Plenty of experts have reported on and provided suggestions about how to respond to new regulatory requirements and best practices that have popped up in direct selling over the past two years. One of those best practices is the creation of a strong and distinct customer program, in which a customer would be allowed and encouraged to purchase products and, in most cases, receive a discount without having to become a distributor and have the ability to earn income. My thinking on this is… why … [Read more...]
Why SEO Matters for Direct Sales Companies
At the corporate office, one question you have to be constantly asking yourself is, “How can we help our individual reps in ways that they can’t help themselves?” Answers to this question typically hover in the more logistical area of the business. Shipping product. Mailing checks. Creating products. These are all things that a sizeable corporate entity, not an individual sales rep, should focus on streamlining. It ultimately helps facilitate evangelism, which is what we’re all … [Read more...]
Direct Sales Marketing: Unusually the Same
Marketing for a direct sales company is a funny thing. Countless are the stories of companies within our fair industry who have welcomed an executive of the highest marketing pedigree with vast experience outside of direct sales, only to escort them out in short order, noting, most often, their lack of experience within direct sales. The very promises that allured us to them in the beginning (e.g. establishing a brand, updating our packaging, increasing awareness, incorporating true market … [Read more...]
How to Avoid the 5 Biggest Mistakes New Direct Sales Companies Make
Every company has their own challenges, opportunities, advantages and disadvantages. But there are some patterns that become pretty consistent across the board. Whether your company is new, established, mature or in the climb, this is true. Alan Luce, who has been in the direct selling industry for over 40 years, and Brett Duncan walk through the most common obstacles new companies face, and what you can do to avoid them. While this webinar is focused on NEW companies, the principles apply to … [Read more...]
8 Reasons Your Promotions Don’t Work (and what to do about it!)
As you know, direct selling is a very promotionally driven industry (and I mean that in every sense of the word). And unfortunately, I am seeing so many of our companies falling short in their own promotional efforts. This is why I want to talk through some of the most obvious areas that I feel need to be addressed, and encourage you to take the necessary steps to overcome these mistakes quickly and correctly. I recently shared these ideas in a featured article for World of Direct Selling, … [Read more...]
Midyear Resolutions for Direct Selling Companies
It is common to make New Year’s resolutions, right? But why not make resolutions throughout the year? I mean, what's so special about January to think that's the only time we can be clear on our resolve to improve, right?!? It is always a smart move to make new goals, analyze our habits and look for blind spots. If you feel like you’re at a standstill or have plateaued, don’t let this year pass by without making a change. Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice … [Read more...]
Time for a Compliance Check Up?
Many companies that have become significant in size may have copied their contract from another company when they first launched, as well as their policies and procedures, and simply given a rewrite to make them fit the terminology of their Company. This is not a good thing to do. "Why?" you ask. Dan Murphy, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, recently shared some insights from being an expert witness on four separate occasions that led him to ask an important … [Read more...]
6 Best Practices To Prevent Shipping Costs From Eroding Your Margins
Businesses have grown to depend on parcel shipping as a lifeline to consumers and clients. The days of just slapping on a shipping label and sending off a package have given way to a complex maze of service levels, pricing, and intricate fees and surcharges. Over the past decade, UPS & FedEx have increased their ground tariff rates 75% and their air tariffs 81.8%. Those aren’t exactly small numbers. What’s worse, is these figures do not include the infamous Dimensional Weight pricing … [Read more...]
Wisdom in 100 Words: Looking ahead to 2016
Four key phases will dominate direct selling discussions and plans in 2016 and beyond: Multi-channel retail selling: Direct sellers must compete with the convenience and efficiency of on-line selling Retail focus: 2016 will see all forms of direct selling putting increased emphasis on selling to end user retail customers. Compensation plans and marketing programs will be revised to reflect this focus. Transparency: Regulatory focus will insist on greater transparency about income and … [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...]