WHAT IS NETWORK MARKETING/DIRECT SELLING?
It is marketing a product directly to the consumer with no middleman involved. Most reliable firms are members of the National Association of Direct Selling Companies. They bring to the public fine products that are modestly priced in order to insure mass consumption.
The rewards of this industry are many:
1. You can be your own boss.
2. You can set your own hours.
3. You can own your own businesses with little or no investment.
4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay you.
5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business grows.
If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do what has to be done when it has to be done, direct selling offers a most unusual earning opportunity.
THE TEN STEPS
Here are ten steps that will assure your success:
1. BE A GOAL SETTER. What do you want to accomplish? Whatever your goal, write it down and set a target date for reaching it. Work consistently toward accomplishing each day, each week, each month what you set out to do. Goal-setting is a must in every area of life. Little is ever accomplished without definite goals.
2. BE A LIST MAKER. Each evening list all the things you want to get done the following day. That gives you an organized approach to each day. Also, have a notebook listing appointments, potential clients, repeat clients, and referrals, and keep it with you at all times. You will be adding to it constantly.
3. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. Enthusiasm is the high-octane "fuel" that salespeople run on. Enthusiasm generates its own energy. Energy and good health are synonymous with busy, happy people, people who are achieving.
4. RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAGIC WORD IN SALES IS "ASK." In this business we can’t wait for business to come to us. We create our own business by asking for it. Ask for appointments, and then you can do business. Ask for business, and then you will close sales. Ask for referrals, and then you always have a full list of potential clients.
5. EXPECT NO'S. Realize that no's are not personal. In sales, as perhaps nowhere else, the law of averages works. Every no gets you closer to a yes. If you are not hearing NO then you are not asking. Remember, the yes's are your income.
6. SCHEDULE TIME WISELY. A schedule is the roadmap by which salespeople travel. It takes the frustration out of the day. It assures that the necessary things get done and get done on time. Plan your work then work your plan.
7. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR ATTITUDE. Success in sales, as in all areas of life is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent aptitude. Sales make the wheels of our economy turn. Every company that manufactures any kind of product depends upon salespeople to move that product. Without salespeople business would be paralyzed.
Remember, sales is one of the highest paid of all professions. Statistics show that good salespeople enjoy incomes far above the average.
8. HAVE AN OFFICE AREA. Most direct salespeople work from their own homes, but it is essential to have a place where you can work in a organized and efficient manner. An office plus a strict working schedule gives you dignity. Both are absolutely essential for efficient operation and accurate record keeping, so important to the success of any business.
9. BE INVOLVED. Most sales organization offer contests to stimulate production. Include winning contests as part of your business goals. Contests make your business fun as well as adding considerable dollar value to your income.
10. LEARN TO HANDLE MONEY INTELLIGENTLY. Direct sales is instant income and constant income. Therefore. it is absolutely necessary to become an efficient money manager. Deposit all sales and commissions collected into a checking account set up especially for your business. Since bank statements show an exact record of all monies collected, and business expenses can be verified by canceled checks, record keeping becomes simple and accurate.