Marketing and communications have never been more important within the direct sales industry than they are right now. While good marketing always has been a common thread among successful companies, it’s often been overlooked as a recognized driver, playing second fiddle to compensation plan design, product development, field training and the like. Today’s direct sales marketing leader has a lot on his or her plate. In a new way, the industry is recognizing the need to deliberately … [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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
What Are Your Company’s Plans for Marketing Automation?
How can we automate as many components of our marketing as possible? And do it in a way that is effective? Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Strategic Choice Partners, discusses why Marketing Automation is so important for any industry, especially direct selling, in his guest article on The SourceDS titled, “What is the biggest area of technology that direct selling companies are overlooking today?” Be sure to check out the full vlog. First off, you might be asking, what … [Read more...]
How To Step Up Your Brand with Story-Telling
Facts tell. Stories sell. This applies to every industry, including direct selling. Purchasing is driven by emotions, not logic or facts. When someone has an emotional response or connection to a company or product, this feeling will last longer than simply listing off the facts. This is why Clark Diemer and Tony Moran from Diemer Marketing Group share their thoughts on how story-telling through video can be used effectively for your marketing. Related Content About … [Read more...]
Custom Animations Vs. Generic Templates
Today it is incredibly easy to find someone or a company to help you make videos to explain your products and services, but how do you know you've made the right decision when it comes to your company and effectively reaching your target audience? Clark Diemer and Tony Moran from Diemer Marketing Group talk about the differences between custom animations and quick turnaround services, as well as how it can affect your brand image and, more importantly, your bottom … [Read more...]
Charting Your Digital Roadmap
Trying to decide what direction to go in the digital world can be overwhelming, which is why Brett Duncan walks you through 7 vital questions to help you chart your digital roadmap. In this training, Brett uses his creativity to help you get clear on what you need to do in the digital space. Get Instant Access to this webinar and many others. Create your free account now! Here are two of the vital questions you need to ask yourself: Question #1 So what do you want? These … [Read more...]
The Real Benefit of Social Media
I finally experienced the real, most fundamental benefit of social media for direct sales companies. It’s not prospecting. It’s not retention. It’s not recruiting. It’s brand awareness, in its simplest form. Brand Awareness in Action A while back, while scrolling through Facebook updates, I noticed one of my high school friends touting their love for a certain direct sales company. A day later, another high school friend posted a similar message for the same company. … [Read more...]