Читать книгу Direct Selling For Dummies - Ellsworth Belinda - Страница 7

Much of this book is devoted to helping you work through the many details of direct selling, and I devote whole chapters to explaining the many facets and supporting you in making decisions.

Let’s say for a second that you’ve picked your product and company and have decided to join up. What happens then? What are you in for? Here is a simple checklist you can follow as you take your first steps in your new business.

While waiting for your kit:

✔ Get a date book or calendar big enough to write in. This is where you will schedule your meetings, appointments, and parties.

✔ Mark all the dates that you want to work for the next two months and add any personal conflicts to your calendar. If your goal is to work Tuesdays and Thursdays, then put a star on each of those dates. This will help you offer dates to clients who want to set parties or appointments with you.

✔ Schedule your launch party. Your launch party is a party you host yourself that will launch your business to your family and friends. For best results, you’ll schedule two launch parties within three days of each other. Chapter 8 talks all about launch parties.

✔ Make a working list of people you know (50–100 names) and their contact info. (See Chapter 7 for help on creating your list of 100.)

✔ Post your plans on Facebook and tell your friends and family how excited you are about your new business. (For more information on how to utilize social media in your business, head over to Chapter 11.)

✔ Invite as many people as you can to your launch party(ies) (check out Chapter 8 for more information).

✔ Schedule four to five additional home parties (see Chapter 9) or appointments (Chapter 12) in a 30-day time frame. In this case, you will ask people who could not attend your launch parties to host parties of their own. See Chapters 7 and 8 for more information.

✔ Invite a friend to start a business with you. Statistics show that when you start the business with a friend, your chances of success are much higher. (See Chapter 14 for more on recruiting.)

✔ Set up your personal website that your company provides. Your company will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to do this. This is a website you will be able to share with your customers and use for marketing purposes. Customers will be able to order directly from your website and find out more information on hosting a party or joining the business.

✔ Get to know your virtual office. Your virtual office is the portal your company will provide where you can place orders, access training, and get other company information. Don’t get overwhelmed by your virtual office. Ask your leader to walk you through placing your first order and navigating your way.

✔ Set up a space that you will use as your personal office (see Chapter 5 for tips on organization).

✔ Attend one or more of your sponsor’s or leader’s parties or interviews in your area. Learning from others who are already experienced in this business is a great way to become more comfortable with the presentation, selling, and recruiting aspects.

✔ Create an outline for your presentation (see Chapter 9).

Once your kit arrives:

✔ Set up your kit display and take a photo. Post it on Facebook to show your friends and family.

✔ Familiarize yourself with the catalog and products.

✔ Place your first order.

✔ Order additional business supplies.

✔ Set up your kit and practice your presentation and invite someone to come over to help you get some practice. Your presentation will include your product demonstration as well as the other elements of a successful party, like the opening talk, booking talk, and closing. For more information on all this, see Chapter 9.

✔ Open a separate checking/savings account for your business.

✔ Invite more friends to try the business with you. Recruiting or sponsoring new team members is usually a component of your company’s “Fast Start” program. You should be able to attract new recruits from your launch party and other parties (see Chapter 14 for more on recruiting).

✔ Familiarize yourself with your company’s Fast Start program. This program is designed by your company to help you succeed in your first 90 days of business.

✔ Familiarize yourself with your company’s compensation plan. Your leader will be able to walk you through this.

✔ Learn how to coach your first host. Check out Chapter 10 for more on host coaching.

It may seem confusing, or even overwhelming. Don’t worry. That’s why I wrote this book. Most people join a company and then ask themselves, What do I do first? What does this jargon being thrown around even mean? And what do I really need to know, right now, to get moving so I can earn some money?

That is where the list of steps comes in. Keep coming back to it if you begin to feel lost. You will have a shorter learning curve and feel more confident if you pay attention to the list, read the related chapters in this book, and seek additional guidance and training from your company – and especially from your sponsor and your upline.

My Introduction to direct sales

I was bitten by the direct sales bug at a young age. When I was 14, my mother was invited to a Mary Kay cosmetics party, and I really wanted to go. Most likely, she was looking forward to a nice evening spent with other adults, because she said I couldn’t come. But as a teenage girl, I simply could not resist the appeal of makeup and a party, so I hopped on my bicycle and rode over to her friend’s house. My arrival was perfectly timed – it was too dark for her to send me home alone on my bicycle.

The Mary Kay director (a top position in a direct sales company) quickly assessed the situation and graciously asked me to be her special helper for the evening. Apparently, she was pleased with my assistance, because at the end of the party she asked whether I would be interested in helping her a few days a week after school. Of course I said yes. At the time, I had no idea that accepting that part-time fun “job” as well as meeting company founder Mary Kay Ash a year later would lead to a 35-year-long career working in direct sales, as an independent representative just like you, in corporate roles, and as a sought-after-speaker, trainer, and expert.

I love this industry and it is my pleasure to share its power with people like you and help you experience as much success as possible by providing practical training, specifics on how to grow a successful business, and tips on what to avoid on your business journey.