There are many things that direct selling companies share in common, but probably nothing more than the national convention. If we’re being honest, our businesses are truly driven by what occurs leading up to our national conventions and what happens after them. Whether you have a single conference once a year or several throughout the year, as you work at the home office of a direct selling company, you know too well how these events essentially dictate just about everything else you … [Read more...]
Are your products telling the right story?
Let’s face it: no one can deny the highly competitive market we live in. I remember the days not too long ago when I would walk through the grocery aisle to find one brand of yogurt. Today, it’s hard to decide. There’s regular, Greek, French, non-fat, low-fat, probiotic, gluten-free, vegan, real fruit and more! The fact is finding how to attract new customers and maintain customers has never been trickier, especially given the large amount of product variety, easy access with technology and a … [Read more...]
5 Key Strategies to Improve Your Company’s Online Reputation
When customers perform a search for your company, what do they see on the first page of the Google results? Chances are a search might include websites with negative content about your company. Negative websites can hurt your brand and decrease your company’s revenue. You can either let your reputation and sales suffer, or you can manage your online reputation just as you manage everything else in your company—by taking steps to get the results you want and keep your company on track for … [Read more...]
Rethink Resolutions: 9 Resolutions for Direct Selling Companies in 2019
How has the beginning of 2019 been for you? As we enter the halfway point of 2019, it’s only natural to reflect on what we’ve accomplished so far, where we’ve fallen short of expectations, and what happened that we never saw coming. Every year is filled with its share of blessings and surprises. At the same time, in many ways, the first part of your year can look just like the last part of your year if we aren’t careful. Which gets me thinking about resolutions. Do you only make … [Read more...]
Most Technology Problems Are Not Actually Technology Problems
Having started my career in the direct selling industry in 2002, you can imagine the swift changes I’ve experienced in a relatively short period of time in how direct selling works. I’m sure many of you can say the same. As the model evolves and adapts, we found ourselves today rethinking components of direct selling that seemed like bedrocks of our business. Technology = Opportunity & Confusion At the forefront of these changes, you’ll find technology as an equal-opportunity … [Read more...]
The Implications of a Trade War with China on the Direct Selling Industry
International trade is an important part of the world economy, especially between the United States and China. The US imports approximately $505 billion of products from China while the US exports approximately $135 billion of goods to China. We are all aware that the US is taking steps to lower the imbalance of imports and exports, with a goal of protecting US markets from lower cost producing countries. The Current International Tariffs The Trump administration has to date … [Read more...]
The 7 Most Common Recommendations for Today’s Direct Selling Company
Every direct selling company thinks of itself as extremely unique. You probably feel that way about your company, too. Your product is one-of-a-kind. Your compensation plan has unique perks. Your founder offers both special privileges and special challenges. Your culture is special and unprecedented and unlike anything you’ve ever seen. And I bet that’s all true. I just bet it’s not as true as you think it is. My experience has shown me that direct selling companies have a lot more in common … [Read more...]
5 New Rules for Direct Selling Success
It used to be that choosing how you wanted to sell your products using a direct selling method was a fairly simple proposition. Direct sellers employed two basic selling approaches: one-on-one and one-to-many (usually referred to as “party plan”). The Most Recent Approach Then along came the vitamin and supplement companies who drove a new method of selling using a variation of subscription selling called “autoship.” While it seems common now, this approach was quite innovative … [Read more...]
The Right Way to Create a Sales Forecast in Direct Selling
Every year, usually after convention season is over and most direct selling companies kick into their high-selling season, another important task begins (or at least it should): the formulation of the sales forecast for the balance of the year, and the plan for the entire following year. This is a good time to appraise how well your initiatives and tactics are working in the current year. Are we ahead or behind our plan? What worked and what didn’t work? Honest and clear answers to … [Read more...]
Our Customers Want to Know They’ve Been Heard
There is one word that can make a huge difference for the growth and sustainability of your direct selling business when it comes to your customers. Drum roll, please! And that one word is … LISTEN! The Easiest Way to Show You’re Listening As customers, we want to know someone is listening. The easiest way a Customer Service Rep can do that is by summarizing the customer’s inquiry. Something like this: CUSTOMER SERVICE REP: “Let me make sure I have this right. You say your … [Read more...]
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