10 Steps to Success in Direct Sales
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-fulfiling 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.
I was a teacher. In the early 60s, teachers' salaries ranked next to nurses', the lowest of all
professionals salaries. I went into direct sales to earn a better income. I chose a cosmetics line and
marketed them to small groups of women in the home. I provided a service for women who wanted
to learn professional make-up techniques and the art of professional color-coordination.
My teaching background proved beneficial. My clients were interested and eager to learn. I worked
every day, as I would at any job, and put in long hours. I read books on how to sell to women. I
devoured inspirational and motivational books. My income grew steadily. Soon I was earning more
money than I had ever earned teaching school. I was excited about my new "freedom to earn" and I
began to share this opportunity with others-recruiting and training sales organization.
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." I taught my trainees how to fish.
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 educations. 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
educations 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 apitude. 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. One of my prized possessions is a lovely grandfather clock
earned as a contest prize.
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.
I trained organization to 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 cancelled 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, I encourage you 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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