Archive for July, 2014

How to Get Your Customer to Buy

How to Get Your Customer to Buy
How to Get Your Customer to Buy

How to Get Your Customer to BuyWhen figuring out how to get customers to buy your product or service, it is often helpful to put yourself in the customer’s role. When was the last time you bought something? What about it made it interesting? Why was it appealing? What made you ultimately purchase it? Whether the most recent thing you bought was a box of diapers or a new car, the same principles still apply. Read our brief list below for tips on how to get your customers to actually buy your product.

  •  Make your product/service interesting and unique. In order to pique the interest of potential customers, emphasize your product’s unique qualities. What does it offer that competitors’ products don’t? For example, one company specializing in children’s meal time needs offers a line of sippy cups that help a toddler transition from a bottle to a regular cup. A customer can choose what kind of top to use like a spout or straw, which is a pretty standard choice when it comes to transition cups. The unique part about this company’s line of cups, however, is that if your child doesn’t take to a certain one, you can exchange the top free of charge until you find the one that your child prefers. As many mothers will tell you, this is a unique concept that prevents having to buy several different kind of cups to find one that the child will actually drink from. This company’s consultants most often highlight this feature and find it to be their top seller.
  • Make it easy to understand and use. Depending on what the product or service is, this can either be a simple job or something more complicated. Whichever the case, find a way to make sure the customer is completely confident using it independently. If the product has a multi-step process, allow customers ample time and plenty of opportunity to try it by themselves so they will have enough confidence to make the purchase. One beauty consultant, when giving makeup consultations, demonstrates the products on the customer. Once the customer is satisfied with the end result, the consultant creates a customized magnetic card that can be placed on a vanity or bathroom mirror while a customer applies her own makeup every day. Taking the time to do this for each customer proves financially worthwhile because even the most inexperienced people can easily understand and use the products.
  • Demonstrate that there are multiple uses and applications. When you show the versatility of your product, you are demonstrating that it has value. People are generally willing to pay a little bit more for something if they know it is of high quality, will last a long time, and can be used for more than one thing. Also keep in mind that different uses for something will appeal to different kinds of customers. A handbag that easily expands to a larger size will satisfy the needs of a young college student and a stay-at-home mother. Evaluate your customer base to decide how and when to highlight the versatility of your products and services.

The more you know about your products, the easier making the sale will become. Create interest, make it easy to use, and demonstrate versatility. What else would you add to our list? Please share your ideas below!

Three Keys to Establishing a Loyal Customer

Three Keys to Establishing a Loyal Customer
Three Keys to Establishing a Loyal Customer

Three Keys to Establishing a Loyal CustomerWhen trying to establish loyal customers, put yourself in their shoes. Surely, you are a loyal customer of a business yourself. Perhaps you always get your hair cut and styled at the same salon, or maybe you grab your coffee from the same deli each day, even though you pass three other coffee shops on your way home. What is it about the business that keeps you coming back to only that place? When did you decide that you wouldn’t frequent any other competitor’s business? Asking yourself these questions and following our suggestions will help you create loyal customers.

  • Focus on the individual. From the very first interaction you have with the customer, demonstrate your genuine interest in him or her as an individual with unique needs and concerns. In making conversation, remembering one or two details about the person will serve you well in the future. A customer interested in skin care products for her teenage daughter mentions that this purchase is part of her high school graduation gift. In subsequent meetings, the consultant usually starts off by asking how the daughter is enjoying college and how the mother is adjusting to an empty nest. These types of details shows people that they are more than just customers to you, and your interest in their lives will make them happy to bring you repeat and exclusive business.
  • Make sure you have enough time for the person. Once your business really begins to grow, (this is a good  thing!) you likely won’t have as much time to spend on each customer as you’d like. If this is the case, make sure that you make time for your potentially loyal customers. Make a personal delivery on your way to pick up your kids from soccer practice, send a quick text message asking how he/she likes the newest product, etc. If the person reaches out to you at a time when you can’t return the call right away, send an email to say you’ve gotten the message and are looking forward to returning the call; provide a specific date and time you’ll call back. In doing so, you are showing the customer that he or she is important to you and you appreciate the loyalty.
  • Ask; then really listen. Asking the right questions is a smart way to engage a customer, but it doesn’t end there. Truly listen to the answers, and consider going so far as to jot down a summary of the conversation afterward. Refer to your notes regularly to keep the customer’s needs in mind and stay proactive in satisfying them.

Always remember that whatever product or service you are selling, you are in the business of people. Be kind, caring, and genuine, and you’ll already be one step closer to achieving a loyal customer base.

What would you add to our list? Please share your ideas below!

Four Quick Tips to Stay on Task

Four Quick Tips to Stay on Task
Four Quick Tips to Stay on Task

Four Quick Tips to Stay on TaskDirect sellers need to have a strong sense of self-discipline in order to succeed. When you are answering only to yourself, it is crucial to eliminate distractions and stay on task for both your daily and long-term projects. Here are our four simple suggestions for doing just that.

  • Get involved with activities that help your business. This means everything from professional development workshops held by those in your upline to more informal lunches with colleagues or prospects. Find ways to incorporate your business into things you already enjoy doing. For example, Heather, a direct sales consultant for a company that provides fitness programs and equipment, integrates fitness into her daily life. Aside from working her business, she follows her company’s exercise programs regularly and once a month, invites a few friends over for group workouts.  She leads a small group of friends to try a new workout, then serves healthy snacks and bottles of water afterwards. By doing this, she is able to stay healthy, work her business, and make time to socialize with her friends all at the same time. 
  • Make sure that your business utilizes your strengths and passion. Heather already had an interest in health and fitness, so it made sense for her to choose a wellness company to sign with. She enjoys learning about how to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and she is passionate about educating others who struggle with this to do the same. Because she gets so much joy out of helping others achieve their fitness and nutrition goals, it’s easy for her to stay on task. Even when it gets hard to stay the course, her passion for what she does and her ability to do her job well prevent her from getting off track.  
  • Focus on small positive improvements. When there are things you want to improve about your business, it can be overwhelming to figure out where and how to begin. Start small to build momentum. It can be as simple as re-organizing your desk or purging a filing cabinet drawer, but once you get a few small tasks accomplished, you will be motivated to take on bigger, long-term projects. 
  • Make sure the business gets you excited. As with any job, if you don’t enjoy what you do, it will be that much more difficult to succeed. Tap into your interests and passions to get excited about your business. When you can do this, you can get others excited about what you are offering and build lasting professional relationships. 

The longer you work your business with focus and passion, the easier staying on task will become. Involve yourself in business-related activities, make small improvements, and create excitement within yourself about what you’re doing. What would you add to our list? Please sound off in the comments section below!