Gratitude Is Always In Season

Guest post by Melissa Dery

The holiday season is upon us, and while this is the time of the year when people tend to acknowledge their customers more than any other, gratitude and appreciation can — and should — be expressed all year long.

The problem facing many business owners is that while they often feel appreciation, the work involved with actually letting people know takes time away from an already over-loaded schedule.  Finding just the right card, deciding what to write inside, addressing, stamping, (heck, some days even FINDING a stamp), sending it – the frustration involved with not being able to keep up prevents too many people from even getting started.  It’s easy to get discouraged and start beating up on yourself just thinking about the process.

What fun is that? 

Telling people that we value and appreciate them should feel good – to everyone involved.  The good news is there are a few systems that can make it easier.

My personal favorite, and the one I personally recommend is SendOutCards (I am an independent distributor).  This online system allows you to create personal cards, with pictures and even to your own handwriting font.   When you press “send” a real greeting card is printed, addressed, stamped and sent by “snail mail” to your recipient, from the company headquarters.   You never have to leave your office or lick a stamp!

Cards can be scheduled to go out on specific dates, a batch of cards can be sent to a group (for example: your Team or your Hostesses). You can even choose to include gifts such as books, gift cards, or brownies!

Best of all, if this still feels like too much time, a steep learning curve or you are not confident on the computer, your Virtual Assistant can create and schedule these cards to go out for you. That makes following up and staying in touch even easier!

Being able to follow through and actually share those encouraging words with others is a very powerful tool. Create a follow-up plan that includes showing your gratitude to your customers and team members. Not just during the holidays, but throughout the year.

About The Author

Melissa H. Dery is The Golden Rule Virtual Assistant (VA) providing Virtual Business Management to Direct Sales leaders.  A former direct sales consultant, Melissa also grew up in a direct selling family.  She knows first hand about the “behind the scenes” work required to help your business grow and prosper.

When Melissa combined more than 20 years of experience as an administrative professional with her desire support those in direct sales and The Golden Rule VA was born.  Her mission and her “rule” are the same: to treat your business as if it were her very own, with respect, creativity and professionalism.

Melissa is married to her best friend and lives in New Hampshire with her two boys.  She has a Bachelor Degree in Business Management and a “Ducktoratte” Degree from Disney University.  She loves coffee, running, and – most of all – camping with her family.

Direct Sales Success Tips For The Holidays

Direct Sales Success: Existing Customers Are Your “Low Hanging Fruit”

Guest Post by Jen Fitzgerald

I see it all the time. Direct Sellers are always trying to find ways to generate new business and meet new customers. What about the customers that have already bought from you? I used to think like this myself until I had a huge breakthrough…

Here’s my three month experiment: I started paying attention only to my current customers and I didn’t try and go out and get any new ones. I learned about their lives, their families, their hobbies, etc. I became friends with my current customer base and an AMAZING thing happened. I got more business and my sales increased!

I started contacting them when I knew they were going to on vacation to tell them to have a good time or sent them a birthday/anniversary card just because. After a few months of this, I was friends with almost all of my several hundred customers and knew them like my closest friends.

At the end of month two, I sent out an e-mail or letter in the mail and asked them for referrals and any ideas for fundraisers I could do, etc. My following month was the biggest I had EVER had. I had tons of new customers from referrals and I didn’t have to go out and find them anywhere…they came to me!

I know this may sound simple but try it for a month or two. I am not saying you have to stop generating any new business but try to focus your time on becoming friends with your current customer base. Build a relationship with them and then ask them for a referral. Wouldn’t you be more than willing to help a friend out versus someone you just bought a few products from? Trust me when I say you will be more fulfilled in your heart and soul as well from this experiment.

Your assignment: Contact your customers by phone, e-mail or regular mail and get to know them. Truly get to know them. Then when you feel comfortable, ask them for a referral or thoughts on where you might be able to do a fundraiser or set up a booth. I promise your results will be amazing!

Jen Fitzgerald is the owner of The Client Angel, the premier tool for helping Direct Sellers build lasting relationships with their customers. Providing better follow-up causes your businesses to soar! See a demo at: www.theclientangel.com.

Direct Sales Leadership: Dovetailing Tips For Success

In the direct sales industry, the act of “dovetailing” a show is commonplace and problematic. Leaders, with an abundance of shows, often “dovetail” a show to one of their team members to help them launch (or re-launch) their business.

The trouble comes when expectations aren’t set (or met), and what should be a seamless transfer of clients becomes an attitude war. Here are just a few problems I’ve come across in my coaching career (and in my own direct sales experience):

• Leaders pass off clients they don’t want to an inexperienced consultant that can’t “handle” them.
• Consultants develop an entitlement mentality, expecting their leaders to just “give” them shows when they need it.
• Clear expectations aren’t set when the show is dovetailed, and the consultant resents sharing the income from the show with their leader.
• Clients get confused about which consultant is “their” consultant.
• Consultants don’t follow-up, and lose the new clients, forcing the Leader to step in, which creates friction in the organization.

Let’s have a look at where the word “dovetail” comes from:

My grandpa was a carpenter, and explained to me long ago that dovetail joints are the strongest way to join two pieces of wood together. They’re also a bit complicated and time consuming to create, but worth the effort if done well.

If you examine the picture, you’ll see two boards coming together. Where the notch (called a mortise) receives the tab (called a tenon), you create a dovetail joint. When properly constructed, it is incredibly strong, resists coming apart, and is often used in high-quality construction of cabinet drawers.

Simply put, a dovetail is designed to last for ages. I have cabinets that have lost their bottoms, their knobs, and even other parts, but those dovetail joints are solid. Even without glue, a well-crafted dovetail will have a tight-fitting hold.

So it should also be in your direct sales business.

The leader is the tenon, extending their clients to a consultant, acting as the mortise (the notch that receives the dovetail).

There needs to be a tight fit. Leaders can’t just “pass off” their shows to a consultant and expect them to be successful. This is a gift that you extend as a courtesy for their demonstrated efforts at building their own business. Dovetailing is NOT a handout. Leaders need to set clear expectations with their consultants before, during and after the dovetailing of a show. These are my top suggestions for helping your consultants make the most of the “gift” you’ve given them:

1. Pre-screen your consultants. Let them know that they have demonstrated a level of responsibility in building their business, and you’d like to reward them from your abundance by sharing a show or two with them. Make it clear that this is your investment in them, and you want it to be a “good fit” for your clients as well as the consultant. You’re not just “giving them a show”, you’re making an investment, and you expect a positive return on thst investment.
2. Set clear expectations. Make it plain to your consultant how you will be compensated for dovetailing the show. In exchange for giving them your clients, at the minimum, you need to set an expectation that there will be some form of compensation. It doesn’t need to be money, but half of the profits from the show is typical. I often encourage my consultants to have better shows by telling them they’ll earn 90% (instead of 50%) if they hold a $1000+ show.
3. Work with your consultant. Unless this is an established consultant, and you are sharing a show because of a scheduling conflict, it is incumbent upon you, as the leader, to make sure your consultant knows how to appreciate and fully utilize the gift they’ve been given. If they are weak at getting bookings in the first place, “giving them shows” will create a dependency, and possibly an entitlement mentality. Offer the dovetail in exchange for some one-on-one practice with their booking talk, or whatever area of their business needs improvement. I have heard a number of horror stories from leaders that dovetailed a party with 20 guests and the consultant doing the show got zero bookings.
4. Prep your hosts. Let your hosts know about the dovetail. Make it clear that they always have a choice in who they want to work with. Also inform them that the consultant will be “theirs” unless and until the customer decides otherwise. Explain the nature of dovetailing, and give your clients the option to choose. There’s nothing worse for a new consultant than to do a show and watch all the bookings go back to her leader.

What about you? What other tips have you shared when dovetailing shows? Leave a comment below and share your ideas with the community.

Direct Sales Success: Offline Marketing Ideas

In most direct sales circles, I’m known as an online marketing coach. When you’re looking to build a web presence, get into social media or expand your reach online, I’m one of a few “go-to girls” in the Direct Sales industry. It’s how I got my start as a successful direct seller, and online marketing will always be part of my arsenal of marketing tools.

However, if you’re relying solely on marketing your business using online methods, you’re severely limiting yourself.

Sure, it’s possible to build a successful, nearly passive revenue stream using online marketing strategies and techniques. I’ve done it myself and helped hundreds of other people do the same. But it takes more time than it used to, and most direct sellers don’t have the patience or freedom to wait several months for the leads to start coming in.

Not only that, but you’re leaving good money on the table if you ignore offline marketing methods. Outside your regular shows or sales presentations, there are still a variety of effective means to market yourself and your products or services. Consider adding one (or more) of the following to your marketing mix:

Reduce Cancellations in Your Home Party Plan Business

by Deb Bixler

If you are involved in conducting home party plan shows, there is a good chance that you have been in plenty of circumstances where your party ended up being canceled. In some cases, a cancellation simply cannot be avoided. Don’t let this fact get to you. In these cases, it is almost always possible to reschedule the party.

There are other cancellations that can be prevented, however. Generally speaking, these types of cancellations can be avoided long before they actually happen. Often, parties are cancelled because not enough guests are invited, or not enough have shown up. Here are some suggestions to help you understand what you can do to reduce cancellations in your direct sales business.