It takes strategic planning to expand your Direct Sales Biz, and I find many direct sellers don’t allocate time to generate new circles of business on a consistent basis. If you get to a point where your run out of customers and hostesses, then you’ll know it’s time to get out and meet new people. You can’t keep going back to the same people over and over. You have to have a strategy to expand your business with new customers and new hostesses and most on a consistent basis.
In today’s world, we work on the HIGH tech of connecting with people, but you must also have the HIGH TOUCH in meeting people face to face. So, let’s begin with
#1 Turn Trade Show Contacts into Bookings, Sales and New Recruits. I use the word “Trade shows,” but this also means Vendor events, Small Craft Shows, Holiday Fairs, Health and wellness fairs. The key is you have to be committed to participate in these events. If you make this commitment, you are very serious about growing your business. I use the word serious because participating in these events is an investment and you have to know how to get results from these events. I grew my business big time from doing these events.
Two valuable secrets to have success in expanding your business doing these events are
- Learn how to “work” your booth. By that I mean knowing how to greet people and start up a conversation without pushing your products down their neck. When you learn this skill you will stand out and be exceptional at every event. Building relationships is the most important skill to learn doing these events. When you build a relationship and you ask someone (you’ve just met) for their email and permission to join your VIP customer group, you’ve captured a moment of the beginning of a relationship. Then, you keep in contact and convert them to buy, then be a hostess and that’s when your business expands. A new hostess introduces you to 10 new people who will become customers and hostesses. And through all this relational selling you will find someone who wants to join your team.
- Second secret is in the follow-up. If you don’t follow up within 24 hours, you may as well not have invested your money in this event. Yes, you can follow-up later, but don’t expect much business. Within 24 hours this person will remember you, especially if you greeted her at your booth differently than any other person at that trade show. In the follow-up you want to be prepared to connect and chat about your discussions at the booth. Thank her for connecting at the booth and let her know you’re excited to share more information through your upcoming newsletter.
Somewhere in between meeting her at the booth and following up, she may have bought something or agreed to book a show, or you’ve simply built a new relationship. The point is you’ve entered her into your lovely funnel of sharing and helping her with your beautiful products and you’ve expanded your business.
#2 Hold Fundraisers, give generously, and reap the rewards. Fundraisers will not only expand your business, they will get your name out 
in the community. I recommend offering two different fundraisers.
- The first – big event fundraiser (for me it was a Fashion Show event.) Have the organization take care of inviting guests to the event, sell tickets for the event and immediately make money for their organization. You are the FREE entertainment for the event and that means creating a presentation about your products that delights people and they learn about your products with a wow demonstration. I like to involve the organization members to help out, especially if you’re using people to sample your products. For me, I asked members to be fashion models and they loved it. After the event, give a percentage of sales back to the organization. This type of fundraiser usually involves a large audience. They take work, but they are very successful in growing new customers, and getting future bookings.
- The second type of Fundraiser is asking the organization to find 5 hostesses who are willing to give up their hostess credits. This is FUN working with 5 hostesses to invite 10-20 people over a 2 week period. You are an ace at hostess coaching, and this gives you 5 shows within 2 weeks even if you’re giving up a percentage of sales to the organization. If you’re doing Facebook parties, make it a point to reach out and build relationships with all hostesses and guests. Discuss the organizations mission and let them know you are onboard to help them raise funds and make people aware of their mission.
Both types of fundraisers will add new customers, future hostesses to your business.
#3 Speaking Engagements – or what I love to call Signature Presentations. There are many groups, organizations, chapters who are looking for people to give a 20 minute presentation that helps their members learn something new. You have to reach out and find the program planner. Your signature presentation is simply your 20 minute demonstration you give at your party. My signature presentations were
- How to Dress in Today’s Work Environment
- How to Travel lite with 10-piece wardrobe
- Closetology 101 – how to organize your closet.
These groups brought many new customers and hostesses. people and from these groups I developed a lot of new hostesses and new team members. Sharing your signature presentation with groups also builds your confidence and this expands your business.
#4 A Referral System brings you new customers, and hostesses. I find the BEST new customers come from my customer referrals. It’s important to educate your customers how to refer you. You want to be specific about your referral rewards program. With three offers —
- #1 Refer a friend who places a $100 order.
- #2 Refer a friend who decides to be a hostess.
- #3 Refer a friend who decides to join my team.
Reward your friend with the amounts that work for you. I suggest you create a referral rewards postcard and a referral rewards graphic for social media. Referrals come from excellent customer service.
#5 New customers come consistently through your Hostess. This is probably the most simplest way to expand your business with new customers. This happens when you’re hostess coaching! Simply ask every hostess to
- invite THREE people to her party who you’ve never met before.
- Get at least 3 outside orders with people you’ve never met before.
BINGO – you could have 6 NEW customers added to your database from every party you hold! If you’re holding 52 parties a year that’s over 300 new customers you add to your client base every year.
It’s the beginning of the high selling and recruiting season. Get ready to EXPAND your business. Choose TWO of the above and create a plan to implement them.
Come over to my FREE FACEBOOK group and tell me which of these you want to work on, or if you need more information, just ask me a question in the group.
Or Watch my latest YOU TUBE video on how to LAUNCH YOUR NEW SEASON!
