File this in the "Oh NO you DIDN'T!" category...
Some of you may know that I've had a linkedin profile for a while, but never really used it.
I started making a few connections a couple of months ago, and I'm starting to think it was a bad idea.
From what limited info I have about linkedin, you're only supposed to "accept" real people that you know. So that's what I did.
This week, I got a peculiar email from one of my linkedin "contacts".
In essence this person sent me a slide show to review under the guise of getting my professional opinion. This person said they had "just finished" the presentation and wanted to get my honest feedback on it.
OhhhhhhHHHHhhhhh. I don't really think they want my honest feedback, so I'm going to share it publicly so that YOU can learn what went wrong and how you can prevent looking like a total flake when you're using LinkedIn.
1. The presentation was posted over a month ago.
This was not a NEW presentation, which was the first giveaway. If this person reeally wanted help, why wait a whole month to have someone review your presentation?
2. The FIRST Slide was titled "Why is NOW a graet time to join XYZ Co."
Oh NO you DIDN'T! When I clicked through to the person's profile, I saw that this presentation was one of the most viewed presntations on LinkedIn... for obvious reasons. This person was capitalizing on the good nature of people to view the presentation, when in reality the goal was either to get people to join the biz, or to push up the popularity of their presentation. Either way, it's a limy, underhanded tactic, and to use it on smeone in yuor own profession HAD to be one of the most ignorant moves on the planet.
Yep, I'm seething a bit here, but there's more.
3. It was not a personalized invitation.
Now I'm not one to consider myself arrogant, but this person didn't use my name ONCE in the email that I recieved to review the presentation. That tells me I'm just another name on the list getting this email. God knows how many other unsuspecting folks have been hit with this same email. This person played the "I know you're a busy professional, that's why I want your professional opinion" card. Yes, shame on me for clicking through, but if it saves you a world of grief, my work here is done.
4. The entire presentation was TOO wordy.
Since they really asked for my opinion of the persentation, here's the long and short of it. The slides had WAY too many words on most of them. Instead of using them as visuals, they were sales pages, loaded with way more content than you could even READ in the micro-sized format that linkedin offers in the preview pane.
Now I'm pretty verbose myself, so if I think it was wordy, it was REALLY horrible. The slide was so full, it sscrolled off the page! I couldn't even READ the entire story of the company founder - not that I really needed to, or WANTED to. But if I did, I couldn't. This person needs to brush up on Seth Godin's 'Really Bad Powerpoint' Post before composing another presentation.
5. The final slide was a cheesy graphic of themselves with all their contact info.
Now really, if you weren't convinced that this person was actually just trying to recruit me, nothing says it more than the final slide. I mean, seriously, if you're giving a presentation to people that already know you, WHY would you need a whole slide just about you - with contact information too?
Let's get to the heart of the matter. This person was pitching their product/biz opp to anyone with a puls. Granted, these were at least business professionals, so I applaud their desire to work with business builders, but if you're wasting your time in LinkedIn or any other venue (online or off) trying to push your presentation on someone, you need your head examined.
Yep. I'm still seething. But I feel a little better now.
But here's the cherry on top of the sundae: This person is connected to the owners of the direct sales company this person represents.
Everyody say it with me now: TACKY!
Not only is this a horrible reflection on Direct Sellers in general (I've 'dis-connected' myself from this person), but it also means that the company will get a black eye to boot.
This is exactly why we need more online marketing strategists and social media coaches working with direct sellers. At such a critical time, when companies are FINALLY embracing social media (or as Jennifer Fong pointed out, at least they're dipping their toe in), we've got galactic blunders like this hurtling about cyberspace just TRYING to ruin it for everyone else.
So while I doubt this person will EVER see my review of their "presentation", let my advice to you be plain: DO NOT BE THIS PERSON!
Lest you incur my wrath as well. :-)
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
FTC's new rules mean business for Direct Sellers
In a recent post by twitter pal and Direct Sales Social Media blogger, Jennifer Fong, she discusses the FTC's new rules about disclosure on blogs.
But there's another rule that appears to be slipping under the radar right now - how using testimonials to market your services has changed.
Here's a link to the full article from the FTC:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm
It's worth it to take the time to read this. It appears on the surface to be a messge aimed at the advertisers - and as a direct seller, you are "advertising" on behalf of your company each time you do a demonstration or recommend your products and services to a potential customer.
These guides haven't been updated since 1980, and in light of the recent rush to blogging for dollars, advertisers have capitalized on this "loose" method of endorsement, and the FTC is tightening up to cover this "new" media.
Most importantly, note the following paragraph:
"Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor."
So saying things like "this is an unusual case" or "results not typical" isn't gonna fly anymore.
So if you've got a weightloss product, and a customer lost 48 pounds in 2 weeks, that doesn't mean you can't share that testimonial. On the contrary, you SHOULD - particularly because a lot of people won't anymore. But when you share that, you ALSO have to share what the TYPICAL user experience will be.
For example, "most people lose about a half a pound a week, but Sally from Oregon lost an incredible 48 pounds in 2 weeks using our program."
It's in the wording - and advertisers will be held at their word. Just be sure you're clear on what the typical results are for people.
The other area (that Jen addressed in her blog post) is a little more tricky - particularly for direct sellers doing product reviews for their own company products. In a newsletter or "closed door" communication, where a person has opted in to receive your content, it is easy to tell your readers that you are a consultant for XYZ company. On a blog, website or other online, public, "open door" type communication, many of the long-standing direct sales companies still have rules that outright forbid you from revealing any affiliation to their company, because they consider it "online advertising".
There are a couple of ways to work this:
1. Don't do product reviews on your blog - save them for your newsletter. It sounds silly, but instead of making public recommendations about your company products, offer tips and strategies they can use with any product, and then encourage readers to opt in to your private list so you can give full disclosure. This is a grey area, and because you're not outright endorsing or recommending a particular product, you can safely get around this issue.
2. Brand yourself first. This really should be number one, since it's my mantra. You are the most important product your company has to offer - and it doesn't matter what company you represent. Your public presence should be used to further your OWN reputation, not that of your company or your products. Direct sellers that rely on product review type articles will never fully get their business off the ground. It's a great place to start, but there are a variety of topics that surround your product line to which you should familiarize yourself. Become an expert in a topic related to your product line. Then you become known as "the expert", not just the "xyz product expert".
3. Get permission from your home office. A lot of copanies that say "no online advertising" put those rules in place to keep the mass of consultants from doing "dumb stupids" and posting erroneous info online. If you present a clear, focused proposal to your home office (someone that has authority to approve, not just a help center rep), you might be surprised at what you can accomplish. I was able to get authorization from The Body Shop at Home to do an entire online television series - when national advertising and online advertising were strictly prohibited.
There are other ideas I have on this topic as well, and I would love to hear your thoughts - particularly if your company has the same strict rules as many of the pillars of the industry do.
But there's another rule that appears to be slipping under the radar right now - how using testimonials to market your services has changed.
Here's a link to the full article from the FTC:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm
It's worth it to take the time to read this. It appears on the surface to be a messge aimed at the advertisers - and as a direct seller, you are "advertising" on behalf of your company each time you do a demonstration or recommend your products and services to a potential customer.
These guides haven't been updated since 1980, and in light of the recent rush to blogging for dollars, advertisers have capitalized on this "loose" method of endorsement, and the FTC is tightening up to cover this "new" media.
Most importantly, note the following paragraph:
"Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor."
So saying things like "this is an unusual case" or "results not typical" isn't gonna fly anymore.
So if you've got a weightloss product, and a customer lost 48 pounds in 2 weeks, that doesn't mean you can't share that testimonial. On the contrary, you SHOULD - particularly because a lot of people won't anymore. But when you share that, you ALSO have to share what the TYPICAL user experience will be.
For example, "most people lose about a half a pound a week, but Sally from Oregon lost an incredible 48 pounds in 2 weeks using our program."
It's in the wording - and advertisers will be held at their word. Just be sure you're clear on what the typical results are for people.
The other area (that Jen addressed in her blog post) is a little more tricky - particularly for direct sellers doing product reviews for their own company products. In a newsletter or "closed door" communication, where a person has opted in to receive your content, it is easy to tell your readers that you are a consultant for XYZ company. On a blog, website or other online, public, "open door" type communication, many of the long-standing direct sales companies still have rules that outright forbid you from revealing any affiliation to their company, because they consider it "online advertising".
There are a couple of ways to work this:
1. Don't do product reviews on your blog - save them for your newsletter. It sounds silly, but instead of making public recommendations about your company products, offer tips and strategies they can use with any product, and then encourage readers to opt in to your private list so you can give full disclosure. This is a grey area, and because you're not outright endorsing or recommending a particular product, you can safely get around this issue.
2. Brand yourself first. This really should be number one, since it's my mantra. You are the most important product your company has to offer - and it doesn't matter what company you represent. Your public presence should be used to further your OWN reputation, not that of your company or your products. Direct sellers that rely on product review type articles will never fully get their business off the ground. It's a great place to start, but there are a variety of topics that surround your product line to which you should familiarize yourself. Become an expert in a topic related to your product line. Then you become known as "the expert", not just the "xyz product expert".
3. Get permission from your home office. A lot of copanies that say "no online advertising" put those rules in place to keep the mass of consultants from doing "dumb stupids" and posting erroneous info online. If you present a clear, focused proposal to your home office (someone that has authority to approve, not just a help center rep), you might be surprised at what you can accomplish. I was able to get authorization from The Body Shop at Home to do an entire online television series - when national advertising and online advertising were strictly prohibited.
There are other ideas I have on this topic as well, and I would love to hear your thoughts - particularly if your company has the same strict rules as many of the pillars of the industry do.
Direct Sales Reps Need a Blog
Blogs are a critical component to your online marketing strategy.
Many direct sellers, however are reluctant to get started for a variety of reasons:
* Lack of technical savvy
Direct Sales in general has been slow to embrace technology of any kind, and many long-term consultants are still faxin or calling in orders to their home office. The idea of having complete control over webspace can feel intimidating to someone who may only use their computer for checking email - or may not even OWN a computer at all.
* Lack of confidence
In a sea of home-party presenters, you might be surprised to know how many don't have the confidence to speak in public, and worse yet, don't believe they have the skillset to manage a blog of their own.
* Lack of funds
Many consultants believe that setting up a website or a blog can be costly and even more expensive for ongoing maintenance.
* Lack of time
Direct Sellers are notorous for spinning many platesand keeping many balls in the air. I frequently hear the "I don't have time for that" excuse.
In reality, there are simple, easy solutions to all of these issues. Blogs, like this one, are free to set up, use templates, and are quick to get up and runnig - often in less than 10-15 minutes. In fact, at my upcoming Home Party Solution LIVE Workshop, we'll be holding a race to see who can set up a blog the fastest. The point-and-click techology of Blogger and Wordpress make setting everything up a breeze.
The more important concern is one of content. "I'm not sure what to write about!" I often hear direct sales consultants exclaim.
This isn't a challenge either. Here are four tips to make blog posting a snap:
1. Write about who you are. This does not mean to post incessantly about how you're a consultant with XYZ company. What we DO is not the same as who we ARE. Maybe you're a mom, or a dog-lover, or a baseball fanatic, or a lipstick fiend. Find an uplifting passion - something that brings you joy, and you're sure to build a following of people that also share that joy, that passion, that resonate with you and want to hear more from you regularly.
2. Write about topics related to your product line. This can be a product review, but more importantly, it should reflect an area of expertise that's related to your product line. For example, one of my blogs is about skin care, and while I rarely post directly about my skin care company, I often post articles related to skin care. This is a topic we will cover in greater depth at my live workshop. In fact, we'll actually HELP YOU determine your area of expertise and get your first posts written at the event.
3. Get someone else to write for you. There are tons of online writers willing to share their content with you at no charge. This is content you can freely post on your blog or anywhere else online for that matter. By sharing guest content, you build even more credibility in the eyes of your customers, which can only help your business in the long run. Home Party Solution lists many reliable sources for free content to share on your blog or even in your newsletters!
4. Let someone else pick the topic. From reader surveys to paid endorsements for your blog posts, there are ways to post content related to what other people WANT to have you post. In fact, monetizing your blog is a great way to make it pay you for the time you spend posting.
In all, there are tons of ways to make building your online presence quick and painless. Fear is quite possibly the only thing holding you back at this point. As a Direct Seller, it is imperative that you take advantage of every possible marketing opportunity - including online tools like blogs. With over 15 million consultants in the US alone, online marketing is fast becoming the tool that distinuishes the leaders from the rest of the pack.
Blogs, like Social Media, are only ONE piece of the online marketing puzzle. You need a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes these elements to effectively dominate your marketplace. Blogs, are quick and easy, and no direct seller should be without one.
==========
Have more questions about marketing yourself online? Blogging is just one piece of the online marketing puzzle. Without an online marketing strategy (social media, etc), you may find yourself pulling your hair out and calling it quits before any real progress is made. Lisa Robbin Young is the only Certified Direct Sales Marketing Coach in the WORLD, and can take the guesswork out of using the Internet to promote your direct sales business. Visit the free online community for direct sellers today at http://www.homepartysolution.com
Many direct sellers, however are reluctant to get started for a variety of reasons:
* Lack of technical savvy
Direct Sales in general has been slow to embrace technology of any kind, and many long-term consultants are still faxin or calling in orders to their home office. The idea of having complete control over webspace can feel intimidating to someone who may only use their computer for checking email - or may not even OWN a computer at all.
* Lack of confidence
In a sea of home-party presenters, you might be surprised to know how many don't have the confidence to speak in public, and worse yet, don't believe they have the skillset to manage a blog of their own.
* Lack of funds
Many consultants believe that setting up a website or a blog can be costly and even more expensive for ongoing maintenance.
* Lack of time
Direct Sellers are notorous for spinning many platesand keeping many balls in the air. I frequently hear the "I don't have time for that" excuse.
In reality, there are simple, easy solutions to all of these issues. Blogs, like this one, are free to set up, use templates, and are quick to get up and runnig - often in less than 10-15 minutes. In fact, at my upcoming Home Party Solution LIVE Workshop, we'll be holding a race to see who can set up a blog the fastest. The point-and-click techology of Blogger and Wordpress make setting everything up a breeze.
The more important concern is one of content. "I'm not sure what to write about!" I often hear direct sales consultants exclaim.
This isn't a challenge either. Here are four tips to make blog posting a snap:
1. Write about who you are. This does not mean to post incessantly about how you're a consultant with XYZ company. What we DO is not the same as who we ARE. Maybe you're a mom, or a dog-lover, or a baseball fanatic, or a lipstick fiend. Find an uplifting passion - something that brings you joy, and you're sure to build a following of people that also share that joy, that passion, that resonate with you and want to hear more from you regularly.
2. Write about topics related to your product line. This can be a product review, but more importantly, it should reflect an area of expertise that's related to your product line. For example, one of my blogs is about skin care, and while I rarely post directly about my skin care company, I often post articles related to skin care. This is a topic we will cover in greater depth at my live workshop. In fact, we'll actually HELP YOU determine your area of expertise and get your first posts written at the event.
3. Get someone else to write for you. There are tons of online writers willing to share their content with you at no charge. This is content you can freely post on your blog or anywhere else online for that matter. By sharing guest content, you build even more credibility in the eyes of your customers, which can only help your business in the long run. Home Party Solution lists many reliable sources for free content to share on your blog or even in your newsletters!
4. Let someone else pick the topic. From reader surveys to paid endorsements for your blog posts, there are ways to post content related to what other people WANT to have you post. In fact, monetizing your blog is a great way to make it pay you for the time you spend posting.
In all, there are tons of ways to make building your online presence quick and painless. Fear is quite possibly the only thing holding you back at this point. As a Direct Seller, it is imperative that you take advantage of every possible marketing opportunity - including online tools like blogs. With over 15 million consultants in the US alone, online marketing is fast becoming the tool that distinuishes the leaders from the rest of the pack.
Blogs, like Social Media, are only ONE piece of the online marketing puzzle. You need a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes these elements to effectively dominate your marketplace. Blogs, are quick and easy, and no direct seller should be without one.
==========
Have more questions about marketing yourself online? Blogging is just one piece of the online marketing puzzle. Without an online marketing strategy (social media, etc), you may find yourself pulling your hair out and calling it quits before any real progress is made. Lisa Robbin Young is the only Certified Direct Sales Marketing Coach in the WORLD, and can take the guesswork out of using the Internet to promote your direct sales business. Visit the free online community for direct sellers today at http://www.homepartysolution.com
Advertising Your Home Party Business
Direct Sales coach and trainer, Lisa Robbin Young shares a personal experience from her direct sales career about the right and wrong ways to use advertising in your home party business.
This is an excerpt from her upcoming STAR Power 12 month leadership coaching program, designed for direct sales leaders in the home party industry. Regsitration ends May 19. Learn more at http://www.homepartysolution.com/starpower
This is an excerpt from her upcoming STAR Power 12 month leadership coaching program, designed for direct sales leaders in the home party industry. Regsitration ends May 19. Learn more at http://www.homepartysolution.com/starpower
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