If you are in direct sales, I'm certain that someone has suggested to you to make a list. We all know about "the list". We are supposed to write down everyone we know. We're supposed to add to this list the milkman and postman, along with all of our family and friends. We're told we should know at least 100 people and that most of us know even more.

We're then supposed to take this list and start contacting these folks to ask them to join our business. Hey, they're our friends and families. They can't say no, right? If you're ever done this, you know the frustration and embarrassment of these encounters. We begin to hear no after no and we begin to feel very unsure of our decision to join this company.

This list making routine should be part of the advanced training that companies offer their leadership. Once you've been with a company for 3-5 years and have a steady income coming in, then it's fine to start talking to family and friends. But as a new distributor, this is a formula for disaster.

I'd like to offer some alternatives to the family/friends list:

1. Use your vehicle. Our cars are a wonderful rolling billboard. You can put a decal on the window. You can put a magnet on the door. You can attach a catalog caddy on the window. You can purchase a license plate frame with your company name and phone number on it. I've even seen folks make/buy signs for the top of their cars, similar to what you see on some pizza delivery cars. Finally, you can have detailing put on your car with your company name, phone number and even web address.

2. Use your own home. Have a sign made and put it in your front yard. This is what happens every single election; every candidate out there has signs made that go in everyone's yards. Make a sign with your company name and your phone number on it. If you have a front window, use it and put a decal on the window. Use your mailbox by having a custom designed mailbox made. If you sell health and wellness products, have it shaped in the shape of a pill or pillbox. If you sell cosmetics, have it shaped to resemble a tube of lipstick. Be creative and use your mailbox to bring attention to what you do.

3. Place classified ads. Check out your local high schools and colleges. They have football programs, band programs and theater programs. The ads in these programs are all very inexpensive in my town and a great way to put your name out there as a sponsor to every family that comes to a game or performance. There are daily newspapers, weekly newspapers and even monthly newspapers. They all have classified sections. Get a simple ad in these papers with your name, company name and your phone number.

Start with just these three activities. Of course you can let your friends and family know what you are doing. But tell them without any expectations. You may find a few who want to buy from you which is wonderful, but the frustration and embarrassment won't be there if you are simply telling them versus hoping they'll join today.