Direct Sales Tools: The Presentation
One of the key methods to becoming a successful direct sales person is learning to conduct a good presentation. Often direct sales consultants aren’t seasoned or professional sales people so they never receive training to help them improve in this area. Below are some tips to help you prepare and create a winning presentation every time to ensure you never lose a sale because of a poor presentation.
• Know Your Product
Since many direct sales consultants don’t get proper training from their upline they’re often thrown out into the field their with canned presentation materials and methods that were created by the company. As a result, the consultant may not know how to think on her feet and edit or customize the presentation for each prospect. And they often rely so heavily on the company presentation format that they don’t really learn the product which would give their presentations depth and charisma.
This is why it is so important to use, know and believe in the product you’re selling. This will give you great and relatable stories to tell during your presentation, and more passion for what you’re doing. You’ll also be able to customize your presentations and answer questions easily. There’ll be some products or items that your company sells that you’ll know more about. That’s ok. Your goal will be to know at least the basics about everything you offer so you can speak intelligently about the products.
• Don’t “Throw Up” on Your Prospect!
This is good advice when taken literally, but here it’s used as a metaphor! When you make your presentation, don’t just rattle off endless information about your direct sales products. This sounds like common sense, but many direct sales consultants use this method every time they present. Most consultants start by selling to their friends and family who are very tolerant, want to be supportive, and will most likely buy anyway. But if you’re in this to make a solid income, then you’ll soon exhaust your list of personal contacts and begin presenting to people you don’t know.
The best advice for you is to Listen More, Talk Less. Most of your presentation should involve you listening to the needs of your potential customer and seeing how your product can help him, or make him happy. This way you can tailor your presentation for the receiver–giving the highlights of what your product can do for him, how it can fulfill his needs, and how it can make his life better. Doing this will answer the big question all customers are secretly asking… WIIFM – “What’s In IT For Me!”
• Use Relationship Marketing
Relationship marketing is about long-term connections, not just transactions. In direct sales, you want to build a bond with your prospects so they’ll become long-term customers and advocates for your business. Your presentation needs to be about your customer, not you. This means asking questions, listening, being respectful and sincere. In other words, build your relationships deep, not wide.
Each prospect can become a customer or a part of your team, and they can bring you referrals, or become a winning sales person themselves; each of these scenarios will benefit your business. Getting to know the people you present to has so many advantages, such as loyalty to your product and you, fun interactions, added sales, and more. So, go deep rather than wide with relationship marketing and build off of each prospect. This is much more effective than trudging along simply looking for people to sell your products to.
• You’re Unique, So Be You!
Remember that “people buy you, not your product.” Sounds crazy, but it’s true. If you’ve been in sales for a bit, you will have experienced or heard of a situation where a direct sales person meets with a prospect, has a presentation, follows up, and does all the right things, but no sale. Then another rep comes along from the same company and “Bam!” gets the sale.
Looking at this you might say that the first sales person warmed them up or got them ready to buy and the second sales rep just took the order. That kind of thinking is okay for young consultants or those just starting out in direct sales, but once you’ve been around for awhile, you need to hold your ego in check and see that you can’t sell or build a relationship with everyone. And that’s okay!
Most times when you start a direct sales venture, you begin by meeting the top sellers in the company. Your first thought is ‘if I can be them then I will be successful.’ Wrong! You have your own unique selling style, you just need to find it and use it.
Start out by using the best practices and methods you’re given by your upline or company, then add your own style and flair in baby steps, if needed. This will make your sincerity, passion, and charisma shine through and these are sales presentation musts.
Frustration due to lack of sales is one of the reasons many direct sales consultants quit. Master these basic, but crucial concepts, and you’ll not only see your sales increase, but you’ll be less nervous and more confident when making a presentation.
Attending Your Direct Sales Company’s Annual Conference
Should you take the time to attend your company’s direct sales annual conference? The answer is yes! Do you like how that was short and to the point? There are many important reasons to attend but today we’ll cover 6 of the really good ones.
Get Motivated
Need some motivation in your business? Go to the annual conference! You will see a lot of people just like you who are making a success of their direct sales businesses. You’ll get to meet them and ask them questions. You can learn what they did to get where they are and what they’re doing to stay on top! You’ll also meet people where you are currently in your business and you can network with those people, too. Having friends and accountability partners will make your business grow.
Attend Cheap or Even Free
Sometimes, companies will award you with free or discounted registration fees if you meet certain sales and recruitment goals. Set your goals to reach these incentives and not only will you get to the conference but your business will get a boost with sales and bookings. Setting your sites to attend the annual conference help you gain the momentum you need to keep your business growing.
Momentum
When you get back from the annual conference, you’ll be empowered with so much knowledge and motivation nothing will stop you from reaching your sales goals and gaining new recruits! And if you boosted your sales and recruits to reach a goal before you went, you’ll have all those shows to follow up on. Can you say “tremendous growth”? You will really be rolling along nicely in your business and your excitement will rub off on anyone in your down line and your potential business partners (your recruits) will want to sign up right away when they see how excited you are.
Training & Knowledge
The knowledge you’ll learn at the annual conference is invaluable
Most annual conferences offer training classes you can take while there that will teach you how to be more successful in your direct sales business. These classes are usually taught by people at the top but they started exactly where you did. You can expect to learn how to get bookings, train your hostesses, design a product display, play games…well, you get the idea. They will teach you how to get to the next level.
Meet People Just Like You
The camaraderie is something you’ll experience like no place else
Everyone attending the annual conference has something in common with you. You will make new friends; possibly meet a new mentor or role model. There won’t be a luncheon or banquet that you will attend where you won’t have something to talk about with someone else. Everyone you meet will encourage you and make you feel like starting your business is the best decision you’ve ever made.
Visit Somewhere New
Annual Conferences are usually held in a large city. Life in the big city changes everyone’s point of view. If you’re from a small, rural part of the country, going to a big city where annual conferences are usually held, is an experience you will never forget. It really changes your perspective on things and makes you realize this world isn’t so small. There really are a lot more resources out there than you may realize if you are from a small town. And if you’re from a big city already, then you may meet someone from a smaller town and can learn from them. They know how to approach people on a personal level. They can teach you how to not sound so much like a person trying to sell something, and more like a friend or neighbor.
So, if you’re sales director or recruiter has been bugging you to go to the annual conference but you just weren’t sure about it, think about it no more.
Set your goals, make your plans and GO! I promise you won’t regret it!
You will come back with so much excitement your mother-in-law will want to sign up! Okay, maybe that won’t happen, but I bet the girl you know would be perfect for this business will!
So, no more excuses! Attending the annual conferences is really that important!
photo credit: Justin Brockie
