Do you make the calls you promise? Do you have a pile of calls you keep saying you should get to? Your ability to be consistent in your follow up and in making your cold calls can make or break your business success.
At a recent expo that I attended to find business by networking as a guest, I was chatting with a Shackley rep in her booth. I mentioned that I use all environmentally-friendly cleaning products. She proceeded to show me their new product line of “green” cleaning products and household supplies. I was a little hesitant to show interest because it is a buy-it-all package. You have to take the laundry soap, dish soap, floor polish, dusting stuff, etc. as a group. You cannot just buy what you want. But she was good at what she does and it looked interesting and I have a sincere interest in bettering the environment.
Buy From Direct Sales Companies
I also have a sincere interest in buying from direct sales companies. I believe in the industry and want to support my industry, so whenever possible I do buy direct. Buying direct from the seller also provides me with an income tax reduction, so that is even more incentive to be open-minded to this new product. Why not deduct my cleaning products from my taxes, I was thinking! The last thing I said to the rep was, “I will give it a try…. call me!”
Get More Yeses – Direct Sales
One in 10 will say yes. That is how the saying in direct sales goes. You must follow-up to get your yes, though. I went home from the fair and immediately sent an email to all the contacts that I had made, including the Shackley rep. Then, over the course of three days, I made a follow-up phone call to all of them as well. My message to her, both by email and phone was: I am looking forward to trying your product. It has been two weeks and I have not heard a word from her.
In direct sales the successful consultants hear far more nos than the ones that do not succeed. That is because you must ask to get a no, and you will not get a yes unless you ask as well. If you do not do your follow-up calls, you will never hear enough nos to get to the yeses. If you do not do your follow-up calls, you may be missing out on the yes that is wondering why you haven’t called back yet! Then when you do call 2 weeks too late, that yes has turned into a no because direct sales is all about service and you missed the boat! Check out the sales lead organizational book that sales leader Theresa Bernheisel uses and trains her team to use as well to keep track of the follow-ups.
Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793
Our focus over the past month’s tele-seminars has been on Bookings. A few years ago I had set up a table at my bank as the featured small business owner. When I was in the bank this week, I noticed the featured business table was empty and realized we forgot to discuss this as a source for free leads on our last “finding business” call. Today I have a several regular customers and hosts who I met through the table I set up at the bank.
Balanced Home Business Requires Creative Marketing
Some of the techniques that we have discussed on the past calls do not necessarily bring in huge sources of business. I have gotten several emails from consultants saying that it seems like it is really too much work for the results. If you have the mind-set that “it is not worth it”… then that you are holding yourself back. All successful businesses use every marketing opportunity available. As a direct sales professional you must do that as well in order to have a balanced business. A balanced home business means that you also have a balanced home business marketing program. When you take advantage of all the small creative opportunities that are all around you, you will have a huge client base and unlimited lead sources for your business.
Public Speaking Creates Experts
A frequent complaint that I hear is “I do not do public speaking.” If you are in a home party plan business then you are a public speaker already. In the last tele-seminar we talked about using your expertise to offer your services as a free speaker to clubs, libraries and other organizations. This lead generation system is used by all types of sales companies. The home improvement center near my house frequently offers free seminars on some type of home improvement. During the seminar people either learn how to do the project and buy the material from the home center, or they decide it is too hard to do the project and they hire the home center to do the project. Either way, the home center becomes the expert and acquires customers as product users or on a larger scale in home remodeling services. This works in all sales businesses. When you offer your services as an expert you acquire product users, sales professionals and show leads. Performing home parties is establishing yourself as an expert. That system of public speaking is one of many that will work for any sales company, even if the company is not a home party-based referral system. If you sell baskets you could “speak” on “how to create a beautiful gift/center piece from a basket”. If you sell home decor your expertise may be “redecorating your living room in one afternoon”. Food or kitchen tool sales consultants may offer their “speaker services” as “fast meal time solutions” or something to that effect. Public speaking does not always mean standing in front of 100’s of people talking.
Home Business Bookings At Banks
Will you fill your calendar at the bank? No! Will you find a good customer? Maybe! Will that customer lead to further business? Most definitely! Is it worth your time? Absolutely! Your time to set up the table at the bank and invest in the literature is time and money well-spent, even though the potential may not be obvious. Even if you do not generate a single customer or booking from the bank table, your exposure pays off in ways that you do not know.
Don’t Sabotage Your Business Success!
If your attitude is that “it is not worth it” then you really should look at your business priorities. Every investment we make into marketing pays off. A balanced business utilizes every marketing strategy available, big & small, including the bank.
Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793
Our tele-seminar last night on bookings for filling your home party calendar was the most attended call ever! I get a printout of all the callers, and the actual number of callers participating exceeded 50! The entire Power Hour lasted 68 minutes and we probably could have talked for several hours. Bookings is a popular topic. We opened with finding business at libraries and other organizations that need special events. Did you ever think about offering yourself as a speaker for organizations that need special event services? We then chatted about literally hundreds of creative ways to find business, ending with customer service. Most sales consultants have done customer service calls to their hosts. Have you ever thought of doing customer service calls to your customers? It is likely that you have literally hundreds of leads if you tap into customer service calls to past customers. Customer service for your customers, not just your hosts, is an awesome way to find business and get bookings.
Customer Service Scripts
Several people on the call asked for the script for customer service that I referred to in the call so I posted it below. Your customer service calls should focus on the customers’ needs, not your desires. Listen to these excerpts of the Power Hour call. This is a 13 minute audio which includes the first 5 minutes of the call and the last 8 minutes. Elite Power Club members may download the entire call to MP3s from the private subscription members-only area.
Affordable Home Party Specific MP3 Training
Power UP For Professional Results is an 8-hour program on finding business in creative ways. Available in MP3 download or actual CDs sent to you, the program will teach you how to find business everywhere. All successful sales reps invest in their minds so that they can create a consistent income and a full calendar. The Elite Power Club is an audio-of-the-month club that provides you with 3 audios every month (or talking e-books) to develop your sales skills and keep your business rolling along. Perfect for keeping team meetings interesting. These programs provide insurance in today’s economy and are money well invested.
Related Links
Customer Service Script (This script is just one of several forms that the Elite Club has always had access to.)
Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793
Recently while on a personal day to another county in my area, I made a quick spur-of-the-moment stop at a library on my travel route and grabbed a card listing all the county libraries. The card had about 12 libraries listed with contact information. I already present events in my own county with various libraries. The events are a public service and also a lead-generation system for my business. All direct sellers can benefit from this source of free leads.
Time Invested Paid Off
I am really impressed with the return on my time invested. I spent one afternoon calling all the libraries on the list. About 4 hours total time was my investment. Those calls were received with terrific enthusiasm from the event planners. One library actually scheduled an event on the first call. That alone was enough pay-off for my time invested, but read on. I sent out hard copy information to 6 out of 12 of the calls. That is an exceptionally high rate of interest to the initial inquiry. I also sent an email to everyone I called, even if I had left a phone message. The following week, I made return calls to the libraries that I sent hard copy folders to.
Bookings Are The Result
My initial reason for stopping into the library was to be able to deduct my personal mileage from my income taxes. The result of this “whim”, or should we say inspiration, is that I now have 3 new library “gigs” on my calendar through the end of the year. I am also listed in the county library resource directory for special events. This is the county libraries’ guide to recommended library event providers.
Cold Call Libraries
Before you make your calls, set yourself up for success by planning. This is what you need to cold call libraries:
Get a list of area libraries
Know your offer (topic of event, fund-raising, etc.)
Write a script
Have a mailing piece (electronic and hard copy)
Schedule time for initial calls
Do the follow-up mailing (electronic and hard copy)
Schedule follow-up call time
Keep your calendar handy and be proactive in your conversation
The great part about calling libraries is that they answer their phones. Ask for the adult and/or children’s special event planner. Share your services quickly, in under 10 seconds and ask a question about their needs. When you stay focused on service, you will get really good results. Yesterday afternoon, I got a call asking for a date from a library for a special event next March. This library thing really works.
Home Party Plan Bookings Everywhere
If you do not have enough business, most likely you are not taking advantage of all the opportunities available to you. I guarantee you that any “library events” will generate new clients for your business. The people you meet at this type of event will be totally unrelated to your existing client base. The time invested in soliciting libraries will pay off. The people who attend library events will be your future party plan bookings.
Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793
Everyone in home party plan sales wants more bookings. In my opinion, one reason that this is such an issue for most sales consultants is the actual term, bookings. What exactly is a booking, anyway?
An invitation to someone’s home.
A scheduled show.
A home party.
A fun gathering.
A good time.
A get-together
Don’t they sound nice? Booking is a technical term. It is not friendly, nor is it encouraging to the guest, the consultant or the future host. It actually is sort of an insult that makes it more difficult to schedule shows.
Schedule More Shows
The first thing that will help you schedule more shows is to start using friendlier terminology. Does the dentist say to you: “I am going to extract your molar”? No, he/she says: “I am sorry to say this, but I am going to have to pull your back tooth.” I am sure you won’t be any happier about the situation, yet you will feel better about your relationship with the dentist. Sales is all about relationships.
To schedule more shows, stop saying bookings.
When you BOOK a show, you get this…
The host gets a XZY when she BOOKS 2 shows.
If you have three BOOKINGS you get a ……
Start using the phrases mentioned above:
When you invite me to your home, we will….
When you schedule 2 shows at your show, my gift to you is…
Whose house should we get together at next month?
Building Home Party Sales
There is more on scheduling shows in the category of building business. Both the Power UP Program and the Create A Cash Flow Show program have a full hour on BOOKINGS, I mean filling your calendar. Invest in your mind and it will always return to you in your wallet. The Cash Flow Show system of generating more shows at your shows is a set of systems that I used to quit my full time job. The systems will work for you too. Click the money for more info.
Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793
Even when it comes to your home party business, the old expression ‘there is no time like the present’ holds true. Don’t make the mistake that many sales reps make, and always be looking off into the future. It is true that what you do now will affect your business the most three months down the road. Now is always a perfect time to focus on developing your business through proactive marketing techniques.
Ten Techniques to Generate Sales
Here are 10 steps or techniques to perform over a period of 10 days that will bring you instant cash flow now, and also a solid business down the road. As a successful home party consultant, these are all techniques or systems that I used when I was actively building my business. A system works the same for everyone who applies it. These systems will work for you and your sales team, just like they worked for me and other sales professionals who reach their goals. Incorporate them into your business or use these 10 techniques as a team training topic.
Practice Show: Pick a date (or two) for a show at your home next weekend or not more than a week away. Write out a short script about the new products, the change-over to Summer, or a new theme. Call all of your friends and relatives and tell them you are having a practice show to get ready for the new season. Just say: ‘I am making some snacks and practicing my new tailgate party, would you like to come over and help me practice?’ Or: ‘I am having a Summer outdoor show for practice. Would you like to bring the kids over and help me practice our Summer theme show?’
Wedding Shower Show: Pick a date to host a show in your home. As you call your guests for follow up or customer service, offer them an invitation to your Wedding Shower Show. Say something like this: ‘Everyone knows someone who is getting married this year. The XYZ Company has many perfect wedding items. Are you planning a wedding? Are you going to a wedding or shower? I am teaching participants how to create unique wedding favors, pick out gifts for the second marriage, and bridal shower gifts too. Get all your wedding shopping gifts done in one fun afternoon.
Tailgate Show: Go to kids’ or relatives’ soccer, baseball or other sports games. Create a kid-friendly theme like ‘Creating Photo Totes’ or ‘Scrap booking for the Athlete’ or ‘5-Minute Snacks for Hungry Soccer Players’ or some other theme that fits in with your product line. Go to the game and open the tailgate, set up a card table, pass out catalogs, and provide lemonade and snacks.
Pamper the Business Day (aka Secretary Appreciation Day): You can call it what you want. The point is that you are providing a service to the boss to appreciate the employees. Call the dentist, chiropractor, bank or fitness center and tell them that it is Pamper the Staff Day/Month at XYZ Company. You are providing complimentary cookies and lemonade in appreciation for their professional services. Create an appropriate theme based on your products, such as Coffee Break, A Mug of Appreciation, Sweet Tooth for Sweet Staff, etc. Ask the office manager what time you should stop in with the trays. Put the gifts on real dishes and bring catalogs. Ask if it is OK to leave the books and what time you should return to pick up the dishes and any orders.
Perform a show or educational workshop at a school, church, sports club, Girl Scout group or library. Create three snappy titles and start calling. You could literally have a couple of these on the calendar within days.
Summer Teachers’ Shower: Act quickly on this one before the schools break for the Summer. This is a show to celebrate teachers who are having a baby over the Summer, a Summer birthday or wedding. Call all of the teachers you know and tell them you can come to the school and do an all-purpose shower for them in honor of all the teachers having babies, getting married, or having a birthday over the Summer. This would be an after-school event and you would arrive and set up as the classes let out. Then all the teachers show up, and you do a quick show. They buy for themselves and for the teacher(s) being honored. This is a huge market and can be done every year!
Apartment Community Show: Go to an apartment complex or residential development and ask the manager to distribute fliers to all the residents for a show. It could be a regular show in which the manager gets the host benefits for distributing the fliers. Or in most cases I have found that attendance is better if it is a fund-raiser show for the development. Returns from the fund-raiser will build or buy something for the community. The last time I did this, they used the cash back to buy a school bus stop booth for the kids.
Residential Development Show: If you can step out of your comfort zone, this works really well. Go around a development and knock on doors and say something like: ‘Hi, I am Deb, with XYZ Parties….some of your neighbors would like to have a XYZ Party show. Are you familiar with XYZ Parties? At XYZ Parties, we have fun, laugh and learn more about creating economical and unique solutions for year-round gift-giving ideas. At this point we are just trying to see if there is enough interest in the neighborhood from enough people to put a ‘get-to-know your neighbors’ party. If we decided to have one, would you be interested in some afternoon fun if you could bring the kids?’ After they say yes, then get the name and number and go on to the rest of the houses. Give each person a catalog or flier. After you have about 30 or 40 people, then change your script a little bit and say after the lead-in: ‘We have 40 people who definitely want to come. We are looking for a host. Would you be interested in receiving the host benefits and providing the beverages?’ Boom! Pick a date and you have a show!
Retirement Home Show: This is not a huge money-maker, yet it works every time and can be a consistent event on a monthly basis. The activities coordinators at local retirement homes and disability or rehab centers are always looking for entertainment for the residents. Offer your services as a presenter. Create themes and economical product packages for the residents. Use catalogs to generate sales with the staff. Usually the activities department needs funds for more activities, so a fund-raiser is a great way to go. Do not expect huge sales from the residents. Some will order if you create packages for gift-giving ideas that are affordably priced.
The Yard Sale Promo Show: This is a cool technique to involve the whole family and create income and leads with your business at the same time you are cleaning out the house and creating income with the annual yard sale. My neighborhood has a community yard sale every year. It’s actually coming up soon. I am not really a yard sale person, so I never would have one on my own, yet I always take advantage of the steady stream of “strangers” coming into the neighborhood, not to mention the neighbors who are mingling around and networking with each other. To take advantage of all the traffic and interest in the neighborhood, you only have to set up a business table within the yard sale activities. Selling product or inventory, taking orders, doing a small demo and collecting leads using prize drawing slips are just some of the things you can do at the Yard Sale Show. Have your family staff the yard sale area and you staff the business show area. Like an expo or fair, you must connect with your customers quickly.
Love the Word ‘No’
Successful sales consultants love to hear the word no because they know that you must hear no to get a yes. If you never hear the word no, then you are not asking enough. Get on the phone and start calling. These ideas can be thrown together within the next 10 days, they do not have to be a futuristic thing. The Power UP For Professional Results set includes an hour of training on Pumping Up Your Calendar and 41 ideas on proactive marketing. These are only 10 of the 41 ideas you will learn!
This tele-seminar topic is available as a MP3 download at the Elite Power Club download center. Click Here
Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793
Features never sell products. Benefits sell products. When you are talking about your products at a show, be sure that you are creating pictures for your guests using the benefits of a product.
Features VS Benefits
A Feature Is About The Product
The ball is orange.
The whisk is stainless steel.
The lip balm is petroleum free.
The vest is a polyester/cotton blend.
A Benefit Is About The Person
Lots of kids came up to Johnny to play because of his bright orange ball.
The ball was easy to find when Johnny kicked it into the woods.
You can put this stainless steel whisk in the dishwasher.
This whisk will last a lifetime because it will never rust.
The lip balm does not dry out your lips even more.
This lip balm will stop the lip balm addiction, as it actually soothes your skin instead of drying it out more.
You can put this vest in the dryer because it is a poly blend.
You will never worry about this vest shrinking.
Business Sales Techniques For All Products
This feature and benefit comparison will work with any product or service. Just sit down and list the features of all your products, offers or services. Then, next to the features, write a list of the benefits to the person.
The Emotional Theory
People buy emotionally. The next step is to create an emotionally charged statement with each feature and benefit on your list. People shop and purchase emotionally, so create and memorize statements that draw out the emotional benefits of a product.
Johnny is so excited with the new friends he made at the park today, while playing with his orange ball.
I can’t believe I will never have to buy another wire whisk in my whole entire life! And it goes in the dishwasher too!
Ever since I started using this lip balm, my husband has commented on how soft my lips are.
Today I was rushing around and just pulled this vest straight out of the dryer and threw it on. Wash, dry and wear. It is so simple!
Get in the habit of sprinkling these emotionally charged statements everywhere you go. The law of attraction will work for you when you share the benefits of your products, services and opportunities at the grocery store, the mini-market, the hairdressers, the dry cleaners, at the show, at the dog kennel……….
Create A Cash Flow Show is a 8 CD set of systems that will increase your show average by 30% in 90 days or your money back. I promise! -The set includes an entire hour on word choices to increase sales.
Please feel free to reprint or publish anything on this website for personal or training purposes. We only ask that for online publication you select an excerpt from the article then link back using the permalink to the original article. For off-line purposes please print each article in it's entirety and include the following credits. Reprinted with permission from:
Deb Bixler www.CreateACashFlowShow.com 717-751-2793
Home business expert, Deb Bixler retired from the corporate world & in 9 months created a direct sales business capable of replacing her $80,000 year job. Click Here To Contact Deb
717-751-2793
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