Direct sellers across the globe are facing one of the most rapidly changing selling and recruiting environments in the last hundred years. We see evidence of it everywhere. Tried and true recruiting promotions no longer produce the expected results. Compensation plans and money prizes do not seem to drive the business as well as they used to. Few, if any, have a handle on exactly what is going on. The changes do not seem to flow from product innovations, new laws and regulations, or … [Read more...]
Salesforce Trust: The Key to Direct Selling Sustainability
Trust and belief from your volunteer salesforce are the most important assets any direct selling company can tap into. Great products, marketing programs, training materials, compensation plans and technology can all help build that trust, but they cannot replace it or overcome a lack of trust. In the early days of a direct selling business, company founders learn the importance of this asset. The founders tend to work side by side with the very first salespeople. These early adopters are … [Read more...]
9 Often Forgotten Best Practices to Improve Your Sales Force Training
Your sales force members are your best customers, which means you need to constantly pour into them, encourage them and listen to their feedback. If they lose steam, your business does, too. So here are nine tips to keep in mind when training your sales force. Top 9 Tips People grow from relationships. People don't grow from training, promotions, amazing products or flashy websites. Your new people will be more likely to succeed if they have someone within the company who provides … [Read more...]
Parcel Carrier Negotiated Shipping Rates: How They Work…
It’s 2018 and UPS and FedEx have once again raised their rates. If your business ships with UPS or FedEx, it is essential that you understand as much as possible about your negotiated parcel rates. Companies that have already negotiated with UPS or FedEx could be paying up to 45% too much on their shipping if they don’t completely understand how the negotiated rates and the negotiation process work. And companies that have never negotiated could be paying up to 70% too much. Who … [Read more...]
Ready to Habla Español? How to Tap into the US Hispanic Market
Many companies instinctively know the Hispanic market in the US represents a large opportunity, but they simply don’t know how to effectively tap into it. Companies need a well-thought-out strategy to effectively penetrate this market, but here are three key ways to start taping into the market now. 1. Offer a Spanish language website. US Hispanics accounted for 11 percent–or about $2.2 billion–of total e-commerce purchases made across the United States in the first quarter of 2012. … [Read more...]
10 Simple Ways Direct Selling Companies Can Provide Extraordinary Customer Service
You want your customers to be happy, right? Then don’t overlook investing in your customer service department. This is the perfect way to over deliver, increase rapport with your sales force and build trust between your company and its customers. So many direct selling companies settle for letting their Customer Service department simply focus on taking orders and answering calls. But they can be so much more. Here are ten tips to keep in mind as you look for ways to make your customer … [Read more...]
Alan Luce’s Top 8 Reminders for Direct Selling Companies
Decades of experience has led me to much success, but more importantly, some failures. These failures have taught me more than I could have learned through only succeeding, which is why I want to offer my most valuable eight tips to help you succeed even faster. We believe the direct selling industry flourishes because its foundation is based on people helping other people succeed. That's really why we share useful articles like this one, and so many others, in simple, bite-sized … [Read more...]
How Much Discounting Is Too Much?
As executives and stakeholders in the industry, we know excitement and enthusiasm moves our business. This energy can come in many different forms: new products, a national convention, a travel incentive trip and most recently, via social media and public relations. Using Caution with Promotions When it comes to generating excitement in a direct selling business with promotions, caution is advised. Promotions, of course, have an important place in our toolkit of options to generate … [Read more...]
The Upside of the US Hispanic Market
As US-based companies think about expanding into other markets to grow revenues and profits, they should consider expanding into a market that is within their own backyard. The cost of international expansion is high due to setting up operational facilities, defining IT requirements, hiring management staff, and accounting for all the legal and tax matters related to operating in complex international markets. Expanding into the US Hispanic market provides companies with great upside while … [Read more...]
A Look Back at 2017
What a Year 2017 Was! If you’re like us, even in the midst of kicking off 2018, you’re still reflecting a bit on what 2017 was all about. Was it a good year? Productive? Did it go like you thought it would, or did it slide way off the tracks? At SCP, we're taking a look back at 2017, and all we can say is ... "WOW!" Sure, it was the best year in terms of total sales for our firm to date. But that's really not how we measure success here. Our job is to make the lives and businesses of our … [Read more...]
Now’s the Time to Start Promoting Your Summer Event!
With holiday happenings all around us, it’s doubtful your summer event is weighing heavily on your mind right now. But it should be. Here’s why: Many, if not most direct selling companies have leadership events in the early part of the year. That’s the ideal time to gather what you need to successfully promote your event. More on that in a moment. This is the time of year vacation schedules are being put together for 2018. Even if a consultant is not tied to a strict, planned vacation … [Read more...]
The Seismic Shifts in Marketing’s Role in Direct Selling
"Marketing doesn’t matter for a direct selling company.” Have you ever heard this one before? If you’ve been working in direct selling for more than ten years, there’s a good chance you’ve heard someone say this outright, or at least imply it. In fact, that person may have even been you. Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, explores a few of the most obvious shifts we’ve seen in marketing over the last ten years in his guest article on The World of … [Read more...]
Holiday Shipping Guide
Worried your Christmas package might not make it in time? Don't stress, the good folks at Lojistic have you covered. We've compiled all major UPS, FedEx and USPS deadlines for the holiday season in one useful shipping calendar. Share it with your coworkers, family and friends to make sure your gifts show up on time! Download Graphic About Rich Harkey With 27 years of experience working in the transportation/logistics industry, Rich brings a wealth of experience, knowledge … [Read more...]
The Most Overlooked Factor When It Comes to Churn
You've all heard it before. It's less expensive to retain a customer than it is to acquire a new one. When customers leave, this is called churn. So if keeping customers and Consultants is the goal, we need to take a deep dive into what causes people to leave your company. The Overlooked Factor Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, and Michel Bayan from DirecTech Labs discuss the most overlooked factor when it comes to customer churn in … [Read more...]
How Direct Selling Companies Can Conduct a Straightforward Financial Tune-Up
Anyone who is a veteran of the direct selling industry generally loves the industry. This is one of the few business models where you can do good while you do well. For this reason, it is necessary to conduct periodic financial reviews for direct selling corporations, to safeguard a company’s position and to ensure its long-term success and viability. Dan Murphy, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, discusses how direct sales companies can conduct a … [Read more...]
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