Join us in the first episode of the new year as we spill the beans on navigating the post-holiday hangover season and heading into 2024!
Discover savvy business tips, social media tricks, and why embracing the 'new year, new me' vibe can be your ticket to success!
In this episode, we discuss the following:
Business Slowdown After Holidays: How to navigate the beginning of the year, which often comes with a slowdown in business activities due to the hangover from the holidays.
Election Year Impact: We discuss the challenges of operating in an election year, noting that sales may be affected due to the uncertainty.
Customer Focus in the First Six Months: We advise that the first six months of the year might be more conducive to business, and it's a good time to focus on servicing customers, providing value, and engaging in activities like challenges and workshops.
Anticipation of Economic Slowdown: We emphasize the importance of proving value to customers early in the year given that spending tends to decrease in the third and fourth quarters of an election year.
Social Media Strategy: We highlight the importance of using social media as an engagement platform, focusing on providing value rather than pushing sales.
New Year Marketing Opportunities: With the new year, we invite you to tap into the "new year, new me" energy. Businesses should lean into this by offering products or services that align with customers' resolutions and goals.
Join us in the first episode of the new year as we spill the beans on navigating the post-holiday hangover season and heading into 2024!
Discover savvy business tips, social media tricks, and why embracing the 'new year, new me' vibe can be your ticket to success!
In this episode, we discuss the following:
Business Slowdown After Holidays: How to navigate the beginning of the year, which often comes with a slowdown in business activities due to the hangover from the holidays.
Election Year Impact: We discuss the challenges of operating in an election year, noting that sales may be affected due to the uncertainty.
Customer Focus in the First Six Months: We advise that the first six months of the year might be more conducive to business, and it's a good time to focus on servicing customers, providing value, and engaging in activities like challenges and workshops.
Anticipation of Economic Slowdown: We emphasize the importance of proving value to customers early in the year given that spending tends to decrease in the third and fourth quarters of an election year.
Social Media Strategy: We highlight the importance of using social media as an engagement platform, focusing on providing value rather than pushing sales.
New Year Marketing Opportunities: With the new year, we invite you to tap into the "new year, new me" energy. Businesses should lean into this by offering products or services that align with customers' resolutions and goals.
Welcome to Rock's Talks, the podcast that helps network marketers grow their business on social media. I'm Roxanne Wilson, social media network marketing coach, with nearly a decade of experience in the space, as well as television and radio experience, and a passion to really help you and empower you to be the best network marketer you can be, which means knowing yourself and knowing your brand.
Speaker 2:
And I'm Taryn Soa, your social media sidekick. I run all things behind the scenes at Rock's Talks, While being the right hand woman to Roxanne, I also strategize and manage our full social media plan. So I would love to share with you the tips, the happenings, all the things going on in the social media world.
Speaker 1:
Each week, we're here to give you the latest and greatest direct selling, social selling, network marketing, whatever you like to call it. The end game is for you to really understand your business, understand yourself and your brand, and to rock it on social media. It's a new time, it's a new day. I don't know the tune I want to sing to, but welcome to 2024. It's time to score. Let's hear you, roar. Don't let the door of 2023 hit you. Okay, I'm done In the roar. In the roar, you want some more? It's 2024. We're going to soar. They'll be writing lore about our chore. No more, okay, no more. Wow. What a song.
Speaker 2:
We forgot to tell you guys. In 2024, Roxanne is going to be doing show tunes. My peony era. Right era, in her peony era, she's also a show tune. Writer. Don't limit yourself.
Speaker 1:
Oh my gosh, you know what we did, which we will have done right now. So I know you're looking at this going. Roxanne, you are still in the same place. You were moving. We recorded this before the break, but I cannot wait to talk to you after the move because, literally, I'll be moved. I'll be in my brand new house, I will have gone. We're going to do something for new years. Yay, I'm so excited. I'm in the 30th. We get there on the 30th. The 31st, we meet with the contractor, all the things we want to like, and then that night, because, okay, no Rose Bowl this year. What the heck people all years Mr.
Speaker 1:
You better have won. Hopefully they've won. If not, I'm protesting I don't know where, but somewhere. Um, but I'm like this is weird because I usually spend new years with my Christmas and New Year's with my family with well, not Christmas, new years with my family. We're usually in Pasadena. Life is good.
Speaker 1:
I'm like what are we going to do? So I was looking online because I haven't been sleeping that's another issue. And lo and behold, in my town of Chandler they're having like a Broadway Broadway, the best of Broadway, to kick in, to kick off the new year. So you go and like their hundred champagne toasts, all these like your favorite Broadway songs. They're performing them. I'm like this sounds like so much fun. That would be so fun. We invited my dad, so he's gonna come with us, and Scott at first was like you want me to drive and then do this. I'm like, yes, I do, I do, that's what I want to do. So, yes, yes, he's just excited about he's like I can't wait this is really sweet to lift you over the threshold of our new house.
Speaker 2:
Eye roll. Did you guys hear that?
Speaker 1:
Listen old married woman.
Speaker 2:
Marriage, yay, romantic. No, I'm not so sweet.
Speaker 1:
That's what he keeps saying. He's looking forward to it. I'm like that is so sweet, anyway, so we'll have done that, and then this week or this month we're going to the same place. I hope it's good, because we already got tickets to another one. They're doing the songs of the 70s and they're gonna like sing all these 70 songs, like take it easy.
Speaker 2:
If this isn't the most perfect place for Roxanne, I don't know what is.
Speaker 1:
Right, yeah, they'll be all sorts of music. I mean not that there wasn't any in Cali, but yeah. So, anyhow, looking forward to that Yay.
Speaker 2:
So exciting. We're not doing anything for New Year's Eve, but New Year's Day I am hosting a Rose Bowl party.
Speaker 1:
I was gonna say a Michigan party, not a Rose Bowl party. A Michigan party, who's coming?
Speaker 2:
Who are these people inviting in Tennessee, not my husband. He will be work, working.
Speaker 1:
He's just so like a brazen I am hosting that.
Speaker 2:
My mom's best friend lives here, and then her daughter is the same age as me and we've grown up together and we're friends, and so I'll invite her family. And then my mom's best friend is married to my cousin, oh okay, and he's a huge Michigan fan. So we're all originally from Michigan, so we'll do a little Michigan party. I'm picking out my theme of food right now, so oh, you're gonna do like maize.
Speaker 1:
Who's gonna be like corn, something maize?
Speaker 2:
I was gonna do corn salsa so I was thinking shredded chicken taco bar you have to call it maize, tuck maize, okay.
Speaker 1:
So I can help you with that. So you need to call it maize, because maize in blue and maize yellow, okay. Then you need to have something like Mr Bright Side, like you need to call something Bright Side because you know, that's like that damn song which I'm not really clear, like when I went to Michigan, that wasn't a thing.
Speaker 2:
No, so my brother-in-law was graduated two years ago and so it was very much a thing and that's how we learned about it, because he was there and I'm like wait, I don't understand. He's like wait, don't eat there.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I mean, I learned about it watching TV. But here's my thing. That song is a little bit weird.
Speaker 2:
Yes, isn't it about the S word?
Speaker 1:
Yes, it's about the ends with X word. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:
I don't know. So what about a Mr Bright Side cupcake bar?
Speaker 1:
Okay, yep, everything has to be in that color, and then you can do some rose stuff too. How about those bi-roses?
Speaker 2:
You can do that.
Speaker 1:
But I mean, if you want to name things like I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 2:
What's the other team's mascot? Nobody cares, no, listen. So we've always done a party like this on this day, and when it was, we were playing Florida Gators. We ate alligator.
Speaker 1:
Oh, I like this. So they're the crimson tide. What's like a period? I don't understand it. I don't know. Yeah, or is this like a wave? How can they eat a wave? A wave is your period again. I stick by what I said in the first place.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I'm gonna leave that out of the menu.
Speaker 1:
Mass Scott, I'm gonna look this up because this is important. It might be an elephant. It is. It's an elephant, you can eat elephants.
Speaker 2:
Okay, I will work on getting that.
Speaker 1:
I think it's like elephant tracks or elephant. What are you gonna eat? That's elephant elephant ears.
Speaker 2:
Is that a thing we could eat elephant ears.
Speaker 1:
Is that like pork rinds? What is that? I think it's like fried dough. Okay, yeah, that works like monkey bread. Is that what you're trying to say? Kinda, yeah, okay, it's similar. Okay, the monkey bread was always good when I was little. Down for that, okay, you can do. Uh, your drinks you should have blue like food coloring. Kids would enjoy that.
Speaker 2:
They would. I could do blue drinks. At the last party I did, I was in charge of the drinks and we did blue croco that's what it's called Orange juice and champagne and made Grinch mimosas.
Speaker 1:
Oh, I'm pretty sure I have blue left, so yeah, or hypnot, if you want to get alcoholic. Hypnotic is blue, but yeah blue croco is alcohol Did you know I know, I'm like, if you want to get sick though, I'm just saying hypnotic.
Speaker 2:
Oh, that was also sickening. I didn't realize. I was like I don't think there's much alcohol. I was like 35%.
Speaker 1:
I was like oh, and sugar and sugar sugar, so fun anyways.
Speaker 1:
I love that. Yeah, I'm gonna get football plates too. Yeah, you have to. Yeah, I love it. I love that, yay, um, we'll be tired and we'll be watching the game. I don't know, I'm mind stomach gets a little icky when I think about the game. Oh, my gosh, they want us to lose. They want us to lose the, the. Everybody wants us to lose. It is mischievous, everybody, and they're mad because they feel like we cheated. However, whatever people, I don't believe in cheating, but we're talking about like signs. You all do it. You all do it, everyone literally.
Speaker 1:
Literally and and and you know what. Other teams probably got caught too, but nobody cares because they weren't winning. So, anyhow, that is annoying, but we paid our dues. Harbaugh sat out for six games this year. He better come back next year. So here's my thing. They don't want us to win and that is why they put us against Alabama, because, arguably, washington probably should be number one. They put us against Alabama because they feel like Alabama has the best choice of winning or chance of winning, and they really screwed over that other team that was Florida State. They screwed over Florida State because they didn't think for a state could beat us, which, yeah. So I'm like it is us against everybody. You have the two most hated teams in the world, but right now we're the most hated and you just want Alabama to take us down and I say screw you. And I say not today. Yeah, I was gonna say something stronger, but I like brought it down a little bit.
Speaker 1:
So we'll see how it works, I don't know. Harbaugh, come on, we can do this. Go blue Do this, we can do this and I'm actually glad my husband will be at work.
Speaker 2:
So that way, like I'll be able, I'm gonna enjoy it a little bit more without I mean worrying about like, are you okay? You're watching you see that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, well, yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2:
And he's been at work for every single win.
Speaker 1:
But he oh, that's good. He might be with knives in here the game, though I don't know if I want him around knives listening to the games. Hope he's not listening to her. Yeah, yeah, go blue. I want us to win everything this year. Okay, so hopefully, right now we're talking about Michigan playing in the championships coming up. Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:
But what are we talking about on the podcast today, besides our behind the scenes that we flipped around for you?
Speaker 1:
guys. Nothing wrong with that. Here's the thing. It's this time of year where we think, oh my gosh, I'm going to just start the new year, I'm going to start strong, my business is going to go, go, go. And the reality is, let's be real, y'all, no one's doing anything until maybe the eighth. It is a hangover from the holidays and it is real. Whether you have kids that are at home or not, it's real. I do think we need to talk about 2024, and maybe not right now, but I want to give everyone a little like let's look forward. This year is going to be wonky donkey in the monkey. It's an election year.
Speaker 2:
Okay, it is.
Speaker 1:
I don't know how we got here so quickly, but we did. Not again, it's an election year.
Speaker 2:
And so that throws off sales.
Speaker 1:
All sanity and reality.
Speaker 2:
Sanity, yes, out the window gone.
Speaker 1:
People are already annoyed because they're going to get a lot of robot calls and text texts. So they're going to be annoyed because you know who's spamier than a network Margarit or spammy Tammy the robot, the politicians.
Speaker 2:
So there's, that.
Speaker 1:
Also, just naturally, when it comes to spending, people spend less in a year of an election, not right now, but that is going to be just so. We're looking forward that is going to be a reality in the third and the fourth quarter. So just know that people are going to slow down. That happens every because of the uncertainty, even if it's obvious, mavius who's going to win, which I don't think, it's obvious this year. I don't even know if they've. I mean, we don't even have two people, we still have 85 people. But whatever, I'm exaggerating out, there's not 85.
Speaker 2:
But they are all 85 years old. But I'm punching, I'm punching, I'm punching, I'm punching, I'm punching, I'm punching, I'm punching, I'm punching.
Speaker 1:
Oh gosh, sorry, that was really good, that was really good. That was really good, oh boy.
Speaker 2:
God, I didn't know, I had it in me.
Speaker 1:
Funny because it's true. Funny because it's true. So we so just know that, like your best work and maybe I should say the easiest time you're gonna have is going to be in the first six months. The second six months things are gonna slow down in a funky weird way. It's gonna be okay. You're gonna have to work a little differently.
Speaker 2:
In a few episodes ago we talked about this month and even February is a great time to service your customers in a free way of giving them value, of a challenge or just different, like live workshops that you can do. And it kind of goes also in our last episode of talking about focusing on your customers Like that instead of trying to build your team right now as you're for the next six months really keeping that focus, so then when wah, wah, wah time comes, it won't feel so heavy, hopefully.
Speaker 1:
Right. I like that a lot. I think if you do that, that'll make a huge difference. And if you're doing what you're saying, taryn, which is like we're built, we're servicing your customers, that's also getting new people in your funnel, right, because those the challenges or the workshops or whatever you're doing, you're inviting everybody to and by doing that, you're sowing the seeds for people so they're seeing the value.
Speaker 1:
Because I'm gonna tell you right now, when the last six months happen of this year, if people don't see value in what you're offering, they're not gonna do it. They're not gonna because if they feel like I don't need this, it's not valuable, they'll pass and they'll wait and y'all. It matters not if they think their person's gonna win or not. It's just the natural uncertainty of an election year causes us to slow down our spending. So you're gonna spend money on things you think are worth it. Your time, right now, to prove to anyone in the future, to show anyone in the future that you are valuable, that you're worth it, is to show that value right now. So start showing it. Period, yeah, period. And don't think oh my gosh, am I giving too much away? Don't do that.
Speaker 2:
No, don't worry about that this is the beauty, I think, of network marketing, because so, say, someone who sells a course has to do marketing on social media. I understand the concern there I'm giving too much away because you're using knowledge to market and then you're also selling knowledge. Yes, you, as a network marketer, direct seller, social seller, are selling a product, so you can give away the moon in knowledge.
Speaker 1:
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding ding. Yes, so never feel like you're giving away too much. You're not selling the knowledge. So share the knowledge and then that will get the people wanting the product.
Speaker 2:
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think I'm like gosh. That would be the funnest way the I don't know, being a little big there, but I think that's a fun way, knowing you have that in your back pocket, showing up on social media as you do, you have a plethora of things you can talk about without giving too much away ever.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I agree. I agree. That reminds you to not focus on buy, buy, buy. Focus on value, value, value, mm-hmm. And if you don't know what is valuable to your audience, ask them. They like to answer those questions.
Speaker 2:
They do. Remembering social media is an engagement platform.
Speaker 1:
Oh, so social media is social. Is that what you just said? I thought you just said social media is social.
Speaker 2:
Oh it is, I think it is, I think it is, I think it is I like to be? Entertained. I like funny things.
Speaker 1:
I like to be educated. Educated, you know when the mood. Empowered. We like that as well, too. Empowered.
Speaker 2:
We like to be heard and seen, that's funny.
Speaker 1:
These things were all talked about in Rock's Talks over the past year, so I'm curious.
Speaker 2:
Wow, summed up in one little sentence for you.
Speaker 1:
Yes, love it. So think about what you can do right now for that. And then I just am not trying to scare, I just want you to be aware that that's like, this is what the year will look like, so that you can prep accordingly. If you know that now, you can make some moves and grooves now so that you're well-prepared. You're like, what happened, well, what happens to the election? It's okay, we're fine.
Speaker 2:
Mm-hmm Instead of like. I know you guys, it is the first week of the year. We probably shouldn't be talking about holiday season, but if that is your biggest time of the year, prepping now and having a good runway, you won't feel as much as a bump. Yeah, oh, goodness off she goes. As much as a bump with the election.
Speaker 1:
Right, you know Madonna is touring. I think she can't afford to go back. Yeah, madonna's going on tour. Yes, girl.
Speaker 2:
Okay, all right. What is with all these female amazing tours? Just?
Speaker 1:
slaying. Slaying like ho, ho, ho, as in like Santa Claus. Santa Claus, for God's name, he's on vacation. Now the thing you said. You said a lot of good stuff right there, but something I want to remind you as well too, and I had this conversation last year with some of my clients who were in the wellness spot and I said guess what? It's now the 15th.
Speaker 1:
Your products on sexy, your products. After really, black of Friday, your products are Cyber Monday. Your products aren't selling, because black Friday and Cyber Monday, whether we admit it or not, is really about buying for ourselves. There's no way we have that many people on our Christmas gift list that we're buying that much stuff. We are buying things for ourselves. Can we admit all of that? And then after that, people start buying oh, I need to get this gift or that gift. But you know what's not sexy, taryn, let's pretend that we're in the same room, okay, and it's Christmas, okay, and I'm like I got a gift for you and you go, it's under the tree and you're so excited, okay, you're like oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Okay what is it?
Speaker 1:
And you go and you unwrap it and it is a bottle of collagen.
Speaker 2:
Thanks. Are you saying that I need this? And I'm wrinkling Exactly.
Speaker 1:
That's exactly what it says without saying it. Yes, here's some vitamin D. Here's a nighttime supplement. What you're not excited, I didn't get you like, here's nothing. So don't take it offensively, especially when it's from your mother-in-law. Exactly. I mean, listen, if I go, here's a anti-acne management regimen, are you gonna be like thanks? Or an anti-aging skincare regimen? That's not sexy. Don't take that offensively. It's just people aren't thinking, ooh, they might get that for someone they know who's using it or has really wanted it, but they're not gonna just give that willy-nilly. It's okay because it's January and people now are like I wanna feel better, I wanna look better, so they're buying for themselves or their family members to do that. So, yes, december was not today, but it is now, so lean into that.
Speaker 2:
Oh yeah, definitely lean into it. People love the new year, new me.
Speaker 1:
In any iteration they wanna call it.
Speaker 2:
They might be like.
Speaker 1:
Adam, do your resolutions, okay, but you still do your bediment. It's fine, whatever you wanna call, it's fine, yeah, whatever.
Speaker 2:
There's an energy around the new year and I don't think there's anything wrong with that that we want to improve, yeah.
Speaker 1:
What's the year of the dragon mean before we go? I mean, I know what it's so powerful, yeah, but okay, I'm gonna look it up because year of the dragon.
Speaker 2:
It is the year of the dragon. It's the year of the dragon. It's also a year of eight.
Speaker 1:
I don't know what that stuff.
Speaker 2:
Also don't really know, what that means.
Speaker 1:
We're just spewing off the lot of information that we don't know. So the year of the dragon is believed to be a moment of time to, like, foster growth, progress and abundance. I like that. If that resonates with you, take it. Okay. It's like confidence, generosity, idealism, ambition. Okay, charismatic, intelligent, confident, powerful, naturally lucky and gifted. I like all those things. Down with that, let it be that year for you, anything else. I think that's it To recover. Everything need to be covered for the beginning of the year. Go watch some football.
Speaker 2:
Don't be too hard on yourself this week.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, go watch some football, especially with some Michigan playing.
Speaker 2:
Go blue. Yeah, the real week, even if you're back to work like if you had nine to five, like nine to five Next week, next week, the way you make a living and a team, but always taking and not giving.
Speaker 1:
You can't use words that are songs, and not expect me to go off, I'm just saying.
Speaker 2:
You know I give you the runway, thank you, I let you fly, fly like an eagle.
Speaker 1:
There's so many flies, I'm gonna let her fly, all right y'all.
Speaker 2:
Goodbye, happy new year. Goodbye, happy new year. Thanks for listening to another episode of Rocks Talks. We would love for you to help us get this message out to other network marketers. If you could follow rate review wherever you are listening to this episode, we would greatly appreciate it. And hey, if this episode speaks to you directly, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it on Instagram Stories. Be sure to tag us over at Rocks Talks.
Speaker 1:
Always remember you're not ahead, you're not behind, you're exactly where you're supposed to be and we'll see you next week for another episode of Rocks Talks.