I purchase this booking looking for ideas on how to run a successful party plan business but was disappointed.
I gave this product three stars because it was good encouragement. It did have some great stories in it and a few good ideas, but for me... it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Party On!
-GameLady Verlina
SimplyFun Senior Consultant

I thought this book was OK. The article contributors could certainly write well, so I can't be fair and still give it 3 stars. However, I was hoping to find a book between the covers of this "thing." I think if the authors, two sisters and another woman, had read the articles included in this book and used them as research for writing a book, then they could have written a wonderful book. Unfortunately, there was too much overlap on some issues and some holes on others. There certainly is no overall thesis to the book that is explained and proven by the writing.

The authors are veteran network marketers who have teamed up together to form a trade association they call "Direct Selling Women's Alliance" (DSWA dot org). The book is clearly a marketing piece they have thrown together in order to promote their organization. Apparently it has worked well because I suspect the membership in their organization has showered it with favorable book reviews on Amazon. I cannot think of any other possible explanation for its overall 5-star rating from 21 reviewers.

The network marketing industry is full of home-based entrepreneurs. The people who succeed at networking marketing can (1) sell product, (2) recruit salespeople to join THEIR sales organization, (3) lead the sales organization they build, and (4) manage THEIR sales organization. I had hoped this book would have explained this in some detail. Instead, all of this was touched upon, but not clearly. Also, there was too much inspirational fluff included.

There are four books that I think would serve the reader well if they are interested in becoming successful at direct sales:

>>Make Your Contacts Count (ISBN: 0814474020)
>>Leadership Made Easy (ISBN: 1932531599)
>>The Road Warrior's Guide to Sales Management (ISBN: 1592981992)
>>What to Do When You Become the Boss (ISBN: 1432714287)

When you work in direct sales the company you work for has outsourced its sales function. That is why you can earn what you earn. If you build a sales team to work for you, then you will be successful. It's just that simple. 4 stars!

PS. There is a Part II to this book entitled "More Build It Big" (ISBN: 9781419520037). It includes another batch of 101 articles. And it is written the same way as this book was.

I was at my first Pampered Chef conference a few years back. An out of state team member had it on hand on was discussing it with our director. Wasn't being nosy, but couldn't help to over hear some of the things they were discussing. The book sounded interesting, I glanced at it for a few, but not long enough to get anything out of it. What I did glance did not have much interest to me at all. I took a chance and ordered it when I got home. I LOVED it. I started reading it and marking with my pencil all things I found helpful. Got tired of writing and statered marking helpful sections/pages with those skinny post it note tags. I have a rainbow growing out of my book. Not everything in there was for me, but what was, and still is, is very helpful. You have the advice from tons of people in this field, not just one author. I don't even think you need to be in a jam or a new consultant, to purchase this book, people learn something new all the time, even the more seasoned consultants.

My sponsor recommended this book as a tool to use when building my business. This book is packed full of inspirational stories and insight from top leaders in the direct selling business. This is an awesome place to gather useful information to use to build your business big!

After reading this book, I learned so many different things to build and spark my business. It is not only well written, but it gives practical processes for new small business owners. It is a must read!

Build it Big is THE book for you if you are in direct selling. This book has so much info and teaches you everything you need to know to build your business. This book walks you through everything and is for those brand new to direct sales or those that have been consultants forever. I will recommend this book to everyone!

This Book is wonderful. Love it!
I can't say enough about this book and what it has done for me.
If you or someone you know is in Direct Sales purchase this
book. Written by Women for Women.

God Bless DSWA and this book. This book should be considered as the Bible for direct selling. Even though I have only been in the industry for a short period of time, I have learned so much about customer service, selling strategies, networking and business sense in this one book. It is worth every penny. I attended a Direct Selling Women's Alliance (DSWA) sponsored seminar less than a week after purchasing the book and subsequently joined DSWA.

I will reference this book for my business as much as I reference the book about life. Thanks DSWA.

Marina Kushner
Author
The Truth About Caffeine: How Companies That Promote It Deceive Us and What We Can Do about It

I was interested to get this but really REALLY disappointed when one of the first tips was to call 100 people. No kidding. I found this to be a lot of re-hash of old ideas. Some decent tips but you really have to search for them. Bad layout, too. Not easy to read. Lots of stuff sort of thrown at you. If you are really NEW to sales, you might benefit but most of it you can get through better books or free in internet searches, your team leader, etc.

This book gave me a lot of great ideas for my Pampered Chef business. It was very helpful with answering objections and working with my downline. I only have 2 so far, but I will be better able to help them become successful. I had to pace myself or I would have read the whole thing in one sitting!

This book in short is incredible, not only it's packed with tons of wits from proven experts, but it's so simple to follow and read that all I have to do is implement the startegies and which i have with tremendous immediate results. Every entrepreneur should get one, regardless of the industry. After all the art of networking and building heartful relationships is the core foundation for all business success-no exceptions. If you are reading this, you owe it to yourself to own one today. !!!

Anyone in any type of Direct Selling should purchase this book. Easy to understand and very motivating.

This book gave me a lot of great ideas for my Pampered Chef business. It was very helpful with answering objections and working with my downline. I only have 2 so far, but I will be better able to help them become successful. I had to pace myself or I would have read the whole thing in one sitting!

WOW! There is a reason that everyone recommends this book. What a great starting book for any new consutant. This book tells you everything you need to know about recruiting, sales, advertising, being a team leader, etc. It really got me motivated to work my business and they techniques taught by the experts really work. I bought this book for each of my top sellers on my team and they loved it also. If you are new in direct sales, or even if you have been around for a while, give this book a try. These consultants have survived in this business for a reason. They know what works!

I was so excited when I got this book home. The tips and topics are full of wonderful information that made me change the way I did my business and have been reaping the rewards ever since. This book is the BIBLE of Direct Selling and I recomend it to everyone!!

I am new to direct sales and this book is full of great information to get me started and keep me going. I've already read through everything the first time and have marked chapters to read again.

The book is organized in sections - starting out, tips for events, building a team. It even offers advice on managing home and business and your finances. I highly recommend this book to anyone in direct sales.

This book tells it like it is for anyone starting a direct sales business. It gives great tips and information to help anyone at any level. We are reading this book for my team's coaching calls and discussing the chapters one at a time. I would highly recommend it to anyone who does direct sales.

This book is excellent no matter what level you are in the direct sales world. It can be used as a great team or personal training manual. I have read a lot of motivational and training books, I've taken a lot of seminars etc., but this book is by far the best!

WOW! This book is a must-have! I began my direct sell home business just a few months ago, and this book has already helped make a huge difference in the way I am running my business! I believe I have already recouped the expense of the book in extra profits! WELL worth the money. It is concise, easy-to-read, inspirational, and FULL of great ideas.

This book is very concise, with easy to follow steps and suggestions for running a direct sales business. It covers all areas of the business. I'm finding it a great reference guide that is becoming my "go to" book!

A lot of this book did not apply to me because I'm not interested in building a downline; but it would be of help to those who want to expand in their direct sales business.

If you had a fairy godmother to guide you through building, maintaining and growing a direct sales business, this book captures what she would say. It's a treasure chest of advice for beginners and the experienced alike with solid and well-written information, success (and failure) stories and action plans. As I develop my team I consider this required reading.

The reason why I gave it 4 out of five just because there maybe room for improvement. But its a very good buy and I would recommend it to those in the DS industry which Ive been apart of for 15 years.I used several sources to build my intellecual wealth along with this reading (...)

I challange you to find a book better suited for the person just starting out in direct sales (or those looking to improve their current status!) The information provided is direct and to the point and packed with advice worth taking. The money spent on this book is so worth it that I even offer this book as an incentive. If you read this book and follow the advice given, there is no way your sales and recruiting won't improve. If it doesn't, it's not because of something that was written in this book!

Touched on starting a business, getting bookings, helping others, family/busines balance... it had it all.

I found the book very informative. A good reference for any person in direct sales. I have actually seen my sales increase by 50% since following the directions of the book. I recommend it highly.
Vivian Braxton
Independent Avon Representative

This book is the best investment that I have made in a long, long time. By drawing insight from people in different companies, I felt that I was not being given a bias view of a particular company's way of doing things. You get the feeling that the people that contributed tried really hard to give you the most valuable of their experience....and succeeded. My copy is getting worn and I will not hesitate to purchase it again.

Had I known the stuff in this book years ago, I'd probably went on to reach HUGE success with direct sells company. It is jam-packed with relevant information specifically for the direct sell industry; stuff other business books can't even begin to understand.

The stories are so inspirational, for direct sellers as well as for small business owners. I really spent the day just devouring every story in there. So many applied to where I am in my business and I am starting immediately to implement many of the ideas in this book!

Thanks you so much, Nicki, Grace, Jane and the DSWA community, for bringing this book to the public! Just what we needed!

Having worked as a consultant in the direct selling industry and now owning my own party plan company, I can say this book is a must have for anyone in the industry. "Build It Big" is overflowing with valuable information that will educate, inspire and motivate readers. Not only is this book ideal for individuals seeking to grow their businesses, but team training will be greatly enhanced as well. A great tool to have at your fingertips!

A DREAM COME TRUE! The Who's-Who of Direct Selling pitch in to provide a meaty and inspirational bible of direct selling advice for newbies and veterans alike. This most incredible resource is critical reading for anyone too far away from a national conference to get inspired or anyone ready to run to the front of the pack.

CHAPTERS
1. STARTING YOUR DIRECT-SELLING BUSINESS
10 GEMS including Les Brown's, "Treat Every Day Like Your First Day in Business"
2. BOOKING AND COACHING YOUR HOSTESS
8 GEMS including Christie Northrup's (AKA Lemon Aid Lady), "Hang Up on Your Phone Phobias"
3. THE ART OF SELLING
10 GEMS including Karen Phelps', "Keep Parties Fun for Higher Sales and More Bookings"
4. SPONSORING AND BUILDING YOUR TEAM
14 GEMS including Marcia Wieder's, "Be More Committed to Your Dream than Your Reality"
5. COACHING YOUR TEAM
10 GEMS including Carly Anderson's, "Ask Inspriring Questions"
6. DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP SKILLS
11 GEMS including Richard Flint's, "Build a Business, Not an Orphanage"
7. MANAGING BUSINESS FINANCES
7 GEMS including Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen's, "The Seven Money Skills of Extremely Prosperous People"
8. INTEGRATING HOME AND BUSINESS
11 GEMS including C.J. Eisler's, "Work from Home for Your Kids' Sake"
9. BUILDING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
7 GEMS including Judy Marshall's, "Build Strong Team by Phone and Web"
10. STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
13 GEMS including Mark Victor Hansen's, "Take My 101 Goal Rush Challenge"

Let the fire in you burn brighter than ever before with this amazing collection! HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS!

"Build it Big" is destined to become required reading for anyone considering a career in network marketing as well as everyone in the profession already.

In doing my research about which company to join, I gained valuable insights from "Build it Big." For example in the section discussing what to consider in choosing a company, I was very impressed by what would be considered "red flags."

As a blooming network marketer, I was also inspired and motivated by the stories of real life success stories. The concepts and ideas are tools to use every day in creating the business of your dreams.

I highly recommend this book as well as I give a 5 Star endorsement to the Direct Women's Selling Alliance...

Judi Finneran

Wow. I loved this book. What a terrific help this will be for me. There are so many good ideas and tips that will help me build my business big. I liked that I was getting information from experts who had already worked out the kinks on how to opperate a successful directselling business. I'm so thankful to have this information.