for ALL Party Plan Consultants.  A Mobile Office is a portable file box with all of the tools we need to do business – Hostess Packets, Recruit Packets, Business Cards, Order Forms, Catalogs, Pens, Calculator, Gardening (Marketing) Gifts – all neatly organized and packed into your car!  Take it everywhere – you never know when an opportunity arises for business – always be PREPARED with your Mobile Office!

The Diva Success System Planner – Have you seen pictures of my Planner?  I would be completely lost without it.  I have everything in this planner – from my dental appointments to my daughter’s gymnastics meets, as well as my Hostesses, new Recruits, Meetings, event… you name it – if it is happening in my life, it is in my Diva Success System Planner. I keep everything color coded for an easy “at a glance” look at what all I have going on, and the colors go throughout the planner for each category of my life.

Gardening Gifts – All of my marketing tools!!  Yes, I keep them in my Mobile Office as  I mentioned above, but these are tools you absolutely must have on you at all times.  Gardening Gifts include business cards, samples, gifts, etc.  Never be caught without them – and hand them out generously!  Any woman you see is deserving of a little “gift.” Remember presentation is key – so make sure it is pretty. Check out our Gardening Section in the Training Library for tons of ideas of Gardening Gifts for all industries!

Office Hours - Ok, so it isnt really a “tool”, however having a work schedule is just as important to a Party Plan Professional as it is to a Corporate Professional - your doctor’s office is NOT open 24/7 – neither should you be!  We are in this business to make a significant income while working for ourselves, and around out lives, so make sure you are doing just that.   Set your Work Hours, Party Dates, etc and STICK TO THEM!!  Use  The Diva Success System so that you will know what you need to do each and every day to stay on track building your business in only 30 minutes per day!

These are my favorite Tools For Success… what are yours?