All posts tagged home-based business

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

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

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.

How to Increase Your Luck And Opportunities

How to Increase Your Luck And Opportunities
How to Increase Your Luck And Opportunities

How to Increase Your Luck And OpportunitiesThere are many things in life that we cannot control, but your business doesn’t have to be one of them. Of course, luck does have a small part to do with success, but you can take actions to increase it. Don’t treat your business like a lottery ticket, doing nothing while hoping it works out. Take a look at our list of suggestions for increasing your luck and coming closer to realizing your dreams.

  • Lead with and focus on what you do best. Being aware of your skill set allows you to identify your own personal strengths. Use those strengths to make positive, memorable first impressions as well as integrating them into as much of your business as you can. For example, if you are quick-witted and easily make others laugh, don’t be afraid to lead off sales presentations, opportunity meetings, and even one-on-one introductions with a joke. Go a step further and integrate your unique sense of humor into all your business relationships when appropriate. When you can bring your strengths to the table, others will take notice.
  • Always be prepared. Although luck does play a small part in our lives, you can increase your chances of success by preparing yourself as much as possible. You wouldn’t go in to a final exam simply hoping that most of the questions are about topics you remember from the textbook; you would prepare yourself by reviewing the material, highlighting important points, and quizzing yourself before the day of the test. The same concept applies to your direct sales business. Rehearse your presentation before each party, even if you’ve been doing this for years. Create possible scenarios that might catch you off guard if you’re not ready. Calling a referral to book a possible opportunity meeting? Find out about the person’s interests and aspirations. Adequate preparation can be your most effective tool for finding success.
  • Be a connector to people and businesses. When you have a good experience with someone in business, take the initiative to share that experience with others. Be the one who refers friends, family, and customers to others without prompting. Put in a good word about your hair stylist to your cousin who is looking for a new place to go for a cut. Perhaps a customer is seeking out a service that you can’t provide; be the person who finds someone who does. Your role as connector will not be forgotten when an opportunity arises for someone to do the same for you.
  • Develop authentic relationships. This begins with showing a genuine interest in and sincere caring about others. Not all your relationships can or should be close ones, but they should all be authentic. People involved in your business in any way need to be able to trust you, be open with you, and want to be around you. Give others your full attention when interacting, and always follow through on your promises. Building good relationships is the foundation of a career in direct sales.

How do the items in our list apply to your business? Do you have any ideas to add? Please share your comments below

Three Ways to Reach New Customers

Three Ways to Reach New Customers
Three Ways to Reach New Customers
Three Ways to Reach New Customers

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!

 

Leveraging Your Strengths and Advantages

Leveraging Your Strengths and Advantages
Leveraging Your Strengths and Advantages

Leveraging Your Strengths and AdvantagesBecause the direct sales industry is such a people-centered business, it is extremely important that you find your motivation and ambition from within. Tapping into your interests and desires will give you an advantage over your big business counterparts by allowing you to connect with your clients and recruits on a personal level. If you are just starting out in direct sales, looking to reinvigorate a business that has reached a plateau, or seeking to maintain your success, find ways to use your strengths and advantages to achieve your goals.
Choose a product/service…
you can be passionate about and maintain focus. Finding your passion is where it all begins. If you choose something that doesn’t evoke a strong feeling, the chances of success with that product/service are slim. Having been a public school teacher for close to a decade before staying home to raise her children, a prospective direct seller named Robin knows she is passionate about education. She has been researching several popular direct sales companies for which many of her friends are consultants. Robin enjoys attending these parties and shopping the catalogs of these companies, but since her true interests lie in the education field, she decides to sign with a company that specializes in educational books and other materials. Because she is already knowledgeable in this area and cares about providing children with quality literature, Robin can grow a profitable business by focusing on her passion.
in which you can be an expert. Robin chose something in which she has solid expertise, and that can be a great foundation for a business. Even if you have been a direct sales consultant for a long time already, find a product or service within your company to learn as much about as possible. If you become an expert in this item, your sales presentations and opportunity meetings can include an emphasis on it. Prospective customers and recruits will notice how proficient you are on the subject and can feel comfortable looking to you for guidance about it.
in which you have a strong community. Ask yourself: how can this product/service build ties to my community or strengthen existing ones? One of the innovative ways that Robin gets involved in her community is by volunteering to be a guest reader at local elementary schools. She chooses books that align with the curriculum and plans a themed activity to connect to the book. It’s a wonderful way to give back to the community while simultaneously using her strengths to help educate children and gain some exposure for her business. Find ways to build your own community ties with your product/service by using your existing strengths.
Your passion for the product/service that you offer should be the foundation and motivation for all you do in your business. Your expertise will help you take the action needed to achieve your goals, and a strong community will allow you to grow. If you have all three of these, you’ll be unbeatable.
What other ways do you think you can leverage your strengths and advantages? Please share your ideas below!

Twist on Check Scam Targets Direct Sales Reps

Twist on Check Scam Targets Direct Sales Reps

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By Emily Patterson

Reps for direct sales companies like Avon, Thirty-One Gifts and Mary Kay are finding themselves the targets of a new take on the classic check scam. Scammers pose as new customers and try to con consultants out of hundreds of dollars.

How the Scam Works:

You are a consultant for a direct sales company, and you receive an email or text message from a potential customer. The exact details of the situation vary. The “new customer” may simply request to purchase a few products, but some scammers provide an elaborate back story.  In one recent version, the scammer alleges to be working on a movie filmed nearby and urgently needs makeup for the actors.

The request seems like an easy sale, so you prepare the products and receipt. Then, your new “customer” sends you an urgent message. There was some mix up, and she/he accidentally sent a check for far more money than the purchase amount. The customer suggests that you fix the mistake by depositing the check, keeping the money for the purchase and wiring the remainder to someone else.

The stories given vary. Sometimes you are asked to wire money to a “doctor.” Other times, you are supposedly sending cash to the daughter’s wedding planner. No matter the tale, a few things are for sure. The check is a fake, and, if you withdraw money against it, you are out those funds.

Tips to Avoid Fake Check Scams:

Whether you are a professional direct sales consultant or simply selling a few items on Craigslist, check scams are common cons. Here are some tips:

  1. Be wary of checks received from unknown individuals: When selling to someone you don’t know, it is safer to accept cash or credit card payments.
  2. Do not accept overpayments: Don’t take checks for more than the sales price, no matter what convincing story the buyer tells you.
  3. Do not wire money to anyone you do not know: Wired money is extremely difficult to trace, and you will not be able to recover these funds. The same goes for pre-paid debit cards, a new favorite payment method for scammers.
  4. Confirm before you withdraw cash: A check can take several days to clear, and, until then, you are responsible for any funds withdrawn against it. To make sure the check cleared, call your bank… not the telephone number listed on the check.

For More Information

To find out more about scams, check out BBB Scam Stopper.

DSEF and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) foster honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers—instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.

About the Better Business Bureaus
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.

Five Concepts to Improve Your Salesmanship

Five Concepts to Improve Your Salesmanship
Five Concepts to Improve Your Salesmanship

Five Concepts to Improve Your SalesmanshipAmong all your various responsibilities as a direct seller, don’t forget that the life blood of your business comes down to sales. A product or service has to be sold in order for you to make money. Improving your salesmanship can take your business to the next level, whether you just signed on the dotted line yesterday, or have been doing this for years while creating a large downline. The list below will help strengthen your salesmanship.

1. Imagine yourself as the customer. By putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, you can avoid doing anything that might cause a rejection. You’ll also be able to tap into what a potential customer truly needs from you. If you were the customer, what would you need to know before making a purchase? What problem do you have that can be solved? How can you be sure the product is of high quality and value? Considering a different perspective of a sale will allow you to address concerns and emphasize relevant information.

2. Don’t shy away from talking about money. Most people, understandably so, feel uncomfortable talking about money in any specific way. Avoid giving the impression that you are one of them. Discuss any financial talk in a straightforward, matter-of-fact way, and answer any questions honestly, thoroughly, and without hesitation. Potential customers are always wary of being taken advantage of, so demonstrate that you have nothing to hide and truly want to provide a valuable product or service to them. Talking about money is a necessary step toward closing a sale.

3. Take your time and be overly prepared. Do some research ahead of time to prepare for a sale. Who is the potential customer? Find out some background information to incorporate into your presentation. For example, your hostess has told you that most of her guests are her colleagues, mostly teachers and teachers’ aides. Ask some questions about the school, what subjects/ grade levels the guests teach, and what they might be looking for at that night’s party. Your customers will appreciate your attentiveness and interest in their lives and will be in tune to your desire to fulfill a need. Think of the time spent preparing as an investment in your business.

4. Be truly curious about your customer. If you aren’t genuine about helping others, it won’t take long for the customer to figure that out. Accept that truly caring about what a customer wants or needs is the key to earning trust and respect. Ask questions, listen carefully, and respond appropriately to the individual. No one is interested in a generic pitch, so adopt a curiosity that will benefit both you and the customer.

5. Always follow up promptly and thoroughly. Whether the sale is made or not, follow up with the customer in a timely manner. If the sale was made, find out if the person is satisfied with the purchase and what you can do if there is a complaint. If the sale wasn’t made, contact the person anyway to thank him or her for taking the time to speak with you. Following up consistently is a skill that will serve you well both personally and professionally.

It’s okay if you don’t feel comfortable playing the “salesperson” role, but adopting the concepts mentioned above will greatly improve your selling ability. What would you add to our list? Please share your ideas below.

Three Quick Tips to Improve Your Team

Three Quick Tips to Improve Your Team
Three Quick Tips to Improve Your Team

Three Quick Tips to Improve Your TeamOnce you’ve invested a great deal of time and effort into building your team, the next step is to invite success by helping them improve as individuals and as a whole. By doing so, everyone wins. Each member of your team will find individual business success and will be able to pass that on to his/her downline as well. When this happens, the financial benefits increase. In today’s post, we’ve selected three steps you can take right away to improve your team and subsequently grow your business.

  1. Help each person focus on his/her goal and future. Chances are that each person on your team has a different goal. Sally might just want to work a few nights a month and make enough to pay for her daughter’s dance lessons, while Jill, who recently lost her job due to downsizing, is determined to make her direct sales business a full-time job with a full-time income. Sally and Jill’s goals couldn’t be more different, so make sure that as a leader, you help them focus on the individual goal. Doing so will make it more real, and they will have sincere motivation because it comes from something they truly desire. Help each person visualize achieving the goal and define what needs to be done to get there.
  2. Provide mini workshops so they can learn new skills. As with most industries, direct sales is always changing and adjusting to meet the needs of its customers. Stay on top of industry trends, changes from the corporate office, and even newly created techniques for closing a sale or signing a recruit. Teach a mini-workshop or hold a training call if possible once a month to teach your team new skills. Professional development not only helps the individual improve a business, but it also refreshes people’s ambition and determination to succeed. Choose a different topic each time, make a brief presentation, do a Q & A, and then provide a call to action for your downline to put the information to use. As an added incentive, follow up at the next workshop with invitations for your team to share their successes and perhaps earn a small reward.
  3. Rally around a cause to bring your team together. It is easy to get caught up in one’s own needs and responsibilities when working in direct sales, so find a cause that requires your team to work together. Cooperation and collaboration fosters an environment of camaraderie and creates a culture of support among colleagues. For example, a local family is raising money to pay for the medical bills of a sick child. Aside from donating a basket of goodies to be raffled off at the fundraiser, a direct sales team leader called on each of her members in the area to attend the event with a guest from outside the industry. For those not in the area or simply unable to go to the fundraiser, she called on them to find another way to contribute. She created a competition of sorts among other direct sales team leaders she knew. Her team was motivated not only for the cause of the fundraiser, but also to win out over the other direct sales teams participating. They were able to work together and contribute generously to a worthy cause; furthermore, they got a chance to know each other better, which guaranteed support for each other going forward.

It is said that a leader is only as good as his or her team. There are so many reasons to invest the time into making your team the best it can be, so don’t let this responsibility fall by the wayside. You will not only be helping your own business, but you will be making a difference in the lives of others by contributing to their successes.

What quick tips do you have for improving your team? Please share below!

How to Create an Effective Quick Sales Pitch

How to Create an Effective Quick Sales Pitch

City Business WomenAs a direct seller, you will likely come across the opportunity to talk about your product or service outside the normal home party environment. Perhaps a friend or relative asks you about it, or an acquaintance making small talk asks what you do for a living. In situations such as these, it is a great idea to have a quick sales pitch prepared in your head that you can use when needed. This should be a very brief version of your normal pitch, one which touches on the major highlights of your product or service. When creating this quick sales pitch, focus on the following topics.

  • How can your product/service help solve a problem? Some products make answering this question easy, such as fashionable organization systems sold by companies such as Thirty-One Gifts or Initials, Inc. These products solve the problem most people have of needing to organize and store their possessions in their homes, offices, and cars. Other products might not have such an obvious answer, but it surely is there. Look to your upline and corporate leaders for guidance about how to best convey what problem your product line solves for its customers.
  • How and why is it better than the rest? Your product undoubtedly has quite a bit of competition not only from other direct sales companies, but also from its retail counterparts. What makes your product stand out? In the case of Thirty-One’s fashionable storage solutions, their consultants emphasize unique features such as the option to personalize their products, coordinating patterns across product types, and the company’s commitment to giving back.  Put together just a sentence or two to be included in your pitch that clearly explains why your product is best. 
  • How is it a great value for the price? Value can be determined in a variety of ways, but consider level of quality, product versatility, and company-backed guarantee. It helps to also be prepared with knowledge of your competitor’s determination of value, so as to educate a potential customer. When inquiring about hosting a Mary Kay makeover party, a young bride-to-be mentioned that she was also considering taking her bridesmaids to an appointment at a department store makeup counter. The Mary Kay consultant was quickly able to give her some reasons why choosing a department store limits her options for variety, pricing, personalization, and convenience. Being prepared with this knowledge beforehand allows you to talk up your product and your company to anyone at any time.

After putting the finishing touches on your quick pitch, practice it often so it comes across naturally, like a casual conversation. Recruit some friends or family members to rehearse with, perhaps role-playing different scenarios in which your quick sales pitch is just what you need. As a direct seller, you should be ready and willing to discuss your product and opportunity in a moment’s notice. The effective quick sales pitch is a great way to do this.

Have you ever been in a situation where a quick sales pitch would come in handy? Were you able to use one effectively? Please share your comments below!

How to Determine Your Success

How to Determine Your Success

Athlete StretchingWhen you think about your goals in your professional life, does the word “success” come to mind? If so, what exactly does it mean to you? Success can be defined in countless ways, so it is important for you to determine just how you measure your own success. In doing so, you are creating a true motivational tool for yourself, a super-objective for your business, and the foundation of a plan to achieve that goal. Today’s post will focus on two ways for you to determine your own success; those are perseverance and passion.

Perseverance – Your commitment to staying the course no matter how difficult things become or what obstacles pop up along the way is a good indicator of perseverance. To really assess your level of perseverance, ask yourself this question and answer honestly: at what point will you give up? For many, the answer to that is “never,” others may have a definite breaking point, and still others fall somewhere in between. It is up to you to decide where you fall on that spectrum, what your goal is, and what you are willing to do to reach it. For example, a recently retired small business owner tells his story of how he decided to leave a very secure job as plant manager of a very large photo processing lab to open his own small lab and retail store. He sat down with his wife every night for weeks after the kids were in bed formulating a business plan and crunching the numbers. It became clear that if the business didn’t take off, they would lose their house and have to move to an apartment. Keeping this possibility in mind always helped him make smart decisions and persevere. Not only did he not lose his house, but he was able to buy a much bigger one in which to raise his family, send them all to college without loans, and kept a successful business for nearly thirty years. Without perseverance, none of that would have been possible.

Passion – Without passion and a love for what you are doing, there is no way you will be able to persevere and find long term success. Your passion will be what constantly drives you to make your business the best it can be. Ask yourself how strong your belief is in what you desire. Dig deep to find the answer to this very important question. The retiree from the example above recounts how passion played a large role in his successful small business career. He knew that he was the best in his field and had areas of expertise that could edge out competition. Seeing flaws in how others did things and knowing he could do them better always motivated him to seek improvement and resist shortcuts. His passion for his field of work and his desire to be the best were major contributors to his success.

Taking an honest assessment of your level of perseverance and passion is a critical step in determining your personal definition of success. These two elements go hand in hand, so don’t underestimate their importance.

What roles do perseverance and passion play in your professional life? Do you consider them crucial to success? Please share your ideas in the comments below!

Four Ideas To Take Your Business To The Next Level

Four Ideas To Take Your Business To The Next Level

Four Ideas to Take Your Business to the Next Level from http://dsef.orgAsk any successful small business owner what he or she envisioned when first launching the business. Most of them will tell you that this vision is what helps them to keep moving forward and take their business to the next level. In today’s post, we offer four things you can do to grow your business and achieve your vision.

1. Do what you truly love and find ways to make money from it.  If you aren’t doing something you’re passionate about, it will be very difficult to succeed long term. It’s important to tap into your interests. Ask yourself what drives you, what you care about, and what you’d like to spend every day doing with your time. For example, after spending years as a full-time parent, Jean decides to break back into the work force by using her experience as a competitive dancer to teach dance to local children. She starts out with a small clientele, but through word of mouth, eventually grows enough to purchase her own space and send her students to competitions. Nothing can motivate you more to succeed than doing something you truly enjoy.

2. Find and team up with great people to help you grow your business. When expanding her dance studio, Jean didn’t do it alone. She contacted people from her circle of dance friends from her youth, some of whom were also making a living in the arts. She picked their brains, asked for advice, and even recruited some to come work with her. Use your expertise in conjunction with your passion to identify smart, hard-working people with whom you surround yourself. Your network is essential to the success of your business.

3. Use and leverage your failures to improve. Each business endeavor is sure to come with its fair share of challenges. Instead of letting yourself get bogged down in the disappointment and stress of it all, use these experiences to learn and grow. What went wrong? How did it happen? Could it have been prevented? How could you improve for next time? The better able you are to turn your weaknesses into strengths, the more likely you are to find success and make your vision a reality.

4. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, personalize and make it better. It can take a lot of time to come up with strategies that are truly original and, most of the time, there is no need. Put your own spin on existing ideas to improve them and attract others to your business. Part of the reason Jean’s dance studio was so successful was because she personalized her services. It’s easy to find jazz and acrobatics classes for toddlers, but very few places teach tap to such young children. Since that is Jean’s specialty, she promoted that particular class more than the others, gave them a special mid-year recital, and was able to beat her competitors for those students. Identify what you bring to the table, and commit to it. You’ll be amazed at the results.

Remember to keep in mind your vision for the business, and know your strengths to help you get to the next level. Be passionate, ask for help, and learn from your mistakes.

What else would you add to our list? Please share with us in the comments below!