Re-Energizing Your Direct Sales Business

Are you having a "summer lull?" I hear that a lot.


"Nobody is shopping because they're going on vacation."

"I can't find a hostess because everyone is so busy."

"I'm too busy to work my business."


It sounds as if our businesses need an injection of energy.

*Wouldn't it be great if WE could get an energy injection??*

Wait.

You can.

Need some strategies to get the love back (or to gain some momentum if you're just starting)?

1. Start with love for your product. If you don't love your product, why the heck should anyone else? Hello? Who wants to buy a car from a person who says, "Yeah, this car's OK. You want to buy it?" NOBODY. If you feel "lost" with your product, find your love again. If you sell jewelry, get yourself a new piece. If you sell beauty products, get yourself something new to try. Re-focus.

2. Re-focus with your "Why" too - everyone has a "why," why they joined their company. I mean, most of us had to pay for our starter kit. Did you have an idea of where that purchase would take you? You must have. So why did you sign up? And has your "why," why you work your business, changed? If so, figure it out - put pen to paper and tell yourself why you do this. As I ask my team members, "Why did you click the 'Sign-up' button?" Was it to make extra money to pay for...a vacation? Your child's schooling? To have a girly fund to pay for manicures and pedicures? Focus on it. Laser sharp focus. And remind yourself of it. Every. Day.

3. Get with your upline - do you have a mentor, a team leader, someone whose job it is to help you when you encounter problems? Talk to them. Develop a rapport or relationship with them. I will bet you that she/he WANTS to talk to you, and not just about business either. They should care about you as a person, be interested in your life (and your Why), and want to help you grow your business for YOU.

4. Take the summer to flash your wares. Everywhere you go is an opportunity to share your products. Use your bags at the beach. Wear your jewelry to a BBQ. Gift the hostess of a party one of your candles. Send a new mom a pampering package from your products. Can't find a hostess for a party? Bring the party with you everywhere you go. I have a Bounce Bag I bring with me everywhere (bounce as in "in case you need to get out quickly"). It has catalogs, samples, signage, business cards, pens, order forms, and a notebook to take notes on potential customers. I can, literally, have a party (or pop up as we call it) ANYWHERE. Your business is portable. Bring. It. Along.

5. Grow and learn. If you're not interested in learning about how to better your business, you wouldn't be reading this. Right? So spend 10-15 minutes a day (or longer if you can) learning something new about your business, about direct sales, about selling, about social media... never stop learning. Never stop implementing new strategies (but don't try them once and then decide they don't work - keep at it). Need some ideas? Check out my Pinterest board for Direct Sales. Pick a pin and "go with it" for the day.

Does your company offer national sales calls, trainings, and opportunities to learn about your products? Get at them. These are typically filled with suggestions, things to implement in your business that can fuel that fire that you want to keep you going. Use the opportunities you have available to you and WORK!


Create free infographics with Venngage.


So here's your homework:
- Check your "Why" - is it working for you? If not, tweak it. Write it down. Post it in your office space.
- Like the Direct Sales Mavens community page on Facebook and comment on the post for this week about your why. Shout It Loud And Proud!
- Connect with your mentor/upline. They want to talk to you. Set up a time to touch base with them this week.
- Learn one new thing this week and comment on this post with what you learned.

Go be amazing!
-Liz

What if they say no? Expanding Your Chloe + Isabel Business

            As a merchandiser, you will hear “The Dreaded N Word” a lot. No. I don’t want to buy your jewelry. I don’t wear jewelry. I don’t buy from direct sales companies. I can’t wear anything that isn’t gold or silver. It’s too expensive. It looks X. I don’t want to pay for shipping when I could go to a store and get it without paying shipping. No, no, no. You’ll feel like a parent of a toddler!

What if they say no? Dealing with rejection in sales

 

            A lot of ladies I talk to who are just starting out are afraid of this; they’re afraid of The No. They want people to like them and they worry that by a potential customer saying no, they are saying they don’t like them. If this is you, if you are afraid they’ll say no, then I have something to tell you.

 

The No has nothing to do with you. So breathe, go for the sale, and smile at the outcome, good or bad.

 

Here’s the thing – if you worry that people will say no and they won’t like you when you ask, then you’ll never make any sales! For every 10 people you ask, 1 person (or more) will say yes. Sometimes 1 in 3 will say yes, but those would be some awesome numbers. So if you ask 10 people for a sale today, more than likely, 1 will say yes and the others will say no.

 

And that’s OK. Because with every no, you’re closer to that one yes.

 

  
And the no isn’t about you. It doesn’t mean that this person dislikes you or will now dislike you. It means they don’t need your product right now. It means they don’t have the money for jewelry right now. It means…well it could mean a lot of things!

 

Some of the nos you hear will be what I call “terminal nos” – they will never buy from you. Ever. They don’t wear jewelry. Or they only wear fine jewelry. And that’s great! One person off your list that you never need to follow up with. You can smile, thank them for their time, and ask them to give your card to someone who might be interested. While people may not be interested in buying, they will most likely do something small and easy such as taking your card and sending it to someone else (or sharing your post on Facebook).

 

Others are “conditional nos” – these are of the “not right now” type. Keep them on your list of possible customers and contact them every once in a while. There are some people who need 8-12 contacts from you before they buy for the first time. Let them know about promotions or when something new is available that you think they may like. If someone tells you, “Maybe next month,” then follow up with them next month. Put it on your calendar to contact them and do it. Be consistent with your follow up and your “conditional no” may turn into a “yes.”

 

What can you do to avoid the No? Product knowledge is key. “I only wear sterling silver.” “My aunt does too! And she is in love with the Best of Luck sterling set – here let me show it to you!” “I’m allergic to nickel – is it nickel free?” “It is! All of our jewelry is nickel free and hypoallergenic.” Where can you learn this information? In the Academy click Our Jewelry and immerse yourself in product knowledge. Your business will thank you for it and you’ll feel more prepared to deal with questions from customers!

 

When did you stop worrying about The No? How did you feel after you stopped worrying? Let me know! I’d love to hear your story!

XOXO,

Liz

 

It’s your friendly neighborhood Chloe + Isabel MM with some business tips! Have questions, want to set up a chat with me, or want me to talk about certain things in these weekly emails? Let me know! Send me a text or call me at 210-465-1894, Facebook message me, or email me! I want to hear from you and help you be successful in your business!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How Can I Sell...I don't know EvErYtHiNg!

I have talked to a lot of new merchandisers this week who say they are waiting to start their business because they don’t know everything there is to know about their business yet.

 

Pro tip? I don’t know everything. And I’ve been doing this for a bit.

 

  What do you really need to know to get started? Do you need to know everything? Let me show you that you don’t. Look down at your feet. What kind of shoes are you wearing? Why did you buy them? Were they comfortable? Were they cute? Were they in fashion? Did they match an outfit that you needed to match? Most of us don’t need all the facts about a product to buy – you probably don’t know where your shoes were made, what they are made out of, right? You wanted to know “What’s in it for me?” and your customers do too. Simple. What’s in it for me.

 

You need to know why your customers might want your product and what is amazing about your product. Seems pretty simple right? Think about these four factors of a purchase: facts, benefits, solutions, and something amazing (a WOW factor). Your customers are most interested in the solutions and something amazing. They want to know what the product will do for them and why it is fantastic. You, as a merchandiser, feel that you should know the facts (nickel free, rhodium plated, etc.), and the benefits (looks like pricier brands but has a lower price point), but you’re going to hook your customers with solutions and WOW. Solution: makes that black dress you wear all the time POP. WOW: people will look at your jewelry and say wow.

 

            You also want to know your compensation package because that is going to motivate YOU. So real quick, as a Fast Starter in your first 60 days:

1)    50% off all pieces (but only one of each piece) (only for your first 30 days)

2)    $200 in credits for every $1000 sold

3)    Commissions are 25% of all sales up to $800 in one month; $800-$2999 is 30%; over $3000 is 35%

Once your Fast Start is over, it changes a little:

1)    30% off all pieces (except during new product launches you get 50% off the new products for a week or two weeks)

2)    $50 in credits for every $1000 sold

3)    Commissions are 25% of all sales up to $800 in one month; $800-$2999 is 30%; over $3000 is 35%

 

So you know what’s in it for you, let’s figure out what’s in it for your potential customer. Is it going to make her feel like a million bucks to wear that Torsade? Is it going to make her feel “put together” when she goes to the grocery store? Is it going to complete her jewelry ensemble for when she wears that New Year’s Eve dress?

How do we communicate this to a potential customer? You’re talking to Jenissa at a pop up and she is eyeing the Torsade on your table.

            You: It’s gorgeous isn’t it? It’s one of my favorite pieces.

            Jenissa: It is! But I don’t know what I would wear it with! Or where I’d wear it!

            You: That’s a great question. Do you have any parties coming up? A night out on the town? That’s a great piece to dress up the same dress that you wore a few weeks ago and make it feel new again.

            Jenissa: We have kids. We don’t go out much.

            You: Girl, I am right there with you. I think that if I had this necklace I would make a point to go out though – get me a babysitter, I’m getting dressed up tonight! Wouldn’t you love a date night?

            Jenissa: Sure! What would it go with?

            You: Here, let me show you – put it on with what you’re wearing right now. *Hands her a mirror* Now check that out. Dang girl, your sparkle is contagious!

 

While it may seem silly, what did we do there? We solved a problem (never getting to go out, not knowing what to wear it with) and gave her a WOW factor of making her feel sparkly. I bet if Jenissa bought the Torsade, she would MAKE a reason to go out. I know I would. Now if she didn’t buy, what would you suggest to her? You got it, hostess a party and let’s get you credits to get that dang Torsade! She doesn’t get to go out much, so bring the party to her and her friends at her house (or at a local restaurant or coffee spot).

 

To re-cap, do you need to know everything to start? Nope. You need to know why your customer should shop C+I and what she will get out of it. Will there be questions about what products are made out of? Sure. But you’ll learn that information as you go along. You don’t need to know it to start off your business. I promise. And if your first customer asks? Perfect answer: “That’s a really good question! I am brand new at this so let me find out for you!” They will appreciate your honesty and you’ll learn something new!

 

What was the first question a customer asked you about C+I? How did you answer it? Let me know – I love to hear your stories of your experiences!

XOXO,

Liz

 

It’s your friendly neighborhood Chloe + Isabel MM with some business tips! Have questions, want to set up a chat with me, or want me to talk about certain things in these weekly emails? Let me know! Send me a text or call me at 210-465-1894, Facebook message me, or email me! I want to hear from you and help you be successful in your business!