The #1 Biggest Mistake

The first mistake practically everyone makes is trying to sell. We are not sales people. We’re mentors and teachers. If we’re doing this correctly, we are spending much of our time building relationships, not trying to get people to take our best deals.

People can feel the difference when you’re talking to them about things you personally use and can recommend, or when you’re just trying to sell them something. You don’t like that, and neither do they! You know you don’t like to be sold, and you don’t like that icky feeling you get when you try to sell. It just doesn’t sit well, so stop it! Build the relationships, and success will follow. Relationship building is the key!

This  Is Mistake #2

Not checking the background of the leaders in your company. Make sure that they have MLM experience, with integrity. You’re asking, why is this so important? Well, ask these questions also. Do you want to build your business once, build it big, and build it for your children’s children and future generations? It’s so important to be sure that the people running your company know what they’re doing and that they respect the men and ladies out there in the field who are helping to build it.

The best and easiest way to do this is to read the company’s policies and procedures. You may be surprised to find that some of the things will make you scream! When you read them, it won’t take long to realize who you are really building the business for and, sometimes, it’s not you! Please, please, you are urged to read the policies and procedures of any direct sales company that you are thinking of working with.

Here Is Mistake #3

Not knowing how many people it takes to earn the income you want is a gigantic no-no. So you think you want to make $10,000 every month? Then you’ve got to know how many people in your organization it takes, on the back end, to make your goal. Now how viable is that? Do you find yourself having problems with just keeping 10, 20, or 30?

In most comp plans, in order to make $10,000 a month, you’d need somewhere between 1,600 and 5,000 people. Of course, this depends on how your compensation plan is set up. How doable is that if you can’t manage to keep 30? There is one compensation plan out there that requires less than 400 people to make a $10,000 monthly income. It’s probably much easier to keep people in that plan. Be sure to know the numbers, then crunch them to see if it’s doable for you.

Finally, Mistake #4

The final (and most deadly) mistake that many direct sales reps make is going after their friends and families. Unfortunately, most direct sales companies use this “technique” as a main source of lead generation for new reps. Ouch! You need to know right now that your “warm market” is most likely the coldest market there is! This technique will not work. If it does work for you,  then chances are you have the best, most supportive family and friends in the world.

So where do you get leads from? Well, the absolute best leads are the ones you bring in yourself. If your company, team, or upline doesn’t have a system in place to implement, it may be very tough if you’re just starting out.

With some basic skills and a lead generating system in place, you can avoid making these mistakes in  your direct sales business. If you find you’re having problems,  see if you’re not making one of these common mistakes in your own business.

Yes, you heard that right, you get them at no cost whatsoever. The best newsletter publishers run their publications specifically to share their expertise in the industry. They share insights and tools that could possibly be beneficial to you in your direct sales business. It’s amazing how much information there is to be learned from others in the business.

Helpful Tips to Find the Best Newsletters With the Best Information to Help Build Your Direct Sales Business

• Check out the subscription page. Does it have ads all over it? If it does, this can mean one of two things:
  1. The newsletter publisher is simply defraying the cost of hosting the web site. This is okay, OR,
  2. They MAY be selling your contact information for profit. This is probably not okay.
  • If the page clearly describes what it’s designed for and is without hype, it’s a good sign that the newsletter is legitimate.
• The best way to recognize the difference is to make sure there is a clear and visible privacy policy on the site. The privacy policy should always inform you of any intent to sell or share your information. Beware, this is a “red flag” to be aware of, if they intend to sell your contact information.
• Spam compliance should also be clearly indicated in the policy. You’ll want to know that you can unsubscribe immediately, if it’s poor quality or not what you were looking for.

• Next, you must subscribe to see if it delivers what is promised. If not, simply unsubscribe. On the other hand, if the content is of good quality, and you’ll be learning new techniques or tips to build your business, then congratulations! You’ve found a great newsletter!

When looking for online publications, take your time. Find the best direct sales newsletters to suit your personality and business and soon you’ll look forward to reading all of the incredible articles, tips, and insights.

Easy Ways To Make Use Of Company Resources

• Use the supplies your company provides or recommends. Most often a starter kit is provided to a new sales consultant when they sign on with the company. The starter kit might be a small amount of sample products or a very large kit with many different products.  These are usually designed to help you become acquainted with the products you’re going to be representing and selling. It’s recommended that you use them to that end.  You can use them for your demonstrations as well as for educational purposes.
• Use the hostess gifts provided or recommended. Some direct sales companies offer structured hostess coaching and an incentive program. Again, others let the direct sales consultant create a coaching and incentive system that works best for them.  Either way, it’s recommended that you use the coaching materials your company provides. You should assume they’ve done their research and have a history of success with their coaching and incentive plan.With that said however, if you find that some things just aren’t working for you, then revise it to suit your needs.  Don’t hesitate to tell your direct sales company what works, what doesn’t and the solution you found.  They can use your experience and advice to tweak their program, thus making it more effective for all consultants.

• Use the company marketing supplies. Marketing supplies can be one of the most expensive to create and the most difficult to produce effectively.  It’s best to use your company’s marketing supplies to the maximum of your ability.  Brochures, invitations, flyers, catalogs, scripts, thank you cards, business cards and even direct mail pieces are all things that can be used to help grow your business in an effective and efficient manner.
• Use the provided or recommended technology. Many direct sales companies have embraced the power of technology. Several now offer website hosting, templates, graphics, links, buttons and even shopping cart systems so you have your own business website with very little effort.  Of course each company is different and all websites vary. It makes sense and makes your job much easier if you use the technology resources and aids that your direct sales company provides.

Use Other Recommended Resources

Last but not least, some direct sales companies may offer discounts and resources that will help you save money and build your business. For example, discounts on insurance, office supplies, printing and more can all help you grow and build your business. By making your direct sales company work for you, it puts you that much closer to building the business of your dreams.

Teaming up is a great idea. When you each pool your resources, it helps everyone involved. Everyone likes to believe that our ideas are the best and the most cutting edge, but in reality, we all have something to learn.

Teaming Up Is Easy

There is a method to this teaming up thing. It’s a process that takes time to build up. Begin by finding someone with similar interests as you have. Places to look for potential partnerships are:

• Through social networking
• Attending conferences
• Going to networking meetups
• Joining local associations
• Posting on forums

Social networking online is all the rage. It’s the here and the future. You can meet interesting people from around the globe using already established social networks. Create a profile and begin to build a friend list. Ask family members, co-workers and others in your circle of influence to be your friend. The more popular social networks for business are:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• MySpace
• Ning
• YouTube

By utilizing social networking, it’s fairly easy to find other direct sellers stand out in their area or product niche. Since you’re doing the same with your business and products, you each can be an added asset to the other.

Other Options To Look At

Online business forums can also be quite useful. It’s a sort of way to cold call via the Internet. At forums, you can start threads on business partnership opportunities. Just state what you’re looking for, then evaluate the takers. Take a look around the forum. Is there someone interesting posting that you’d like to get to know? You can always private messenger someone you think you’d like to work with.

Direct sales partnerships are begun all the time. In direct sales, the partnership can be either online or in person. When it’s an in-person partnerships, both of you can combine resources and host shows together. When you do one show combined, your guests are getting a two for one fun time. This puts a whole new spin on the concept of a home party. Your invitees may not only be more willing to attend, but they may also be more enthusiastic about spending.  A larger party with twice the products is a pretty exciting event.

Compliment Each Others Business

Most common kinds of partnerships are ones in which you each sell complementary products, but not the exact same products. For instance, if you sell dog grooming supplies, you can team up with another consultant who sells doggie apparel. Your hook can be that after a dog is all freshened up, they can walk proud and tall in a spiffy new outfit. On the other hand, you don’t want the products to be very different. The dissimilarities may be a turn off to potential customers.

Like all good partnerships, be sure that all involved understands the terms of the relationship. Too many great businesses have been ruined because of simple mis-communication. Just iron out the kinks, if any, and have fun together making profit.

Go ahead and partner with other direct sellers. It will help to maximize your knowledge, customer base, and business potential, and will do the same for their business. And who knows? One venture can lead to future ventures and before you know, you could have formed an entirely new network.

Continue reading Team Up For Direct Sales Success, Part 2 here.

Photo by Unbowed

Networking Adds Tremendous Opportunity For You Both

Teaming up with another direct seller allows each of you to be able to expand your market.  This is perhaps the largest potential opportunity.  When you reach out to other direct sales consultants, ideally reps whose products complement or supplement your own, then you’re widening the prospect reach for each of your businesses.  For example if you sell candles and you team up with someone who sells bath and body products, when you combine the two niches, you have a pretty large reach of people to market to – imagine women taking long, luxurious baths by candlelight.

Additionally, by teaming up with consultants from other direct sales companies, you will broaden your knowledge about the direct sales industry. Each person has their own unique approach. Teaming up with a rep who is successful may help you attain your own personal sales goals.  Additionally, if you pool resources like printing, outsourcing and so on, you’ll both create a very effective and efficient business model for your downline to emulate.

More than likely you know a lot of people in your community, and a few of them may even be in the direct sales business. However until you begin to reach out to others, you just never know. Your child’s music teacher or your neighbor from down the block may be the perfect person to team up with.

More Places To Find Consultants To Team Up With

In part one of this article, we talked about a few ways to find consultants to team up with. Here are a few more:

• Post a  notice in your church and/or school bulletin
• Look into local real estate brokers – many distribute newsletters and offer free advertising
• Publish a notice in your home owners association publication
• Network at local craft and trade shows

It’s likely that you’ll connect with a few wonderful people. You can then start to establish the parameters you’d like to work within. Once you’ve created the  relationship with other reps, then follow up. Make sure they know that you’re very passionate and serious about your business, and about teaming up with them in order to elevate each others’ sales.Establish a working relationship that is agreeable to you both. This partnership has to be mutually beneficial, or it just won’t survive long-term.

One of the easiest and quickest ways to begin the relationship is to host a party for them and vice versa.  The also happens to be one of the best ways to begin expanding your prospect and customer reach. All you have to do is reach out, take action and host parties.  Every party you host for each other brings in new customers for both of you.

Continuing The Relationship As A Team

After you host your party for her,  it’s crucial to follow up with a thank you to the attendees, the hostess and the consultant you teamed up with.  It’s also a good idea to follow up with postcards and notes to all of the party attendees. The reason this is vital is because each new person you meet is a potential hostess of a future party and/or a repeat, loyal customer.

Teaming up with other direct sales reps can almost immediately more than double your business, for each of you. Teaming up also adds a little extra excitement and enthusiasm to the direct sales business. It offers your customers a fun experience that is hard to beat.

Read Team Up For Direct Sales Success, Part One here.

Photo by Unbowed

Candles are a good seller all year round.  Special scents may be necessary for the holidays, but people enjoy them for all types of reasons including relaxation and setting a mood.  All candles aren’t cheap.  Research your potential customers to see if they’ll pay twenty to thirty dollars for a large, high quality candle.

Becoming familiar with your company’s products and procedures is part of getting to know your candle company.  It’s surprising how many questions people can dream up about candles.  Usually, your starter kit will have literature on the types of candles that you sell, ingredients and their properties. If you don’t find information, do some research online and learn it.

What questions might a customer ask?

A good place to find this answer is at the support area on your company website.  There will be a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section and this will aid you in answering most questions your customer may have.  Of course, every single question may not be there, but the most popular ones will be.

Candles are nice to look at but a little more difficult to talk about.  You should know the different categories of candle and what they are made of.  Some varieties are smokeless candles, pillars, votive candles, triple wick candles, rounds,  soy, and others.  Each candle has traits of it’s own and certain ways to care for them.  These are things you’ll explain at shows during your demonstration.

Candles Can Malfunction

Here are a few things that can happen:

• Wicks are cut too short
• Crack during shipment
• Dislike the scent – maybe it’s doesn’t smell as great as you thought it would

If something like this happens, your customer will want satisfaction and they’ll come looking to you for the answers.

Even though you’re a direct sales rep for the candle company, you still have an obligation to your customers.  No one will purchase from you if they don’t think that you value their patronage.  One way to make them believe is by giving them the best customer service that you can.

Check Your Company Guidelines

They will plainly spell out what qualifies as a condition for a customer refund.  If something does happen that, for one reason or another, doesn’t qualify for a refund from the company, as a business owner, you can issue a refund.  This means you pay the company out of your own pocket, but also that you’ll have a loyal customer who will more than likely buy from you again.  It’s actually a pretty small price to pay for to keep a customer.

With the information you’ve recieved from your candle company, answer your customers’ questions as best you can.  If you don’t know or are unsure of an answer, tell your customers, but also tell them that you’ll do whatever you need to get them the answer they’re seeking.

Photo by slgckgc

Here are 5 Tips For Growing Your Direct Sales Business

1. Goal Setting- Setting goals and working towards them will help your business grow and you grow as a direct seller. Keep in mind that realistic goals are much easier to reach than unrealistic goals. Each months make a goal list of how much you want to acomplish that month. Use your goal sheet as a guide to help you build your business bigger and bigger.

A newbie into direct sales could make a goal of talking to 10 people about the business a month, a goal of 5 parties the first month or even a goal of earning $500 the first month. Make sure your base your goals on a level that you will be able to reach without feeling disappointed.

2. Networking- As with any business, networking is important to develop new relationships and contacts. Many direct sales reps elect to join their local Chamber of Commerce and find the contacts they meet within the organization are very valuable. Others choose to network online via social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Regardless of the networking method(s) you select, keep in mind that being yourself is important and honesty is the key to building lasting relationships.

3. Remember your direct sales business is a real business- Your direct sales business is just like any other business in the world and should be treated in that way. Your business can really flourish if you treat it as a business. Being professional in everything you do will help your direct sales business grow.

4. The word NO only means not right now- Many direct sellers are afraid of rejection or being told no, but in reality every single direct seller hears it. It is part of the business and you can not a few No’s halt your success. Remember to never take it personally and continue moving on!

5. Don’t give up- Often people in direct sales get discouraged and give up before they have even had a chance to really work the business. Everyone has bad weeks or months, so if you find yourself in a rut, call your sponsor or start thinking of new ways to work your business. Giving up is easy and anyone who has found success will tell you it takes work!

It’s up to us to decide how much product we wish to keep in stock.  Most direct sales businesses don’t require that you keep any inventory. Products can be shipped pretty quickly so, to the business, it’s usually not necessary.  Keeping inventory can sometimes result in having too many products on hand or even getting stuck with products that don’t sell.

Promotional products are a great way to gain interest from people and who may buy from you.  Buy a variety of products, perhaps something from each category of product that you sell.  You can use these gifts at home parties as:

• Door prizes
• Hostess gifts
• Game prizes
• Booking gifts
• Incentives

None of the items need to be expensive but they should be something that a customer would like to have.  Use more than one product at a time and create baskets. These can be given away as a bonus gift with a show booking or with at least a fifty dollar purchase.

When you give away promotional items, don’t forget to include your business card.  An effective business will include several ways to get in touch with you:  your telephone number, address, and website address.  You want people to keep using your products and see you as a resource for getting them.

Free gifts are also one option for building your list of contacts.  Have everyone at the open house or home party enter a drawing to win a product prize, like a raffle.  They’ll enter their names and contact information (ideally name, address, phone and email at the very least) on a small slip of paper that clearly states that by entering the drawing, they’re giving you permission to add them to your mailing list for future notices and special discounts.

Building exposure is the whole point to giving away your products. Some more ideas for product giveaways are:  charity auctions, school events, public events, online contests, and trade shows.  For the small price of your products you’re getting your name and your business out there among people who may become customers at some point, which is exactly the strategy we’re going for.

Not all giveaways have to be only products that you are selling.  Many businesses will use a similar item and pair them with products, if the products compliment each other. You can also personalize keychains, hats, visors, magnets, calendars, mugs, pencils, pens, and lanyards with your company name, website and contact number. Now every person who gets a free gift is promoting your business for you and there’s no need to even pay them.

Giving away your products is one of the best ways to market your business and products to a wider audience when direct selling.  Always target your product choices closest to the type of customers you want to attract.  Be sure to add other items that are useful and includes your contact information for a bit more free advertising.

Photo by sunshinecity

How are you going to convince someone to buy from you?  One area where a lot of associates lose sales is not having a good knowlege of their products.  When someone asks you a question then you fumble around for a response, you’re showing them that you aren’t really familiar with your products. You never want this to happen.

A simple guide to finding the perfect product to sell is to try them first.  It’s very hard to sell a product if it inspires no confidence from the seller.  Attend a few direct sales parties and order something.  Find a product that works and that you love, and decide if you want to turn it into a business investment.

Being in front of people hosting a party can be difficult. When you actually use and believe in the products, it’s not hard at all to promote them.  Using the products that you sell in your direct sales business will in fact increase the sales that you make.

Potential customers ask a lot of questions about direct selling products before they buy and especially before they consider selling them.  Some of the things they might ask are:

* Does it really work?
* How much money can I earn?
* How much is it to get started?
* Do you like direct selling?

Since you use the product and are representing the company, these are all questions you’ll be able to answer by experience.  Potential customers can see exactly how well the products work by just looking at you.  A shampoo claiming to give bouncing and shining hair will be proved right or refuted by your own hair.  Using home décor products to decorate your home or using the natural makeup you’re selling is good PR.  You’re a walking billboard for your direct sales business and the company as a whole.

In fact, go ahead and get the entire family using the products if possible.  When the family is involved, it says even more about the type of products you’re selling and the validity of the business.  We might try out products as a way to gain more business, but we definitely wouldn’t let our families use them if they weren’t the best quality.  This is especially true and helpful tip for sellers of vitamins, spa products and beauty treatments.  Ask your family what they think of the products after they’ve used them for a while. I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what they tell you.

Nothing inspires confidence in a product and provokes buying like a testimonial.  A husband may vouch for your products to help your business but the kids will be absolutely honest.  No offense to the husbands out there.  Let your husband or your kids tell their own story at a sales party, if you can get them to come along.

Getting the family involved can be very good for business.  Keep this in mind when choosing the company you represent. When you choose a direct sales product that the whole family can get behind, the entire family wins.  The best advice I can think of is before joining a direct sales program, always try the products to see if they are worth your efforts.