Don’t Hate On The Holidays - Your Business and Holiday

Before I started direct sales, I thought that the whole “get ready for the holidays early” idea was bad – I mean who wants to see Christmas trees in October??

But as a direct seller, you need to be thinking months ahead in terms of sales, in terms of party/pop up hostesses, and in terms of dates. In this post I’m going to tell you about some things to keep in mind for the rest of this year to help you have an amazing rest of 2015!

Preparation is key to success during holiday. Starting NOW will make your business during holiday amazing.

Let’s work backwards. Think about your product and see which of these dates may be useful for you to promote.

• ·      New Years Eve (Thursday, December 31, 2015)
• ·      Gifting holidays (Christmas [Friday, December 25, 2015], Hanukkah [Sunday, December 6, 2015 – Monday, December 14, 2015])
• ·      Cyber Monday (Monday, November 30, 2015)
• ·      Black Friday (Friday, November 27, 2015)
• ·      Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26, 2015)
• ·      Halloween (Saturday, October 31, 2015)

If you’re like me, gifting holidays are going to be big. But your company may also offer Black Friday deals as well as Cyber Monday deals. Thanksgiving is a good time to bring your business to the family and have an impromptu “party” with your family who may have started thinking about gifting holidays. If Halloween costumes could include your product then you want to be working on that by mid-September so that you can make sure customers get their product in time.

Things that are important to think about:

• ·      Shipping cut offs (both regular and expedited shipping if your company offers it) – I usually suggest people shop 2 weeks before a holiday date because shipping tends to slow down during the holidays. So think about your cut off in terms of shipping speed (both from your company and the shipping company)
• ·      On hand items: Having items on hand for late shoppers (and have a way to take credit cards such as a Square Card Reader)
• ·      Gift givers may not be your typical customers – men may be more likely to purchase from you during the holiday season if you sell something their significant other may like – so don’t forget men in your outreach! Also, if you have approached people before who said they don’t buy your product for themselves, approach them again for gifting options.

Things to do right now:

• ·      Vendor Events: Find and sign up for Vendor Events in your area related to the holidays. Vendor events are a great time to sell on-hand stuff, so if you sign up for one be ready with some of your best selling products and a way to take credit cards. Also be ready to get leads because that is what vendor events are really good for!
• ·      Calendar: Look at your calendar for the next few months (up until January 1). Block off dates that you have engagements yourself (school plays, work events, etc.).

Let’s talk about that calendar…

Working backwards, your shipping cut off for NYE should be around December 17^th. For Christmas it should be December 11^th. The week of Thanksgiving is NOT a good time to ask for in-home hostesses (but an online event could do well on Black Friday, the 27^th, if you’re offering one). People are busy with Thanksgiving preparations and…it’s just not pretty. I would be attendance would be poor (unless you have a bunch of moms who are looking to get out of the house because it’s school vacation week! HA!). People are also traveling and high travel times usually lead to poor attendance.

November and December will most likely be your highest sales months (3 times your average month maybe) so really, you’re looking at November 1 – November 22 (the Sunday before Thanksgiving week), November 27 – 30, and December 1 – December 17 in terms of possible sales/party dates. After shipping cut offs, your sales plummet. Which makes sense. So really, your “season” is…42 days long. Aside from those last minute shoppers who want to buy from your on-hand stock that is (and I highly suggest you have some, there are a lot of late shoppers out there, people shopping for Christmas the day before…).

How holiday may be different:

• ·      Hostesses may be more interested in partying during the week – weekends fill up quickly during the holidays. Be flexible. Offer weekdays.
• ·      RSVPs may be high and then attendance may be poor. Don’t fret. Follow up with non-attendees and let them know that you’re willing to meet up with them on their time to show them your offerings.
• ·      Remember “Who, who, and you” – who are you shopping for? Who else? What do YOU want for yourself? This is especially useful during in-home events during holiday.

Final thoughts…

• ·      Get your calendar set up.
• ·      Talk to your network. BOOK HOLIDAY NOW. No joke. It will fill up. Show people your available dates and get them hostessing to get those hostess rewards (for themselves and for gifts). Make sure you have literature about your hostess rewards (and a hostess introduction email) ready to go now. Preparation is key to success during holiday.
• ·      Prepare your outreach list early – who is your target market? How might it be different for gifting?
• ·      Think about offering a weekly online shopping event that you invite only 10 customers to – ask each person to invite a +1 and you have a 20 (or more) party. Help them find holiday/gifting items. Make it all about convenience for THEM.
• ·      If it’s November 1 and you have an open date during your 42 days, offer a 5-1-1 party at your home – 1 hour, you invite 5 of your local customers, they bring a +1, you offer wine/beverages and a snack, and we shop. Nothing stressful, nothing big – small and intimate is the goal here. “I’m one of 5 people you invited?! Wow!”

I’m off to offer my VIPs my first set of bookings for the holiday season – what are you doing to prepare for the holiday season for your business?

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Get Leads While You Work!

How can you generate leads without being there?

Is there a business that is related to your product that would allow you to set up a small display?

If so, a fun idea is a lead generation box.

 

 

You have probably seen these before. A nice looking box sits near the checkout area at a store, and slips of paper and pens are available. A sign offers you the opportunity to win a free product if you fill out the form and put it in the box.

 

This is a lead generation box.

 

  
How can you use this for your business?

·      Create a list of possible businesses that would allow you to place a box in their shop.

·      Create signage for the box (are you going to do a weekly raffle? Are you going to do a gift certificate for one lucky winner? Why should people give you their information).

·      Create your opportunity signage (what do you sell? What does it look like? Why would people want it? Can you display an actual product?)

·      Create your lead generation forms (include name, email, and you could even include information about hostessing if you choose to)

·      Contact your businesses – make a list of two or three that you can start with.

·      Create your lead generation boxes. Make sure they are professional looking, creative, and fit with your brand/company. Make sure that you can easily access your leads without destroying the box so that you can use it again. Not feeling creative? Check out these lead generation box options that I found through a Google search (not an affiliate link, just some examples I found).

·      Place your boxes with signage, pens, and lead generation slips. You may want to place some slips already filled out in the box – most people don’t want to be the first (make sure you indicate on the slips which are “fakes” so you remember).

·      Check the boxes as often as you say you will (a once a week raffle obviously means you check it once per week and follow through on your giveaway).

·      Use the leads you generate – email prospects who have won (obviously) but also email prospects who didn’t and thank them for entering. Tell them a little about your business and offer to add them to your mailing list for your newsletter.

 

One thing that I have found that is fun is to have a weekly winner but also to offer a “free session” with your business to all other entrants – “2^nd prize” or “runners up” if you will. In my industry (jewelry) I offer non-winners a styling session with me and 3 of their friends for free (doesn’t that look like a party?). If they ask for the styling session but don’t buy, you are still getting your name and business “out there.”

 

So how can you use lead generation boxes in your business? Where can you place them that would give you maximum exposure? Start the checklist and see what leads you can create!

 

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Photo from http://www.salesleads.com/

Objections Overruled! Dealing With Objections in Your Direct Sales Business

I am often asked by my team members how I deal with objections – objections to purchasing, objections to hostessing…we all hear these (WHEN we ask for the sale and WHEN we ask someone to hostess, and you have to do those things to hear objections by the way…).

 

Today we’re going to focus on how to deal with these types of objections.

 

Get There First

The first and best way to deal with an objection is to know it’s coming, and to talk about the answers before the objection comes.

Use these three words when you talk about your objections:

·      Feel

·      Felt

·      Found

For example, “A lot of customers feel that the X is too expensive. When I started with X company, I felt that the X was out of my price range too. But what I found is that because of Y, the price wasn’t that important to me.” Y is your reason for overcoming the objection.

Here’s an example from my business (jewelry).

“A lot of ladies, before they try my jewelry, feel that that it is too expensive. When I first started, I felt that some of the pieces were out of my price range too. What I found was that if I didn’t love a piece, or worst case scenario, my favorite piece lost a stone, I could get a refund or get it replaced quickly through our amazing customer service. To me, having that piece of mind, is amazing – you don’t get that at other stores.”

 

We’ve talked previously about how stories sell (while facts tell) as well – you can add a story to negate the objection as well. One objection I hear about jewelry is, “I have small children and they will break it.” After the previous statements, I add, “I had a piece that I loved, a glass bead necklace set. My youngest son grabbed and yanked one day and beads went EVERYWHERE. The next day I called our customer service and they replaced it for me, no questions asked. They even sent me a return shipping label. How amazing is that?”

 

Know Your Objections and How to Respond

What are the top three objections to purchasing that you hear? These are the three that I hear often:

·      “It’s too expensive.”

·      “I don’t have money right now for X” (X meaning your type of product).

·      “I don’t buy X.”

How would you deal with these?

 

“It’s too expensive.”

          I come right back to our quality and policies. 30-day money-back guarantee and lifetime warranty. This is why it is important to know your company’s policies and values. Are your products tested on animals? Are they made in the USA? Are they backed by a guarantee? Are they strength tested? All of these can help you walk through the “Feel, Felt, Found” with a prospect who indicates the product is too expensive.

          You also want to focus on your benefits and how much money a prospect might spend on those benefits elsewhere. If you sell health products, you could say, “I have talked to a lot of people who feel that way. They felt that paying for their yearly gym membership was more economical, but they found they weren’t using their gym membership but they WOULD use this product.”

 

“I don’t have any money for X.”

          Responses to this are again going to relate back to your product. Is your product something someone can use every day? If so, that is a value – break it down by daily price (“If you use it for 30 days that makes it only $X per day, which is less than my morning coffee, I don’t know about your coffee!”).  Is it on sale? People love sales (and sales are especially good to turn a prospect into a customer who will buy again at full price).

          This is also an opportunity for two things: gifting and hostessing. Does the prospect have a birthday, anniversary, or something special coming up? They could let another person know this is on their list. Do they have something special such as their own graduation coming up? “Gift yo self!” Even if they need to save up or use gift money, have them print out a picture of what they want and keep it next to their computer so they remember (and see it all the time).

          Have someone with a large list of things they want but can’t afford? Hostess! This is why it’s important to know your hostess benefits. Let your prospective customer know they can earn X in your product for every $X their party sells. Give them two options for how to do a party and let them know your available dates. You could even give them themes that they can choose from. Let them know that you will do these things, they will do these things (so setting up their expectations for the party), and then schedule!

 

“I don’t buy X.”

          Depending upon your industry, you may hear this more often than some. When I first started with Chloe + Isabel jewelry, I was not a jewelry person. I had a few pieces I wore here and there, and a lot of cheap costume jewelry that I bought for specific occasions/outfits, but I didn’t wear it consistently. When I did begin wearing my pieces consistently, people noticed and asked about it, which gave me the opportunity to talk about my business. Seeing it consistently caused a lot of people who I saw every day to consider purchasing, even if they weren’t “jewelry people” too. The more people see it, the more they will want to try it. Focusing on the benefits (“I was never a statement bracelet person, but when I wear this I feel like a rock star even when I’m running errands – I love it!”) without going for a sale can help people see why they might want to try your product.

          If your prospect doesn’t use your product, then they may know others who do. “I don’t use X” is a great opportunity to ask for referrals.

“I can totally understand that – some people just don’t! Could you do me a favor? If you know of someone who does, could you give them my card? I’d love to share my stuff with them!”

A lot of people who don’t buy will easily give referrals for you as long as you’re trustworthy and already have a relationship with them (see my previous post on that HERE). Gifting can also fit here as well. You may be talking to someone who doesn’t use your product, but their Mom does – does she have a birthday coming up? Is there a holiday on the horizon? A prospect who doesn’t use your product may be able to see the value in gifting your product to others.

 

Learn More

So these are the most common objections we hear. We hear a bunch more as well, but I could write on all of them for days! I have started a Pinterest board solely related to overcoming objections (both in sales and in recruiting) – follow it HERE!

 

Apply It!

So how do you apply what you have learned here?

·      Use the Feel, Felt, Found approach to dealing with objections and deal with them before they occur.

·      Practice! The more you practice dealing with objections, the easier it will be for you to do so “on the fly” at a party or when you’re talking to a prospect. Get with another person on your team or your leader and role play – you be the prospect, and they will be the merchandiser, then switch.

·      Don’t be dissuaded – we will hear a lot of “Nos” in our business. Typically 1 in 10 or 2 in 10 people you talk to about your business will buy. Using these strategies, you can increase that though! Learn more about what to do with No from a previous post I wrote HERE too.

 

What's the funniest objection you have heard? How did you deal with it? Comment below and let us all know!

 

Do you find my posts useful? If so, sign up to receive emails in your in box whenever I post – on the right put in your email under Follow By Email! Also, sharing is caring – share my posts with other direct sellers you know so they can check it out!

 

Selling is About Relationships – Including Ninja Leader Coaching Tips!

“Hey you wanna buy something?”

We are constantly barraged with messages about sales – from advertising on Facebook to emails from our favorite companies to billboards to friends telling us about their new favorite shoes.

 

 

We are all sales people if you think about it.

We advertise on our clothes, on our shoes, on our accessories, and even our vehicles (what do you drive?).
 

But when we’re approached with a purchase opportunity (for example you’ve been added to an online makeup party), who are you most likely to listen to and to buy from? Who is most likely to influence you to part with your money?

We are most influenced by people who have a relationship with. Thus sales is all about cultivating that relationship. I want to talk today about two types of relationships – relationships leaders have with their team members and relationships merchandisers have with their customers.

 

Your Team, Your Relationships

The purchase process isn’t the only thing influenced by relationships. If we’re in direct sales, we’re influenced by our team, by our leader or upline, even by our company leader/CEO. If we have a positive relationship with those people, we’re more likely to feel positively about our company and our products. Don’t believe me? Here’s a quick story.

The other day I was messaging with a woman who is a rep for my company but also reps another company. We had just had a launch and I asked her what she was going to add to her collection. She told me she wasn’t active with our company anymore and was planning on leaving. As we talked further, I found that she felt that she hadn’t connected well with her leader or her team, but that she felt an amazing connection to her team for the other company she represented.

Hello?

I find that the team members on my team who interact, whether it’s via our Facebook team page, our company’s national page, or any other way, are more active. Period. They are more likely to make sales every month and to set and reach goals. If a new team member isn’t on our Facebook page, I can almost guarantee (but I try not to think this way) that they will eventually leave the company. I’m not saying my team’s FB page is THE thing but being a member and interacting is one way to show how connected you are to your business and your team (and your leader).

The takeaway? Ninja Leaders need to cultivate connections. Period. Use everything you’ve got to make a connection with your team members and to “bring them into the fold.” Encourage your team to build relationships among themselves. Connect. Part of your daily leadership tasks should involve seeing what your team members are up to – if you follow them on Facebook, what are they posting? Are they posting about their kids, their struggles, their achievements, their family life…keep up with them and encourage them as a coach and mentor AND a friend.

 

Your Customers, Your Relationships

Building relationships with your customers is exactly the same – the better the relationship, the better the, well, sales relationship. If you cultivate relationships with your customers by simply throwing product at them (“Hey did you see our new launch?”) then they will associate you with being salesy. And nobody wants that. And if a customer buys from you and you maintain that relationship, then they are more likely to buy from you (and not somebody else).

The other day I was talking to a team member and she told me that a woman at her in home pop up said she had already bought our product from another merchandiser. The team member asked if it was ethical for the customer to now buy from her. She said the customer had never heard from the merchandiser after the sale and that she (the customer) didn’t feel “an allegiance” to that merchandiser.

Rut-roh Raggy.

Don’t get me wrong – customers can buy from whomever they want! But if you get to know them as a person, what they like, what they dislike, what their needs are, what’s going on with them, how their job is, all those things, if you actually have a relationship with them, then a sale can come easily and without the salesy feel. And the customer will feel allegiance to you (and your product).

 

The Takeaways

Build a relationship not a sale.

After the sale, maintain the relationship.

Team leaders need to build relationships with their team members in order to coach effectively.

 

Talk to Me

In the comments below, tell me about your relationship with your company, your leader, your team. Do you feel that you are a part of something larger than yourself? Do you feel connected? And how do you connect with your prospects and customers?

 

Do you find my posts useful? If so, sign up to receive emails in your in box whenever I post – on the right put in your email under Follow By Email! Also, sharing is caring – share my posts with other direct sellers you know so they can check it out!

And...you lost my attention - First Sentences That Don't Suck

“There I was at 15,000 feet, both the engines on fire and my parachute in the laundry…”

Wait WHAT? What happened to this dude? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

Now that grabbed your attention right?

 

 

When we talk to a potential customer (prospect) or even a potential recruit for our company, first sentences are important.

·      They set the tone and mood for what you’re about to say.

·      They either excite us to know more or they turn us off.

·      They either put up our guard (“Oh boy, here comes the sales pitch”) or they make us trust the speaker/presenter.

The same goes for the first sentence of a social media post and even for an email subject line. If you’re boring, our brain and eyes skip. “Meh it’s just another post from Suzie.” “Oh, it’s just another email from my Perfectly Posh rep wanting me to buy something.”

Ouch.

 

 

Let’s do a little exercise. Write down the first thing to say to people when you talk to them about your business.

I’ll wait…

Are you staring at your screen, not able to think of anything? A lot of us don’t really know what to say.

 

Pretend you are your prospective customer or recruit – what would you want to hear? What would make you go, “Oh wow, tell me more!”?

 

Recruits

If you’re talking to a recruit, try this: “If you have a few minutes, I’d love to tell you…” then add a story.

Stories sell – facts tell.

“If you have a few minutes, I’d love to tell you how I paid for both my car payment and my husband’s car payment by working 5 hours a week and making women feel amazing.”

Wait, 5 hours a week? How do you make women feel amazing?

 

Give your great sentence, then listen. What does your possible recruit say? Do they sound like they are interested and have the time? If not, then they may not be a good recruit. While you may just feel as if you want to recruit everyone, you really want to be selective. You don’t want to recruit someone you’re going to regret adding to your downline later. Can you imagine?

 

Customers

If you’re talking to a potential customer, you obviously need to tailor your message to your product. Your first sentence should be like a headline – grab their attention. Someone asks you what you do?

·      “I help fashionistas find new styles.”

·      “I help people who like taking care of their skin to try amazing products all of which are under $25.”

·      “I find ways for women to look both professional and fashionable.”

·      “I help people lose those extra 10 pounds that they just can’t seem to get rid of.”

·      “I help ladies who love to entertain to make their houses smell divine.”

You get it. Give them something to think about, make the next question, “Wait, how do you do that?” to start the conversation. Now if they’re not interested in being fashionable or taking care of their skin, then they won’t ask (and no skin off your back, ha ha). But if they are interested in what you’re saying, then you can continue the conversation by listening to what they have to say and expanding on it.

 

Social Media

There are thousands of posts on everyone’s feed every day. Thousands. Heck, more than that. How do you get someone to stop and read your post (aside from tagging them which can get annoying)? Make your first sentence like a headline – headlines draw you in right?

You’re in the line at Walgreens and you see a magazine and the headline reads, “X and Y to divorce – proof she cheated!”

WHAT? Wait, I thought they were all good! She cheated? Let me see that.

Think as your customer/prospect. What would draw one in? Keep in mind that you, as a seller, are not your customer/prospect. So you need to draw THEM in with language that would draw in someone who doesn’t know about your product.

Some examples:

·      “I have a secret problem.”

·      “The Number 1 requested Christmas present.”

·      “[Famous Celebrity] used X product and look at her/him!”

·      “What your spouse really wants for their birthday.”

It’s vague, but gets you to keep reading. And that’s the goal. Stop the eye. Bring it in. Share something just for them – exclusivity. Then tell the story. Here’s an example:

“I had a secret problem.

I don’t share it with everyone.

I was a beauty product hoarder. *Looks down in sadness* I had a whole product graveyard under my bathroom sink.

Want to know how I fixed that? I received my first product from [XYZ company]. After that, I threw away everything else.”

 

Email Subject Lines

The same principles can be applied to email subject lines when you send emails for your customers or recruits. Give them something that makes them want to open it. Shocks the system. Gets the, “What?” response. A quick story – when I was a therapist in Providence, RI there was a gentleman who lived on our street who had schizophrenia. He walked in front of my car one day and started, apparently, fist fighting it (he didn’t hit it, more of air boxing). What? I rolled down my window. “Sir,” I said, “excuse me, you’ve just won the lottery.” He stopped. He was confused. He continued to walk across the street.

Find a way to get your customer or prospect to make the “huh” face and I’m betting they will open your email just to see what the heck is going ON. Some examples:

·      “You probably shouldn’t open this.”

·      “Are you OK with losing money every month?”

·      “Get rid of the 9-5”

·      “Know anyone who likes to take care of their skin?”

·      “I bet you don’t know anyone who wants to lose 5 pounds…”

Choose words that shock the reader into attention. BUT then make sure the rest of your message is good! Have a problem and a call to action (what should they do to fix the problem).

 

Go practice on your social media posts and in your customer emails! Let me know what creative first sentences you come up with in the comments!

 

Want to learn more? Check out Tom “Big Al” Schreiter’s book “First Sentences for Network Marketing: How to Quickly Get Prospects on Your Side” (not an advertisement, just something that helped me formulate my ideas for this post).