Maintain a Success Circle in Direct Sales & Relationship Marketing

Archive for the ‘Direct Sales’ Category

Customer follow-up is an area that is important in any business, but is critical to anyone in any type of sales.

1.The Invisible Sign - Mary Kay Ash taught that she imagined that everyone wore an invisible sign around their neck that says “Make Me Feel Important.”  Isn’t this really true about ourselves even if we don’t readily admit it?  We know it has value because when we are made to feel special by someone else, and especially at a place where we spend our money, we remember it.

Business owners – entrepreneurs must promote ideas and implement strategies to ensure that each customer is made to feel special.  Ultimately each business owner has to determine which ideas Read the rest of this entry »

In my previous post I revealed 7 principles that I got from a review of Chapters 1-5 of The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles From America’s Greatest Woman entrepreneur.”  Today my review continues with timeless principles that can benefit small business owners, leaders in direct sales, entrepreneurs who outsource tasks, and every thought-leader who works with people; all from Chapters 6-12.

1.  Giving criticism: Criticism will most likely be made at some point but Mary Kay felt that a good manager should direct criticism to what’s wrong; not who’s wrong.

Managers must be strong and speak in a straightforward way, but should sandwich that criticism between praise – before and after.  Doing so lessens anger on the part of the recipient.  When people Read the rest of this entry »

As entrepreneurs we are often affected by many negative things beyond of our control and these can cause F.E.A.R! According to the Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, fear is defined as dread, terror, trepidation; emotions that react to stimulus, external or internal. In addition, I like the definition of F.E.A.R as  False Evidence Appearing Real.

I believe that because we are natural nurturers, women more than men are anxious to see that everything follows a specific path; the slightest deviation from that path causes us intense anxiety and result in fear lurking its ugly head. In our minds we see gloom and doom when the reality is that it may just be a temporary setback.

This is where the Entrepreneurs Fear Factor comes in. Some years ago there was a reality show called “Fear Factor” that you either liked or disliked.  This is our reality as entrepreneurs: we encounter F.E.A.R in our business.  However, there is a simple element that if introduced more often could dilute the level of F.E.A.R we experience.  It’s as simple as Read the rest of this entry »

Relationship Marketing is defined on cecausa.com as a “marketing methodology by which a business establishes a relationship with their customers and stakeholders in order to foster customer loyalty and purchases over time.”

This simple, but straightforward definition captures the essence of why relationship marketing has to be an integral part of the strategies implemented by small and micro-businesses owned by soloentrepreneurs.  The goal should be to develop long-term relationships as it is over time that business owners will be able to continue to provide value, and as they provide value the often repeated factor – the know,like, and trust factor – will develop.

One of the essential aspects of relationship marketing is the retention of existing customers.  When you consider that it takes Read the rest of this entry »

I enjoy being in Direct Sales as well as an Internet Marketer because as a Direct Sales Consultant I can provide individualized service to my customers. I have an even greater opportunity to build lasting relationships as they get to know, like and trust me and see that I care about them as individuals.  I’ve been fortunate to have customers who have been supporting my business for over 11 years.

I also like to support other Consultants in Direct Sales, but have found that on many occasions I meet a Consultant at a Party or Show, hosted by a mutual friend, and purchase something from them but never hear from them again.

This is not a post to critique anyone, but to highlight that this is an area many of us may need to work on.  I have been guilty of this as well as from time to time I’ve received calls from someone who said, “I’ve been searching for your card as my product was finished and I just found it…”  or, “I wish you had you label on the products so I’d be able to call you without having to search for your card”.  Two very important steps I neglected to do.

Most business owners, including Direct Sales Consultants, recognize the importance of cultivating and maintaining good relationships with their customers. At the same time, many overlook the need to follow-up after the sale or service. Here are three reasons Read the rest of this entry »

This is a guest post by Barbara Lopez, The Elevator Pitch Coach.  I like to say that Barbara elevated my elevator pitch as a Direct Sales Consultant so that I became much more effective at networking events.  I chose this article by Barbara because she wrote it so well that I did not need to, and it is so easy when you are new to internet marketing to want to try to be like the ‘gurus’ in order to cover the fact that you are relatively new.    The downside to this is that you would not be authentic and people can see through pretense.  Instead of building the know, like and trust factor this is more likely to alienate the very people you want to attract.

“There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself.” –Anonymous

Have you ever received some advice, but it didn’t really “click” or resonate with you until many years down the road? When I was a teenager, and I’d be getting ready to head out with my friends, as I’d get to the door to leave my father would always say, “Remember who you are!” At the time, as a naive yet typical teenager who thought she knew everything, I’d always think to myself that it was such a weird thing to say – of course I’d remember who I was! How could I forget? I know who I am! I’m Barbara!

It wasn’t until many years later, when I became an adult, that I really understood the meaning behind those words, “remember who you are”. I realized that my father wasn’t telling me to remember my NAME, but to remember who I am as a person. What he was trying to advise me at the time, very gently, was to remember who I am as a person, and to be true to it. That, no matter what activities I’d be up to that evening, no matter whose company I was spending time in, that it was important for me to be true to myself – and to not stray from that – ever.

As I’ve grown older, I think that is actually the best piece of advice I’ve ever received. It’s great advice for a teenager, but I’m also seeing how applying it to my adult self has done great things for me both personally and professionally.

Reflecting on this advice of “remember who you are” recently, I also realized this is SO important when making a first introduction. There are a few reasons for that; allow me to explain.

You are more relaxed. When meeting someone for the very first time, if you just remember to be yourself, you’ll automatically relax a bit and enjoy the introduction more. Plus, if you’re attending a networking function where you’re meeting a lot of people at once or giving your elevator pitch to an entire room of people, you’ll feel more at ease. Read the rest of this entry »

Many people scoff at positive affirmations and hold to the theory that they do not work.  Do they really work?  What are affirmations? Affirmations are basically a form of self-talk.  Look at this realistically.  Every day, several time each day we talk to ourselves, and no not because we’re crazy.  Unfortunately, most of it is negative.  Don’t think so?  Let’s look at these two scenes:

1) You get in your car in your driveway and you suddenly remember that you left your cell phone in the house, but it’s important to have it with you. You immediately start berating yourself on being forgetful and may call yourself harsh names for not placing the phone by your keys as you usually do.

2)  You just got back from the office supply store and you slap yourself on the forehead as you just remembered the main reason you went to the store was to purchase copy paper and you have a 30-page e-book you want to edit before uploading to your website.  You may begin to call yourself stupid, ‘I never can remember anything’, and quite a bit of negative self-talk.

This type of talk is not up-building,  it does not make you feel good, and does nothing for your self-image.

Positive affirmations, on the other hand, affirm the best in you and focus on your good qualities.  They encourage you to improve in areas in which you’re having a challenge.  “I’m getting better at remembering things,” “Everyday I learn from my mistakes and avoid repeating them.”  These are examples of positive affirmations as they help you to see yourself as you would like to be and the goal you are reaching for.

Author, Julia Cameron, notes that “Affirmations are positive statements about positive beliefs.  They help achieve a sense of safety and hope.  If we can become one-tenth as good at positive self-talk as we are at negative self-talk, we will notice an enormous change.”

What can you affirm about yourself today so you that could have a positive impact in your business?

Do you have small children?  Are they home for the summer or will be off from school soon?  Are you dreading the disruption in your home-based business schedule?  Many mothers who work from home are already agonizing over the adjustments they will need to make, and it’s understandable.  But instead of adding to your stress by worrying about it, may I suggest you take a moment and reflect on the fact that one of the reasons you were attracted  to a home-based business was the flexibility it afforded you.

As women we wear many hats and being an entrepreneur,  a business owner, comes with it’s own challenges.  However,  while it’s essential to have systems in place so that you can manage your business successfully, these systems cannot be so rigid that you can’t allow for  changes in your schedule when the need arises.

I will admit that when I’m working to meet a deadline or have a number of projects I’d schedule to be completed within a specified period, I’ve felt annoyance when I had to stop and take care of something that I’d not planned for.  Having a sense of humor often helps and I try to laugh at myself at how ‘worked up’ I’m allowing myself to get over nothing, do what I have to do, and get back to my project.  That’s flexibility in action!

During the time I’m working in my business, I’m my own boss so I can take some time off if I need to.  You can too and  try to view flexibility as a means to add diversity as you work from home.

What are your thoughts on flexibility in your business? Please share in the Comments.

People chose to work from home for different reasons.  Many persons who work from home do not have an online business even though they use their computer extensively.  In order to be efficient and productive and thereby contribute to your success, it’s important to have systems in place. Systems are defined as a set of detailed methods, procedures, and routines established or formulated to carry out a specific activity.

Here are three systems in your home office that could be great time savers, but at the same time can rob you of your time if not used wisely.

1.Your Computer As a Time Saver: I cannot imagine running a business from home without a computer.  Your computer allows you to store huge amounts of information and retrieve them with a few clicks of your mouse.  The volume of software on the market allows you to be creative, and of course, access to the internet allows you to communicate quickly and effectively, as well as do research quickly.

If you’re in Direct Sales, for example, you can use your computer to send your customers an e-card.  I like to send an actual greeting card through the US mail and my customers invariably call to thank me.  Just for reading my post, go ahead and click the greeting card link and send a card to yourself or someone you care about.  I’ll pay for your card and your postage. Read the rest of this entry »

Your mindset is your mental attitude or disposition which affects the way you handle  situations that arise in your business.  Whether you market online on a full-time or part-time basis, you must have the correct mental attitude in order to experience success.  And the key to the correct
attitude is to treat what you’re doing as a  business rather than a hobby.  A hobby is something that you indulge in from time to time when the whim takes you, and you cannot afford to approach your internet marketing business in that way.

It’s important for us as entrepreneurs to recognize that if we provide products or services, there are thousands more entrepreneurs providing the same types of products or services, so our mental attitude or disposition is what will determine how we handle a customer inquiry, a customer concern, any type of customer service issue.  Think about this for a moment:  by having an online business your market will be global.  Therefore, it means you could be dealing with persons in different time zones.  Would you be prepared to take a customer call at 2:00 a.m. your time zone?  Have you mentally prepared yourself for such an eventuality?  It would be interesting to hear how other online marketers have handled this situation when they had to take a customer service call at an ‘odd’ time.

Keeping a positive mindset or mental attitude will allow you to deal with ‘inconveniences’ when you are just getting started, knowing that how you handle these so-called inconveniences is the foundation that could lead to exponential growth in your business.  It seems to take a long time to build a good reputation online, one that allows people to know, like and trust you.  On the other hand that reputation could be lost in a flash if we fail to display a position mental attitude that supports growth in our online business.