A Parent's Plea

A Parent’s Plea
Written By: Lillian Watson

August 25, 2014

                Books, backpacks, pencils, and notebooks in hand the kids of the Clarksville Montgomery County School System are back in class.  Though the temperatures may still be high it is clear to parents and kids across the county that school is back in session.  With this brings a new awareness.  Throughout the summer kids have been at play in the middle of the day, and less likely to be out on your morning commute.  Now, with school back in session please be aware that there are children who are walking to bus stops and/or school.  Many students in Clarksville do not have the luxury of having the bus stop in their own driveway.  This means that multiple students and their families are now walking to the joint location that has been set up by CMCSS.  By having a joint bus stop this places multiple families on the roads and/or sidewalks across Montgomery County.  Please take the time to drive safely.

                With your increased vigilance across the county of these future doctors/lawyers/military members/police officers/fire fighters/etc. please also be mindful of two other factors.  Be mindful of the speed limit where you are.  This means that if it is 20mph in your neighborhood do not go 25mph.  If you are late, it is better to be late for work because you drove safely than to be late for work or never show because you killed a child or someone else.  Slow down and save a life.  This also means that it is time to set your cell phone down.  Stop texting and driving.  Not only is it against the law, but when you are looking down you miss the bright yellow school bus in front of you.  You miss the children that are climbing aboard.  You miss the warnings from the mothers who are signaling for you to stop.  You miss your job or class or date because you are in the hospital or jail.  PAY ATTENTION and SLOW DOWN.

                As a mother of two children I implore you to slow down and pay attention.  Too many times I have seen children who should have had plenty of time to safely cross the street almost hit because someone speeds around a curve.  Too many times I have seen people slamming on their brakes at the last minute trying to stop because the bus is loading children.  Too many times I’ve seen teenagers on their way to high school texting and driving.  The same issue arises with adults on their way to work.  When you are the one at the bus stop with the kids you will not care if the person speeding is late for work.  You care only about the children at that bus stop.  It does not matter if they are your child or step child.  You care about each and every child’s safety.  As mothers and fathers of these kids we are asking that Montgomery County takes the times to put the cell phone down, leave a few minutes earlier if you are afraid of hitting school traffic, take the lead out of your shoe, slow down, and pay attention.  We are asking you to remember that you too were once a child.  We ask you to remember that these are sons/daughters/cousins/nieces/nephews/grandchildren.  These children are our future.  Please show you care.  SLOW DOWN, STOP TEXTING AND DRIVING, SAVE A LIFE!

Annoying Colleges

Annoying Colleges
Written By Lillian Watson
August 13, 2014


     In a past blog I wrote about trying to find what Masters program and what college/university to attend.  I did some research and I am really regretting that.  Since starting my research I have found that there are three particular universities who do not let you be. 

     The first one is Liberty University.  I really love their ideals of being a Christian organization.  That is admirable and was one of the reasons I checked it out.  They are now calling me more than Ashford University did before I joined.  Daily there are at least 3 phone calls.  The information sheet I filled out online mentioned that I was going for my masters program.  The admissions counselor told me that Liberty could not help me in pursuit of my Masters.  I thought that funny considering I was looking at their masters programs when I asked for information.  He suggested I go back and get a second Bachelors degree.  When I told him I really wanted a masters he hung up on me.  HORRIBLE service.

     The next university that does not stop is University of Cincinnati.  They are ranked in the top 3 Criminal Justice schools in the nation...or so they advertise.  Then when they get you looking deeper into them you find out that the top ranking is for their PhD. program.  All the fancy wording is for something that you do not even have the option to go for until you complete their masters program.  Then it gets really annoying.  I have gotten no less than 4 emails a day and a phone call from them.  Every day it is the same information.  SPAM.  I would have loved to look into an actual non profit college, but they are really over doing the recruiting.

     The final one on my leave me alone list is University of Phoenix.  Now, I know there are probably a lot of people out there who are going to hate me for this, but after the 7 emails in the first day and 3 each day after I have zero desire to continue to look into a masters program with them.  Add that to the fact that I found out Univ. of Ph and Ashford have the same quizzes word for word and I realized I am tired of for profit schools. 

     I understand that schools are calling/emailing because I requested the information.  I just find it annoying that they continue to shoot emails out one after another every day.  The phone calls and the hang ups are really not making me any happier with the schools.  The more research I have done the more I am leaning toward Nashville School of Law and getting my JD.  I have had zero annoyance from them, and I like the idea of holding a Doctorate. 

     Well, that is all.  I just needed to vent about annoying recruiting practices of colleges.  Have a great day!!!

Can I Let Him Guide Me?

Can I Let Him Guide Me?
Written By Lillian Watson
August 4, 2014

     I sit here today writing a paper in my general education capstone class.  I am supposed to be writing on a blog, a podcast, and a video that talks about a specific topic.  I get to evaluate them on their validity, if they are biased and applicability of information.  It is really hard to find a valid unbiased blog.  Those of us that write these do so because we want to convey information that we feel.  I know that I try to think well rounded, but it does not always happen.  I decided to step away from the assignment for a little bit to relax and not stress as much over a blog.  I started looking at graduate schools AGAIN.

     If you have talked to me in the past 3 weeks you know that graduate school is on my brain.  It has been for almost a year, but more so these past few weeks as I march on toward graduation.  I do know that I do want to get a graduate degree, but what it is in really hasn't been a "OMG YES" moment.  I have looked into Nashville School of Law.  It is a really affordable and local law school here in Tennessee.  My father knows lawyers that have attended there and enjoyed it.  It was my go to choice from day one.  I knew I wanted to be a lawyer.  That is until I took a psychology class.  Oh the joys of criminal psychology.  I loved the class more than I have ever loved any class prior.  It inspired me.  I read books on criminal psychology in my free time now.  The downfall to this though is that a Masters in Psychology is not really marketable.  Same as a masters in Criminal Justice.  I would need to go on to get a PhD in Psychology to even market myself.  I do not want to be a professional student at all (at the moment) because I do not have the money to go to another 6 or so years of schooling.  So, I go back to law.  It is then that I realize NSL is not ABA certified.  The graduates are able to take the bar in Tennessee alone.  While that might not seem like a big deal because I live in Tennessee it is something I look at.  I do not want to end up moving one day because my husband got an amazing job offer and not be able to use my JD.  So, I look into law schools in Nashville.  This is when my heart drops.  The cost of Belmont is a lot higher than I was really wanting to put out for graduate school considering I get $0 in grants for grad school.  Vanderbilt is expensive too, but they do give a lot of scholarships.  The cost still would be too high.  So, I start thinking outside of what I normally would go for and I research other schools.

      Graduating high school I had my dream college picked out.  I was going to go to Lipscomb University.  I did end up getting to go to my first choice on a full scholarship for a year.  I decided that it might not be too bad to look into LU again for a masters degree.  It was then that an idea that had been spinning around in my head and I pushed back came to the front again.  A masters in theology or divinity.  I really researched that.  OH I was excited at that thought.  It was not just LU I was looking into.  I knew that I could take that Divinity degree and become a Chaplain in the prison system.  I knew it would be a way to help others.  I knew it would impact me personally too.  Then reality sat in.  My family did not support it.  I take that back...my sister was my lone supporter.  I had not completely tossed this to the side until today.  Today I was thrown another curve ball.  The church that I left because I did not feel the support or even acknowledgment that I existed came back into play.  It made its way back into my life without me seeking it out.  It snuck in the back way....through a youth organization.  Now, I am questioning if this is a sign from God as a way of saying, "NOPE". 

     I have been asking the Lord for guidance on not only choosing a program, but a school too.  I have learned a lot from Ashford, but I feel like their desire to actually teach is lacking.  There are a lot of teachers who teach at multiple schools as their way of living.  I do not feel like the teachers really even care about their students.  I have had some great teachers, but I've had complete jerks too.  This is why I am really being cautious about my graduate school selection.  I do not want to end up feeling like a number.  Again, I learned a lot because I studied, but I want more.  Today it hit me though, am I really asking God for guidance, or am I saying the words without trusting him to follow through?  I know that Proverbs 3:5 is really reaching out to me today.  I feel like I might be reaching out to him, but not wanting to give complete control over.

     I am not a new Christian, but I have wandered since I accepted the Lord into my life.  Part of that wandering was anger.  Part of that was I felt abandoned.  Part was laziness on my part.  I feel that this is part of the reason that I am hesitant to give up control completely.  I do know that every time I have hit bottom and finally given up control over a situation he has been there for me.  I do know that as long as I lean on him I can overcome obstacles.  I also know that I am hard headed.  It is why I try not to judge other struggling Christians.  I am not without sin, so I will not be casting any stones right now.  I do want to give this completely over to Christ, but with it being such a big deal it is so hard to.  I want the guidance, but I am like a parent on the first day of school....I do not want to let someone else take care of something so important.  I just need to remember that when I finally let go is when my "baby" can grow.  Then and only then will I seen an answer.

     Has there ever been a time in your life that you knew that you needed to give control over to the Lord, but have been hesitant to do so?  What did you do in that case?

Couponing is NOT easy

Couponing is NOT easy
Written By Lillian Watson
July 31, 2014

      The phrase "OMG My hands HURT" has never rang more true than today.  Yesterday was our first time in a very long time to coupon.  We have used them here and there before, but never to the crazy extent we tried it yesterday.  It started out as a way to save some money on groceries, but went well beyond that yesterday.  I clipped over 200 coupons from the internet and our newspaper (oh and we get a version of SS and Red Plum here at the house in the mail).  My hand was killing me.  Then, I learned that you are supposed to get online and see the best sales at some of these couponing sites.  OMG I was comparing prices and coupons for over 5hrs yesterday.  It was CRAZY.  I have some real respect for those of you who do this all the time.  There are still coupons not cut and not filed because I gave up.  BUT, I did get the coupons matched up to the major sales that were listed. 

     We hit up Target, Walmart, and Publix last night.  We started with Publix because their sales were not supposed to switch until today, we were wrong.  Our Publix changed their prices yesterday morning.  So, we were a bit shocked and didn't get a few of the things on the list because they were no longer on sale.  Target was interesting, but I'm not sure I really like the way their sales were done, but hey we were learning.  At Target we got 2 Head and Shoulders with a coupon down to $8 and combined it with an Old Spice deodorant for a little less with another coupon.  That together gave us a $5 gift card at check out.  We used that on Dennis's body wash and deodorant combo pack with a coupon to only cost us a whopping $0.25.  So, not a horrible trip, but it was only a 50% savings on it all.  Not what some of you all are coming out with for like making money.  Walmart was our bigger savings.  Here we ended up getting razors for $0.13 (2 packs) and making money on other things.  We learned about Ibotta and Checkout 51.  They are apps that you download to your phone and after you are done shopping you can get rebates on some of your purchases.  We did this and got $1 back off of juice we spent $0.75 on, $2 back on a plug in we spent $0.38 on, and $1.00 on soap I spent $0.75 on.  So, that was enjoyable.  There were other purchases we got of things we needed and we had coupons for also.  We ended up saving an average of 50% everywhere we went with the coupons.  That was not the main part of the grocery shopping though.  This was just extras we saw on the couponing sites.  Tonight I will actually grocery shop.  LOL. 

     While it was fun, it is a lot of work.  Those of you who have the patience and knowledge of how to do this a lot and not pay but 10% of what the normal cost is I commend you.  You must have awesome patience!!!!  Also, feel free to leave comments sharing how you did it.  I'm all about learning this thing.  Well, I am going to get off of here and get ready for the yard sale I'm having this weekend.  Oh speaking of sales.... check out some of the items at http://lillianwatson.avonrepresentative.com on sale this campaign!!!!

Learn to Recognize

Learn to Recognize
Written By Lillian Watson
July 21, 2014

     Today I am finally completing my last leadership class before starting into my capstones.  OH my goodness I am exhausted and nervous all at the same time.  These past 6 weeks have taught me a lot though about leadership.  There are different aspects to being a leader than most people would actually think.  I noticed though that throughout the class many people brought up that they felt their leadership did not recognize their achievements.  It seemed odd to me that people who worked retail or in an office would expect that, but then the more we read into it the more it made sense.  I have no personal experience with a "job" that recognizes achievements, but I will give some insight on the direct sales aspect today.

     Not getting recognized for achievements can really SUCK.  Over recognizing someone and kissing their butt to a point that the rest of your team wants to vomit is just as bad.  You have to remember that every person who signs with you is reaching goals that the feel are important.  Sometimes allowing a "Give yourself a pat on the back" day where they can share their achievements is a really good idea.  I saw this in effect in a team meeting for another Direct Sales company that brought me in to speak recently.  I was shocked at how happy those ladies were, and when I spoke to one of them afterward they told me that it is part of the reason they love their upline.  Realizing that recognition should not just come when the person is the TOP in sales is a big deal.  Recognizing them when they hit their first $600 month or $1,200 month is a BIG DEAL for them.  This is especially true when they have seen it done for others. 

     A common complaint that I have heard from others in the Direct Sales business is that they are so tired of hearing only about the top sellers every email.  If the same person is reaching $5,000 a month sales every month that is great for them, but they are not the only person on your team.  Stop kissing their butt and realize that there are other women/men out there.  I am not saying do not recognize them for their hard work, but you also need to include other women too from time to time.  Did Sally just graduate college...AWESOME CELEBRATE...buy her an honor cord to wear at her graduation.  Did Suzie just recruit her first girl....SUPER...celebrate with her by recognizing her with a flower.  Did Tom just have his first $1,200 month....YEAH BABY...celebrate by giving him a certificate.  Motivate them to want to continue on.  If you had a team member who did something awesome at a party and you heard about it you should recognize them because someone went out of their way to tell you that.  They deserve the recognition.

      Motivation and recognition often times go hand in hand.  If you do not recognize that someone hit a small goal for themselves then they will loose the motivation.  Even if it is just a shout out on a team website/facebook page do it.  What will it hurt to announce that Mary had her first $400 party?  Keep the spark alive and let them know that even the small things are important.  We talk about how even the small orders we make money off of, but we never mention how even the smallest sales a consultant does brings us in money.  Do not blow off everyone each month because they are not your top in sales.  If they want to celebrate something with them then celebrate it. 

     That is it for today, but before I go DARCEY SHEPARD WAY TO GO!!!!  She had her first $1,200 month recently for Pure Romance, and she is very excited.  She was one of my girls when I sold Pure Romance, and she visited with me today.  I'm very happy for her and all she is achieving with Pure Romance.  Much LOVE to her!!!!

Letting Go SUCKS

Letting Go Sucks
Written By Lillian Watson
July 20, 2014

     Putting together a room can often times be quite easy.  Taking it apart to make it something else can be a lot harder, especially on the emotions.  Do we make it harder on ourselves, or is it something that just happens?

     Today I have been cleaning out the Pure Romance items from my office to make it an office/spare room.  This has been particularly hard on me because I did enjoy doing Pure Romance, and I think I held on for so long because subconsciously I wanted to go back for a while.  I know that I had debated on putting in an order in May just to stay active and keep my downline since I was a Director.  I knew ultimately that it would not benefit my team if I did that, and it was only prolonging the inevitable.  I was going to loose my downline eventually because I knew I did not want to place a $$$$ order to keep them every 6months.  Letting go of it all in such a final way is still hard.

     One of the hardest parts of today was when I cleaned out my FatMax of all the demo items I had, and I came across my recruiting items.  One of those was a photo album full of photos from World Conference.  That was almost a year ago, and time is coming up for it again.  I did enjoy most of WC last year, and the photos reminded me of what I was missing out on.  I'm not sure if I want to keep them or toss them at this point, but I do know that they make me miss some of my sisters.

     Throwing away old catalogs that I have had since I started took me back too.  That made me miss the thrill of starting the business and the knowledge that I had all the opportunities in the world.  Hitting the point I did with Pure Romance had me missing the easier days of when I was first starting.  I missed the fact that it was not super complicated.  I missed the drama being hidden from me because I was so new.  I missed the ability to feel excited at the prospect of going to training instead of knowing that if I didn't go I was going to hear about how I was not setting a good example.  I am not saying everything was bad at the end.  I enjoyed the money that came after I established my business, but I was gone a lot to make sure I felt like I was doing enough.  I felt like if I was not doing $2400 minimum I was letting myself, my team, and my upline down.  More so myself.

     Going further into the cleaning throwing away my business cards was hard.  That was really final.  I really do have NO use for them anymore.  These were in bags, my totes, binders, and other random locations because I would take them everywhere.  It made me miss being able to talk to women about the products and get excited when I helped someone.  I almost wondered if I did do the right thing for a while.  Then from the room next to me my son asked me when the Scout Baseball game was and it reminded me that I likely would have missed that and every friday night if I had kept going just to keep up with my numbers.  I left the business to spend more time with my kids, and it has been great doing so.

     Sometimes things have to change, and while it sucks saying goodbye to a good part of your life it is necessary to have other great things happen.  Spending more time with my kids has been a blessing that has come from stepping down.  I enjoy the fact I get to be the scout leader, the camp counselor, the school volunteer, and more.  I like the fact that I can spend time with my husband every night and go fishing with the family every weekend.  I like the fact that I DO NOT have to schedule my life around my business anymore.  I like being me.  I miss PR, but I like my family time more.

      Well, I better get off to finish cleaning this room up so we can get a new REALLY BIG desk, bed, and new lamp in here.  There is still tons to do, but thankfully the majority of the emotional things are done!!!!  NIGHT.

Time To Stand Out

Time To Stand Out

July 18, 2014

Written By Lillian Watson

     Yesterday I was browsing my newsfeed on Facebook and I noticed a question.  The question was, "What direct sales companies offer at least 35% commission and 20% off your own product? I am looking to sign up with them."  So, this peaked my interest to see how women responded and I clicked on it.  The responses were simple, "XYZ company has 40% commission." etc.  Then I saw the OP ask what the difference between 2 romance companies were, and what another company sold.  Ladies and gentlemen you can not just tell a potental recruit what your commission is and expect them to just sign.  EXPLAIN what your company sells, why you chose it, and what benefits it offers.  Give a testimony.  This is where it is time to stand out.  

     I responded to the woman that she needed to take the time to figure out if there was a company that she already used their products enough that she would be able to sell the product.  You can not just jump into selling Pure Romance for example and have never once used a lubricant.  Well, you can, but it will be really hard to explain why you think that lubricant would be great for another person.  You also can't sell Advocare if you have never used even Spark.  It is hard to tell about a company you have no experience with.  That is why as direct sales consultants it is important for us to make sure that the potential recruit knows what we offer.  It is why MESSAGING the woman would have been better.  It is also why knowing how to recruit will benefit you.  Many of the women I saw respond were not recruiting in a way that would have drawn my attention to them.

     One thing that you want to eliminate is the over abundance of recruiting posts.  If you post that "Scentsy starts at 20%, but you can easily move up to 25% after you reach xyz" you do not then 5seconds later post, "Oh and you can get xyz by recruiting your first person, and then reach abc by adding 3 more people."  First off that first post was fine as long as you also explained how you felt about Scentsy.  Example, "Hi Jane I'm Anna an independent consultant with Scentsy.  It seems as if you have already gotten a wonderful amount of responses, but I wanted to also share about Scentsy.  Scentsy is an absolutely wonderful company that has given me the opportunity to bring in extra income to support my family by selling warmers, amazingly yummy smelling bars, and household scented products.  I have been able to reduce XYZ bill, and I am working on ABC bill.  We offer new consultants a 20% commission with the ability to move up to 25% after selling $XXX.  If you would like to know more information on Scentsy or the Scentsy opportunity I would appreciate the opportunity to share it with you.  Do not feel pressured at all, but my email is Jane@ScentsyChick.com and I'm available to answer your emails usually within 24hrs."  See here you sound professional and not pushy.  You do not seem like you are a tiger ready to pounce at fresh blood.  You also are not telling her that to earn more she has to recruit right off the bat.  She may not be comfortable signing a person her first day out in your company.  So, limit the talk of her recruiting when you are talking.

     If you are meeting a person in person that is a potential recruit DRESS TO IMPRESS and buy them a drink (coffee/tea/soda).  Buying that will set a good impression, and it is a tax write off.  The reason I chose to continue to party with Pure Romance before signing is because I was impressed that they looked professional and not like trash.  Impression is a lot.  I admire that Posh consultants can wear jeans and a Posh shirt to party in.  I admire that about Scentsy too.  When it comes to recruiting though, you want to make a difference and show them that you are going to be a great person to work with.  This can be achieved with jeans, but wear a nice dress shirt pressed.  Look like you mean business.  I will not sign up with a person who is wearing jeans and a tank top.  I will not sign with someone wearing $1 flip flops (and I love flip flops).  I will not sign with someone wearing ratty sneakers.  I will sign with someone who shows enough dedication to her company that she dresses to impress.  

     Another idea for when you are meeting a person is to make sure you have a tablet or computer handy.  Many women will tell you not to do this as it seems pushy.  I liked having my tablet and/or laptop with me because I could easily pull up pictures of the fun I have with Pure Romance.  I often brought my iPad so that if a woman was ready to sign I could help her sign right there without having to print off paperwork.  It also allowed me to help her set up her website immediately, walk her through the training area, and get her trained on her online office.  I am not only tackling the recruiting, but I'm tackling the first day of training also.  Showing her how to do these helps set her up to go explore more when she heads home.  

     If you are not meeting with a new recruit in person please make sure that if you notice they sign with you you contact them with in 24hrs.  Just recently I signed with AVON and I have yet to actually get a CALL from my director.  I got an email (1), but that was almost a week after I signed.  I am not impressed at all.  One simple phone call can make them feel like they actually matter.  Welcome your new team members with open arms.  This is going to make a big difference in the way they see you.  

     Well, I am going to cut it off here.  This is again a lot of information for one post.  I will continue on with it at another time.  There is A LOT of information on how to recruit that I want to share, but we would be here for hours on end.  Next time we will cover Sponsorship Packets.  Remember to start by setting yourself apart from the others and not being a hungry tiger pouncing her food.  Have a great day.