Use Fundraising to Increase Your Direct Sales
When looking for a way to increase your direct sales revenue, fundraising is an excellent choice. Fundraisers allow you to reach a large number of customers in a short period of time.
With fundraising events, you don’t have to spend one-on-one time selling to each individual customer, leaving your other customers feeling as though they have been neglected during the course of the sale.
Best of all, organizations are open to the idea of incorporating your direct sales business into their fundraising efforts because they know they’ll make money for their organization, too.
Fundraising does require you to give a small portion of your revenue to the organization. The goal is, after all, to raise money for them, and they will have done quite a bit of the work for you. However, you’ll generally receive more revenue than the organization will on every sale made.
Most fundraisers are designed so the organization receives a certain percentage of sales and you receive the rest of the profit. Typically, this is a 60/40 split, though sometimes it’s 50/50. most of the time, though, the percentage split is designed so the salesperson receives more of the revenue than the organization.
Even a 50/50 split is good for your business! This will not only make you feel great about helping a worthy cause in your community, but it associates your business with doing good and you can’t beat a deal like that.
Fundraising to increase your direct sales is a win-win situation for both you and the organization. You provide the organization with a great fundraising campaign – selling your products. The organization then distributes the material that customers need such as catalogues, flyers, business cards, website addresses, and your contact information.
Generally, you’ll prepare fundraising packets ahead of time for the organization to hand out. Then it’s just a simple matter of the organization giving the packets to their participating members.
Before you create the packets to send out to potential customers, you need to contact the person who handles fundraising in the organization. This can be done through a simple introductory package. Many organizations will be excited to partner with you because it’s a chance for them to make money.
Nevertheless, you may still need to convince them through the introductory package that choosing your business as a fundraiser is their best option.
On top of the package, place an introductory letter that introduces you to the organization and explains your business and its products.
Also include an earnings chart showing how much the organization can make depending on how much they sell. A graph chart is a great way to do this, especially if your business has different levels of sales goals.
In both your introductory packets and member selling packets, include a business card with the title “Fundraising Expert” or include a flyer outlining what you can do for fundraising with a tagline such as, “Call me for all your fundraising needs.”
This not only makes you look more professional and shows you really know your way around fundraisers, but it could also gain you more business in the long run. Who knows how many of the organization’s members have their own fundraisers that they’ll need help with? And when they do, it’s you they’ll call.
Once the fundraiser is over and you’ve tallied up the sales, be sure to send thank you cards to both the organization and your new customers. This shows them that you really appreciate their business and that you’re always available should they need you in the future.
Fundraising is a simple business building strategy that, with a little preparation and planning, can reap huge rewards for your direct sales business.
Successful Advertising for Your Direct Sales Business
You probably realize that without advertising, your business isn’t going to get very far. This is especially true when you’re in direct sales because your store location is usually your home, a website, or in some cases, your car.
This means that you’ll be limited as to signage and people won’t know about your business. While advertising can be challenging, it’s not difficult. Direct salespeople just need to get creative in advertising.
With just a few business cards, some flyers, and maybe even some posters, advertising your direct sales business can be easy, and even fun! Think about the places you go and think how you can get the word out about your business at every one of these places. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Visit the library. Go through various books and leave your business card in them. Pay special attention to books that are related to your business. If you sell jewelry, look at books that tell others how to make their own jewelry, or jewelry appraisal books. Flip to a random page and tuck a business card inside. Leave your business card in books that aren’t related to what you’re selling, too. You never know who’s going to take an interest in your business.
Place a poster, flyer or business card on the back of public restroom stalls. Have you ever noticed the wide variety of advertising that’s now done on the walls of a public restroom? This is because people know this type advertising works.
Many public restrooms have magazine style racks attached to the back of the stall doors. If you’re lucky enough to find one of these, tuck a catalogue inside. You never know who will stop by to pick it up. If you do leave catalogues, keep a list of where you left them. That way, you’ll be able to check back in a week or two and replace the catalogue someone was interested enough to scoop up.
Take some catalogues or flyers for your next party to a play date, or on a trip to the park. Many direct sales consultants are stay-at-home moms and dads. And they make especially valuable prospects because they probably live near you and would be able to attend a party to see your products.
Because other stay-at-home moms are doing the same things you do every day, you’ll most likely have a lot in common with them, too, and be able to connect with them on some level. And they probably have some of the same needs that you have, which is perfect since you’ll already know what they want.
Leave a flyer on your local laundromat’s bulletin board as well as a catalogue on the folding table. Laundromats are hotbeds for people who have time on their hands with nothing to do. If the laundromat is large, count how many tables they have and leave a catalogue on every one. You might be surprised how many phone calls you get just because you caught someone when they had time to browse.
Anyone can put up flyers in the grocery store or on community bulletin boards. As such, these locations often become overcrowded with different ads and yours might get lost in the shuffle. It’s important to think outside of the box and consider places that others may not have thought of. This is one sure way to get you noticed, get more people to attend your next party, and increase your direct sales revenue quickly.
Encouraging Your Direct Sales Team through Coaching
As a direct sales consultant, you know that one of the most important ways to grow your business is to build your downline and help them build their businesses. When your team members are successful and add to their teams, you all reap the benefits.
There are a number of ways to help your downline grow, but one of the easiest ways is to coach them. Coaching is where you encourage and train your team to do what’s right and what will grow their businesses.
One of the most important things you need to do when you’re coaching your team is to continually communicate with them. You can stay in contact with them via email, instant messenger, mail, or the telephone.
Set a daily or weekly time for communication and stick to it as often as you can. If you communicate via email or snail mail, you won’t have to worry about the time, but instant messenger and the phone do require a specific time so you know your team members will be there when you’re ready to meet.
Another thing to consider when you’re coaching your team is to regularly offer training. Training is one of the best ways for your team to grow and succeed. Offer training once a week and cover something different each week. Ask your team what they need help with, what they want to learn, and what will help them grow then offer training on those subjects.
Team meetings are another important aspect of coaching. Have your team attend the meeting each week and bring a list of things they accomplished in the prior week as well as what they plan to accomplish in the coming week. Consider holding this meeting on Monday morning. When you keep it at the beginning of the week your team will start their week nice and fresh and ready to go.
Something else to keep in mind is either attending a presentation by each team member, or calling during the presentation so you can help them with any mistakes they may be making. You can also suggest things to make their presentations even better. It’s not easy to have others tell us what we’re doing wrong, but it’s the only way to grow and improve our skills. When done with kindness and a sincere desire to help, your team members will more easily understand and accept your constructive criticism with the right attitude.
Taking your team to the next level will require encouragement from you more than anything else. Show them you care and that you’re available to help them grow. Build trust with them and show them you’re not there only for the money, but to see them truly succeed.
You can make use of team coaching calls or one-on-one coaching sessions. For a consultant who’s just starting out in direct sales, the one-on-one coaching may be best. Newbies require special attention because they are more than likely new to the business all together or at the least to direct sales in general.
Show your new team members that you’re there for them all the way and that you want them to succeed. Help them determine their goals, show them how to write them out so they know what they want and what they need to do to achieve their dreams.
Create a weekly, monthly, and yearly goal sheet for team members to use. Make sure you show them how to take one goal and break it down into reachable daily goals. Breaking a goal down into bite-sized pieces helps your team members see that each aspect is achievable. They’ll know exactly what to do to reach each goal.
Show your team how many contacts they need each day to reach the number of presentations or parties they want each week. Teach them what to say when they contact someone, whether it’s on the phone, via email, or in person.
In direct sales, a lot of your income comes from your downline. When you coach them and show them how to advance, your business will grow. When you use the suggestions above, you will see new levels of success and you will reach your own goals as well as helping your team to reach theirs.
Promoting your Direct Sales Business
Obviously, the only way your direct sales business will grow is if you promote it. Without parties or presentations you won’t go anywhere in direct sales–or any other business. And of course, you started your business to earn a profit. To do so, start promoting it right off the bat.
Here are some tips and tricks that will help you promote your direct sales business both online and offline. Even if you take orders through your website only, you still need to promote your business offline. Some people may not know you have a website unless you tell them.
• Offline Marketing
Promoting your business offline is not as difficult as you may think. You do need to be creative and take some time to make it work. But that’s not hard.
Make use of the best offline marketing tools you can find. Put them to work for you so you aren’t wasting your money being in business without earning a profit. Invest some time into your offline marketing strategies for your success.
Consider these tools to promote your business offline:
1. Business cards
2. Flyers
3. Postcards
4. Brochures
5. Pamphlets
6. Product samples
7. Catalogs
8. Magnets
9. Calendars
10. Notepads
There are several things you can do with these tools once you have them in hand. First, decide who your target market is and where they can be found.
For example, if your business focuses on moms and small children, then it would be a good idea to find ways to submit your marketing materials to them. If you focus on women in general, then you need to find them.
Once you figure this part out, you’re ready to start marketing. You can mail your marketing materials, hand them out, give them away, or include them in packs to be given out. Whatever you do, make sure you do it in a way that is not pushy or inconsiderate, of course
• Online Marketing
Online marketing is done on the Internet. There are so many different ways and places you can market your direct sales business online. Again, you need to decide where your target market spends time online and visit those places to market to them.
Here are some techniques you can use when to market online.
1. Graphic buttons
2. Banners
3. Text ads
4. Social media
5. Blog posts
6. Article marketing
7. Teleseminars
8. Webinars
9. Chats
10. Conferences
Realize that some of the techniques listed above cost money, but others are free. In addition, the amount of money you pay to advertise on one site may be more on another site. Often the amount charged is based on the traffic and the content available on that site.
Social media is something that a lot of people use, and it’s a great tool if used properly. Just be careful when you use sites like Twitter and Facebook. You can lose followers and friends fast if all you post are ads for your business. Instead, post tips, tricks, and good information along with subtle ads for the best results.
With blog posts, and article marketing you’re building trust with your readers so you want to make sure that what you talk about and what you post will help them and be useful to them. For the best results, write things that will help your target market with problems they face or that will prevent the problems from happening in the first place.
With teleseminars, webinars, chats, and conferences you’re teaching things to your listeners, so you want to provide them with detailed, useful and easy to understand information that they want.
Direct sales businesses are fun to work, especially if you choose a company whose products you absolutely love and that you want everyone you know to enjoy. When you use both online and offline marketing to grow your business, you will reach levels you never thought possible in your business, so get started right away!
Generating Leads for your Direct Sales Business
There is one thing that any direct salesperson needs in order to grow her business… leads! Without leads, you have no potential customers and no one to sell your products to. This, of course, translates directly into no profit and pretty soon, no business.
Generating leads can seem a daunting task. No one wants to spend hours on the phone cold calling. But not to worry. Cold calling has been proven ineffective most of the time, anyway. Because you don’t really know the person you’re trying to sell to when cold calling, you can’t possibly expect to know her needs, wants, or interests.
It’s even unlikely that potential customers you call won’t stay on the phone long enough to get to know you or your product well enough to become interested in it. There has to be a better way to generate leads for your direct sales business. The good news is– there is!
When you first start out in direct sales, chances are good that your leads will be people you know and who you see or talk to on a regular basis. Typically, these will be your family and friends. The chances are good that your family and friends will be happy to buy a few products from you when you first start out because they want to support you in your new business endeavor. Your excitement about your new business will also rub off on them and they’ll be excited for you, too.
But you can’t expect your family and friends to be your sole support throughout the course of your business. Sooner, rather than later, you need to generate leads elsewhere. Thankfully, there are many ways to do so.
The most obvious place to generate leads for your direct sales business is at home parties. Here, not only will you find a roomful of people who are already interested in your products, but you can ask these customers for the names and numbers of people they know who might also be interested in your products.
Offering an incentive to current customers to entice them to hand over a list of contacts is a great way to get them involved! Ask each guest at each of your parties for a list of at least five prospect names.
Offer a special product to the guest who provides you with the longest list of names. If you still find you can’t get prospect names, hand out your business card to everyone at the party and encourage them to pass your name and number on to friends and family. You can still offer discounted products or incentives to those who refer someone to you. Just have the referral mention the name of the one who sent her to you.
Another great way to generate leads for your direct sales business is to team up with a retailer who reaches a similar market but who is not a direct competitor. For instance, if you sell makeup, try finding a clothing retailer or a hair salon that will let you set up a display in a corner of her store.
Include sample products, catalogues, and information about you and your business. Offer a drawing for potential customers to enter and take a chance on winning a free gift. On each ballot have entrants write down their names and phone numbers. People understand you’ll need this information to notify them if they win the prize. And you’ll have a full list of new, potential customers.
The key to generating leads for your direct sales business is to think creatively. Contact everyone you know, offer incentives and products to people for referring possible leads, and get the word out about your business. you’ll soon discover leads all around you. At that point, it’s up to you to identify them and contact them with your product information.
Tips to Increase Your Direct Sales
Everyone gets into the business of direct sales for one thing – to make money! Of course, being passionate about the product and believing in it are also great reasons for getting involved in direct sales. But you can be passionate and have full confidence in a product and still not choose to sell it.
Selling product is what direct selling is all about whether you’re a representative for Avon, Mary Kay, Tupperware, or another direct sales company. So how can you capitalize on this opportunity and make the most money possible? Easy! You only need to know the benefit your product provides, what your customer wants, and take away any risk for your customer. After you’ve done all this, who wouldn’t be interested in your product?
The first thing you need to do when selling anything to anyone is know what benefit your product will provide them. People aren’t interested in buying things simply to make you rich. They want to know that when they pay money for something, it will be something that’s useful and beneficial to them.
Ask yourself what particular benefits a product has for your customer. Yes, the lipstick you’re selling probably comes in many different shades but any cosmetic counter in a department store has a wide assortment of lipsticks. Look for another benefit that the customer will only be able to receive from ordering your product.
Maybe your company’s lipstick is made with hypoallergenic materials, or contains an exclusive ingredient that will make the lipstick last longer or feel smoother and creamier when applied. It’s no secret that your product needs something to set itself apart from the crowd in order to sell. It’s up to you to find that particular something and sell that rather than the product.
Combining products into a package is another great way to increase your direct sales. This allows you to sell several products at once which is an immediate increase in sales.
To combine direct sales products, you need to be able to focus on what your customer wants and be able to provide that to them in one complete package. For instance, if you’re selling kitchen items such as Tupperware, you could start your sales pitch by explaining the benefits of a lettuce crisper to your customer.
Of course, it will keep lettuce crisp so the lettuce will not only taste better but will also last longer. If you manage to sell that lettuce crisper, good for you! But you’ve sold only one product.
Rather than start all over again to sell another one, why not combine that lettuce crisper with a lettuce knife, a tomato keeper, and a garlic container? This shows your customer that you can provide her with lots of options for her kitchen, rather than just one. And of course, you’ll sell three products at one time.
Knowing what your customer needs and being able to provide it in one complete package shows your customer, once again, that buying from you is the best way to go.
To increase your direct sales, you also need to eliminate any risk–or perceived risk–to your customer. Offering a money-back guarantee or a product satisfaction guarantee will let your customer know that there is no risk to her in buying your product. Explain to your customer clearly that if she is in any way unhappy with your product, she can simply return it for a full refund. So she isn’t going to lose any money on an unsatisfactory product.
In order to increase your direct sales, you need to fully believe in the benefit your product will provide to your customer. You also need to be able to be able to identify each customer’s needs and group them into a complete package that will fully benefit each customer individually. Then, by offering a money-back guarantee (whether your company does or not), your customer will easily see that there is no risk to her.
With all of these tactics combined, your customer will see why she needs your product which will increase your direct sales tremendously!
Three Successful Direct Sales Training Techniques
When you’re in direct sales leadership, training your team is everything. That’s what helps you and your team grow and build successful businesses. When you grow, you’ll each be able to take your businesses to the next level and that’s what it’s all about.
There are a number of ways you can offer training to your recruits. Maybe you’ve considered some of these, or maybe you haven’t. But all of them are easy to implement and some of these ideas can be accessed online by your recruits when they have the time.
With the ability to grow your business online and have recruits from all over the country, using different training methods is a must because of location and time differences. Here are a few of the many training tools you can implement.
1. YouTube
When you hold training locally, record it and then upload it as a video on YouTube. When you create your video, you’ll receive an embedding code unique to your video that you can use to add the video to your website. You can also send your recruits the direct link and they can watch the video right from the YouTube site.
Any type of training session can be recorded and uploaded via YouTube. The more you training offer, the better off you’ll be and the more you and your team will grow. In direct sales, one of the fastest ways to grow your business is by building a team of other successful consultants. The best way to do this is to show them the latest and greatest techniques they can use. It’s a win-win situation all around.
2. MP3
Typically, direct sales business owners work their businesses when they do because that’s the only time they have. Because of family obligations, outside jobs, children to raise and more, direct sales consultants often have to squeeze in moments to build their business.
When you do training sessions where your team has to attend at a set time, it can take away time that they can use to grow their businesses. But recording your training sessions and offering them as MP3 files, allows team members to download the files to their computers or iPods and listen when they can.
Providing this training method gives team members the ability to listen to the training while they wash dishes, vacuum the floor, or drive the kids to events. Providing this freedom will help your team members learn and grow on their own time. That’s a huge benefit for them.
3. PDF or PowerPoint Presentations
When you offer a PDF or PowerPoint option to your recruits, you’ll be giving them the ability to print the training documents and have them readily available to refer back to.
This option can come in especially handy at a home party or other event when a questions arises that your recruit may not know how to answer. Printing out the documents you provide and placing them in a three-ring notebook that she can take with her will be prove extremely beneficial to your team members.
The three techniques listed here are just a few of the many options you have when to offer training for your recruits. When you keep them informed and give them valuable information they can use, your team will grow and in turn, your business will grow. This is important for the entire team. A stagnant team that isn’t growing will start to die.
Consider all your training options and choose the ways you can best help your specific team. Offer them all the knowledge you can and ask for suggestions so you can offer them what they want individually. If someone makes a suggestion, more than likely, other team members would use that resource as well.
Helping others is the best way to grow your direct sales business. Not only will your team grow, but you will as well. That’s the purpose behind your business, so give your team everything they need to succeed and your own success will follow.
Increase Direct Sales Through Happy Hostesses
Whether you’re a full time or part-time direct sales professional, you’re in business to make money. Direct sales professionals know that more customers mean more sales. One of the best ways to more customers and more sales is through hostess programs and home parties.
Hostess programs reward your hostesses with incentives such as discounts or free merchandise when the party sales level reaches a certain amount. In addition to a great rewards program, do your best to ensure your hostess has a terrific party experience all the way around.
Share your enthusiasm about the party with your hostess. A happy hostess is an excited one. Show her all the impressive items she can receive for hosting a great party. An enthusiastic hostess will spread her excitement to her guests which can mean a larger turnout and more sales for you. Her enthusiasm will also help her stay focused on her goals of having a successful party.
Set goals with your hostess so she can take advantage of the best that your rewards program has to offer. Help her set manageable goals so she doesn’t set herself up for failure. Too large an amount may be unachievable, but help her set a large enough goal that it’s a challenge she can reach.
Go over the party plan and contact her at periodic intervals to make sure she’s on track with her goals. A prepared hostess is a happy one. Create a party plan that outlines the steps you both will take for a successful event. Go over any activities you have planned and any questions your hostess may have.
Coach your hostess. Create an easy-to-follow checklist that you can give her to ensure she has a successful party. Review the checklist often and answer any questions your hostess may have. It’s best that the checklist is short so it won’t seem overwhelming to your hostess and dampen her excitement.
Be flexible. If your hostess has her eye on a certain product that isn’t part of the rewards offered create a way for her to receive that item through her party anyway. She’ll love the fact that you went out of your way to help her. And be sure she’ll tell others what a great consultant you are!
Before the party, review the goals you and your hostess have set. Contact guests to remind them about the party and invite them to come be a part of the fun and games you and your hostess have planned for the evening. Encourage them to bring a friend to make the time even more enjoyable.
If your hostess has invited people who can’t attend, offer them the opportunity to order online or provide her with a catalog to gather outside sales. Your hostess will appreciate you going the extra mile to help her reach her desired sales level.
During the party emphasize how your product fits the needs of your hostess and how it will fit the needs of the party guests as well. Treat the hostess’s guests with respect. Listen to the questions they ask and answer them politely. Remember they are the friends, relatives, and coworkers of the hostess. Consider a party game that allows guests to win discounts or free merchandise in addition to what the hostess earns.
Direct sales professionals want happy hostesses for a number of reasons. Happy hostesses tell their friends about their great party experiences. Other party attendants are more likely to host a party with you because they see how much fun their hostess had and the great rewards she received. Word of mouth will spread about your products, but more importantly about your rewards and the great experience you offer your hostesses.
After the party ends, it’s vital that you follow up with your hostess. Within three days of the party, send her a personal note thanking her for hosting a party and remind her of her gifts for being a hostess. You can also send a little reminder that if she has any friends interested in hosting to pass your information along to them. Following up with your hostess shows her you care about her, not just your sales, and it gives you a chance to see how she and her friends likes their products.
The key to a happy hostess is great rewards, outstanding customer service, easy and efficient party set up, dynamic follow-up, and of course great products backed by a terrific money back guarantee. Work with your hostess and provide her with one on one personal service tailored to her needs for a successful home party for your direct sales business.
Four Keys to a Successful Home Party
With some direct sales businesses, home parties are the fastest way to success. When you have three or more people who come to a home party, you’ll get a lot more orders than if you contacted prospective customers individually.
With your presentation, charm, and ability to answer questions, people will feel more comfortable placing an order at a home party and they’ll continue to order from you in the future. Trust is a huge factor in direct sales.
Remember, too, that you probably wouldn’t have contacted these particular people had it not been for the party your hostess set up for you. You could end up with a new recruit or a valued customer from a successful home party.
An important question comes to mind, when you think about home parties, is how do you make a home party successful? Here are some things to consider.
1. Book the Right Day
Consider the time and date you plan for your party. You don’t want to host a party in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday unless the people who will attend are free during the day. Also consider holidays and the time of year you hold your parties. You might think a weekend best, but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes a Tuesday or Thursday evening is better because people like to have their weekends free to relax and do family things.
2. Send Invitation Letters or Postcards
After you set the date and time for your party, offer to help your hostess invite her friends and family. When you offer your hostess letters or postcard invitations to send or hand out, she will have better results in getting people to attend. Some people have a hard time calling people to invite them, so giving them a letter or postcard might be exactly what they need.
You can send another postcard three or four days prior to the party as a reminder. People are busy so they can use every reminder possible! You can even offer to call your hostess’s guests yourself if you feel comfortable doing that. The second reminder really does make a difference.
3. Use a Hostess Checklist
Create a checklist that helps your hostess remember everything she needs to do prior to her party so she’ll be successful. A successful hostess means a successful direct sales consultant!
Include sending out invitations, phone call reminders, getting catalog orders in advance to boost her sales, and a wishlist of products she wants to earn. Your hostess may be a little nervous about having people in her home, so offering her all the help you can will make her feel more at ease. Create a simple list that can be printed and given to her at the time her party is scheduled.
4. Call Your Hostess to Confirm and Remind Her
A confirmation call a week before the party and a reminder call one or two days prior will be helpful to both you and your hostess. Confirm that she’s still planning for the party, verify the invitations and reminders have been sent, and ask about any questions or concerns. Address anything that may have come up with your hostess and ask if there is anything you can do to make her planning easier.
Home parties are a great way to build your direct sales business. They off you a room full of prospective customers regardless of the type of direct sales business you have. Home parties can be very successful for your business if you follow these tips.
How To Develop Customer Loyalty For Your Direct Sales Business
In any business, large or small, customer loyalty can mean the difference between a profitable business or no business at all. Attracting customers is important, but it’s as equally important to keep the customers you have.
Sadly, many direct sales consultants fail because they make the mistake of overlooking customer loyalty and the vital role it plays in their business success. Wise direct sellers know that one of the keys to a successful business lies in creating a loyal customer base that buys your products time and time again.
Creating a customer loyalty is easy to achieve, though it does take some effort. Providing quality customer service, a great product, and knowledgeable assistance will ensure your customers return again and again.
Successful direct sales consultants know to listen to the needs of their customers, then meet those needs honestly and efficiently. Even if you have a great product, failing to respect your customers needs can cause you to lose them.
Communicate with your customers. When your customer has a question, respond within 24 business hours, if at all possible, and always in a professional manner. Offer customers a way to reach you via telephone, email, or even by fax. If you have sales and specials, offer a way for your customers to receive updates (ideally by email) so they can keep up with news regarding your products.
Customers continue to buy when a product fills a need they have. Ask yourself if you’re reaching out to your customers and addressing their needs. Do you know what their needs are? Are you working to meet them? If not, what do you need to change to meet the needs your customers have? If you’re unsure, ask your customers. After all, who knows better than they do what they need. Evaluate the areas that can be improved upon, then improve them.
Fix a problem. If you’ve been contacted by a customer about a problem, fix it. It’s that simple. Listen to and try to understand the customer’s complaint. Immediately thank the customer for bringing the problem to your attention and give her a reasonable solution to resolve the problem. One of the worst things a business owner can do is to fail to properly address complaints. Use customer issues as opportunities to build better customer relations.
Drive your customer loyalty up through reliability. It’s a simple idea but it’s sometimes forgotten. As a direct sales consultant, it’s important to strive for reliability in all areas of your business. If you tell your customer your product will be there on Tuesday, do your level best to ensure it is.
If you disappoint your customers too often, it becomes apparent that you’re not reliable, and they will quickly move on to another consultant they can trust. Hold yourself accountable to high standards for the sake of your business.
Create a customer loyalty program that provides benefits for your customer’s patronage. Periodically offer customer incentives such as free shipping or exclusive discounts for their loyalty. Another good idea for rewarding a customer is to remember her birthday. Send a simple card and a special discount or small gift.
Customers are loyal to those who listen to and address their needs. If you have strong customer service skills and are knowledgeable about your products, you have the key ingredients to building a strong customer base that will help you create a successful direct sales business.
Honesty, integrity, and trust are key factors that will help you develop a strong, loyal customer base. If your customers trust you as their number one source for a product, they’ll help you build your business by telling others how great you are.
Keep in touch with your customers so you can stay in the front of their minds. Build a great relationship with them so they will think of you first when they need the product you offer and you’re well on your way to developing a loyal customer base that will shop with you over and over.
