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Small
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10 Steps To Success In Direct Sales
Every year thousands of men and women across America sign
on with direct selling firm-Tupperware, Amway, or a cosmetic
company-hoping to make money enough for new draperies, a new
davenport, or some new clothes. They sell a little merchandise
to a few relatives and close friends. Then they are through.
They quit before they give themselves a chance to learn the
basics of success in sales. "I am simply not a born salesperson,"
they often say.
No one is born a salesperson, any more than one is born a
doctor or born a lawyer. Sales is a profession. To be successful
in any profession one must learn not only the basic techniques,
but also how to apply those techniques. Success in sales makes
use of all the abilities one is born with, plus all those
acquired through education and experience.
If you are looking for a career opportunity or "extra
income" to help with the family budget, direct selling
offers you dream-fulfilling possibilities. However, you must
give yourself time to learn the techniques of sales. Ask yourself.
"How long does a doctor to be study? A lawyer to be study?"
WHAT IS DIRECT SELLING?
Direct selling is marketing a product directly to the consumer
with no middleman involved. Most reliable firms are members
of the National Association of Direct Selling Companies. They
bring to the public fine products that are modestly priced
in order to insure mass consumption.
Most direct selling companies furnish their representatives
with a starter kit and essential supplies below-cost prices.
In many instances the investment is under $100.
There is an old adage which says "Give a man a fish
and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed
him for a lifetime."
Many of them were able to change their lives for the better.
They took their families on nice vacations. They purchased
a piano or an organ and provided music lessons for their children.
They saved money for college education. They redecorated their
homes, bought needed furniture. One highly successful saleslady
built a new home.
The rewards of direct selling are many
1. You can be your own boss. 2. You can set your own hours.
3. You can own your own businesses with little or no investment.
4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay
you. 5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business
grows.
It is only fair to tell you that there are failures, too.
There are people who will not work for themselves. When working
for a boss, they rise early, are well-groomed, and get to
the office on time. However, when they are their own boss,
they are still in a bathrobe, drinking one more cup of coffee
at 11:00 A.M.
If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do
what has to be done when it has to be done, direct selling
offers a most unusual earning opportunity.
THE TEN STEPS
Here are ten steps that will assure your success:
1. BE A GOAL SETTER. What do you want to accomplish? Do you
want to save for college education for your children? A new
car? A new home? You can have whatever you want, but you must
want it enough to do the things that have to be done to get
it. Whatever your goal, write it down and set a target date
for reaching it. Divide the time period into blocks of achievement
that are reachable. Work consistently toward accomplishing
each day, each week, each month what you set out to do. Goal-setting
is a must in every area of life. Little is ever accomplished
without definite goals.
2. BE A LIST MAKER. Each evening list all the things you
want to get done the following day. That gives you an organized
approach to each day. As each task is finished, mark it off
your list. It is amazing how much gets done when one works
with a "things-to-do" list. Also, have a notebook
listing appointments, potential clients, repeat clients, and
referrals, and keep it with you at all times. You will be
adding to it constantly.
3. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. Enthusiasm is the high-octane "fuel"
that salespeople run on. Enthusiasm generates its own energy.
Energy and good health are synonymous with busy, happy people,
people who are achieving.
4. RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAGIC WORD IN SALES IS "ASK."
In direct sales we don't have to wait for business to come
to us. We create our own business by asking for it. Ask for
appointments, then you can do business. Ask for business,
then you will close sales. Ask for referrals, then you always
have a full list of potential clients. Be quietly, yet firmly
aggressive.
5. EXPECT NO'S. Realize that no's are not personal. In sales,
as perhaps nowhere else, the law of averages works. Every
no gets you closer to a yes. Keep track of your ratio. It
will help improve your techniques. Are you getting ten no's
to one yes? Is your ratio five to one? Remember, the yes's
are your income. Also remember that "no" does not
necessarily mean "no." Often a "no" is
simply a stall for more time to think. It may be a request
for more information about your product or your service. What
your client is actually buying is assurance. Assure here by
your helpful attitude and your complete honesty, that you
want what is best for her. She will most likely respect you
and do business with you.
6. SCHEDULE TIME WISELY. A schedule is the roadmap by which
salespeople travel. It takes the frustration out of the day.
It assures that the necessary things get done and get done
on time. Plan your work then work your plan.
7. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR ATTITUDE. Success in sales, as in
all areas of life is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent aptitude.
All of us must work at developing habits of constructive thinking.
I am proud to be a salesperson. Sales make the wheels of our
economy turn. Bernard Baruch, advisor to several presidents,
is quoted as saying, "If every salesperson sat down and
took no orders for twenty-four hours, it would bankrupt our
country!" Every company that manufactures any kind of
product depends upon salespeople to move that product. Without
salespeople business would be paralyzed.
Remember, sales is one of the highest paid of all professions.
Statistics show that good salespeople enjoy incomes far above
the average.
8. HAVE AN OFFICE AREA. Most direct salespeople work from
their own homes, but it is essential to have a place where
you can work in a organized and efficient manner. An office
plus a strict working schedule gives you dignity. Both are
absolutely essential for efficient operation and accurate
record keeping, so important to the success of any business.
9. BE INVOLVED. Most sales organization offer contests to
stimulate production. Include winning contests as part of
your business goals. Contests make your business fun as well
as adding considerable dollar value to your income.
10. LEARN TO HANDLE MONEY INTELLIGENTLY. A regular nine-to-five
job usually means a paycheck at the end of the second week.
Direct sales "reps" handle money constantly. Direct
sales is instant income and constant income. Therefore. it
is absolutely necessary to become an efficient money manager.
Deposit every penny collected from clients into a checking
account set up especially for its business. Since bank statements
show an exact record of all monies collected, and business
expenses can be verified by canceled checks, record keeping
becomes simple and accurate. Everything except a few "petty
cash" transactions can be directly taken from bank statements.
Money saved regularly and put at interest, soon develops
a second income in addition to earned income. A long-term
goal, which is realistic in direct sales, is to be able to
live in retirement off the interest earned on savings.
Would financial security mean a lot to you? If so, ask yourself
these questions:
* Am I honest? * Do I really like people? * Am I willing
to learn? * Am I willing to work? * Am I capable of being
my own boss?
If your answers are yes, to find a good product for the direct
sales market, one that you like, one that fills the need of
a lot of people, and go to work for yourself! .You can turn
dreams into reality.
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