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.
Direct Sales: Do You Have What It Takes?
You just had an awesome party for your favorite skin care product or home décor and your consultant knows you’d be perfect at being a consultant too. After all you just had the best show she’s had in 6 months! That must mean you’re cut out to do direct sales, right? Well maybe. Take a look at why you are considering a career in direct sales.
Before you go diving into joining a direct sales company, there are a few things you need to ask yourself to see if you are ready to start a career in direct. Before you begin investing your time and money you want to make sure that this is the right step for you to take.
Sit down with a pen and paper. Write down each of the following questions. Then, think about the honest answer for each one; the answers should be true for where you are right now in life, and your current situation. Make sure to ask your spouse or any loved ones that might be affected by this decision, too.
These steps will help you see the areas you may need to work on while building your career and help you avoid a serious, financially costly mistake. Okay, so what are the questions; what should you ask yourself before making the jump into direct sales?
Do I have the time, right now, in my schedule that is needed to work and build my business?
Too many times a recruiter will tell you they only work a couple of hours a week and make hundreds of dollars. While their actual shows or parties may only take a couple of hours a week, you must consider the set up time, the bookkeeping time, driving time, organization time, meeting time, etc. When you account for all of those things that are necessary to make a direct sales business successful, do you, right now, have the time for that? Do you work another job full time or part time? Do you have a family that obviously requires nurturing and caring for? Do you attend church regularly or belong to other organizations that take up some of your time? Okay, that’s more than one question, but you need to consider all of these things when accounting for what free time you have available.
Do I absolutely LOVE the products I will be selling?
Are you 100% sold out? Do you already tell your friends and family about it and essentially “sell” them on it? Make sure you love the product. If you don’t you will have a hard time convincing anyone else to love it let alone buy it. You can’t sell something you don’t love. You might not LOVE every single product a company sells but you should really believe in the main product line and the majority of the rest of the company’s line. AND you should use the products yourself.
Am I driven and motivated?
Do you have the desire deep in your heart to really work your business? Are you a goal setter and strive to always reach your goals when you set them? To become successful at anything, you must have a long term goal and then short term goals that will help get you to your long term goal. Is the nice car your long term goal? Then what do you have to do to earn it; how many recruits and dollars in sales? What are you going to do to get your first recruit, your second and so on? How are you going to motivate your down line to success? How many shows do you have to hold a week to reach the ultimate dollar amount in sales to earn the car? Are you ready and motivated to do this? Is it your desire to be able to quit your job and work from home full time in direct sales? Then you’re going to have to work twice as hard; work your full time job and work your direct sales business in the evenings or on weekends.
Can I speak to a group of people?
Do you have the ability to talk in front of a group of people? If you are shy and timid, certainly you can overcome shyness, but if you have trouble standing in front a group and speaking, how are you going to hold shows, parties and presentations? You might want to work on overcoming your shyness before diving into a direct sales business. You can practice by holding shows for your close friends and family, which is where you usually start anyway. Another way to help you overcome shyness is by reading books on building your confidence or on public speaking.
Once you sit down with and ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly (don’t forget to talk to your spouse, too), you will know whether you have what it takes to be a success in direct sales.
As you answer the questions, you may find you are qualified in some of the areas, but not all. If that is the case, then maybe you do have what it takes to be successful in starting out a direct sales business, while working on one or two of the other areas to give your business the kick it really needs to be a success.
Be honest with yourself, determine which characteristics you already possess and determine which ones you need to work on and go from there. Don’t let a recruiter convince you otherwise. Sit down with your hubby or best friend and ask them how they would answer these questions about you.
You don’t have to make a decision on the spot and a good recruiter will give you the time you need to really consider these things. The recruiter,your potential up line leader, will want you to succeed because it will help them be more successful as well!
photo credit: mlinksva
