For those that would scoff at taking business advice from the world’s oldest profession, allow me to quote Barrows:

“The challenge of running an escort service is the same kind of challenge your business and every business faces: creating a unique Experience for the customer, one which your target market really wants and, ideally, is willing to pay a premium price for. The fewer people there are who provide a similar Experience, the more you will be able to charge.”

Now, more than ever, in an age where nearly every product can be bought or sold online, people look to direct sales home parties as an experience. Simply put, they won’t come if they’re not interested. So what can you do to make your parties the kind of events that people crave? Here are a few tips:

1. Glorify your host. Make the entire event about them. Focus on their needs, make the guests jealous enough to want to be a host. Make the host feel special enough to tell her friends how amazing it is to be one of your special hosts. Each host will have different needs. The key to a successful party is to match their needs with your objectives, so that it’s a win-win for everyone.

2. Short and sweet. Your presentation should never run more than 30-40 minutes at most. The evening may run several hours, but your presentation should be short and minimal. The focus should be on the positive experience your guests and host are having.

3. Demonstrate the WOW! You don’t need to present every product in your catalog. Highlight the products that will make the biggest impact during your presentation. If you have a skin care product that produces immediate results you can feel, focus on it. Avoid using products that are too noisy or take too long to produce results. If you have a multi-step system that you can’t demonstrate in 30 minutes or less, show a before and after photo, and explain that you’ll be happy to demonstrate the system in the privacy of the client’s home on another date.

4. Be unique. Do something different at each show in a party chain. If clients know everything to expect, it takes the excitement out of the party. consider playing a different game, or making a “show only” special offer that is only available to clients in attendance. Give people reasons to come to your show over everyone else.

5. Use themes. Theme parties are still a blast to host and attend. Pick a creative theme, and send out coordinating invitations.

These are just a few of the ways you can create a memorable experience that your clients and hosts will talk about long after the party has ended. They more they talk, the better your referrals will be.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!

Simply include this paragraph with active links as appropriate:

Lisa Robbin Young offers direct sales coaching and training to direct sales professionals looking to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com.

“Mother may have warned you that being easy was a bad thing, but I am telling you that being easy is not only a good thing, it can make you a lot of money, too.” – Sydney Biddle Barrows

This may seem an odd way to open an article about sales strategies – using a quote from the Mayflower Madam. And yet, this is the crux of the “new economy” so many direct sales professionals face today. Simply put, we don’t make it easy for our customers to do business with us. In Direct Sales 104: Advanced Sales Strategies, we’ll be taking a closer look at how to not only draw in more customers, but also, how to make each transaction with a customer more profitable. It’s true that it’s easier to sell more to an existing customer than it is to attract new ones. Here are a few ideas on how to increase sales to your existing customer base:

1. Regular and frequent contact. With email, text messaging, direct mail and telephones, there’s no good reason to not be top of mind with your customers. If you are not your customer’s first choice, someone else will be.
2. Pay attention. Take a look at what other companies are doing – specifically the ones that you frequent. Chances are good that you can tweak their processes and promotions to your direct sales business and create a unique shopping experience for your customers.
3. Understand what business you’re really in. Your job is not to sell stuff. As a direct seller, your job is to provide a solution that helps your customer improve their life. When you create an experience that helps your customer, you become their hero, not their sales person. You become their friend and trusted advisor – the person they turn to first.
4. Make an offer. Realize that you can’t sell to everyone all of the time, but clients rarely come to you looking for help. You must go to them and offer your solutions to their issues. Know your client’s needs and offer to meet them through your direct sales business. With a constant barrage of sales messages, it’s even more important that you reach out to your clients to meet them where they are, cut through the marketing noise, and present an offer that will improve their lives.
5. Make it irresistible. Who can turn down a great deal? When you’ve presented an irresistible offer to your target market, it becomes difficult, if not impossible for them to turn you down. Be creative in ways that you can add value to the sale without adding cost to your bottom line.

The easier you make it for your clients to do business with you, the more likely they are to keep coming back for more.

© 2010 Lisa Robbin Young.

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USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!

Simply include this paragraph with active links as appropriate:

Lisa Robbin Young offers direct sales coaching and training to direct sales professionals looking to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com.

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If you’re ready to learn advanced sales strategies, consider Direct Sales 104, a comprehensive training program that teaches sales techniques and persuasion skills to help consultants quickly increase customer sales.