There are lots of ways to earn Pulse Points:
We'll even gift you points on your birthday if you tell us when it is.
Signing up for Pulse Points is free and easy. You just log into your My Heart Beats account on the Rewards & Referrals page. Click on any of the activities to do them, and your points will be automatically added. Like magic.
The easiest way to earn points is by telling your friends about My Heart Beats. You can just click on the "Refer A Friend" box halfway down the Pulse Points page, and you can post on Facebook, send a Facebook message, Tweet it (probably use this if you want to pass on a discount to the President) or email your friends. They'll get a link and a coupon code will pop up. They'll save 25% and you'll get 250 points when their first purchase is $25 or more (after the discount from their coupon).
If you choose the email option, here's what it will say:
Hey!
The people at My Heart Beats think I'm super cool and they gave me a special link to pass on to my friends. I know you're going to love all their stuff too.
here's where the link will go
Just click on the link to their site, and you'll get a coupon code which you can apply towards your first purchase! And when you use your coupon, My Heart Beats will thank me by adding some Pulse Points (their free rewards and referrals program) to my account.
The number of Pulse Points you have will be at the top of the page when you log in. As soon as you have enough points for a reward, you can exchange them for credit for anything you want on the My Heart Beats store.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
So today, even just for a little bit, take some time off. Your business is totally co-dependent on you, but you can set some boundaries. You are everything to your business, but your business isn't everything to you. It will be okay if you take a break. I'm not saying break-up with it. I'm not even suggesting you see other people (start a new business). I'm telling you to give yourself some space.
Periodic breaks will prevent burnout. It will refresh you. It will give you a different perspective and fresh ideas.
You can go out to lunch with your business besties, but don't talk about business. You can play with your products for the joy of playing with them. You can spend time on Pinterest pinning outfits and excursions for the incentive trip.
Or you can close your office door, shut down your email, get off social media and do things totally unrelated to your business. Hang out with people who won't even bring up your business in conversation. You can even take a nap. You deserve it.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I get to do some things
Only because of you.
Your business has opened up opportunities for you that you didn't have access to before. They can be related to the money you've earned, the skills you've honed, the places you've gone and the people you've met.
The money your business brings you might be supporting your family and paying all of its bills. It could also be just enough to take the pressure off when someone needs braces or the house needs a new roof. Maybe you use your earnings for fun things that you wouldn't get to do otherwise--weekly dinners out, annual passes to Disneyland or a membership to a golf club.
Your business has forced you to learn new things like computer programs, bookkeeping and marketing. You've probably watched webinars and attended conferences that you wouldn't have done without having your business. Maybe you're now an expert in something and you get to speak at meetings.
Most people's favorite thing they get to do as a result of having their own business is the ability to decide how they spend their time. They get to volunteer at in their kids' classrooms and attend school events. Or they get to say no to running the PTA activity because they have a business to run.
You get to go to business lunches, visit cities for trainings and trips, expand your skills and try new things. You can get dressed up for work or wear your pajamas all day. You can set appointments and get out of the house or stay home.
The biggest thing your business lets you do is make decisions for yourself.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I've got big plans
For me and you.
You're a business woman. Successful business women set goals for their business. Setting goals declares your intentions to the universe and helps you prioritize what your activities.
Most people know about S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), and setting a goal up that way is important. But there are two other key elements to achieving goals.
The first is the why. You have to know why you want to achieve it, and the why has to be big enough to make you keep going when it gets hard. The why anchors and fuels the goal. Saying you want to earn $30,000 this year checks all the boxes of a S.M.A.R.T. goal, but it doesn't address the why. The why could be what you'll do with the money or it could be about what earning that money represents. You have to come up with a why when you set your goal and focus on the why to reach it.
The other key is to break your goal down into activities and measure those. You have to know what activities it is going to take to get you to $30,000. Maybe you decide that $10,000 of it has to come from sales at parties. If you make an average of $300 a party, you'll need to do 33 parties this year. So one goal can be to do 3 parties a month.
You can break that party number down to the activities it takes to get the parties. If you've found that half of the people you individually and personally invite to host a party say yes, then you need to ask at least 66 people to host a party which means you need to have one or two conversations a week about hosting a party.
Go through your goals that you've set and come up with the why and the activities needed to achieve them. If you can't come up with a big enough why, don't worry about the activities. It's better to focus on a few strong whys than it is to have a long list of meaningless targets.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I want to
Get away with you.
Hopefully your company has an incentive trip for you to earn. It might seem like an impossible goal, but if you work towards it, your business will grow. The activities that you need to do to earn the trip are all business-building activities. The good news is that if you don't earn this year's trip, your business will be in a much better position when you start working towards next year's trip. And the really good news is that once you earn a trip, it is much easier to earn more trips.
Earning your first trip is possible by increasing your party schedule. The more parties you do, the more people you'll meet. These new people will introduce you to more new people. You'll have a new base of customers, hostesses and potential recruits.
At the beginning of your trip's incentive period, focus on increasing your party schedule. Go through your list of contacts and offer to do a party for them. I know this is not your favorite activity, but you only have to do it one time because each party you're going to focus on a business-building skill.
The first business-building skill you should focus on is booking parties from parties so that you always have a full calendar. Once you have that down, focus on identifying potential recruits. If you're new to recruiting, use the company's tools like opportunity calls and regional events to help you. Or ask your leader to do interviews with you.
Follow-up is a practice that will always serve you well. Write thank you notes to everyone who came to the party. Here's an article to help you with that. Put everyone on a schedule for when you're going to touch base with her again. Your sales will naturally increase from your party schedule and from your heightened customer service.
Keep plugging along, and your business will become an incentive-trip-winning business.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
My business and I
Need to thank you.
You probably have a lot of people who support you in your business who aren't customers or team members. Your spouse, your family, your best friend, etc. They are cheering you on, giving you advice (which may or may not want) and talking you up to their contacts.
Your family supports your business by giving up part of their home for your business supplies. They rearrange their schedule so that you can work. They understand when you have to miss a soccer game. They help you by putting stickers on your catalogs, sort orders and organize receipts.
Your friends help by doing extra carpool because you have a meeting. They hand out your card to someone who needs your product. They come to your open house so that there are extra bodies in the room.
Your friends and family might not support you all the time the way you want them to, but they want to see you succeed. Thank them for their support. You can write them a note, give them a shout out on social media, let them play with your new products and treat them to something fun when you get a bonus or a big commission check. They don't have to be part of your business, but your business will be easier with a big cheering section.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I can't believe
What I've accomplished with you.
It's time to celebrate all that you've accomplished in your direct sales business. This includes the big victories and the little wins. Cheers to all the things you've learned and tasks you've completed. Toast to all the people you've served.
At first thought, you might not think that you've accomplished much in your business especially if you're new. But I bet you've done a lot more than you realize. It's hard to see how the little wins build up when you're in the thick of it.
Make a list of what you've learned and done. Here are some suggestions you can use as a starting point.
Things you've learned
Things you've earned
Things you've overcome
People you've helped
I'm confident that you'll be able to come up with a list of accomplishments no matter how long you've been in business. Celebrate them.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Rose are red.
Violets are blue.
I love to go
Places with you.
Are you going to your direct sales company's annual conference? You should. Successful consultants make this event a priority. Top leaders, top earners, top sellers and top recruiters go. They started going before they became top leaders, top earners, top sellers and top recruiters. One of the reasons they are at the top is because they've gone to conference every year.
You aren't too new or too small to go. If you go, you'll gain more knowledge in that one weekend than you will in months of trainings. You aren't too inexperienced to go. Conference is for everyone. If you haven't done a lot with your business, you'll come home with tools for how to start right.
You are't too shy to go. I dare you to go and try not to talk to anyone. And even if you succeed in that, the experience and the knowledge you'll get from it is worth it. Your business isn't too poor for you to go. If you have to borrow money or charge everything, it's worth it. If you apply everything you learn as soon as you get home, you'll pay it off quickly. And before you know it, you'll be on your way to being one of the top leaders, top earners, top sellers and top recruiters.
I'll do a whole blog series about conference. We'll talk about ways to save for it, what to pack, what to do when you're there and how to set up your business before you go so that you can hit the ground running when you come home. But in the meantime, sign up or at the very least, set a reminder for the last possible date to register.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Rose are red.
Violets are blue.
There are so many perks
I get from you.
You probably signed up for your direct sales company because you loved the product and figured you might as well get a discount. Maybe you hoped to make some extra spending money and get out of the house a few times a month. But if you've been in it for more than a few weeks, I bet you're realizing that you are getting a lot more than you thought.
Sure, money is a good thing, but the truth is that most direct sellers don't make that much money in their business. The perks of being a direct seller go far beyond the perks of having a regular job. It's important to periodically remind yourself of those perks for the times when you're discouraged and frustrated.
What are your favorite perks?
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
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Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I'll try something scary
Just for you.
Your business is going to grow if you tell people about it. But that is only going to get you so far. Your business will grow exponentially when you grow too.
Every time you step outside your comfort zone, your comfort zone gets a tiny bit bigger. When you make a scary phone call, the next phone call is a little less scary. When you invite someone to coffee to chat about the business opportunity, it is a little bit easier to do it again.
Eventually you're making phone calls all day long while your hyped up on caffeine. You'll feel really good about yourself (and that's not just the buzz from the coffee), and your business be huge. Every time you expand the boundaries of your comfort zone, your confidence grows. You'll have more freedom, and you'll achieve more.
You don't have to bust through your comfort zone barriers and go off to parts unknown. Baby steps add up when they're done consistently. Reach out to just one person you are nervous to talk to. And then tomorrow, reach out to another person. When that gets comfortable, add on a person.
What do you need to do in your business to get where you want to go? Maybe speaking on main stage at your conference is what you want to do. Start by speaking at a team meeting or being a guest speaker at someone else's team meeting. Maybe even offering to do that is the first baby step.
If you want to grow a team, but you are afraid to have a one-on-one chat with someone, maybe you can invite her to listen to an opportunity call or come to a team meeting. Maybe your upline will let you observe her doing a recruiting interview. You can role play which is out of everyone's comfort zone, but it really helps.
Inch by inch. Eventually you'll forget how small your comfort zone was when you started.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
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Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I have a favorite thing
That I love about you.
It's okay to play favorites when you're talking about the products that you sell in your direct sales business. Love those products so much that you don't care what other people think about them. And when you have this deep affection for them, it will be easy to talk about them. To sell them.
When you do a party or put up a display, lead with the products you love. Your excitement for them will shine. It will give your customers confidence that you're knowledgeable about the whole product line and enthusiastic about the company even if your favorite products aren't their cup of tea. If they don't share your feelings about them, that's fine. You know they are the best things ever created.
And when you present with passion, it will make your customers curious about what else you have to offer. They'll ask questions and engage with you. And through those conversations, they may find something that they think is the best thing ever created, or at least good enough to order for themselves. And if they don't, your commitment to your favorites will make their decision to pass inconsequential to you. You won't take it personally.
How do you fall in love with a thing? The same way you fall in love with a person. You spend time with it. You get to know it. You have fun with it. And the more you love your products, the more you'll love your business. The more you love your business, the more your business will grow.
And the good news about falling in love with a thing, is that it doesn't know or care when something else takes its place. Your list of favorites can be fluid. It can change with each catalog release, each season, each week.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
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Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Business is more fun
When I do it with you.
Your business will benefit from your having a pacing partner. She is someone who works her business at the same level/pace that you do. She is your accountability partner, your cheerleader and sometimes your coach. You can bounce ideas off each other, give each other pep talks and occasionally commiserate.
You don't have to have the same title or the same goals, but it helps because you will have similar experiences. The only thing you can't do is profit from each other. So she can't be your upline or downline.
You can have a pacing partner for a specific time period or have one indefinitely. Maybe you want to pace with someone who is working towards the same title promotion as you or maybe you are both working to earn an incentive trip. It can also be someone you have a lot in common with and just work well together.
When you're setting up your pacing partner relationship, schedule weekly check-in times. During these times you can share goals, challenge each other, swap ideas, etc. The most important thing is to hold each other accountable with grace.
I've had several pacing partners in the past. I even had one who didn't know she was my pacing partner. She was regularly recognized in my upline's newsletter, and so I knew what her numbers were. My goal was to match her numbers. I told my upline about this one-sided partnership, and she started giving me more specifics about her numbers like how many shows she had scheduled and how many recruiting interviews she did. It wasn't as fun as my other pacing partner relationships, but it worked. We both promoted to Director the same month.
Your team will also benefit from your having a pacing partner. You can do group trainings and friendly competitions. They'll get to know each other and maybe they'll find pacing partners. And you're modeling abundance mentality for your team. They know you aren't profiting from your partner's success, but you're still celebrating it.
Invite someone to be your pacing partner and watch both of your businesses grow.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I'll make a nice work space
For me and you.
You and your business need a place to be alone. A place where you can focus on each other. It doesn't have to be a whole room. It can be a desk in the corner of your bedroom or a spot at your kitchen counter. It can even be your favorite table at Starbucks.
You will be so much more productive if you have a place to work and if you work when you're in that place. Let your family know that this is your work space, and when you're in it, you're "at the office." Put boundaries on your business.
When you do this, you'll find it easier to get yourself in a business mindset. You'll get to your tasks quicker. It will also help you leave the office. When you're not in your work space, you don't have to work. Your work won't spill over to every aspect of your life. And you won't feel like you're working all the time which is a huge cause of burnout.
If you can't make a physical work space where you can sit and use your computer and talk on the phone, create hideaways for your work. Shut down your computer so you're not tempted to do a quick thing when you walk past it. That quick thing usually turns into spending an hour in front of your screen. Put your phone in a different room during dinner and in the evenings so you're not responding and scrolling. Keep your inventory and supplies in a closet or bins so that you don't live in your warehouse.
You can also make a work space on your calendar. When do you want to work? When do you want to not work? Block off several times a week for dedicated office hours. Do only business-related activities during those office hours. You probably already have a routine for most things in your life like sleeping, eating and personal care. Most people's family schedule is fairly consistent from week to week. Make your business part of your predictable weekly routine.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
If you want to catch up or follow along, here are links to past days.
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Day 2
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I love all the people
You introduced me to.
Your direct sales business has introduced you to people you never would have met without your business. Some of these people have become your best friends. And speaking from experience, those friendships can outlast your business.
Who have you met through your business that you wouldn't have met without it? Think about teammates, customers, sister consultants and home office staff. And don't forget the people you've met at training and networking events. There are probably people on the list you haven't met in person yet. Maybe you're in a group on Facebook or you connected through Instagram.
Use the comments to tell me about everyone or just one person your business introduced you to. And if you want to tell the world about it, write a post on your Instagram account about everyone or just one person and use #mhb14days so that we'll see it. If you keep a journal, make a list in your journal. I bet you'll be surprised how many people you've met.
Here are some examples of posts you can write:
One of my favorite things about being a (company name) consultant is the people I've met through my business. Our paths only crossed because of it, and now I have a group of lifelong friends.
I started my (company name) business because I loved the product, but I continue my business because of the relationships and friendships I've made with my team, my sister consultants and my customers.
I was looking over my Facebook friend list, and what surprised me was the number of friends I haven't met in person, but yet I consider real friends. Most of these friends are people I've connected with through my business and over time the relationships have grown and strengthened.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
I'm doing 14 Days of Loving Your Business on the My Heart Beats Instagram account. Each day I'll post a "date" for you and your business. Complete the date within 2 days and comment on the post. I'll pick a winner from the comments of each post and that person will get a My Heart Beats gift card. (See the official rules at the bottom of this article.)
You can come here for more details about the date and for ideas on how to take the date to the next level. This is a fun activity you can do with your team any time of the year. You can easily adapt it by making it more company- or product-specific.
Day 1
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
This is the reason
I fell for you.
What is the product that made you decide to take the relationship with your company to the next level and become a consultant? Maybe it was love at first sight and it was the first product you bought. Or maybe you had to be won over and you fell in love with what the product did for you.
Use the comments to tell me about the product. And if you want to tell the world about it, write a post about your love story on your account and use #mhb14days so that we'll see it.
You can write about how you met and why you love the product. How it is different from all the other ones like it. How it makes you feel and what it does for you. Write like you're writing about your boyfriend or spouse. Don't try to sell him to us. You don't want us to fall in love with him. You want us to fall in love with your story and maybe we'll ask you if he has a brother.
Here are some examples:
This is the first product I ever bought from (company name). I got it at my friend's party a few years ago, and as soon as I saw it, I was in love. I used it all the time, and it is still one of my favorite products. I'm so glad I have it.
A few years ago I bought (product name). I say the before and after pictures, but I was skeptical because I used similar products in the past. But after a few weeks, I was less of a skeptic. So I tried a few more products, and they were equally, dare I say, amazing. I knew I had to have everything so I joined the company. And that's how my journey with (company's name) got started.
Contest rules:
This giveaway is open to legal residents of the USA ages 18 and up only. Giveaway ends at 10 am on Sunday, February 3, 2019. By entering this giveaway, you release Instagram of any liability and acknowledge that this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
This isn't to say that the Happy Mail Collections aren't the perfect cards to send. They can be your go-to cards in almost all situations. But sometimes you want to mix it up. Go crazy. Do something radical.
Those are the times when you can send a card from the She is . . . and the She still is . . . Collections. Choose the one that is the right match for the recipient and for the reason for the note. Don't overthink it though. Your message on the inside turns it into a thank you note.
Send She is a Rock Star to the hostess who was super organized. Send She Leaves a Little Sparkle to someone who referred her friend to you. And Exciting Things Happen Outside Her Comfort Zone is a great choice for a thank you after an opportunity call.
The Badass Collection is a great choice to send to someone who is in fact a badass. Thank her for just being a badass or for hosting a party or giving you a gift. You should probably reserve this collection for people you know well unless you are a legit badass. Then you can send them freely.
The message inside the thank you card follows the same 3-sentence outline whether the outside has the words "thank you" on it or not.
If you can reference the words from the front of the card or from the story on the back, great. But you don't have to.
An added bonus about sending a card with a different message on the front, is that the recipient is more likely to keep the card. She might even display it on her desk or a bulletin board. And what's inside that card? Your name--available whenever she needs your product or service.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
This is great news if you are thrifty and like to get the biggest bang for your buck.You can buy cards because you love the cards and then use them for anything. The cards won't expire or go out of season. You can buy the card for the person and not for the occasion.
If you want to send a card to someone who is badass, send her a card that celebrates her badassity and Valentine's Day. If you want to let her know that you believe in her, send her a card from the She is . . . Collection and write "Happy Galentine's Day" in it.
This is equally good news if you're like a lot of people and find that the holiday creeps up on you. You want to send Valentines and Galentines to your team, your kids and your friends, but the day is here before you realize it. By the time everyone gets her card, it's a February 20, and although the message you write is sincere and heartfelt, it is still late.
But if she receives a card on February 20 that is full of love and admiration, and it doesn't say "Happy Valentine's Day" on the front of it, it isn't late. It's right on time. If you're sending a card that isn't going to arrive on or before Valentine's Day, don't write "Happy Valentines's Day in it. Just write everything else you want to say.
This same concept applies to all holidays. You can send cards any time of the year that celebrate the meaning of a specific holiday. You can send cards that are joyful and full of cheer in July. You can send cards that are full of thanks and gratitude in March. You can send a card of appreciation to your mom in September.
Here are prompts that you can use to write a message in your non-holiday holiday cards all year long:
I gave examples in this post of how this looks in action.
As always, contact me if you need help.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
If your downline's business was a person, it would probably be one of the people she spends the most time with. It would certainly be someone she has a love-hate relationship with. Let her business remind her of the love side of the relationship.
Write the message as if her business is a person she's dating and match the tone to the level of the relationship. So if it's new, keep it light and airy but hopeful for a future. If the relationship is getting serious (i.e. she is working towards leadership), make the message a little more serious.
Your message just needs to be three sentences, and the good news is that one of them can be Happy Valentine's Day.
Here are prompts to help you for the other two sentences:
Examples of what it looks like for a new business relationship:
Happy Valentine's Day! I'm so glad that we found each other, and I hope you're having as much fun getting to know me as I am getting to know you. I can't wait to see where we go together.
So, we've been hanging around each other for a while now, and I'd love it if you'd be my Valentine. I promise to always be there for you, and I'll drop everything whenever you want to spend time with me.
Examples of messages for an established relationship:
Happy Valentine's Day. I love us. I love how much we've grown together and how you bring out the best in me. I can't wait to walk across stage together.
My Valentine gift to you this year is a promise. I promise that if you spend time with me, I'll do everything I can to take you on the incentive trip. Imagine the fun we'll have there and how much stronger we'll be working towards it.
Your downline will probably figure out that you're the one who wrote it, but it will still be fun for her. And who knows, it might help her fall a little bit more in love with her business.
Let me know if you need help.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
So think like a 3rd grader. Send a Valentine to everyone. And if your list of "everyone" is too long, prioritize your list and start at the top.
Here's a suggested prioritization:
You only need to write 3 sentences. That's not hard especially when one of them can be Happy Valentine's Day.
Here are some prompts for other sentences for your team notes:
Here is what that could look like:
Happy Valentine's Day! Oh my gosh, I'm so proud of you and how far you've come in your business. Your consistency and perseverance is paying off. This is going to be your best year yet!
Happy Valentine's Day. I'm so glad that you're part of the team. Your love of the product and willingness to help is a tremendous asset to all of us and to your business.
Happy Valentine's Day! You put your heart and soul into your business, and I know your team and customers are very blessed to have you. You are an inspiration.
Prompts for sending cards to your customers could include:
Here is an example of a note to a customer:
Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you for supporting my business and for being a joy to work with. You are one of the reasons I love my job so much.
Here is the important thing to remember when you're sending a business Valentine--you can't ask for anything in return. You're just wishing her a happy Valentine's Day. You aren't asking her to sell more or to come to a training. You aren't asking her to buy anything, host anything or join your team. You are just letting her know you appreciate her. It's a note to connect and to celebrate.
Contact me if you need help with what to say in your Valentines.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Here are some ideas of what to say in the card.
Three sentences is enough.The whole message can focus on one of the above prompts, or you can use three of the prompts and write a sentence about each.
Here are some examples of what this looks like (and these may or may not have been taken directly from Galentines I sent).
Happy Galentine's Day! I'm excited for your new role as Nana. If I got to pick a grandmother, I'd want one as cool as you.
I'm so lucky to have you as a Galentine. No one tells a story like you do, and your chocolate cake is to die for. I hope we can have a proper Galentine celebration soon.
Happy Galentine's Day! I'm so proud of you. You're handling your new life with a confident and adventurous heart. I'm excited to see what this year hold for you.
I'm so honored to have you as a Galentine. When I think of who are my funniest friends, you're on the top of the list. And when I think of who are my wisest friends, you're on the top of that list. You're also on the top of the weirdest friends, but that could possibly be a result of the unusual combination of being on the other two lists.
Happy Galentine's Day. Remember that picnic we had at the lake in high school when we laughed so much we peed in our pants? We should do that again soon.
Happy Galentine's Day! I can't believe we've been friends for over 30 years.Thanks for all the late phone calls, free babysitting and lunch dates. Thanks for all the other stuff that I can't write so that we both have plausible deniability. Looking forward to 30 more years of shenanigans.
Happy Galentine's Day! Our friendship is the best thing about working at ABC. You are better than caffeine, break room snacks and Secret Santa. Don't ever quit, but if you do, take me with you.
Those should give you a good starting point about what to say in your cards to your Galentines this year. And the best part about Galentines is that it is sort of a made up holiday which means you can celebrate it any time of the year. So if you're super wrapped up in your Valentine plans, know that it is perfectly acceptable to send a Galentine this summer.
And as always, contact me if you need help.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
So what do you write in a Valentine card? I'm a big believer in the 3-sentence note because it works for just about every card-writing occasion.
Here is an outline you can adapt for all of your Valentines.
Sentence 1: Reason for the note.
Sentence 2: Something personal about the recipient.
Sentence 3: Something about your relationship.
Here are examples of what it looks like in action:
To your spouse:
Happy Valentine's Day. I love everything about you, but I especially love your sense of humor, your kindness and your mad handyman skills. Every year I feel closer to you, and I look forward to many more Valentine celebrations with you.
Sign it however you want.
To a partner in a semi-serious relationship that you haven't used the L-word with:
So . . . I was wondering, if you'd be my Valentine. You are fearless and fun, and sometimes a little bit crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't wait for our next adventure.
Alternative signature options if you're still not ready to use the L-word include: XOXO (or just one XO), Your Valentine, Fondly, SWAK.
For a new relationship:
Happy Valentine's Day! I'm so glad that Susie introduced us because it's been really fun hanging out with you. Cheers to more fun to come.
Signature options are and of the above or just your first initial. It's intimate and mysterious.
You can make the card light and airy or deep and serious. You don't have to leave it at 3-sentences. You can certainly go into more detail on the person's personality or your relationship. I probably wouldn't do much more in the the 3rd example if you want the relationship to progress.
Top 3 - 10 List
Or you can abandon the 3-sentence structure and do a top 3-10 list of why you want the person to be your Valentine. If you make it humorous, you can slip in some mushy stuff without making it weird. That might look like this:
Top 5 Reasons I Want You To Be My Valentine:
1. You make me laugh until I pee (this is also doubling as a true confession card).
2. You know some of my deepest secrets and still want to hang out with me.
3. You drive a cool car, and there is no one else I'd want to spend hours with in a confined space.
4. You like, or at least will eat, my cooking.
5. You bring out the best in me.
Whatever you write, remember that it will be read over and over again. No pressure. Contact me if you need help.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
You can relive those days in a more grown-up way with our Box of Love. It has two different designs of both Valentine and Galentine cards. You get two of each design for a total of eight cards. Which isn't as many as you got in your elementary set, but now you don't have to send one to every classmate. So eight is probably enough.
Each card is blank inside and has a design on the front and a definition of the holiday on the back. They are 4.25" x 5.5" and come with envelopes so that you can mail them to your loves all over the world.
It comes in a handy dandy folder that you can use to store them for next year if you're super selective about your love list. And you'll get a chart to keep track of which cards you sent to each Valentine so that you don't accidentally send anyone the same card in 2020.
The designs are casual enough to send to your best girlfriends, teammates and new relationships, and sophisticated enough to send to the love of your life. They are blank inside and ready for your special sentiment. And at just $2.50/card, they are a bargain.
If you're a leader on a direct sales team, you can send them to your aspiring leaders, superstars, goal crushers, emerging business developers, peers and uplines. Moms can send them to their kids.
They are an excellent way to reconnect with old classmates. You know, the people you made sure got the cutest cards from the Strawberry Shortcake Pack. Who knows, you might even rekindle a best friendship.
Use the Galentine cards for your girlfriends and daughters. Use the Valentine cards for all the men on your list and for the ladies who are more traditional.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
We took two of the most popular designs from the Happy Mail Collection and transformed them into Valentines and Galentines cards. The Galentine and Valentine watercolor design is a splash of color with hand-lettering in white. The Galentine and Valentine calligraphy design is a swirly ombre of the classic Valentine colors. The back of each card is a definition of the holiday.
Valentine's Day - a day to celebrate love of all degrees from slight inkling of affection to deep devotion to incredible passion.
Galentine's Day - a day set aside to celebrate everything about our girlfriends. Best done as a get-together over brunch, but any acknowledgement of your besties' fabulousness is acceptable.
We also added a new card that can be used for either celebration or anytime throughout the year. Hugs & Kisses which is part of the Ampersand Collection. It is done in pink watercolor with Xs and Os filling in the ampersand. It joins Heart & Soul which is perfect for Valentine's Day and for weddings and anniversaries.
And finally, we have our first Valentine card called Sparkle Valentine. We did this one before Galentine's Day was a thing, but it embodies everything about this new holiday. Like all the cards, it is blank inside and has a story on the back. The story was inspired by some of my favorite memories of elementary school. Maybe you can relate:
Tucked away in the attic, she found her Valentine box from 3rd grade. That was the year she went all out on the handmade cards she gave to her classmates. The rule was that every student had to be included, even the ones she didn't think worthy of her precious works of art. But the rule worked in her favor because by the time she finished making all 26 cards, she had perfected her glitter-sprinkling and sequin-gluing which enabled her to present the most special cards to her favorite friends - the ones she would have given Valentines to anyway. And now, decades later, although she no longer made dozens of cards that would be stuffed into paper-covered shoe boxes, she loved that she had friends special enough for sparkly Valentines.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Here is a simple outline for writing a 3-sentence thank you note to a party guest:
Here is what the outline looks like in action.
Party Guest Who Ordered
Patty,
Thank you for coming to Mary's party and for your order. The necklace looked gorgeous on you, it will be the perfect complement to your summer wardrobe.
Blessings,
Kelly
Party Guest Who Didn't Order
Wendy,
Thank you for attending Mary's party. I enjoyed meeting you, and I hope you had a good time. I look forward to serving you soon.
Best Wishes,
Kelly
Online Order
Olivia,
Thank you for your order. I appreciate and value your loyalty and know that you're going to love that scent. Please let me know if you have any questions about your candles.
With Gratitude,
Kelly
Virtual Party Guest Who Didn't Order
Kathy,
Thank you for joining Mary's Facebook party. I hope you had fun learning about the benefits of essential oils. Please contact me if you have any questions and join us in the Facebook group.
Cheers,
Kelly
Guest at an Opportunity Meeting
Martha,
Thank you for coming to our information event. I hope you had a good time and learned more about the business side of (company's name). Your attention to detail will make you a perfect fit for our team, and I'd love to help you get started filling up your vacation fund (or whatever her reason is for considering joining).
Cheering for you,
Kelly
Three sentences is all you need to express a warm and sincere, no-strings thank you.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
1. Customers
Thank them for their purchase. If you keep inventory, you can tuck the note into their order. If the order is shipped from your company's warehouse, send it the day the order is placed.
2. Party Guests
All party guests should get a thank you note whether or not they purchased anything. If they did purchase, thank them for their attendance and for their purchase. If they didn't, thank them for their attendance. It shows off your professionalism, and if you send it the day after the party, it is a gentle reminder that they attended a shopping event and there is probably still time to order.
3. Hostesses
Thank them for their time, for introducing you to their friends and for the opportunity for you to do your job (don't say it like that though). Here are sample thank you notes you can send to hostesses.
4. Referrals
Thank them for thinking of you and for trusting you. When someone sends business your way, either by giving out your information or by giving you her friends' information, she should be thanked because it means she likes and trusts you. When random people contact you or shop from you, you can say, "who can I thank for sending you my way?" And if you're going to say that, you actually have to thank the person.
5. Potential Recruits
Thank them for their time. Coffee dates, meeting guests and opportunity call listeners should get a thank you note. If you use thank you notes as a business-building tool, it probably won't be the first one they get from you. And if they are shopping for a company or an upline, you'll move to the top of the list because they will know that you are thoughtful, caring and have your act together.
6. Networkers and Connections
While this isn't technically a thank you note, I included it on this list because you should treat it like you do a thank you note. You should send it out shortly after you meet the person, make it about the person and not ask for anything from them.
7. Uplines
Thank them for their support. If your upline is supportive, thank her. Yes it is in her best interest for you to do well and she does profit from your efforts, but you profit from your customers' purchases and you don't think it is weird to thank them. If your upline isn't supportive, don't fake it. Just don't send her one.
8. Anyone Who Helped You
Thank them for their help. This list could include the hostess' daughter who entertained the kids at her party, the neighbor who rescued your UPS delivery from the porch when it rained unexpectedly and the Staples guy who helped you figure out the cheapest way to mail surprises to your team. They might not be customers, and you might not profit directly from them, but I bet they will remember that you were appreciative of what they did, and that's probably the kind of person they want to refer to their friends.
9. Your Peers, Home Office Staff and Trainers
Thank them for their support. Your peers will probably become your best friends in your business. You don't profit from each other, but your relationship does help you make money. If they quit, ugh. Make it hard for them to quit. The Home Office Staff is often overlooked, but you wouldn't have a business without them. Thank the consultant service rep who helped you straighten out an order that a customer (or you) screwed up. Thank the field development manager who trained you. Thank the breakout speaker for her speech that was exactly what you needed to hear.
10. Your Business
Thank it for everything. Treat your business like a business partner. Thank it for the money, the experiences, the knowledge and the stuff it gives you. Here are some ideas for how to do this.
Thank you notes are part of your professional brand. You can't overuse them.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Here are 5 things the thank you note will do for your business.
1. Cause you to feel gratitude.
The simple act of writing a note makes you pause, reflect and give thanks. You're grateful for the person to whom you're sending the note, and you're thankful for the reason why you're sending the note.
2. Make the recipient think about you.
When the recipient reads the note, she will think about you. And because thank you notes have good energy, she'll think positively about you.
3. Measure business growth.
The more your business grows, the more reasons you have to send thank you notes. Getting referrals, receiving sales, making connections and participating in opportunities to share your products and services are all business-building activities. If you set a goal for the number of thank you notes you'll need to send, you'll create more reasons to send notes.
4. They make you stand-out.
There is competition in the direct-selling world. Customers can get the exact same product from lots of other consultants, and they can get similar products from lots of other companies. Replicated websites and packages shipped from warehouses look identical. A handwritten thank you note makes you stand out from everyone.
5. They make you look professional and service-oriented.
When you buy a house, the real estate agent will send you a thank you note. When you make a purchase at a high-end boutique, you'll receive a thank you note from the sales girl. But what criteria determines when a note should be written? Is it the price? The length of the buying process? The amount of personal attention required to get the sale? Why should there be any criteria? What if everyone got a thank you note? What if you made every customer feel valued and appreciated for every purchase?
The thank you note is a time-tested, proven business-building tool that good sales people use. Their connections with their customers are stronger, and stronger connections lead to repeat sales and referrals. In some sales transactions, the thank you note is expected. But there is no rule that says it can't be used for all sales transactions.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
Notice there is not a sentence about buying anything, joining your team, referring anyone to you or hosting again. This is just a thank you note. You can send her a second note or have a follow-up conversation with her about any of those other topics. Thank you notes, like apologies, should stand alone.
Ideal Hostess
Thank you for hosting a party. I had a wonderful time and enjoyed meeting your friends. You made everyone feel at home, and your chocolate cake was to die for.
You're going to be tempted to add more to the ideal hostess' note because you'll want her to book again or possibly join your team, but don't. Send her another note or invite her to coffee or an opportunity meeting.
Virtual Hostess
Thank you for hosting a party. Your friends were so fun, and I love how everyone jumped in and posted. It's such a pleasure to work with someone as organized and excited as you.
The thank you note might be the only tangible connection you have with the virtual hostess. It's easy to loose someone on the internet. A handwritten note means even more when there is no face-to-face connection.
Hostess with Low Attendance
Thank you for hosting a party. I enjoyed getting to know you better and spend time with your friends. I appreciate the opportunity to give personal service and go into detail about the products.
Serve whoever comes to the party. If there is low attendance, be thankful that there is even a party. You have the opportunity to dive deeper into the products and offer very personal service. Your per person sales might be higher in these cases. The hostess might be embarrassed at the turnout, but if you make her feel okay about it, she is more likely to host again than if she thinks you're upset with her.
Hostess with Low Sales
Thank you for hosting a party. I hope you and your friends had a good time. I look forward to the opportunity to answer their questions when I follow up with them.
If sales are low, it could be that the hostess told everyone to just come and not buy anything. Or maybe the guests are thinkers, and they need time to absorb the information and decide what to buy. Or you might have had an off night. But whether the reason, you had an opportunity to practice, and you should be thankful for that.
Hostess Who Was a Disaster
Thank you for hosting a party. I appreciate the opportunity to share the products, and I hope you had a good time.
You might want to really say "thanks for the story to tell my downline," and you can say that to yourself. Some people aren't coachable. Some people are just pains. If you haven't had a disaster hostess, you haven't done enough parties. Thank her and move on.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
1. It's hard to host a party.
A hostess risks rejection. You are trained to handle "no," but she isn't. She just wants to have a fun time and get some free stuff. She's going to go to the path of least resistance and invite the people she thinks will come, and it's hard when even they say "no." Write her a note regardless of how many people come.
2. It's time consuming to host a party.
You might be in and out of the party in an hour or so, but she isn't. You probably told her to personally invite people. That takes time. You probably told her to send reminders, and that takes time. If it's an in-person event, she had to clean her house, stuff her kids in a closet, make food, worry about being judged for what she served and clean up after she kicks out the guest who doesn't know when to leave. Send her a note to thank her for her time.
3. She unwillingly becomes a middleman.
I know you're not expecting her to do your job, and you probably prefer to do it yourself, but she is going to have friends who want to use her as a middleman. Maybe they couldn't come to the party, but they are curious about the product. Maybe they aren't on Facebook, but still want to see a catalog. Despite your best coaching, there are going to be customers who put her in the middle. Thank her for her service.
4. She is your partner for the event.
Some people aren't going to come to the event, but they still might order. You don't have access to them. If you want their orders, she is going to have to touch base with them. She might have to drop off a catalog, take the order over the phone and then get it to you, etc. Send her a note to thank her for her partnership.
4. She gave you access to her friends.
She is the gateway to a whole new group of customers, hostesses and recruits. She trusts you and likes your product enough to introduce her friends to you and to it. Your business is only going to grow if you get new customers. A handwritten note is the least you can do to thank her for the potential for growth.
5. She'll assume the right things about you.
Your hostess is at the top of your list for potential recruits and for future parties. She chose to host a party with you, but it doesn't mean that she is going to choose you again. If you end the party experience with a thank you note, it leaves a lasting impression. When she wants to host one again, you'll be top-of-mind. And if she decides to become a consultant, it will be reasonable for her to assume that you will be a caring, appreciative and supportive upline. Send her a note because you want to fulfill her expectations.
6. It's excellent customer service.
You can't control your hostess, the guests or the party results, but you can control your customer service. And if you have control over it, why wouldn't you want it to be excellent? Send her a note because you are known for your excellent customer service.
Check out this blog post for examples of what to say in your thank you notes to hostesses.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
People
Results
Experiences
Once you have your list, write your business a thank you letter for 2018. Thank it for the growth, the support the experiences, etc. You wouldn't have had any of those things without your business.
And then, and this is powerful, write a thank you letter to your business for 2019. Write it as if it is the end of 2019. Thank it for everything it has done for you. Be as specific as possible. Dream big. Partner with your business. Let it work for you.
Here is an example of what you can write:
Dear __________,
Thank you for our most successful year yet! Thank you for reaching our goal of earning $____ this year. And thank you for allowing me to travel to ___________ and experience ____________.
I also want to thank you for introducing me to the following people. ___________ And for enabling me to learn how to __________________.
Thank you for all the success and milestones such as _______________________. It has been a fantastic year, and I look forward to continuing to grow with you next year.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly
You can do this in a gratitude journal or in your planner. My family has a text thread that we use so that we can share it with each other.
If people are on your gratitude list, you can take it a step further and let them know by sending them a note. Make a list of everyone who helped you with your business last year. The list could include:
Write the note without expecting anything in return. When you thank your hostesses, don't ask them to host again. When you thank your team members, don't ask them to do more than they did or even repeat what they did. The notes aren't about the future, and they aren't about you. They are simply expressing gratitude.
A simple 3-sentence thank you note is perfect:
Here are some examples of what this looks like:
To the hostess:
Thank you for hosting a party in 2018. I appreciate your introducing me to your friends so that they could learn about ________. You are so organized and made it super easy for me to do my job.
To customers:
Thank you for supporting me and my business in 2018. I love how enthusiastic you are about __________ and that you are such an avid user of it. Serving you has been a joy.
To team members:
Thank you for being a part of our team. I love how you stepped out of your comfort zone and your willing spirit. You make being a leader easy.
To mentors:
Thank you for all the help you gave me last year. I appreciate your sharing your wisdom with me, and my business is better because of it. You inspire me to dream bigger.
Make a list of the people who helped your business, and then prioritize the list. Start at the top and work your way down. Do a little here and there when you're waiting in the carpool line or at the doctor's office. Write one or two notes first thing in the morning to get your day started with a wonderful tone. Or block out a couple of chunks of time and write until your run out of time.
Imagine how the recipients will feel when they get a note for just being them. And although the notes aren't about you, I bet you'll love your business a little bit more after each one.
And if you need help, contact me.
Celebrate every day,
Kelly