Direct Sales is a great option for people that want to generate income on their own schedule or alongside their existing full-time job. With all the companies that exist it’s easy to find a product that you love, probably something you already use, and build it into the empty space in your day.
That being said, I started in direct sales later in my career beause I didn’t want to schlep stuff to people’s houses multiple nights a week for home parties. COVID opened up the industry and allowed people to run their business virtually and that’s when I knew this was something I wanted to jump into.
If you’ve been thinking of jumping in to direct sales, but only want to work with customers virtually, or you want to grow your business online, this is the post for you!
#1 – Build and Grow a VIP Group
This one isn’t anything new or different. Even people that have thriving off line businesses wiht home parties. andvendor events typically have a VIP group, usually on Facebook. This is the space where you stay in touch, nuture and have fun with your existing customers.
Here’s my twist on the VIP group. Typically they are all about pushing product and promotions. Instead, I like to provide value to my VIPs that isn’t always related to my company. Some topics I’ve done are:
🌟 celebrating Lunar New year with recipes.
🌟 inviting my friends and other direct sellers to lead some trainings.
🌟 self-care prompts.
🌟 de-clutter challenges.
This helps with engagement in my group and also encourages my VIPs to invite their friends because they’re getting value instead of just product pushes.
#2 – Weekly Newsletter
Each week I send an email to my entire list. It may contain offers and specials but it usually has helpful tips about the product or announcing a new blog post that I’ve written. Because I know that my home office sends out emails with offers, these emails are meant to stay connected with my customers and continue to provide value and be personal. It also allows me to stay connected to my customers that are not on social media and are not seeing my posts.
Of course in the footer of these emails I always include my shopping links and important information so they get all the goods. My favorite platform for email marketing is ConvertKit* but there are several options out there to choose from.
#3 – Keep People Up To Date Via Text
While we’re on the topic of communication, text messaging is another great way to stay in touch with customers. Again there are many platforms to make this easy but I love Project Broadcast*.
Really the more ways you can communicate with people the more likely you’ll get your messages in front of their eyeballs. As of this moment, texting isn’t overdone and is a great way to create one-on-one conversations.
Here are some ways I use text messaging for follow up and to generate sales.
🌟 automatic texts when someone orders to provide info on the product.
🌟 reminders of bigger promos that are going on (eg. 12 days of Christmas).
🌟 secret sales and inventory sales.
🌟 weekly updates that are similar to my newsletter.
#4 -Create Templates For Your Parties
I’m partying less and less (on purpose) these days. However when someone wants to host a party I’m all in. I have a template in Canva that makes it easy to update. While the seasons and products change, the format of the party usually doesn’t. Having a template in Canva with spots for me to add in the current product and change the background makes it easy for me to set up. This saves me a ton of time
#5 – Get Comfortable With Your Personal Brand
Maybe you feel like there is no reason for you to get into direct sales because there are already too many people involved with that company. Remember, people buy from people they like. Showing up and serving those you feel most alsigned with will help you stand out from the rest. I’ve made some incredible friends that are now customers that I would have never known if it wasn’t for direct sales. We connect on so much more than the product.
Weave your personal story and brand into everything you do. This was the inspiration behind the Easy Style with Sami podcast. It was a way for me to share my inspirations in all facets of live that are important to me. Now you don’t need to start a podcast or blog to have a personal brand. Instead, think about the value you add in your VIP group, the way you communicate with your customers, and how you talk about the products your company sells.
#6 – Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate!
The direct sales industry is full of entrepreneurs that are looking to grow and build their customer base. When you collaborate with other direct sellers that have a smiliar audience to yours, it’s a great way to get. infront of new potential customers. Here a rea few ways you can collaborate:
🌟 do a party trade. You do a party for them and vice versus.
🌟 go into each others groups for a live demo or a training.Â
🌟 create a group vendor event on your own with your direct sales besties.
🌟 design a personal shopping experience that encompasses how your products can work together.
Really the sky is the limit here. The trick is to find other people that you have a genuiene connection with so you can brainstorm collaborations that benefit you both.
#7 – Be consistent!
The killer to all online businesses is consistency. You can have all the goals in mind for how much you’re going to post on all the platforms, all the videos you’re going to create, that you’re going to reach out to 50 people each week. It doesn’t matter what you do if you don’t do it consistently. Remember that the actions you take today will have an impact on your business in the next month, 3 months, 6 months etc. But when you lose the consistency its much hard to get that momentum back.
You can truly build you business in the way that makes the most sense for your life and your finanical and team goals.Â
Make sure you listen to Episode 2 of the Easy Style with Sami Podcast to hear how Lisa Duck builds her business all online.
*This post contains affiliate links. If you should purchase from those links we may receive a small commission.