A myth is something many people believe to be true, but it’s not. Sometimes if you believe a myth, you can get hurt. Compensation plan myths are especially dangerous because they can lead to poor business decisions that can kill or wound your company. In this article, we’ll share 6 of them with you. …
Can Rapport Building Be Taught?
Rapport is what we all seek. It can help bring harmony and balance into our daily lives. Rapport is part of the foundation on which we build our success in life and in business. It is imperative that direct selling business owners and independent consultants build rapport with customers, representatives, and potential recruits. They use…
Training Your Independent Representatives
Your company’s success depends in part on how well your independent representatives are trained. Are you training on the right topics, in the right ways? Training Topics Your independent representatives need to be trained on several topics. To see what those topics are, watch our video. Feel free to take notes and/or screenshots so you…
6 Compensation Plan Myths
A myth is something many people believe to be true, but it’s not. Sometimes if you believe a myth, you can get hurt. Compensation plan myths are especially dangerous because they can lead to poor business decisions that can kill or wound your company. In this video, I will share 6 of them…
Direct Selling: Yes Or No?
Are you looking at network marketing or party plan selling as a possible sales channel for your company? This is direct selling. Direct selling is the umbrella term often used to describe a business with independent representatives who can earn money on their personal sales as well as on the sales of others in their downline organization….
It’s What You Don’t Know
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…
Good Communication
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…
Tuning Your Company
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 company suffers. Are your company’s instruments tuned for success?
What About Sales Tax?
If you’re launching a new direct selling company, you should be asking this question! Collection and Remittance Most businesses register for sales tax collection authority, collect sales taxes, and remit collected taxes only in the states where the business has a physical presence (a store, an office, or a warehouse). However, direct selling companies are…
How to Survey a Direct Selling Sales Force
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.
Policies and Procedures: Sale or Inheritance of an Independent Representative’s Business
Introduction Policies and Procedures are the rules that govern the relationship between a direct selling company and its independent representatives. When fully completed, they comprise about 60 different topics. In this post, we will tackle one of the Policies and Procedures topics. That topic is “Sale or Inheritance”. Sale or Inheritance Most businesses with revenue streams…
12 Key Behaviors For Good Compensation Plans
A good compensation plan is one of the most important ingredients in the recipe for direct selling success, but what makes a compensation plan good? It is good if it financially and ethically fits your business while motivating and rewarding very specific behaviors from your sales force. What are these 12 key behaviors?