Just so you know, we may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
So… You’ve decided to take the leap and join a direct sales company and go into business for yourself. Congrats!! That’s a big decision! Hopefully you’ve chosen a company with TONS of amazing and detailed trainings, and an upline that will walk you thru all the ways to be successful! But if I’m 100% honest here, that likely won’t be the case. Your sponsor might mean well but have no leadership training or be struggling with her own business. And your company may have a suggested way to do things, but it might not be the most authentic or could be super spammy. So let me give you a few tips for direct sales without being spammy!
#1 Tip for Direct Sales: Aim to GIVE Value
So of course your goal with your new business is to make sales, and one way to get sales is to ask. But try to remember how YOU feel when you’re being “sold to”. It feels yucky, slimy, and inauthentic. The salesperson is only thinking of themselves and how they can get the sale. The best way to approach sales is to think about what’s in it for THEM – the customer.
Find a way to GIVE VALUE first!! Get to know your customers and offer something that you have that might help them specifically. Shoot them a PM to invite them to try a sample of XYZ product because you know they deal with ABC problem. Customize your communications with each customer so that they feel that you really want to HELP them, not just get their money. This will go a lot further in building your relationship with them, too!
For more information about relationship based social marketing, I suggest joining the free online community group, The Socialite Suite! There is a TON of information here that is super helpful in all stages of a direct sales business!
#2 Tip for Direct Sales: Create a Facebook Group
First and foremost, please, PLEASE do not spam all your friends by posting daily (or hourly) to your personal Facebook profile about your business. Your friends DO want to support you, but they are on Facebook mostly for relationships and connection, not to be sold to. There is no faster way to be unfollowed, hidden and sometimes unfriended than to spam me on your personal profile!
So once you have someone who has purchased from you or is interested in learning about your product, you need a way to communicate and connect with them. Sure you can send 100’s (or 1000’s!!) of private messages, but the more basic info can more easily be shared to a group. Be sure to always INVITE people to your group – NEVER blindly add people! It’s important that they have the choice of whether they want to be there or not!
Facebook has a TON of info in their support library about how to best moderate your group. You can check that out HERE!
#3 Tip for Direct Sales: Be sure to Follow Up!
One thing that will slow your business growth is not having a follow up plan. If someone has purchased from you, they are telling you they want to have a relationship with you. At this point, there is no way to know if they are a one-time buyer or a VIP who will buy loyally for life. But if you don’t follow up with them, you’re almost GUARANTEED that they will be a one-time buyer. So it’s up to you to keep that relationship going!
A lot of companies and direct sellers use the 2-2-2 follow up method. With this method, you would follow up:
-2 days after purchase (to say thank you again and your goodies are on the way)
-2 weeks after purchase (to check to make sure they received their items and to make sure they love them)
-2 months after purchase (to check in for a resupply if necessary or share new info about your products).
You can follow up by phone, email, Facebook, or snail mail, and there is really no wrong way to follow up. The rule of thumb is to try to follow up in the way that your sale was made (exception being in person). So if they purchased on Facebook, a Facebook private message is appropriate to follow up.
For my business, I use a program called FIITFU (Fortune Is In The Follow Up) to maintain my email follow ups. It’s a SUPER robust program that allows you to detail your customer data, order information, and set automatic follow up emails and reminders to contact and communicate with your customers, and so much more. FIITFU offers a 30 day FREE TRIAL just to check out what they have to offer! If you’d like to check them out, simply click HERE!
Now this is just the tip of the iceberg for tips for direct sales! If you have any questions or if I might be able to help at all, feel free to Contact me! Until next time!
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