Customers Are Everywhere, If You Know Where To Look

Take a good look at the picture. This is solid proof that customers are everywhere around you.

You just have to keep your eyes open.

This is what I’ve coined the “Sales Cycle” – and it’s where you can find customers at any point in your business. Some people you are just meeting, others, you have been doing business with for a long time, while others still have known you, but never done business with you.

It works kind of like a wheel. You are at the hub, and each “spoke” represents a public-facing point in your business where you could potentially meet new customers. The right half of the image is where most people think of meeting new clients (Meet, Lead, Client), but customers are also found on the left half of the Cycle.

But like Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work“. The left side of the Cycle takes a little more work, but produces far better customers as a result.

We dig in deep on this concept in Direct Sales 104, and as part of the updated, expanded Direct Sales 101, I’ll be sharing specific examples of each. For now, let’s give you an overview of what each spoke represents in your business. That just may give you all the fuel you need to make fast progress at attracting new customers to your direct sales business.

1. Meet People – this is something you do every day of your life. You’re online or off, you’re connecting with strangers, and adding them to your circle. Some of these people will pretty much stay strangers in your life – you may never encounter them again. Many of them, however, have the potential of becoming…

2. Leads – these are the folks that have at least a remote interest in who you are and what you’re doing. Over time, if they have a need, and know you, like you, and trust you to their satisfaction, they’ll cross a threshold into…

3. Clients – people that pay you money for what you do! Too often, we think these people are the only people that exist. While it’s true that you’ll spend less money to keep current clients than you will to attract new ones, that is only helpful if you actually have clients in the first place – and enough of them to keep you in business. For most of direct sales professionals, with a re-order rate of 1.1 (meaning for every eleven people that buy from you, ONE of them will make a repeat purchase – and only once), this group won’t be helpful on their own, unless you move them into…

4. Delivery – this is where the client relationship is fortified. Typically, it begins at the time of product delivery, which is why I call this spoke delivery. But it could just as easily begin as soon as you take the order – before they’ve received anything more than your good will and gratitude.  How you deliver to the client is far more important than what you deliver or when. All of them are necessary, but it’s the how that often determines repeat business. When it’s done right, it’s a…

5. Bonus – this is where the client relationship is intensified. When you go out of your way to surprise and delight your clients with occasional bonuses, they are oft wont to talk you up, referring to you favorably with their friends and colleagues. Positive referrals beget more business, more customers, and the opportunity to build deeper, richer client relationships. This ultimately gives you the opportunity to…

6. Reciprocate (giving back) – call it charity, tithing, or donating your time or money, the name doesn’t matter. Reciprocity is when you give of your blessings to bless others. You might think it strange to include this as part of the Sales Cycle, since it can often be such an intangible thing to measure. However, my experience, and that of my clients has proven time and again that some of the best business (and positive public exposure) comes from giving back to the community – and often it’s better to give of your time than your money, so there’s very little cost involved to make it happen. People talk about you when you’re going out of your way to make a positive impact in the world. Your direct sales business can be a vehicle for great things, if you remember to include giving back in your Sales Cycle. The best part? Getting involved and giving back often puts you in a position to…

7. Meet People – oh! here we are at the top of the Cycle again. See how that works?

You could easily find yourself on different spokes of the Sales Cycle at the same time with different people. Unlike a “funnel” where you’re trying to “push” clients through it to your desired end result, this Sales Cycle gives you an at-a-glance approach to dealing with each person uniquely. You can see quickly where they fall in the Cycle, and what your best approach is to working with them.

Over time, the Sales Cycle becomes a powerful tool to help you track the opportunities in your business, by making it clear where to focus your business development. Not generating enough leads? Take a look at what you’re doing to meet the right people for your business. Surprising and delighting your customers, but not seeing referrals? How are you handling delivery? If you keep an eye on each of the spokes of the Sales Cycle, your business will continue to roll along nicely.

Interested in learning more? Join us for Direct Sales 101, and get the inside track. Our next class starts February 6!

The Christmas Gift With “Strings”

Starting January 1, PartyOn! Will no longer be a free e-zine. Get on the list while it’s still free. Today’s video explains the “strings” on my Christmas Gift and what it means for you.

Right now you can register for the FINAL live class of Direct Sales 101 and get a complimentary subscription to the newsletter.

Learn More About Direct Sales 101

‘Tis the Season of All or Nothing Something!

Guest Post: Teresa Romain

Throughout the years I have worked with direct sellers and network marketers, I have noticed that this particular time of year leads to an intensification of one of the most debilitating scarcity patterns.

The pattern I’m referring to is the “All or Nothing” pattern.  It shows up this time of year in one of two predominant ways.

For some direct sellers, the time leading up to the holidays is one of the busiest times of their year – with holiday parties, gift-shopping, open houses, etc.   In fact, right up until the last day products can be shipped and still arrive before Christmas, many direct sellers find themselves pushing, pushing, pushing… with their business getting all (or nearly all) of their time, attention and energy.   The rest of their lives are, to a greater or lesser degree, put “on hold”.

Of course, as soon as this “holiday surge” in their business is over, they immediately jump into the holiday plans and preparation they had been putting off – setting up more of that pushing, pushing, pushing energy.  And then, after ALL that – when their business surge is over and the holidays are past… well, then comes the collapse.  The recovery.  The NOTHING.  And that NOTHING often continues well into the month of January – until they find themselves, mid-January, without the production or bookings or sales they need.   And then the pattern begins again – as they push to get a month’s worth of production or sales in two weeks’ time.

Just checking – have I, by chance, described you and/or one of your direct selling friends or associates?

If not, perhaps the “All or Nothing” pattern shows up in your life a little differently right now.

You see, for others – the exact opposite occurs. Either December isn’t a particularly great time for their business (based on the products they sell) and/or they SO enjoy the holiday season that they immerse themselves in ALL of the holiday festivities and do little to NOTHING in their business.   They’re waiting for the New Year – and their “fresh start” – and the time when people will be more interested in their products or business opportunity courtesy of New Year resolutions or the simple fact that the holidays are over.  And they usually have ALL these ideas of ALL that they will do and ALL the shows or sales they will have come January.   But until January comes, again, they do little or NOTHING.

Did I describe you this time?

I’m not saying that every direct seller or network marketer falls into this pattern at this time of year – but it does happen more than you may realize.  And some people don’t even realize the scarcity it sets up – the rollercoaster of highs and lows, ups and downs, feast and famine, start and stop action (and results) it creates in your business.

Not to mention the impact it has on your life in general – and on your sense of balance, wholeness and well-being.

The All or Nothing pattern does not support consistency nor is it sustainable.  It does not support lasting success and growth over time.  And it wreaks havoc on your life – as you catapult from doing ALL or ALOT in your business and NOTHING in other areas (family, home, friends, hobbies, relaxation) to ALL that you suddenly need to do to “catch up” or “make up” in those areas and NOTHING in your business.

So – what’s the way out – during this season and throughout the year?

Do SOMETHING.  Set limits.  Have boundaries. Define what “enough” is for you.

In you’re one of the ones who does ALL business this month and NOTHING (or darn little) in the non-biz areas of your life, then plan your “SOMETHINGS” with friends, family, relaxation, exercise, hobbies, or just plain ‘ol relaxing TODAY.  Reserve the time for them on your calendar and work your biz around those few “somethings” that will keep you more sane and whole and balanced.

But it’s not about doing these “somethings” on TOP of ALL that you are doing in your business – it’s not about packing even more in.  It’s about using your need for these “somethings” (your well-being and sanity depend on them) to help you set limits in your business – to define what is “enough” (for NOW) and maintain important boundaries.

If, on the other hand, you have the tendency to do NOTHING in your business in December because you get caught up in ALL holiday activities or figure your customers are (which is why you don’t want to call them or “bother them”) – then your way out of this pattern is to do SOME THINGS in your business.  Make some phone calls. Hold some shows or classes.  This month, book shows or classes for that first week of January.

Rather than put business “on hold” until January – keep YOURSELF in momentum (and your biz) by doing SOMETHING. Trust me, that will make it much easier for you to have the great start to the New Year that you want – because you’ll already be in motion.

I have often told my direct selling clients that your business is only PART of your life and is designed to support you to live the life you want.  It is not intended to become your life or take over your life or keep your from living your life.   That’s especially true during the months of December and January.

So – rather than a season of All or Nothing – let’s make this a season of SOMETHING.  Because the ease, balance, wholeness, fulfillment, freedom, consistency and momentum that will result is – truly – something worth CELEBRATING!

Teresa Romain is the President & Founder of www.AccessAbundance.com and has trained and coached thousands of individuals around the world access and experience greater freedom, fulfillment, well-being and abundance in their businesses and their lives. Unique in her approach and dynamic and passionate in her style, Teresa is known for making the transformational process of accessing abundance challenging, fun and powerful in its results.

Direct Sales Success Tips For The Holidays

Butterflies and Abundance

Guest post by Teresa Romain

Recently, I rediscovered a quote I first heard many years ago. It hit me in my gut and my heart as much this time as it did when I first read it. It’s an excerpt of a conversation between two of the characters in Trina Paulus’ book, Hope for the Flowers:

“How does one become a butterfly?” she asked.

And the response was…

“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar”.

Bottom line, the key to accessing and experiencing greater levels of abundance in your business and your life – especially financially – is desire.

You have to WANT it – more than you want the comfort and familiarity of what you have in your life right now. You have to WANT it more than your desire to “look good” or “do things right”, i.e. to not make a mistake. Your desire for abundance and prosperity needs to be stronger than your desire to be liked, to be just like everyone else, to “fit in”.

You have to want it enough to pick up the phone and make a phone call when you’d much rather “veg” and watch television. You have to want it enough to ask someone if they’d be interested in your product and/or business despite your fear that they will say no. You have to want it enough that you’re willing to feel rejected and disappointed and frustrated at times.

Your desire for abundance – at all levels – has to be strong enough that you’re willing to act on it despite any knots and nausea you may feel in your gut and despite the fears and challenges you encounter.

You have to want to FLY more than you want to be a caterpillar. You have to be willing to take the risk of letting go of what you have and what you know and who you know yourself to be. Bottom line, you have to want to experience greater abundance so much that you are willing to give up your thoughts of lack, limitation, not enough and scarcity – especially in terms of yourself!

If you want to access and experience greater abundance, you need to be willing to let go of your need to be “right” about what life is like, what people are like, what your “reality” is, and all the reasons why you can’t or shouldn’t be abundant.

You see, you have to want to experience abundance so much that you are willing to give up your excuses, rationalizations, justifications, complaints and all the people or things you blame for the fact you do not have the success and abundance – especially financially – that you say you want.

You can be “right” about all the reasons why you can’t fly OR you can actually start flying. You can be “right” about all of the reasons you don’t have the abundance and success you want OR you can begin experiencing abundance and success.

It’s a question of FOCUS. Are you focused on flying and being a butterfly or are you focused on what you might have to give up, your fears, your challenges, your comfort zone?

Are you focused on flying or on no longer being able to crawl?

It all comes down to this question, my friend…

What do you want – REALLY? And – how strong is your desire?

Each moment you get to choose. You can choose to take the next step and the next action toward flying as a butterfly or you can choose to remain a caterpillar – doing what you’ve always done or, at the least, what is relatively comfortable. You can continue to think the thoughts you’ve always thought and hang on to the judgments, beliefs and expectations you’ve always had or you can choose to think about flying in ways that support you to fly.

You must choose. It’s impossible to move forward and stay in the same place at the same time.

Then you must choose again and again and again and again. Then you must choose some more – again and again and again.

Remember, a caterpillar does not become a butterfly overnight. It slowly stops being a caterpillar and enters its cocoon (technically, it’s called a chrysalis) – not unlike that transition period you and I go through, that “in between” place where you’re not where you used to be but you’re not yet where you want to be.

Even the process of emerging from the cocoon takes time – and is not without struggle. But the struggle is what strengthens the emerging butterfly’s wings so that, when free of the confines of its cocoon, it can fly.

It’s all about the strength of your desire…to fly, to be abundant, to be free.

Perhaps we can rewrite Trina Paulus’ quote to say…

“How does one become whole, free and abundant?” you ask.

The response is…

“You must want it so much that you are willing to give up being less than who you really are”.

Is your desire that strong?

Are you willing to give up being less than who you really are – and all of your excuses, limitations, and rationalizations that keep you “crawling” so that you can start to fly?

You cannot access and experience abundance by hanging onto scarcity.

Are you willing to let go… and start flying?

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.