Category Archives: Business Tips

Using QR Codes in Your Direct Sales Biz

How to use QR codes in your direct sales biz

QR codes. I’m sure you’ve seen the weird pixelated squares around before.

Here in Australia we use them all the time to ‘check in’ when we go to a café or museum to help with Covid-19 contact tracing.

But QR Codes can be used in lots of different ways for different purposes. And as direct sellers we can also use them for our business.

What is a QR code?

QR Code example in Direct Sales Inspiration brand colors.
A QR code in our brand colors. Scan it to see what it does.

QR stands for Quick Response. When your phone scans the code, it will ‘read’ the embedded data, which is often a website or contact details.

The QR code was invented way back in 1994 but usage has been steadily increasing with surge in usage fueled by the pandemic.

Why do you want a QR code?

There are few really good reasons to grab yourself a free QR code. And not the least important is that it starts conversations!

Another reason is that you make it super easy for people to take some action. It’s more fun and a lot easier than typing in a web address or searching for a specific Facebook group.

A QR code also makes you look professional and tech savvy.

Ideas on how to use QR Codes in your direct sales biz.

  • Take people directly to your customer group on Facebook (or wherever you host a customer group). Print the code on a flyer and show it at parties or demonstrations as part of your display. During checkout I like to offer people a chocolate if they scan the code and join my group. Many people will take that offer!

    You can also post the digital copy in your online parties and stimulate action by using party points for people who join your customer group.
  • Link to your ordering page. You can use a QR code to take people directly to your ordering page. This is especially handy for markets or vendor events when you’re not allowed to sell products but still like to encourage people to buy from you.
  • If you have a blog or page with all your party themes, you can use a QR code to display all the information about the kind of parties you offer when talking to people about booking a party.
  • When you’re running a raffle or contest, you can collect entries via Google forms (for example). The QR code can be used to direct people straight to the entry form or a survey that you’ve created.
  • If you need to do a lot of user education about your products, you could use QR codes to take people directly to a video that shows more in-depth information. This works especially well when talking to people at events and you quickly want them to see the video.
  • If you have a newsletter, you can use the QR code to direct people straight to the sign-up page.
  • If you’re doing an online party and want to do a bit of treasure hunting, create a QR code linking to some recruiting information (for example). Then use an online jigsaw puzzle generator to scramble the QR code. Post the puzzle in your party. Guests would have to solve the puzzle, then scan the code and can then tell you where they landed for a prize.

How do I get a QR code?

You can grab a free QR code from a number of places on the internet. I like these generators:

Social Media QR Code with frame. Scan to see how it works.

QR Code Generator Pro – I like them because you can put all your social media in one QR code and add your ordering website or blog. They also have a lot of other options such as cute frames and color options. You need to create a free account to use this service.

QR Creator – This is a the quickest way to get a code. You don’t need to register and all you do is add your info and a code is generated immediately. Just hit download and you’re in business!

Where to use your QR code

Before you have anything printed and spend money, have a think about where you want to send people to when they scan the code. You can link the QR code to your customer group, to your ordering page or booking page, to your social media or even a survey.

And there’s nothing to stop you from having a few different QR codes for different purposes!

Here are some ideas for displaying your QR code:

Business Cards
If you use business cards for your direct sales business, pop a QR code on there! Next time you order a new batch, add the code as well.

Stickers
Get stickers made with your QR code. You can put the stickers on your business cards, your ordering forms, on your catalogs, on your delivery bags, etc. Stickers will give you a lot of options for displaying your code and are therefore quite cost effective.

How to use QR Codes in your direct sales business

Handouts & Posters
If you put up posters to advertise your direct sales biz, put your QR code on that. For example, I like to put up posters to advertise my business opportunity. I have a QR code on that poster that leads to my website with all the information and links to signing up!

Another idea is when you are at a vendor event or market and you use a flyer (with your party themes and booking info or with information on the business opportunity), have a QR code on the flyer too that links to a relevant website or social media.

Product Care / Product Use Instructions
Send people a thank you card or include a card in your delivery with a QR code that links to instructions on how to use your product or how to best care for the product. If you want to make this trick even more powerful, link to a video of you explaining the use or care of the product!


I’m sure there are many more creative ways to use QR codes in a direct sales business, but this article should give you a good start. We’d love to hear how you are using QR codes, so leave a comment below.

Learn more!

Fuel your goals with Positive Prime

Title: Fuel your goals with Positive Prime

It’s rare that I’m genuinely excited by an app and that my mind is (almost) blown. But this app is the best tool I’ve ever used to accelerate my success.

My direct sales business increased from $4 million to over $17 million over the last year, and it’s partly due to this app.

It’s called ‘Positive Prime,’ and it’s all about transforming your mind, habits, and routines that work towards your goals. The latest research backs it in neuroscience and positive psychology, and it works.

It works.

Move over vision boards – this app is so much more effective!

With Positive Prime, you can fuel your business goals, personal or fitness goals, and mindset, uplift your mood, and inspire creative or innovative thinking. With the app, you prime your mind for change, success, and peak performance.

The app allows you to bypass your critical mind and let the messages sink into your subconscious, helping you to achieve faster change. Positive Prime offers different sessions to train your brain and create powerfully self-fulfilling prophesies around your goals.

You can get started for free, but I highly recommend you upgrade to a paid plan as soon as possible because you can then significantly amplify the effect of each session by personalizing it to you with images and personal statements for your specific goals.

When you personalize a session, you include your photos that are relevant and other images that resonate with that goal or make you feel good and inspire you. Adding that personalization increases your emotional response and engagement with the session.

Add fuel to your goals with Positive Prime

It’s like watching a movie, and suddenly you’re given the starring role!

I’m wondering what direct sales goal you might want to achieve. Qualifying for a retreat or trip? Reaching the next career rank? Growing your team? Winning an award? Whatever your business goals are, Positive Prime can help you stay motivated, work smarter and more complexly, be creative and innovative in achieving your goals, and enjoy the journey as you go.

Bonus: you can use it for personal goals too! Do you have fitness goals? Does the Pandemic have you down or feeling anxious? There are sessions for you to work with this too!

I’m currently using the app to help me focus on my fitness goals and to inspire peak performance before competing in Karate. I’m also using it to stay motivated in my business and encourage me to think outside the box.

A quick snippet about my journey from stroke victim to champion & the role of Positive Prime in my life and my business

And I love every session; I always feel uplifted and ready to get to it! I love it so much that I want to share this with you.

So go check it out here.

Learn more!

Podcast Recommendations for direct sellers

Title: Podcast recommendations for direct sellers

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I love listening to podcasts. They’re a fabulous, free tool to help you grow in your business and life. They also help you to stay motivated and inspired.

Whenever I’m doing a ‘boring’ task like ironing or when I’m driving or running, I listen to a podcast to make the most of that time. That way I can fit professional development into pockets of my time throughout the week without having to make time for listening.

Here are three of my current favorites.

The Direct Sales Podcast

This is a great resource for your direct sales business. The host, Darius Chia (co-founder of Dough), has gathered an inspirational powerhouse of guests to interview. It’s an interesting collection of advice and training from the top leaders and coaches in the direct sales and party plan industry.

You’re bound to learn something new or get an interesting tip in every episode, even if you’ve been doing it for some time. Darius also gives you an insight into the person being interviewed at the end with a lightning round of questions.

The topics range from social media excellence to maintaining consistency and how to master the art of storytelling as part of your marketing.

You can listen to my interview here when Darius and I talked about ‘how to achieve your why‘.

Making the Leap

If you’ve been in the direct sales industry for a while, you might be familiar with Rachel Perry as part of the ‘The Tag Team’. She’s now on her own and still providing education for direct sellers and party plan consultants and is the host of the Making the Leap podcast.

In her podcast, Rachel shares her expertise, does live coaching and sometimes interviews other experts. Beginners as well as leaders in their business will find this podcast helpful and interesting.

Pin: 3 Podcast recommendations for direct sellers

She Means Business

She Means Business isn’t a direct sales-specific podcast but it’s very inspirational. The host, Carrie Green, interviews successful entrepreneurs (mostly women) from a range of industries. The stories are varied, interesting and often inspirational.

In some episodes Carries shares her own business expertise. I often find that the advice is relevant to my business in some way, even if the industry is completely different.

I was honored to be interviewed by Carrie myself, you can listen to that episode here.

So, over to you: what are your favorite business podcasts?

Learn more!

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!

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:

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

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?

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.