With the right tools,you can trust yourself to be the expert at marketing to moms.
MLM
Reality
by Karen Tranchitello
Have
you ever gotten those emails that say you can earn $30,000 a month,
or maybe you have seen these infomercials on late night TV? Regular
people just like you and me are getting rich, just by joining a
program and following their plan! There ARE people getting rich,
but is it the plan or are these far from average people? What makes
some people join with all the enthusiasm in the world, just to give
up a month later? Well, I was one of those that gave up. I joined
a Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) program and failed. Tail between my
legs, I slipped into the darkness of wondering what went wrong.
I went to the meetings, I was excited about the business, and I
watched others receive big bonus checks. Why did I lose over $1000
when others were becoming millionaires? This began my quest to figure
out what it takes to make the big bucks while staying at home with
my children.
The
first strike against me was that I had joined a company that sold
a product that I had no interest in. How is it that I didn't see
that? Hmmm, after working in marketing and taking classes, I should
have known better. I know all the tricks and still fell for it?
YES! So, embarrassing but "YES, I FELL FOR IT!" I took
the basic knowledge I had about myself and my interests, threw it
aside to join a company that was of NO interest to me because the
advertising of the company made it so darn appealing and look so
easy. You have to start with YOUR passion and go from there.
I would like to tell you about the three extraordinary people in
three different companies that I have interviewed and their advice
for sales:
The
first person is a man from my church. He started a in Multi Level
Marketing program and stuck with it. It paid off for him. Now he
collects his big checks and goes around doing inspirational speaking.
His advice was to tell one new person a day about your business.
Sounds simple, right? Think about how many people you would have
to talk in one year. I would run out of people that I know in three
months. Then I would have to start striking up conversations with
strangers which would make me uncomfortable. Since on average, only
two percent of the people you tell about your business will actually
sign up (depends on the company). This would mean a lot of rejection.
Eventually, over the years he built a huge down line. It worked
for him because he went out, put the fear of rejection aside, and
did the talking. He did what others weren't willing to do and it
worked for him.
The
second example, is actually a husband and wife team. They do over
two million dollars in sales a year without ever once having to
pay for advertising. They have done it all by word of mouth. How
do you get people to talk about your business? Well, even after
one conversation with this couple you get to see how this works.
They really listen to whoever they are talking to and promote others,
not themselves. This seems to come back around to them. I was once
looking for a job change. They asked me what I was interested in.
Within minutes, they had a friend on the phone who was in the field
I was looking into. This couple listened to people, remembered what
business they were in, and took action when they saw a chance to
help that person out. In return, they are remembered and the referrals
keep rolling in. Often times we are so excited about our own business
that we don't get a chance to let others talk. People will get bored
of you if all you do is talk about yourself and your business. In
my phone book, I take notes of all the moms I know (ok, I try).
I have their personal interests, their business, and all their children's
names and ages. Try to send cards (email cards are great, my own
children love them) to their children and to the mom. Everyone likes
to be remembered.
Finally,
there is my brother-in-law. His father, who is now retired , was
a president for a major cosmetics company. Some of you stay at home
moms probably sell their products. Hint, it isn't Avon. By the way,
my mom is in the Avon president's club. I learned everything from
her. I grew up in direct sales! Remember the Avon lady knocking
at your door? I am only 32, but I remember! If you have read this
far, email me and let me know, karent30@msn.com. If I get more than
3 emails, I will write another article, maybe about everything I
learned from my mother. Back to my brother-in-law who learned from
his dad, he taught me how important business relationships are.
He said, "Treat everyone as a friend and don't sell to anyone
you can't be friends with." I tossed that idea around for a
while. When starting a business, you want to sell to everyone, right?
Not that he was saying to turn down a sale but selling to an unfriendly
person can lead to unfriendly reviews about you and your products.
Some people are never happy and those are always the ones that voice
their opinions. I try to get a good feel for the personality of
the person I am thinking would want to buy my products. Especially
when you are first starting a company, surround yourself with positive
people and build a support group. There is one edge that men ( brother-in-law,
especially) seem to have over women when it comes to business relationships
and that is 'GOLF'. There is some sort of bonding that goes on during
golf. If you golf with the CEO of a company then you probably have
that account, and I think women need to find an equivalent. I hate
shopping at the mall, but I do enjoy talking over coffee. That is
my replacement for golf, going to the local coffee house. I am truly
sincere about wanting to be friends with people I sell to. I invite
them over to parties that don't involve selling. I don't want potential
friends to avoid me because they think I will try to sell something
to them. Once you are friends, that person will usually ask from
time to time how your business is going and that should be the chance
to tell them about any sales specials you have going on.
In
conclusion, Love what you doing or move on to another company. You
will know when you have found the right one, or start your own.
Get off the computer, go out, and meet people. Network as much as
you can. Most of all, take the time to get to know people and make
some new friends.
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This article was written by Karen Tranchitello. A stay at home mom
to four children. Karen is also the manager of Beautystouch (www.beautystouch.biz
and a founding consultant with Affordable
Luxuries. Email to me get a free gift with every order!
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