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Product Recommendation: Build it Big

November 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Build it Big: 101 Inside Secrets from Top Direct Selling Experts
Where to buy: www.amazon.com
Review by: AMCMom

Direct Selling is big business and if you want to be part of this growing field, you might need some guidance and help. The book Build it Big gives 101 insider tips from well-known and successful top direct selling professionals. It is designed for people who are either planning on supplementing their day job with extra income or trying to leave their paid employment to make a living from direct selling.

The book is divided into 10 Chapters, including Starting Your Direct Selling Business, The Art of Selling, Booking and Coaching Your Hostess, Coaching your Team, Integrating Business and Home, Managing Business Finances, Strategies for Success and more. Each chapter includes many articles from top selling experts which give lots of great advice and real-life experiences that will be extremely helpful to your own business.

In my opinion, this is an extensive book with proven direct selling strategies and techniques from experts in their field. Taking on board the advice and tools of these successful entrepreneurs, will help you on your way to build your own successful business.

Read more about this title at amazon.com

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Questions to Ask When Considering a Direct Sales Opportunity

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a direct sales opportunity and don’t know where to start?

Not all direct sales companies and opportunities are created equal.

Here is a list of questions to ask when considering a direct sales opportunity:


#1 How long has the company been in business? Believe it or not, some direct sales companies have been in business since the late 1800s and early 1900s. That’s a long history and a good sign of financial stability. With a company that’s been in business that long, you have more security. You don’t need to worry as much about buying a stock of supplies and then getting stuck with them when the company goes out of business.

#2 How fast is the company growing? While fast growth may seem exciting and positive, sometimes slow and steady growth is a better sign of sustainability. You don’t want to join a company that burns hot and fast and then goes out.

#3 How do they support their consultants? Some direct sales companies offer tremendous training and support, while others pretty much let you fend for yourself.

#4 How much do you have to invest to get started? This varies from company to company. Some also offer various start-up options.

#5 How much commission can you earn?

#6 Are you compensated for recruiting new consultants? This can be a very lucrative business model because you earn commissions on the sales your recruits make. Not all direct sales opportunities offer this option.

#7 How many products do they offer and how frequently do they introduce new products? Sometimes it’s easier to find a product a person wants to buy if they’re offered a wide variety. And it’s definitely easier to promote new products than old ones.

#8 What marketing materials do they provide you with, and what restrictions do they have on marketing? Some direct sales companies provide full-scale websites with online ordering systems. Some don’t. Some support you to market your business online and off; others don’t.

Before you sign on the dotted line or invest your money in a direct sales opportunity, take the time to research the company completely. If you can, speak with other direct sales representatives and go to a direct sales party. Make sure it’s the right opportunity for you.

More information on direct sales business building:
The Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Marketing Secrets
This instantly downloadable book gives you the know-how to build a successful home party business. It will teach you secrets on how to get more bookings and increase your sales.

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Top Direct Sales Business Opportunities

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Are you considering becoming a direct sales consultant? Looking for a great direct sales company to work for? If so, you may want to start by taking a look at the top direct sales companies.

Direct sales companies have been around for decades. In fact, they’ve been around since the late 1800s. Imagine taking a horse and buggy to your direct sales party! At any rate, times have changed and you can now host a direct sales party without leaving your computer. And direct sales companies have changed too. However, some of the top companies are the oldest too. Let’s take a look at some of the most established direct sales companies along with some of the up-and-comers.

* Tupperware. Tupperware, producer of those amazing and useful plastic storage containers, actually started in 1946. They practically created the home party model and they’re still going strong. They have more than two million associates and are represented in almost 100 countries around the world.

* Avon began in 1928 and is one of the most well-known direct sales companies in the world. They’re also one of the largest. They have more than five million sales representatives in more than 140 countries.

* Mary Kay is also one of the esteemed and quite successful direct sales companies with more than a million representatives. Perhaps most familiar is the big pink Mary Kay Cadillac that top representatives can earn.

* If make-up and kitchen supplies aren’t your thing, then take a look at Discovery Toys. They’ve built a tremendous business in the past thirty years and are one of the most popular businesses for new moms and parents of young children. If you have young children, you may want to consider becoming a direct sales consultant for Discovery Toys. Your friends with young children can be your best customers.

* Shaklee is a nutrition supplement company that’s been in business since 1956. They also sell natural cleaning products and personal care products. With low start-up costs, high commission rates and a reputable training program and marketing support, they draw motivated sales representatives.

* A more recent addition to the direct sales business is Creative Memories. They sell scrapbooking supplies and have been in business since 1987. Their business has grown to several thousand representatives, and the scrapbooking phenomenon that’s still alive and active makes this an ideal business for craft oriented people.

In addition to the top direct sales businesses listed above, consider:
* Arbonne skin care products
* Home Interiors & Gifts
* Pampered Chef
* Meleleuca, said to be the fastest growing direct sales company in the U.S.
* Mia Bella
* Send Out Cards
* Isagenix
* Silpada Designs
* For Your Pleasure

These businesses are growing rapidly. There are literally thousands of direct sales companies to choose from, with more being added to the list every day. In addition to superior training, support and commissions, make sure the company personality and product quality match your needs.

More information on direct sales business building:
The Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Marketing Secrets
This instantly downloadable book gives you the know-how to build a successful home party business. It will teach you secrets on how to get more bookings and increase your sales.

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How to Maximize Your Direct Sales Opportunity

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There’s no doubt that direct sales offers practically limitless income potential. However, once many sales representatives have mastered the party aspect of their business, income plateaus. They make money but the business doesn’t grow. If you’ve reached this point in your direct sales business, or you’re simply determined to grow your business as big as you can, read on.

There are essentially three main ways to grow your direct sales business beyond your income plateau. They all begin and end with your mindset. How big do you believe you can grow your business? How much are you willing to put into it? Do you believe you can make it happen?

#1 Build a downline. Not all direct sales opportunities are set up for this type of program. If yours is, take advantage of it. It’s the key to tremendous profits. What’s a downline? It’s when you recruit other direct selling associates, assist them with their business and earn a commission from their sales. Now instead of simply making money from any products you sell, you’re making money from products other people are selling too. Passive income.

#2 Go online. In addition to a website being able to draw customers to you, you can host parties online. A website makes it possible for you to market and sell your product when you’re away. And hosting parties online means you’re not limited to customers within driving distance. You can sell to people all around the world.

Many direct sales companies provide training and materials to help you set up your direct sales website. Others don’t. Read your manual and find out what you can and cannot do online. Because once your website is up and running, you’re going to want to market it and drive traffic to it. Some direct sales companies don’t allow advertising online. That’s fine. You can drive traffic using other methods like social networking, SEO, and content marketing.

#3 Treat your direct sales business like a real business. It’s more than a hobby, right? Entrepreneurs take time to plan their business. The create goals and strategies to achieve them. They measure their achievements and tactics so they know when they’re successful. For example, if you decide to use social networking to drive traffic to your direct sales website, how do you know it is working? How do you know your time online is well spent? Create systems to achieve your goals and to measure success.

Growing your direct sales business and making the most of this opportunity takes a shift in thinking for many sales representatives. However, with planning, motivation and approaching it like it’s your own business, you can make real growth and profits happen.

More information:
The Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Marketing Secrets
This instantly downloadable book gives you the know-how to build a successful home party business. It will teach you secrets on how to get more bookings and increase your sales.

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How To Find The Right Direct Sales Opportunity

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A direct sales consultant makes money by selling a company’s products and earning a commission. Traditionally the products are sold at home parties. However, online parties and web sales have become popular ways to generate profits.

It’s an ideal business opportunity if you want to be your own boss without a huge financial risk. Generally, direct sales companies are devoted to helping new sales representatives get started and provide a number of resources to help you succeed.

Because the direct sales business model is so successful, there are a large variety of companies to choose from. There are the easily recognizable ones like Discovery Toys, Silpada Jewelry and Pampered Chef. However, there are also many wonderful smaller direct sales companies. The key is to find a company and a product that you feel excited to sell and that will help you meet your personal and business goals.

Here’s how to find the right direct sales opportunity.

Step #1 What are your interests? What do you like to do? What products do you enjoy shopping for?  What are your hobbies?  Make a list of your passions and interests. Don’t worry too much at this point if there is a direct sales opportunity that matches your interests. That’s the next step.

Step #2 Visit a directory of direct sales opportunities. You can find them online or you can visit the direct sales association, dsa.org. Take a look at the various companies and jot down any that match your interests or sound exciting.

Step #3 Visit the website of each direct sales company you’re interested in. Take a look at and compare:

* How the company is growing

* How they support their consultants

* What marketing materials they provide – do they provide a website?

* How much their start up package costs

* How they pay

* If you’re compensated for recruiting new consultants – a tiered compensation system

* How many products they offer and how frequently they introduce new products

* If they’re growing

* How long they’ve been in business

Step #4 Narrow down your list to your top two or three opportunities. If possible, attend direct sales parties for these companies. This is a great way for you to see a direct sales party and sales representative in action. And it’ll give you the opportunity to talk to direct sales consultants to see if it’s the right opportunity for you. Consider hosting a party as well so you can get a feel for how the company operates.

Step #5 Signup and start selling. Start selling!  Congratulations! You’re on your way to owning a business you can be proud of. One that meets your needs and helps you live the life you want to live.
Many people are able to build successful direct sales businesses. They make a good living and enjoy the autonomy of being their own boss and selling products they enjoy and are proud of.

To your success!

More information:
The Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Marketing Secrets
This instantly downloadable book gives you the know-how to build a successful home party business. It will teach you secrets on how to get more bookings and increase your sales.

Filed Under: Direct Sales Tagged With: , ,

How to Market Your Direct Sales Business

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Direct sales is an exciting business to be in. It appeals to those who wish to combine their social nature with their motivation for money and a desire to work independently. And because a direct sales representative generally has support from their parent company, it can be a fairly risk free venture. If you’re considering direct sales as a business opportunity or you’ve started selling, knowing how to market your business will generate more profits.

Let’s take a look at how to market your direct sales business:

#1 Read your manual.

Before you start laying out your marketing plan, read your consultant manual. Most companies have rules and regulations when it comes to marketing. For example, you may not be allowed to advertise online. While others provide full scale websites, customizable templates and online ordering systems already in place.

#2 Get Your Website up and running.

Online marketing is a great way to attract new customers and there are many ways to accomplish this however before you can do any online marketing you’ll need a website.

Hopefully, your company provides the tools to either create a website or they’ve provided a website for you. You may even have a few customization options, however the majority of the work will be taken care of for you.

If your company doesn’t offer website services they will still likely offer logos, graphics and recommendations. There are a few options if you don’t want to build your website yourself. They include:

* Hiring or outsourcing the job to a designer, consider a freelance designer or a college student specializing in graphic and/or website design.
* Use a predesigned template provided by your hosting company.
* Blog instead and install WordPress on your domain. WordPress is easy to use and can be customized to look and feel just like a website.

#3 Market Your Website

There are a number of ways to market your website. Before you try all of them, consider your audience, your budget and your goals. Here are a few marketing tactics to consider:

* Offer a free newsletter that lists products, promotions, and valuable information. For example if you sell jewelry, your newsletter could include fashion tips.
* Advertising. There are a number of advertising options including: Classified ads, Banner ads, and PPC ads.
* Social networking. Become active on social networking sites where your audience hangs out.
* Article marketing. Write and publish articles for online article directories like ezinearticles.com. Make sure they’re relevant to your topic. For example, if you sell DiscoveryToys, you could write articles about child development.

#4 Don’t forget to market offline too.

Because the majority of customers will be people in your community, offline marketing is essential to your success. Common offline marketing tactics include:
* Flyers and brochures,
* Partnering with other direct sales consultants
* Charity drives or fundraisers
* Word of mouth
* Referrals
* Parties
* Networking

By embracing both offline marketing tactics and online marketing tactics, you’ll see your direct sales business grow quickly. And while it may seem that direct sales is generally an offline business, that’s not true anymore. With technology today, you can throw online parties so people never have to leave their homes. Find your audience and market to them, wherever they are, for more direct sales profits.


More information:
The Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Marketing Secrets
This instantly downloadable book gives you the know-how to build a successful home party business. It will teach you secrets on how to get more bookings and increase your sales.

Filed Under: Direct Sales Tagged With: ,

Pros and Cons of Yahoo Groups versus Google Groups

April 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Yahoo and Google Groups both offer users the ability to organize large groups of people. They’re particularly useful if you’re teaching a course, coordinating a direct sales team, hosting a club function or even collaborating with several people. But they aren’t created equal. Each has its pros and cons.

Let’s take a look at both Yahoo and Google Groups.

Google Groups

Google Groups allows group members to self-enroll or enroll by invitation only – it’s up to you. And you don’t need to have a Google email account to sign up with Google groups. You do need a Google account, but that’s free. (Yahoo Groups requires all non-Yahoo account holders to establish a Yahoo ID and then “link” that ID to their email address.)

Google Groups sends each member a message every time a page is changed or a comment is added to the thread.

Google forums are organized by topic and members must sign up for a topic to receive email alerts and updates. With Yahoo, messages are presented in a list. Whether this is a pro or con simply depends on how you prefer your messages, topics and forums to be organized. It’s a personal preference.

Both groups allow you to specify public or private membership. And you can also choose a “newsletter only” membership with both groups.

Member profiles are easy to edit via Google Groups.

The pages feature allows users to create web pages, whilst Yahoo offers sections for posting additional information. Again, this is neither a pro nor a con, simply a personal preference.

Both groups allow users to choose how they receive their emails from the group – as individual emails or as a daily digest.

Generally, most people tend to prefer Google Groups because it’s easier to use and more intuitive than Yahoo Groups. However, many users complain about their inability to moderate posts with attachments or quoted text. And owners cannot designate certain powers to managers. It’s an all-or-nothing choice.

Yahoo Groups

Yahoo Groups allows you to personalize your welcome message in a number of easy to use ways including adding a syllabus, links to external pages and attachments. (Google Groups limits your welcome message to 250 words.)

Both groups allow you to add members manually or invite them by email.

Yahoo helps users manage any email problems by tracking bounced mail. They also make it easy to resolve lost password issues.

Yahoo Groups provides a daily digest, email, or website email as options for receiving updates to the group thread(s).

Yahoo Groups offers a calendar feature. (Presently, Google Groups does not offer a group calendar feature.)

Yahoo has had a customer service issue in the past with closing groups and owner IDs without any warning or reason.

Additionally, message attachments are not stored on the group.

Many users complain about the advertising present. (Google also has ads but they’re less obtrusive)

There is a 750kB message size limit. (Google has a 5MB size limit)

Both Yahoo and Google Groups offer a number of features and benefits to business owners, non-profit organizations, and other organized associations. They enable large groups of people to communicate and work together in one area easily and efficiently.

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Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Marketing Secrets

January 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Product Spotlight: Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Marketing Secrets

Where to buy: www.partyplanpat.com

From ACMOM

The Little Black Book of Home Party Plan Marketing Secrets gives you the know-how to build a successful home party business. It will teach you secrets on how to get more bookings and increase your sales.

The book features:

* Ways to attract new direct sales representatives and customers

* Secrets of how to get your prospects to call you

* How to position yourself as an expert in your field

* How to avoid expensive mistakes that can cost you thousands

* Biggest reason that’s stopping you from succeeding

* How to get return customers that come back over and over again

* How to get your clients to refer their friends to you

* And lots more

In this book you will discover the secrets of creating a successful direct sales business. It provides lots of in-depth information and advice.

This product has a 60-day money-back guarantee.

For more information, go to www.partyplanpat.com

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Direct Sales Party: Making it more FUN!

January 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When people attend direct sales parties, they have certain expectations. There’s probably an expectation to have a good time, or at least to have a little time to gather with friends and sip some wine.

But you can go further than that. Here are a few easy tips to make your direct sales parties more fun, to make sure everyone has a great time.

1. One great way to get the party off to a fun start is to host a contest to get people talking and mingling. If you’re selling makeup, for example, have a “name that lipstick” contest and give a little prize (a piece of gourmet chocolate, perhaps) for the guest who can come up with the most creative or interesting name.

If you’re hosting a party for home goods, choose one of those items whose job isn’t apparent and hold a contest for people to guess what the item is used for.

Another idea: Fill a jar with money, ask people to guess how much is in the jar and give them the jar as a reward – a jar full of money will put anyone in a good mood!

2. Smile. A good, old-fashioned genuine smile is contagious and it’ll spread like butter on a hot day. Welcome each guest like you would a long lost family member and make them feel welcome and appreciated.

3. Play background music. Parties can lull and when they’re too quiet it can become awkward. Have some festive music playing to set the mood – not too loud, of course, because you want people to be able to hear each other speak.

4. Decorate a bit to make the party feel like a party. You don’t have to put up balloons and streamers, but a beautiful bouquet or two of flowers, some candles and smaller decorations can make it feel like a party.

5. Food! Food has a way of bringing everyone together and it can make an average direct sales party a superior one. A few tasty appetizers and some decorative cocktail napkins is a nice touch.

6. Let attendees handle the products. People love to be able to touch, examine and explore products and many sales experts agree that once a product is in the hands of the customer, the chances of converting that to a sale go way up.

Let your party attendees handle the products as much as possible. In fact, if you can display them on a table and let people explore that’s a great way to decorate too.

7. Play a game or two. We already talked about contests, but a game can also lighten the mood and make a direct sales party more fun. For example, a hostess scavenger hunt is a fun way to get people to work together and have fun.

Making a direct sales party fun just takes a little planning and a desire to make each party you hold the best it can be.

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For more information:
Direct Sales Success-Little Black Book Of Home Party Marketing Secrets.
Home party plans and direct sales marketing success blueprint – known only to a small group of marketers.
This is a step-by-step guide for home party consultants and direct sales consultants on how to increase home party sales.
Available for instant download

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How to Host a Direct Sales Party Online

January 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As a a direct sales consultant, one of the hurdles you may have to overcome is how to sell to people who aren’t in your community.

One of the founding principles of direct sales businesses is the home party idea, however you can reach a much wider audience and increase your profits if you take your business online and host your party in a chat room.

Here are some simple steps to hosting a direct sales party online:

#1  Make a list of those you want to attend. Like a home party, you may want to choose a hostess and let her choose the attendees.

#2  Choose a chat room to host the party on or an online conference room. A chat room will allow you and your partygoers the ability to sit at their computer and type to participate in the conversation while an online conference room gives people the ability to listen in and participate through their phone, Skype, or by computer typing depending on the conference room features and functions. Additionally, there are companies that specialize in hosting online direct sales parties.

#3  Choose a date. Take into consideration the time zone your party attendees are in to make it as convenient for them as possible.

#4  Send the invitations. You can send your initiations via email and be sure to include directions on how to access the chat room or online conference room.

#5 Before the party preparation. Before the party, make sure you’re prepared with links to your products and product descriptions.  If you’re using an online conference room, quite often you can upload images, PowerPoint slides and provide clickable links right on the screen during the presentation.  You can also send materials to all your attendees right before the party so they have access to the information you’re presenting.

You may also want to write a script for what you’re going to say and what you want to accomplish during the party.  This will help you stay on topic and keep the party to the designated amount of time.

#6  Party time. Make sure you log into your party ahead of schedule.  You don’t want other people to get there before you do.  Once most of the people have arrived, you’ll want to introduce yourself, thank people for attending and you can even play a game to get everyone warmed up.  An easy game to play online is a search the product catalog game.  Give prizes to the winners.

#7  Give your presentation. In addition to presenting your products, be sure to announce special promotion you have going on, such as free shipping for purchases over a certain amount or a free gift with every order.  People enjoy discounts and freebies, take advantage of this and make your party attendees feel special and valued at the same time.

#8  Wrap up the party on time. It’s important to keep the party to a designated period of time.  For many, an hour on the computer and/or phone is plenty of time.  Thank everyone for coming, let people know how they can get involved and become direct sales consultants themselves and be sure to give your contact information and website address again. It’s also helpful if you let people know they have a day or two to place their order and still receive your special promotions.

#9 Follow up. It’s always nice to send a thank you to people who attend your online party. In your thank you be sure to include your website address, your contact information and a reminder about special product promotions they can take advantage of.

Hosting an online party is much the same as hosting a home party except they might be a bit more cost effective for you, you don’t have to purchase products to demonstrate with, and you don’t have to get cleaned up to attend.

Yes, you can host an online party in your PJs.  Finally, they’re an excellent way to broaden your customer base and connect with friends and family all around the world.

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