I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to write about this month. Not that I didn’t have ideas. I have lots of ideas. Tons of ‘em. Too many, in fact. I mean, when you mix the “resolution-centric, hope-springs-eternal, goal-setting” spirit of the New Year with the “What-the-$#@&-is-going-on-around-here?!!” mindset of most direct selling execs these days, the stakes for picking the right article topic seem high. I struggled with going uber-specific and tactical vs. staying philosophical and … [Read more...]
What Norms Aren’t Worth Rushing Back to?
As we all do everything we can to rush back to normal, stop and consider what “normals” actually aren’t worth rushing back to. I heard this statement on a podcast recently. It’s not a podcast specific to direct sales, but it’s a statement that has haunted me over the last 10 days or so. As we navigate our way past the initial shock and awe of the pandemic, and now settle into figuring out what to do now, I think every strategic discussion should incorporate this question as its starting … [Read more...]
The Elephants in Direct Selling’s Room
No one likes having difficult conversations. But there comes a time when you can no longer ignore the proverbial “elephant in the room.” Well, guess what? That time has come for the direct selling industry. We need to face our most recent “elephant,” better known as “the gig economy.” So let’s take a moment to address this problem pachyderm. What is the Gig Economy? The gig economy is the general term that describes the ever-widening variety of non-employee income opportunities … [Read more...]
4 Critical Questions That Determine Your Convention’s Success
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...]
How to Create a Direct Selling Event Schedule
For virtually all of your conference planning, you need to start with the basic commitment trio. The “Big 3” are your theme, budget and schedule. And out of those three, your schedule is the one component that will require the most ongoing time and attention. Event schedules will be updated and revised constantly, circulated widely and universally depended on as projects move forward and your event unfolds. Since this is the time of year when most direct sales companies are planning their … [Read more...]
9 Surefire Ways to Supercharge Your Strategic Planning
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
What’s Your Hell or High Water Statement?
Let me blunt. Your problem isn’t ideas. It’s not social media or your website. It’s not even customers. Your problem is commitment. Your problem is you confuse business with busy-ness. You think success is measured by the size of your to-do list. You think the best option is lots of options. And you’re confused when it comes to commitment. Don’t worry; you’re not alone. This isn’t just a “business thing.” It’s a human thing. People logically know that focus and commitment are effective, but … [Read more...]
7 Tools & Techniques that Crush Communication Confusion
Learn a proven and complete methodology for gathering and prioritizing your company's message every month, how to account for every communication touchpoint, and how to plan, document and track every communication effort. Get Instant Access to this webinar and many others. Create your free account now! Before you start your communication planning process, you need to ask yourself one very important question. Who? That's right. The question is simply, “Who?” – “Who are you marketing … [Read more...]
The One Word to Get You Through Strategic Gridlock
We strategic thinkers so easily get our hopes up sometimes. Haven’t you been in those sessions before where you just know you can drive the group to truly sell out to your key objectives? Committing together to make it all happen? Things are going well, you’ve got your tight list of objectives and goals, and it feels like some real barriers have been knocked down. And It Goes Downhill... Then someone points out that there’s one small initiative that hasn’t been addressed in the … [Read more...]
The Difference Between a Mission & Vision Statement
No day-long corporate strategy session or weekend retreat can survive for long without two things being forced upon everyone to ponder and pander over: Mission Statement Vision Statement I’ll confess, I’ve never had a strong grasp on the differences between them. Most vision statements I’ve seen would pass for mission statements and vice versa. But then I heard them both explained this way, and it made all the difference in the world. I first saw this expressed by Christopher S. … [Read more...]
“Turn-Arounds” Are Hard to Do!
Perhaps the hardest task any management team can undertake is turning around a long successful company that’s declining. There’s simply nothing easy about a turn-around. The process is always disruptive, often painful, and requires setting a plan and sticking with it, even if it takes time to show results. A Change Plan More important, getting it done requires a clear-eyed ability to see the reality of the situation, then assessing what needs to be done. In other words, coming up … [Read more...]
How to Create a Marketing Roadmap That Works
Marketing at a direct sales company can mean a lot of things, and it’s difficult to stay on top of it all, which is why Brett Duncan is giving away his 6 practical approaches to creating a marketing roadmap. And a roadmap that actually works. In this training, Brett will help you define your objectives and match your projects with your resources. Get Instant Access to this webinar and many others. Create your free account now! To start off. Brett asks, “What is marketing?” Marketing is … [Read more...]