Today’s direct seller has more access to data and numbers than any generation of direct seller ever had before. Backoffices are packed with beautiful reports, dashboards are dotted with wonderful widgets and notifications, and promotions and programs are launched every day to accelerate sales and income. And yet, my experience tells me that Distributors don’t always appreciate all this stuff like I think they should. Some of the obvious perks of a new promotion often get overlooked. The … [Read more...]
Without Trust You Can Kiss Success Goodbye!
Direct selling companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on equipment, marketing materials, product development and social media branding programs, but often squander or even neglect their most precious asset: the sales force's trust and belief. Over the years, working for, leading and advising more than 100 companies as a consultant, I came to learn that successful direct selling companies that excel for decades are very careful to maintain the field’s trust. Too often I have observed … [Read more...]
Winning Back the Trust
In times of change, companies often find themselves at odds or even in an adversarial struggle for dominance with their field sales leaders. There are many reasons why these divisions occur, including declining sales, changes of ownership (especially when the founder(s) sell out or retire), and rising competition from other gig/part-time income opportunities. These divisions lead to a lack of trust and belief on the part of the field sales leaders and will obstruct, if not outright sabotage, … [Read more...]
How to Sponsor More Leaders
When working with field leaders, I’m often asked how to sponsor “good” people—ones who aspire to become leaders. The Right Approach vs. Wrong Approach On occasion, a leader will tell me she only talks with people who “prequalify” as a solid prospective consultant. Ouch! I believe, without hesitation, we can’t tell if someone will be wildly successful. We can have a hunch, for sure. But too many times I’ve worked with new consultants who just needed encouragement and someone who … [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...]
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...]
A Fast Start Program for the Fast Start Program
It’s pretty standard for a party-plan company to have some sort of Fast Start program. While the names and details vary, the intent is the same. Helping new consultants experience success by rewarding them for incremental achievements during their first few months of business. These programs are carefully crafted to help new consultants quickly reach the first level of leadership, which has proven to be a solid indicator of future success. The strategy for achieving Fast Start challenges is … [Read more...]
Motivation – It’s a Tricky One
As a long-term training consultant, I’ve had the pleasure of presenting quite a few Leadership Seminars. I discovered early on that the liveliest and most productive sessions are ones where I contacted each leader a couple weeks in advance to get a feel for her personality and find out what she hopes to gain from the experience. The Questions to Ask I ask questions like, “What drew you to the company?” or “What do you enjoy most about being a leader?” and “What are your long-term business … [Read more...]
The Greatest Feature of Direct Sales
The greatest feature, advantage and benefit of any direct sales company is the direct seller. As a company, what you may think you’re selling, and what people are actually buying, are often two very different things. It’s not the product. I know it’s hard to believe, but not everyone will be as awestruck with your product as you. It’s not the compensation plan. There are tons of ways to make tons of money. It’s not your tools. They help, but they’re useless without people who know how to … [Read more...]