Direct selling continues to perform strongly in Europe, despite the global economic crisis. Statistics compiled by Seldia and the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) show a growth in sales in the European Union of 8.1 percent in 2010. Read more.
The costs of acquisition and support for a new consultant are much larger than most realize. Focusing on improving retention can make a significant contribution to your bottom line and is well-worth the investment.
Our industry is littered with people who gave up on their dreams of building a self-sustaining business because someone somewhere told them that network marketing just doesn’t work. In fact, having a person of influence speak negatively about their chosen profession is one of the leading causes of turnover within the ranks of independent consultants. They give up before they ever get going.
Most salespeople understand that they need to get on the phone, yet days, months, even years go by (yes, years!) without them followinSuccessful direct selling companies have many things in common. They all have the ability to cultivate loyal customers, create effective sales programs that are appealing to the most people, and offer a mutually beneficial business opportunity to help enterprising entrepreneurs.
Jennifer was in her mid-30s and had a lot going for her. She was smart, with a good education and with what she thought was a promising future as a midlevel manager with her company. Then everything started to go wrong. Despite 10 years of hard work, long hours and lost weekends working at her firm, she was unceremoniously let go when the economic downturn began a year ago.
When it kicks on, you can tell. Before, there is only silence. Silver rollers lay dormant. Boxes sit frozen on a long blue track. Computers blink as the circuitry stays in a holding pattern. Products remain tucked together on racks of pallets. There’s a hush over the 20,000 square feet of smooth concrete where USANA’s new shipping line lies in waiting—primed, ready.
In the first part of this series, we described the various ways your company, your salesforce and your good will can be at risk on the Internet.
Engagement with social media is becoming a critical factor in a company’s growth and sustainability. Our next generation of consultants and sales leaders finds communicating online more natural than speaking on the telephone.
The goal of leadership is to produce superior results on purpose, making leadership a results contest.
I was coaching a top party-plan sales leader recently, and she e-mailed me to ask if I would give her my opinion regarding the best use of her time. As a wife and mother (who home-schools her children) she is a master at organizing her personal life: assigning specific days for various home responsibilities, making sure her spouse and children get deserved attention, even squeezing in daily exercise. She also doesn’t hesitate to delegate—in both her personal and business life.
I have a good friend who has a hobby—well, more like a single-minded passion—for target shooting. As I’ve watched him over the years, I’ve often thought how MLM compensation plans are like target shooting. To make the analogy work for network marketing, picture a side-by-side double-barreled shotgun and two targets—one for enrollers and the other for sales leaders.