A Tale of 2 WAHMs

Ramblings of 2 WAHMs - Anita DeFrank and Kara Kelso. Partners in business discuss how we manage successful websites and young children at home.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Things they forget to mention in baby books

Most days I get so caught up in business stuff I don't bother posting about the normal "stuff" that goes on outside the internet. Today I figured I would.

Whoever said "Kids don't come with handbooks" sure wasn't kidding. The things they forget to mention in baby books include those things like "where the heck did that bruse come from?". Honestly, I had no idea kids could find so many ways at a young age to injure themselves. Of course we all baby proof the house and lock them out of the majorly dangerous areas like the kitchen and bathroom, but none the less they find ways to get hurt on toys and other items that seem harmless.

The other day my daughter, 3, did something that I've never heard of before and honestly it freaked me out a bit. We gave up the living room long ago and it's been a toy room for as long as either kid can remember. There's nothing much left in there but a TV, couch, and lost of toys. I'm a "mean mom" and make them pick up toys on a daily basis, sometimes more than once if it's completely trashed. Hey, a 3 yr old CAN pick up her toys. Just takes them awhile.

So anyway, a few days ago my daughter is playing in the toy room and watching TV while her brother is at school. No biggie, does it every day while I work. This day though, I heard a "thud" and her start to whine. Ok, minor injury, happens all the time. I've gotten pretty use to things like this, but can usually judge the injury by the size of the thud. This one I didn't think was that major, and neither did she. Of course she came running to me like all kids do, and said she bit her tounge. Again no biggie, asked her to let me see. (Why that is a natural instinct I'll never know). I expect to see blood, but it wasn't on her tounge and there were no cuts there. The blood, on the other hand, was coming from around her gums. Actually, in the inside of her mouth below her lip. Just as I go to pull back her lip to see, I notice a semi-deep cut on the front of her chin as well. Come to find out it's on the inside too.

A closer inspecition shows this kid had cut her lip with her tooth, but not just a little.....it was cut all the way through. I didn't freak out (although I was thinking "HOLY CRAP! OMG! Should I take her to get stitches??" the whole time), I said "alright let's just go get a rag". By this time she wasn't even crying and just followed me from room to room while I got her cleaned up. Really there was little blood, and she didn't think it was a major deal at all.

It really doesn't look bad, just like a scratch on her chin. You'd never know it's cut inside as well, and she sure didn't let on like it was anything major. Talk about indistructable. This was her first major injury, and she still has a lot of catching up to do to match her older 5yr old brother. I'm just still in shock over the whole thing. Wow.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

WAHM Articles Now Open

The list of articles Anita and I have writen grows on a weekly basis. The number is really getting up there, so it was just a matter of time before we started our own directory. I know there's a lot of good directories out there, but the amount of family friendly articles is getting slim. In addition to writing our own articles, we use weekly articles in MHMM Ezine as well. Finding articles for this newsletter each week is getting to be a challenge.

So, we are happy to announce the grand opening of WAHM-Articles.com.

WAHM-Articles.com will be a place for not only publishers to find quality content for their wahm publications, but for wahm writers to post their articles as well. We all know how important articles and content are, so we hope this directory will give all wahms an extra edge on their article marketing.

Please feel free to sign up for an account no matter how few artcles you have - you might even be featured on our blog!

Enjoy!

Friday, March 17, 2006

Last Night's Chat

I was running a bit behind and didn't get the chat announcement out until it was almost too late, so I know there were several that missed the begining of the chat. It's a good thing we planned this whole time to have a transcript available. :)

For those that came in late or missed the chat completely, the transcript is now available at:
http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/chat.html

Do be sure to grab the transcript now, because that page won't be up for long. We've got some ideas brewing and more chats to be announeced in the near future that will take up space on that link. So do get your copy now!

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Article Directories & Links

Warning: Venting Post
Not completely venting, but there is some "what the heck?" moments expressed. ;)

Many of you know I spend a lot of time writing product reviews. This is one of the main focuses of Mom's Market right now, and I've been enjoying it for the most part. I've had the opportunity to see quite a few interesting products and businesses that I'll be ordering from again.

As fun as the products are, writing the reviews can be a pain to me some days. Submitting to directories is no picnic either. It's part of business and I accept it though. Tuesdays to me have officially become "article submission day". I spend a lot of time submitting articles, but for a good reason.

The other day I get a notice from a certain directory that states "links in the body of articles will no longer be accepted". Unless edited, articles with links will be deleted. You have got to be kidding me, right? The 30+ product reviews I submitted to that site (which by the way has an entire category entitled "product reviews") ALL have links in the body. It wouldn't have been fair to the owner of the product I did the review for if I hadn't included a link in the body. Honestly I don't know any other way TO write a product review for a small business if I don't included their link in the article itself.

Product reviews aren't the only "problem" articles I now have. I use links to examples of what's being talked about in the article. For example, Anita and I have an article on creating a gift registry. The article goes over how to do it, but when it comes to things like that I know I personally would rather SEE how it looks finished. Craft articles do the same thing. Wouldn't you like to know what exactly you are working on? Words can only describe so much, but as the old saying goes..."a picture is worth a thousand words". Or in this case, a website. Same thing in my opinion.

Now don't get me wrong, I can understand their reasoning behind making this new guideline. To avoid the ever growing problem of spam issues popping up everywhere, even article directories. But *ehem*, that's what the "review and approve article" function is for. It's not that hard to see the difference between pure spam and useful content.

I could go blurting out the name of the site, but I won't because I know I'm just mad and a little bitter over the fact I spent all that time submitting 50+ articles to their site, and now may be getting more than half of them deleted. It hasn't happend yet, which is another reason I'm keeping my mouth shut. No, I have a much better idea for fixing this problem that doesn't involve "name bashing"....

Our solution - we're starting our own article directory. At the rate we write and submit articles, this was only a matter of time LOL. We're taking a bit different approach to other sites though, and will be focused on the wahm market. Article submissions aren't limited to wahms, but they are limited to wahm/mom - related issues. Lots of family-friendly, kid-friendly artilces. ;) I can't say when this will be officially released yet, but it's looking like towards the end of the week. The site is finished for the most part, but we are still putting the finishing touches on it and making sure there's a good amount of content already when it's released.

I don't feel like this is a direct stealing of an idea, because look at the number of article directories out there. Had we focused on their market, it probably would have been a stolen idea. Since it's different, I think we are safe in being original. Well, not completely.....I must give credit to Dianne of WAHM's United for being the "original" wahm article directory with WAHM Syndicate. We do have plans to go in a slightly different direction so we will not be stepping on toes. I hate when my own ideas get stolen, so the more different we can do the better I'll feel. I have general ideas of where I want this to go, but more ideas I'm positive will develope later on. ;)

We'll announce the new site soon! :)

Friday, March 10, 2006

Craft Shows

I love going to craft shows, mostly as a vendor. Not only do I get out of the house, but I get to sell stuff and see what others are selling too. I'm a sucker for foods and other handmade stuff, even though I don't collect "stuff" (nicknacks and what not - what I buy has to have a purpose other than looking pretty).

The idea behind a craft show is pretty simple. You pay for a table, go show up, you sell stuff. Done correctly you cover the cost of your table and time for being there. I know from experience you don't rely on people that take brochures buying later on. It's good to get your brochures circulating, but the response rate is pretty low. Like mentioned before the main purpose of a craft show is to make immediate sales. Working on the reorders comes later.

Alright so then I get an email today about a local show coming up in less than 2 weeks. Says they still have spots open. Ok cool - I take a closer look and find out that it's only to showcase products and give samples. No selling allowed. Ummm, what? It states to bring information on where the item can be purchased, but let's face it. These people walking around aren't consumers, they're FREEBIE SEEKERS! I'm sorry, but I don't feel the need to pay $25 on top of our freebie costs to give them away to people that are never going to buy. Apparently "only" 30 spots were available, and with 2 weeks left they aren't full yet. What does that tell you? Other crafters had the same thought as I did - "Are you out of your MIND?". Not going to happen, sorry.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm all about good exposure. HOWEVER - spending that much on a promotion that's targeting freebie seekers isn't going to do anyone any good. Well, maybe the big corporations, but that's not who I am (and anyone reading this blog I'm going to take a chance and say is only a small business as well).

I could go on listing the pros and cons of this, but the bottom line is the cons outweight the pros. The bottom line here is that freebie seekers are not a market anyone should be targeting. You want SALES, and the best chance for a reorder is someone that's actually purchased the product in the first place.

Direct Sales Chat Alert

If you are a mom in direct sales, this is a chat you don't want to miss!

DirectSalesHelpers will be featured at WAHM's United for a very special chat. In this chat you'll find the importance of counting your pennies and watching what you spend on your promotions. We'll cover some important points, and of course be answering questions.

You'll also want to stick around to the end when we make a very important announcement about an upcoming product from DirectSalesHelpers.com!

Chat Topic: Importance of Calculating Costs in Direct Sales
Date: March 16th
Time: 7pm EST
Place: WAHMs United Chat Room

Need a reminder or want to be notified of future chats? Visit:
http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/chat.html


See you there!


P.S. Be notified of the release of our newest product and get free tips for your direct sales business! Sign up to our newsletter at:
http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/newsletter.html

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Direct Sales Helpers Expanding

I had to mention how excited I was on a public level. Anita and I have been working on some really great things to be added to Direct Sales Helpers. I can't barely keep quiet about it all, and I was the same way just before we released the Direct Sales Success Kit. Yes, what we are working on right now is THAT BIG! A few have already gotten a sneak peek, and those that have purchased the kit already are going to be the first to have a solid look at all the info befor it's officially released. Even still, I feel like I'm going to BURST!

So here's what's going on over the next few weeks:

March 16 - Direct Sales Chat at WAHM's United
We'll be hosting a topic chat related to the release of this new product, and we'll give a sneek peek of the release at the chat. The transcript will also be available.

March 21st - New Product Release
This is the day the product will be officially released and for sale. I honestly can NOT wait. It's one of those "never been done before, but really needed" items related to the direct sales industry.

All of this aside, I have to make a small mention of some other products we currently are working on. Well, WILL be working on. We haven't started just yet, but today the ball should be rolling. If you want to know the latest news, be sure to sign up to our newsletter!


I'd better stop here before I slip and give away too much information!

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Not Just Announcements

Alright so I've been slacking on the blog. Nothing has been posted that wasn't an announcement for almost a month. Sorry :( If you are just now stopping by for the first time, this blog is much more than what may appear in the past few posts!

Now for my excuses for not posting. I've been lazy...erm, busy. Yes, busy. No really! I have been. I wanted so badly to jump back into affiliate marketing that I started a new website. Stupid, stupid me. Something I REALLY had zero time for. Yet I did it anyway. Luckily I only spent maybe a week or so on it befor I stopped myself and said "what the HECK are you DOING?". I realized this site wasn't something my heart was fully into, so have decided to move some pages that I've already done over to my other site - Idea Queen. After all, I wanted some focus on that site as it was.

So after realizing that Idea Queen needed attention more than a new website, I made myself a plan. I'm actually pretty excited about it, and can't wait to get it all set up. There will be whole new section, plus some newsletters. That's on today's to-do list, but unfortunately I have places to be in about 2 hours. Let's see how much I can accomplish before it's time to go!

In addition to working on Idea Queen, we've also got some major things rolling at Direct Sales Helpers. Lots of new products to release and in the works as I speak. It's really moving along and I'm getting excited. That list has grown so much in the last year, I'm still in complete awe. What I love the most about it though is the awesome feedback we get. I really do love to hear "Great tips!" and "Wow, another awesome newsletter! Keep it up!". It's nice to know how much of a difference we are making!

That's about it for now. I have to get to work on all those changes on Idea Queen, and plus have a product review to write still!

Direct Sales Team Incentives

DirectSalesHelpers.com has exciting news! If you've been looking for a great way to motivate your team and increase your downline sales, we've come up with something special just for you.

We all know incentives are a great way to motivate a team. Motivated team means more sales, right? By offering your team a goal to reach or just giving a special "thank you" gift, you are helping your own business rise to new levels.

This is why DirectSalesHelpers.com has teamed up with Prairie Soy Candles to offer these very special gifts.

Introducing: Personalized Incentive Candles

Not only can you offer your team a special gift, but each are personalized to say exactly what YOU want them to say. No matter what the occasion for the incentive, you can personally show your team how much you appreciate them.

These personalized candles are EXCLUSIVE to Direct Sales Helpers - personalization isn't offered for these candles anywhere else!

For details, visit:
--->http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/candles.html

To your success!

~Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank~
http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com


P.S. The first 5 orders will receive an extra candle F*R*E*E! Don't miss this special offer, visit:
http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/candles.html