Direct Sales Marketing | Direct Sales Talk ~ Ongoing Chatter

Committing to Your Business

Posted by Chris | Posted on 04-03-2010

Tags: cheap advertising, direct sales, direct sales marketing

When we first start our Direct Sales business, we have made a commitment to that company by writing the check and ordering the starter kit. While signing on the dotted line of the agreement is a commitment to that company, it is a commitment to you and your business?

Have you committed to any of the following things lately?
• Doing the best we can to build our business
• Treating our customers with integrity and kindness
• Being helpful and caring to our customer
• Spending at least 15-20 hours per week dedicated to growing our business
• Talking to at least 5 people a day about our business
• Doing whatever it takes to earn the amount of money needed to pay our bills, feed the bank account or save for that trip

Why not take some time today and configure a commitment form for yourself and your business. Sign it and post it on your bulletin board. Seeing that each day you will know that you have cemented your career goal and revitalized your business. How inspiring can that be?

What Is Direct Sales Marketing?

Posted by Chris | Posted on 25-02-2010

Category : Biz Tips, articles

Tags: direct sales, direct sales business, direct sales marketing, Direct sales marketing business, Direct sales marketing training, Direct sales opportunity, Direct selling

Here is a post by a guest blogger, my friend, Deb Bixler . Enjoy!

Define Sales Marketing

Sales is the art, science, and skill of creating more and more desire in the market place for your opportunity, product or services. Sales comes from a Scandinavian word that means to serve. Sales is a service business. When you serve your customers well you will make more sales. Businesses that operate with a sales or service focus are said to provide good customer service. When a business has good customer service, there will be more desire for their product, opportunity or services, and that in turn will result in sales.

Marketing Your Direct Sales Business

Let’s look at all the different parts of the direct sales marketing concept separately.

Art is closely tied to emotions. People connect on an emotional level. Using the art of connecting to people individually by focusing on their needs is truly the art of sales. When you do not include a focus on others in your sales pitch, then the sales are all about you or your products. Asking open-ended questions that give you more information about your customer, whether or not those questions actually relate to the sale, is a terrific way to learn more about your customers’ needs and how you may be able to serve them.

Science on the other hand is systematic. All successful companies are based on systems. If you are not getting the results that you want in your business, then take a look at your systems. Systems may be incorporated into your operation on many levels, including a system for presenting your product or opportunity, a system for closing the deal, a system for processing orders, etc. Systems make your business simpler and gives you a sales advantage. With good systems in place, you are freed up to focus on the emotional aspect of selling, which is essential.

Skills on the other hand, are based on practice. Practicing the art and science of selling gives you better skills. Practice brings sales and the more you practice, the better your skills, which in turn continues to generate more sales.

Good salespeople have the ability to generate desire in the market place for their product or service. Desire is when the customer wants what you have. When they want what you have, it is easy to sell or to serve their needs. How do you get them to want what you have? By sharing what is in it for them on an emotional level and understanding that everyone on earth is not going to have desire for what you are offering. It is important to realize that it is OK, because the person standing in front of you will not make or break your business. Sharing your wares on an emotional level takes practice. For example: A stainless steel whisk won’t sell well. A dishwasher-safe whisk may sell better. A whisk that will clean up in a snap and whisk you out of the kitchen to spend more time with your family will probably sell best.

Where is the marketplace? For a direct sales professional the marketplace is everywhere you go. That doesn’t mean you are talking business everywhere you go or every minute of every day. It means that you are connecting with people emotionally and sharing benefits of your company’s products, opportunity or services when appropriate, and using systems to fine-tune your skills at providing awesome customer service even when no sale is involved.

When you put art, science and skills to work in your business, sales will skyrocket. Learn more about Direct Sales Marketing at Create a Cash Flow Show.com

Ideas on How to Kick Start Your New Direct Sales Business

Posted by Chris | Posted on 23-07-2009

Category : Biz Tips, articles

Tags: cheap advertising, direct sales marketing, direct sales tips

Ideas on How to Kick Start Your New Direct Sales Business

So, you are planning on starting your own home based business and you have chosen the right one for you! That is wonderful. Whether it is a franchise, a party plan or your own creation, you are going to need some cheap advertising methods to help you kick start your business! Listed below are some tried and true methods that you can try inexpensively!

1. The most important method will be Business Cards!! Always have them on had. You never know when you need one. Use them to write notes to people. Buy magnetic backings at Wal-mart and make them into magnets that are placed on your customer’s refrigerator. They may misplace a business card, but the weight of a magnet will reduce to loss of one of these business cards! Plus they usually end up on the fridge!

2. Pins, buttons, t-shirts, anything wearable! Outfit your family as well! You can get printable iron on decals at Wal-mart or any office supply store to make your own if your company does not provide an official contact for printing.

3. Design your own logo if your company doesn’t already have on and get car decals or magnetic signs for the car. Go to your local print shop for magnetic signs. They start at about $40 for 2 with a basic design.

4. Get a shopping bag or tote bag with see through pockets so you can carry around your catalogs or business goods and people can see the products. Make it bright and colorful.

5. Flyers! Easy to make on your computer. Use colorful paper and mail them to everyone you know. You can also make an introduction letter and include them in any book that you pass out. People want to get to know the person that they will be doing business with. It is important that they realize that this is your BUSINESS and you will be around for a long while.

6. Another use for flyers is a tear off sheet that you can post on the free boards at the grocery store, laundry mat and any other local establishment. This is especially good if you are doing local businesses like house cleaning, auto detailing, selling cosmetics, yard care etc.

7. Hospitals give out mommy packs to all new moms. Call your local hospital and see if they are accepting new business and the requirements. Include a discount as a new mom bonus with your free gift or flyer.

8. If your business is one that does fundraising, get your networking skills going with everyone that you know. Think about PTA’s, church groups, day cares, civic organizations, cheerleading, football, baseball, soccer teams. How about High School band, choir, Booster Clubs. So many clubs have to do fundraising for money now. This is big business!

9. Pass out personalized pens, pencils, note pads, calendars for cheap advertising.

10. Craft fairs, street fairs, Home and Garden shows and any type of thing like that. Relatively inexpensive and a great way to get known in your community. Again, business cards and cheap giveaways like bookmarks, pens or pencils will be key here. Use your Business card, punch 2 holes in it with a hole punch and thread through a sucker to give out at the parades that are associated with some street fairs.

11. Team up with friends that do direct sales or have their own business and do an Expo of your goods. Hold it at someone’s home or if you get a lot or people participating, rent a room at a restaurant or hotel. Share business cards with these ladies. They see and meet a lot of people that may be looking for your type of business. Do the same for them.

12. Press releases! These are relatively easy to do. But, you must follow up with the paper and actually talk to someone. Don’t just fax it over and hope it gets printed. Remember, Relationships are key!

13. Donate products to raffles. Make sure your business info in included in the basket or on the prize. It is a tax write off!

14. Get personalized note cards with the name of your business on them and always send thank you notes to you customers and hostesses. Offer a discount on their next purchase for a referral to a friend that orders.

These are but a few of the many things that you can do to gear up your business. There are so many more. I hope that these spark your creativity and get your mind juices following!

Copyright Chris Carroll All Rights Reserved
Chris Carroll is a sales professional that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing with others. You can sign up for tips on managing and increasing your business at her site DirectSalesTalk. You can also find her at her business site ShopOnYourSeat If you would like to use this article for your newsletters or website, all links must be live and clickable.