Many consultants jump into Direct Sales and don’t know anything about it and they don’t take the time out to educate themselves on it and this is a big mistake!  Just like any “job” or any “business” you need to know what you are doing and if you don’t know…well, you need to take the time out and educate yourself on it!

One good source of business education when it comes to Direct Sales is education that is provided to you from your corporate offices. This can be training seminars, company sponsored conferences, online webinars, phone teleseminars, etc. Whatever your company offers in business training it is YOUR job to take it! Many consultants “blow it off” and make “excuses” as to why they don’t participate in company sponsored training. Like I said, that is a big mistake!

Many Direct Sales companies already know what works and doesn’t work in regards to having a DS business and they tailor their training programs around what they know to be a successful system. They want to teach this system to you so that you can have a successful business. So…whatever training that is offered to you by the home office, make sure you take it!

Another good source of business education comes from your immediate and distant upline managers and team leaders. As someone who worked in Direct Sales for over 23 years…I can personally tell you that over the years only about 40-45% of my downline team ever attended my meetings and/or rallies. Many said they were too busy, had kids, too tired, blah blah blah and let me tell you…those who did attend my meetings and those who did attend company sponsored training sessions were more successful than those who did not. Now grant ya…this doesn’t apply to everyone but it does apply to those who have NEVER done Direct Sales before and just jump in with no intentions on getting officially trained!

Now…do you need to attend all of the training opportunities that are offered to you? No…we all have real lives and we all are busy people but you should participate in as many of them that you can so that you are constantly learning new business skills and staying on top of what works in Direct Sales and what doesn’t.

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I know I am probably going to catch some “heat” for this blog post but I have been in direct sales for over 25 years so I feel my opinion is important and I know of hundreds of other direct sales consultants who feel exactly the same way that I do when I see consultants running around “touting” that their company is the best, their team is the best, they have best compensation plan, the best blog, the best consultant web site and on and on and on it goes!

Well…let me tell you…when you throw around the word “BEST” in all of your advertising and social media postings it does nothing but “irk off” those who are in the same industry as you. Just because you feel you have the “best” web site, the “best” compensation plan and/or the “best” products doesn’t mean that others feel the same way. If that was the case…everyone would all be with ONE direct sales company and there wouldn’t be thousands of direct sales companies to choose from. What is “BEST” for you and to you…most likely is not “BEST” to others.

When consultants see you constantly throwing the word “BEST” around in all of your advertising and social media postings it does indeed “irk them off” and “irritate” them to no end! You can advertise your company, it’s products, it’s compensation plan, your team, your site, etc. without constantly shoving it down other peoples throats that you feel it’s the “BEST”! Know what I mean?

My gripe today is solely that…I really wish folks would “lay off” the “BEST” in all of their advertising and social media postings. What is “RIGHT” and “BEST” to you doesn’t mean it is the same for the people reading your ads, facebook postings, tweets, etc. etc. etc. I find that it gets on my nerves and I know it gets on other consultants nerves too.

Now let’s say you have the “BIGGEST” site online or you are involved with the “BIGGEST” direct sales company…that still doesn’t mean it is the “BEST” site online or the “BEST” company to join. Everyone has different tastes, needs, wants, expectations, goals, etc.

So the next time you are drafting up some advertising, facebook posts, tweets, blog posts, flyers, etc. How about you try leaving the word “BEST” out of it?

That’s my gripe today and my 2 cents on the matter.

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Making Money With Direct Sales Online Opportunities
By Alexandra A. Pierre

The online market has opened up a completely new era of possibilities for the Internet marketer. In this versatile and competitive online world, there can be noticed unlimited choices when it comes to which products and which companies to sell for. A large number of companies offer candles, jewelry, books, cosmetics, wine, essential oils, games, candy, toys and an assortment of other products. With such a flexible gamma of offered products, a marketer can choose which products they are more suitable for them and share their enthusiasm with others.

According to the Direct Selling Association, a national trade group, last year, the 16.1 million direct sales representatives working in the United States achieved $28.3 billion in revenue. So the direct sales online opportunities become for a large majority of entrepreneurs and novice alike, a gold mine for a successful business growth.

There are many types of direct sales online opportunities that allow you to merchandise their products through different types of marketing channels, such as: home parties, fundraisers, online, and to friends or family members. As a consultant or sales representative for direct sales online opportunity companies you can work from home and earn a percentage of any sales made. A start-up kit is usually required and crucial for a beginner, as it contains information about the business opportunity and may also provide a sample of the products that you will be advertising.

A significant number of direct sales online opportunities have developed and implemented a compensation plan, in which the selling representative will be rewarded with a commission at each sell or on the sales of any consultant they recruit. As the Internet world provides a wide number of phony opportunities, you should be aware that not all the direct sales online opportunities are scams. Pyramid schemes and other appealing opportunities are common. In general, you have to pay a great amount of attention at direct selling revenues that are entirely dependent on recruiting people instead of selling products.

Online marketing provides the opportunity to reach more potential customers and recruits, save time, and earn a better income, with very little investment. This is the perfect time to extend direct sales to an online business.

If you do not have a game plan for your marketing & self-promotion that you are 100% confident in, find out how to use the Internet for marketing and lead generation that will help you with any direct sales online opportunities. 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexandra_A._Pierre

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I have been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and I have a lot of personal experience in managing a large Direct Sales downline team. Today I thought I would share my opinions with all of you regarding FREE start-up kits vs. Paid start-up kits when it comes to joining a Direct Sales home business.

Yes folks…this is my personal opinion but I do draw my opinion from being in the business for over 20+ years.

I was with one particular company for 8 1/2 years and during that time we had a few times that the company offered free or heavily discounted (almost free) business start-up kits. Over those years…that same company would also offer regular priced start-up kits.

During the FREE start-up kit/enrollment periods we all would get a lot of new recruits/consultants joining our teams and I really mean…a lot! During one of these big recruting pushes, I actually brought in 34 new team members (myself) in one month. Within 3 months only 3 of those 34 team members actually stayed with the business and wanted to work it as a business. The other 31 told me after 3 months…that they only joined to get in on the free deal or they only joined to purchase products for themselves at a discount. Well, that might be acceptable to some of you…that is not acceptable to me.

I wasted a lot of time and effort trying to train, educate, motivate and communicate with 31 people who had NO desire and NO interest in working it as a business. It would of been nice for those 31 people to tell me upfront that it was their intentions to not do anything with the business so that I could of solely focused my time on those who did.

In my personal experience…when recruits joined my team and had to INVEST some money in their kits they at least TRIED to earn back what they spent on their kits and most tried to work it as a business to turn a profit. When there is MONEY involved people are more apt to work hard to get that investment back.

So…I am not a BIG FAN of no-investment start-up kits because I believe there is NO motivation behind folks trying to work the business to earn their money back. With that said, there will be a handful of people who join direct sales companies when there are FREE promotion periods who will stick in it and work it hard like a business…most will not.

Again…this is my personal opinion and from personal experience. What do you think about this topic?

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4 Top Reasons Direct Selling Can Help People in A Bad Economy
By Xavier Garcia

Direct selling is a marketing channel of direct distribution for products and services directly to consumers without the shipping of products to conventional retail outlets.

According to the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) the Direct Selling Industry was responsible for over $28 billion in retail sales in the United States and over $114 billion in retail sales worldwide in 2009. That number continues to grow each year. The direct selling sector is a huge engine of economic growth in the US. According to numbers reported by the Direct Selling Association (DSA), more than 50% of American adults report having purchased services or goods from a direct selling representative. Additionally, one in five American adults claim they have been or currently are working as a direct seller. With more than 62 million sales associates connected with direct selling companies worldwide, the direct selling (network marketing) industry is dynamic and growing not only locally but on a global scale. Here are a couple reasons why direct selling is taking off:

1. Earn Extra Income

Direct sales can be a great way to earn some extra money as a supplemental income, or perhaps fund college savings, and retirement. Like any job, particularly in sales, so it is work. It’s not like you sign up and then all of a sudden checks start rolling in. You have to hold parties, demonstrate the products, and one-on-one selling which is the most popular technique for making product sales. But, while all direct sellers make money on the difference between retail and wholesale product prices, most direct-sales companies also have a commission structure that rewards the “downline” recruitment of additional salespeople into their system. This gives the direct seller an opportunity to expand his/her business as well as give others the same opportunity.

According to the DSA, the median income for direct sellers is a modest $2,400 a year. It’s enough to pay that extra bill, take that vacation or buy better holiday presents. Although some sales representative do earn tidy incomes, most use direct selling as a part-time supplement income.

2. Start A New Career

In 2009 the industry hit an all-time high of about 16.1 million Americans were direct sales representatives, according to the Direct Selling Association and with only 7.5 percent involved doing it full time with more than three-quarters being women. With employers watching their budgets more so than ever because of the bad economy, employees incomes as well as job opportunities have been stagnant. Nowadays, Americans more than ever are trying to make ends meet by turning to direct selling. More professionals today have entered the arena from doctors, attorneys, executives and many more have become instant entrepreneurs in the direct selling industry.

3. Start Your Own Business

Anyone can do it. There are no required levels of education, experience, financial resources or physical condition. People of all ages and from all backgrounds have succeeded in direct selling. Direct sellers are independent contractors. You’re your own boss, which means you can have the following:

• Business Ownership-Own a business of your own Boss and call your own shots.

 

• No Caps on Earning Potential- Earn what you are truly worth. You can earn as much as you want in proportion to your own efforts. The level of success you can achieve is limited only by your commitment and willingness to work hard.

 

• Goal Setting-Set your own goals and determine yourself how to reach them.

 

• Easy Start Up & Exit Strategy-Start your business with very little or no capital investment. Plus, it’s a business that’s easy entry and easy exit unlike traditional businesses.

4. Work flexibility

You choose when and how much you want to work either part-time or full-time. According to the DSA, some 5.1 million Americans were involved in some form of direct sales in 1991, up from 4.7 million in 1990. Furthermore, 89% of direct sellers do sales work only part-time, which means they either are homemakers or have other jobs with women accounting for 90% of all sellers. Many direct sellers are attracted by the flexibility of work hours but also by the opportunity to develop personal business connections.

Direct sales has helped many people in the US and across the world supplement their incomes as well as replace it in many cases. According to San Francisco Times, one lady of Brentwood started selling sweets last year by holding house parties with tastings of drinks, candy, cupcakes and other goodies. With her husband’s computer business struggling this has been a blessing for them.

She gives four or five parties a month, and works about 10 hours a week and nets $500 to $625 a month in sales. In addition to that she makes another $100 or $150 a month on commissions from sales generated by new reps she recruited. She claims, “It’s helped us out tremendously.”

So is Direct Selling for YOU?

Well that all depends on your ambition and ability to discard the hype and find a genuine business opportunity. So how about it… Is direct selling for you? Will you allow yourself to be successful? Perhaps be the next Direct Selling Icon? Business is all about timing and there is no better time now to be in the direct sales industry..

If you are serious about starting your direct sales business, there is one opportunity with no hype that I highly recommend that has stood the test of time. It offers a unique niche business opportunity where you dont have to buy into the sizzle. You’ll be able to create a solid lasting residual income unlike no other with this unique direct selling business. Visit my site at workingwithxavier.com to learn more and sign up and get my Free Report on “Insider Secrets to Building Your MLM Business Lightning Fast” Revealed By 7 Figure Networkers showing you specifically how it is possible to do exactly the same thing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Xavier_Garcia

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If you are with any of the Direct Sales companies, I am sure that you are aware that if you want to make the big money, you need to be out there recruiting and adding new team members to your team. However, the real question is, Is Team Building Right For You?

When you are considering building a team with your Direct Sales business, there are several things that you need to consider. When you build a team, you are responsible for training, supporting, motivating and communicating with your team on a consistent basis. Before you start adding new consultants to your business, there are a few things you need to consider.

1. Experience: How long have you been with your particular company? Do you know everything you need to know about your company, their business policies and their products? If not, then you should not be recruiting. When a new member joins your team, you are responsible for training them and supporting them. If you don’t know what you need to know about the business, there is no way you can effectively help them. I suggest you work on learning everything that you need to know and get some experience before adding new consultants to your team.

2. Time Commitment: When you start training and managing your own downline team, you will need to be committed to giving up several hours a week of your time to just lead and train your team. You can not just sign people up and push them off to others. As their recruiter, it is your job to help them and that can be very time consuming. If you don’t have several hours a week to spare on just leading your team, you should not be recruiting.

3. Money: Managing your own team, especially a large one, can get expensive. There will be meeting and rallies to pay for, training materials to buy, refreshments to be made and served, phone calls to be made, etc. The company you represent normally does not pay for these costs and most times, this responsibility falls on the leader of the team. Before you start adding team members, it is important to figure out your financial situation and make sure you can afford the extra costs involved.

These 3 questions are the big ones that you need to consider before you leap into the world of recruiting. When you build a Direct Sales team, it is your responsibility to make time for your team, so before you add that first new member…make sure this is really what you want.

This article is copyright 2011 By Shelly Hill, All Rights Reserved.

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I have worked in Direct Sales since 1989 and have recruited hundreds of people into various Direct Sales businesses over the past 20+ years.

Today I thought I would share a few tips that I have learned along the way with my blog readers.

1. As a recruiter…you need to treat all team members professionally and equally. You can not pick out a few favorites and favor them…especially in front of the rest of the team.

2. As a recruiter you need to be in consistent contact with all of your team members. You need to help coach them, guide them, motivate them and keep on educating them on how to run their businesses effectively. At times…you will need to be very ‘hands on’ with your team.

3. You need to be constantly recruiting new members and adding new members to your team. Team Members will come and go so to keep your team growing at a consistent pace…you will always need to be recruiting.

4. You need to work on your business consistently and you need to remember that where the “leader” goes in the business, the “pack” will follow. If you are out there cranking out the parties, recruiting and having a high amount of sales…you are setting an example for your team members to follow. You can not work your business fully but yet expect your team members to do so.

I hope you find these few recruiting tips beneficial in your own direct sales businesses.

Today I thought I would share with all of you my top 5 tips for when you are speaking to a potential new recruit or potential new team member. These tips have worked well for me over the years and they are the same 5 tips I have given to my own team members when they go out recruiting and building their own teams. So here are my top recruiting tips!

1. Before you even begin recruiting others to join your direct sales team you need to know everything there is to know about your company’s business plan, compensation plan and your company’s policy on recruiting. Once you have learned all of this information (and know it well), then you can go out and start talking to prospects.

2. Once you start talking to prospects about your home business opportunity you want to spend some time building a rapport with the person you are speaking with. There is nothing wrong with trying to connect with a prospect on a more personal level as this helps to build the rapport between the two of you. Your prospect is more likely to listen to your sales pitch once you have spent time building a rapport with them.

3. When speaking to prospects you never want to over-hype or mislead them with untrue or unsubstantiated statistics. Everything you tell your prospect needs to be truthful and factual. Misleading a prospect can get you into legal trouble (at worst) and/or get you dismissed from the company you represent.

4. While speaking to your prospect make sure you take frequent breaks to allow your prospect to ask you questions about the information you are presenting to them. Remember…this is a two-way conversation so let them have time to speak to you.

5. Most recruiters will tell you to really pressure the prospect into signing up that very same moment that you are speaking to them. However, I disagree with that approach. As I am speaking with a prospect I can usually tell when they need more time to “think” about the information I have just given to them and when I “sense” that…I like to tell them that I want them to go home and think about it and I will call them/contact them the following day to see if they have more questions about the information I gave them. Trust me…I find that most prospects appreciate it when we don’t pressure them for an answer that very same minute.

Shelly Hill is the author of this article/blog post. Information on this blog is copyright 2009-2011 and can not be reproduced without Shelly’s permission.

I attended a home party last week for one of the Direct Sales companies and the consultant with that company played a party game that I thought was pretty clever so I thought I would share with you today the game she calls:

Get The Monkey Off Your Back Recruiting Game

You will need to go out to the toy store and purchase one of those Monkey’s In A Barrel Games in the children’s game section. The game has numerous plastic monkeys in a variety of colors that are packaged in a plastic barrel. You will also need to purchase colored index cards (or make your own) in the colors to match the monkeys. She then wrote on the index cards reasons why someone should join a direct sales company.

examples:

* Pay off the mortgage
* Buy a vacation home
* Go on a dream vacation
* Pay off medical/dental debt
* Pay off credit card debt
* Buy a new vehicle
* Pay off a current vehicle
* Pay for a home remodeling project
* Pay for kid’s college tuition
etc. etc. etc. (you will want to write one of these things on each index card)

As guests came in for the party she handed each guest a colored plastic monkey. During her business opportunity presentation she explained to us why she gave us these plastic monkeys and that was because she wanted all of us to know that we could get the DEBT MONKEY off our backs by starting a home business with her company and generation additional income to pay off our debts.

After she spent 5-8 minutes talking to us about everything her company has to offer and how a home business with her company can help us pay off our debt or help us to afford new things she asked guests to return the plastic monkey to her as they handed her their orders and checked out.

When the guest handed her the plastic monkey…she spent 2-3 minutes talking with them one on one about her home business opportunity. After the party was over…she had generated 4 recruit leads from the party!

I asked her why she uses this game and she said it was a way to “slyly” get the guests to think about their current debt issues or to get them to think about what they could use extra money for…in other words…get their minds thinking about joining her home business opportunity.

I thought it was very clever and would share her Get The Monkey Off Your Back Recruiting Game with all of you!

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If you are with one of the Direct Sales companies, I am sure you know all about how important it is to add new team members to your home business. When you build a successful downline team, you will make a certain percentage of your team’s sales, which adds to your income stream.

As someone who has worked in Direct Sales since 1989, I thought I would share some of my best tips on where I find my newly recruited team members.

1. At The Party: My number one source of adding new members to my business has been when I have recruited them from a home party. During the party presentation, I drop numerous hints about how fabulous it is to work from home with ABC company. At the end of my presentation, I always spend a few in depth minutes talking about the home business opportunity with the attendees.

2. At Offline Networking Events: My number two source for adding new members to my home business has been when I have attended local home business networking events. When you attend these events, you are meeting and greeting with other like-minded home business professionals who are interested in you and the type of business that you represent.

3. On Online Social Media Networks: My number three source for adding new members to my home business has been when I have ran advertisements on various online social media networking sites. These advertisements can be text ads or graphic ads and both have been effective for me. When I run ads on these networking sites, I try to target people who I think would be interested in my business. For the most part, I target stay at home moms.

4. On Online Work At Home Web Sites: My number four source for finding new members to add to my team has been through text ads or graphic ads that I have placed on various online work at home mom or stay at home mom web sites. These type of web sites attract the type of people who are most likely to join a Direct Sales business.

5. In Print Offline Media Publications: My number five source for finding new members to add to my team has been from classified advertisements that I have ran in various local print publications. To be honest, I don’t get much of a response from newspaper ads. However, when I place print ads in regional magazines, I have gotten a great response.

Well…there you have it! These are the top 5 places where I find new members to recruit into my home business opportunity. No matter where you decide to advertise your business, you always need to make sure that you are targeting the type of people who are most likely to be interested in the type of business that you represent.

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved. This article can not be reprinted without attaching Shelly’s resource box. Please contact her directly to obtain it.

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