Q: On a scale of one to 10, how would you rate your company’s strategic planning process? I recently asked that question to a group of about 25 direct selling executives, and the average answer was a “5”, with the highest being a “7”. That should tell us a lot about how we feel about our planning process. Dwight Eisenhower once said: In planning for battle, I have always felt that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. I love that quote because it speaks to the priority of … [Read more...]
What Are Your Company’s Plans for Marketing Automation?
How can we automate as many components of our marketing as possible? And do it in a way that is effective? Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, discusses why Marketing Automation is so important for any industry, especially direct selling, in his guest article on The SourceDS titled, “What is the biggest area of technology that direct selling companies are overlooking today?” Be sure to check out the full vlog. First off, you might be asking, what … [Read more...]
How To Step Up Your Brand with Story-Telling
Facts tell. Stories sell. This applies to every industry, including direct selling. Purchasing is driven by emotions, not logic or facts. When someone has an emotional response or connection to a company or product, this feeling will last longer than simply listing off the facts. This is why Clark Diemer and Tony Moran from Diemer Marketing Group share their thoughts on how story-telling through video can be used effectively for your marketing. Related Content About … [Read more...]
4 Ways for Direct Selling to Compete as a Modern Distribution System
Sooner or later this question pops up just about every time I have a conversation with a direct selling executive these days: What will direct selling look like in 5 years? 10 years? Can we compete with the online sales onslaught? If so, how? As a method of distribution, direct sales has some real challenges ahead. However, let's take a look at the basic competitive advantage direct sellers have always had over traditional fixed-location retailers. Alan Luce, Co-Founder and Managing … [Read more...]
Strategic Planning Done Right
In this short 30-minute webinar, Brett Duncan shares simple ways any direct selling company can get the most out of their planning process. Learn specific techniques and guidelines you can use to improve the planning process at your office. Get Instant Access to this webinar and many others. Create your free account now! The Planning Process Whether you are a one-person company or a thousand-employee company, you will receive valuable information from this webinar because the planning … [Read more...]
The 3 Must-Have Videos Every Direct Selling Company Must Master
Are you rethinking how you approach your videos? Direct selling has changed, and so are the ways we have to tell our stories. No longer will a single "opportunity video" do the trick. Video is a constant and consistent component of your marketing efforts. In this training, Clark Diemer joins Brett Duncan to discuss the three must-have videos every direct selling company must master. Get Instant Access to this webinar and many others. Create your free account now! 2017 Online Video … [Read more...]
Custom Animations Vs. Generic Templates
Today it is incredibly easy to find someone or a company to help you make videos to explain your products and services, but how do you know you've made the right decision when it comes to your company and effectively reaching your target audience? Clark Diemer and Tony Moran from Diemer Marketing Group talk about the differences between custom animations and quick turnaround services, as well as how it can affect your brand image and, more importantly, your bottom … [Read more...]
Open-Neck Vs. Closed-Neck Compensation Plan
A friend of mine who is starting a direct selling company posed this question to me: How many downlines in my compensation plan should go toward the company? My Answer The number of downlines that come direct to the company has a big impact on how quickly your compensation plan matures and hits its highest possible payout levels. Too often, however, the founding management of a direct selling company fails to consider the impact of this issue. Regardless of the design of your plan or … [Read more...]
No More Custom Previews in Facebook
If you use Facebook for your business, there are some changes that are about to happen. Sadly, these changes will probably put a hiccup in your planning process, but they are better to know about now than not at all. Earlier this year (2017), Facebook made some updates in an effort to improve its ability to measure real-time signals to make sure what YOU are sharing is authentic information. According to Facebook, these updates were made to stop the false news epidemic that has infected … [Read more...]
Make Tracks to Great Customer Service
Your Customer Service department is your window into the world of your sales force. Customer Service Reps hear it all and deal with it all. Putting out fires is what they do. But that’s only half of their job. To be really effective, reps also need to carefully track what they encounter, so everyone in the organization can learn from their experiences and make future decisions based on what’s really going on in the field. Take Notes A little time spent taking the right notes in the … [Read more...]
Is Being Different Than Amazon a Competitive Advantage?
Have you ever considered there being hidden competition between direct selling companies and Amazon? We didn't either until this conversation. Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, shares a thought-provoking conversation he had at a recent DSA meeting with some executives from very successful direct selling companies in his guest article on The Source DS titled, “Is Direct Selling the Anti-Amazon? And is That a Good Thing?” Be sure to read the full … [Read more...]
Determining the True Cost of a Meeting
I just finished suffering through an almost pointless meeting. Happens all the time, actually. In fact, it happens all the time for most of us. So why is that? Why do we continue to spend so much time in meetings we all know are useless? Today, during the meeting, prior to paper-cutting my wrists with the agenda, I did some figuring. I tried to figure out what that meeting was costing us, simply based on hourly rates from the salaries of the people in the room. I came up with $210 for this … [Read more...]
Charting Your Digital Roadmap
Trying to decide what direction to go in the digital world can be overwhelming, which is why Brett Duncan walks you through 7 vital questions to help you chart your digital roadmap. In this training, Brett uses his creativity to help you get clear on what you need to do in the digital space. Get Instant Access to this webinar and many others. Create your free account now! Here are two of the vital questions you need to ask yourself: Question #1 So what do you want? These … [Read more...]
The 5 Steps a Venture Capitalist Takes to Value Your Business
In the world of direct selling, one of the most difficult issues includes capital formation and how to make your particular company attractive to a venture capitalist in order to raise the necessary capital to take your company to the next level of growth. Dan Murphy, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, discusses how Venture Capitalists (VCs) think about valuing business, and how you should think about it as you prepare, in his guest article on the World of Direct … [Read more...]
Are You a Ball Roller?
Have you ever been stuck with a large group of people, all with good ideas, but the very thought of getting started as a group is absolutely paralyzing? That’s because groups aren't good at starting things. A person is. And yet, we celebrate consensus and compromise and synergy and brainstorming and all that crap. It’s not bad crap, in all fairness. It just isn’t everything. For example, one of the worst things about brainstorming is that it leaves you overwhelmed by all the things you … [Read more...]
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