Why Passive Sales Strategies Aren’t Working

We’ve all heard that one strategy for increasing visibility of our products is to leave look books/flyers in different places (hair salons, doctors’ offices, coffee shops), and this is a great passive sales strategy.

What’s the difference between a passive and an active sales strategy? Passive strategies involve “dropping and going” – by that I mean that there is no human (you) there to talk about your products.

Leaving catalogs would be considered a passive sales strategy, and if you think about it, many of our social media posts would be considered a passive sales strategy too. In posting on social media, we’re really “posting and going,” meaning that not everyone we want to see it will see it, and they may scroll past it without activity because there’s nobody there to say, “Hey, Jennifer, LOOK AT THIS. I think you would love this particular product.”

         Passive sales strategies may help us to build brand recognition in the community (“Oh I have now heard of XYZ company”), but they may not lead to sales because there is no human interaction. Let me give you two quick examples.

Wednesday my father had in-patient surgery. I was on my way to pick my parents and take them to the hospital, so I quickly grabbed two catalogs (that I always have at the ready with my contact info) and placed them on the tables in the waiting room when patients signed in. I didn’t have a chance to make the catalogs more personal because I was running and it was a last minute idea. I observed a woman pick up a catalog, flip through it, and put it back down. It was an experiment to see what she would do. She did nothing – she didn’t take down my contact information, she didn’t take a card out of the book, she simply put it down.

         So…there’s that. Nothing happened. Now that doesn’t mean that nobody will ever pick up my book and find some things they love and take down my contact information order from my site. But it’s less likely than if there is a human attached to that book. I have had friends who booked parties off of a catalog drop, but in order to do that we need to be way more active (more about that later).

What about social media?

I posted an image of a myriad of earrings available and that the earrings were currently 25% off. I posted my link. Again, an experiment to see what happens (and example for this blog post). I boosted the post on Facebook for $5. Four hundred thirty eight people saw it. Twenty five liked it. 4 commented on it. One new like for my business page. Zero sales were made.

         Again, this is an example of a passive “drop and go” sale strategy. While they may be slightly useful, it’s a long shot. It’s a hope. And you can’t pin all your hopes for building your business on passive sales strategies. If you think you can, you’ve wasted your start up money. It may not seem nice, but it’s the truth. Passive sellers don’t make money – active sellers do.

Turning Passive to Active

         Active sales strategies are where we intentionally interact with a potential customer – we are active in the sales process. While both should be part of our sales arsenal, which do you think is going to bring you more return on investment (ROI)? Exactly – active strategies.

         When you’re leaving your look books or information at places, make it visually enticing. Include information about yourself such as a card with your picture on it. Use little sticky arrows to point out things you want customers to be drawn to. Use colorful signage on the front of your book. Make it visually enticing. Include a note in the front thanking people for looking through your book and telling them your “why.” Visually indicate your own personal favorite items.

         What about with social media? How can you best turn a passive post into an active post? Ask customers to use your website to post their favorite product and COMMENT BACK to them. Don’t simply see and like the comments. “I love that too Marsha – what would you wear that with?” “That’s a great choice Jana – let’s figure out which color foundation would look best for your skin tone. I’ll message you.” “That is currently 25% off – I’ll message you and can help you place an order!” Here you’re being active rather than simply throwing something up on social media and hoping it sticks.

The Best Active Sales Strategies

         As your sponsor/mentor/company has probably told you, home parties are where the sales are at. Now, after reading this post, you may understand why. There’s action on your part – you’re there presenting your product. There’s interaction with customers. They are seeing YOU as a human with a face and a personality and a story.

There’s also an “expectation” – if you go to a home party as a customer, it’s as if there’s this unspoken expectation that you will buy something. You, as a customer, feel obligated. I have had party attendees that came for the wine and friendship apologize to me for not buying anything. Here’s my response: “Jamie, I’m just glad that I was able to meet you. I’ve loved our conversations. And I know that if you ever need a gift, you know where I am. Tell your jewelry loving friends about me, and I’ll pour you some more wine.”

Relationship building doesn’t happen in passive sales strategies. It just doesn’t. And that’s where the building of lifelong customers starts – in the relationship.

         Your company may offer to send your customers a group email telling them about a promotion, and that’s great – the more visibility a promotion has, the better it will do. But on your end you want to be active about it (because the promo email is passive). Think about your customers/potential customers and the promo/new product launch you have going on. Who might be most interested in it? Contact them personally. Get on the phone (the phone?! Who does that? YOU DO). When you call don’t just “go for the sale.” Remember, relationships. How was their holiday? What did their 2-year-old think of Santa? How was their recent trip? During the conversation, find a way to work in your reason for your call.

         Customer: “Girl, I am STILL Christmas shopping! I have been so busy I haven’t been able to get out!”         You: “Who do you still have to shop for? Maybe I can help!”         Customer: “My sister, my aunt, and my Mom are still on my list.”         You: “What are they into? I could send you some possible pieces and we could see if we could get it all done for you. We have free 2-day shipping with a $125 purchase right now if that could help – it would be there by Christmas and you could drop it in a gift bag and voila, done!”

By listening, asking questions, and allowing the customer to do most of the talking, you’re showing them that they are important to you, not the sale. Because nobody wants to be sold to (I mean seriously, do you? Think about those people at the mall in the kiosks – you know they’re selling – and you avoid them).

So how can you turn your passive strategies into active strategies? How can you focus on active strategies instead of passive ones to increase your ROI?

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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!

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).

 

 

Are You Your Company?

If someone were to ask me, “Tell me about yourself,” I would say that I am a psychologist, a professor, a mom, and a business owner. If they asked me to expand upon that, I would tell them what I teach, a little about my kids, and what company I am a merchandiser for. I would tell them about my products and why I love what I sell.

 

If they asked me my hobbies, I would say that in my free time (which I don’t have much of) I enjoy reading, watching crime-type shows (NCIS, CSI, Bones), and writing (well hello). One of my favorite hobbies is learning new things as well, whether it be that geckos don’t have eyelids (and lick their eyeballs to keep them wet) or about new research in social psychology and direct sales. If they asked how often I read, I would say I would love to read more if I had time, but generally I find myself reading about 3-4 times per week for about 10-15 minutes.

 

You can see two separate things there though – my identity (who I am, what makes me me) and my hobbies (what things I enjoy doing in my spare time but don’t necessarily make me “ME”). As a psychologist my research focuses on identity and identity development (how do I “become” how I think of myself as, what’s the process).

 

**So when do we get to the sales part? She seems to be talking an awful lot about herself…**

 

When we look at representatives for direct sales/MLM companies, we can typically see this dichotomy – we will meet some Entrepreneurs who focus on their business as an extension of the self (i.e., it has become part of their identity) and we see some, what I call, Hobbyists. Hobbyists are the folks who signed up for their company maybe because it “looked like fun” or “something they could do in their free time.” It wasn’t a business venture for the Hobbyist whereas the Entrepreneur maybe researched their company, came up with a plan to be successful, and utilized the resources their company gave them (as well as outside resources) to become successful.

 

Are you a business owner?

 

The idea of “success” is different between Hobbyists and Entrepreneurs as well. Hobbyists may be happy with one or two sales per month (while they wish that they could have more but feel “they don’t have the time”) or even may have no sales for a couple of months and be OK with that, while Entrepreneurs are gunning for those commissions and the incentives their company throws out to them. Entrepreneurs are competitive both with themselves and with others.

 

We see participation in trainings differently as well. Hobbyists may attend a training if it fits into their schedule this week (and it’s still “a maybe” up until they actually get on the training), while Entrepreneurs have the company trainings (and other trainings they research) on their calendar and schedule their lives around their businesses.

 

Others see us differently as well. I will tell you that when I talk to a good friend I haven’t talked to in a while, they will ask, “So how’s business? How is your team doing?” I talk to my Dad every day and he’s always asking, “How’s business this week?” If you’re a Hobbyist you may hear, “Oh wait, you sell X? I didn’t know that!”

 

As a leader of a team, I will tell you that I wish that every single member of my team was an Entrepreneur BUT I know that’s not the case and it’s not ever going to be the case. I have Hobbyists on my team, just as any other team leader does, and I can tell you that from a leader perspective it is challenging to coach and mentor a Hobbyist. Almost all of your leaders are going to be Entrepreneurs – that’s how they got to be leaders in the first place. So looking at your team members who don’t identify themselves as a merchandiser, who think of it as just a hobby, is challenging. We want to be able to help you “get to the next level” with your business. We want to know what your goals are. A Hobbyist’s goal may be to buy a new piece from the new collection and maybe have a sale this month, but they’re not pushing it. “I’ll get to it when I get to it. It’ll happen if it happens.”

 

Are there people in the middle or between the Hobbyist and the Entrepreneur? For sure! These folks may work their businesses as often as possible, whenever they think of it, once per week, but it’s still “in the back of their mind” – it’s not a daily “action item.” These “Middles” love their company and wish they had more time to work their businesses, but it’s just not a daily priority because so many other things are. They attend trainings when they can, when it’s convenient, and always INTEND to work their businesses, but life gets in the way. Middles make commissions and wish they could make more, but feel as if they “just don’t have the time to.”

 

The question then becomes, which are you? Hobbyist, Middle, or Entrepreneur? I’m betting that many people reading this are at least Entrepreneurs, if not Middles. If you’re a Hobbyist and wish that you could do more, here are two major suggestions:

          1 – Bring your business wherever you go. Just like you, your business is portable. Bring catalogs and business cards with you at all times. If someone asks you how you have been, tell them that you are enjoying working your new business and give them “one line” about what you love about it. Offer them a catalog and a business card, and if they aren’t interested in the products for themselves, ask them to share them with someone who may be. I always keep a catalog in my purse and when I have to wait somewhere (for example, when I’m getting an oil change), I open it up and browse. Others see me doing this and may ask about my products. And when you’re done getting your oil changed? Drop the catalog with the other magazines (on the top!) and make sure it has your information on it (cards, a sticker with your contact info, something so they can find you and ask about your products). This is a passive rather than an active sales strategy, but it can help get your products out there (and hopefully get your name out there too).

          2 – Let people know you’re in business and that your business is yours. Post on social media that you are selling XYZ and suggest that friends/family who are interested in or looking for your product browse your catalog or contact you. Email your friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors, and any other contacts a short blurb about what you’re doing. Always remember to include your link. You want them to think of you as their “X Person” (i.e., Jewelry Lady, Jamberry Lady, etc.). Even if they don’t buy, they may tell their friend, “Oh my friend Jai sells Jamberry – here’s her number!” Include your link in your personal email signature. Add your company to your social media profiles. Integrate it as much as possible into how you think of yourself and how you show yourself to others.

 

There are ways to work your business at every level – it doesn’t matter if you’re a Hobbyist, a Middle, or an Entrepreneur. So which fits you and why did you sign up for your current company? Comment below and let me know!

 

Want more tips for working your business? Like the Direct SalesMavens community on Facebook and meet other direct sellers who are working their businesses just like you!

 

Have an amazing week,

Liz