MLM Marketing Blog

MLM Business Building Ideas for 3/18/11

Here's a quick roundup of some links I shared last week on my MLMWomanNews page on Facebook.

Enjoy!

Linda Locke
Editor, MLM Marketing Blog

"Choose your mentors & role models based on character, not just accomplishment." Carrie Wilkerson

Read this before you do your taxes this year: 10 Tax Benefits For The Self-Employed Forbes http://ht.ly/48Ro2

8 Sales Tips for Shy People http://ht.ly/4a8ge -- I especially like tip #4 Let them do most of the talking.

Interesting article about a husband who joined his wife's business when she became injured. Meet "Bob the Avon guy," a top salesman for the cosmetics company http://ht.ly/4aY2I

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." ~ Agatha Christie

Tip of the Day: Marketing by walking around: Wear a t-shirt or jacket with your company logo on it or attach a promotional button or piece of jewelry to your shirt, jacket or purse strap. It's an easy way to get exposure for your company and products and to invite people to ask you about your business.

Great tips! How to Be a Good Listener http://ht.ly/4fJeC

Boost Buzz Fast with Local Press http://ht.ly/4fJs3

5 LinkedIn Tips to Boost Traffic to Your Direct Sales Blog « Marketing Direct Sales http://ht.ly/46qEk

Another interesting article on how women are turning to direct sales to start their own business: 'Pink Collar' jobs allow moms to make money at home http://ht.ly/41Tw2

Interesting profile of a direct sales entrepreneur: For Entrepreneur Mom, Direct Sales Lead to Big Business http://ht.ly/3UIqe

New Trend: Multi Brand Direct Selling Party

 
Here's an interesting switch up on the direct selling party business. Julie Ronan offers up different choices of company products in her office with samples and displays from seven different brands (Avon, Miche Bag, Silpada Jewelry, Tupperware, Intimate Expressions, Tastefully Simple and Partylite).

She gives her hostesses the option to pick one, two or all seven brands to feature at their parties. Ronan says:

"Someone has a Tupperware party or a Partylite party and you go, because they’re your friend, but maybe you don’t like Tupperware or candles," she said. "A lot of hostesses want to do multibrand parties because when people are offered more than one option, then everybody’s happy."

Parties can be held in a host’s home or in Ronan’s office — a hidden treasure downtown with exposed brick, copper-colored tin ceiling tiles, art on the walls and cushy sofas — at no extra cost. She even will throw in snacks and drinks for up to 25 people.

"It’s all open-house style. People can come anytime during the party, mingle, look around, have snacks," Ronan said. “People don’t have to show up right at 6 p.m. to listen to me talk."

Read more here: Saginaw woman turns unemployment into business opportunity

Linda Locke
MLM Marketing Blog

What NOT to Do on Facebook

Just read an excellent post by Jennifer Fong on her Direct Sales and Social Media blog about annoying direct sales Facebookers.

If you are using Facebook to promote your direct sales or network marketing business, you need to read this post so you can avoid becoming one of them.

Annoying Facebook-ers, Direct Sales Style

Linda Locke
Editor, MLMWoman
4 Hours a Week to Newsletter Success

Direct Sales Dictionary for Beginners – Part 2

In the previous article we discussed 14 terms that anyone thinking of getting into a direct sales business of their own should be familiar with. This time we’re bringing you 11 more. These words and phrases, along with their definition will help you become more familiar with the terminology that will become part of your everyday life as a direct sales business owner.

Marketing: The way you present your products to the buyer. Marketing tends to go hand in hand with advertising.

National Sales Director: A sales director who has achieved the highest level of sales and recruits in the company throughout the nation.

Networking: Getting to know others. You network with other business owners, directors, potential customers and current customers.

Objection: The reason someone may refuse to buy your products or services.

Recruiter: The person you sign up under when you become a direct sales business owner. This person is your team leader or upline. They normally make a commission percentage off of the sales you make.

Residual Income: Money that you earn over and over (usually monthly) when someone signs up for a recurring product or service through you.

Sales Director: The leader of a team of direct sales recruits. New direct sales business owners can find answers to their questions with their team’s leader. There is usually a certain amount of sales and/or recruits that have to be made in order to reach this level.

Target market: A certain group of people the company or salesperson wishes to market products to.

Team Trainer: This person is responsible for training a team about the product the company sells. They have worked in the business for awhile and know the products and the company very well.

Up Line: The person who signed you up is part of your up line in direct sales. The person who signed them up is also part of your up line. This goes on over various levels and your up line will normally make money from the sales their recruits (down line) make.
Warm Calling: Calling current or previous customers or those who have signed up to receive a call from the company. These calls are usually made to try and recruit sales or team members.

The jargon varies somewhat between companies, but for the most part, the terms used are similar no matter which company you are working for.  In order to make the most of your business, it’s a good idea to learn these terms, along with their meanings and use them regularly.

Direct Sales Beginner’s Dictionary – Part 1

If you’ve been thinking about joining a direct sales company, you’ve probably heard terms like up line, down line, cold calling, hostess, and more. These, along with others, may be words you’ve never heard used before. If you plan to join any direct sales company, it’s wise to learn these terms and what they mean to help you succeed even more at your business. Here’s the first half of the Direct Sales Beginner’s Dictionary.

Annual Conference or Seminar: This is usually a trip to a large city where everyone in a designated area or district goes to get awarded for sales and recruits. Often the conferences are filled with shows, classes and awards ceremonies. They are fun, motivational and encouraging to attend. Some companies offer an incentive, like a free pass or discounted rate to the conference for meeting a specific sales goal or recruiting goal.

Client: A more sophisticated term for a customer.  Clientele is the plural form of client.

Close or closing: The act of getting the customer to make a commitment to purchase.

Cold calling: The act of making phone calls to unknown persons or persons not expecting a call from you or your company and there is no known need of the person receiving the call.

Commission:  The amount of money you, the salesperson, will make from the sales at a show, class or party.

Consultant: A term often used in place of ‘salesperson’ by direct sales companies.

Consumer: The person purchasing and/or using the product or service.

Customer Service: Taking care of your customers, their needs and desires in a professional and courteous manner.

Database: A record of all your clientele’s information, purchases, desires, etc. A database can be stored in a folder in a file cabinet, on index cards or on a spreadsheet in a computer software program such as Microsoft Excel.

Demographics: The information about people in a certain marketing area or territory such as age, number of men, number of women, number of mothers, number of children, income brackets, home owners, renters, line of work, etc.

Distribution Center: A building located closer to an area, region or district that houses products and makes shipping less costly and timelier.

Host/Hostess: The person holding the show, class, party or meeting in their home. Usually the hostess will receive free or discounted items for reaching a certain number of sales and/or recruits at their show.

Incentive: A reward for sales or purchases.

Inventory: Products or goods on-hand, ready to sell.

These are just a few of the new terms you will hear mentioned in direct sales circles. We’ll be back with more in a bit.

Professionals & Stay at Home Moms Flock to Direct Sales in 2009

Some things never change. When times are hard, people seek out new ways to replace lost income through a sideline business and direct sales companies are usually the first place they look.

Direct sales offers a ready made business that appeals to both laid-off professionals and stay-at-home moms with low start up expenses. People who in flush times would not consider "selling" things, are more than willing to break out of their comfort zones and knock on doors, hold parties, and do whatever it takes when times are hard. Consider this:

"Job cuts, shrinking bonuses and scaled-back hours have pushed more people than ever to become direct sales representatives, a phenomenon industry experts say they've seen before.

In the 1990-1991 recession, the number of direct sellers increased 8 percent to 5.1 million Americans. In the 2001 recession, the work force increased to 12.2 million.

And while 2008 figures are not yet available, in 2007 an estimated 15 million people nationwide were in direct sales. Some 58 percent of became reps as a second job, according to the Direct Selling Association, a trade group that represents 200 U.S. companies." More

Savvy direct sellers would do well to focus on this new crop of potential recruits. In this recession, likely prospects are everywhere.

Direct Sales - Answering the Question "What Do You Do?"

By Audrey Okaneko

Whenever we are in a social situation the question "what do you do?" is bound to come up. It's almost as popular as "how are you?"

I'm sure you too have been the victim of a long drawn out sales pitch, when the question "what do you do?" is asked of someone in direct sales. I've NEVER met anyone who wants to listen to a ten minute sales presentation because an overeager sales person believes they now have a lead.

If someone works retail they say "oh I work at _____". That's it, you know what they do in 5 seconds. If someone owns a business such as an air conditioning business, again you'll know what they do within 5 seconds of asking "what do you do?"

Yet for some reason, those in direct sales seem to not be able to convey what they do in under 30 seconds. I've truly met folks who when asked "what do you do?" they respond with a sales pitch that ends with "please join our conference call". C'mon the "what do you do?" was asked in conversation...this is NOT a lead.

There are just so many things you can say:

1. I sell products on a website.
2. I sell advertising via content rich websites.
3. I sell products for a direct sales company.
4. I represent a direct sales company.
5. I help people learn about _______(fill in one or two words here).

The answer to "what do you do?" should not be a sales pitch but rather a conversation starter. If someone says to me "I work at _________(insert retail store name here) then I can say "oh I've never heard of them before" or I can say "oh wow, I shop there all of the time" or I can say "oh what do you do there?". The one sentence of "I work at _____" began a conversation".

Given the above five suggestions, one might then say to you "oh what do you sell?" or "wow, how long have you been doing that?" or "I've never done that, how did you get started?" Those five above ideas are conversation starters, not full blown sales pitches. You now can see where the conversation leads.

See if you can come up with at least five short answers to "what do you do?" that will begin conversations for you, no matter where you are.

About the Author

Audrey Okaneko has been in direct sales since 1983. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or you can visit her website at http://www.recipe-barn.com/tupperware-consultant.html.

Direct selling keeps going and growing!

Here's a link to a great news story about direct sales and MLM and why the flexibility and social aspects of the industry are helping it to grow.

Read the full story here.
 

Linda Locke
MLM Marketing Blog