Weekly Highlights

It has been another exciting week for our growing team!  A couple of reminders...

• If you have not registered for Atlanta Regional Training on August 25, go register!!!  You don't want to miss this great day of training!  To register online, login to your consultant site...under the navy Links sidebar, the very last link that says "Regional Schedule 2012", next to the Atlanta training there is a link that says "Register online".  It only takes 2 minutes!  Let me or your Team Leader know when you register & if you want to go on Friday with us.

• Don't forget about our weekly team training calls!  They are every Monday night at 8:30.  This week the training call is about Home Parties...specifically Hostess Coaching.  The link to join the call is http://www.anymeeting.com/akersteam1. 

• Remember to be scheduling home parties on your August calendar NOW!  The race for August Home Office Challenge is going strong!!!!

 Here are some fun highlights from this week...

• Katie Meyerpeter (Chelsea, AL) had a new consultant join her team...welcome Rebecca Corley (Clanton, AL)!

• Mandy Golightly (Helena, AL) had a new consultant join her team...welcome Jeni Parrish (Montevallo, AL)!  Mandy also currently has 5 home parties on her calendar for August!!!

• Leslie Guin (Alabaster, AL) has her kickoff party this week!

• Hanna Riggins, Kara Westbrook, Maranda Gurley, and Jeni Parrish have all scheduled their kickoff parties!!!  Way to go, new consultants!  :)

Weekly Highlights

This has been such an exciting week!  I was reminded all over again of one of the many reasons I LOVE this business.  On Monday night, we had our training call which was lead by the wonderful Katie Meyerpeter.  And, on Tuesday night we had our Birmingham area team meeting at Jim N' Nick's.  Both nights were so much fun and a reminder to me of the amazing friendships that this business has brought me...a completely unexpected perk that I had no idea about when I first became a consultant 5 years ago.  I am SO THANKFUL for all of you!!!  That dinner at Jim N' Nick's actually moved down Hwy 280 to Starbucks for coffee afterwards and resulted in 2 more consultants on our team!  :)  So, on that note, here are some highlights from this week...

• Mandy Golightly (Helena, AL) had 2 new consultants join her team...welcome Hanna Riggins (Birmingham, AL) and Kara Westbrook (Hoover, AL)!  Mandy also had a great home party this week!

• Kara Westbrook (Hoover, AL) already has a new consultant on her team...welcome Maranda Gurley (Vestavia Hills, AL)!

• We had another new consultant join our team...welcome Leslie Guin (Alabaster, AL)!

• Kristy Trahan (Houma, LA) has scheduled her kick-off party!

• Hanna Riggins (Birmingham, AL) has scheduled her kick-off party!

• Melinda Thompson (Batesville, MS) talked to her Office Depot and was able to be a SPONSOR for their Teacher Appreciation Day...for free!!!  Her logo will be on the back of the t-shirts and a flyer about her business will go home with all the teachers! 

A few reminders...

• We found out this week that Heather Cobb, National Sales Manager at Usborne Books & More, will be at the Atlanta Regional Training on Saturday, August 25.  If you have not already registered, please do that asap!  You don't want to miss out on this GREAT day of training!!

• How are you doing on the August Home Party Challenge!?  Remember, the consultant who holds the most home parties in August gets a bag full of Usborne goodies from me!  Filling your August calendar means you need to be on the phone NOW...don't wait!  :)

• Don't forget about our team training call on Monday night, July 23 at 8:30!  Tara Maple will be leading the call on Recruiting!  Here is the link to join us:  http://www.anymeeting.com/akersteam1

Weekly Highlights

This has been such an exciting month so far!  We had our very first team training call this past Monday night for gals on our team who are interested in promoting this fall!  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!  We are so excited to continue these calls into the fall!  This next Monday night (July 16) at 8:30, Katie Meyerpeter will be leading the call about Getting Bookings.  It is SO important in our business to have a "healthy" calendar...Katie is going to be giving us tips on how to do that!  I would love for you all to make plans to join us!  Simply click on this link Monday at 8:30 to join us:  http://www.anymeeting.com/akersteam1. Before the call, print this Booking Notebook sheet to have with you on the call.  

Also, for those of you in the Birmingham area, we will have our July Team meeting next Tuesday, July 17 at 6:00 PM at the Jim N' Nick's on Hwy 280 at Greystone.  I hope many of you can join us!  Please let us know if you are planning to attend so we know how big of a table we need!  :)

Here are some more highlights from the month so far...

• Tara Maple (Opelika, AL)  had 2 new consultants join her team...Welcome Kristy Trahan (Houma, LA) and Crystal Deforest (Pike Road, AL)!  Tara also placed an order for a library this week that she has been trying to get to order for 2 1/2 YEARS!!!  Persistence pays off!  

• Katie Meyerpeter (Chelsea, AL) had a new consultant join her team...Welcome Amanda Cargo (Fultondale, AL)!  Katie also booked a preschool book fair and a Cards for a Cause fundraiser!

• Mandy Golightly (Helena, AL) has 2 home parties this week, booked 2 home parties at her home party this past week, started a Cards for a Cause fundraiser this week AND had a new consultant join her team...Welcome Lindsey Schor (Birmingham, AL)!

***Don't forget about our August Home Party Challenge!!!  Who is going to be declared the "A-Team August Home Party Queen"????

August Home Party Challenge!!!

We are going to have a fun little challenge for the month of August!!!  I announced it last night on our first team training call (which went great & was so much fun!), but I want to make sure everyone else knows that wasn't able to be there.  So here it is...

The person on our team who holds the most HOME PARTIES in AUGUST gets an Usborne bag full of fun Usborne goodies from me!!!  And, believe me...it's going to be GOOD stuff!  :)  Now...it has to be home parties and the parties have to be closed out (submitted in OrderPro) in August.  After the last day in August, I will look and see who held the most and announce the winner!

You may be wondering 2 questions...WHY August and WHY home parties???  Here is why...having a healthy home party calendar in August is going to springboard you to have a healthy home party calendar in the fall.  As people come to your parties in August, you will have the opportunity to share with them the benefits of hosting their own party and hopefully many of them will book a home party with you in September (which will lead to home party bookings in October, etc.)!  Now, I am limiting the challenge to home parties because home parties are the BEST way to build a consistent business AND to find people who want to join your team.  There is no other venue in our business that allows you the opportunity to share with a group of people about the benefits of hosting a home party AND share with them how they can join your team and start their own business with Usborne.  Book fairs are GREAT (I do a LOT of them)!  But, typically, a book fair doesn't lead to more book fairs or recruits.  However, home parties lead to BOTH more bookings and new consultants for your team!!!  So, since I want you to have a ROCKIN' fall and I want you to build your team (and promote to Team Leader!), I decided that an August Home Party Challenge would be a fun idea!  :)  So, get out your calendars, figure out what nights you are available to do parties, and get on the phone!

I can't wait to see who our "August Home Party Queen" will be!!!!!!!!

Weekly Highlights

What a fun week!  I LOVE the momentum that national convention stirs up on our team!  It has been an exciting week with lots going on as gals have gotten on the phone to fill their calendars for the rest of the summer.  You can have that same momentum as well!  We have 2 upcoming events to help you with your Usborne business.  On Tuesday night, July 17th, at 6 PM we are going to have a team meeting at Jim N' Nicks on Hwy 280 in Birmingham (near Greystone).  We want to spend some time connecting, sharing with all of you about convention, showing you some of the new titles that just came out, and do a little training.  :)  Please let me know if you will be able to join us!  Also, on Saturday, August 25, we will have our annual regional training in Atlanta.  I can't say enough how each of you needs to make it a priority to attend this!  I know that attending national convention in Tulsa is not an easy option for some of you.  But, we all can sacrifice one day to drive to Atlanta and take advantage of this great training!  I have emailed out the application and it is also available on our NEW team Facebook page!  :)  We would LOVE for you to take advantage of these 2 opportunities to learn how to grow your business!

Here are some highlights from this week...

•  Amanda Ledbetter (Sylacauga, AL) earned Success Kit 1 for having at least $750 net sales during her incentive period!

• Tara Maple (Opelika, AL) and Tawana Malone (Opelika, AL) have a booth this weekend at the Alabama Homeschool Expo in Montgomery!

• Krista Landenwich (Bay Minette, AL) had a GREAT sales week!

• Jessica Wood (Sheffield, AL) scheduled a home party and possibly a preschool RFTS!

• Mandy Golightly (Helena, AL) booked 2 (possibly 3) home parties, booked a preschool book fair, had two $100 orders, AND has a booth this weekend!

• Katie Meyerpeter (Chelsea, AL) booked a home party, scheduled a meeting with a preschool about a CFAC and a book fair, scheduled a meeting with a public library, and reserved a booth a Staples Teacher Appreciation Day!

• The July Hostess & Starter Kit Specials are up, and they are AWESOME!!!  To see what you have to offer in July, login to your consultants only site, click Business Information under Links, and then click Current Specials.  Until the new month begins, this is where you can find the next month's specials. Make sure ALL your customers know about these great opportunities for getting free books AND starting a business with Usborne Books & More!

Convention Update!!!

We returned from an exciting Usborne Books & More national convention yesterday!  Convention is one of the highlights of my year.  I LOVE the training, getting to see the all new titles before they are released, hearing the amazing speakers...but mostly, I love connecting with the absolutely AMAZING women on our team!!!  The ladies in the picture to my left are so wonderful!  Every year I come back more motivated than ever to be successful in my business AND to help you be successful in yours.  This business has been such a blessing to my family and I want every consultant on our team to be blessed as well!

Here are a few highlights from convention...

Katie Meyerpeter, Felicia Self, and I received our iPads!  Julianne Carney and Melinda Thompson also earned iPads and will be getting them in the mail very soon. I am so proud that we had 5 members of our team earn iPads this Spring!!!

Jessica Wood attended convention last year as a new consultant and made the goal to return to convention this year as a Team Leader.  She accompished her goal and was on the "wall of Team Leaders" at the Usborne Achievers dinner on Friday night!

Mandy Golightly and Felicia Self made the goal to promote to Team Leader October 1.  I am so proud of these 2 ladies for setting this awesome goal!

Katie Meyerpeter attended convention for the first time as a Team Leader...she promoted Express Success this Spring earning her a spot in the President's Club!  I am so proud of you Katie and so excited to have you on our team!

We got a sneak peak at all of our new titles...here are just a few.  Be looking for them to show up on your ecommerce sites very soon!

These pictures are great, but what they don't capture is the excitement that we have about our businesses right now!  If you want some of that excitement too, you will have an opportunity very soon!  On Saturday, August 25, we are having our yearly Southeast Regional Training in Atlanta.  We would LOVE for all of you to join us!  I emailed the application out several days ago.  Please let me know if you are interested!

Earning the Mediterranean Cruise!

We found out on Tuesday the requirements needed to earn the next trip.  And, I don't remember there being a trip that was so attainable! Here is how to do it...

The seven month contest runs June 1, 2012 – December 28, 2012

Here’s What you Need:
27,000 TRAVEL POINTS – to earn a Cruise for ONE
39,000 TOTAL TRAVEL POINTS – to earn a Cruise for TWO

And – YOU get to choose how you earn your Cruise!
Build your Travel Points the following ways:
• Start with Bonus Travel Points for May sales (announced last week)
• Personal net sales ($10,000 minimum) - $1 net = 1 Travel Point
• New Personal Recruit net sales - $1 net = 1 Travel Point
• New Personal Recruits attain Success Bound level – 250 additional Travel Points
• Attend Connect National Convention – 1000 Travel Points
• Mail in the Commitment Coupon – 300 Travel Points
• Promote to or promote out a Team Leader – 1000 Travel Points
• Promote to or promote out a Team Leader Express Success – additional 500 Travel Points
• Home Office Challenge II – 250 Travel Points per month achieved

For those of you who are new to Usborne, that may be VERY confusing.  Check out the Mediterranean Cruise Q & A Sheet that is available on the CIA site for clarifications.

At our team lake training in February, I shared 3 tips that I have found are key in earning trips:

1. Set the GOAL...share it and make it visible.
2. BELIEVE you can do it!
3. RECRUIT early in the contest.
4. Don't take time off and don't quit!

This trip is attainable for everyone...we all start out on a level playing field.  YOU CAN DO THIS!!!  :)