FYI: I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. There is a full affiliate disclosure that you can find here.
Direct Sales has been around for a long time. Even in Babylonian times there were direct sellers. I’m not kidding. They went by a different name though. I mean, who wants to be called a “peddler”?
If you are unfamiliar with direct sales, it’s a pretty easy concept. A company has products. They have people to sell their items. Typically they are called consultants. Before the digital age, ladies were toting around catalogs and cases of samples. Often these would be passed around offices, church, schools or get togethers would be planned specifically to learn about these products .
Consultants receive a commission based on the sales of the products, but the “‘real money” is in building a team. This is where consultants introduce the direct sales business to friends and family and customers. When they sign up to also be consultants, more money is made.
Fast forward to modern day direct sales. Technology has been HUGE for direct sales. Catalogs are now online and shopping can happen all over the world. Forget Home Shopping Network! You can have your very own shopping show right on your FaceBook profile! There are so many platforms to sell from, it can make your head spin. Or, doubt your sanity.
Too Many Options?
When you first join direct sales, you experience so many emotions. Excitement over a new opportunity, worry that it won’t work out for you, nervousness about having to approach people. As you begin to learn about this new venture, you quickly find out how important social media and networking is to success in direct sales.
This alone can be overwhelming. Sure, you have a Facebook page, an Instagram and maybe even SnapChat. Pinterest is your favorite place to look for recipes and weekend DIY’s. Now, these sites have a whole new meaning. These can be selling platforms.
You are now having to change how you look at social media. Every time you post, it has a different purpose. Before you were posting pictures of nature, your dog, that delicious meal you had last week. Now, each post must have purpose. Is it to engage your customers? Will it promote your product? Maybe it is giving some insight into what your products can do for others.
Warm Market
Your upline (the person who convinced you to join direct sales) may have mentioned your “warm market”. If you were like me, you had no clue what this was. Your warm market are people you already have built relationships with. These can be friends, family, co-workers or past customers of other businesses. You probably have been invited to a party or flipped through a catalog. Your kitchen might even have some Pampered Chef or your closet is full of LuLaRoe. These are people reaching out to their warm market. It’s comfortable. I won’t say it’s easy (family often gives you a hard time) but it’s also convenient.
This will entail making a list of people to contact, who is interested, who is not and who books a party. This can also lead you to other people that might be interested. Friends of friends. Acquaintances. People that are invited to your first party by your friends. You want to learn about them. What do they like? What product would work best for them? How do you remember all this?
But wait! There’s More!
Direct sales has many facets. There are online sales and parties, multiconsultant sales, vendor events, etc. There are trainings, social media coaches, and blogging. You not only have to keep up with your Direct Sales policies and procedures, but have to learn how to use all the platforms as well. You are managing customers lists, sales opportunities, what training is best, the list goes on!
It can be overwhelming and often causes people to quit. How do you manage all this information? Do you need a notebook for each aspect of the business? If you are an inventory based direct sales, how will you track your inventory?
Get Digitally Organized
Even seasoned direct sellers can be overwhelmed with the amount of things they need to keep up with. Many are unable to get the trainings they need. Some drag around two or three calendars and notebooks to keep up with all their business. This can often lead to lost information, forgotten contacts and missed appointments.
Fortunately, a direct seller saw the problem and began working on a solution. Jamie Makin is the mastermind behind the ONLY digital direct sales planner on the market! Direct Sales is already a business done online and on the go. Why not keep up with all your business needs through your phone or tablet? Imagine how much easier it would be to enter your customer information by clicking open a planner on your phone!
Not only did she create an amazing planner, there is training to go with it! While Jamie is with Pampered Chef and Chalk Couture, she reached out to sellers from other companies to understand their needs. The planner offers set ups for all kinds of products, along with add ons for customer information tracking, multiconsultant/vendor events and a huge one, customer follow up!
Run your Business…..Don’t let it run you!
Direct sales can take over your life….if you let it. It can be an amazing financial benefit….if you treat it right. Direct sales is all about building relationships and maintaining a presence. You want people to think of you when they see your branding. If they need your product, you want to be the first in their mind.
In order to build that business, you need to be organized and consistent. Having a good digital planner at your fingertips is going to keep you on track! Remember that you can’t do ALL the things and be good at them. Do the things that work for your business and get good at them. If Instagram is the best platform for you, learn it inside and out. Schedule all your posts and know when and what to post. Don’t compare your self to others, just focus on YOUR business.
What Direct Sales business are YOU in? Not in one? Which one are you interested in? Comment below!
You can check out my direct sales businesses here:
A POSHitive Difference (Perfectly Posh)
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