What to look for in a direct sales business

Are you looking for (another) direct sales company to join, but you have no idea what you should be looking for?

Let me help.

I am passionate about the direct sales industry and the difference it can make for families.

I have been in the direct sales industry since 2002 and was the Direct Sales Association of Australia distributor of the year in 2019. I simply adore the direct sales (or party plan) industry.

But it’s not the same for everyone. I have seen companies come and go. I have seen great people make poor choices and get burned. I’ve seen people heart-broken in their direct sales business.

My own experience, however, has been amazing. I happened to have made a good choice when I joined my company and I’ve had lots of success.

My mission here at Direct Sales Inspiration is to help you build the business of your dreams and have an amazing experience too. But to make that happen, it starts all by picking a good direct sales company.

My tips for choosing a direct sales company

Love the products
I consider this to be the most important aspect of your decision. If you genuinely love the products it will be easier to sell them because you’ll feel as through your are sharing, teaching and helping.

Align with your passions
Try to match your passions and enthusiasms to your biz. For example if you love cooking find a company that sells cooking-related products. If you’re excited about home décor and styling, then find a company that ties in with your enthusiasm and skills. You’ll go so much further if you love the products, love the company and enjoy learning about it, talking about it, and selling it!

Find out about the company’s reputation
You’ll be representing the brand, are you proud to do that? Is the company ethical? Do they give back to the community or a charity in some way? What can you find out about their values and community spirit?

A lot of reputable brands are members of a direct sales association in the country they operate in. A quick Google search should help you to find your direct sales association and their members.

What kind of training and support is available from the company?
Direct sales companies with solid training and an upline who offers support and coaching will make a big difference in how quickly you can be successful in your biz.

Once you’ve decided which company to join, spend time researching who you want to partner with in the company. Not just for support and coaching, but you also want your personalities to fit!

Be careful when comparing commission structures
Compensation plans are detailed documents that can be tricky to interpret. A common mistake I’ve seen people make is to choose a company because of the high commission offered on personal sales. However, they fail to take into account how difficult it would be to sell that particular product.

The easiest way to compare is to find out what the average party total is for the company. This will give you a better indication of what your income would be. A company with a high personal sales commission usually structures it that way because average party sales are low!

Is the product consumable?
While this isn’t absolutely necessary to be successful, it can be helpful for your personal sales if the product is something that people will re-order from you. Getting brand new customers is generally harder than getting people to re-order from you.

That said, I do know plenty of consultants who sell non-consumable products and are very successful!

Check minimum requirements
Make sure you find out what the requirements are to keep your business open. Many companies have some sort of minimum you need to achieve to keep your account with them open. Is that amount reasonable? Can you see yourself achieving that under normal circumstances?

But what happens in an emergency? I know it’s not fun to think about worst case scenarios but they do happen. It happened to me: in 2016 my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia and I myself landed in hospital in 2018 with a series of strokes and a brain aneurysm. These things happened unexpectedly but I was able to keep my business running through both these crises – make sure you can too should anything happen.

What to look for when choosing a direct sales company by Christine Tylee.

Does the company offer incentives and rewards?
The opportunity to strive for additional products or incentive trips or other major rewards are an important part of the direct sales experience. Investigate what the company that you’re considering offers. Do these rewards and incentives excite you enough to push yourself further?

Having these ‘carrots’ along the way really helps direct sellers to strive harder and achieve bigger things. They certainly work to motivate me!

There are many wonderful companies and great products out there so it can be hard to choose, but with this tips you should be able to narrow it down.

I wish you all the very best with your new adventure and I hope it’s everything you dreamed of!

If your personal passion is for skincare and make-up and you want to partner with an ethical brand, you might like to join me in my Australian or North American teams. Click here to get some more info.

Can you make money in direct sales?

Can you make money in direct sales?

I used to get asked this question all the time, but now that direct sales is my career I only hear this question now and then.

The short answer is absolutely, emphatically, 100% yes.

The question that people should be asking is “How do you make money in direct sales?”

Assumptions about starting a direct sales business

The mistake most people make is assuming that because it’s so easy to start a direct sales business in the direct sales or party plan industry, it’s easy to make money too.

And that’s not necessarily true.

Running a successful direct sales business requires commitment and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. And not everybody is prepared to do that.

Why people join a direct sale company

People join a direct sales company to make money for all kinds of reasons. I’ve had team members join to earn extra money to go and backpack around Europe. I have team members who support their family by paying a fair amount of the household bills with their business income.

I also have literally thousands of people in my organization who earn a couple of hundred dollars per month. Their direct sales business is a fun side hustle to be able to afford a few extra luxuries for their family they couldn’t otherwise afford. They are making extra cash and enjoying the process.

Some people join with a very specific goal in mind. For example to be able to replace their old fridge or buy a new car. A few of these team members even stop after reaching their financial target.

And that’s still a success in my book – they’ve reached their goal after all.

But you can’t make ‘real’ money in direct sales, right?

The most irritating thing to me is when people tell me that direct selling is indeed a great side hustle but there’s no way to make any real money with it.

It’s an annoying statement because I quit a full time job in teaching to run my direct sales business. I now make a very significant income for my family from my business. In fact, my income is now 5 times higher than what I was making as a full time primary school teacher!

I will concede that I’m not an average direct seller. Only a few percent make it to this kind of income level, in the same way that not everyone becomes a CEO in the corporate world.

I have dozens and dozens of people in my organization who are able to rely on their business for their full time occupation.

Many of them don’t have a degree, some aren’t even fluent in English, some need to stay home to care for children with special needs. I have a deaf team member and I have disabled team members, I have team members with all kinds of challenges in their life.

But their direct sales business has provided them all with a life-changing opportunity. They are earning significant incomes and making their business and family life work for them.

And that’s what I love about this industry.

We have a bad name….

Unfortunately the direct sales industry has a bit of a reputation problem.

Part of this stems from confusing a party plan or direct sales company with a pyramid scheme. And some of it stems from unethical people who over-sell the opportunity and undersell the amount of work needed.

I’ve seen plenty of people claim that it’s easy to make a 6-figure income overnight. Has it been done? Yes. Is it common? Nope!

When people join with the expectation that they’ll be an overnight success with a massive income with very little work, they’ll be very disappointed with the reality of things.

Sometimes the problem is that newbies don’t get a lot of guidance and make all kinds of mistakes. They end up selling very little, recruiting nobody and their business quickly fizzles out before it even got started properly.

This is part of the reason I started Direct Sales Inspiration: I want everybody to be able to make the most of the opportunities that really do exist out there.

If you’ve just joined a direct sales business and you need a little help, start here:

If you’re in Australia or America and want to find out more about joining my team, click here.

How to get out of a rut in your direct sales business

All of us have periods in our lives where we feel like we’re stuck in a rut. And that rut might just be in one area of your life – for example your direct sales business.

Perhaps you feel like you’re just going through the motions in your biz, just treading water and not going anywhere. Or maybe you haven’t done a party for a few months and barely made a sale…

If that’s you, let me help you get unstuck and move your direct sales business forward again!

Below I’ve got a free printable for you with a big list of ideas to get your business rolling again. But first we need to get you mentally out of that rut!

How to get unstuck in your direct sales biz

Step 1: What’s stopping you?

As not all ruts are the same, you’ll want to have a think about why you’re stuck at the moment. Is there something stopping you such as needing childcare, needing a car, or losing a phone? How can you resolve this?

Sometimes people get in a rut after a holiday because they just don’t get started again. This can also happen after an illness or injury. Sometimes people lose motivation and then getting started again feels impossible. But in all of those cases there’s nothing actually stopping them now to re-start and move on to step 2.

Step 2: Self-care

Self-care and compassion are vital to get going again. You could beat yourself up for being lazy or feeling unmotivated. You could blame yourself for being in a rut. But that’s not helpful, not necessarily true, or important.

The important thing is that today you are moving forward again now. Do a quick self-assessment to see if you’re getting enough sleep, are you getting enough exercise? Are you eating well? Are you getting some socializing in your week? Are you treating yourself with kindness?

Taking care of yourself ensures you have the energy to stay focused and excited about your life and your business.

Step 3: Small actions and rewards

Now that nothing is stopping you from moving forward and you’re treating yourself like the queen that you are, it’s time for step 3. In this step you’re going to decide on some small actions that you feel are achievable and then reward yourself.

The positive reinforcement of a reward is helpful when you’re struggling to get motivated. Set yourself a small reward for even starting that small action. Then continue to reward yourself each step of towards a larger goal. After a while you want to pull back on the rewards but still set a larger reward once you have reached your goal.

Where to start?

How to get out of a rut in your direct sales biz

To start, download the Business Booster Worksheet below. This free printable has a list of ideas and tips to help you get your business in motion again. Start by identifying 3 small actions that you find easy, things that won’t stop you, now that you’ve committed yourself to getting out of that rut. Actually schedule these 3 actions in for the coming week – like you’re making an appointment with yourself. Don’t put it off but do it now.

Once you’ve done the 3 easy things and you’ve rewarded yourself, go back to the list and find 3 more things. These can be actions that you may find a little harder but are still very doable for you. Do these things, reward yourself and go back to the list. Rinse and repeat!

By taking small positive actions and rewarding yourself you’ll find that you’ll be pulling yourself out of that rut and you’ll quickly see the results in your party plan or direct selling business.

What are you waiting for?

Grab the Business Booster Worksheet to get out of a rut and move forward in your biz. You'll also get my weekly email with tips, so you'll never miss an article or freebie again!

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The Coronavirus & your direct sales biz

You can’t turn on the TV or radio without being inundated with news about the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the impact it’s having globally. And now I’m going to add to it…but I’m specifically talking you: direct sellers and party plan consultants.

This pandemic will impact everyone, including us. However, despite this growing crisis, there’s a lot that you can do to protect yourself and your business.

Quick tips for direct sellers during the Coronavirus crisis

Hygiene
While you’re still able to host in-home events, make sure you widely publicize the extra steps you are taking to ensure everyone’s safety. Examples include providing individual product samples, minimizing touch, and providing hand sanitizer.

Most direct sales companies are providing guidance and advice to their consultants, make sure you check them out and implement them so your customers can be reassured they’ll be protected as much as possible.

Build your business online
When my 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia, my family faced our own health crisis. I spent many months in hospital with her and wasn’t able to run my usual in-home parties or team training sessions. I had to get good at running my business online and now we all have to get good at it! (My daughter is fine now, she’s in remission and a picture of health.)

An engaged customer group on Facebook will be vital for your business. If you need help with that, check this article where you can also download free engagement tiles to post in your own group.

You want to add Zoom to your arsenal. Zoom is fast becoming the default video conferencing app across the world. I’ve got some handy tips for you to organize Zoom parties in this article.

Attraction Marketing
Until this pandemic has run its course, opportunities for vendor events and perhaps even in-home parties will be limited. This means you’ll need to promote your direct sales business online.

The way to do that without being pushy or spammy is ‘attraction marketing’. A great place to learn exactly how to do this, is Direct Sales Inspiration’s Attraction Marketing Course.

And because we’re passionate about helping as many direct sellers through this Coronavirus crisis, we have a 50% discount code for you!

To get the discount, just use “corona50” at checkout.

Care Packages
As the crisis lengthens, more and more people will suffer financially. Hours will be cut and jobs lost - at least temporarily. The tourism industry is already suffering major cut-backs and more are sure to follow. Our industry can offer people impacted by the crisis a way to make some additional income during this difficult time.

Perhaps you can offer a number of 'bonus' packages (care packages) for anyone who joins your business due to virus-related job loss or cut-backs. These care packages could be products you have on hand, a stationary package, or some other incentive.

I want to stress here that it's super important to be sensitive and compassionate. It would not be wise to come across as though you want to capitalize on their hardship. Make clear that you are offering an option to help them.

It's also important not to over-promise on your business opportunity. Don't make big income claims - they will have to put in some work into their new business.

A great way to do some recruiting - even while observing social distancing - is to run a Facebook recruiting event. I've got all the steps involved and some images you can use here.

When in isolation
If you are forced to self-isolate or your area is in lock-down, make the most of the time.

You can grow your business online - if I could do it from a hospital room you can certainly do it from home. Having some time at home is also a great opportunity to increase your business knowledge and do some self-development.

Here are some ideas for podcasts for direct sellers and a few good books to read. It's also a great time to go refresh yourself on some of your company's online training or explore our training for direct sellers.

This too shall pass
Remind yourself that it's going to be okay. Do your best online during the crisis, but don't forget it's not the end of your business if your parties dry up.

You can re-launch when the pandemic is over.

After I had been in business for quite a few years, I moved over 700 kilometres away to a new town where I had no connections at all. I used all the techniques to re-launch my business in a new area that I write about in this blog.

You can re-start a business and build it up again once this crisis is over.

Check this article on doing a re-launch and this article on getting bookings when you have none in your diary.

Worried about the Coronavirus crisis and your direct sales biz? Read these quick tips to protect your business!

Now is not the time to panic! We're fortunate that in our industry we can be flexible in how we conduct our business. Using technology we can be connected to our teamies, our customers and our prospects - even when we're confined to our homes.

When my daughter was isolated in hospital as her immune system was so weak, I never felt lonely because I managed to stay in touch with friends and family and my business connections. I'm so grateful that she beat cancer and that she's healthy. But in a funny way, the crisis our family went through has prepared me for this global crisis and I know that my business will be okay.

I'm sending you all my love - especially if you or your friends or family are in a high-risk category.

Mindset Matters when Recruiting

Today’s article is a guest article provided by Zoe Wright. Zoe is a qualified hypnotherapist and she’s my number two here at Direct Sales Inspiration. She’s helped me put together the Mindset Mastery for Recruiting training session.

Your mindset, that is your beliefs about yourself and the world, determine your behavior. This of course influences what actions you take in your direct sales business towards your goals. And over time sustained actions in your business will likely lead to success.

As you can see, it all starts with your mindset.

If your mind is not in the right place, if you don’t believe that you can do great parties, or get bookings or recruit new people into your team…you will indeed fail. Because you won’t take the actions you need to. Or you do them in a way that’s not actually helpful.

If you have expectations that you can’t make a success of yourself or not be successful in this particular thing – you will likely meet your expectations.

And you don’t want that!

So you need to have belief in yourself and your ability to have success. You need to set positive expectations for your business!

You also need confidence. And then you need to make yourself take action.

So how do you do that?

Set Positive Expectations in Your Direct Sales Biz

You can change your beliefs and expectations. It’ll take some effort, but you can do it. Things like self-talk are important in this area. If you constantly put yourself down and ask questions with negative expectations, you continue an unhelpful mindset.

For example, you might ask yourself “Why can’t I recruit?“

In that simple question you have a built-in expectation that you can’t recruit. In that question that is presented as a given. Well you don’t want to keep telling yourself that you can’t recruit! You also don’t want your brain to come up with reasons why you can’t recruit.

Instead, change the question to “How can I recruit (more)?” This question has the in-built expectation that you can recruit! And this is a question you actually want an answer to!

There are multiple ways you can set those positive expectations. In the Mindset Mastery for Recruiting training I explain long-term and short-term ways to do that. I also show you how stop undermining yourself!

Turn on confidence

Confidence is not the same as self-esteem or a feeling of self-worth. You might feel confident in certain areas of your life and not in others, you might grow confident in certain skills as you practice them and confidence waxes and wanes throughout your week.

But sometimes you need confidence on the spot. Maybe you have a direct sales party, maybe you are doing a follow-up, or maybe you want to feel confident at a vendor event. In that case it would be super handy to be able to just ‘turn on’ the confidence!

In the Mindset Mastery for Recruiting training I teach you how to turn on that confidence in the longer term and the short term.

One quick trick you can do right now is to change your posture! There’s a feedback loop between your brain and your body. How you feel affects how you hold your body, for example someone who’s sad holds their body different than a confident happy person. But it also works the other way around. How you hold your body affects how you feel.

While you’re reading this, change your posture to ‘confident’: sit upright with your shoulders back and take up some space in your world with your arms or legs. That makes you feel very different than when you slump your shoulders and look down and you try to make yourself as small as possible.

It also matters how you think about recruiting.

Does recruiting make you feel ‘icky’?

Many party plan consultants feel icky when they talk about the business opportunity. They don’t want to be pushy or salesy. And that’s perfectly understandable – nobody likes to feel that way.

So what if you could change the way you feel about it and learn how to be ‘real’ and authentic and not pushy and still talk about the business opportunity?

That’s another part of what we do in the Mindset Mastery for Recruiting training: we help you to get to a place where you can share your opportunities for bookings or business without being salesy.

Something you want to do today is to get clear on what the business opportunity represents. And this is different for everybody. A few examples are friendships, achievements, splurge money, financial security, recognition…. make a big list and you’ll realize how awesome it really is what you have to offer. Find that passion for the business (not just the products) and communicate that. People respond to your passion!

So check out the Mindset Mastery for Recruiting training – you probably find this training helpful if it’s your mindset, lack of confidence or your hesitation to ‘sell the business opportunity’ that is holding you back.

Work smarter not harder in your direct sales biz

Everyone is busy.

Most direct sellers do it as a side hustle and they are either working their biz around other work or family commitments. Or both.

Direct sales or party plan is absolutely ideal as a side hustle because it’s so flexible. It’s one of the reasons I love it so much!

But, because it’s not your main hustle you don’t have time to waste! You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely so you’re not just spinning your wheels but actually moving forward.

This means that how you spend your business time is vital. Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle? This principle states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. This means that 80% of your efforts are not doing much for you at all!

When I first learned about this I was excited to work out which 20% of my tasks were producing the results because it would mean I could reduce the amount of time I spent on my business while at the same time growing it!

Things to stop doing in your direct sales biz

I stopped investing massive amounts of time studying the products. I decided that if a guest or customer wanted to know more than I could tell them, then I knew how to find out. I always got back to them and it turned into another opportunity to continue that relationship with the customer.

I also stopped investing lots of time in team members who were less active or less engaged. Instead I used my team to focus on my eager ‘rising stars‘ and getting new team members off to a great start instead.

I focused my activities on getting parties (online or in-home) rather than chasing individual orders. It’s so much more time efficient to see a group of people at once and gather a bunch of orders in one go. I used to feel like I was constantly chasing orders.

If you need some ideas on how to get bookings, check this article so you can get off the individual order treadmill too.

I focused more of my time on finding new team members and supporting them to get their own business started. I realized that team growth would make the biggest impact on my long-term income and that the faster I recruited the faster my business would grow.

I started scheduling my social media posts in advance. I would sit down once a month to plan and schedule content for my business page, customer group and team group. I found that those monthly sessions were super productive and my content became more thought out and better planned too.

This change stopped me running around through the week madly trying to think of something to post on Facebook. I love using Cinchshare for my scheduling, but you can use Facebook itself too.

I found that once I cut out ‘busy work’ – the tasks I used to do that didn’t really add to my bottom line – I could do more to grow my business. I used to spend hours preparing folders with product information or color-coding my customer files…. now I focus my time on the 20% of tasks that really build my business.

There is another key to working smarter not harder and that is consistency. Your business won’t progress if you only work on it randomly. You don’t have to dedicate lots of time (I hope that much is clear now) but it does help to be consistent for people to trust you with their business.

Now over to you. Let me know in the comments below what you’ve stopped doing in your business and what you’re focusing on instead.

5 Top Tips for Fabulous Customer Care in Your Direct Sales Biz

5 Top Tips for Fabulous Customer Care in Your Direct Sales Business

The better you look after your customers, the stronger their relationsip with your direct sales or party plan business will be.

Customers who feel they’re taken care of by you, are more likely to re-book parties or even join your team.

Customer care is that personal touch that makes people feel special, seen and appreciated. And you want every single customer to feel like that after ordering from you.

I’ve got 5 tips for fabulous customer care and follow-up that you can use to rock your customer relationships. These tips are not about being accessible, friendly and easy to do business with. I assume you do all that already.

These tips are about caring for the customer relationship with your biz.

Make it super easy for you to reach customers

Get into the habit of always asking for your customers mobile number and email address.

That way you can create a customer text message group or an email list to keep in touch.

Send out monthly customer newsletters via email

Keep your monthly email short but interesting and informative.

This email is about relationship building – not just sales.

Share product tips or hacks, share company offers for the month, offer incentives to book a party or join your team. If the company doesn’t have any incentives going, create your own!

Give every customer a loyalty card to your direct sales biz

With every order, give your customers a loyalty card. I’ve created a few blank loyalty cards for you to use.

After a certain number of purchases, you can offer a discount or free product. Read the article on loyalty cards here and download the done-for you versions.

Offer a discount on their next order

Encourage repeat orders in your direct sales business

The second order is always the hardest to get.

To make it a little easier, offer a 10% off your next order discount card. Make sure you add an expiry date (ie. 30 or 60 days), this will also give you a great reason to follow-up with them before the card expires.

You could say something like: “I didn’t want you to miss out on the 10% discount I gave you…“

For that to work, you’ll need to keep track of who you’ve given a discount card to and when!

Fill out the form below to get the free discount cards I’ve created for you. Just print them on some good quality paper, add your details and you’re good to go!

Organize your own direct sales parties

Organize your own events and invite all your customers along. You could hold a customer appreciation night, new catalog launch party, a new product launch party, etc.

Create some special offers for the night that can only be accessed by customers that attend your event. This is a very powerful way to build relationships with your customers and hosts.

Alright, over to you. Let me know below what customer care do you provide in your business that I haven’t mentioned yet?

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The life-changing magic of positivity in your direct sales biz

The life-changing magic of positivity in your direct sales business

Your attitude is a powerful force in your life.

It can affect your work, your mental health, your happiness, and it affects the people you meet!

The question is, do you have a positive attitude towards your direct sales business or a negative one?

Positive thoughts are invigorating and energizing. A positive attitude attracts people, while a negative attitude repels them. Think carefully about what you’re focusing on, because what you focus on grows.

Have you ever heard the saying

“where your attention goes, your energy flows”?

If you’re constantly saying to yourself: “I can’t recruit or I’m dreadful at getting bookings” you’re putting your attention on the negative. And that means that your energy is going there too…is that what you want?

The power of choosing to focus on the positive in your party plan business is massive.

When I changed the message in my head from “I can’t recruit!” to “How can I learn to recruit?” I went from 0 recruits after 2 years to national recruiting champion in my company!

Postivity was super important in 2016 when my then 6 year old daughter was battling leukemia, I used gratitude for my business as my grounding platform for positivity. (My daughter is okay now, but it’s been quite a battle!)

I made a choice to have a positive attitude because I know that it’s up to me to decide whether the glass is half full or half empty.

Tips to be more positive

I’ve got a few tips for you to help you develop a more positive attitude. It all starts with a decision though: decide that you want to have a positive attitude. Then implement these tips.

Monitor your self-talk. Catch yourself when you’re thinking negative and unhelpful thoughts about your direct sales business. The best resource I’ve found to help re-train my brain and take positive action is The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. If you haven’t read it yet, stick it on your reading list right now!

Think about how you can turn your self-defeating negative statements about your business around. Instead of “I can’t…” ask yourself “How can I…?” Fears like “I’m not going to get paid this month” can be changed to “What can I do to get paid this month?” Your subconscious mind will help you to come up with solutions when you ask the question. So instead of getting stuck in a negative thought spiral, change your attitude to a solution-focused mood.

Limit your exposure to negativity in others. I’ve witnessed the devastation that a few negative people can have on a team or organization. Negativity is contagious – avoid it at all costs. So take yourself out of negative message threads, consider how much news you’re watching, unfollow negative pages on Facebook and stop hanging out with friends who pick on everything and everyone.

Write something you love about your direct sales business every day. This will help you to re-focus on the positives. It’s kind of like a gratitude journal. You can also write about how much progress you’re making on the thing you want to improve (recruiting, bookings, or sales for example).

Turn follow-ups into a game. If you’re struggling with following up with leads (because you don’t like hearing “No”), read this article on how to turn following up into a game to massively change your thinking.

Surround yourself with positivity. Use a vision board, set your screensavers to something that inspires you, watch inspirational videos, or read uplifting books. Fill out the form below to grab a free inspirational quote movie. You play a little game with yourself every day and see what new inspirational quote the universe wants you to see.

Join a positive community. Join a business Facebook group or a group dedicated to positive inspiration. Definitely join Direct Sales Inspiration on Facebook – I’ve got positive quotes, tips, and encouragement for you!

If you need any more reasons to make a deliberate choice to focus on positivity, science has got you covered. Studies show that a positive attitude slows aging, contributes to health, helps you to deal with stress better and has a positive effect on everyone you meet.

Wow!

Make a positive change today and choose to focus on the positive in your life and your direct sales business.

5 Tips for Direct Sales Leaders

This is one of those misconceptions a lot of people have and I want you to really understand this:

Leadership is not a skill we’re born with.

Leadership is a skill you develop. You learn. You grow.

Direct sales is a business where you can step up to leadership, which brings new challenges and new opportunities.

If you’re new to leadership, below are 5 tips to help you grow into the type of leader that a team likes to follow.

Keep in mind that the number 1 complaint from consultants about their leaders is that they only hear from them when the leader wants to know how many sales they have!

I see that behavior all the time and it makes a team feel used – as if they’re only a number to help the leader gets paid. It leads to resentment and a negative team culture.

You don’t want to be that kind of leader. So check these tips to help you become a fabulous leader of a fabulous team.

Help your team members to feel successful

When teamies feel they are successful, it will help them build on their success and keep striving for more. Have a think about recognition. What are you celebrating in your team and how are you celebrating it?

What you focus on with recognition will increase.

Do you create certificates? Do you hand out trophies? Do you post a brag in your team group on Facebook? Do you call them or go Live to congratulate them with a personal message? The more you do the better!

If your team members are excited about their achievement they are more likely to repeat it and strive for more. It will also inspire others in your team to strive for recognition.

Encourage effort

Not everyone in your team will achieve the standard required for public recognition. But a good leader will make everyone in a team feel valued.

Try to find a reason to congratulate as many team members as possible each week for something. A quick text message can make a big difference to help someone feel acknowledged and valued.

Can yo find someone in your team this week who:

entered sales for the first time in a while
booked an extra party
found a potential new team member (lead)
booked in for a vendor event

Always be on the lookout for team members who’ve stepped out of their comfort zone to take action. When they do, consider going the extra mile and post them a personal card int he mail to let them know how proud of them you are.

Even if their actions don’t lead to results this time, they might next time. And in the meantime, you have a loyal team member who feels valued.

Mark significant occasions

I keep a box of cards handy so that when something important happens in a team members life, I’m ready to send of a personal post card.

Think of life events such as a new baby, engagement or wedding, the passing of a loved-one or pet, illness, etc.

It’s important to show team members that they matter to you and that what happens in their life matters to you.

Talk less and listen more

As a leader we have to stop trying to fix everything. Realize that your team members often already have the answer! Our job is to coach them and help them find it. (Check this article on coaching.)

It can be really hard to stop ourselves from telling our team members what to do. Try to remember that if you them choose their action steps, they’re far more likely to take that action!

Be a cheerleader

Be the best cheerleader you can be! When I think of cheerleaders, I think of someone happy, positive, energetic and smiling. That’s your job!

Always be positive. It’s okay to acknowledge concerns but you must always re-focus on the positives and the next step.

Sometimes you’ll have to remind a team member of their amazing qualities or how far they’ve come already. Sometimes you’ll need to remind them of how amazing your company is.

Focus on gratitude, focus on what’s in your control and enjoy the process.

Do you give up too easily on your follow-up?

Far too many people direct sales or party plan are afraid of rejection. They’re afraid of hearing the word “no”.

And I get it. I used to be afraid of rejection.

In the first 2 years in my business I did not sponsor anybody. At all!

I was afraid to ask and by avoiding the ask I rejected myself in advance. I was saying “no” to myself before anybody else had a chance to.

So how do you change this?

You need to change your outlook on asking and following up. Because there’s nothing to lose by asking.

Thought exercise

Imagine you ask a friend to host a party for your or join your team. Imagine she says “no”. There it is the dreaded no…

But what actually happened? In reality nothing happened because before you asked she wasn’t on your team and she wasn’t hosting a party.

And after asking that’s still the situation.

And you’ve spent your whole life without her on your team so you know how to deal with that!

How to ask for what you want

There’s an art (or a science) to asking and getting what you want. I found some great tips in the book The Alladin Factor by Marc Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield.

Ask your lead to join as if you expect them to. Ask with a positive expectation, as if you expect to get a “yes”.
Assume you can get new team members (or bookings). Assume you can get a “yes”.
Ask repeatedly. One of the most important traits of success is persistence. So don’t give up.

Are you persistent?

Do you give up too easily on your follow-up? Direct sales requires persistence...

You want to keep asking your leads (without annoying them!) because they might say YES…

on a different day
when she’s in a different mood
when circumstances have changed
when your company has a different offer
when you’ve learned to ask better

The statistics that have most inspired me to persistent came from research by a marketing specialist at Notre Dame University:

94% of all sales people quit after the 4th call. However, 60% of all sales are made after the 4th call!

I didn’t want to keep missing out on 60% of my bookings or recruits because I wasn’t asking and following up enough. Read this article for more on using a leads book to ensure you have a system for following up.

You need to get used to the idea that there’s going to be lot of rejection along the way to your goals. Don’t take the rejection personally – they are not rejecting you as a person.

Don’t give up. Develop tenacity and persistence. When someone says “no”, you ask someone else. It’s that simple.