Our experience with a wide variety of US and international clients in 2011 has proven conclusively that the convergence of direct selling sales methodologies is continuing at a rapid pace.   It is almost impossible today to find a “pure” MLM marketing program or a pure one-on-one or a pure party plan.  Almost all companies today find, sometimes to their surprise, that their enterprising sales people are using all of the traditional sales approaches depending on who they are talking to and in what setting.  Then to top it off, they are selling on line also, not just for re-orders on their replicated websites, but for first customer contacts resulting from Facebook, Twitter and Linked in associations.

There is no reason to believe that this trend will not continue and even strengthen in the coming year.  As usual the independent sales force is often out in front of their companies when it comes to employing technology in innovative ways and exploring their own way of doing things. Coping with these trends requires all companies to be ever more nimble when it comes to adapting to the realities of the marketplace. For 2012, change and adaptation move from the periodic and unusual to simply the normal way of doing business.  Be ready for it!

http://www.luceandassociates.com

image credit Creativity103

W. Alan Luce, President, Luce and Associates, LLC, Member DSA Hall of Fame

Few people in the direct sales industry can match the experience, expertise and successes of Alan Luce. With over 25 years in senior management, guiding start-ups and established companies alike, Alan has met virtually every challenge a direct sales executive can face.  Learn more about how Alan can help your company at http://www.luceandassociates.com/Alan-Luce.html.

When working with field leaders, I’m often asked how to sponsor “good” people – ones who aspire to become leaders.  And on occasion, a leader tells me she only talks to people who “prequalify” as a solid prospective consultant. Ouch! I believe, without hesitation, that we can’t tell if someone will be wildly successful. We can have a hunch, for sure. But too many times I’ve worked with new consultants who just needed encouragement and someone who believed in them. What a rush to see them succeed! I would hate to eliminate them from the start. So I always respond by saying, “Sponsor everyone because you never know – you just never know.”

Recently I learned about an informal field test from Shelley Whitmarsh, VP of Sales for SimplyFun. When Shelley was in the field, she and a fellow team leader noticed that Shelley’s team grew proportionately faster so they set out to determine why. Was it personal sponsoring? No – they sponsored about the same number each year. Was it the amount of time they dedicated to building their business? No – that was also roughly the same. Yet when Shelley’s team tripled in size, her friends team doubled.

Here’s what they came up with. When Shelley presented the business opportunity – to everyone – she presented it as just that – a business opportunity. Her friend had a different approach. When she presented the business opportunity – to everyone – she positioned it as a part-time job. That “full-time vs. part-time” mentality worked it’s way through their organization. In Shelley’s team, more aspired to become team leaders, which led to overall team growth. Now, when asked if there is a secret ingredient to sponsoring future leaders, I’ll say, “Sponsor everyone and tell them about the advantages of building a substantial business from the start –because you never know – you just never know.”

.With over 25 years of direct sales experience, Lori develops training packages for start up companies and works with established companies to update sales training and methods.  Lori is an accomplished speaker and specializes in creating presentations tailored to meet each company’s specific needs.

Hmmm, I never thought this would be a high priority topic – or even a blog topic at all.  But a recent incident made it come front and center. I was working on a training project out of town, and realized that I needed a car. Since I was already at the office, the company arranged for a car to be picked up at a nearby hotel. How convenient.  My colleague and I headed over and found a very small rental counter tucked in a corner of the lobby.  The representative looked over the paperwork and said she just happened to have a 2-seat convertible sports car for only $19.00 a day more.  We didn’t mean to offend, but we chuckled at the thought of pulling up to the office in a bright red corvette, hair flying in the wind. “No thanks,” we said.  “The car that was ordered would be just fine.”

The representative asked how much luggage we had because our car would only accommodate a few pieces.  A larger one would only be $14.00 a day more. “No thanks”, we said. “The car our company ordered would be just fine.” “GPS?” she asked. “Only 13.00 a day more.”  We declined and asked if she would kindly give us car that was ordered. “Sure thing”, she said.  And I would imagine you want insurance, right”? Only $6.00 a day more.” We held firm and said we were a bit behind schedule. “Let’s just finish up then, she said.  But I highly recommend prepaying for gas.”

At this point, I was finding it hard not to laugh, so I started writing a talk in my head about the danger of excessive upselling. In the background, I heard that something would only cost $2.00 a day more. Then I found out just how far my friend could be pushed when she screamed “NO. JUST GIVE ME THE CAR!” The representative said she had the perfect one for us, but I think I detected a smirk.

Did you know that a top rental car agency still has at least one car with hand crank windows and manual door locks?   I sent a picture to my kids so they could see what it was like in the good old days. “Yes, she got her laugh, but I was ahead of the game because I walked away with the framework for a talk, inspiration for this blog and some wonderful nostalgic memories.  Yes, we do want our sales force to upsell. But let’s make sure they don’t go overboard!

Lori Moser

With over 25 years of direct sales experience, Lori develops training packages for start up companies and works with established companies to update sales training and methods. Lori is an accomplished speaker and  specializes in creating presentations tailored to meet each company’s specific needs.

Lots of direct sales companies have Twitter accounts today. The problem is, few companies seem to know what to do with them. Without a clear understanding of WHY the company has the account (besides, everyone else has one so we should too) companies are broadcasting a stream of ads, without anything to show for it.

If your company is trying to figure out the best way to use Twitter, the first thing you have to ask is “Who do we want to talk to?” And in order to answer that question, you need to understand how Twitter fits into your larger marketing plan, of which social media is a part. Are you trying to find new recruits? Increase brand recognition? Increase sales? Each of these marketing goals may have a different audience. So first figure out who you want to talk to, and then you can figure out if that audience is on Twitter.

If your goal is to reach a consumer audience, frequent tweets about the features and benefits of your product line is the wrong way to go. First, no one on Twitter likes a steady stream of ads, and they’ll simply ignore you. But also, a consumer audience is often easier to find on tools such as Facebook.

Does that mean you should abandon Twitter? No. But it does mean you need a different strategy.

Instead of engaging consumers directly on Twitter, you may be better off engaging the folks that INFLUENCE your consumers. This is often popular bloggers. They often do spend time on Twitter. However a steady stream of ads won’t work with them either. Instead, you need to talk to them. Find out what’s important to them. Retweet their content, and share content they’ll find valuable. You have to actually spend time on Twitter talking to people if you want it to work for you. Simply sending out a tweet a day with information about your product or opportunity won’t do a thing for you. It takes community management to be successful.

Twitter, along with other social networks, has particular types of users. Depending on your goals, you have to engage in a certain way. It takes a skilled community manager with the time to invest in building relationships for your brand, if you want your social networking engagement to bring measurable results for your brand.

Does your company use Twitter? How’s it working for you? Who are you trying to reach? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.

Jennifer Fong helps direct sales companies leverage the power of social media marketing to increase sales and recruiting, and manage online brand perception.  She provides strategic social media consulting to companies, as well as conference speaking and training. To learn more about how Jennifer can help your company, visit http://luceandassociates.com/Jennifer-Fong.html.  You can also check out her direct sales and social media blog at http://www.jenfongspeaks.com, and her Facebook Page at http://facebook.com/jenfongspeaks.

In my last blog we explored the reasons for considering an outside a/v company vs. an in-house supplier.  Now it’s time to deal with the RFP (Request for Proposal) document itself.

 BEGIN WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW

I like to begin with a very brief overview of the event, its “who, what, where & when.”  Be specific as to dates, location and attendance.  Here’s a typical overview:

• Typical Home Parties, the direct sales division of Typical International, is having its 2011 “Believe It” National Convention at the Mammoth Hotel, in Mammoth, New Jersey, July 22-24, 2011. The event will be held in the Bodacious Ballroom, which has approximately 12,500 square feet of space.  The program will consist of equal parts promotional announcements, recognition and training for a largely female audience of approximately 500. Seating will be at rounds. 

I usually end the paragraph with a link to the room diagram of the space, which most hotels and convention centers are likely to have on their websites.  It’s also helpful to include a link to your own company’s website.  Other than that, you don’t need to go into detail about your company.

SCHEDULE

Next, I’m likely to include a brief schedule that shows what will be going on and when.  Don’t bother with a detailed presentation by presentation schedule.  Instead, offer a “glance-able” calendar-type schedule, something like this:

STATE YOUR NEEDS

Don’t try to get technical, just describe what you need equipment to do from your perspective. If you can be more specific, that’s great.  Definitely include basic dimensions, such as the approximate size of your stage and the number and size of your projection screens.  Here are some examples:

• Lighting package & crew:
  • Stage will often be full of people for recognition, so we need enough general stage lighting to fully illuminate the stage. Most other presentations will simply be an MC speaking from the lectern. No spotlights needed, just general stage lighting.
  • Appropriate crew for install, show, and strike.  
• Sound package & crew:
  • Sound system to fill room.  Music is a big part of our meeting, so we need speakers with good bass qualities.
  • One lectern microphone plus 2 wireless hand-helds or lavalieres. 
  • Onstage and backstage audio monitors.  
  • Audio mixing board with 6-8 inputs, including one dedicated to laptop for music playback.  We will supply laptop and operator.
  • Appropriate crew for install, show, and strike.  
• Projection package & crew:
  • Two off-the-stage side screens, 10 ½ x 14’ or possibly 9 x 12. 
  • Projection equipment for Mac supported visuals (Keynote with embedded videos).   Client will provide laptops and operator
  • Appropriate crew for install, show, and strike.  
• Staging:
  •  Hotel risers to create stage area approximately 40’ wide, 20’ deep, and 24” -32” high (depending on height of hotel risers). 
  • Pipe and drape to cover back of stage, and create wings and close in area between screens and upstage drape.
  • One lectern at stage right or stage left.  
  • Appropriate crew for install, show, and strike.  

Most important, tell them what total a/v your budget is, labor, gear, everything.  In short, what do you have to spend?  A/V companies are accustomed to working with all ranges of needs, but they have to have that dollar figure to give you an informed bid.  And often, they can be pretty flexible when it comes to gear, even if your budget falls short of what that gear might actually cost. 

INCLUDE PHOTOS & DIAGRAMS

If you have stage photos or room/stage diagrams from past events, include them.  Wide stage shots showing the entire stage and screen area are best.  These will go a long way in helping the a/v company understand how best to fill your needs.

Do I have your attention? Sure hope so.  Because whether you are a sales representative in the field, a corporate sales leader or simply checking out the industry, this tip will serve you well.

While exciting new products, elaborate trip promotions and “raise the roof” conventions can increase performance; the best overall strategy to build sales and recruiting is to focus on finding and nurturing Prospective Team Leaders.

A Prospective Team Leader is one who is working to reach the first level of leadership as outlined in the company’s compensation plan. This typically involves a personal sales, sponsoring and team sales requirement. When these performance minimums are met, the Prospective receives a new title and substantial bonus increase.

Why are Prospective Leaders so important?  Because they need to sell more and recruit more in order to reach their goal. And when they succeed, their increased activity will be reflected in your company’s overall performance.  It’s a simple concept but one that can easily get by us.

Now, how do we find those prospective leaders?  Stay tuned…

Image Credit: pasukara76

With over 25 years of direct sales experience, Lori develops training packages for start up companies and works with established companies to update sales training and methods. Lori is an accomplished speaker and  specializes in creating presentations tailored to meet each company’s specific needs.

We spend literally hundreds of hours a year sitting in front of our computers. And for many if not most, much of that time is spent writing, reading or reviewing Word documents. So this week I’d like to explore the 3 features of Microsoft Word that I think you’ll find most useful in the weeks and months leading up to your national event.  These features are page numbering, line numbering and macros.  Let’s briefly examine each in ascending order of complexity.

Page Numbering:  I would guess most users know this feature is there.  But I’m amazed how many multi-page documents I see that have no page numbers.  Fortunately, the procedure for adding automatic page numbering is simple and hasn’t changed significantly over the past few years.  In Word 2003, 2007 and 2010 simply choose “Insert” and then “Page Number” (“Page Numbers” in Word 2003).

Line Numbering:  This feature is indispensable if a number of people need to collaborate on or review a document before it’s finalized.  With line numbering turned on, there’s no more having to describe where a certain sentence is (“Page 4, second paragraph, about halfway down…”).   Instead, Word automatically adds a number in front of each sentence so you can identify which sentence you’re talking about instantly (“Let’s go to line 342…”).  In Word 2003, click File/Page Setup/Layout/Line Numbers and check “add line numbering.”  For Word 2007 and 2010, click Page Layout/Line Numbers, then chose from the options shown.  I prefer continuous line numbers.  Once you no longer need the line numbers, repeat the process and uncheck the line numbering box or choose “none.”

Macros:  This one scares people because it sounds technical, but Word makes it a fairly easy process.  The ability to record macros has been part of Microsoft Word for a long time, and is now included in the latest version of Word for Mac as well. 

Basically, a macro turns a lot of keystrokes into just 2 or 3 keystrokes.  Macros are great time savers, which is why I turn any word or phrase I need to type repeatedly into a macro.  I mean, why type “2011 Imagine Excellence National Sales Conference” over and over again, when you can reduce it to “Control + N” or whatever keystroke combination you choose?  Macros are especially handy when writing scripts in which company & product names, technical cues and other words are used over and over again.  They also capture formatting commands like center, bold, underline, etc.

Creating a macro does require several keystrokes, and those keystrokes vary among the 3 current versions of Word that are most commonly in use.  So to find the steps that work for your version of Word, hit the F1 Help key and type “record macro” into the window that appears.  Also, there are excellent tutorials available on YouTube and elsewhere online.  Here are a few I found:

Word 2003: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C75HdmpvkI&feature=related

Word 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5hIu9lBjWg&feature=related

Word 2010: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-make-a-macro-in-word-2010.html

Learning to record a macro may take a few minutes the first time you do it.  But believe me, once you know how, you’ll love how quickly you can accomplish those formerly repetitive typing tasks!

Writer/Events Producer Dick Wilson has used Word to create thousands of scripts, speeches and other event and promotional documents over the past 20+ years.  In the process he’s learned many shortcuts that save time and work.  Dick invites you to learn more about what he can do for you at http://luceandassociates.com/Dick-Wilson.html.

Is your company engaging successfully through social media? Are people responding to your posts on your Facebook Page? Do people comment on your blog posts? When someone mentions your company online, are you aware of it, and respond when necessary?

While a few companies might say “Yes” in our industry, unfortunately the vast majority will probably say “No,” or “I don’t know.”

Why is that? After all, social media has been around for years now. Many best practices have been defined, and consistently applying these techniques has been proven to work.

So what’s the problem?

For many of our companies, resourcing is the issue. We haven’t put someone (or a department) in place to handle online marketing for the company. For others, it’s a desire to tightly control what’s being said about the brand online, which leads us to one-way conversations without any opportunity for people to respond. And yes, there are still companies that just don’t know what to do. They don’t have the expertise internally, and they haven’t brought in a direct sales and social media expert from the industry to educate the executive team and put a comprehensive strategy in place.

The salesforce is going to lose patience with us soon. Because there are direct sales companies that get it. Companies that provide opportunities for the salesforce to develop business online, and who get people excited about the company online through corporate efforts. Those people in the salesforce who understand business will realize where the greatest opportunities lie. It’s a hard truth, but a truth nonetheless.

Let’s make this the year where we do the work that’s needed to develop engaging online presences for direct selling companies. It took a while for us to all get replicated websites, but we eventually understood the need and now it’s SOP. It’s time for the same thing to happen with social media. This is not going away. It’s only going to become more prevalent and necessary.

If your company needs help, contact me. I’ve helped many of the companies in our industry put into place comprehensive social media strategy. But don’t pull the wool over your eyes any longer. It’s going to be damaging to your business to ignore this, or do this poorly, much longer.

Your thoughts?

Jennifer Fong

Jennifer Fong helps direct sales companies leverage the power of social media marketing to increase sales and recruiting, and manage online brand perception.  She provides strategic social media consulting to companies, as well as conference speaking and training. To learn more about how Jennifer can help your company, visit http://luceandassociates.com/Jennifer-Fong.html.  You can also check out her direct sales and social media blog at http://www.jenfongspeaks.com, and her Facebook Page at http://facebook.com/jenfongspeaks.

There are an infinite number of ways to create an invitation.  But regardless of what format, size, approach or mode of delivery you use, your national conference invitation should contain these basic elements. 

1-    An attention-grabbing opening, headline or front cover. The best headline is one that promises or refers to a benefit of attending.  The creative approaches you can use are many, depending on what you have to work with.  For instance, you could build your cover/headline around:

• A quote from a previous attendee, for instance, “I never had so much fun learning so much!” or “National Conference is where I learned how to double my income!” You could also use a group of quotes that reference different aspects of the event—the fun, the training, the new products.
• One dynamic photo from your previous year’s event, something that shows fun, emotion and/or excitement.  The copy that accompanies the photo should tie into what’s pictured, but still bridge us to your upcoming event.  For example, let’s say you have a great photo of someone receiving onstage recognition.  Your headline could be something like “There’s no feeling better than on-stage recognition.  Come see for yourself at (company’s) 2011 National Conference.”
• A picture that creates anticipation, with the payoff to come at the conference.  This works especially well if your conference will reveal a major announcement or new product introduction.  Let’s say you want to tease your big new product.  You could show a photo of a wrapped gift, with the headline “What’s in the box? Come to your 2011 National Conference and find out!”

 2-    Detailed information that offers attendees plenty of reasons to come. These are the “starring moments” of your convention mentioned in my previous blog.  Obviously, some things you can reveal and others you can’t.   So hint at the things you can’t reveal (“Discover our 2012 incentive trip location”, “Be there for the reveal of not one, not two, but FIVE exciting new products!”), and then promote the specifics of what you can talk about.  This is especially true when it comes to training.  “Great training for one and all” isn’t going to convince anyone to book their flight now. But “10 Can’t Fail Tips for Recruiting at Every Party from (#1 Leader)” very well might.

 3-    Don’t Forget the Basics.  In addition to giving information about the reasons to come, don’t forget to include the basics– where and when the event is happening, the cost of registration and hotel rooms, etc.  Believe it or not, I’ve seen invitations that omitted that sort of basic information. Include photos of the hotel or convention center, plus a shot of the city if it’s an attractive or interesting destination.  And be sure to include a basic schedule that shows start/end times for each day, and what meals will be included.

 4-    Invite a response.  Ask for action and make it easy for your sales people to take action—“Register today!  Here’s how!”  Give clear instructions for registering online and offer alternatives for those who don’t have convenient internet access.  And if you choose to offer reduced early bird registration (which you should) be sure to promote that as well.

More ideas to keep in mind:

• Regardless of whether you chose to print it or send it via email, hire a professional graphic designer to create your invitation. 
• When writing copy, keep the perspective of the attendee in mind.  “The biggest event in our company’s history” offers no benefit to an attendee.  “Over $100 in free product samples” does.
• Remember to emphasize the benefits that can only be derived by attending in person—making new friends, walking across the stage for recognition, meeting the best sales leaders face-to-face.
• If you chose to deliver your invitation by email, keep its design simple, almost stark, so it can be printed easily.  That means no shaded backgrounds or fancy borders that suck up ink.
• If you’re planning on having giveaways of any sort, especially a grand prize drawing, announce it in your invitation, and keep promoting it.  A drawing that no one knows about until they arrive at your conference is throwing your money away.

A good invitation sets the tone for your national conference.  It not only conveys the pride you take in your event, it also reflects the respect and esteem you have for your sales force.  In short, it’s a powerful tool that’s yours to leverage.

Writer/Events Producer Dick Wilson has created hundreds of events and event invitations.  Dick invites you to learn more about what he can do for you at http://luceandassociates.com/Dick-Wilson.html.

One of the keys to a successful social media marketing effort is good content.  Companies have to put out great content, and so does the salesforce.  The problem is, not everyone is a writer.  And so what you wind up with are a vast range of posts, some of which represent your company well, and some that don’t.

As a company, how do you address this?  Do you outright ban consultants from producing their own content?  Or do you take the other approach, and leave it completely up to the field?  Is there middle ground?

Some vendors have been working on solutions for our industry.  I’ve seen solutions where companies can go so far as to write individual status updates that they can push out to a distributor’s Facebook Page or Twitter account.  The problem with this approach is that everyone in your company has the same status updates, which flies in the face of the “social” aspect of social media.  Nothing personal about a “form letter” update.

I think there are a couple of things that companies can do to tackle the content issue:

1. Produce sharable content – When your company puts out blog posts, status updates, videos, and other types of content, think about the types of content that would be easy and effective for your salesforce to pass along.  Don’t just send out ads.  Produce value-driven pieces that will be valued by the friends of your salesforce, and then teach your salesforce how to share them through their own social networks.
2. Provide a content “bank” – While “word for word” canned status updates aren’t terribly effective, it can be helpful to give your salesforce a group of ideas they can choose from when writing status updates and blog posts.  These can be tied to monthly promotions and incentives, new product launches, holidays, and more.  The goal is to provide more than ads, but rather useful tips and advice that will provide value.

Since social media is so content-driven, it’s important for direct sales companies to tackle this issue early on. Then your entire salesforce has the potential to put out content that represents the company as a whole well.

How does your company approach the content issue?  What advice would you give?  Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.

Jennifer Fong

Jennifer Fong helps direct sales companies leverage the power of social media marketing to increase sales and recruiting, and manage online brand perception.  She provides strategic social media consulting to companies, as well as conference speaking and training. To learn more about how Jennifer can help your company, visit http://luceandassociates.com/Jennifer-Fong.html.  You can also check out her direct sales and social media blog at http://www.jenfongspeaks.com, and her Facebook Page at http://facebook.com/jenfongspeaks.