10 Tips for Time Management in Direct Sales
It seems there are usually more things to do then there are hours in the day. With busy schedules and busier lives important things often get forgotten or pushed aside until it’s too late to do them. Time management is essential in all areas of life, especially if you’re running a direct sales business from your home. The ten steps below are geared to direct sales consultants but can be carried over to other careers or parts of life as well.
When you choose tasks that need to be accomplished it’s important to set priorities. The most important tasks have a greater priority over less important tasks. Set certain a amount of time for each task. To start out with, you need to determine what needs to be accomplished. So get out your PDA or pen and paper and let’s begin.
1. The first step is to set your priorities for the day. What are the important things you need to accomplish for the day, what can be accomplished the day after, etc.? Create a list of things that must be completed that day. The top of the list will have the most important tasks; the bottom of the list will have tasks that can be accomplished within a day or two. After you have created your list jot down how much time each task will require.
2. Prepare for the next day the night before. It’s a good idea to create your to-do list the night before so when you get up early you can focus on the tasks that need to be accomplished that day. Alternatively, you can get up an hour or so early to do this, but typically the night before works best.
3. Next, set the operating hours for your business. This means determining what hours you’ll answer emails, contact potential clients, contact your sales force, advertise and update your website, etc.
4. Take notes. Throughout the day take notes of what needs to be accomplished whether in your PDA, or on paper. When you create a list of tasks to accomplish for the next day, it will be easier with your list in hand.
5. Take the time to set up an automatic email system using Constant Contact or Outlook. An automated system will save valuable hours every day. Set autoresponders to send automatic emails of sales and specials to your contact list, receive orders, and set up shipping. Setting up autoresponders once means less time spent on these tasks later on.
6. Get and stay organized. you’ve heard there’s a place for everything and everything in its place. Make that your mantra! It’s important to be able to find what you need when you need it. Organize your office so it’s easy and efficient to find whatever you need. Losing valuable hours searching for business documents, invoices, bills or anything else will cost you valuable time and money.
7. Outsource. If you need help, hire someone to do some of your necessary tasks such as website maintenance, or mailings. It can mean hiring someone privately, using family labor, or working with another business that provides those services.
8. Delegate. It’s important delegate tasks to others in your sales force to help your team be successful. Learn what you can delegate, then let the tasks go and trust your team to accomplish them. If you find you can’t trust someone to do the job you’ve delegated to them, it’s time to consider replacing them with someone you can trust.
9. Set reminders for important dates for your business. This include sales and specials you plan to run, customer birthdays and anniversaries, and the last time a customer ordered from you.
10. Create and use thank you notes. At the end of the day create a list of thank you notes you plan to send to your customers the next day. Then, take a few minutes to fill them out and drop them in the mail the next morning. It’s an important follow-up that your customers will appreciate.
With these easy-to-manage time management tactics, you’re well on your way to becoming more time efficient in your direct sales business operations. Automating a few areas of your business early on will help considerably in the long run.
Increase Direct Sales with a Gift Registry
There are lots of things you can do to make a sale. Tell someone how useful your products are, how much they’ll be able to use them, offer a discount, or simply tell a customer how reasonably priced a product is.
But what do you do when a customer tells you that they simply don’t have the money to buy your product? This can be hard to work around. A customer can’t give you money she doesn’t have and you can’t make the sale unless she does. There’s not a lot of wiggle room. But don’t lose hope! There is a solution.
You can still make a sale and even do it in a way that doesn’t require your customer to pay a dime. In fact, she’ll ll actually be thankful to you.
How? By creating a simple gift registry for your customers!
There’s a reason department stores and bridal boutiques have been using gift registries since the beginning of time. They’re an excellent way to make a lot of sales in a small amount of time, while giving customers exactly what they want. It’s really a no-brainer. And starting a registry is so easy. You’ll see a drastic increase in your sales in no time!
The first thing that to do is create registry forms that registrants can fill out if they want to sign up for the registry. Create a form in Word or another wordprocesser that has a place for the registrant’s name, address, phone number and email, and other personal information you might need such as sizes. Leave several blank lines where the registrant can write down the items she’d like. And include several more blank links for the names and phone numbers of the registrants’s friends and family who might be interested in buying them a gift from the registry.
You may find it’s best to ask for phone numbers rather than addresses of friends and family. People may feel uncomfortable giving out friends’ addresses, but with a quick phone call, you can explain why you’re calling and offer to mail or email them a copy of the gift registry if they’re interested. This will help you avoid putting someone in an awkward position, and will ensure potential gift buyers won’t perceive your mail to be junk and throw it away.
Tell your customers and prospects about your gift registry and keep plenty of forms on hand for people to sign up. Hand out forms at home parties, create a form on your website, and encourage everyone you know to tell their friends and family that they’ve registered with you.
One of the best things about creating a gift registry is that you’re helping someone who otherwise couldn’t get your products to get what she wants, and you’ve added new prospects to your list of leads.
The next time you run a heavy mail campaign or promotion, you’ll have the names and addresses of people who’ve bought your product before and who will likely be interested in buying again. And you’ll be offering terrific customer service which will increase your value in the eyes of your customers. It’s a win-win situation for everyone concerned!
10 Ways to Market your Direct Sales Business Online
Marketing your direct sales business is the only way it will grow. But there are so many different ways you can market your business both online and offline that it’s a cinch to do–and without a lot of expense or time. The best thing to do is find what works for you and stick with it.
Here are just a few of the many ways you can market your direct sales business on the Internet.
1. Parties
Online parties are a great way to showcase your products and talk about all the opportunities you have to offer. These parties are held in a chatroom and you can use a microphone or your keyboard.
2. Banners and buttons
Some Websites offer banner and button advertising. This is a great way for you to advertise your business to people that may not otherwise see your website. These types of ads are pictures and are linked to your site. So you have the ability to say what you want and link to whatever page you choose.
3. Solo ads
Solo ads are text ads that are sent to a large number of people at one time. Most of these ads are sent to Yahoo, MSN, or Google groups. Some businesses also offer this type of service using their email lists. The number of people who will receive your ads can range from 50 to thousands.
4. Signature line
A signature line is what is below the name you type at the end of the email or forum post. you’ll want to make sure you use your link and a 5-7 word sentence that will make a person reading it want to see what you have to offer. If you offer a free sample product include that in your signature line and tell them what to do to get that product.
5. Forums
Forums are message boards that are interactive. People post questions, things they’ve read, and other things to forums. This is a great way to network, share your business with others, and use your signature line.
6. Special reports
Special reports are a great way to give something away while advertising your business at the same time. No matter what type of direct sales business you run, you can create a special report that will help your target market and show them why they should use your products.
7. Ebooks
Ebooks are another way to place your direct sales business in front of others. No matter what type of products you offer, an ebook can help. Show them how to use your products in ways they may never have thought. Show your readers why your products are better than your competition. You can also show your readers how to do things with your products. Be creative and come up with anything and everything so your book is full of great and valuable content.
8. Teleseminars
Telseminars are a great way to teach others about a certain thing. When you use teleseminars to grow your direct sales business you will be able to show your attendees that you offer the best and that you are here to help them in every way possible. You can use these to show people why they should join your business or you can show them how to take care of your products so they will last for a long time.
9. Videos
Create videos that show your target market certain things about your products. Then upload these to YouTube and share them with others. Include it in your signature line and in your ads. People like to watch things on video so this is a great tool to use to increase your business online.
10. Social Media
Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are valuable tools to use when you are growing your direct sales business. Social networking is easy to do, but often times it’s not done correctly. You need to interact with others and help them by offering tips and suggestions. don’t only post links to your site and ads for your business.
Marketing your business online is a great way to expand into cities and states that you might not every be able to reason otherwise. The Internet is full of opportunities. All you have to do is search, ask around, and look at what others are doing and learn from them.
Techniques to Increase Your Sales
There’s nothing more important, no matter what product you’re selling, than making that sale! Nothing could be more obvious. But what’s not always as obvious is how to get those sales.
Maybe you’ve already tried all the old-school techniques such as cold calling and handing out catalogs to anyone you see. Or maybe you just want to try something different and a little more creative, so you can increase your chances even more of making a sale.
Direct salespeople are constantly looking for new ways to increase their sales. Here are some unique ways to stay at the forefront of your customer’s minds and start watching your sales explode.
Upsell to Current Customers
If you’re selling face-to-face, always suggest products to them that you think might be useful or that are related to the product they’re buying from you. If you have a website, make sure you upsell there, too. Once a customer has completed her order, have a list of related products for her to look over and see if there’s anything else she may be interested in buying.
Pay for Referrals
There’s no better advertising than word of mouth. So getting your customers to refer you to their friends is very important to your business. To give your customers even more incentive to give you a referral (other than your great personality, wonderful products and award-winning customer service), bribe them. Give them something in return for telling others about you.
Offer a free product to every customer who refers four new customers to you. you’ll get three sales in exchange for one free product. Can’t beat a deal like that!
Cross Promote
Get together with a few other businesses in your area and create an advertising bundle. You can then each hand them out to your customers and reach a huge number of people. This lets you advertise for each other free and reach a much broader customer base.
Include Coupons in Outgoing Orders
When a customer places an order and it comes time to deliver it to her, look her order over and create a coupon for related items that you include with her order.
Also make sure you include a catalogue with the order. Not only will customers be much more likely to buy the product you’ve included a coupon for, but they could also order other items from the catalogue. One sale may have just turned into two, which could turn into many, many more.
Upsell with Services
Another way to sell with an order is to upsell when you deliver it. Whether it’s a service such as rush delivery on the next order or an upgrade on the next purchase, include a service that customers can use, and charge for it. Not only will you be giving your customers something they’ll appreciate and use, but you’ll be making yet another sale.
Sell Gift Certificates
People love giving gift certificates and they love receiving them. Gift certificates are perfect for that person you just don’t know what to buy for. And they’re wonderful to receive because the recipient gets to pick whatever she wants.
If you have a website, be sure to include gift certificates somewhere among your other products. And likewise, be sure to include a way for customers to redeem their gift certificates, online, too.
Freebies, Freebies, Freebies!
Always include freebies for your customers when you deliver an orders. Whether it’s a fridge magnet, a keychain, pen, or samples of your product, always give your customers something just for ordering from you.
Do make sure that anything you give away includes your name, website, and logo on it. This not only makes your customers appreciative and want to order from you again, but it also makes it easier for them to do so.
With these simple techniques, you’ll soon see your profits soar and begin getting not only more return clients, but lots of new ones, too!
10 Tips to Help Direct Sales Consultants Boost Holiday Sales
The holidays are the perfect time for direct sales business owners to increase their sales. With the right tools, direct sales consultants can not only increase sales, but bring in new customers as well. Here are some tips to help you benefit from this potential boost in your holiday sales.
1. Advertise
Place newspaper, radio, and online ads to let your customers know what type sales you’ll be having during the holidays. Another way to advertise is to create a flyer or sales paper with all of your sale items listed. Make sure the items advertised are available, and change them up a bit every week to keep your customers interested.
2. Coupons
With today’s economy looking dim, offering coupons for various items is a great way to boost your sales. And with coupons, you can limit how many of each item can be purchased, so you’re potentially increasing full price sales as well. For instance, limit two candles at your special price per customer. A customer who wants additional candles can buy additional items at the regular price. And there’s a good chance they’ll bring friends and family to buy from you as well, if you offer additional coupons for their friends to use.
3. Cut Prices in Half
Cut prices down to half for a certain time each week. On Saturdays and Sundays, for instance, offer half price items that are only available during specific hours. Customers will flood your business in anticipation of getting an item that they may have had their eye on for some time, but couldn’t afford to buy for regular price.
4. Free Shipping
Ship items free no matter how much the customer purchase is. Set a date range for this special and advertise it widely. You can also offer free returns if the customer isn’t satisfied.
5. Offer Different Ways to Pay
Many companies will only accept MasterCard, Discover and Visa, but you can bring in new customers and boost your sales by taking payment by PayPal or even checks. PayPal, especially, is a safe, easy way to get paid for purchases made online or via the telephone.
6. Donate to Community Groups
Donate some of your products to charity groups or sponsor events in your community. The more time you spend supporting your community, the more likely the community will support your business because they’ll know who you are and learn to trust you. And Christmas is the best time of year to make a charitable donation to help others in need.
7. Themes
Create a holiday theme for your business. Decorate your website for the holidays. Gear your online shop toward the holidays and less toward the products.. This will let customers see that you’re not just about selling merchandise but that you’re a “real” person, too.
8. Buy Two Get One Free
In addition to offering low prices, offer products where the customer can buy two, and in return, get another one free. For instance, if you offer two shirts for $10 each, a customer can get one free when she buys two. A customer who doesn’t want to benefit from the sale has to pay the regular price of $15.
9. Limited Time Offer
Offer a limited a time offer. For instance, offer a free makeup with any purchase during the next 24 hours. Customers will flood you with orders because they know that the offer will be gone if they wait. Let special sales run for one week only and watch your sales boom as well.
10. Offer Varying Discounts
Determine a discount based on the dollar amount customers spend. For instance, offer 10 percent off on an order of $50 or more, 15 percent off on an order of $75 or more, 20 percent off on an order of $100 or more, etc. This will encourage larger purchases in order to get the most savings.
There are many ways to boost the holiday sales for your direct sales business. Hopefully, you’ve discovered a few that will help you increase your sales and grow your business!
Finding the Right Direct Sales Company
If you perform a simple search in any Internet search engine, or even read the classifieds in your local paper, you’ll quickly see just how many direct sales companies are looking for representatives every day. While this certainly means there’s great opportunity in direct sales, it also means that these companies are competing against each other to get you to sell their product.
As such, every direct sales company offers something different to their representatives and it’s important for you to fully research the different companies so you find the one that’s truly right for you. Here are some things to look for when trying to find the right direct sales company to meet your needs and personality.
Good Compensation Plan
This will probably be the first thing you’ll look at when trying to find the right direct sales company. The compensation plan is what will determine how much money you earn in exchange for selling the company’s products. In other words, this is your commission.
Begin your research by finding the company that will give you the most money for each product you sell. Then look at the other qualities of that company. In addition to what the company will pay you for selling their product, what they will give you for signing up new recruits? And what percentage will you earn from your team members’ sales? The best companies do offer percentages on each sale that a team member under you makes. That increases your profit considerably and is a valid reason to choose one company over another.
Quality Products
The next thing you need to look at that is just as important as the company’s compensation plan is the products they sell. Closely examine the products, use them, and get to know them. Are they quality products? Do you believe in them enough to sell them yourself? Can you see yourself telling a customer why she should use those products? These are all very important questions.
If you don’t believe that a product will work or if you don’t like the quality, you will never be able to sell it. Customers can tell whether or not you’re suggesting something that you believe in and that will really be helpful to them, or if you’re just trying to make a quick sale. And they’ll run from the latter!
Company Support
Even though you’ll be working for yourself, you’ll still need a lot of help and support from people who have been doing the exact same thing as you–for a longer time. A good direct sales company offer a lot of support, advice, and encouragement, especially in the beginning when everything is new.
Talk to representatives from the companies you’re interested in and find out what kind of support and training they offer, and how much help you can expect in the future. Also ask about the kind of support that would be expected of you in the future. If things work out, you could be the one offering support to others so it’s nice to know what may be expected of you down the road.
Online Selling
More and more customers are finding ways to shop at home for the things they need. And many won’t even consider shopping with you if you don’t offer a convenient way for them to order your product online. A good direct sales company will have an online system in place where customers can place an order, have it delivered in a timely manner, and where you will still receive commission on the sale. This is convenient for your customer, but it’s also great for you. The customer does most of the work and you still earn the same profit.
Finding the right direct sales company isn’t difficult, but it does require some time and research. It’s well worth the effort, however, when you know you’ve signed up with a company you like and can trust to help you build a profitable business working from home.
7 Tips to Success in Direct Sales
It’s true that once you become a direct sales consultant, there are many areas you’ll need to focus on in order to make a profit. You’ll need to be able to recruit people, sell products, host parties, and advertise yourself, to name just a few. But how can you really be successful in your direct sales opportunity? With these seven simple tips, you’ll be successful in every area!
Manage Your Time Wisely
Make sure each minute you devote to your business, you’re truly focused and doing something to take your business forward. Whether it’s cold calling, visiting customers, advertising, or ordering product, make the best use of the time you have to spend. Time wasted is money wasted, so it’s important to be as productive as possible in direct sales. Add to this the fact that you also have family to spend time with and a life to live outside your business, and time management skills become even more important.
Make To-Do Lists and Stick to Them
It’s easy to become overwhelmed when you’re in direct sales. There is truly so much to do and it’s up to you to do it all. To ensure you get it all done, write down a list every day of the things you need to complete that day. Remember to keep your expectations realistic and write down only what you can realistically do in one day. Making a list that’s too long then not completing your list will only discourage you. Cross things off one by one as you complete them, then when your list is finished you can take satisfaction in a day’s work well done.
Keep a Positive Attitude
you’ll never be successful if you’re miserable–in direct sales or any other business. If you hate dealing with people and you don’t like selling products, direct sales may not be the career for you. Direct salespeople need to love what they do and be happy doing it. Customers will quickly pick up your attitude, and having a positive one will influence many more people to buy from you. After all, we all want to do business with someone who’s a pleasure to deal with and who has a positive attitude.
Take Charge of Your Success
Never lose sight of the fact that your success is ultimately up to you. Gaining new customers and making a profit won’t happen if you sit back and hope that your sales start to grow. Look for opportunities to sell whether it’s at a party you host or while waiting in line at the grocery store. Always be open to opportunity, and you’ll be surprised where you find it.
Designate Your Work Space
When you’re at work, even if you’re working from home, you need to have a designated area away from interruptions such as the television, computer (other than what you need for work), ringing telephones, and other distractions. Make a space that will allow you to focus and accomplish what you need to do. The more time spent focusing on your direct sales business, the more success you’ll achieve. And a quiet work area that lets you focus will help considerably.
Become Your Own Financial Advisor
When you’re in direct sales, you not only need to keep track of the commissions you’re making but also any money that you may owe the company for sample products or such, and any expenses you may have. You must act as the middle man for the transfer of the money from the customer to the company. In any direct sales business, there’s lot f money changing hands at any given point. Because of this, you’ll need to become especially good at keeping track of finances so you know what you owe who, and when it’s due.
Get Excited!
Don’t be afraid to be passionate and excited about what you sell. This excitement will instantly rub off on your customers and they’ll start to wonder what you’re excited about. Once they give you a chance to show them, they might be interested enough to buy your products–or even start selling, too. Your excitement instantly increases your chances of success in direct sales.
There are many other ways to achieve success in direct sales. But these seven will get you started and help ensure you’re on the road to success right away!
Two HOT Secrets for Direct Sales Consultants
Direct sales can be a tough industry. You, of course, want to make as much money as possible. The problem is – so does everyone else.
To be successful you have to work smarter than your competitors. If you use these two direct sales secrets, you’ll be far more successful than most of your competition.
Your first task is to Brand Yourself. Let’s use McDonalds as an example. Anybody can sell hamburgers. Service and quality will vary depending on where you buy a burger.
However, if you walk into a McDonalds store anywhere in the world, you know what quality of food and service to expect. Why? Because McDonalds has spent a great deal of time and money creating their Brand. Everyone is familiar with the yellow logo because of their comprehensive marketing strategy.
Branding yourself isn’t hard. Think of the best qualities you believe people should have. Successful people usually share similar traits. They are:
• honest
• happy
• positive
• reliable
• organized
• busy
• successful
• motivated
• focused
• knowledgeable
• a good leader
• inspirational
• etc.
Generally, people don’t buy products just for the sake of it. They make a purchase because they have confidence in the person selling to them.
Picture twin brothers. Bill is dressed in torn jeans, a ripped T-shirt with stains, and has bare feet. Bob is dressed in a pair of neatly pressed trousers, an wrinkle-free business shirt, socks and black leather shoes.
They’re selling the same product at the same price. Who would you buy from?
That’s what branding is all about. Showing people what standard of goods and services they’ll get from you.
The second hot tip is to forget about making money. Read that sentence again. It’s not a mistake. Nobody cares how much money you make. Except you.
Your customers want to know one important thing. What’s in it for me? Commonly known as WIIFM.
Let’s use Tupperware as an example. Most people are familiar with the overall concept of having various containers of differing sizes and shapes in which to store and serve food, in particular.
Your customer wants to know what a particular container will do to make life easier for her. That’s why product knowledge is vital. You need to have answers if you want to make sales.
We’ll use Bill as our example again. He created his brand and now wants to learn the second secret. We were born with two ears and one mouth for a reason. It’s so we can listen twice as much as we speak.
Bill hosts a open house in his home one evening and demonstrates a variety of Tupperware products. Apart from talking, he’s also listening to questions directed at him and comments made among his guests. He observes which products seem to be the most popular.
Then Bill uses his new skill. He learns Mary needs some new containers since her family has grown.
Bill shows Mary the set of six containers that she had been eyeing during the presentation. The ones that caused her to light up when she saw that most of them would fit inside the others in the set saving space.
The sale has already been made, Mary just doesn’t realize it yet. Bill shows her the instruction book and the features list, which includes the fact that these containers are microwave-safe, childproof and airtight. Mary places her order.
Bill made this sale because he listened and watched. Mary made the decision herself and Bill simply offered a little more information to seal the deal.
Somebody very wise once wrote – If you help enough other people get what they want, you can have anything you want. That’s never more true than in direct sales. That’s a pretty hot secret of its own, don’t you think?
Smart Ways to Attract More Direct Sales Customers
Direct sales can a challenging way to work, but the rewards along with flexibility in terms of marketing strategies and advertising techniques makes it worthwhile hands down. Before the Internet, marketing any form of direct sales product was strictly limited to people you could contact within your local area. Today, the potential market is practically unlimited.
If you haven’t already signed up with a direct sales company, look for a solid company with a good product line to sell. Ideally, items that are used every day work best. Luxury items are harder to sell, especially with the economy the way it is, though it can still be done.
But once you know what you plan to sell, let’s examine some offline methods for attracting more customers:
Your first source of customers is friends and family. Contact them and tell them what you’re doing. Invite them to a demonstration in your home one evening where they can see the products live. Ask for referrals of people they know who can use what you sell.
Put notices up at work, in local libraries, shops, schools, community centers and anywhere else you can think of. Ask friends and family to help you by doing the same. That way you’re broadening your potential market base.
Do a mailing in your local neighborhood if you can afford it and invite your neighbors to an open house. Also offer a catalogue so they can see the products and place an order if they’re too busy to attend.
Hand out business cards to everyone you meet. You never know when you may come across a potential customer. Place a small ad in local newspapers. That’s a great way to target a lot of people with very little effort. The more you advertise, the better your business will be.
There are lots of online methods, too. The first thing is create your own website. If you can’t do this yourself, find someone who’ll do it for you. An online presence is vital to your business success and will increase your credibility with potential customers.
You have to brand yourself before you can ever hope to brand a product. People are more likely to become customers if they see that you’re a reputable person. A professional designed website also shows you’re a genuine business owner and gives visitors a better understanding of who you are.
Place classified ads on various Websites. Make sure that any online ad you place has a direct link back to your website. Have a catalogue on your site so people can see what you have to offer. Any emails you send out, whether they’re to friends or strangers, should have a link to your site.
Find local Websites and newsletters online. Subscribe and place your ads there. Lots of people choose to receive electronic information, so if you cover your online and offline bases, you stand a far greater chance of increasing customer awareness of what you’re doing. This will inevitably lead to more sales.
Use social networks like Twitter and Facebook to expand your business. It’s very easy to let lots of people know what you’re doing through these huge social media sites. The great thing is that these methods don’t actually take much time or money to implement.
Join online forums related to your product line. The majority of your customers will be women, so find forums where women congregate and make new friends.
A big part of direct sales is offering others the same opportunity to make money that you were offered. Always be on the lookout for people who want the chance to earn money and work at home. Helping others succeed will also benefit you in the long run.
These are just some of the ways you can attract more customers for your direct sales business. Everyone develops their own techniques over time. Keep working at it and your business will continue to flourish and grow.
How to Properly Distribute Direct Sales Samples
The importance of using samples to promote your direct sales business can’t be exaggerated. Having samples on hand that you can offer to potential customers, new prospects and recruits, and just about anyone who will take one can be a great way to entice customers into buying that product. And even if they don’t buy that product, it might make them interested enough to look into other products that you sell.
But what many direct sales consultants don’t realize is that handing out samples can actually hurt your business instead of helping it if it’s not done properly. Here are some tips on how to properly distribute samples, so you get the business you want.
The most important thing to remember when distributing samples is to do it professionally Simply tossing a product in a small sandwich bag and giving it to a customer will certainly send a message, but not the right one. Packaging samples this way will only tell customers that you haven’t put any real thought into the samples you’re handing out.
Your motives will also be transparent. Customers will know when they receive your poorly wrapped package that you’re only looking for a sale and you really aren’t interested in giving them a product that will genuinely help them. They may still use the sample product, but they most likely won’t call you to order a full size of the same–even if they decide to buy it.
This doesn’t mean that you have to spend all your profit on fancy, expensive sample packaging. A roll of inexpensive cellophane wrap and some ribbons will give you everything you need to professionally distribute samples.
Many direct sales companies have samples of their products that their representatives can purchase to hand out. If the company you’re selling for doesn’t offer this option, or you’re running your own company, choose a larger product such as a gift basket that’s stuffed with smaller items. Open up the basket and repackage the smaller items into smaller, individual items. This will cost you a small investment, of course, but the orders that come in because of your efforts will more than make up for it.
Another important item to remember is to act fast. Whether you’ve just met someone and want to give them a sample, or whether a customer has specifically asked you for one, send it to her as soon as possible. Having a customer wait a month to receive a sample of your product will cost impact.
Your prospect may not remember meeting you after that long a time, and she may wonder why you’re sending her a sample. Or she may be so discouraged that you took so long to get the sample out to her that she’s no longer confident buying from you. Any time you want to send someone a sample, do it as soon as possible while it’s still fresh in your mind–and theirs!
Everyone loves getting something free. And offering free samples is a great way to give your customers just that. You don’t need to spend a huge amount of money on samples or even give them out to every customer or prospect you meet. But when customers know that you’re willing to hand out freebies, they will certainly become more interested in your product. And when they’re in the market for a certain product, you’ll be the first one they call.
