By now you should have determined the “Big 3” of your event—your theme, schedule and a budget. The next step is to focus on what will likely prove to be a major part of your budget, your audio/visual and staging. This process begins by putting together a Request for Proposal, usually referred to as an “RFP”, for your sound, lights, staging, and projection.

Assuming your event is taking place in a convention center or hotel, you first need to think about if it’s even worth considering suppliers other than the in-house a/v company. That’s because many facilities, especially larger hotels, actively discourage their convention clients from using suppliers other than their in-house company. After all, the hotel gets a cut of whatever you spend with their in-house supplier.  On the other hand, in-house suppliers are generally competent, professional and certainly convenient.  But they may or may not be the best resource to fill your particular needs. So the first step is to determine what restrictions you might be facing. Here’s how to begin.

First, scrutinize your hotel/convention center contract, especially if you never broached the a/v topic when you were negotiating that contract. Assuming your contract is a searchable document such as a Word or PDF document, look for terms like “a/v”, “audio visual”, “support”, etc.  Restrictions can vary.  Your contract might require you to use the in-house a/v company, period.  Or you might discover that while there are no outward restrictions, there are a host of extra charges associated with bringing in an outside company. Two of the most common charges are:

1. Rigging charges - Basically, this is the cost of securing a/v equipment to the ceiling. Many facilities demand clients use their own approved riggers, and end result is you end up paying more than you otherwise would have.
2. Power drop charges - This is the cost of bringing enough electricity into your meeting room to run your show. Hotels & convention centers might charge more for these services when outside a/v companies are brought in.

Even if you don’t find any a/v restrictions in your contract, it’s prudent to ask your hotel/convention center representative directly if there are any additional charges involved in using an outside company.  Get it in writing.

Once you know exactly what your options are, it’s time to get on with the actual process of writing the RFP.  We’ll deal with that in another post.  Meanwhile, just remember the best way to avoid surprises regarding a/v charges is deal with them directly before you sign your hotel/convention center contract.

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.

As direct sales companies begin planning for their summer events, a multitude of printed materials will be written, designed and distributed by mail and internet. The degree to which those documents are persuasive, understandable and complete could have a big impact on the success of the event. So before too many invitations, brochures, forms, schedules and other key event documents are released into the wild, allow me to offer a word of advice. The word is “proofread.”

The negative results of careless or non-existent proofreading are the stuff of legend. A notable example of this happened not long ago to a luckless newspaper copy editor. Spell check turned what should have been the word “apostle” into “apostate,” which means almost the exact opposite. A quick proofreading would have revealed the mistake, but that didn’t happen. Instead thousands of newspapers were printed, distributed and then hastily recalled.

Drawing on long ago personal experience, I can recall struggling to follow a college economics text book that was full of complex charts & graphs. The chapter ended with the words “So clearly, Chart A is now equal to Chart B.” The problem was, everything in the pages leading up to that sentence pointed to the opposite conclusion. Hours of frustrating rereading the text didn’t help. Nor did it help the next day when I asked the professor about it.  It turned out the text book had a typo. “Now” should have been “not.”

So at best, typos create confusion and frustration, and that can create problems in any business environment. In a recent blog post entitled “Spelling and Grammar Matter” at JenFongSpeaks.com, my colleague Jennifer Fong pointed out, “You’re communicating for your business. And you can undermine your credibility if your messages are full of mistakes. To be honest, by the time I hit the 3rd spelling mistake in a post, my brain checks out. I no longer take the author seriously.”  

Typos can be costly in a more literal sense as well. Misplaced letters, even punctuation marks, have cost companies millions. If you don’t believe me, check out “the world’s most expensive typos” at http://www.typobuddy.com/blog/index.php/2008/09/22/the-worlds-most-expensive-typos/

These days, typos can result not only from careless keystrokes, but also over-reliance on spell check, which rarely spells or checks perfectly. Often it turns the right word into the wrong one. I call this “Revenge of the Word Processor” which I define as the unintentionally amusing, embarrassing or goofy results that happen when people let their spell check software run, well, unchecked.

So please, take the time to proofread. I suggest you follow these 3 steps for every document you intend to share with an audience of any size:

1. Begin with spell check. It’s definitely a helpful tool to catch common spelling or typographical errors. But carefully examine what your spell check wants to change. Don’t just keep clicking “change” or “accept.”  That’s the only way to make sure you don’t fall victim to Revenge of the Word Processor. 
2. Once you think your document is perfect, read it aloud to yourself. You’ll be surprised what this process reveals… awkward phrasing, missing words, bad punctuation and typos too!
3. Have someone other than you proofread your document. Preferably this person should be not only a good speller, but also have a fine eye for detail. 

The business of direct sales is all about communication, much of it written. And the finishing touch to any communiqué should always be careful proofreading.  

Writer/Events Producer Dick Wilson is an inveterate proofreader. He has been known to correct writing & spelling errors on menus, signs and other publicly displayed documents. However, if you find an error in this blog post, Dick asks that you please keep it to yourself. On the other hand, if you would like expert help with anything to do with writing or event production, Dick would be delighted to hear from you. Learn more about what Dick can do for you at http://luceandassociates.com/Dick-Wilson.html.

This post was originally published on Jennifer Fong’s Direct Sales and Social Media blog at http://www.jenfongspeaks.com.

Last night I signed up for NetFlix.  Now I realize that I am probably the last living American to do so.  But I’ve been a Blockbuster Video loyalist for decades, and wasn’t in any hurry to change that status.  But the Netflix business model finally hooked me, when I discovered we could stream videos on demand to our TV through our Wii, and have 1 DVD at a time, all for a monthly fee that was less than 2 videos a month at Blockbuster.

And it really got me to thinking about business models, and how getting too comfortable with ours can cause us to lose touch with what appeals to even our most loyal customers.  You see, Blockbuster was on top for a really long time.  And holding that percentage of the market share, in my opinion, made them short-sighted.  They didn’t even consider the competition anymore.

Yet the competition was innovating.  It started through a mail order service…where DVDs from a list you create online would be shipped to you to keep as long as you like. Then, when you’re done, you ship it back (postage free) and get another DVD on your list.  For some people this was super convenient.  Yet for people like me, their loyalists, we wanted to choose the movie we were in the mood for the night we wanted to watch it.  The NetFlix model didn’t meet that need, and so we stayed with Blockbuster.

The next thing I was aware of was the on-demand model.  We’re not big TV watchers in my house (heck, I’ve still got a VCR!), so we didn’t upgrade to a cable box until we were forced to by our cable company.  At that point we got a whole collection of on-demand programming that we could access for a fee similar to what we would pay at Blockbuster (as well as a collection of free children’s programming).  Without leaving our house.  You couldn’t keep your movie for a week (my kids like to watch things multiple times), but it was sure convenient to not have to leave the house on rainy nights.  We took advantage of some programming through the cable company. Yet we still remained loyal to Blockbuster too, signing up for the loyalty program, etc.

But then Blockbuster began to betray our trust.  They switched from 7 day rentals to 5 day rentals, and didn’t tell anyone (well I assume it was on our paper receipt, but they failed to mention it.)  We racked up late fees as a result (didn’t Blockbuster a while back do away with late fees?  Yeah, not anymore.  We didn’t know that either.)  The loyalists that they should have been rewarding and courting were experiencing betrayal after betrayal.  We didn’t matter to them!

Then I saw a blog post about how we could have 1 DVD at a time in the mail, plus on demand programming to our TV, for under $10 a month through NetFlix. I fiddled a bit and saw how easy it would be to set up. It was a no-brainer.

By the way, have YOU seen any online social efforts to reach me through Blockbuster, either through sponsored blog posts, Twitter, etc.?  To retain my business?  I certainly haven’t. Other than the regular email I get trying to sell me stuff, I never hear from them at all.

And so Blockbuster has lost another loyal customer.  Because they weren’t listening.  And they weren’t paying attention to my needs.

As direct sellers, we have to be very careful that we don’t make the same mistake.  We are VERY fond of our business model, and very slow to change.  And that’s because it works.  But if we don’t continue to adapt to modern technology, and the way our customers want to shop, we could easily go the way of Blockbuster.  It’s hard to believe, but in this day and age there are still direct selling companies that don’t provide their reps with personal websites for shopping.  There are still companies that aren’t reaching out to customers through the social web.  And yet consumers are telling us, loudly, that they EXPECT to be able to interact with their brands online.

Look at Stella and Dot as an example.  How did this direct sales jewelry company get so big so fast? By taking advantage of the social web, and encouraging its reps to do the same.  They haven’t abandoned direct selling principles.  But they’re smart enough to add online technology to the mix, in order to provide their customers with the shopping experience that fits into their lives.  And as a result, they are on par with the Silpadas and Cookie Lees of the world, who have been around a LOT longer.

Customers aren’t going to bend to your traditions.  At least not very long.  They expect you to adapt to them.  Are you prepared to do so?

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.

It’s not uncommon in the virtual world we live in for a customer or representative to never see the home office of the company they frequent or even work for.  In many cases the only glimpse many see of a company are the visuals they produce.  That means any and all visual materials on your company’s website, including training or promotional materials, event videos and more are in essence your “storefront.”

Now if your storefront literally sat on a street somewhere, most companies would spend a great deal of effort to make sure its image is presented in the best way possible. Yet I’m often surprised at the very noticeable shortcuts some companies take with their visuals.  Especially when now more than ever, every opportunity to present visual media is an opportunity to subconsciously communicate values and build rapport with your audience.  The old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” is truer today than it has ever been!

With that in mind, what can you do to improve the production value of your media project?  Here are a few thoughts:

1. At the start of every project, take a look at the big picture first.  What do you want the take away to be for this piece?   Who will benefit from this and how many ways can it be used?  What production value should you target and what shelf life would you expect from each piece?
2. Take time to select the right creative team.  Make sure the people you bring on can translate your vision.
3. Set a realistic budget. Remember, marketing your brand. So don’t handicap your creative team (and undermine your brand) by beginning with an unrealistic budget.
4. While consistent branding is good, sometimes a departure from the norm is healthy.  Visual media can be a great way to have fun and keep your brand from looking stale or stodgy. So don’t be afraid to let your creative people be creative.
5. Keep current in your industry. What trends are fresh?  What are people talking about? Make sure your visual media reflect the fact that you keep up with times. This is where it helps to hire an outside producer or other creative people. They’re likely to have a good idea of what is current and can bring a fresh look and feel to your projects.

We live in a visually saturated society.  The companies that embrace new tools and new media, and then use them effectively, are better positioned for success.  That not only means success in sales, but also success in conveying a contemporary image.  So look at every visual project as an opportunity to communicate core values that unite, inspire and impress.

A seasoned video producer/director,  graphic designer, recording engineer,  animator, Michael is self-described computer geek who loves getting involved in every aspect of his clients’ projects.  Serving clients all over the world, he creates the types of business communications that people love to experience.

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.

Every direct seller knows the key to success is recognition.  That recognition often takes place onstage at a Leadership Conference and/or National Convention.  However, while most agree that doing recognition is important, not everyone understands how to do recognition well.  It all begins with good organization and preparation.

Here’s a checklist I often use to help make sure everything goes smoothly and nothing “slips through the cracks.”

Offstage:

• Compile and finalize all recognition at the office prior to departure
• Triple check everything (using three different people)
• Create a recognition (reader) list for each recognition.  Make sure pages are numbered, the name of the recognition is clearly spelled out at the top of the page, and pronunciations of all names are checked.
• If it’s numbered recognition, the list should be highest number (10) with a build to lowest (1)
• The lists should be prepared in large type so it is easy to read under bright lights and other possible distractions
• Have lists in order of the conference schedule

Onstage:

• Once on location, rehearse each recognition.  Make sure you address each of these issues:
  • How the recipients come onto the stage.  “Up the side steps, down the center steps” is probably the most common path, since this allows those being recognized to keep their front and sides to audience.
  • Where the recipients will be and who will place them.
  • How the awards will be presented.  Usually one person (behind the scenes) sets up the awards and gives them to a corporate person, usually the sales leader, who then hands the award to the presenter (Founder, CEO, etc.)
  • Where #1 will be placed, usually center stage.
  • Will a photo be taken?  If so, who will be included in photo, and where will they stand?
  • How will the recipients leave the stage
  • If parade recognition (up one way and down another way)
    • All of the above plus:
      • Have a skirted rolling table to distribute the award or have trays (black, silver, acrylic) with the items ready for presentation
      • Set your rolling table backstage, or if that’s impractical, cover it and set it onstage.  Awards should be arranged in order of presentation.

 The absolute worst thing that can happen at any direct sales event is recognition that goes wrong.  Preparation and organization are the best ways to ensure that doesn’t happen to you!

Chris Clark

Chris Clark is consistently dedicated to the success of our business.  No project is too big or small for her to tackle and she completes each with professionalism, timeliness, and enthusiasm.    We always enjoy working with Chris.

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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.

Largely out of necessity, most startup companies perform all functions of running their business, including picking and packing orders.  That’s a good thing, because this function can be one of the most time consuming and costly pieces of operating the business.  But it can quickly turn into a costly and time-consuming bottle neck during busy times, like the end of month, holidays, etc. 

It doesn’t have to be that way!  A little thought and planning can go a long way in streamlining your pick & pack process, and protecting your budget at the same time. Your goal should be to keep the process as simple as possible, so it requires minimal training and little knowledge about your company.  That way, when those busy times hit you can easily bring in temporary help, and keep your experienced and knowledgeable staff working at their regular jobs.  So here are a few thoughts in keep in mind:

 1- NUMBERS:  Everyone can understand a number, so arrange your products by numbers, not names, categories or other verbal descriptions.

 2-SHELVING: Put the product on shelves (preferably flow racks) that can be filled from behind. This allows picking to continue while the product is being filled.  It also helps to put the shelves in a half circle or horseshoe so the packing station is at the end AND the beginning of the picking line. That way there’s no wasted time going from one end of the line to the other.

 3-ACCESSORIES: Have a rolling cart or a conveyor rack to move the product through the picking line.  And put all materials necessary to pack an order together on one packing station.  Doing these things not only saves time & money, it avoids injuries. It’s also a good idea to create a separate weigh station (if not part of your packing station) to easily and quickly create labels and manifests.

 These few steps will result in quicker, more efficient picking and packing of products.  And that means less labor costs, inefficiencies and bottlenecks for you!

Chris Clark

Chris Clark worked her magic with our warehouse as well as our Consultant Care team. Chris had a hands-on approach and used her extensive experience to guide us towards what worked best for our particular business. Chris had great follow up, always checking back to be sure we were comfortable with any changes and to answer questions. I felt I had a true partner in the changes we made and that Chris was as excited about our success as we were. I would recommend her to anyone in the Direct Selling field! - Pat Difani, Private Quarters, Director of Sales Operations

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