Three Tips For A Profitable Business

After making back your initial investment in your direct sales business, your goal is to make it consistently profitable. Since there is so much more to direct selling than just pushing a product or service, it’s imperative that you have an understanding of the bigger picture. Here are three ways you can start and continue making your business a profitable one.

Keep improving. If you aren’t moving forward, then you are stagnant. Improve yourself by continuing your education through professional development. Attend your upline’s local and regional workshops as well as your company’s annual national conference. Take free or low-cost business courses and webinars and listen in on conference calls given by your company or other experts in the direct sales industry. Subscribe to blogs relevant to your business. There is a wealth of information available to you to help you improve your business, so take advantage of it and aim to implement a few new improvements per month. This constant quest for advancement will give you the momentum you need to achieve long-term success.
Find other streams of income that enhance your business. It’s no secret that your time is at a premium, whether your direct sales business is your full-time job or a part-time gig. If you need to supplement your income, try to find a way to do something that will help your business. For example, a direct seller of all-natural pet food and treats brings in a bit of extra money walking neighborhood dogs a few times a week. It’s a great way for her to meet potential customers, learn about the needs of pet owners, and spread word of her business.
Spend less and save more. You should already have a set budget written down or typed out somewhere. Go through it regularly to see where you could cut your spending and put that money aside for a rainy day. Perhaps hold off on purchasing new inventory until it becomes clear which products are the most popular from the latest catalog. If you find yourself getting hit with fees for accepting credit cards, offer customers incentives to pay cash or check. Even the smallest things can add up to a substantial amount saved.

Which of these suggestions do you find most helpful? Is there anything you would add to our list? Please share your ideas below!

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Easy Ways to Build Great Habits

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” This statement penned by author Jim Ryun speaks to how you can find long-term success in both your professional and personal life. It takes time to make something a habit, and it certainly is a difficult thing to do. In the spirit of making resolutions for the New Year, we give you a few suggestions to help you make a habit out of your desired behaviors.

Make time to do it. As obvious as this idea may seem, so many people neglect to take this important first step. For example, if you plan to make exercise a part of your daily routine, you need to set aside a specific time to do that. Look realistically at your schedule and lifestyle to set yourself up for success. Someone who has the most energy and motivation at the beginning of the day would do well to carve out the first 15-30 minutes of the morning for a workout. Establishing the time beforehand will encourage you to stick to your goal and encourage you to continue.
Connect habits you already have to new habits you’d like to adopt. If your exercise goal is to spend 20 minutes on the treadmill once a day, then incorporate that into something you already do every day. If you always sit down to watch the 5:00 news every night, then spend that time on the treadmill in front of the television instead of sitting on the couch. Or if you always check your email at a certain time, work your exercise into, before, or after it. You’ll have a better chance at sticking to your desired behavior this way.
Make it as convenient for yourself as possible. If you want to exercise first thing in the morning before work, set out your clothes and equipment, fill your water bottle, and cue up your music the night before so you can roll out of bed and get right to it. You’ll have less of an excuse to skip it if it’s easy and convenient to accomplish.
Keep a calendar to chart your progress and reward yourself for meeting milestones. In order to stay motivated, you need to set goals and keep track of your progress. Set some benchmarks ahead of time and record them on a calendar, either digitally or on paper. Every time you reach a milestone, reward yourself in a way that will encourage you to keep going. Make the reward enjoyable and guilt-free so that you continue working toward your next benchmark and reward.

When developing good habits, do everything you can to set yourself up for success. Plan ahead, be realistic about your lifestyle, and track your progress. What great habits would you like to build in 2015? Which of our suggestions will be the most helpful to you? Please share your ideas in our comments section!

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Get Your Head in the Game and Succeed!

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Get your head in the game!”? It means that aside from being physically ready for a challenge, you must mentally prepare yourself as well. Mental strength is just as important a skill for success in your direct sales business. In today’s post, we offer some suggestions to help you strengthen your mind and equip yourself with the tools you need to face all that your business has to throw at you.

Set aside the things you have no control over. Dwelling on things over which you have no control will only bring you down and take precious time and energy away from doing the things you CAN control. Make a conscious choice to set aside what you can’t help, and move forward. Is your company retiring your favorite product that happens to be your personal best seller? Ok, you might take a slight hit at first, but you’ll find something else to put in the spotlight of your presentations. Spend your time finding that product and creating a new pitch around it. Bottom line: don’t sweat the small stuff.
Always act like you are in control. Sometimes, you just have to fake it ’til you make it. Even if you don’t know exactly what you are doing, always act like you do. Your confident demeanor will demonstrate professionalism, knowledge, and trust to your customers and colleagues. For example, let’s say you are in the middle of your presentation at a home party when some latecomers arrive. The hostess gets up to greet them, gets them a drink, and gives them a catalog. The newly arrived guests also say hello to the other guests and start some small talk as they haven’t seen each other in awhile. You try to regain the floor a few times with no success. Instead of acting flustered, as you probably feel inside, just pretend that this is part of the normal protocol and wait until everyone is situated. You won’t be able to control when guests arrive and how they act once they do, but you can control how you react to the situation. Always remain professional, and act calm and collected, even in a harrowing situation.
See your mistakes as lessons in life and business. Mistakes are inevitable; once you accept this fact, you will be able to take them in stride and recover quickly. Realize that mistakes are part of the journey, and use them as an opportunity to learn. Figure out where you went wrong, how to fix it, and what you can do to prevent the same mistake from happening again. This goes for your professional and personal life. You will be a much happier person with this attitude, and a more successful businessperson as well.
Celebrate the successes of others. No matter what you happen to be dealing with at the time, if your upline, downline, friends, or relatives are having success, be active in your role as someone who congratulates them. Don’t hesitate to give credit where it is due to a job well done, and you may even go so far as to learn from others’ successes when possible. Act as a supporter to those around you.
Don’t feel sorry for yourself. It’s okay and completely normal to feel down in the dumps when things aren’t going your way. However, don’t dwell on those negative feelings, as they tend to bog you down and keep you from achieving your goals. Acknowledge your own feelings, but move forward to what’s next. This will help you keep a steady momentum going in your business even when the unexpected happens. You will also strengthen your ability to bounce back from adversity.
Focus on improving with every step. Even when things are going better than you could have imagined, don’t lose focus or get over-confident. Always remember that there are ways to improve, and there is someone out there doing it better. With this mindset, the sky is the limit, and your mental readiness for a successful business will be within reach.

Just as a star athlete never stops conditioning his or her own body, you should never stop conditioning your mind. Mental strength can take you through the ups and downs of your direct sales business.

Which of your suggestions do you find the most helpful? Please share your comments below!

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What Makes Your Business Better

Setting long-term goals for your direct sales business is an effective way to keep you focused and motivated to give it your all. As you likely already know, you should always aim to grow your business and move it forward. In doing so, take a look at how you operate certain aspects that could use improvement. In today’s post, we offer you some suggestions on where to begin.

How your products/services provide a solution – This is the foundation on which your marketing and sales pitch should be based. Educate yourself thoroughly about what problem your potential customers have, how they may have tried to solve it in the past, and how your product or service is the best solution. Furthermore, use this information to find your target market. For example, a skin care company that specializes in organic products has a line just for babies. A consultant for this company would want to know that many parents want to use shampoos and lotions without added chemicals that have unknown effects on the baby. Also, these parents have tried other organic products but weren’t satisfied with their effectiveness, fragrance, or price. Equipped with this information, the consultant would emphasize the quality of her product, how well it works, and how affordable it is. The bottom line is that this product solves a problem that many parents have with products they use on their babies every day.
Using real testimonies – Consider the level of importance internet shoppers place on reviews. Websites like Yelp and Angie’s List thrive on the fact that real people who have truly used the products and services have given their honest and unsolicited opinions. The advantage you have as a direct seller is that in using these testimonies, you can also personally explain a little bit about the customer making them. At a home party for example, while demonstrating a product, you can easily give a short anecdote about a customer from a recent party about how she discovered the product and why she loved it so much. These types of testimonies are especially meaningful because they are true, first-hand accounts.
Telling people what you are best at. Recognizing your strengths and playing them up is important, but don’t be afraid to share them with others. If you have a strong ability to remember names and faces after only meeting people one time, it’s okay to tell people that and demonstrate it. In the example above about using real testimonies, that would be an appropriate time to lightheartedly add that you have this unique ability that many people find fascinating about you. In addition to telling people about what you do best, find ways to show it in your interactions with customers.
Putting it in writing – You don’t need to draw up a formal contract in order to make something official, but putting things in writing does place a level importance on it that a verbal promise doesn’t necessarily have. For example, adding the phrase “call or text me at (your cell phone number) on your business card, gives customers permission to send you text messages, which may be more convenient than a voice call. Because it is in writing, they will feel comfortable doing so, possibly without having even met you first. Mean what you say and mean what you write. The strength of your word is a valuable thing in business.

In what ways have you tried to make your business better? Will you be putting our suggestions to use? Please share your comments below!

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The Secret To Long Term Success In Direct Sales

The Secret To Long Term Success In Direct Sales

Ongoing Professional Development: A Key to Long-Term Success in Direct Sales

Continuing your education is a critical ingredient to the long-term success of your direct selling business. Make sure to take advantage of your company’s training and educational offerings such as webinars, monthly conference calls and, of course, your company’s annual convention. You’ll also want to participate in training offered by your upline and regional leaders. And, if you are in the Ann Arbor areas, you can soon take a direct selling entrepreneurship course at your local community college!

The Direct Selling Entrepreneur Program (DSEP) is a thirty-hour, non-credit course designed to help independent representatives—and those interested in exploring a career in direct selling—operate stronger, more profitable businesses. Through this personalized approach to entrepreneurship, any small business owner or independent contractor can learn real-world skills to start or grow a successful business. If you’re a direct seller, or considering a career as a direct selling business owner, this course is a great way to gain small business management skills such as:

Business Operations
Using Technology
Goal Setting & Future Strategy
Marketing & Selling
Communication
Financial Management
Leadership & Ethics

Direct Selling Entrepreneur Program at Washtenaw Community College

Where: 4800 E. Huron River Drive

Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Morris Lawrence Building

When: Tuesdays, Thursdays 6:00 p.m. – 8:55 p.m. Oct. 7, 2014 – Nov. 6, 2014

Cost: Register by Sept. 30, 2014, for a reduced tuition rate of $125. After Sept. 30, tuition is $325.

Register: Click here.
For more information, call (734) 677-5060 or email ecdevelopment@wccnet.edu. DSEF thanks Amway for its support in bringing DSEP to the Ann Arbor area.

Taking a course like this is a great way to learn how to bring your business to the next level. Remember that you should always aim to move your business forward, and that requires commitment to ongoing learning. Seek out opportunities to learn more about the direct sales industry, keep up with current industry trends, improve your salesmanship and learn ways to efficiently run your business more efficiently. DSEF will announce more courses soon, and you can check for the updated schedule here.

What are some ways that you have continued your education? Would you consider taking a course like this? Please share your comments below!

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Targeting Potential Customers

When you are on the lookout for potential customers, you want to make sure you’re focusing your energy in the right places. Remember that not everyone fits the profile, so spending time and money on trying to attract those outside your target demographic will be a waste of your resources. An effective way to find potential customers for your business is to ask yourself the following questions.

Can they afford your products/services? Of course, it’s impossible to know everyone’s financial situation, but you can get a good idea by looking for certain clues. For example, a consultant for a high-end ladies’ jewelry company should consider factors such as which town the potential customer lives in, if she wears designer clothing, if she drives a luxury car, etc. If your company sells products that range in price, consider the average and build an ideal customer profile from there.

Are they the decision maker when it comes to the purchase? There are several different ways that people handle finances within their households. Some couples agree on a reasonable level of autonomy when it comes to making a purchase. Either person can buy groceries or even a new lamp for the living room without consulting each other, but neither would buy a car or book a vacation without both agreeing to it first. Be sure that the person you are targeting as a potential customer has the ability to make decisions about purchasing your products. This especially applies to products and services geared toward young children and teenagers. A skin care company’s acne treatment is mostly used by those between ages 15-21, but is almost always actually purchased by the parent. Whoever has the final say about a purchase is your potential customer.

How much do they need the product/service? Ask yourself if you are fulfilling a need or solving a problem for a potential customer with your product. Someone who will be returning to the work force after a long hiatus staying home to raise her children may need all new makeup and accessories to complete her professional appearance. A cosmetics or jewelry consultant would consider this person a potential customer because there is a certain level of need for the products and services offered. The most effective way to find out if a need for your product exists is to ask the right questions. Demonstrate a sincere interest in people by asking them questions about themselves. Give them an opportunity to talk about their family, interests, and hobbies. When you discover that the person needs your product, you’ll know you are talking to a potential customer.

Targeting your niche toward the right people will help you spend your time and marketing resources efficiently, which will in turn allow you to have long term success. By asking the above questions, you are creating a sort of customer profile that can be used to identify potential customers.

How have these questions helped you find your own customers? Are there any other questions you would add to our list? Please share your comments below!

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How to Get Your Customer to Buy

When 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!

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4 Ways DSA’S Code Of Ethics Protects You And Your Customers

Ethical conduct is at the heart of good business decisions and these videos demonstrate this premise to consumers, entrepreneurs, direct selling executives, educators and public policy officials. Abiding by DSA’s Code of Ethics protects both the interest of consumers and sellers.

To learn more about direct selling ethics, please visit Direct Selling 411.

Ethics Initiative Videos

What Is Direct Selling?

What is direct selling? Let us show you what an ethical opportunity is all about!

What Is Direct Selling? (en Español)

What is direct selling? (en Español)

Intro to DSA Code

Learn more about what the code is, and why ethical companies comply.

Product Claims

Any claims a direct seller makes about a product must be truthful.

Ethics Initiative Videos

Meet a Direct Seller

Meet a direct seller who is learning to navigate the DSA’s Code of Ethics.

Product Buybacks

Learn about the buy-back policy that all DSA member companies adhere to.

Cooling Off

Learn how the “cooling off period” protects consumers from buyer’s remorse.

Earnings Claims

When recruiting someone into a direct selling opportunity, be honest.

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Three Ways to Reach New Customers

Growing your business and achieving success requires you to continually increase your customer base. Retaining existing customers and acquiring referrals alone will not translate into long term success. One of your goals should be to introduce more people to the benefits of your product or service. Here are three ways to start finding new customers right away.

Find a new niche and build a market around it. Within your obvious target market, there likely lies a smaller, specialized one that has potential to become the spotlight of your business. Find out what this is, and make it the center of your customer search efforts. For example, after a few months working for a direct sales company that sells women’s fitness products, one consultant met a pregnant guest at a home party who purchased a starter kit in preparation for shedding her pregnancy weight after the baby arrives (under her doctor’s supervision, of course!). This gave the consultant an idea for how to market some of her products to this very specialized population of potential customers. She chose a select handful of products that were deemed safe for post-partum women to help them ease back into a safe and effective fitness regimen. In order to build a market around this niche, the consultant used word-of-mouth and chose a few places to advertise where expectant and new moms could be easily reached (the fitness club child care room, Mommy & Me classes at the local library, etc.). Concentrating your efforts on a niche market can have long-reaching benefits for your business.
Use events and gamification to engage people. Your social media presence can be a very effective tool with which to engage people and start conversations about your business. Hold contests on your Facebook page that require people to share in some way, from which random winners will be chosen. Amazon Mom, a program from Amazon that allows members to save on baby & children’s products, frequently holds themed photo contests. Members post a photo relating to the theme (one recent theme was May Flowers). They choose a “Top 20” list where each winner’s photo is featured on their page for their hundreds of thousands of followers to see. Get creative with how you engage people, and keep in mind that you don’t need to spend money or give something away to do so.
Do things differently to generate curiosity. Thinking outside of the box will almost always serve you well in this industry, so create a bit of mystery around a new product, perhaps, that will get people interested and talking. One direct sales consultant ends her presentation with a question and answer session. Before she starts, she asks guests to retrieve their cell phones because the questions will be asked via text message. This piques guests’ curiosity, and after the Q & A ends, she instructs them to add her phone number to their contact lists so they can reach her if they have any questions, concerns, or want to reorder. Furthermore, she reminds them that she also now has each of their phone numbers as well to make getting back to them and reaching out much easier. When seeking feedback about the party afterwards, this text message Q & A is what people report as the most memorable and fun part of the presentation. Use your unique qualities and have fun with finding different ways to do things.

Reaching new customers doesn’t always require casting a wider net. Look within your existing base for niche markets, engage people in innovative ways, and think outside the box. In doing so, you move your business forward and come closer to achieving your long-term goals.

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

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How to Mentally Prepare for a Successful Business

When tackling any difficult task or project, preparing yourself mentally is crucial to accomplishing your goals. Sufficient mental preparation allows you to stay the course, handle obstacles that arise, maintain motivation, and follow through to the end. In today’s post, we suggest a few ways for you to mentally prepare yourself for a successful direct sales business.

• Establish and project an unshakeable confidence that you’ll achieve your goal. You may not genuinely have this confidence in the beginning, but “fake it ‘til you make it.” Achieving your goal should not be in question; think of it as something that WILL happen no matter what. Projecting this idea onto others will make them want to follow you because we are naturally attracted to those who are successful. For example, a fairly new direct sales consultant, eager to sign her very first recruit, is meeting a prospect to present the opportunity. When the prospect asks about incentives for building a downline, the consultant shares the company’s numbers and states very confidently that she herself plans on reaching the first recruiting level (4 people in her downline) in time to earn a free trip to this year’s national convention. The prospect is impressed with her certainty and therefore becomes confident in the company itself. Apply this same idea to sales presentations and networking events to provide a well-rounded business for yourself that is successful in all areas.

• Get used to being uncomfortable and excel in it. Remaining in your comfort zone and stepping away from every risk will not get you very far as an entrepreneur. Embrace those aspects of your business that cause you a bit of discomfort. Feel uneasy asking for referrals? Do it as often as possible in as many ways as you can think of. Dread the phone calls to follow up with a prospective hostess? Make those calls a strength of yours. After awhile, you’ll come to recognize this discomfort as an opportunity for big success and you’ll excel in trying new things all the time.

• Always keep moving forward and never give up. Accept the fact that there will be setbacks, you will experience frustrations, and you may even consider throwing in the towel. Tough times can truly test your resolve so do not even consider giving up for a second. If you make a mistake, fix it and learn from it. If you lose your motivation, set new goals that reignite your ambition. Use all the resources at your disposal to move your business forward, learn and grow as a professional, and see your goals come to fruition.

• Go all in 100%. Everything you do in your business should be done with every ounce of effort you possess. Whether you want to make this business your full-time job with a full-time income or you want it provide just a little bit of extra wiggle room when you pay your bills each month, put in 100%. If you only go halfway and find that it is not working out the way you want, you’ll never know what your true potential is.

If you are committed to doing all of these, then you are ready to build a successful business and all the ups and downs that come with it. Just as an athlete stretches before a game or a piano player runs scales before a concert, you must put in the preparation required to run your business.
Is there anything else you feel is necessary to mentally prepare for success? Please share in the comments section below!