Ten Tips for Choosing the Right Direct Sales Company
March 11, 2010
Direct sales can be your ticket to a profitable home-based business. There’s low risk and low overhead - and you’ll find lots of conversation, creativity, and cooperation among the company’s representatives. But how do you know which company is right for you? Here are ten things to look for as you research your options.
1. Products. Successful direct sales consultants exude a genuine enthusiasm for their products. Before joining a company, you’ll need to have the inner conviction that your company brings products and an opportunity that no other company can. It’s important for you to get your hands on the products before you sign. Place an order or, at the very least, request a catalog and product samples before joining.
2. Passion. Does this company involve a business you are truly passionate about? One of the nice things about a direct sales business is that you can often find one that suits your personal passion…whether it’s cooking, home décor, beauty, or scrapbooking & cardmaking. And when you’re genuinely enthusiastic about the industry and the product, you’ll feel as though you are sharing, teaching, and helping - not selling.
Letting Them Use Plastic
February 18, 2010
Obtaining merchant status will help to increase your sales.
Consumers are becoming creatures of convenience; when dealing with businesses-large or small-they desire ease of transaction. That most frequently translates into the ability to pay for services rendered or product purchases via credit card.
Small businesses are often denied merchant status because they can’t prove to the bank that they are good risks. You must establish and demonstrate a track record before a bank or independent sales organization (ISO) will agree to back your business. Even today, some banks also hesitate to provide merchant status to companies without storefronts, to mail order firms or to individuals with a past history of personal or business bankruptcy. Although thankfully, it is getting easier today than it was even 15 to 20 years ago.
In this article we will help you to understand the reasons you may not be able to obtain merchant status, so that we can help you find ways to more favorably present yourself and your business as candidates for merchant status.
1. Start with your own bank. When shopping for a merchant account, the first place to stop is your own bank.
Selling Is Not A Dirty Word
January 26, 2010
Selling–a word that strikes terror in writers and professionals. We love to write. We love our work. We love to speak. We hate to SELL.
Our print and eBooks may go unread because we don’t get the word out. Our products and services don’t sell because we don’t include enough benefits to give our buyers a reason to buy. Maybe that’s because we imagine the used car salesman or the vacuum sales person. They annoyed us because they didn’t listen, they pushed, and we felt attacked. We defended our position, and that’s what we think others do when we share our books or eBooks.
When you think of selling, think of sharing the love that went into your book, product, or service and the unique, important benefits it delivers. Think, “Now that I’ve planted this garden, I want to reap its harvest. If I don’t share the word with others, my garden will die from lack of attention.”
If you are like me, you will want to put both your attention and intention on your book, product, or service. Yes, use powerful words to describe your products. Follow my lead and let your audience know about your top product or service through an ezine, press release, writing and submitting free articles Online, sending email follow ups, giving freebies to attract folks to your site, or learning how to sell without a Web Site.
Top 10 Ways to Sell your Product or Service While you Sleep - Part 2
January 7, 2010
Part one of this article is available at www.bookcoaching.com/freearticles/article-31.shtml.
Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that doesn’t work? Have your announcements and news releases been ignored? Have you been too quiet about getting the word out how your product or service will help solve people’s problems?
Most of us are passionate about our work. We put a lot into coaching training; we know that we want to help others to create a better life or business. If only people would just know that we are the right choice.
The message? Be willing to put consistent time, passion and creativity into ongoing promotion that works. Think of your Online audience, other small business people, who want and need your expertise, how to’s, and wisdom. Write articles your audience want and watch your Web site contacts skyrocket.
Follow these ten promotion steps to bring new clients and sales:
6. Write how-to articles and submit to opt-in (no spam) ezines.
Top 10 Ways to Sell your Product or Service While you Sleep - Part 1
December 16, 2009
Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that doesn’t work? Have your announcements and news releases been ignored? Have you been too quiet about getting the word out how your product or service will help solve people’s problems?
Most of us are passionate about our work. We put a lot into coaching training; we know that we want to help others to create a better life or business. If only people would just know that we are the right choice.
The message? Be willing to put consistent time, passion and creativity into ongoing promotion that works.
Follow these ten promotion steps to bring new clients and sales:
1. Take personal responsibility for online promotion.
Online promotion works well for those of you who are bashful or reluctant to “sell.” No cold, or even warm calls. You promote straight from your home or office via ecommerce. Now, that’s convenience!
2. Delegate your Online writing articles promotion to your computer assistant.
Remember, even if you don’t want to spend your time promoting, you can learn it, then delegate it to your computer assistant. You write the tips and articles. Your assistant sends them out.
Ten FAST Ways to Sell Your Products
November 24, 2009
Always give a reason for the sale for credibility.
1. If you have old Inventory, give a closeout sale.
2. Return sales. Sometimes called a scratch and dent sale. Offer any less than perfect inventory at a special discount. Always mention the character flaw with the product — the corner’s bent, label glue scratch somewhere.
3. Only one or two left. Sell them for half price. Post on eBay. Combine them with another product, change the price to cover half of the orginal price.
4. Discount sale. You could create one or two-time seasonal discount sale. Use Ikea’s model of a sale only once a year. How about holidays, the President’s birthday, or the company’s X year sale. Auto dealers have over used this and people don’t pay much attention to them any longer. Be careful not to do the same.
5. Use Amazon’s model and offer free shipping for orders over $X. Alternatively, offer free shipping with limited dates or if they upgrade.
6. Have higher priced items for sale? Offer a special payment with automatic billing to their credit card.
Persuading Learners to Buy: 7 Groups
November 2, 2009
There are seven major reasons why adults continue their pursuit to learn. Each of the reasons play into the way you want to present your sales information. Studies completed by the United States Department of Education (USDOE), Commission on Nontraditional Study and surveys conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) show little change in why learners keep wanting to learn since 1964.
Since the 21st century the statistics have shown a small increase only. In 1964, U.S. Dept. of Education reported that only 37% of the U.S. population took an assertive role in their learning. The latest report, 2002, only shows a 3% increase.
Why is this information important for selling learning opportunities? These statistical reports show exactly what language to use to get their attention and what it takes for them to open their wallets.
Phrases, words, ideas, and thoughts, if conveyed appropriately to the group of choice can make the difference between survival and thriving.
1. The highest, 40%, choose to learn to become a more-informed person and like having knowledge in their tool bag.
Language that grabs learners attention and persuades them to buy is: opportunity, advantage, timeless, chance, essential, treasure, priceless, rare, gateway, treasurer, growth, and wisdom.
Six Steps to Creating Online Presentations for Telephone Selling
October 13, 2009
How much extra money could you make by closing just one or two additional sales a day? You can double, or even triple, the effectiveness of your telephone selling by showing prospects why they should buy from you, instead of just telling them.
Clients and prospects are visually oriented. They process and retain 75% of the information they see, compared to about 15% of the information they hear. There are six steps involved in preparing online visuals you and your prospects can look at online during telephone conversations and teleconferences.
Step 1: Desired result
Start by identifying what you want to accomplish during each phone call. Ask yourself:
? What is the primary message I want to communicate?
? What action do I want my client or prospect to take?
? What information can I provide to convince them to take the desired action?
Your answers to these questions will provide the framework you need to begin preparing for your upcoming calls.
Step 2: Benefits
Next, translate your product or service into benefits they will enjoy if they take the action you want them to take. Identify as many different ways as possible your product or service can benefit your client. Be as specific as possible.
Use Bundling To Increase Your Profits And Sales
September 21, 2009
Use Bundling To Increase Your Profits And Sales
An effective way to increase your profits and sales is
to bundle many products or services together into one
package. This gives people more reasons to buy your
products and services. People also have come to
believe package deals are a better value. You want
all the products or services to be closely related. For
example: if you’re selling a computer you could add in
software, hardware, computer furniture, etc.
There are many ways to go about choosing the right
products or services to bundle into one package. You
could survey your customers and see what products
or services they would like you to offer in the future.
Spy on your competition and see what products and
services they’re offering or not offering. If you would
like to, bundle unrelated products or services together,
ask your customers which ones would be of interest
to them.
Bundling can also increase your target markets which
in return would give you a larger audience to sell your
Selling Strategy - 5 Ways To Success
August 31, 2009
Web sites exist for essentially two purposes. The first is to provide information. The second is to sell. If your purpose for being online is to sell products or services, but you don’t have tons of sales experience to fall back on, this article is for you!
Selling is not some mysterious process that happens in smoke filled rooms or some gift you are born with. At it’s core, selling is really finding out what people want and providing a way for them to get it. And you must take the buyer through a certain logical order before they will buy.
Like almost any other skill, selling can be learned. Today we look at the five basic steps of a sale. After you finish reading today’s article take a close look at your website, selling letters, ad copy and more to see if they take the buyer through these five steps. If not, take steps to make your copy stronger and measure the results.
After going through this ‘fine-tuning’ process a few times you will have a web site that consistently makes sales and creates a reliable income for you. Now, the five steps of the sale.
