Alan Luce

Ever encounter someone who just does not understand what “work” is about?  When it happens, whether dealing with a young person new to the job market, or mature individual who made it to middle age thinking that a job and an income are some type of mystical birth right, I always have two nearly simultaneous reactions:  The first is to wonder about how many people had failed this incredibly naive individual.  I mean to get to adulthood without understanding what work is all about means that parents, family, neighbors, friends and teachers all failed to teach this individual some of the most important facts of life.  Yet, amazing as it is it happens.   My second reaction is that this person has never been around or been a part of direct selling.

Direct selling is the ultimate teacher about the fundamental principles of work.   In direct selling, you do something… you get something.  You do nothing…. you get nothing.   No one tells you did a “good job” when you didn’t.  No one says “ Don’t worry that you did not sell anything; we are going to pay you anyway.”

Whether your direct selling experience was long or short, a good experience or bad, people who have tried direct selling learn the indelible work lesson that doing little or nothing earns little or nothing while hard work and effort can lead to large rewards.  I cannot tell you how many parents who were also direct sellers have told me that one of the great unexpected, but deeply appreciated, benefits of their career in direct selling is that their children grew up understanding about work.  Direct selling kids learn young and well that if their direct selling Mom or Dad is to make any money, they first must go out and work to make a sale.

Learning that you must do something in order to get something out of work may be one of life’s most important lessons.  As direct sellers, we live that lesson every day.  Too bad more people don’t have that experience.

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.

Alan Luce

After nearly 40 years in direct selling, I am a firm believer in what I have come to call the Belief Multiplier Effect.  “What is it?’ you ask.  The Belief Multiplier Effect (BME) is that sudden unexplainable upsurge in your direct sales business that goes well beyond what all your analysis and projections anticipated.   Your plans called for a modest increase but suddenly the business just starts to fly!  Sales are exploding; recruiting is at all time highs and new leaders are coming out of the woodwork.  What in the heck happened?  Or perhaps more accurately, what are we doing right that we didn’t do before?

In my experience, the Belief Multiplier Effect kicks in not because of any one thing, but because the Company has done a number of things right and all of these important separate elements finally coalesce into a firm belief among your sales leaders that anything is truly possible.  When enough members of the sales force begin to really believe, then incredible things begin to happen.

Can you plan for the belief multiplier effect?  No, not really.  But what you can do is set the stage for it to occur.  How? By paying attention to the small things and gaining and maintaining the trust of your sales force.

Here are some of the key elements that must be present before there is any chance of riding the BME Express:

• Your sales force must use and love the Company products.  They must be on a mission to share the product benefits with everyone they know.
• Your sales force services must be excellent.  This includes accurate, on time shipments with little breakage.  When errors do occur the sales force must have easy access to report them and quick, cheerful solutions.  Never embarrass the sales force in front of their customers.
• The training must be effective.  If the company says that this is the way to do something, then most folks who follow the advice had better get the results promised.
• Heroes and heroines must emerge.  Nothing creates organizational belief faster than some of their own experiencing great success.   Sales force belief is peer driven.
• The sales force influence leaders must believe without doubt or question that the company will always try to act in their best interests.
• The experience of belonging to the company must be fun, educational and motivational.

When a company gets all of these various elements in alignment and those heroines and heroes are emerging and inspiring others with their stories, then the atmosphere exists for the Belief Multiplier Effect to kick in.  That’s when the results begin to significantly exceed both forecasts and expectations.  As I said, you can’t predict it, it is almost impossible to measure, and you cannot count on it being there forever.  But what you can do is work very hard to make sure that all of the elements necessary for the Belief Multiplier Effect to kick and thrive are continuously cared for, improved and nurtured. Drift, even slightly, away from the attention to detail and practices that were present when the BME kicked in and you can lose it as quickly and unexpectedly as it first appeared. Once lost, it is hard to get back.  When you’ve got it going, you and your sales force experience the true magic of direct selling.

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.

by Chris Clark

Is your customer service department the “bad guy?”  Does your sales force continually complain about customer service? Whether those impressions are real, imagined or somewhere in between, you can do something about them. Over the next few weeks I’ll share simple, proven ways to combat the negative image Customer Service Departments sometimes develop.

Let’s start with one of the easiest and most effective techniques-proactive outbound calls. These are calls to your sales force members that your company initiates; they’re not in response to any incoming calls or existing issues.  They’re the corporate equivalent of “I just called to say hi.” After all, why should the only time your sales force has contact with Customer Service be when something’s wrong?  Proactive outbound calls are one of the quickest, easiest ways to support your sales force and your company.

A typical call might begin something like this:

“Hi, this is (name) from Customer Service at (company name).  This is simply a courtesy call to see how you’re doing.  Is there any way we can help you in your business today?”

The key at this point is listening, and letting the person on the other end know you’re listening.  Let him or her speak, then summarize and repeat back to them exactly what they just said.  For instance, if your sales person mentions deliveries have been slow of late, your Customer Service rep might says something like:

“What I hear you saying is deliveries have been slower than usual recently,and that’s affecting your business.  Is that about right?”

Don’t promise quick fixes.  Do promise the issue will be looked into, and thank the sales person for their input. That’s enough.

I recommend each Customer Service rep make two proactive outbound calls a day. You’ll find your sales force will appreciate the fact that they’re simply being listened to, and they’re not out there on their own.

Look for more quick tips to improving customer service in the near future!

Chris Clark is an invaluable addition to any direct sales team, especially when it comes to the many issues that can quickly surround administration of customer service, compensation, inventory management and order processing.  Learn more about how Chris can help your company at http://www.luceandassociates.com/Chris-Clark.html.

Photo Credit: Seattle Municipal Archives

Most people are still worried about the economy, hunkered in, saving more than they have in years….. just not spending.  Even though most economists and business leaders think the worst has passed, that growth will start again in the 4th quarter, if it has not already, many consumers remain in the “bunker” mentality they have been in for the past year or more.  And that folks is the perfect time for you to really step up your direct selling business!!!!.

Sound crazy?  Believe me it’s not.  I have been a direct seller through the last three recessions, 4 including this blockbuster and I know the signs and what works for us.   We are entering the “jobless recovery” phase which means that the folks with jobs (9 out of 10) will soon begin to feel better about things because the pundits are saying that the worst is over, the stock market is doing better and housing prices are stabilizing.  However, the unemployment rate will continue at or near 10% for months to come perhaps well into the second half of next year.

But those 9 out of 10 with jobs haven’t been spending for a year or so.  When they feel better they will start spending again.  For direct sellers this means hosts will be more willing to book, more guests will be willing to come to a party and spend more than they have and more folks will be open to a one-on-one sales pitch.  But what about those 10% without jobs or who can only get part time work.  Well with the job market still slow, more and more of them are willing to think about starting their own businesses, perhaps as part of your team.  Have you asked?

Right now… right as the economic tide is starting to turn, is exactly the right time for direct sellers to dig in and do their thing: showing – selling and sharing the opportunity.  Get folks just as they want to come up and out of their bunkers and spend again.  Grab folks who can’t find a JOB and give them an opportunity to make $100 a night as many good party planners do.  Some of your colleagues are already hard at it and experiencing great results. Don’t get left behind.

Now is the time!  WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Alan Luce

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.

If you’re in direct sales, or considering starting a direct selling company, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about social media. Yes, you may have heard at your convention that members of the sales force are starting to use it for their direct selling businesses. Maybe some of your consultants have set up a Facebook Fan Page. But does YOUR company need to get started with social media? Is it really worth the time you’ll need to invest to get it set up properly? And then, do you have the time to maintain your social media presence once you’ve set everything up?

The answer is that now is the PERFECT time to put the power of social media to work for your company. Think about it. Direct sales is a networking business. Our success comes from the number of people we can get in front of each month. The more people that know about us and what we do, the more likely we will find the customers and team members that will help us achieve the success we’re dreaming of.

Social media is growing EXPONENTIALLY. Every day, more and more people are signing up for accounts on tools such as Facebook and Twitter. Consider these statistics:

• Facebook is the largest social networking site (over 70 million users in the US alone)
• More than 120 million users log on to Facebook each day
• Twitter has more than 26.5 million US users monthly, and has grown 1,382% in the last year (475,000 users in Feb ‘08 to 7,038,000 users in Feb ‘09)

If you were invited to a party with that many people, and knew you could specifically meet the people in your target market at that party, would you show up? Of course!!! The more people you meet, the more money you make. Of course, you have to use your networking skills. You need to ask about others, make connections, give and share, and generally be a nice and helpful person that engages others. However, at the end of the day, the law of averages states that you’ll find people who want to do business with you.

Despite the crazy numbers above, social media is still in its infancy. If you want to ride the tidal wave to unprecedented growth, get started NOW, before the market is so flooded that your voice can’t be heard. Establish yourself NOW within social media, and it will significantly benefit your business for years to come.

Social media also levels the playing field a bit between smaller direct sales companies and larger ones.  One of the largest limitations that smaller companies have faced is the fact that with a larger sales force, bigger companies can just reach more people.  Again that law of averages comes into play.  But with social media, EVERYONE can reach that large an audience when the tools are used strategically.  And that can give your company an edge that wasn’t possible before.

What do you think? Have you used social media to build your direct sales company? What results have you enjoyed? Would love to read your 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. 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://jenfongspeaks.com.

Jennifer Fong, Social Media Associate, recently sat down with Luce & Associates President Alan Luce to answer the most common questions direct selling executives have about social media.  The result is an article in this month’s issue of Direct Selling News.  We invite you to read the entire article here: http://www.directsellingnews.com/index.php/site/entries_archive_display/when_party_plan_and_social_media_collide

Alan Luce

Jennifer Fong

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.

Jennifer Fong helps direct sales companies leverage the power of social media marketing to increase sales and recruiting, and manage online brand perception. To learn more about how Jennifer can help your company, visit http://luceandassociates.com/Jennifer-Fong.html.

Jennifer Fong

I love analytics.  I really do.  In fact, I’ll go so far as to say I’m an analytics junkie.  Why?  Because analytics are validation.  They show how your social media efforts are paying off, and what you should be spending your time on.  It’s the hard data that you can use to find out if what you’ve done is bringing you the traffic that can make you money, or if it’s a complete waste of time.  As a company executive, it’s your measurement of ROI that helps you make good decisions moving forward.

Analytics help you answer these questions: Which posts are people reading?  Which pages are they visiting on your website?  Where are they coming from?  Where are they going next?  Are they clicking on your links?  By using simple tools, you can easily measure the return on your social media investment.

So what should you be looking at on a daily basis?

1. Blog/site visitor counts – You should have site analytics built into your blog and website.  If you’re using a wordpress.com blog like this one, the site visits are built right in.  If you’ve got a website, you should be registered for Google Analytics, and put the code on each page of your site.  Then watch the numbers over time.  When are people coming to your site, and how much time are they spending there?  Are you getting more visitors over time?  Then your strategy is probably working.  If you’re not, then you know where you need to focus your efforts.
2. What people are looking at - Does specific content draw a crowd?  What type of content does your niche market value?  For my Direct Sales & Social Media blog, one of my most popular posts ever was when I told people what NOT to do in social media. So I learned that people are looking for ways to improve upon what they’re already doing.  Good data.  And it helps me formulate what to write next.  It also helps me figure out what content to include in my newsletter.
   
3. What people are clicking on - Where do people go next?  On your website, use Google Analytics to follow their path through your content.  Do people go where you want them to go on your site?  If not, what can you change so you get the conversion objectives you’re looking for?  Maybe you need to reconsider your site’s organization to take into account certain buyer personas.  How can they best use your site?  What matters most to them?  Make sure there’s a clear path for them.If you’re a blogger, do people care about the links you post?  Are they subscribing to your newsletter or considering the product you’re highlighting?  By taking a look at the percentage of visitors that click, you can determine how engaging your leadup is, and if you need to make changes.
4. Where people are coming from – What is driving traffic to your site?  Which search engine are most visitors using, and what keywords are they using that finds you?  Are other bloggers referring to your work?  Are your social networking efforts resulting in traffic to your blog or website?  By keeping track, you can thank people that mention you, keep doing the things that are providing you with results, and focus your efforts on the areas where you need to improve.For example, when I was CEO of a direct sales company, we taught our sales force how to use Facebook to market their businesses.  Facebook became one of the top 5 referrers to our corporate website, with 3-5 times the average visit length of any other referrer.  What did this tell us?  That our training efforts were paying off, and our efforts in social media were effective.

   Another story…when I started my Direct Sales & Social Media blog, I posted occasional articles to LinkedIn groups I was a part of.  I didn’t see many comments there, and it was tempting to think that this effort was a waste of my time.  However, I discovered through analytics that most of my weekend traffic comes through LinkedIn, and so it’s a valuable activity for me to continue.  Without analytics, I never would have known.

5. Link analytics are also important.  By using http://cli.gs or the equivalent (there are plenty out there) you can see how many people are clicking on the links you use in your emails and throughout social networking sites.  Does the following you’ve built care about what you’ve posted?  Does anybody click in Facebook and Twitter when you recommend something?  By using a link analytics tool, you can find out.

There are many components to an effective analytics strategy.  But by keeping on top of your analytics, you can measure growth, and adjust your efforts accordingly.  And that helps you to continually improve your overall social media marketing plan and strategy.

How are you using analytics?  How have they helped you with your overall social media strategy?  Would love to read your 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. To learn more about how Jennifer can help your company, visit http://luceandassociates.com/Jennifer-Fong.html.

by Alan Luce

Alan Luce

Like the rest of the country, many direct selling families are having a tough time.  Jobs are scarce, overtime is almost non-existent and prices for the essentials keep going up.  In a recession largely caused by the failure of our elected and financial sector leaders to act honestly and responsibly, it is hard to know who to trust.

In days gone by we looked to someone’s “character” to gage whether a person was worthy of our trust.  A person’s “character” is almost a forgotten measuring stick in this world where all that seems to matter is how much money one makes or whether he or she won the election.   What they did to make their money or what tactics they used to win their election didn’t seem to matter.

Yet never has there been a time when the old fashioned notion of good character is more needed as a public standard.  A person’s character is not measured by any one talent or accomplishment, no matter how great or noteworthy. A person’s character was based upon measuring their honesty, truthfulness, courtesy, respect for others, kindness, sense of fair play, integrity and honor.  To be deemed a “success” a person had to have good character.  Without good character, a person was simply rich or famous or notorious, but certainly not someone to trust with decisions important to you.

The one area where character and leading by example is still the full measure of success is  direct selling.  Direct sellers are all volunteers.  They work as part of a leader’s team or downline because they want to, not because they have to.  Leaders who never ask their recruits to do work that they are not doing, leaders who teach even the newest all the tasks and methods to be successful, leaders who work to make you successful are the ones who achieve the most, climb the highest , last the longest and have the most respect.  In the transparent world of direct selling, the volunteer sales force soon ferrets out the untruthful, the manipulative, the dishonest and the self serving. Such people lack” character” and do not last as their followers soon figure out that the only success they are interested in is their own.

In tough times like these, the leaders with the best character in the full sense of that word are the ones that will help every recruit find their way, lead by example in all of the necessary work, and play by the rules no matter what the cost.  They succeed where others fail because character still counts!

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.

by Jennifer Fong

Jennifer Fong’s Facebook Profile

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend recently where software companies claim to solve all of a direct sales company’s social media requirements with their latest and greatest software tool.  Companies can control the message their sales force sends, they claim!  You can build a whole community within your own little bubble, within your control!  While I am not knocking any particular software application, I think it’s important to realize that you don’t need to pay for a software platform in order to use social media effectively.

Part of the beauty of social media is the fact that the tools where the most people currently are, are free.  If you build your own social community on your own website, you’re going to have to complete the additional step of driving traffic there.  What’s the compelling reason for your prospects to come to your community?  Why not operate in environments such as Facebook, where your prospects already hang out?  Why would they go to your homegrown community for fun?  To be sold?  I don’t think so.

You also need to realize that the conversation is going to go on within Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking platforms whether you participate or not.  You will not be able to tightly control the message.  This is why monitoring is an essential component of your overall social media strategy.  When you know what people are saying about your brand, and participate when necessary to solve problems, you gain respect in the social media world, which brings increased respect for your brand.

Now I’m not saying that direct sales companies shouldn’t consider software solutions.  But it’s important to take a step back and consider the overall goals of your social media and total marketing program first.  What do you want to accomplish?  Who are you trying to reach?  Where do you want to drive traffic, and what are the conversion objectives? How will participation with your brand shape brand perception?  How will you measure success?  Without answering these critical questions first, investing in an expensive software platform is a mistake.  And if you’re a small to mid-size company, a software solution may not even be necessary.  After all, the popular social media platforms are free.  Your biggest investment will be the man-hour resources needed to implement your social media strategy properly.

Jennifer Fong

Basic sales strategy says you go where the people are.  It’s not “If you build it they will come.”  People are already using free social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter, and that’s where they’re connecting with others.  Some are already complaining that they’re overwhelmed with these tools.  Why on earth would you want to add another?  You don’t want to make doing business with you a social media chore.  Instead, blend into the communities that already exist, bring value, and drive traffic that relates to your conversion objectives.  That’s how you’ll experience success with your overall social media strategy.

Your thoughts?  Would love to read them in the comments!

Jennifer Fong helps direct sales companies leverage the power of social media marketing to increase sales and recruiting, and manage online brand perception. To learn more about how Jennifer can help your company, visit http://luceandassociates.com/Jennifer-Fong.html.

by Alan Luce

Alan Luce

What a year 2009 has been so far!  For direct sales party planners this year of recession has been challenging in many respects.  A few companies seem to be blowing right through the economic downturn as though it isn’t there.  Other companies are struggling to keep their businesses on course.  It is a year of anomalies: for many companies the surprise is that the all important retail-sales-per-guest and party average retail sales figures have held steady or dropped just slightly, but the bottom has dropped out of the activity rate.  In these companies the primary obstacles seem to be a lack of confidence among the sales force that hosts will book in this economy and that the hosts will  be able to get guests to attend the party.  Though the statistics from the parties held dispute this belief, once that lack of confidence invades the sales force it is hard to displace.

The best solution that I have seen to the booking and attendance “confidence” problem is to find great “good news” stories and publish them frequently to the sales force.  Do not wait for your traditional communications vehicle schedule.  Create short attractive story templates and tell the stories about great new Consultant first party results, hostess success results where they set a goal to get $100 of free stuff and surpassed their goal.  In addition to publishing these good news stories out to the field weekly, put the same stories with new Consultant, new leader and host testimonials on the company public web site.

We all know that we are working with mostly part-time volunteer sales forces.  But sometimes we forget just how much of their party plan business activity is driven by their “confidence and belief” in the business.  The more that we can give them proof that their peers and colleagues are enjoying success when they choose to work in this economy, the more our sellers will get their sales “mojo” back and our businesses will grow again.

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.