It's All in the Attitude

by: Dioni Morales, Director of Stylist Services

Have you ever been around people who seem to have made a clear and definite decision that no matter what is going on they will look for the NEGATIVE side of it? Conversely, have you spent time with people who have made a clear and definite decision that no matter what is going on they will look for the POSITIVE? Have you realized that different people can deal with the exact same problems in totally different ways?

It's called "attitude," a word that we all hear quite often (actually teens these days call it "tude" for short). The actual definition of attitude is: a manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc. with regard to a person or thing, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind.  In other words, attitude truly is all in the mind!  We CAN actually have control over it. With this basic knowledge, it's easy to decide that we can and should really work on ourselves to have a better attitude about people, events, and things.

When we work on building and maintaining a positive attitude, magic happens:

* We look for solutions, not excuses.
* We take responsibility, instead of blaming others.
* We see trials as obstacles, not as limitations.
* We see mistakes as a motivation to do better next time.
* Every time we try something new, we will see it as a success - because we always learn something.
* We get over our fears.  We value what we have and fight for what we want.
* We easily show our love and gratitude to others.

And the list can go on and on.  Someone once said that the distance between you and your goals is called Attitude.

Good things happen all around when we have a great attitude and guess what? It's contagious!  Yes, a great and happy outlook is contagious ... but so is a bad and crappy one, so be careful.

Vessel Stylists, let's work on our attitudes!  Let's all be the kind of person others want to be close to.  Let's strive to grow attractive attitudes.  It will help us in our lives in general, and in our business in particular.  People will enjoy their time in a Vessel Party when you lead the way with a positive and outgoing demeanor.  And potential Stylists may just entertain thoughts of being part of your Vessel team because they want to rub off some of that great "tude" of yours!

Vessel at the Pre-Oscars Party

We had a wonderful experience at the pre-Oscars party in Hollywood this past Saturday. We met many stars from television and film and were able to present a gift from Vessel to each of them. The stars loved our scented jewelry and were so happy to receive and wear a Vessel necklace. 

Here are a few of the great photos we took. Check out ALL the photos on our website: www.vesselscentsofstyle.com!

Vessel founders Karen Carter and Susan Harward
with Stylist Services Director Dioni Morales

Carolyn Hennesy
Emmy Nominated Actress
Stars in "True Blood" and "Cougar Town"

Actor/Director Penny Marshall
Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Sharmila Devar
Stars in "Scandal"

Edie McClurg
Voice of Gerda in "Frozen"
Oscar winning
Animated Feature Film

James Dumont and daughter
Star of film and television
Stars in "Dallas Buyers Club"
Oscar winning film

Rob Steinbery
Actor/Producer
Stars in "12 Years a Slave"
Oscar winning film

Kerrean Giovanni
Stars in "Major Crimes"

Maya Stogen
Stars in "Castle"

Tiffany Brouwer
Stars in "The Help"
Oscar nominated film

We returned home on Sunday morning, then I headed straight over to our local CBS news affiliate (KUTV) for an interview about our experience at the event.

We look forward to *stars* everywhere, including each of you, wearing and loving Vessel jewelry!

Opportunity + Preparation = Success

by: Dioni Marie Morales, National Sales Manager

Many years ago I heard a saying, "Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity."  This concept instantly made sense to me. Many have the perception that successful people are just lucky. It's not luck!  Luck is winning the lottery (and even then you have to go out and buy a ticket).   Success is a whole lot more, especially in this business.  If you are successful, you are not lucky ... you are the one who makes it happen.

So how can we make it happen for our Vessel business?  Here are some suggestions:

• Take the time to read all the useful information on the website, the FAQ's, the Unique Points (of our Compensation Plan), the Blog Posts, etc.
• Take the time to get acquainted with the layout of the Vessel website so that you can not only send those interested to it, but also help them navigate it.
• Always carry with you your Vessel Catalog, the new Road Map brochure, the Compensation Plan brochure, the ScentSpheres samples, etc.
• If you haven't yet had the opportunity to do so, schedule a Compensation Plan training with me (call me or email me to schedule the training at your convenience). This will help you feel comfortable talking about it and answering questions.

We all know that opportunity can come at any moment, usually when we least expect it.  However, we can also look for opportunities:

• Use your jewelry often.  People WILL notice!  We have all experienced it.  Understand that YOU are a walking billboard.
• Show the excitement that you have about your business and what you are doing.  People have a tendency to ask "How are you doing?"  So include Vessel in your answer!  If you show passion and enthusiasm, they will want to know more.
• Always be on the lookout for potential Customers and Stylists.  When you talk to your family, friends or even strangers, you can find out enough about their lives to know if Vessel might be what they have been searching for to achieve their dreams.

One thing is as important as the other.  If you have an opportunity but are not prepared, then it will be a wasted opportunity that will very possibly never come again.  If you are prepared to act but do not search for those opportunities, then it's like a well-written book that no one gets to read because it has not been published.  If you work on both aspects equally, then success will be 100% guaranteed!

Vessel is going to the Oscars!!

We're so excited!!! Vessel has been invited to participate in an exclusive gifting suite for the Academy Awards. This premiere pre-Oscars party will take place at the glamorous W Hotel Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, March 1, a day ahead of the star-studded award show broadcast.

Susan and I will join a select few companies and will have the opportunity during this private, red-carpet event to interact and mingle with celebrities, and showcase our one-of-a-kind products. 

Companies are chosen to participate based on extraordinary, original products, so we are definitely proud to be part of this event. Make sure to come back and read the blog post we'll have after the Academy Awards with the full scoop.

With love,
Karen

The Power of Routines

by: Dioni Morales, National Sales Manager


I had a great holiday season!  Many family members visited from all over, there were quite a few parties and a lot of good food.  It was the best time I've had in a long time. So why, as it was coming to an end, was I actually happy that it was almost over?  Because there is only so much time I can live without my routines. I absolutely LOVE routines!  I think I have accomplished what I have accomplished because of setting and following routines.

I wanted to get back to my diet, to my exercise regimen, to work, to my kids going back to school, to an organized house, etc.  It sounds kind of crazy, I know, but that's what has always worked for me.  That's what has always given me the results I work for, the results I want.  Canadian Author Carol Shields wrote: "Routine is liberating, it makes you feel in control."  I couldn't have said it better myself.

Routines are your daily habits, the things that you do the same way at the same time.  I was reading a "mommy blog" which discussed how routines will simplify your life.  Some people may find routines to be boring, or too much work to implement.  But when you're raising a family, juggling work, running a household, and trying like crazy to find time for yourself and your partner, establishing daily routines is essential.

As you work your Vessel business, here are some ideas that you can incorporate into your routine that will help you grow your business and become financially independent sooner:

1. Schedule a specific time in the day to work on your Vessel business.  If you actually write it into your schedule, you can find 30 to 60 minutes, every single day, even if every day is a different time. You can make phone calls, plan Home Parties, present the business to a potential Stylist, etc.

2. There's usually at least one night in the week, sometimes two,  in which you don't have a soccer game, a PTA meeting, etc.  If that day is every Tuesday, then make sure you are in someones' home doing a Home Party, every single Tuesday.

English poet W.H. Auden wrote "Routine, in an intelligent man (woman), is a sign of ambition"  With Vessel we have shown you that you can be in control of your goals and dreams, but of course you have to work to make it work.  Incorporate Vessel into your daily and weekly routine.  At first it may seem overwhelming to have yet one more thing, but in time it will just be part of your life.  Soon enough it will bring you the freedom you have only dreamed of.

Party Strategies

If you are a Vessel Stylist, you hopefully have seen Dioni's training materials on the importance of making a comprehensive list of your contacts as a first step in building your Vessel business.  This list is further categorized as to whether the person is potentially a Customer, a Host, would be interested in the Business, or could provide a Referral ... or any combination of these categories. 

In our experience, what usually happens when a Stylist first joins Vessel is that she herself hosts a Vessel party.  This is certainly a comfortable thing to do, but here's another approach to consider. 

 

Think of the people you would have invited to your party.  Divide them into the various social circles in which you know them.  For example, there could be a group from your neighborhood, another group of church members, another group that consists of your family members, etc.  Obviously there will be some cross-over, especially in small towns.  But the point is to identify as many distinct groups as you can. 

Once you have identified those groups, select the person in that group who would be most receptive to doing a party for you.  Encourage that person to invite all the other members of your mutual social group (neighbors, church, work, etc.), BUT also to invite as diverse a group as they can come up with.  What you want them to do is to include people from all different areas of their lives.

The advantages of this system are two-fold.

First, by segregating your own social groups, you can hopefully avoid this situation: You're having a wonderful party, everyone is laughing and having a good time ... but when it comes time to ask people to host a party, your guests look around the room and see all the same people they would invite to a party.  And they think: why bother?  By trying the approach above, when conversation turns to hosting a party, your contacts can automatically think of the other members of the mutual social group as potential guests at their own party. 

And by working with them to also invite people from a wide array of their own social circles, there will be additional fresh groups to mine for Hostesses, and for potential Stylists. 

Another way to accomplish the same goal would be to go ahead and host your own party, but make a point of only inviting one or two people from each of your various social circles.

What you want to cultivate is a diversity of party guests in order to maximize party bookings.

What great ideas do you have for booking parties?  Write to us at info@vesselscentsofstyle.com and let us know!  We'd love to create a sharing forum for all things Vessel. 

To your success!

Love,

Susan 

Success Within Reach with Vessel's Road Map!

by: Dioni Marie Morales, National Sales Manager

Since this is my first official communication to you in this new year, I want to express my wish that you all have the opportunity to make all your dreams come true in 2014. Only YOU can make this your year!  It's never luck (unless you win the lottery ... and even then you have to go out and buy a ticket).  Your success is what you make of it.  It's what you make of all the opportunities that come your way.

Vessel would like to offer something that we know will help you with your business. We have been working on the creation of this marketing piece for the last couple of months, and we are now ready to announce that you will soon have it in your hands.

We call it the Vessel Road Map. The Road Map is a concise summary of the critical steps that need to be taken in order to create a successful Vessel business. It includes:

• Guidance to develop and document your "Whys" and your "Goals."  It is critical that you actually write these down.  You need to keep in mind what has motivated you to embark on this venture. And when you sign up a new Stylist, you should sit down with that person and do this together.  If you know what their goals are, you can work together to achieve them.  It brings to mind a quote I heard - "If you help the people on your team make their dreams come true, you don't have to worry about your own dreams.  They will come true in the process." 

• Contact List: it has the space for you and your Stylists to write the top 25 people that come to mind, with a space to write if each would be interested as a Customer, a Host, in the Business opportunity, or for Referrals

• A summary of the 90 Day Action Plan.

• The three critical steps to accomplish in the first days/weeks of your business.

• Tips on how to have a successful home party.

• How to present the business opportunity.

This brochure will be available at the end of January for purchase, and will be added to the Stylist Kits.  We will send some to all current Stylists free of charge.  We will also place the document on the Vessel website in the very near future so that you can download it for free. 

We hope that you will all find this Road Map to be a useful tool in building your Vessel business.