I recently came across an interesting list of the salaries of top CEOs.
Did you spot the highest paid woman on the list? It’s Andrea Jung, the CEO of Avon. She is the 23rd highest paid CEO in the country. Ms. Jung made $19.5m last year. She gets paid more than the CEO of Cisco, Visa, CVS, AT&T, Pepsi or Boeing!
If anyone out there still thinks direct sales is not big business or a profitable marketing strategy, think again. No wonder Avon was able to afford a coveted Superbowl Commercial slot!
1. It gets complicated when you have two team members with the same first name and you have to constantly sub-label them as Mary from Iowa or Mary from Florida.
2. Having a team member in another time zone gets very confusing when you are trying to figure out acceptable hours to call.
3. You will have team members who are under witness protection. In other words, they will sign up and then you will never hear from them again. You can phone, write or email until you are blue in the face, but for whatever reason they will refuse to engage with you.
4. Some of them will never read the manual or watch a training video. You will be the only conduit of information they ever use.
5. When it stops coming easily, the majority of them will quit. Unfortunately, perseverance is a rarely-exhibited character trait among direct sellers.
6. Another frequently absent virtue is personal responsibility. It will always be the customer/hostess/economy’s fault, not theirs. Suggest they do something differently and you’ll be met with a barrage of excuses.
7. I promise, you are thinking/worrying about them way more than they are thinking/worrying about you!
8. Occasionally one of them will really surprise you by taking one of your suggestions and running with it, and going above and beyond your expectations for her business. You will beam with pride like a mother hen watching her chicks learn to walk.
9. We all have our quirks. You’ll quickly learn which one goes to bed at 8pm; which one responds to your emails within 30 seconds of hitting send; which one enjoys teasing you by putting in a minimal order on the last day of the quarter to maintain her active status, just when you’ve written her off for good.
10. At least one or two of your team members will become your lifelong friends. Cherish them!
Recently I was at a vendor fair when a woman approached my booth and asked if I would consider selling her my database of customer names so that she could promote her line of children’s clothing. While the monetary offer might have been momentarily tempting, I said no for a multitude of reasons:
Here’s my advice when it comes to building a customer database. Ask people if you have their permission to email them every (month/week/quarter) with your latest product news and information – and then do precisely that. Offer them something of value, be it exclusive useful information or a readers-only discount. Allow them to opt out and be gracious about it if they choose to do so. Don’t email them every other day if what they signed up for was a monthly newsletter. Don’t sell their names. Just be consistent in doing what you said you were going to do, and gradually build up your presence and authority in your given market niche. Make it easy for people to recall your name and contact you when they need what you have to offer. Offer incentives for referrals. Over time, I think you’ll find that your efforts are amply rewarded in terms of the business that comes your way, simply as a result of your consistency and credibility in this area.
I read the daily tips from The Success Factory and they sent one this week that made me smile. Their suggestion: when someone asks how your business is going, say “UNBELIEVABLE” (it covers all realms, good and bad!)
This got me thinking about how important our attitude is when talking to others about our business. I happen to know another direct sales consultant who always looks on the gloomy side of life. A recent conversation with her included such blanket statements as,
* “I don’t know how much longer I can hold out with no parties in the pipeline.”
* “I’m getting tired of chasing people.”
* “I don’t know how any of these home party companies are staying in business.”
* “I’d give anything to have 2 parties a month at this point.”
Now granted, she was expressing her frustration to someone else in the industry. But her negative attitude certainly isn’t going to attract anyone to want to join her team or host a party for her! In contrast, I already have more new team members in the first 3 months of 2009 than I did in the whole of 2008, and my average party sales are actually UP.
Of course we all need a dose of realism too – the economy is in the toilet right now, and nobody should be pretending otherwise. But how can you take that reality and turn it into a positive for your business? Maybe focus on the ways you bring joy into people’s lives by facilitating a small indulgent purchase like a lipstick or jewelry that can cheer them up? Do you offer products that can improve the look of someone’s home, and can you promote this angle of budget decorating now that people are staying home more? If you’re in the cooking field, why not share how people are less apt to eat out at restaurants but your gadgets or seasonings can make it simple to prepare a gourmet meal at home? Can you market to the medical community or the health conscious, both of which continue to be growth markets?
I’m not going to offer exhaustive suggestions for every direct sales field out there, but you get the idea. Take a bad situation and find a way to turn it around and find the silver lining. There are still people out there who want what you have to offer, and they are much more likely to turn to you for the solution if you present an upbeat, positive attitude.
A career in direct sales is not a good fit for those who like predictability and routine. If that’s what you crave, I suggest an office job.
When you walk into a hostess’ home, you never know what will greet you. Will there be giant slobbering dogs, a deaf grandma, or rude children? Will the house be a chaotic mess or look like an uninhabited museum? (In both cases I am often scared to touch anything, but for different reasons!)
When the phone rings, will it be your next hostess calling to cancel her party at 12 hours’ notice, or an enthusiastic lead who wants to join your team? It could be a $300 order out of the blue or a team member calling to complain that “no-one wants to have parties anymore.”
At your next party, will you get 3 dates booked and a new team member, or will the crowd stare at you blankly as if you are speaking in Martian? Will there be 20 guests who won’t stop talking, or 3 guests who don’t say a word?
At the end of the month, will your sales and recruiting be enough to promote to the next level in your company, or will you be scrabbling around for sales or worried about missing out on your leadership bonus?
You just never know! That’s what makes this job interesting. You have to be prepared for everything. You have to expect the worst and hope for the best. It keeps you on your toes.
Let’s just say my toes are getting a good workout this week….
I’m been working with quite a few potentials lately. It was recently announced that the Body Shop At Home will be closing its doors on April 30th. So all their consultants are looking around at other direct sales options, and a few of them have come my way. Working with leads always throws up a few good anecdotes. So far I have:
* the person who listed her phone number as 999-999-9999. I’m just guessing, but I think she might want me to mail her all the information…
* the lady who is planning to simultaneously sign up with 4 different companies to cover all the perceived demographic bases in her small town
* the person whose name is only one letter removed from that of another existing consultant with my company, resulting in lots of confusion
* the woman who has a very ordinary name but shares a phone with somebody with an unpronounceable foreign-language name, throwing me off every time I see the caller ID
* the person with a distinctly male name, who turns out to be a woman
* the new recruit who signed up before she ever saw a catalog or even talked to me on the phone
It remains to be seen how many of these people turn out to be long-term team members. It would be nice if their entertainment value was exceeded by their productive contributions to my team!
1) What’s more annoying: (a) the customer who says they need to think about their purchase and then an order never materializes OR (b) the customer who orders but then their check is returned to you due to “insufficient funds”?
2) What’s more annoying: (a) the team member who emails and calls you multiple times a day with incessant mundane questions OR (b) the one who disappears off the face of the earth after signing up and won’t return your calls at all?
3) What’s more annoying: (a) having no orders OR (b) having a few orders but not enough to meet your company’s minimum for a party, forcing you to purchase inventory yourself to reach the minimum or risk disappointing your customers?
Like many female business owners, I wear multiple hats over the course of any given week. I juggle the responsibilities of being a wife, mother, friend, committee member, mentor and host alongside all my business-related tasks. At times there is a clear delineation of priorities – when I’m on the phone with a customer or hostess, the kids know my stern glare that means they need to be quiet. But there are other times when it’s hard to know what role should take precedence.
For instance, this week I was committed to participating in a multi-day promotional event for my business. I had paid a three-figure sum for the privilege and I was excited about the exposure this might bring my business in a previously untapped demographic and geographical area. Then, less than two hours before I was due to leave, my daughter started throwing up. Violently. Multiple times. I called my husband in a panic: what should I do? I couldn’t leave my daughter with a babysitter in this state. But I was reluctant to bail on the event and lose out on the opportunity, not to mention pouring money down the drain.
Fortunately my husband’s job has enough flexibility that he was able to come home and take over the parenting so I could leave for my event. But I drove away with a heavy heart. My daughter was in distress and she needed her mommy. I felt guilty for leaving her. How would my puke-phobic husband deal with the mess and the laundry? Had I made the right decision?
Twenty-four hours later I was packing up and leaving the event much earlier than scheduled, angry that what had been promised by the promoter had not come to fruition. The righteous anger I felt at being ripped off was exacerbated by the mommy guilt I was feeling for leaving my daughter when she needed me most, and for an event that had not turned out to be anything like I was anticipating.
My husband is fond of saying that all we can do is make the best decision we can, give the information we have available at any given time. Of course, what happens is that the information available to us changes, resulting in the decision changing too. Having rehashed the events of this week endlessly in my mind and with my husband and trusted friends, I can only conclude that I did just that, and therefore I cannot blame myself. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. At 3pm on one day this week, I thought the best decision was to be a professional and attend the event. At 3pm the following day, the best decision was to come home and be with my family.
I met a realtor at a recent party. She fit the stereotype – fully made up, designer business suit, immaculately dyed hair and manicured nails, 50-plus but trying to look 10 years younger. I found out the name of the firm where she worked and mentioned that I have an acquaintance who is also a realtor at the same agency. Her expression turned sour and her response was, “Oh yes, Susie Smith- well, she has a real job now.” (The emphasis being hers, not mine). My acquaintance had mentioned that in the current market she wasn’t doing much, but the strength of this lady’s reaction surprised me – she was practically dripping with disdain.
Later on, as I was helping people complete their orders, I asked the same woman if she would be interested in hosting a party herself. She actually rolled her eyes at me and said in the most patronizing tone you can imagine, “No, dear.” It was as if I was 13 and had just asked her if she wanted to see my cool new pink iPod.
I just don’t understand how people like that convince themselves that they are so superior to the rest of the human race. The rest of us mere mortals sometimes have circumstances that force us to get “real jobs” if we need to make ends meet. Some of us attempt to treat everyone equally and not prejudge who might be interested in our products or opportunity. Then people like her come along and act like those they don’t perceive to be on their level might as well be a piece of gum they’ve just scraped off the bottom of their shoe.
She might live to regret her dismissive rudeness once she learns how many people I’m going to advise against using her services. They say the average person who has a bad experience with a company representative tells 9 others. Well, let’s just say I know a lot more people than the average person, and I like to talk. She picked the wrong person to look down on. In this economy, you can’t afford to be less than pleasant to anyone you’re interacting with. You never know where your next referral will come from.
A recent in-car conversation with a friend…
“Look, that car has the license plate REDHAT1.”
“That’s funny.”
“I hear those ladies are the worst tippers.”
“Really?”
“I mean, great: get older, go out with your friends, wear your funny outfits, but at least tip well.”
“Did I ever tell you my Red Hat stripper story?”
“NO!?”
“I had a booth once at a Red Hat event. All these genteel old ladies browsing my stuff. I made a few sales. They sat down for a meal. I’m sitting behind my table, idly flicking through a catalog and minding my own business. Then all of a sudden this music started up. Duh duh duh duh DUH. This buff young guy walks in wearing a white shirt and black pants and starts gyrating to the music. He’s sitting on all these old ladies’ laps and they’re going wild. Pretty soon the shirt comes off and then these 70 year olds are sticking dollar bills in this 20-something guy’s leopard print thong underwear. I was so shocked! I honestly didn’t know where to look.”
“You’re meant to look below the waist!”
“It just seemed so WRONG! I’ll never look at those Red Hat ladies the same way again.”
