by: Karen Moehr
Total views: 83 Word Count: 473
According to Direct Selling Association statistics, 85
percent of direct sales people spend fewer than 30 hours per week working their
business. Working part-time is the reason many people go into the business of
direct sales in the first place. But what are some proven methods that will help
you work smarter, not longer?
A top-level producer with one company has worked with her company for over seven
years. A mother of three and an elementary school teacher, she's taking time off
from teaching to work her direct sales business while her children are small.
"Touch your business every day," she advises. "It is easy, being at home, to let
things slide. I make sure, even on lazy days, to do something productive toward
my goals."
Another top seller home schools her four children, manages a successful career
with a skincare direct sales company, is an author and a motivational speaker,
and owns a company that provides recognition gifts and ideas to support direct
sales uplines. Financial freedom and flexibility are what she likes best about
direct selling. She says perseverance and determination are keys to success.
"Take one baby step at a time," she cautions. "When you're faithful and
consistent in the little things, your business will grow beyond belief."
When asked what she likes best about direct sales, a Senior Director with
another popular direct sales company replied, "I love the flexibility it affords
me. I am able to decide when I want to work and how much. I am able to have my
toddler at home with me while I work, and I am able to take a break at any time
I wish and for any reason, whether I have a doctor's appointment, a play date
for my daughter, or even if I just want to enjoy a nice day outside."
She recommends treating your direct sales business like...well, a business!
"Most people who are in the business are in it to make money, and to make money
you have to work. The difference between a business and a hobby is that in a
business you make money; in a hobby you spend money."
All three top producers agree that goals are a major key to success in direct
sales.
"Set clear goals," one says. "I make sure to do what it takes to work toward
that goal every day.
"Dreams are essential," agrees another. "Whatever you talk about and are most
passionate about, that's what you'll sell the most of."
"I strongly feel that if you know where you are heading," one says, "and you are
determined to get there, that you can achieve it."
Research cited by the Direct Selling Association underscores the validity of
these three direct sales professionals' statements. Of the many reasons people
choose direct selling, flexible work schedules and the fact that earnings are in
proportion to efforts are among those highest on the list.
About the Author
Sell More Today! Karen Moehr is owner of Moehr &
Associates, a specialized marketing company serving the direct sales
industry. Ms. Moehr is also author of several books including, Direct Seller
Guide: Get Booked Solid! and Top Sellers Tell...Top Direct Sales Pros Tell
How They Achieved Big Success!
www.isellmoretoday.com
Source:
WAHArticles.com
by: Gary Wollin
Total views: 78 Word Count: 717
Good salespeople are aggressive, dynamic types. Everybody
knows that.
There are plenty of good salespeople out there. They have good product
knowledge. They have good selling skills. And they are likable. The more
competition you have, the more products that can do the same or similar things
as yours, the more you need to help and advise your customers, not just sell to
them.
Great salespeople are an extremely valuable commodity because they are in such
short supply. So, what are the bottom line differences between good salespeople
and great?
Great salespeople are continually trying to better themselves. They are always
layering on new skills while honing the skills they already have.
Don't just be GOOD. Many of your competitors are good and they're doing
everything that they can to be better. Become dissatisfied with good. If you are
good - want to be excellent. Then become dissatisfied with excellent. When you
are excellent, want to be outstanding. Continue along this path as far as you
can.
Great salespeople also have a higher level of ambition than ordinary
salespeople. Sure, they want all of the things that money can buy, such as
bigger houses bigger cars and more interesting vacations. They also want the non
- tangible things that money can buy such as respect, admiration and more
freedom.
Another big difference between good and great is that great salespeople have a
love for selling.
Now, you and I both know that it's possible to make a great deal of money
selling without having any love for it. So, what's the big deal? The big deal is
that at the end of a long career in sales, you have been competing against
people who do love it. This means that for your entire career you have been
competing against people who are willing to invest more time, and more energy in
what they do for a living because they love what they're doing.
Putting more time and energy into any endeavor will almost always lead to
greater success. This is as true for selling as it is for playing chess, playing
piano or playing baseball.
Imagine working for thirty years competing against people like that. For most of
your career, you will feel like the salmon swimming upstream. You will have had
a very long, very tiring journey, and, at the end of this long journey you will
be completely worn out.
But, most importantly, great salespeople are great because they want to get the
most out of themselves. The big money is a byproduct of being great. It's just
another way of keeping score.
Selling is a 'winner take all' competition. The customer rewards the winner at
the expense of everybody else. If you are even just slightly better than your
competition, you will earn much, much more money.
Let's say you and I are competing salesmen, going after the same big account. If
you are only 2 percent better than I am - follow-up, service, closing ability,
etc. - and you make the sale, do you get only 2 percent more commission than I
do? Of course not. You get it all. You get 100 percent and I get nothing.
That's why a very small increase in your ability or effectiveness can lead to a
very large increase in your income.
Here is the one thing that you can do to give yourself that extra advantage over
your competition. This is the one strategy that can catapult you from good to
great. By adding this one weapon to your arsenal you can guarantee that you will
dramatically increase your income.
The solution is to study and understand how your customer is going to use your
goods or services - in depth. The best salespeople see things through their
customers' eyes. You must not only profile your customer, you must profile their
customer too.
That's it. The fastest way to dramatically increase your sales is to understand
and help your customers' customers.
CONCLUSION Each and every single day, we are being tested as salespeople because
clients and prospects vote with the dollars they spend. Show the buyer how they
will make or save money by using your goods or services. It is even better if
you can translate that into dollars and cents.
Do these things and I can assure you that you will have all of the great
successes that your heart desires.
About the Author: Gary Wollin has worked on Wall Streetas a salesman since 1962. He has been regularly featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and many other publications around the world. He writes and speaks about selling, customer loyalty and sales, and stock market outlook, donating 100% of his fees to charity. For more information, please visit http://www.garywollin.com