5 Traits of a Great Consultant
You’ve started your direct sales business and you want to be the best consultant ever. There are several traits you should possess to become known as a great consultant to your hostesses and recruits.
- First and foremost, a great consultant is honest. They are honest in every area of their life and they will not join an organization or company just to make a buck. They are a consultant for that specific organization or company because they truly love the product they are selling and honestly believe in it. They instill trust in the people they meet.
- Product knowledge is a must for every great consultant. They should be able to answer any questions that arise during shows or a consultation or be willing and able to find the answer. If you don’t know your product, get to know it. If you are asked a question about a new product that you don’t know the answer to yet, find out and don’t waste any time in getting the answer to your customer. If you hesitate too long, you will lose the customer’s confidence in you and potential sales!
- A great consultant is one who is organized. You don’t want to appear disorganized with everything in disarray to your customers. They will lose confidence in you if you can’t find a sales order form, or don’t have your catalogs organized and ready for a show. Getting organized does take time, but once you get organized, it actually saves you time. If you truly don’t have any organizational skills, find someone who does and have them help you get organized. Have them come over and help you organize your business files, products, brochures, customer files, and receipts. Have them teach you how to stay organized too. It won’t do you any good to get organized just to become unorganized in a week or so.
- Time management is a skill every great consultant must possess. Time management is so important in direct sales because you need to be punctual to your shows, when interviewing potential new recruits and so on. If you are continually late to shows, or worse, cancel shows because you’ve double booked, then your clients will lose their confidence in you and you will lose business.
- And the final trait every great consultant will possess is excitement and motivation. Have you ever been to a show where the consultant was dull and boring? Did you want to buy anything? Probably not. Being excited about what you’re doing and selling is one of the greatest “sales tools” you can possess. This is because your excitement will bubble over into your show and to your guests and they will be more likely to buy from you if you appear happy and excited about what you’re doing.
You can become a great consultant by using these traits in every area of your life. By doing so, they will become natural to you and your clients will trust and love you and come to you over and over again when they need something. Not only that they will recommend friends and family to you, helping grow your business and reaching your business goals and dreams.
Money Making Activities or Time Suckers
There are so many aspects in running a successful direct sales business it can get overwhelming if we let it. Do you find yourself continually running out of time and not getting anywhere in your business – just doing busy work? If so, then you are probably spending your time on “time suckers” instead of money making activities. Take a look at the list below to evaluate how you’re spending your time. Are you spending quality time building your business or are you wasting time on activities that aren’t helping your business grow and succeed?
When working on an activity, ask yourself these questions to determine if it’s a money maker or a time sucker:
- Is what you’re doing going to help your business grow and make you money immediately? The most obvious money making activity is booking and holding shows. Does the activity you’re working on involve booking more shows? If the answer is yes, then that is a money making activity.
- Is what you’re doing going to help your business grow and make money in the near future? Planning ahead for future business is always smart and in direct sales this also involves recruiting new people to your team. When your are interviewing potential recruits be sure they are:
- Truly interested in the business or learning more about it
- In love with the product and excited about it.
- Ready and have the time to start a new business.
- You don’t want to waste your time trying to force someone into the business who isn’t interested, doesn’t love the product or have the time to put into the business to make it successful. This is a real time sucker a lot of consultants get stuck in because they are trying to recruit anyone and everyone into the business. Following the above guidelines when considering having someone join your direct sales team will ensure you are not wasting your precious time.
- Is what you’re doing helping you be a better consultant? If you are working on getting more organized or learning to speak better in front of people, those are definitely not time suckers. Bettering yourself will always help you be more successful in all you do. Just be sure you use what you learn and don’t let it go to waste. Knowledge without action is a time sucker. What’s the use of knowing something but never putting that knowledge into action?
Below are some time suckers which are easy to get caught up in:
- Talking to the same people over and over about holding a show for you or becoming a recruit when they’ve already told you they’re not interested. Move on into new territory and don’t continue wasting time on them.
- Being unorganized is a huge time sucker that a lot of people have to learn to overcome. When you are unorganized you waste valuable hours trying to find a sales order, or the phone number of that customer whose call you need to return.
- Being unprepared for your shows or interviews is a time sucker. You may think that preparing for a show or going over questions to ask a potential new recruit is a time sucker, when in fact the opposite is true. When you go into a show without having gone over your check list first and organizing your products and displays, you will waste valuable time trying to arrange your products or displays. Plan ahead how you are going to set your products up for your shows; be sure you have all the items necessary to display your products professionally and in an organized manner. That means packing your displays and products away properly at the last show, so get a system set up that makes this process smooth and easy. It will save you hours of valuable time; hours you can use making money.
Make a checklist for all your activities and check them off as you do them. Make sure that the things you are spending time on are in fact money making activities and not time suckers. Doing this simple little exercise each time will ensure that you are spending your time wisely, getting you closer to your dreams and goals in your direct sales business.
Getting Bookings to Hold
Congratulations, you have 12 shows scheduled in your datebook or on your calendar. You’ve scheduled 3 for this week and 2 for the following week. Then, you have four the week after that and the other three are scattered across the following month. If you want to make sure that none of them cancel then follow these suggestions and ideas how to keep your hostesses motivated and excited about their shows.
When you book a show, ideally the farthest you want to go out is 2-3 weeks. Remember, you’re in charge of your schedule and if you schedule too far in advance then you run the risk of not only your show cancelling but of you needing to reschedule due to your life’s commitments.
Here’s what you can do to ensure that your hostess doesn’t cancel:
1. When booking the party, give your hostess a nice little “save the date” card with the time and date of her show. Some direct sales companies may have premade ones you can use or you can create your own on your computer or by hand if you’re crafty. You can even purchase some handy magnets from a craft store and make some “save the date” magnets for their fridge. This is the first step in keeping the show in the mind of the hostess. You don’t want your hostess to forget about her show or to forget about the hostess gift or free product she is working toward.
2. When booking the show, be sure to give your hostess enough brochures and order forms to hand out to their friends, family and co-workers for outside sales. If her show is more than 3 weeks away give her periodic calls asking for her outside sales totals. Remind her of her hostess benefits and set another goal. Outside sales are awesome for keeping the hostess excited and boosting their sales. Not everyone will attend the party, but many will buy something.
3. The day after booking the show, get a “Thank You” card in the mail to your new hostess. If you make your hostess feel special she might work harder so she doesn’t disappoint her favorite consultant. It can be a simple post card, and make sure it has the date of their show, reminders and suggestions of people to invite, and the hostess gifts they are working toward. Make sure your phone number is on the card so they can call you with any questions.
4. A few days after you send the “Thank You” card, call your hostess to be sure she received it and answer any questions. Also, see how her guest list is coming along; has she started inviting guests yet? If not, encourage her to do so, so that her guests can make plans to come and invite their friends as well. Find out how her outside sales are doing. Often the outside sales outweigh the sales at the party. Be sure your hostess is getting the contact information from those outside sales as well. Those are potential new hostesses and new customers for you.
5. If they are having trouble getting guests to commit to coming to the show and she starts talking about canceling, encourage her to keep the show because you never know who will come even though they didn’t commit. Give her more ideas of people to invite that she may not have thought of; if she hasn’t sent out any invitations herself, offer to help her get them in the mail. Help your hostess be a better hostess!
6. Two days before the show, call her again. Find out how many people are coming. If the number is low find out who she’s called and offer to make some phone calls for her. Perhaps your hostess is shy or just not a go-getter. You can help her by getting together and have her listen while you make phone calls to some of her friends on her guest list.
7. The day before the show, give her one more follow up call. Keeping in touch with your hostess is so important. The purpose of this call is to get the final number of commitments and potential guests, and give that final boost of encouragement by reminding her of the hostess gift she is working toward. Find out how much in outside sales she’s received and give her an estimated amount that she needs to sell at the show to get the hostess gift she is working toward. If she has exceeded the amount she needed in outside sales tell her what the next item to work toward is. If she hasn’t gotten any outside sales, let her know it’s okay and that her show sales will probably be enough to receive the hostess gift she wants.
8. If, after doing all of the above and your hostess decides to cancel, encourage her to book the show at a later date instead of cancelling all together.
Make it a point to only schedule shows 3 weeks out, that way your hostess will have a short wait and is more likely to remain excited about her party. Book the show farther out if you must but explain to the hostess the pitfalls of doing so. As we all know, life happens and stuff comes up that your hostess can’t avoid, so there will be cancellations, but if you follow up, encourage and help your hostess be the best hostess she can be, you will get fewer cancellations.
Games & Giveaways: Do They Really Increase Your Business?
Everyone loves playing games and winning free stuff. Depending on how they’re used, games and giveaways can benefit your business or they can hurt your business.
The types of games we’re talking about here are the ones you play at your shows. For example, some consultants play games or offer giveaways at their shows for the person who drove the farthest, brought the most friends, is the oldest, youngest, married the longest, has the most kids, etc. While those games are fun, do they really benefit your business? Do they increase sales or entice people to host a show or even more importantly encourage potential new recruits to join the business?
A lot of getting to the right answer depends on your company, what product you’re selling, and how you go about it. If you are selling skin care products, then giving product away to the person who is the oldest may be a great way to gain her as a new customer because she will love it and return to you to purchase more of the wonderful product you gave her. So make sure the gifts are age appropriate and something they will actually use (you wouldn’t want to give her something for teens for example). Try not to give away something that is being discontinued. However, if you’re going to be offering drawings & prizes then use what you have. The idea of a giveaway is to get product in the hands of someone so they will return to you to purchase again and again. Don’t forget to put a sticker with your contact information on the item so they know how to contact you when they’re ready to order more. Another idea – ask for permission to contact the winner to get their comments about the product. Use that information to improve your sales “pitch”.
On the flip side of this is when you are selling home interior products or organizational items. Giving away an item that is being discontinued can be a great way to get customers back to see the new items that are coming out. Some people like the idea of getting something that is rare and unique, that everyone else doesn’t have. The idea is to think through what you’re giving away. Think of the benefits it will have to your business. If you’re spending more money on giveaways than you’re making in profit, then you probably need to re-think how much you giveaway.
Also, if you give away a gift to the person who brings the most friends, make sure your hostess informs their friends of this. Add a note to their invitation. Let them know what the item is or what it’s worth. This is a great way to get more people to a show. Also, make the gift worthwhile. You want them to really want it so they will truly work for it.
Some companies encourage their consultants to give gifts to people to entice them to listen to the business opportunity. While this can be a good idea, it can also be a bad idea. Again you want to think through who you are trying to recruit. You want to recruit people who really love the product, who are interested in making more money, who need to start a new career and who are motivated and excited. In other words, don’t give your business away to just any one who is only looking for free product. A good way to gauge true interest is by playing a game that includes having guests ask questions about your business. The person that asks the most questions just might be someone to talk to.
Be choosy about who you’re giving gifts to and what you’re giving away. Games and giveaways can help your business when they are well thought out and targeted at a specific audience and used appropriately. But they can hurt your business (read: eat into your profit) if you’re just giving away to give something away.
Help Your Hostess Help YOU Make Money
If you’re just starting out in a new direct sales business your shows may not be what you need them to be as far as sales go in order to reach your income goals but, what can you do? Get your hostess to help you out.
Helping your hostess make the sales for you not only helps you make money, but also makes her show a success! Below are some tried and true “tricks” that have been proven to increase sales. These are ways you can help your hostess help make YOU money!
Getting the hostess benefits (FREE STUFF) is why she booked her show in the first place.
This is the greatest incentive there is when working with your hostess to increase sales. Encourage outside sales to boost her total party amount. Call her a couple of times before the show to see how many outside sales she’s gotten. If she doesn’t have outside orders before her show, hold the show open a few days and let her collect enough outside orders to help her reach her sales goal. Keep in mind that she will have some sales at her show as well.
Another thing your hostess can do to boost their sales is have their guests bring a friend. Offer a small gift to the person who brings the most friends and be sure to tell your hostess to tell her guests! Write in on the invitations. More guests equal more sales!
If your product is skin care or personal products, encourage your hostess to use the product and wear it to work or church or wherever she goes! She probably already does this, so when people compliment her on how she looks or likes the fragrance she is wearing, it’s a great conversation starter for telling them about her show coming up and inviting them or getting outside sales. So remind your hostess of this so she can look for open doors of opportunity.
Remind your hostess to tell her guests, friends and family about the hostess gift she is working toward. Most people will make a purchase simply to help their friend or relative reach their goals.
If your product is home décor or kitchen appliances or cookware, encourage your hostess to point out what products she uses or has in her home during the show. When people see how useful something will be to them, they will be more likely to purchase.
Encourage your hostess to talk about, and be excited about, how the product has helped her or has been useful to her before the show and during the show. If your hostess uses and loves the product, she will be a natural spokesperson for you! Remind her to let everyone she talks to know about the party coming up. Some people will make an outside order or commit to coming to the party just because of her excitement and enthusiasm. Ask the guests at your shows what products they own and how they use them. You might be surprised how someone’s great idea can bring you a sale.
If your product is some type of home organization system, have your hostess talk about how unorganized her home was before she started using the system. Showing before and after pictures would also be a great way to show how well the system really works! This is true for skin care products as well!
Your hostess is the number one way to increased sales! Be there for her and encourage her every step of the way. Make the show about her, and not about what you’re going to get out of it! You can never go wrong when you invest time, energy and money into helping someone else being a success and reaching their goals!
7 Responses to Common Objections in Direct Sales
If you’ve been in direct sales any length of time or have held at least one show, you have probably already heard at least two or three objections. Don’t ya just love the excuses reasons people come up with as to why they don’t want to buy your product, host a party or join the company?
You’ve probably heard most of them but, do you know how to deal with them? Are you equipped to answer their questions well enough to satisfy their fear? Here are some “nuggets” for you to try next time you encounter an objection.
Common Objection #1 -I can’t afford to buy anything right now.
And in these tough economical times, that is probably very true. The easiest, and best way to overcome this objection is to tell them about the amazing discount or free products they will receive for having a show of their own. If you’ve coached your hostess properly ahead of time, then she should be talking about the free product or gifts she’s receiving just for having a few friends over. Free product and discounts is the number one reason most hostesses have a show.
If they don’t want to have a show of their own, another thing you can offer to them is having them purchase one item at a time. Say they want an entire set, and the set is $150. It’s typically cheaper to buy the set at once than it is to buy each piece separately, but if she can’t shell out $150 at once, suggest she buy them separately. Or suggest the opposite; show her how much she will save by purchasing the set all at once as opposed to purchasing them separately. The idea is to give your customer options. The more options she has, the easier it will be for her to say yes to one of them and make a purchase.
Common Objection #2 –No one ever comes to my shows
The best response to this is to let your potential hostess know that you will help her get her friends to her show. Help her get the invitations out in the mail, make phone calls, send email, etc. Some people really do need hand holding and guidance. Remember, your success depends on her success, and you will always be more successful when you help someone else be successful. Don’t be afraid to guide someone along who really needs the extra hand.
Common Objection #3 -I never have good enough sales to get the hostess gift I really wanted
Again, encourage your hostesses to get those outside orders by placing enough brochures and order forms in her hands. Outside sales really boost the overall party sales. Place in her hands a list of people she might not normally think of to invite or to get outside sales from. You can easily make one up on your computer and some direct sales companies have them premade for you. Use the tools your company provides; usually they’ve been tried and proven to increase sale and profits. Let her know you will help her be a better hostess by giving her tips and instructions on what to do and say before, during and after the show. Coaching your hostesses is one of the best ways to increase sales.
Common Objection #4 -I don’t have time to have a show for you
Tell her you understand how busy she is and that’s exactly why you chose her. It’s proven that busy people are the ones that get things done. Have her get her calendar and show her how little time she will have to invest in order to get the products she wants for free. Always show why being a hostess is going to benefit them, not you, and let her know you are here for her, to help her succeed!
Common Objection #5 -I don’t the money to invest in starting a business right now
Some direct sales companies offer the kit if they hold a certain number of show to pay for it. The best way to respond to this is by asking when they think they would be able to have the money and to offer saving suggestions to help them come up with the money. If they are truthful and really are interested in joining the company, they will most likely follow your instructions and work toward gathering up the money somehow, someway. Some suggestions you can use for saving money are: foregoing that cappuccino or latte` everyday, taking a sack lunch instead of eating out, skipping their weekly night out and putting that money away, at least until they’ve raised enough to purchase the start up kit. Encourage them by gently reminding them that they are starting a new business which takes time, effort and money and that you are there to help them succeed.
Common Objection #6 -I am not a good sales person
A good response to this one is, “Either am I!” And that’s the honest to goodness truth. You don’t have to be a “sales” person to sell something you love and believe in and hopefully you are approaching only people with the business plan who truly love and believe in the product. Remind them that just being who they are, being open and honest about their experience with the product is the best way to sell it. They don’t have to use any fancy sales talk, just be themselves. Always, always remind them that you are there to help them succeed in their business!
Common Objection #7 -I don’t have time to start or run a business
How much time do you actually invest in your business? Are you in it part time? Did you start out part time and built it up to a full time career? Were you working another full time job when you started out and now are working your direct sales full time and your other job part time? Let your potential new recruit in on how you’ve gotten where you are today. Perhaps you are just starting out too, so let your recruit know how you are using your valuable time to reach your goals and dreams and how she can do the same. Besides, she wouldn’t have asked you about the opportunity if she wasn’t at least curious.
Don’t let objections that you can’t overcome stop you from pressing forward to reaching your goals and dreams. You may know that certain hostess would be a great recruit, but she truly doesn’t have the time, and perhaps she simply doesn’t have the desire. Its okay let it go. Just be there for her when she changes her mind in the future. You don’t want to destroy any chance of having her join your team by being too pushy. Some people simply need more time.
In direct sales there will always be objections, but if you are honest with your customers, hostesses and recruits about how and why you are successful, how much time you actually spend working your business and help them be organized and good managers of their time, then they will trust you and they will help your business succeed because their business is succeeding.
Avoiding the Last Minute Cancellations
You’ve worked hard to get your calendar booked for the dates you want to hold shows. You’ve coached your hostesses. You’re packed and ready to walk out the door and the phone rings. It’s tonight’s hostess and she’s decided to cancel. There’s no emergency, she just feels like no one is going to come, or doesn’t think her show is going to be a success. This probably isn’t the first time this has happened to you and it won’t be the last. So, what can you do to avoid those last minute cancellations?
Obviously, the first thing to do is encourage her to hold the show. Let her know you are on your way over and in the unlikely event that no one shows up (you sent invites and made reminder calls didn’t you?), you can talk about what to do next when you are there. At the very least her mom, sister, cousin & best friend will be there. 😉
If she still insists on cancelling, encourage her to book the show for the following week and that you will help her invite friends and encourage sales. Ask her if she’s taken the catalogs to her friends, family and co-workers? If she has not, remind her that a lot of people will buy something, although they may not come to the show. Outside sales are a great way to increase sales and get potential new hostesses and customers!
If she’s truly unwilling to reschedule her home party then suggest is that she hold a “book” party for outside sales only. A “book show” can be almost as successful as an actual show if she gets enough orders. Be sure she gets all the contact information from each person that purchases so you can follow up with them.
The best way to avoid those last minute cancellations is to do the work ahead of time. Keep in contact with your hostess from the time she booked the show up to the day before the show. Send out Thank You notes, reminder cards and make phone calls to encourage her and help her be a better hostess.
Take the time to get to know your hostess and coach her from that perspective. If she is shy and reserved, help her by giving her “words” or scripts to use when calling her potential guests. Put the information in her hands to help her be successful.
If your hostess is unorganized, but social (those two usually go hand in hand) help her be organized by giving her ‘save the date’ cards or magnets she can have in front of her at all times. Give her a plan or help her schedule time to make phone calls to friends and family. Give her plenty of brochures to hand out to co-workers and make sure she puts them in her briefcase or by her purse so they go with her to work the next day.
Sometimes in direct sales, we do have to “babysit” some of our hostesses; in other words, you have to help them along, every step of the way. But remember, you can never go wrong when you invest a little time and effort in someone to help them be successful. After all, your success depends on their success.
In direct sales you won’t be in business long if you are not willing to invest time, energy and some money into the lives of others. Being in a direct sales business should not be all about you and what you’re going to get out of it; you have to help others be a success if you’re going to be a success!
Don’t Let Fear Get In Your Way of Success
If you’re reading this you 1) are afraid of success and 2) would like to find a “cure” for that fear.
You probably started your direct sales business because you wanted or needed more money, were looking for a business you could run while raising your kids or something like that. Whatever the reason, you probably didn’t start out thinking, “I only want to go “this” far”. Most likely you went in with no fear telling yourself you were going to make this business SUCCESSFUL. Never in a million years did you think you would start to get scared just when things were beginning to take off. However, now here you are with success knocking on your door and you’re afraid to answer.
What are you afraid of? Making more money? Surely, not. Attracting great business partners? Really? Or is it that you’re afraid that you’ll fail at being successful? Thinking that you won’t be able handle everyone’s expectations of you.
Have you ever had someone say to you, “You’ve got so much potential in [insert certain area in your life here]” but found yourself doubting what they were saying or not believing it at all? Be honest with yourself now and really think back to those times and the people who were saying those words to you. Who were they? Probably people you admired and looked up to weren’t they? I thought so because that’s exactly who I heard those words from so many times in my life.
Now take a look at yourself, not just your outer self, but your inner self. Really examine who you are, where you’ve been, what you want out of life and why you haven’t reached your goals or set any goals for that matter.
Here a few questions to get you started:
• What holds you back?
• Why don’t you go after what you want in life?
• Is it family values-are you putting your family ahead of your dreams?
• Why can’t your family be a part of your dreams?
• Do you think that you don’t have what it takes to reach your goals or live your dream?
• Do you feel like you’re not smart enough or talented enough to live your dream?
• What is your dream?
• Do you even have a dream?
• Are you afraid of dreaming, maybe you think ‘what’s the use’?
Now that you’ve become better acquainted with yourself you need to realize the YOU DO have what it takes to be successful in life. You’re both smart and talented. You might not be one of those people who gets noticed right way but you have something of value to offer. Never doubt that. You can live my dream of working from home, owning your own business and doing something you truly love.
So, think about it. What is your burning passion? What do you keep coming back to every time you think of your direct sales business? Perhaps it’s simply booking more shows or making more sales. But, maybe, just maybe it’s branching out to help others achieve the same level of success you enjoy.
See? You do have something to offer so get out there and dip your little toe in the pool. Don’t let your fears or anxiety hold you back. Figure out what you are afraid of and the things that are holding you back and learn to overcome them. It is possible to overcome our fears by facing them.
If you’re shy then take steps to be more outgoing. Facing your fears is the only way to truly overcome them, and once you do, you may find that what you’re afraid of isn’t so bad after all.
Your Direct Sales Career: Is Leadership For You?
If you’ve been in direct sales for any length of time you realize that one of the keys to a bigger paycheck is recruiting new team members. Deciding to become a leader isn’t a decision to take lightly. Your focus will likely shift a bit from booking shows and making sales (although this will ALWAYS be your bread & butter) to training your new team and if you become a huge recruiting success then you need to devote even more time to the nurturing of your team’s success. You know you want to make more money (and win more trips) but are you ready to be a successful leader?
The first thing you should do is examine yourself. Ask yourself some questions like:
- What areas am I strong in? Am I naturally social or am I more reserved and shy? If you are naturally social, then you won’t have a problem talking to people. However if you are naturally shy, then you will need to work on this. I recommend you take some classes or read some books on growing your self confidence.
- Am I organized and do I know how to prioritize my time? If you aren’t a naturally organized person, practice being organized. How do you do that? Watch some TV shows on organization or get some DVD’s that teach you how to organize. You can learn to be organized. If you’re horrible at prioritizing your time, you can learn how. Take some time management classes or have your up line teach you!
- Am I a good listener? A good listener is one who not only listens to others but they know what to listen to and what not to listen to. Don’t listen to gossip or negative talk! You don’t want to be bringing yourself down or others by allowing gossip or negative talk in your group. Learn how to politely stop it or step away from it or even turn the negative into positive.
- Am I an available leader? Will I make time for my clients and recruits? Or do I get annoyed if they call at unscheduled time with an urgent matter or emergency? Your recruit might be in the middle of a class and need an answer to a question right away that may make or break a sale. How will you handle that? You will need patience and understanding. Yes, you can learn to be patient, but you have to practice patience to learn it!
- How’s my attitude? Am I haughty or do I have a better than thou attitude? Or do I know that I make mistakes and so does everyone else? Do I quickly learn from my mistakes or do I let them get me down? If you allow your mistakes or mistakes of others for that matter bring you down and you have a defeatist attitude all the time, you won’t be a successful leader. There will always be someone somewhere that is going to point out your mistakes, just get over it, learn from it and move on. Don’t let a mistake stop you from reaching your goals!
Good leadership takes patience, strength, perseverance and a good attitude. Once you examine yourself, take a good look at the leaders around you and decide who you would most like to emulate. Talk to them and enter into a mentoring relationship with them. Follow the examples of good leadership and leave the rest behind.
Remember to focus on keeping your business afloat as well. Leadership is a time investment. It’s the difference between working your direct sales business part-time and full-time. You have to be ready. When you’ve made the decision to enter leadership do so with the mindset of being the best leader you can be. Congratulations and Good Luck!
photo credit: Wesley Fryer
Direct Sales: Tapping Your Warm Market For Business Growth
I just love sales lingo! “Warm market”, whoever thought of that term anyway?! Your warm market consists of the people who have a need for your product and are probably expecting a call from you.
Perhaps you got their name from your sales director because a consultant quit and that customer needs some TLC. Your warm market may be leads from previous users of the product or other people who have lost their consultant for whatever reason. Or perhaps, you know them personally, and they know you are now in business for yourself and are expecting you to ask them first.
Your warm market will be the “safest” place and one of the first places to get sales and bookings from, after your friends and family.
How do you tap that warm market? How do you find these people that love the product but don’t have a consultant? You know they are out there!
If you run out of people to talk to check with your sales director or up line leader. They probably have a list of customers from former consultants who have left the company. When you talk to your leader ask for some names of people, their phone numbers and what products they use or purchased in the past.
Once you have the list – get on the phone. Wondering what to say? Here is a sample script you can use for this scenario. Keep in mind, this is a person who loves the product and lost their consultant for whatever reason. There could be some bitterness toward the company, so tread lightly and find out how she is feeling about the company first then WOW! them with your wonderful customer service.
Customer: Hello.
You: Hi Sally. My name is Mary, and I am a new consultant with Great Stuff for Your Skin. Do you have a minute? (Always ask this first! You don’t want to go into a long drawn out speech just to be shot down with “I’m busy right now”. Plus it’s embarrassing!)
Customer: Yeah, I do. (Of course we are having her say yes, but if she says no, then ask when would a good time be to call her back.) The baby is napping right now, so you called at the right time.
You: Oh good. Well as I understand you may be out of some Great Stuff for Your Skin products. Has anyone else gotten a hold of you since Jane left the company? (It’s always good ethics not to step on another consultants toes and some companies won’t allow you to “steal” a customer from another consultant.)
Customer: No, no one else has called me.
You: Well I have some new products for your skin type that you might love and I can bring you whatever you need now! When would be a good time to get together? (Keep it positive; don’t speak negatively about another consultant or the company.)
Customer: Oh this time in the afternoon is great when the baby is down for their nap. How about tomorrow? I am out of everything and nothing in the store compares to Great Stuff for Your Skin!
You: Great! I will be there tomorrow at 2:00! I’ll bring the products you’re out of now and the new items that just came out so you can try them as well.
See that wasn’t so bad, now was it? Just remember these simple points when calling your warm market:
- Ask if they are busy first
- Get a feel for how they are feeling about the company
- Find out their immediate needs
- Introduce new product
- Set up a time to meet
In the scenario above, Sally didn’t care about hosting a party for a discount or free product. She just wanted her product and wanted it now. However, if your new customer wants to host a party, then get that booking. In Sally’s case, after getting the product to her, you can ask her to have a few friends over so you can show them the new products too.
Tapping your warm market is easy and can be fun and very rewarding. Your warm market is probably the second place that most of your customers will come from; the first being your family and friends and their friends. So don’t hesitate in getting that list from your sales director and start making your warm market calls before someone else does.
