Direct Sales Inspiration - Inspiration, training & resources for members of the Direct Sales Industry
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Category Archives: Business Tips

Jump into January

Title: Jump into January

It’s important to prepare for your direct sales business restart January, in December (or even November) of the previous year.

“What? Why?” I hear you ask…

The reason you want to prepare for restarting your business is because it way too easy for the weeks to fly by while you’re caught up in the daily stuff.

And before you know it’s Easter before you even restart your business. You don’t want to fall into the trap of taking a break over Christmas and then fizzling out for several months before even thinking about your business.

Instead, by preparing for your restart you’ll enjoy the jump back into your direct sales biz and you’ll be up and running again right at the start of the year.

If you’re reading this and it’s already January don’t worry: Still download the worksheets and plan your year – it’s super important to set goals and get yourself moving. It’s not too late!

Visionboard

Take some time to reflect on what it is that you want to achieve in your direct sales business. What is your vision for your business? Where do you want to be in a year’s time?

Set your intentions for the next year.

However, it’s important that you not just think through your vision but the possible obstacles that you might encounter too, so you can prepare for that.

In the Create Your Ultimate Vision Board article I have more information and a printable for you to use to make that easy.

If you want to something more advanced and interactive than a vision board, check out the article Fuel Your Goals With Positive Prime – that’ll boost your motivation and focus in just 3 minutes per day!

Set Your Business Goals for The Year

Now that you are clear on your vision, it’s time to set your goals. I have a Goal Planner that will help with that.

Don’t skip this step!

Setting tangible goals for the year and then drilling down to January and even the next 3 days, will help you to take actions to actually achieve your vision!

Grab the goal planner for 2022 below to use for your direct sales biz.

Capitalize on your December parties

During December (or even November), you can start filling up your January diary by inviting the party host to book a party in January now.

Talk to the host at her party (or afterwards if it’s an online party). You explain to her:

  • That it would be nice to host another party in January because there were probably people that couldn’t make this party that she might want to invite to the January party.
  • There will be new products to play with! Most companies will have new products or product ranges in January.
  • Offer a very different party theme, especially if your company doesn’t have new products in January.
  • If she books that January party now, she’ll get this wonderful incentive you’ve prepared.

Your booking incentive could be a good quality product, a basket you’ve created with a few smaller products and dressed up with ribbons, or a bottle of bubbly.

Don’t give this incentive at the December party, keep it until January – you don’t want her cancelling on you with you losing your incentive.

Bonus Tip for November and December parties

When someone says in November or December that they’ll call you in January for a booking – pencil in a date immediately instead of waiting for that call. I usually say something like: “January is such a busy time of year for me with so many people wanting a casual catch-up with friends after the busy season. So let’s pencil something in now and you can let your friends know about it if you see them over the festive season. If the date doesn’t end up suiting, we can try to find a better time in January.”

I then follow-up with a postcard to thank them for their booking and I include all the details of their party (such as the date & time and party theme).

Reading this in January?

If you didn’t do this in November or December and it’s now January: don’t worry not all is lost. I would grab the January coupons from this article and contact the hosts that partied with you between October and December. You thank them for hosting a party last year, explain that you have some very different themes or products to try and offer the January coupon as an incentive.

Use the brainstorm printable that will help you kickstart the year

Print the ‘Kickstart 2022’ brainstorm printable (grab it below) and take some time to work through it.

This is another activity that you don’t want to skip. Intentionally sitting down and working through all the prompts on the printable will yield more than you think, most people surprise themselves with how much more they can come up with on the worksheet.

This printable will help you to remember and write down contacts, people who said maybe, and work out ways outside of parties to get new bookings.

Once you’ve completed the activity, you’ll have a wonderful checklist for new actions that will help you to kickstart the year!

Host your own party to showcase the new products

If your company has released new products and a new catalog, it’s time to host your own party.

Make it a fun event with some lucky door prizes and invite all your good customers and hosts.

You can run this as a ‘mystery host’ party. This is where you give out tickets or points for every $10 spent (or some other amount that works in your business). At the end of the party you then draw a winner who is the ‘mystery host’ and gets the host rewards for that party (providing a host reward level was achieved).

And of course, from this party you want to get some new bookings.

The best way to get bookings is to have some new themes (perhaps related to the new products) available. Set up a display where you advertise these new themes to entice your guests.

To top it off, set a booking incentive and display it at the party.

Set your own booking incentive

There are different ways you can offer an incentive for bookings.

How to restart your direct sales biz in January.

You can create a bundle of products that you received for free or at a discount, you can offer a high-end product that’s desirable, you can make your own basket with a wine and some chocolates. Just make it look really pretty and enticing!

Here are a few ways in which you can offer the incentive. You can offer the incentive for each person who books in January (don’t book too far ahead, you’ll see more cancellations that way).

However if you need to control your diary, you can offer the incentive for certain dates. I usually print off a calendar and put stars on the dates that I want them to book on. If someone books on a ‘star date’ they earn the incentive.

By setting your intentions and goals for next year, followed by actions to get party bookings, sales and recruits, you’ll set yourself up for a great direct sales year!

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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!

Learn more!
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Can you make money in direct sales?

Title: 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!

Can you make money in direct sales?

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:

  • 2 Tips for Your Launch
  • The 1 Mistake You Don’t Want to Make on Social Media
  • 3 Tips to Increase Attendance at Your Direct Sales Parties

I’ve written the kind of book I would have loved someone to give me when I started out —it’s the HOW-TO OF RECRUITING.

This book comes with dozens of free worksheets, checklists, and templates to get you started on your direct sales journey today!

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

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. 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

First, start by ‘positively priming’ your brain. An amazing new technology, based on the latest research in neuroscience and positive psychology, is the best tool I’ve ever found to rapidly make changes. It’s like Netflix meets vision board sprinkled with steroids!

In just 3 minutes a day Positive Prime can increase your positivity and help you achieve your goals. This tool will seriously help you to leave that rut far behind! Read more here or check out the app here.

Next, 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?

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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.

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.

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What you loved in 2019

Title: What you loved in 2019. The best articles and freebies of the year.

It’s that time of the year to look back over the past 12 months and do a stock-take. I had a look at Google Analytics to see which articles you loved the most this year. The results are not surprising: you are interested in chocolate, recruiting and social media!

So, let’s look at the Top 5 most popular articles of 2019 to make sure you haven’t missed the best bits of Direct Sales Inspiration:

Number 5: Chocolate Game

Coming at number five: The Chocolate Game is a universal party game. It doesn’t matter which direct sales company you are with or what products you sell, you can play this game. It’s an easy game to play so it’s great for beginners and shy people too. Everybody likes chocolate so you can’t go wrong with this game! Grab the clue sheet here and start playing!

Number 4: Recruiting with Games

Direct Sales Recruiting Rhyme

It makes sense that this is the fourth most popular article. Talking about your business opportunity can be a bit daunting and doing it with a game makes it so much easier! This article gives you 2 games to play that relate to recruiting and a free printable. Grab them over here.

Number 3: Plan Like a Pro

Direct Sales Planner

This article was a favorite from the moment it was published because I explain how I plan my direct sales business. The system helps to maintain focus on all aspects of your business (host coaching, bookings, customer care, etc.) and helps you to maintain your work-life balance. As a bonus, it helps you to make your business portable so you can work from your car when you need to! Grab the printables and read the explanation here.

Number 2: 50 Social Media Post Ideas

Downloadable: 50 Social Media Post Ideas

Not sure what to post on your Facebook page that isn’t just an endless stream of products or begging for a party booking? I’ve got you with this free printable with 50 ideas for posts that you can use as a direct seller or party plan consultant. No wonder this is the second most popular post this year! You can grab your own copy here.

Number 1: Facebook Parties: How To Increase Interaction And Get Better Results

Facebook Party Super Bundle Download

Although this article was first published in 2018, I’ve kept it up-to-date with new seasonal downloadables this year. It’s consistently the most read article and the most downloaded freebie on the blog.

In the article I share some of the background on why you need more interaction in your Facebook parties and how to get more engagement. You’ll also be able to grab all the Facebook party games mentioned in the article in multiple versions. Get it here now.

So there you have it, the 5 articles you loved the most in 2019. If you haven’t already grabbed those freebies, be sure to download them now 🙂

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Mindset Matters when Recruiting

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 the Recruiting training session.

The 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 toward your goals. And over time, sustained actions in your business will likely lead to success.

Recruiting mindset

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 might do them in a way that’s not 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 believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. 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 all 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 want an answer to!

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 specific 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 ‘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 differently than a confident, happy person. But it also works the other way around. How you hold your body affects how you feel.

While 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. This will make you feel very different than when you slump your shoulders, look down, and try to make yourself as small as possible. Do you notice the difference?

Another quick trick is to use Positive Prime. It’s an app that’s like a vision board on steroids and helps with motivation, confidence, and your beliefs about yourself and what you can achieve. Check out my experiences with Positive Prime here.

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 recruiting and learn how to be honest 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 to help with that is to get clear on what the business opportunity represents.

And this is different for everybody. A few examples are friendships, the feeling of achieving goals and awards, earning splurge money, financial security, and recognition.

When you make an extensive list of what direct sales can do for people, you’ll realize how awesome it is what you have to offer. Find that passion for the business (not just the products) and communicate that. People respond to your passion and enthusiasm.

For the first time, I’m sharing all my secrets to success in one place, along with how I went from being a nervous consultant to transforming into a vibrant businesswoman gaining membership in the prestigious Million Dollar Club.

Order your copy here

This book comes with dozens of free worksheets, checklists, and templates to get you started on your direct sales journey today!

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

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 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.

  • Use Positive Prime every day. This app is a new technology that is scientifically proven to boost your mood & program your unconscious mind. A 3-minute session in the morning can give you a positivity boost for up to 8 hours! I love this tool to help me focus on my personal and business goals and it helps me to stay positive and focused. Read more here and click through to the app here.
  • 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 (or find her on YouTube, she’s got tons of helpful videos)!
  • 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.

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What successful direct sellers can teach us

Title: What successful direct sellers can teach us

There is this one fascinating study of successful party plan consultants and network marketers.

The study was conducted by Doug Firebaugh and he compared the work habits of average direct sellers, successful direct sellers and Million Dollar Club members. With over 1,400 responses and interviews, the study has some interesting things to teach us.

One of the findings was that Million Dollar Club members have a realistic idea of the true efforts it takes for huge success – while average consultants have a more fantasy based idea of what it takes.

So let’s have a look at those true efforts!

Here’s a breakdown of some of the findings:

AverageSuccessfulMillion $ Club
Hours worked per week61225
People talked to a day1715
“No’s” gotten in a week21025

What jumps out at you when you look at these numbers?

As a member of the Million Dollar Club, I can tell you that these numbers do reflect my own direct sales business in most weeks.

I realize that not everybody aspires to be in the Million Dollar Club, but maybe you want to lift your game to ‘above average’. So let’s have a look at how to do that.

How to lift your game

For most people, all they need to do is to change their focus. Many consultants believe that they’re ‘too busy’ to get on the phone and talk to people. So they don’t.

Others procrastinate with busy work such as tidying the office and preparing and organizing everything to perfection. However, successful direct sellers work on the things that will directly benefit their bottom line.

Successful direct sellers focus on income producing activities.

It’s not about how many hours your work…

Many people are shocked to learn that Million Dollar Club members only work 25 hours per week on average.

What successful direct sellers can teach us about working smarter, not harder.

Generally in society we tend to believe that massive success equates with long hours. But successful direct sellers have worked out which activities help their business to grow in the future and which activities help to produce their income. And they put their focus there!

It was very early on in my career that I decided to use my time more wisely and focus only on the key activities. I paid a local teenager to help me with the basic business tasks so that I could free up my time to focus on growing my business.

When I had children I hired a babysitter for a few hours each week, just so I could focus on business growth. By hiring help, I could work smarter (not harder).

If you want to grow your business but you find you’re short on time, you could consider doing what I did and hire a young person to help you with the simple business tasks. Or perhaps you could hire a baby sitter or cleaner for a few hours each week to free up some time. Or perhaps your spouse is happy to help you have an “office evening” without interruptions?

Learn more about working smarter here.

Get more ‘No’s’

Have a look at the table above again, and notice how many “No’s” the typical Million Dollar Club member gets each week.

They get 25 “No’s” each week!

Maybe you could set yourself a “Million Dollar Club Challenge” and aim to get 25 “No’s” this week…I’m sure you’ll get plenty of “Yes’s” along the way too 🙂

What if you’re a little nervous about getting “No’s” or have difficulty motivating yourself?

Excellent question! Nobody likes to hear “No” and it’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling rejected.

It’s also not always easy to motivate yourself to get out of your comfort zone and show up every day – which you need to do to be a successful direct seller.

Now, here’s an excellent tool to help you with that: Positive Prime. It’s the best ‘hack’ that I’ve found to train my brain and accelerate success. It’s an app that allows you to create personalized ‘mind movies’. It’s super fun and easy and backed by neuroscience and you can work on motivation, mindset, confidence and much more! You can read more about Positive Prime here.

Takeaways

  • Successful direct sellers work more hours than average consultants, but it’s not crazy high.
  • Successful direct sellers talk to more people each week than average direct sellers
  • Successful direct sellers get about 25 “No’s” per week
  • Successful direct sellers work smarter, not harder. They focus their time and energy on income producing activities.
  • Work on your mindset if fear of rejection or lack of motivation is holding you back.

I hope you now have a more realistic idea of what it takes to become successful as a party plan consultant or direct seller. I’d love to hear how you work smarter, drop me a line in the comments!


If you want to challenge yourself to develop the habits that successful direct sellers have, join the 21 Days to Success Challenge. It’s a challenge for direct sellers and party plan consultants to build their business over 21 days with support, motivation and ideas every day.

Learn more!

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