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Insights for network marketing, MLM, and party plan companies
Posts Tagged ‘direct selling’
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
It is imperative that direct selling business owners and independent consultants build rapport with customers, representatives and potential recruits.
What exactly is rapport?
rap•port (noun)
Definition: friendly relationship: an emotional bond or friendly relationship between people based on mutual liking, trust, and a sense that they understand and share each other’s concerns.
Successful business owners build rapport with their sales force every day. They realize that rapport is a vital element in their recipe for business success.
Can direct selling companies teach the importance of rapport to their independent representatives?
I believe the answer is YES.
I suggest the following steps are taken:
1. Explain the importance of rapport, that people buy from people they like and that rapport-building is the process of discovering common interests.
2. Teach by example.
3. Emulate the tone of voice, the cadence of speech, the volume, and the pace of the conversation with others.
4. Seek and find a comfort zone of topics for both you and the potential customer or sponsored representative. Examples are career, hobbies, pets, photography, kids, vacation spots, etc.
5. Have established representatives share examples of role play to encourage new representatives to practice role playing with others
Tags: direct selling, rapport
Posted in Ask Victoria, Communication | No Comments »
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
By Jay E. Leisner, President of Sylvina Consulting
I began my career in direct selling in 1986 when I went to work for a company that develops and sells network marketing software. My previous background was software development, so I was hired as a programmer/analyst.
Within a few months, I was promoted to project leader. In those days, project leaders did everything for their clients. They responded to requests to support specific business initiatives, determined whether the software could support the specific business need, proposed solutions, wrote specification documents, programmed, and tested their clients’ compensation plans, mapped and converted their data, trained the users, and answered all support questions. To do a good job, it was essential that the project leader learned everything about their clients and their businesses.
I saw firsthand how companies like Creative Memories, NuSkin, NSA, Tahitian Noni, and Usana grew from small businesses into multinational corporations. I also saw many companies launch and struggle to grow, some of whom exited their businesses.
(more…)
Tags: direct sales, direct selling
Posted in Startups, Strategies | No Comments »
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Walt’s nephew, Roy Disney, said, “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”
As the owner of a network marketing or party plan company, you probably want everyone to share the vision you have for your company. How do you do that?
(more…)
Tags: direct selling, values, vision
Posted in Ask Victoria, Communication | No Comments »
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
What are they thinking? If you’re not asking this question about your salesforce, you should be!
While some of your representatives will share their concerns and compliments with you, most won’t Unsolicited feedback is important, but you shouldn’t rely upon it as your only gauge of field attitudes.
(more…)
Tags: direct sales, direct selling, survey
Posted in Communication | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
When I consult with direct selling businesses and they tell me that their recruiting and sales are down, the first questions I ask are, “Have you gone to a party with any consultants lately?” and “Have you scheduled any parties yourself?”
I am amazed at how often I hear an owner say, “No.” To me, this is a clear indication that the owner is not in touch with the field. It is paramount in this economy that we find out what consultants are up against.
(more…)
Tags: direct selling
Posted in Ask Victoria | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Communication with the field is one of many vital ingredients in the success formula for direct selling companies.
It should start within minutes of receipt of a new representative’s application. An automated email from your company should be sent confirming acceptance of the application, along with some words of thanks and excitement.
In the starter kit, there is another opportunity to communicate with the representative and make a good first impression. Even better, you have the opportunity to reduce the percentage of unopened kits by placing words of encourage, welcoming the new representative, on the outside of the box!
(more…)
Tags: direct selling, field communication, follow-up, recommended
Posted in Communication | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Where can you experience…
- Presentations for direct selling companies on sales, recruiting, field leadership and financial management?
- Keynote speakers Suze Orman, Maya Angelou, Andrea Jung and John Maxwell?
- An exhibit hall with 140 suppliers to the direct selling industry?
All of these and more will be found at the largest event of the year for direct selling companies at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland from Sunday evening, May 31, 2009 through Tuesday, June 02, 2009.
It’s the Annual Meeting of the Direct Selling Association, also known as the DSA.
The DSA is a trade organization for direct selling companies. Based in Washington, D.C., its primary function is lobbying federal and state governments on behalf of its members. Its secondary purpose is education.
The DSA has always brought outstanding speakers and exciting breakout sessions to its annual meeting and this year is no exception. This extraordinary meeting will educate and inform you on strategies that will help your company become a powerful economic force. It will give you insight on how the economy is impacting business today.
Find out what you need to do to remain competitive and discover what the future of direct selling holds for your company, your reps in the field and their customers.
We invite you to join Sylvina Consulting and hundreds of your direct selling peers. During exhibit hall hours, we’ll be at booth #304. We hope to see you at the meeting!
If your company is not yet a DSA member, we can offer you a special invitation that will save you money.
Contact us at 503.244.8787 or email info@sylvina.com for details.
Tags: annual meeting, conference, direct selling, MLM, seminar
Posted in Direct Selling Events | No Comments »
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
Like an orchestra, a direct selling company is composed of many instruments, each of which must do its part to produce the desired result, a symphonic success!
When one or more elements are in need of tuning, the performance of the whole suffers.
Are your company’s instruments tuned for success?
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Tags: direct selling, improving, tips, tune-up, tuning
Posted in Key Operating Indicators, Strategies | No Comments »
Sunday, February 15th, 2009
If you are considering using another company’s compensation plan, exactly the same or with a few changes, I would ask you these questions:
Is your
• total budget for field compensation
• understanding of different types of compensation plans
all the same as those of the other company?
(more…)
Tags: direct sales compensation plan, direct selling, direct selling business plan, direct selling compensation plan, mlm compensation plan, mlm compensation plans
Posted in Ask Victoria, Compensation Plans | No Comments »
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