This Free Report Brought To You By: Nicole Dean & Kelly McCausey Be Your Own Boss through Direct Sales We'll Show You How
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Introduction- Getting Started in Direct Selling - Special Report All around the world people are taking advantage of the direct sales business model and bringing in healthy salaries. It s the perfect business model for those who are looking to start their own business or simply supplement their income. To understand how to get started in direct sales, it pays to have a solid understanding about what direct selling is, how it works, and how to optimize this business model for maximum profits. According to the InterentMarketingDefinitions.com, Direct Selling is the sale of a consumer product or service, person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location. These products and services are marketed to customers by independent salespeople. Depending on the company, the salespeople may be called distributors, representatives, consultants or various other titles. Products are sold primarily through in-home product demonstrations, parties and one-on-one selling. http://www.incomecpr.com The Benefits of Direct Sales Are Vast. Becoming a direct sales associate is a dream come true for many people. It offers a tremendous number of perks and because it s such a successful business model, there are a huge number of products and services to sell. You can sell anything from candles to tools, there s definitely a product or service for every personality. Direct sales has a long standing and successful history. It s a business model that works and is respected.
Freedom to choose the hours you want to work. Opportunity to make a good income Ability to work from home Low overhead and start up costs You re your own boss No more commute! An exciting career you can be proud of! The ability to expand and grow your business as you see fit Flexible working hours Additionally, direct sales is appealing to many because it s an easy business to start up with low overhead and a minimum of specialty skills are required to succeed. However, to succeed in direct sales you will need to possess, or cultivate, a few key skills. One of the most important skills you ll need are sales skills. If you re comfortable talking to strangers, and groups of strangers, about your products then direct sales is perfect. If you love to meet new people, share ideas and help them solve their problems, then direct sales is for you. If you love helping people, laughing, celebrating, and of course making money by promoting your products then direct sales is for you. The good news is that if you re proud of the products you re selling and you believe in them, then selling is easy. Your enthusiasm will be contagious. Another good skill to have is the ability to recruit team members. Many direct sales companies enable you to earn more money if you recruit other successful direct sales consultants. In fact, some companies actually pay a commission on the sales your recruits make. That means you re making money without having to actually sell products yourself. Good business skills are also required and include superior organizational skills. Direct sales consultants have to maintain an inventory, track sales, organize parties, take orders, and market their business online and off. It takes a lot of planning, discipline and a good organization system. Many direct sales companies will have suggestions and certainly you ll learn from other direct sales associates however if you have a good foundation, you ll attain your sales goals and profits much faster and it ll be a more enjoyable journey. You ll also want to have basic business skills including bookkeeping, budgeting, and marketing skills.
Okay so far? Of course you are, these skills are learnable and once you get going you ll acquire many of these skills and find the best methods for you. The next group of skills you ll want to have or acquire are computer skills. You ll likely be handling the majority of your business online including: Marketing Building and maintaining your website Taking and placing orders Shipping Email communication with customers, party hosts, and direct sales team members Invoicing and bookkeeping Finally, you ll want to have an understanding of offline and online Marketing and advertising. The more skilled you are at promoting your business and products, the more successful you ll be. Advertising may be online or it may involve designing and printing your own flyers to post around town. Along with marketing and advertising go the essential components which include basic design skills (you want your promotions and advertisements to look good), and copywriting skills (you ll want to be able to motivate with your words.) The good news is that many direct sales companies are happy to give you all the graphics and copy you need to get started. You can build on your skills once you re in the swing of things. Now this all might sound like a lot however, it s okay. The good news is that we address the majority of these topics right here in this report. For your convenience, it s divided into three chapters. 1. Getting started. Setting up your direct sales business 2. Selling and marketing 3. Team building for maximum profits Let s get started!
Chapter One - Setting Up Your Direct Sales Business Starting your own business is an exciting time, even just considering it can be extremely invigorating. Freedom, goals, profits; for many it s a great way to live your life. Before you get ahead of yourself there are a few critically important steps to take. Step #1 Choose A Direct Sales Company There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of direct selling companies to work for. There are the easily recognizable ones like Mary Kay, Tupperware and Discover Toys however there are also many smaller companies that enable you to make great profits too. The key is to find a company and a product that you feel excited to sell, that you can relate to and that you feel proud of. Many new mothers for example, might enjoy selling Discovery Toys or other baby related direct sales products. You can sell anything from tools to lingerie. Coffee, baking and kitchen products, candles, jewelry, pet supplies and even legal services can all be sold as a direct sales consultant. You ll also want to take a look at: How the company is growing How they support their consultants How much their start up package costs How they pay If you re compensated for recruiting new consultants How many products they offer and how frequently they introduce new products If they re growing How long they ve been in business Once you ve decided on a company the next couple steps are fairly straight forward. Step #2 Register or apply as a direct sales consultant. Each company will have their own guidelines and process.
Step #3 Register your business with your local authorities and make sure if any licenses, insurance or permits are required that you follow through on that. Step #4 Open a business checking account. This will help you keep your personal and business finances separate which is a big deal when tax time comes around. Step #5 Set up your home office. In order to be successful, it s important for you to have a separate space to plan your business, to keep your files and inventory and to work productively without interruptions. Step #6 Write a business plan. Your business plan, unless you re seeking financing to start your business, will be a primarily personal document that will help you set and achieve your business goals. It will include things like your budget, cash analysis and forecasting and your marketing and growth strategies. A business plan isn t meant to be etched in stone and should be accessed on a regular basis (a minimum of once a month) to assess if you ve achieved your goals, why or why not, and to alter strategies and make new goals. Speaking of goals, you may be wondering how much you can make as a direct sales consultant. The truth is that your profits will depend on several factors including: 1. Your cost 2. The price of your products 2. Your commission level 4. Marketing and sales efforts 5. The current economy 6. Whether your product is a seasonal product 7. If you re able to recruit and profit from other direct sales consultants Most direct sales companies are excited to talk numbers to you and can help you fill in the blanks and set your sales and profit goals. Talking about how much you can make is a great way to end this chapter. In the next chapter, we take a look at how to market and sell your product or services.
Chapter Two - Selling and Marketing Your Direct Sales Products or Services Setting up your business, while exciting, isn t nearly as much fun as actually making money doing something you love! In this chapter, we ll take a look at a few common marketing and promotion tactics. Your direct sales business will likely have some suggestions and guidelines and some have restrictions about what you can and cannot do. Before you start laying out your marketing plan, read your consultant manual. Some companies do not allow online advertising while others do. Some companies provide a domain name and a website template while others leave you to design and host your website on your own. Regardless, you ll want to be able to publish or link to a product catalog and give your visitors the opportunity to buy. Your website gives you the power to sell products while you re away and it gives your customers the freedom to browse and order products when the time is right for them. http://www.solosmarts.com/plan-your-offer-funnel-workshop-series/ Online Marketing Online marketing is a great way to attract new customers and there are many ways to accomplish this however before you can do any online marketing you ll need a website. Of course, the mere mention of building your own website may make you feel overwhelmed, not to worry, many Direct Sales companies offer pre-designed websites. This makes it easy because all you have to do is register your domain name and upload the website. You may have a few customization options, however the majority of the work will be taken care of for you.
If the direct sales company you have chosen doesn t have a template website for you to use, they will likely offer logos, graphics and recommendations. There are a few options if you don t want to build your website yourself. They include: Hiring or outsourcing the job to a designer, consider a freelance designer or a college student specializing in graphic and/or website design. Use a predesigned template provided by your hosting company. Blog instead and install WordPress on your domain. WordPress is easy to use and can be customized to look and feel just like a website. Additionally, the options for templates is virtually limitless. Once you have your website up and ready to go, it s time to market it. Here is a list of internet marketing tools and strategies: 1. Offer a free newsletter that lists products, promotions, and valuable information. For example if you sell Pampered Chef products, your newsletter could include a weekly recipe. 2. Advertising Classified ads Banner ads PPC ads Text ads Social networking. Post on forums, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter you re your direct sales company permits it) Article marketing writing and publishing articles for online article directories like ezinearticles.com. Offline Marketing Because the majority of customers will be people in your community, offline marketing is essential to your success. Here are just a few offline marketing strategies and tools to consider. Post flyers and business cards on boards around town. Many supermarkets and coffee shops offer free business bulletin boards.
Partner with other direct sales consultants in your community to promote each other. For example, you could host a party for your product and introduce her at the party in exchange for a similar introduction at her next party or you could include a link to her website in your newsletter and she could return the favor. Place an advertisement in your local newspaper or local publications. Carry order forms, and products, with you wherever you go. It pays to have a bag of goodies stashed in your trunk because you never know who you re going to run into. Do a charity drive/fundraiser. Donate a portion of your sales to charity or to a local fund or foundation. This will promote others to shop more generously and will help you build your customer base. Network. One of the biggest tools you have as an entrepreneur and a sales person is your ability to meet and connect with people. Networking is a powerful tool to bring awareness to your business and the value you have to offer. Attend local small business association meetings, go to community activities and get involved. Offer referral rewards. Consider offering customers rewards for referring new customers to you. It could be a coupon towards their next purchase or a free product, you decide. Get creative with party themes and ideas. While the goal of a party is to sell products, it s also important to make sure everyone has fun. Help your hosts throw great parties by supporting them with everything they need, offering them incentives to sell and motivating them to enjoy the process. If your hostess has a great time chances are she ll share her experience with others. Word of mouth is an extremely powerful marketing tool and as a direct sales consultant it may be your most useful and lucrative tool available. When marketing offline or online, think outside of the box. You know your customers and your community. What would reach and appeal to them? Most people think about friends and family when they start their direct sales business however, friends and family are only a small part of your success. They may help you get your first couple of parties but after that it s up to you to keep the ball rolling. Remember, whether you re marketing online or off, people always want to know how they re going to benefit. Offer them a benefit and you re more than halfway there. Now direct customer sales can be lucrative and can help you meet your initial sales goals as a direct sales consultant however as your business grows and your monetary goals increase, you ll want to find new ways to increase your profits. One extremely profitable way to accomplish this in direct sales is to recruit other direct sales associates. You can build a team of direct sales people. Each new team member will help to contribute to your bottom line. And that s exactly what we ll take a look at in the next and last chapter.
Chapter Three - Building and Managing Your Direct Sales Team Direct Sales consultants are paid on a commission basis. With many direct sales companies, recruiting new direct sales consultants and building a team is a great way to increase your income because you ll also receive a commission for the products your team sells. Profits increase as your team grows and people you ve recruited recruit others. You can go from a one woman show to the leader of dozens of sales associates. To recruit direct sales associates and teammates, the good news is that you likely already possess the skills. Possibly the most important skill you will to recruit top level need are sales skills. If you have a contagious enthusiasm and are proud and enthusiastic about your products or services, chances are other people will be motivated to jump on board. However, if you ve ever recruited for anything you will need to have the ability to read people well. You don t want to recruit teammates that are not going to be good salespeople too. It s a learning process, you ll learn what type of person it takes to be successful in direct sales. You ll also learn how to support them to make more sales and you ll learn management and motivation skills. As a team leader you may be required or want to: Help your sales consultants market and promote their products. This means being there to help them build their website, drive traffic to it and to promote their business offline too. If they re building their own website then you may want to help them find resources to create it. Help with party planning ideas, support and product sales. You ll likely want to be with them at their first party or two to make sure they have all the support they need. Part of your role as a team leader will be to coach your consultants and provide them with motivational support. Hopefully, you had someone to go to when you had questions as a new direct sales consultant. Someone who could help you find your way through difficulties, challenges and support you to meet your goals. Now it s your time to shine and offer the same support. If you can provide an online membership area for direct sales teammates that s a great way for your team to work together to meet their goals. They can work as a mastermind group, brainstorming options, supporting each other to attain their goals and offering insight when problems and challenges arise. As a team leader, you can also provide time management tips, tools and resources. You ll learn along the way what time management practices and procedures help you stay productive, organized and effective. Being able to pass these tips along will help your team become profitable more quickly and stay profitable. Finally, you ll want to support them, and motivate them, to find new recruits themselves so they too can begin to increase their income through the sales of others.
Remember, the more profitable your recruits are, the more profitable you are. Being a good team leader is about balancing support and motivation. It s about empowering your team members to achieve their goals and it s about making a business everyone can feel proud of. Conclusion Getting started in direct selling can be exactly what you ve always been looking for in a career. You ll get to work with likeminded people, sell products or services you believe in, set our own goals, hours and timetable. Direct selling is an opportunity to be your own boss without all the risk involved in starting a new venture. It s a tried and true business model that s been working for thousands of people around the world for decades. Find the right company for you and get started.