Doin' the Direct Sales Holiday Hustle!

Today is the end of November.

SERIOUSLY how did that happen? It was just the summer I swear. Geeze.

But we have been talking about this season, prepping for this season, and getting ready to rock our businesses for this season for A WHILE so we’re good, right?!

If your December isn’t looking so hot, we have about 14 days (or until your company’s shipping cut off) to rock your businesses’ socks off. Today we’ll talk about a couple of tips to do that.

• First, party. Party this week. Period. Online, find a hostess, in-home, do something. People who are still shopping can be interested in your products for gifts so get a party going.
• Offer personal shopping for customers who don’t have time to shop. Offer to send them a set (2 or 3) of suggestions from your company based off their giftee and their price range.
• Use your company’s promos to purchase “cash and carry” items for after the shipping cut off. Figure out what your most popular items are and have some on-hand for those last minute shoppers.
• If your company has promos this week then run them INTO THE GROUND. Push those promos to your customers until the promos are DEAD. As I tell my team, “Use and abuse them.” They are there to help your customers, help you, and to help your company of course. The first two are the most important ;)
• Talk to men. Many (not all, but many) guys are last minute shoppers OR they don’t really know what to buy. Help them! Call, text, Facebook message them asking about their shopping, how is it going, and is there anything you can help them find? Price range and some info about their giftee(s) please!

As I have said in a previous post, after your shipping cut off your business will get a little dry which is actually a little nice if it’s been a hectic few months for you! What can you do after your shipping cut off is over?

• Plan New Year’s Eve Prep parties – bring your outfit and let’s get it accessorized!
• “I didn’t get what I wanted for Christmas” parties – December 26^th there will be people who were gifted cash or received an item they didn’t want – maybe they will want to shop your site? Offer a mystery hostess party online for those who didn’t get what they wanted.
• Send digital holiday cards to your customers – show them they are appreciated. Make them personalized. Make your customers feel IMPORTANT. Because they are.
• Start booking into winter and spring! Figure out when your new product launches were last year and talk to previous hostesses about hostessing again.

While these are some suggestions, I want to hear what you’re doing this week to #holidayhustle your business. Go to the Direct Sales Mavens Facebook page and let’s talk strategies! Share your strategies with other direct sellers and let’s help each other brainstorm!

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! Join the Direct Sales Mavens Facebook Community here and let’s help each other achieve our goals!

The Anatomy of a Promotion for your Direct Sales Business

“PROMO!”

“SALE!”

“BOGO!”

We think that these words will bring prospects and customers out of the woodwork right? I mean, who doesn’t love FREE or SALE or DISCOUNT? Hello???

How should you work a promo your company is offering? Should you offer your own promos? Let’s chat. Grab a cup of coffee (or wine, or water, or whatever).

Working Company Promos

         Our companies typically offer promotions to promote new products or to balance out months that may not be as good with sales. There are also typical promotions such as holidays, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the like. How should you promote these if you know about them ahead of time?

• Prep your network – let them know what is coming, what they can earn, and how it can benefit them. 
• Let your VIPs or those who shop with you often know early if you can.
• Make sure that all of your promotion materials have the dates and times that the promotion begins and ends on them – make sure that your customers know when to shop.
• Send out a customer newsletter announcing the promotion before it starts.
• In your social media posts, give the customer a reason to shop NOW to avoid missing the promotion.
• Contact customers or prospects that you think might be interested in this promotion and let them know exactly what you think they might benefit from (could they get something they have wanted for free with a certain purchase amount?).
• Post daily on social media about your promotion and make sure there is always a story and a call to action – “This necklace is my favorite from the new collection because it is so versatile – I have to make myself NOT wear it every day! Until Monday, when you get your necklace you can choose matching earrings for free with our spend $100 and get a free gift promotion. Shop now so you don’t miss the promotion!”
• Always remember, selfies sell.
• Contact customers the day before the promo ends reminding them about the promo and its end date and time.
• Follow up with all interested customers/prospects up until the promo ends.

Creating Your Own Promotions

A lot of direct sellers offer their own promotions where the promotional fees (i.e., free shipping, free X) come out of their own pockets. While these may create “buzz” on your social media, you should do them sparingly. Do not utilize promotions too often – if you do, people will begin only buying when there is a promotion (because one is bound to come up, since you do them all the time, right?).

A couple of ideas for promotions:

• A monthly “never before purchased” (or product virgin) promotion. I offer a set of birthday studs to a person who has a birthday in that month who has never purchased my jewelry. This gives them a free piece to try, and also may serve as a “gateway product” to get them to purchase more. Also, people who receive free items may feel compelled to purchase because they feel indebted to you for the freebie.
• Free gift with purchase – I typically offer a free beauty bag of surprise swag to any customers who purchase in the last few days of the month.
• Free gift with referral – I sometimes offer a free beauty bag to current customers who refer a friend who purchases (usually during the end of month as well).
• Free shipping – can you offer a “bulk order” where customers pay you for their product via PayPal or Square and you place a large order and hand deliver the items? This can save on shipping costs and make ordering easier for your customers (which will help customers make a purchase).

Use the same strategies for promoting these as you would a company-provided promotion. Send emails, post on social media, and most importantly, for any promotion…

MAKE IT PERSONAL. 

Personally contact your VIPs and close friends who purchase from you. Don’t make it generic. Make it about them. “I saw this piece and thought of you – it would look amazing with that dress you want to wear to so-and-so’s wedding! And, how cool is this, if you buy this weekend, we can get you the matching earrings for free.”

What has been your most successful strategy for using company-sponsored promotions? Share it with us below in the comments!

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! Join the Direct Sales Mavens Facebook Community here and let’s help each other achieve our goals!