Last year, I had a wild idea as I sat in my dining room on a Thursday night.
I fantasized about how cool it would be if someone would put together a teleseminar series for direct sellers who wanted to grow a real business, instead of an expensive hobby. There were a few live events targeted at leaders, and most companies have a national conference, but there was so much information regurgitation, that not much new was being shared in terms of what really works now.
And then I heard that voice.
"Why not you? Why not now?"
Oh, I got all kinds of internal resistance. 'But I don't know anyone. Who could I find to speak at this event?' And on and on.
I seriously didn't think I was qualified to do something like this. And several other more established direct sales trainers seemed to agree. I hit wall after wall trying to connect with some of the more well-known trainers in direct sales. They were either too busy, or unimpressed by what I was trying to accomplish.
They didn't understand online marketing, JV partnerships, or cross promoting to help one another. Frankly, their fear of competition prevented them from sharing this info with their own lists because they were afraid someone might steal their clients away.
But by Sunday night, I had secured 8 of the 15 speakers for my first event. I give a lot of the credit to twitter for that, because I was able to cut through the clutter and talk straight to several of the people I wanted to work with. In fact, I still do a lot of my connecting there.
And so it began. More than a thousand people participated in that first event. The response was so overwhelming that I was able to put together a second summit in the fall. In 2009, more than two thousand people registered for the summits.
It became clear to me that working with mentors from other business sectors was appealing not just to direct sales pros, but for all kinds of entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Why Work With Mentors?
Our third summit begins March 28, and the line-up is so powerful, that I know everyone that participates will walk away with at least one business building tool or strategy they can use right away to improve their business. That's the big reason I believe in mentoring so much. It helps you shorten your learning curve.
In direct sales especially, we can easily get stuck in a rut. We're learning from our up-line, or from other successful consultants and leaders within our company - and maybe from another direct sales coach or trainer. Often, though, the rut becomes 'incestuous'. We start copying each other, doing the same things, and not being as effective as we could be. Mentors break us out of those ruts, offering fresh perspectives, sometimes completely out of your original knowledge base.
Why Teleseminars?
The beauty of a teleseminar is that you don't even need to leave home, take off your slippers or comb your hair! It would cost a pretty penny to attend a live event that brings together a roster of experienced business professionals to speak at a 2 week event. The travel, day care and costs for room and board alone would prevent most direct sellers from participating. Plus, you'd be hard pressed to all these folks at the same event. It would just be too expensive! Teleseminars are truly the best of all worlds - expert advice that you can take action on right away, no travel required, and a minimal time investment to get on the call.
Mentors are experts in their given field. Mari Smith is an undisputed expert when it comes to Facebook Marketing. Lisa Sasevich is the champion of selling without being pushy - and you're not likely to see these folks at your national convention. The Super Summit gives you an opportunity to learn from the best minds in business for a very minimal investment. In fact, you can listen to all the live broadcasts for just $3.
We've got more than a dozen people sharing their genius at this summit - and they're not selling anything. You can take it all in, apply it to your business and go with a smile - for less than the cost of a kid's meal. Where else can you learn from so many mentors for such a small investment?
If you're serious about building a real business - not an expensive hobby - you'll want to develop a mindset of continually learning from mentors and experts that can help you grow your business successfully.
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
The Super Summit is coming!
I would be remiss if I didn't share this exciting news with my blog peeps. Each Spring and Fall, I host a telesummit with some of the most amazing minds in direct sales and business today. So here's my shameless plug for our Super Summit event.
This Spring, I think it's safe to say I've outdone myself. Here are just a few of the instructors scheduled to appear:
* Mari Smith - Facebook Marketing in an Hour a Day
* Paula Antonini - An Energized YOU
* Scott Lovingood - It's Your Money, Keep More of It
* Jimmy Vee & Travis Miller - Online Video to Grow Your Business in 9 Minutes a Day
* Lisa Sasevich - Boost Yoour Sales with the Invisible Close
* Jonathan Fields - The REAL Upside of Being an Entrepreneur
* Nicki Keohohou - The 6 Qualities of REAL Leadership
I've got people sharing info about books that haven't even been released yet - AND a ton more great stuff up my sleeve.
Now I can't reveal everything, but you'll definitely want to get pre-registered before March 28:
http://www.smallbizsupersummit.com/
In the past, we've called this the Direct Sales Super Summit, but we have so much valuable information for anyone looking to grow their business, we thought a name change would be appropriate. You'll be happy to note that we STILL have a track of content designed with direct sales pros in mind. That will not change.
We're hammering out the call schedule right now, but you'll want to be on as many of the live calls as you can - starting with the LIVE kickoff call on Sunday March 28 at 6pm ET.
If you can't make it, you'll have the option of purchasing the audios after you register. If you've been to any of our past events, you KNOW that this is the event of the year. I hope you'll join us!
This Spring, I think it's safe to say I've outdone myself. Here are just a few of the instructors scheduled to appear:
* Mari Smith - Facebook Marketing in an Hour a Day
* Paula Antonini - An Energized YOU
* Scott Lovingood - It's Your Money, Keep More of It
* Jimmy Vee & Travis Miller - Online Video to Grow Your Business in 9 Minutes a Day
* Lisa Sasevich - Boost Yoour Sales with the Invisible Close
* Jonathan Fields - The REAL Upside of Being an Entrepreneur
* Nicki Keohohou - The 6 Qualities of REAL Leadership
I've got people sharing info about books that haven't even been released yet - AND a ton more great stuff up my sleeve.
Now I can't reveal everything, but you'll definitely want to get pre-registered before March 28:
http://www.smallbizsupersummit.com/
In the past, we've called this the Direct Sales Super Summit, but we have so much valuable information for anyone looking to grow their business, we thought a name change would be appropriate. You'll be happy to note that we STILL have a track of content designed with direct sales pros in mind. That will not change.
We're hammering out the call schedule right now, but you'll want to be on as many of the live calls as you can - starting with the LIVE kickoff call on Sunday March 28 at 6pm ET.
If you can't make it, you'll have the option of purchasing the audios after you register. If you've been to any of our past events, you KNOW that this is the event of the year. I hope you'll join us!
Longer is Much More Gratifying: Business Relationships That Work
I subscribe to far too many mailing lists.
My assistant creates filters in my gmail account so that I can sort the wheat from the chaff on a regular basis, but even I recognize I'm still on far too many lists. Some lists I'm not even sure how I got there - or they only send me an email once every blue moon, so I forget to unsubscribe before I hit the delete button.
Today, I got an email from one such list. But I shan't be unsubscribing just yet.
One little sentence saved him from the dung heap.
Normally, I don't like ezines that force me to click through to read the article. But his title was compelling, revealing the business trend we witnessed in 2009 - how 7 figure companies were fast dwindling into 5 figure companies due to a failue to adapt to change.
The one little sentence that caught my eye (despite the problems with formatting on the page)?
"It takes us longer to convert a lead into a customer but it is much more gratifying in the end."
Hello! Welcome to the world of marketing your business!
Gone are the days of sticking a business card in your prospect's face and expecting them to buy a couple hundred dollars worth of your product. In fact, Bob suggests that going after bigger ticket clients is actually a better strategy because they understand the value of your product, and are less likely to shop based solely on price.
The reality of that, however, is that people who shop based on value take a little more time to assess, resolve and decide to make the purchase.
I'll have a guest that attends 3 or 4 parties before they ever purchase a thing. I'm on the verge of writing this person off as uninterested just as they are whipping out their checkbook to pay for a $300+ order.
I wish I was joking, but I'm not.
See, the flip side to our "instant gratification" world is that there are still people that believe in taking their time, doing things the right way, and NOT rushing into anything. In our rush to service the next in line, we sometimes forget what serving our clients is really all about: finding their needs, and helping them make decisions that will improve their lives.
And sometimes it takes more than four point two seconds to determine if the value of your offering really is better than the other guy. Sometimes value is determined by how much time you actually SPEND WITH the client.
This isn't just a direct sales application. This is a life application. Our best friends are usually the ones we've known the longest - or it at least "feeeeels like we've known them foreeeeeeeever". Longer relationships are much more gratifying.
That's the dilemma of social media. So many direct sellers have jumped on the SM bandwagon thinking it's the road to fast riches. NO. Just like eveything else bout direct sales, it's not get rich quick. It's get rich by building relationships - on a national platform instead of a local one.
So if someone sold you that bill of goods, my apologies. The strength in any relationship - business or otherwise - lies in the number of genuine, valueable connections you have with that person. Sometimes you can take shortcuts, but you can't short circuit the entire process.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com
My assistant creates filters in my gmail account so that I can sort the wheat from the chaff on a regular basis, but even I recognize I'm still on far too many lists. Some lists I'm not even sure how I got there - or they only send me an email once every blue moon, so I forget to unsubscribe before I hit the delete button.
Today, I got an email from one such list. But I shan't be unsubscribing just yet.
One little sentence saved him from the dung heap.
Normally, I don't like ezines that force me to click through to read the article. But his title was compelling, revealing the business trend we witnessed in 2009 - how 7 figure companies were fast dwindling into 5 figure companies due to a failue to adapt to change.
The one little sentence that caught my eye (despite the problems with formatting on the page)?
"It takes us longer to convert a lead into a customer but it is much more gratifying in the end."
Hello! Welcome to the world of marketing your business!
Gone are the days of sticking a business card in your prospect's face and expecting them to buy a couple hundred dollars worth of your product. In fact, Bob suggests that going after bigger ticket clients is actually a better strategy because they understand the value of your product, and are less likely to shop based solely on price.
The reality of that, however, is that people who shop based on value take a little more time to assess, resolve and decide to make the purchase.
I'll have a guest that attends 3 or 4 parties before they ever purchase a thing. I'm on the verge of writing this person off as uninterested just as they are whipping out their checkbook to pay for a $300+ order.
I wish I was joking, but I'm not.
See, the flip side to our "instant gratification" world is that there are still people that believe in taking their time, doing things the right way, and NOT rushing into anything. In our rush to service the next in line, we sometimes forget what serving our clients is really all about: finding their needs, and helping them make decisions that will improve their lives.
And sometimes it takes more than four point two seconds to determine if the value of your offering really is better than the other guy. Sometimes value is determined by how much time you actually SPEND WITH the client.
This isn't just a direct sales application. This is a life application. Our best friends are usually the ones we've known the longest - or it at least "feeeeels like we've known them foreeeeeeeever". Longer relationships are much more gratifying.
That's the dilemma of social media. So many direct sellers have jumped on the SM bandwagon thinking it's the road to fast riches. NO. Just like eveything else bout direct sales, it's not get rich quick. It's get rich by building relationships - on a national platform instead of a local one.
So if someone sold you that bill of goods, my apologies. The strength in any relationship - business or otherwise - lies in the number of genuine, valueable connections you have with that person. Sometimes you can take shortcuts, but you can't short circuit the entire process.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com
Social Media DON'T: LinkedIn Presentation Blunder
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. :-)
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. :-)
Why Blogging May NOT Be For You
When developing your online marketing stratey, ivariably, the questions of blogging come up.
"Should I or shouldn't I?"
"How often?"
"Is it profitable?"
"How do I monetize it?"
"Should I have more than one?"
And these are just a handful of questions I've been asked in the past.
I enjoy blogs and blogging. But blogging may not be for you.
Uh-oh, another rejection of online marketing strategies?
Naaahh... Just a reality check for people that suffer from shiny object syndrome.
In all seriousness, I think blogs are an important component in your online marketing arsenal - but only if you are ready for it.
Blogging takes time - believe it or not, blogging is one of the most mind-taxing social media strategies. There are ways to minimize the time investment, and we'll talk about that in my 12-week challenge program, but even so, there's a time committment involved to write/edit/review posts and respond to comments.
While I'm a big fan of blogs and encourage people to start with a blog instead of a website, there are times when this just doesn't make sense.
Blogging takes consistency - people that are following your blog will be looking for your posts on a regular basis. If you're unable to post consistently, people stop following your blog.
That doesn't mean you have to post every day - and you can win back some of your readership if you get back on the posting wagon. It means that whatever you choose to do, you need to be consistent about it. More frequent posters will have more frequent readers - and the faster you can build rapport with our readership, the sooner you can build the bridge from online acquaintance to business partnership - which is the whole point of doing this in the first place, right?
Well, not exactly, but I'll share about that in another post.
Blogging takes quality content - this is a non-negotiable. Regardless of the frequency or even the topic, there's got to be quality information in every post you make. You can post once a month with killer content and people will look forward to that post all month long. But if all you're posting is "my company's the best thing since sliced bread", you'll turn off readers faster than "The Clapper".
And no, it doesn't need to be perfect content - grammatically excellent, without a single spelling error - but you should strive for perfection.
When you see an error (or someone points it out to you), correct it. We all know nobody's perfect. It takes a level of integrity to acknowledge our mistakes, correct them and beome a better person in the process.
Blogging needs an "end game" - blogging for bloggin's sake isn't a bad thing - and it's done frequently. Blogging for business, however, needs to have a desired end result. It could be a call to action at teh end of the post, a newsletter opt-in on the blog itself, or links within the post copy. There's got to be a reason for all this blogging - and the more transparent you are, the less it looks like you have something to hide.
So when you're contemplating adding blogging to your online marketing strategy, consider the issues above. Not sure your'e ready for a full-blown blog? Try a micro-blogging platform like Twitter. It's a great place to get your feet wet in the meantime.
"Should I or shouldn't I?"
"How often?"
"Is it profitable?"
"How do I monetize it?"
"Should I have more than one?"
And these are just a handful of questions I've been asked in the past.
I enjoy blogs and blogging. But blogging may not be for you.
Uh-oh, another rejection of online marketing strategies?
Naaahh... Just a reality check for people that suffer from shiny object syndrome.
In all seriousness, I think blogs are an important component in your online marketing arsenal - but only if you are ready for it.
Blogging takes time - believe it or not, blogging is one of the most mind-taxing social media strategies. There are ways to minimize the time investment, and we'll talk about that in my 12-week challenge program, but even so, there's a time committment involved to write/edit/review posts and respond to comments.
While I'm a big fan of blogs and encourage people to start with a blog instead of a website, there are times when this just doesn't make sense.
Blogging takes consistency - people that are following your blog will be looking for your posts on a regular basis. If you're unable to post consistently, people stop following your blog.
That doesn't mean you have to post every day - and you can win back some of your readership if you get back on the posting wagon. It means that whatever you choose to do, you need to be consistent about it. More frequent posters will have more frequent readers - and the faster you can build rapport with our readership, the sooner you can build the bridge from online acquaintance to business partnership - which is the whole point of doing this in the first place, right?
Well, not exactly, but I'll share about that in another post.
Blogging takes quality content - this is a non-negotiable. Regardless of the frequency or even the topic, there's got to be quality information in every post you make. You can post once a month with killer content and people will look forward to that post all month long. But if all you're posting is "my company's the best thing since sliced bread", you'll turn off readers faster than "The Clapper".
And no, it doesn't need to be perfect content - grammatically excellent, without a single spelling error - but you should strive for perfection.
When you see an error (or someone points it out to you), correct it. We all know nobody's perfect. It takes a level of integrity to acknowledge our mistakes, correct them and beome a better person in the process.
Blogging needs an "end game" - blogging for bloggin's sake isn't a bad thing - and it's done frequently. Blogging for business, however, needs to have a desired end result. It could be a call to action at teh end of the post, a newsletter opt-in on the blog itself, or links within the post copy. There's got to be a reason for all this blogging - and the more transparent you are, the less it looks like you have something to hide.
So when you're contemplating adding blogging to your online marketing strategy, consider the issues above. Not sure your'e ready for a full-blown blog? Try a micro-blogging platform like Twitter. It's a great place to get your feet wet in the meantime.
Online Marketing: 10 lessons from the James Ray incident
Many of you know I'm not a news watcher, so when my mastermind group shared the news about the James Ray 'death lodge' incident today, I was a bit taken aback, but not totally surprised.
I can't begin to comment on the tragedy that occurred, nor on anything that Ray represents. That's not what this post is about. Anytime someone dies unexpectedly - for any reason - there are questions, pain, and more suffering than anyone should ever have to endure.
I'll save that for others better qualified than I to investigate.
This is not to negate or downplay ANYTHING that happened in Arizona. On the contrary, these 10 lessons are important for everyone in business to learn - and fast, regardless of the outcome of the investigation:
First, at least one major media outlet was compelled to include James' twitter id in their article. James couldn't be reached for comment, so the outlet ripped quotes from his twitter page regarding the incident.
Lesson one: Make sure what you're sharing online is fit to print.
Lesson two: Even the media recognizes the marketing value of sites like twitter - and has no compunction about using it to THEIR advantage either!
At seeing his twitter id, I got curious - as I'm sure many others did. After a small amount of digging, I discovered that even after the news reports reaching national media, James' follower count continues to increase - by nearly a hundred a day!
Lesson three: Even bad press can bring you new followers
Lesson four: It doesn't mean those followers are quality - they could be waiting to watch you hang.
James has recently come under fire for his high-pressure sales tactics - in fact, many have alleged "brain washing" during this tragedy - to the extreme. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, our job is not to sell people stuff. Our job is to help people make informed decisions that will improve their lives.
Anything less than that, and we're doing a disservice to our clients and to ourselves.
James, one of the featured 'stars' of "The Secret" has been delivering a message of profound impact for years. Just because the messenger "falls from grace" doesn't make the message any less meaningful for the people it has impacted.
Often times we, as a society (even a global one) put a person on a pedestal that they do not rightly belong on. Remember, we are all fatally flawed. Again, this is not to downplay anything that happened in Arizona. But how often have we falling in love with the music of a singer, the athleticism of a pro ball player or the work of a master artist only to have our graven image of them dashed on the rocks when they inevitably mar our picture perfect image of them with some human error?
It doesn't negate the beauty of the work, only the character of the person. I know several people that have been positively impacted by Ray's message. The deep disappointment they are dealing with now, is difficult to navigate. AND there are fans of Ray's that are defending him to the end.
Lesson five: Never place yourself above anyone else. You are no more, and no less than any other human on the planet.
Lesson six: When you do your job well, you will have die hard fans that will follow you to the ends of the earth and defend your honor in any situation.
In reading the reports, I read the name "Howard Bragman" as Ray's Publicist. Bragman is considered one of the greatest PR guys in the industry. In fact, I just picked up his book "Where's My Fifteen Minutes?" at my local library last week, so I'm watching with interest to see how this shakes out. Jim Lampley said "When you're on the ropes, you want Howard Bragman in your corner." That's a quote from the back cover of Bragman's book.
No doubt, Bragman is keeping his client quiet until there's time to sort through everything - which is smart. While many people are railing agains Ray's silence, the WORST thing he could do is open his mouth and "insert his foot".
As a business owner, everything he has is at stake here - and he knows it (along with the rest of the world). He may be dying inside to offer apologies, or tell his side of everything (or not), but even a well-intended apology could come off as a makehift admission of guilt if the media has an opportunity to spin it.
I'm reminded of the fortune cookie where it's better to remain silent, than to open your mouth and "remove all doubt". Innocence (or guilt) should be determined by qualified authorities - and I ain't one of them.
Lesson seven: everything you say can be used against you in times of trouble. Make every word count
Lesson eight: even when you're trying to do right, it can be misconstrued, and you'll never make everyone happy.
We as a public, want answers. We as business owners need to look at this situation and learn.
Be proactive, remember we're dealing with people's lives - whether we sell shoes or inspiration. Whether we offer $.99 widgets or $10,000 week-long retreats. Whatever we're doing needs to be focused on serving others, providing value and reaping the benefits of the work we've done. That implies the work must be done before the reward is received.
Coaches, trainers and speakers need to be on the offensive here. In just a few short hours since I've learned of this tragedy, already the barrage of "snake oil", "shyster" and other epithets have already created a firestorm online. Let's be sure we're not slapping an unwarranted label on an entire industry just because things went awry. Should there be failsafes in place? Absolutely. Inasmuch as direct sellers have gotten a bum rap for the slimy, pushy salesmen that have weasled their way through our organizations, so too may we find the motivational industry likewise marred by this horriffic event.
Where's the justice in that?
Lesson nine: those who paint with broad brush strokes make great white washers
Lesson ten: It takes great effort and much patience to work with a detailed hand.
Probably not the lessons you were expecting, but I'm known for my irreverence.
When I originally created this blog - as "Real Life Marketing" - the objective was to show how we could learn significant lessons for marketing our business from the everyday things that go on around us. While this is one event I hope never becomes an every day occurence, you can certainly see the lessons we can all walk away with from this tragedy. There are others, to be sure. As business owners, we need to be mindful, and ever ready to protect ourselves, our investment and our business.
I can't begin to comment on the tragedy that occurred, nor on anything that Ray represents. That's not what this post is about. Anytime someone dies unexpectedly - for any reason - there are questions, pain, and more suffering than anyone should ever have to endure.
I'll save that for others better qualified than I to investigate.
This is not to negate or downplay ANYTHING that happened in Arizona. On the contrary, these 10 lessons are important for everyone in business to learn - and fast, regardless of the outcome of the investigation:
First, at least one major media outlet was compelled to include James' twitter id in their article. James couldn't be reached for comment, so the outlet ripped quotes from his twitter page regarding the incident.
Lesson one: Make sure what you're sharing online is fit to print.
Lesson two: Even the media recognizes the marketing value of sites like twitter - and has no compunction about using it to THEIR advantage either!
At seeing his twitter id, I got curious - as I'm sure many others did. After a small amount of digging, I discovered that even after the news reports reaching national media, James' follower count continues to increase - by nearly a hundred a day!
Lesson three: Even bad press can bring you new followers
Lesson four: It doesn't mean those followers are quality - they could be waiting to watch you hang.
James has recently come under fire for his high-pressure sales tactics - in fact, many have alleged "brain washing" during this tragedy - to the extreme. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, our job is not to sell people stuff. Our job is to help people make informed decisions that will improve their lives.
Anything less than that, and we're doing a disservice to our clients and to ourselves.
James, one of the featured 'stars' of "The Secret" has been delivering a message of profound impact for years. Just because the messenger "falls from grace" doesn't make the message any less meaningful for the people it has impacted.
Often times we, as a society (even a global one) put a person on a pedestal that they do not rightly belong on. Remember, we are all fatally flawed. Again, this is not to downplay anything that happened in Arizona. But how often have we falling in love with the music of a singer, the athleticism of a pro ball player or the work of a master artist only to have our graven image of them dashed on the rocks when they inevitably mar our picture perfect image of them with some human error?
It doesn't negate the beauty of the work, only the character of the person. I know several people that have been positively impacted by Ray's message. The deep disappointment they are dealing with now, is difficult to navigate. AND there are fans of Ray's that are defending him to the end.
Lesson five: Never place yourself above anyone else. You are no more, and no less than any other human on the planet.
Lesson six: When you do your job well, you will have die hard fans that will follow you to the ends of the earth and defend your honor in any situation.
In reading the reports, I read the name "Howard Bragman" as Ray's Publicist. Bragman is considered one of the greatest PR guys in the industry. In fact, I just picked up his book "Where's My Fifteen Minutes?" at my local library last week, so I'm watching with interest to see how this shakes out. Jim Lampley said "When you're on the ropes, you want Howard Bragman in your corner." That's a quote from the back cover of Bragman's book.
No doubt, Bragman is keeping his client quiet until there's time to sort through everything - which is smart. While many people are railing agains Ray's silence, the WORST thing he could do is open his mouth and "insert his foot".
As a business owner, everything he has is at stake here - and he knows it (along with the rest of the world). He may be dying inside to offer apologies, or tell his side of everything (or not), but even a well-intended apology could come off as a makehift admission of guilt if the media has an opportunity to spin it.
I'm reminded of the fortune cookie where it's better to remain silent, than to open your mouth and "remove all doubt". Innocence (or guilt) should be determined by qualified authorities - and I ain't one of them.
Lesson seven: everything you say can be used against you in times of trouble. Make every word count
Lesson eight: even when you're trying to do right, it can be misconstrued, and you'll never make everyone happy.
We as a public, want answers. We as business owners need to look at this situation and learn.
Be proactive, remember we're dealing with people's lives - whether we sell shoes or inspiration. Whether we offer $.99 widgets or $10,000 week-long retreats. Whatever we're doing needs to be focused on serving others, providing value and reaping the benefits of the work we've done. That implies the work must be done before the reward is received.
Coaches, trainers and speakers need to be on the offensive here. In just a few short hours since I've learned of this tragedy, already the barrage of "snake oil", "shyster" and other epithets have already created a firestorm online. Let's be sure we're not slapping an unwarranted label on an entire industry just because things went awry. Should there be failsafes in place? Absolutely. Inasmuch as direct sellers have gotten a bum rap for the slimy, pushy salesmen that have weasled their way through our organizations, so too may we find the motivational industry likewise marred by this horriffic event.
Where's the justice in that?
Lesson nine: those who paint with broad brush strokes make great white washers
Lesson ten: It takes great effort and much patience to work with a detailed hand.
Probably not the lessons you were expecting, but I'm known for my irreverence.
When I originally created this blog - as "Real Life Marketing" - the objective was to show how we could learn significant lessons for marketing our business from the everyday things that go on around us. While this is one event I hope never becomes an every day occurence, you can certainly see the lessons we can all walk away with from this tragedy. There are others, to be sure. As business owners, we need to be mindful, and ever ready to protect ourselves, our investment and our business.
Inspiration & Business: A Lesson in Consistency
Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.
So have rumours of me being stranded and mugged in London - for those of you that haven't heard about my Facebook adventure. Someone hacked my Facebook page a couple of months ago, and fortunately, we caught it quickly, which meant little clean up on my end. YAY! The good news is that they didn't do a thing to my facebook fan page - and now we've got all kinds of people connecting with us on Facebook! Double YAY!
And so, between cleaning up all that hoo-hah, and the musical I directed this summer for a local theater company, the LIVE event in August, and the Direct Sales Super Summit that just ended... well, let's just say I've been busy.
Real busy.
And it begs the question - just how important is my blog in terms of traffic generation, lead generation and growing my business? I mean, this is part and parcel to what I teach my clients: build a website, create a brand, and market it like crazy so people will flock to you, rather than you having to chase after them.
I confess, my focus was elsewhere, and while I have some great news to share with you, I also want to be honest and tell you that yes, the number of people that read my blog went WAY down, as did the number of subscribers from my marketing actvities. In fact, there were a couple of weeks where I actually lost more subscribers than I added.
So the lesson in consistency was a hard one to learn - and if you've been following my ezine for any length of time, you'll know that it's not the only hard lesson I learned this month.
One of the things I toyed with was the idea of delegating my blog posts to "guest bloggers" or having my assistant post on my behalf, but I dismissed the idea almost as quickly. To me, my blog is my personal platform to cmmunicate with my readers. To have anyone else do it would take away some of that personalness. Maybe I'll change my mind later, but for now, if I can't post it myself, it won't get posted.
That said, watch what happens to my blog in the coming days - I'm implementing a new traffic strategy, beginning tomorrow, and running throughout the remainder of October. The challenge - a blog post every single day. EVERY day.
And tomorrow's will be a doozie.
You have been warned.
So have rumours of me being stranded and mugged in London - for those of you that haven't heard about my Facebook adventure. Someone hacked my Facebook page a couple of months ago, and fortunately, we caught it quickly, which meant little clean up on my end. YAY! The good news is that they didn't do a thing to my facebook fan page - and now we've got all kinds of people connecting with us on Facebook! Double YAY!
And so, between cleaning up all that hoo-hah, and the musical I directed this summer for a local theater company, the LIVE event in August, and the Direct Sales Super Summit that just ended... well, let's just say I've been busy.
Real busy.
And it begs the question - just how important is my blog in terms of traffic generation, lead generation and growing my business? I mean, this is part and parcel to what I teach my clients: build a website, create a brand, and market it like crazy so people will flock to you, rather than you having to chase after them.
I confess, my focus was elsewhere, and while I have some great news to share with you, I also want to be honest and tell you that yes, the number of people that read my blog went WAY down, as did the number of subscribers from my marketing actvities. In fact, there were a couple of weeks where I actually lost more subscribers than I added.
So the lesson in consistency was a hard one to learn - and if you've been following my ezine for any length of time, you'll know that it's not the only hard lesson I learned this month.
One of the things I toyed with was the idea of delegating my blog posts to "guest bloggers" or having my assistant post on my behalf, but I dismissed the idea almost as quickly. To me, my blog is my personal platform to cmmunicate with my readers. To have anyone else do it would take away some of that personalness. Maybe I'll change my mind later, but for now, if I can't post it myself, it won't get posted.
That said, watch what happens to my blog in the coming days - I'm implementing a new traffic strategy, beginning tomorrow, and running throughout the remainder of October. The challenge - a blog post every single day. EVERY day.
And tomorrow's will be a doozie.
You have been warned.
Twitter Tips for Direct Sellers
As a target marketing specialist for direct sales reps, I spend a lot of time testing new strategies to help direct sales reps reach and serve their customers. My current favorite is twitter.
Twitter is an obvious choice for connecting real time with friends or followers. It's quick and relatively easy to navigate. Simply create an i.d., and start looking for people to spread your message.
The trouble comes when a person is brand new and has no idea how/where to begin.
Twitter is not a platform for heavy selling. Rather, it's a great place to introduce yourself, share more about who you are, and then open the door to potential business ventures. Heck, you only have 140 characters per tweet, and if you want people to share those tweets, you need to keep it under 120!
In the interests of ettiquette, here are a few simple tips to help direct sellers make the most of twitter:
1. Be genuine. This is at the heart of everything twitter represents. Select a user name that reflects who you are, rather than your product or company name. In fact, most companies prohibit use of their name in that manner anyway, so why risk it?People will gravitate to who you are first, THEN to what you offer.
2. Provide value. You've heard me say this time and again. People are always asking themselves, "why should I believe/listen you?" We are deluged with thousands of "advertising" messaged every single day. Your tweets need to stand out, provide value to your market and serve the very people you're trying to reach.
3. Be personal. By that, I mean resist the temptation to automate your folowing/unfollowing or direct messaging. There are appropriate ways to use automation with twitter. I've tested dozens of applications that were developed to maximize the efficiency of twitter. My results conclude that Autofollows and autoDM's just cause trouble.
Take the time to make the connection manually - which will avoid the need to unfollow at a later date. Yes, it means your number of followers may grow more slowly, but you can be sure that the followers you do have are actually INTERESTED in what you have to say.
4. Be patient. If you're being true to who you are, you're not likely to get a million followers overnight, but you WILL generate a following of people that know like and trust you. Word will spread as your followers share your message with their followers.
This is why I stress that social media and online marketing does not replace your home party business, but is an additional marketing component to running your business like a real business. Yes, there are people who have all but retired from doing home parties, but it didn't happen overnight. Don't fool yourself into thinking that a twitter account (or any single marketing strategy) is the fastest way to riches. It can help increase your reach dramatically, but it's certainly not an overnight solution.
==========
Want more help understanding twitter and how to apply it to your business? Explore Lisa's course: Twitter Secrets for Direct Sellers. The only certified Direct Sales Marketing Coach in the WORLD, Lisa Robbin Young can help demystify the business side of running your direct sales business. Visit her free online community for direct sellers today.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to use target marketing to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Register today for her free member community & target marketing program for direct sellers at http://www.homepartysolution.com
Twitter is an obvious choice for connecting real time with friends or followers. It's quick and relatively easy to navigate. Simply create an i.d., and start looking for people to spread your message.
The trouble comes when a person is brand new and has no idea how/where to begin.
Twitter is not a platform for heavy selling. Rather, it's a great place to introduce yourself, share more about who you are, and then open the door to potential business ventures. Heck, you only have 140 characters per tweet, and if you want people to share those tweets, you need to keep it under 120!
In the interests of ettiquette, here are a few simple tips to help direct sellers make the most of twitter:
1. Be genuine. This is at the heart of everything twitter represents. Select a user name that reflects who you are, rather than your product or company name. In fact, most companies prohibit use of their name in that manner anyway, so why risk it?People will gravitate to who you are first, THEN to what you offer.
2. Provide value. You've heard me say this time and again. People are always asking themselves, "why should I believe/listen you?" We are deluged with thousands of "advertising" messaged every single day. Your tweets need to stand out, provide value to your market and serve the very people you're trying to reach.
3. Be personal. By that, I mean resist the temptation to automate your folowing/unfollowing or direct messaging. There are appropriate ways to use automation with twitter. I've tested dozens of applications that were developed to maximize the efficiency of twitter. My results conclude that Autofollows and autoDM's just cause trouble.
Take the time to make the connection manually - which will avoid the need to unfollow at a later date. Yes, it means your number of followers may grow more slowly, but you can be sure that the followers you do have are actually INTERESTED in what you have to say.
4. Be patient. If you're being true to who you are, you're not likely to get a million followers overnight, but you WILL generate a following of people that know like and trust you. Word will spread as your followers share your message with their followers.
This is why I stress that social media and online marketing does not replace your home party business, but is an additional marketing component to running your business like a real business. Yes, there are people who have all but retired from doing home parties, but it didn't happen overnight. Don't fool yourself into thinking that a twitter account (or any single marketing strategy) is the fastest way to riches. It can help increase your reach dramatically, but it's certainly not an overnight solution.
==========
Want more help understanding twitter and how to apply it to your business? Explore Lisa's course: Twitter Secrets for Direct Sellers. The only certified Direct Sales Marketing Coach in the WORLD, Lisa Robbin Young can help demystify the business side of running your direct sales business. Visit her free online community for direct sellers today.
© 2009 Lisa Robbin Young.
USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE!
Please do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is a certified direct sales marketing coach, teaching direct sellers to use target marketing to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Register today for her free member community & target marketing program for direct sellers at http://www.homepartysolution.com
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
Direct Sales & Google: A Primer
Recently, I got a couple of emails asking about getting more visibility in google - including higher search engine rankings. While the whole of SEO is beyond the scope of this article, there ARE two easy ways to get yourself "noticed" by Google. One is fast, and wll get you to page one on Google within a day or two, the other may take more time.
The fastest and easiest way is to set up your google profile. Google allows you to great a profile page that shares a bit of who you are -including links to any of your websites.
This is a super smart tool for the direct seller who wants to drive traffic to a personal website (NOT your company site, unless that's permissible by your company). Simply add the URL's for any sites about you - including your facebook and twitter profile page. Add a recent photo, and you've got a great way to appear on the first page of Google any time someone Googles your name. Plus, with a VERY high page rank, Google profiles will lend credibility to your site, and increase your exposure.
Google also allows you to add your own URL to Google's database manually. This can take a lot longer for Google to index, because it prefers to find naturally linked sites, but I always recommend adding your site just to be on the safe side. Google never guarntees that a site will be included, and you need to make sure that you don't violate any company policies that your direct sales company may have regarding submitting their name to search engines.
I always recommend submitting your own sites - not those of your company - just to keep your nose clean. Plus, as I always say, YOU are the most important product your company has to offer, so promote yourself first!
==========
Have more questions about marketing yourself online? Google 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
The fastest and easiest way is to set up your google profile. Google allows you to great a profile page that shares a bit of who you are -including links to any of your websites.
This is a super smart tool for the direct seller who wants to drive traffic to a personal website (NOT your company site, unless that's permissible by your company). Simply add the URL's for any sites about you - including your facebook and twitter profile page. Add a recent photo, and you've got a great way to appear on the first page of Google any time someone Googles your name. Plus, with a VERY high page rank, Google profiles will lend credibility to your site, and increase your exposure.
Google also allows you to add your own URL to Google's database manually. This can take a lot longer for Google to index, because it prefers to find naturally linked sites, but I always recommend adding your site just to be on the safe side. Google never guarntees that a site will be included, and you need to make sure that you don't violate any company policies that your direct sales company may have regarding submitting their name to search engines.
I always recommend submitting your own sites - not those of your company - just to keep your nose clean. Plus, as I always say, YOU are the most important product your company has to offer, so promote yourself first!
==========
Have more questions about marketing yourself online? Google 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
Twitter Mass Suspensions & Direct Sales Implications
In a recent post by Jennifer Fong about Social Media Automation the case was made that automation negates the relationship building experience. This is one time when Jen and I disagree.
Jen's article highlights the recent mass suspension of thousands of twitter accounts - including some of the very big name twitter users (like @marismith). The claim was that a spam cloud struck twitter (a spam attack on the servers), and twitter took swift, albeit overzealous action to quell the onslaught. users were quick to point to automation tools and sites like TweetLater as the source of the problem. TweetLater was quick to deny any wrongdoing.
Whatever the case, it appears that Twitter set up a few security screens that these suspended users found themselves trapped in. Perhaps the most likely culprit (and we may never know for sure) is the dreaded "autofollow". This automation tool allows you to automatically follow back anyone that is following you. Designed as a time saver for people that were collecting and manually approving hundreds of new followers each day, autofollow has essentially degenerated into a weapon of mass destruction for twitter spammers.
I firmly believe that autofollow should be banned - likewise autoDM (automatically sending private messages when a person starts following you). I've said before this is the equivalent of leaving voicemails - or worse - the pre-recorded messages that telemarketers play when they call YOU! Argh!
Can you tell it drives me nuts?
That said, I think there are plenty of times when it is completely acceptable to use an automated method of posting to your twitter account - most of which have to do with extended absences from the computer:
Your followers aren't all in the same time zone. If you have followers all over the globe, and you're only online from 1-2 in the afternoon, it's harder to connect with them. A scheduled tweet gives you the ability to appear in their tweetstream and stay "top of mind" when they are more likely to be on twitter.
You've got an event coming up. Daily reminders of upcoming events are totally appropriate. Scheduled tweets allow you to broadcast a quick reminder at a designated time of day, so that you don't have to be sittin right in front of your computer when you should be getting ready for your event. When I am prepping for a teleclass (for example), I will post 3-4 tweets in the 2 hours before the call to build excitement, generate interest and get those last minute sign ups.
You're creating a series of helpful tips. When I launched #dstips a couple of months ago, I scheduled each tip to go out once per day. Over the course of a moth I was able to provide valueable strategies and ideas that were re-tweeted across not only twitter, but facebook as well. I simply don't have time to sit down every single day to do that kind of thing. The result? ot only did I get more followers, but I created a movement of direct sales trainers on twitter sharing ideas on a regular basis. #dstips now has daily posts from about a dozen different trainers and thought leaders in the direct sales industry.
I'm a big fan of batching my time, and it makes more sense for me to do all of those posts at one time, scheduling them to go out over a period of months, than it does to disrupt my daily routine to sit down and type out one tweet. It may seem trivial, but those minutes add up.
The key is discretion. Jen and I have both mentioned before that the power of social media lies in the relationships you build and the abilty to spread your message quickly. But you also have to remember that social media isn't jsut about relationships,there has to be a payoff in the end to make it profitable for the direct seller - and that means being frugal with your time on sites like twitter and facebook.
The big misnomer in these arenas is the number of "friends" or "followers" you have. You don't want followers, you want relationships. People that have 50,000 or 2 Million followers can't possibly be connected to all of them - probably not even a tenth of them.
So what's the point?
For direct sellers, the value in social media isn't how quickly you can add followers, it's how well you build solid relationships that translate into income. Otherwise, why are we using it in the first place? It's still marketing, and the ultimate point of marketing is to generate income.
Automation done apropriately, streamlines your process, enhances your strategy, and makes you more effective.
And you don't need thousands of "fans" to do it.
Jen's article highlights the recent mass suspension of thousands of twitter accounts - including some of the very big name twitter users (like @marismith). The claim was that a spam cloud struck twitter (a spam attack on the servers), and twitter took swift, albeit overzealous action to quell the onslaught. users were quick to point to automation tools and sites like TweetLater as the source of the problem. TweetLater was quick to deny any wrongdoing.
Whatever the case, it appears that Twitter set up a few security screens that these suspended users found themselves trapped in. Perhaps the most likely culprit (and we may never know for sure) is the dreaded "autofollow". This automation tool allows you to automatically follow back anyone that is following you. Designed as a time saver for people that were collecting and manually approving hundreds of new followers each day, autofollow has essentially degenerated into a weapon of mass destruction for twitter spammers.
I firmly believe that autofollow should be banned - likewise autoDM (automatically sending private messages when a person starts following you). I've said before this is the equivalent of leaving voicemails - or worse - the pre-recorded messages that telemarketers play when they call YOU! Argh!
Can you tell it drives me nuts?
That said, I think there are plenty of times when it is completely acceptable to use an automated method of posting to your twitter account - most of which have to do with extended absences from the computer:
Your followers aren't all in the same time zone. If you have followers all over the globe, and you're only online from 1-2 in the afternoon, it's harder to connect with them. A scheduled tweet gives you the ability to appear in their tweetstream and stay "top of mind" when they are more likely to be on twitter.
You've got an event coming up. Daily reminders of upcoming events are totally appropriate. Scheduled tweets allow you to broadcast a quick reminder at a designated time of day, so that you don't have to be sittin right in front of your computer when you should be getting ready for your event. When I am prepping for a teleclass (for example), I will post 3-4 tweets in the 2 hours before the call to build excitement, generate interest and get those last minute sign ups.
You're creating a series of helpful tips. When I launched #dstips a couple of months ago, I scheduled each tip to go out once per day. Over the course of a moth I was able to provide valueable strategies and ideas that were re-tweeted across not only twitter, but facebook as well. I simply don't have time to sit down every single day to do that kind of thing. The result? ot only did I get more followers, but I created a movement of direct sales trainers on twitter sharing ideas on a regular basis. #dstips now has daily posts from about a dozen different trainers and thought leaders in the direct sales industry.
I'm a big fan of batching my time, and it makes more sense for me to do all of those posts at one time, scheduling them to go out over a period of months, than it does to disrupt my daily routine to sit down and type out one tweet. It may seem trivial, but those minutes add up.
The key is discretion. Jen and I have both mentioned before that the power of social media lies in the relationships you build and the abilty to spread your message quickly. But you also have to remember that social media isn't jsut about relationships,there has to be a payoff in the end to make it profitable for the direct seller - and that means being frugal with your time on sites like twitter and facebook.
The big misnomer in these arenas is the number of "friends" or "followers" you have. You don't want followers, you want relationships. People that have 50,000 or 2 Million followers can't possibly be connected to all of them - probably not even a tenth of them.
So what's the point?
For direct sellers, the value in social media isn't how quickly you can add followers, it's how well you build solid relationships that translate into income. Otherwise, why are we using it in the first place? It's still marketing, and the ultimate point of marketing is to generate income.
Automation done apropriately, streamlines your process, enhances your strategy, and makes you more effective.
And you don't need thousands of "fans" to do it.
Target Marketing in Direct Sales (Part Two)
(This article, second in a series, is also an open letter to Direct Sales Industry Trainers)
I was on a call the other day that just blew my mind. I wish I would say it was a one-time deal, but as I spend more and more time "behind the scenes" in the direct sales training industry, I get more and more disenchanted with the prevailing attitude of fear, competition, and territorialism.
I take pride in the fact that I'm pretty clear on who I want to work with in my business. And I am also proud of the fact that, despite what many are calling the worst economic meltdown in the last century, in less than six months, I've already made more money than I did in all of last year.
Yet, I look at many of the other trainers, coaches and speakers in the industry right now and they're "rolling back prices to 1994!" in an effort to drum up business and keep "market share" as the direct sales training industry starts fracturing with the onslaught of new faces in the crowd - myself being one of them.
In fact, a quick look at Alexa.com revealed that my own website with online marketing training for direct sellers was rising in popularity - even more popular than several of the more well-known direct sales trainers on the web - while theirs were declining. And while Alexa isn't the most reliable source for web statistics, it gives you a quick glance at the trends online.
One of the reasons I created the Direct Sales Super Summit was so that we could bring together the thought leaders in direct sales training and share best practices to help consultants and leaders (at all levels) to grow their businesses even in a poopy economy - without bending them over for their last thin dime to do it.
But after talking with countless trainers in the industry, I'm a little fed up with what I'm hearing.
The way they talk about clients and customers in closed door sessions turns my stomach. This is just part of how one conversation went:
In essence, they think you are stupid and cheap.
The first time I heard this, I thought, "Well, gee, maybe I DON'T want to work with you if your customers are like that. That's not my target market."
But in the past four months, I've heard that same song and dance time after time from countless industry trainers in one way or another.
That tells me we have an epidemic on our hands - either the direct sales community at large is a bunch of bumbling tightwads, or the trainers in our industry haven't figured out that the gravy train reached the end of the line a decade ago. They can't rest on their laurels anymore and rely on their reputation to keep the income flowing.
Companies are tightening their belts, paying less for keynote speakers at conferences and conventions. Does that mean the companies are a bunch of dense penny pinchers, too?
Now, if they had said to me "Lisa, your content just doesn't fit my target market." then, I probably wouldn't be writing this today.
If they had said, "Sorry, Lisa! My promotional calendar is full, and I can't squeeze you in right now." I wouldn't be fuming like this.
But they didn't. So I am.
Are my customers and clients more intelligent than the average direct seller? Maybe. As much as I'd like to think so, I won't begin to speculate.
My Alexa.com profile shows that more of my website visitors have college degrees, so maybe I do draw a more educated clientele - which is part of my target marketing in the first place. But I've said before that it's not the paper that makes the person, it's the person that makes the paper.
Are my clients and customers more extravagant than the average direct seller? Doubtful. I charge (and get) upwards of $300 for an hour of my coaching time. My upper level coaching clients pay thousands to work with me in a one-on-one capacity every month.
They are not multi-jillionaires, they are hard-working people that have invested in themselves and see the value in what I have to offer to help them grow their business. I offer specific, results oriented information that is tailored to their specific situation. They see value in that, and are willing to pay for it.
But you know what? I give away a lot of FREE information as well. At this time, I am the only certified direct sales marketing coach in the world - and I could probably charge big bucks because of it. But because my passion is in helping consultants become successful, I also have a free online community, with complimentary resources, including a training program that teaches target marketing for direct sellers - in addition to my weekly ezine that goes out to consultants around the world.
My clients are not cheap, nor are they stupid. I would be willing to bet that the average direct seller isn't cheap or stupid either.
In truth, I think the real problem lies with trainers that haven't taken the time to target market effectively. In the good old days, there were 3 or 4 trainers and they shared the national conferences and leader retreats amongst themselves. Those days are long gone. Now, there are more people with a story to share, and audiences want to hear fresh, new content, not regurgitated material they've heard twenty times before.
They're not cheap, they're looking for real value.
Heck yeah, if I can find it for free, why should I pay you for it? If I've already heard you give the same talk 15 times, why would I pay to go hear it again? Some messages bear repeating, but there's a law of diminishing returns that says after I've bought the CD, seen the seminar, and own the video, I don't need to buy it again.
What do you have to offer that they percieve as vauable? If you find your distinctive value, people will gladly open their wallets and shop with you - even in a poopy economy. I'm living proof of that.
Real value lies in how you share and what you do that's unique. There are countless trainers that teach booking, selling, and recruiting - that's why I train on marketing methods - including online marketing strategies. I'm the only certified direct sales marketing coach in the world at the moment. There's value in being the first or the only. Problem is, so many of today's trainers haven't continued to innovate - instead, they've let the world pass them by. Now, they're competing on price, instead of asserting their unique value in the marketplace.
They're no longer unique - they're a commodity - bought and sold almost entirely on price.
People want to be valued - and they all believe their situation is unique.
In the medical profession, specialists command a premium for their time and services. They are so good at what they do that people are willing to pay more because they know the specialist will deliver the promised results.
The days of the generalist in direct sales training are fast coming to an end. Trainers and speakers need to face it, get over it, and figure out what they're going to do to re-establish their expertise in the marketplace.
There are trainers who tout that they're an expert on everything - booking, selling, recruiting, leadership, organizational management, time management, and now social media. PLEASE.
You can't be everything to everyone, so stop trying. It's smarter to partner with specialists that KNOW the content exceptionally well - plus it makes you look like a hero with your customers.
I firmly believe that any company that doesn't do target marketing will not be successful in the long run. You must know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who your perfect fit customer is, and how to attract them, or you will not reach them.
Maybe these trainers are content with the customers they serve. It didn't sound like it to me.
I'm VERY happy to be working with my clients and customers. They are NOT cheap or stupid.
And if they're smarter than the average direct seller, so much the better!
===========WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?
You may, so long as you do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is the founder of HomePartySolution.com, a free online community for direct sellers. Lisa is a certified direct sales marketing coach helping consultants and leaders use the Internet to grow their direct sales business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Register today for her free target marketing program for direct sellers at http://www.homepartysolution.com/
I was on a call the other day that just blew my mind. I wish I would say it was a one-time deal, but as I spend more and more time "behind the scenes" in the direct sales training industry, I get more and more disenchanted with the prevailing attitude of fear, competition, and territorialism.
I take pride in the fact that I'm pretty clear on who I want to work with in my business. And I am also proud of the fact that, despite what many are calling the worst economic meltdown in the last century, in less than six months, I've already made more money than I did in all of last year.
Yet, I look at many of the other trainers, coaches and speakers in the industry right now and they're "rolling back prices to 1994!" in an effort to drum up business and keep "market share" as the direct sales training industry starts fracturing with the onslaught of new faces in the crowd - myself being one of them.
In fact, a quick look at Alexa.com revealed that my own website with online marketing training for direct sellers was rising in popularity - even more popular than several of the more well-known direct sales trainers on the web - while theirs were declining. And while Alexa isn't the most reliable source for web statistics, it gives you a quick glance at the trends online.
One of the reasons I created the Direct Sales Super Summit was so that we could bring together the thought leaders in direct sales training and share best practices to help consultants and leaders (at all levels) to grow their businesses even in a poopy economy - without bending them over for their last thin dime to do it.
But after talking with countless trainers in the industry, I'm a little fed up with what I'm hearing.
The way they talk about clients and customers in closed door sessions turns my stomach. This is just part of how one conversation went:
They want it all for free!
The only people who are spending any money right now are leaders.
I don't think they'll get it. I mean, I get it, but I don't think they do.
They don't understand the business side of things, and there's no point trying to teach them. They aren't that smart to begin with.
In essence, they think you are stupid and cheap.
The first time I heard this, I thought, "Well, gee, maybe I DON'T want to work with you if your customers are like that. That's not my target market."
But in the past four months, I've heard that same song and dance time after time from countless industry trainers in one way or another.
That tells me we have an epidemic on our hands - either the direct sales community at large is a bunch of bumbling tightwads, or the trainers in our industry haven't figured out that the gravy train reached the end of the line a decade ago. They can't rest on their laurels anymore and rely on their reputation to keep the income flowing.
Companies are tightening their belts, paying less for keynote speakers at conferences and conventions. Does that mean the companies are a bunch of dense penny pinchers, too?
Now, if they had said to me "Lisa, your content just doesn't fit my target market." then, I probably wouldn't be writing this today.
If they had said, "Sorry, Lisa! My promotional calendar is full, and I can't squeeze you in right now." I wouldn't be fuming like this.
But they didn't. So I am.
Are my customers and clients more intelligent than the average direct seller? Maybe. As much as I'd like to think so, I won't begin to speculate.
My Alexa.com profile shows that more of my website visitors have college degrees, so maybe I do draw a more educated clientele - which is part of my target marketing in the first place. But I've said before that it's not the paper that makes the person, it's the person that makes the paper.
Are my clients and customers more extravagant than the average direct seller? Doubtful. I charge (and get) upwards of $300 for an hour of my coaching time. My upper level coaching clients pay thousands to work with me in a one-on-one capacity every month.
They are not multi-jillionaires, they are hard-working people that have invested in themselves and see the value in what I have to offer to help them grow their business. I offer specific, results oriented information that is tailored to their specific situation. They see value in that, and are willing to pay for it.
But you know what? I give away a lot of FREE information as well. At this time, I am the only certified direct sales marketing coach in the world - and I could probably charge big bucks because of it. But because my passion is in helping consultants become successful, I also have a free online community, with complimentary resources, including a training program that teaches target marketing for direct sellers - in addition to my weekly ezine that goes out to consultants around the world.
My clients are not cheap, nor are they stupid. I would be willing to bet that the average direct seller isn't cheap or stupid either.
In truth, I think the real problem lies with trainers that haven't taken the time to target market effectively. In the good old days, there were 3 or 4 trainers and they shared the national conferences and leader retreats amongst themselves. Those days are long gone. Now, there are more people with a story to share, and audiences want to hear fresh, new content, not regurgitated material they've heard twenty times before.
They're not cheap, they're looking for real value.
Heck yeah, if I can find it for free, why should I pay you for it? If I've already heard you give the same talk 15 times, why would I pay to go hear it again? Some messages bear repeating, but there's a law of diminishing returns that says after I've bought the CD, seen the seminar, and own the video, I don't need to buy it again.
What do you have to offer that they percieve as vauable? If you find your distinctive value, people will gladly open their wallets and shop with you - even in a poopy economy. I'm living proof of that.
Real value lies in how you share and what you do that's unique. There are countless trainers that teach booking, selling, and recruiting - that's why I train on marketing methods - including online marketing strategies. I'm the only certified direct sales marketing coach in the world at the moment. There's value in being the first or the only. Problem is, so many of today's trainers haven't continued to innovate - instead, they've let the world pass them by. Now, they're competing on price, instead of asserting their unique value in the marketplace.
They're no longer unique - they're a commodity - bought and sold almost entirely on price.
People want to be valued - and they all believe their situation is unique.
In the medical profession, specialists command a premium for their time and services. They are so good at what they do that people are willing to pay more because they know the specialist will deliver the promised results.
The days of the generalist in direct sales training are fast coming to an end. Trainers and speakers need to face it, get over it, and figure out what they're going to do to re-establish their expertise in the marketplace.
There are trainers who tout that they're an expert on everything - booking, selling, recruiting, leadership, organizational management, time management, and now social media. PLEASE.
You can't be everything to everyone, so stop trying. It's smarter to partner with specialists that KNOW the content exceptionally well - plus it makes you look like a hero with your customers.
I firmly believe that any company that doesn't do target marketing will not be successful in the long run. You must know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who your perfect fit customer is, and how to attract them, or you will not reach them.
Maybe these trainers are content with the customers they serve. It didn't sound like it to me.
I'm VERY happy to be working with my clients and customers. They are NOT cheap or stupid.
And if they're smarter than the average direct seller, so much the better!
===========WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?
You may, so long as you do not alter it and include the following information (with active links as appropriate):
Lisa Robbin Young is the founder of HomePartySolution.com, a free online community for direct sellers. Lisa is a certified direct sales marketing coach helping consultants and leaders use the Internet to grow their direct sales business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Register today for her free target marketing program for direct sellers at http://www.homepartysolution.com/
Facebook Vanity URLs: 4 Reasons You Need One
At midnight last night, Facebook opened up a new world of branding, identity and marketing: their vanity URL.
According to some reports, hundreds of thousands of people logged on just after midnight and started requesting their own vanity URL.
It makes sense for you to do the same on a number of levels:
1. Ease of access. It's infinitely easier for someone to find me at http://www.facebook.com/lisarobbinyoung than it is at
facebook.com/?profile=2348970o8yq43589y1q... you get the idea.
If for no other reason than to make it easier for people to find you, I strongly recommend the new URL's. BUT there are even more great reasons:
2. More Branded Web Real Estate
With the addition of Google profiles lately, it's becoming easier to get your name on more pieces of Website real estate. More sites with your name build your credibility in the marketplace. Google likes credibility - which means potentially better page rankings and more visibility in teh search engines
3. You MUST brand yourself. Facebook mkes it clear that you can't have a vanity URL like "Flowers4U" or even a trademarked name like "MaryKay", "PamperedChefGirl" or the like. That means you MUST use some derivative of your name to brand your facebook profile. You can use a company name to brand your page - but trademarks are being watched like a hawk. If you're a PartyLite consultant, for example, you can't go create a fan page and get a vanity URL with 'PartyLite' in the name - because it's a trademarked name. You shouldn't want to do it anyway - for reasons I've mentioned in dozens of other articles. Plus, Facebook has the added restriction that fan pages (not profiles) must have at least 1,000 followers effective May 31 in order to qualify for the vanity URL. They may be lowering that limit ata later date, but for now, without 1000 followers, you can't get a vanity URL for your fan pages. VanityURLs do not apply to group pages as far as I've found.
4. You have more control over the URL identity. Many people who orginally signed into Facebook believed that they had to include their "full name" when they created their page, and as such you'll see people with really long names on their profile. So if your name was Janet Hills Baker Smith, you can now opt for Janet Smith, or Janet Baker and people can still find you. '
Plus for the Horowicz's and the Yvnegafney's of the world, you might opt to become "JanetH"or "BillY" if the name is otherwise difficult to spell or is frequently misspelled.
Whatever you choose, make sure it's consistent with how you're promoting yourself in other places. Lisa Young is a common name, so I opted to brand myself as Lisa Robbin Young. Everywhere you look, I'm branded as LisaRobbinYoung as much as possible. Consistency makes it easier for your clients and potential clients to do business with you.
So if you haven't already grabbed your profile vanity URL, get crackin. ESPECIALLY if you have a comon name, your window of opportunity may already have dwindled.
According to some reports, hundreds of thousands of people logged on just after midnight and started requesting their own vanity URL.
It makes sense for you to do the same on a number of levels:
1. Ease of access. It's infinitely easier for someone to find me at http://www.facebook.com/lisarobbinyoung than it is at
facebook.com/?profile=2348970o8yq43589y1q... you get the idea.
If for no other reason than to make it easier for people to find you, I strongly recommend the new URL's. BUT there are even more great reasons:
2. More Branded Web Real Estate
With the addition of Google profiles lately, it's becoming easier to get your name on more pieces of Website real estate. More sites with your name build your credibility in the marketplace. Google likes credibility - which means potentially better page rankings and more visibility in teh search engines
3. You MUST brand yourself. Facebook mkes it clear that you can't have a vanity URL like "Flowers4U" or even a trademarked name like "MaryKay", "PamperedChefGirl" or the like. That means you MUST use some derivative of your name to brand your facebook profile. You can use a company name to brand your page - but trademarks are being watched like a hawk. If you're a PartyLite consultant, for example, you can't go create a fan page and get a vanity URL with 'PartyLite' in the name - because it's a trademarked name. You shouldn't want to do it anyway - for reasons I've mentioned in dozens of other articles. Plus, Facebook has the added restriction that fan pages (not profiles) must have at least 1,000 followers effective May 31 in order to qualify for the vanity URL. They may be lowering that limit ata later date, but for now, without 1000 followers, you can't get a vanity URL for your fan pages. VanityURLs do not apply to group pages as far as I've found.
4. You have more control over the URL identity. Many people who orginally signed into Facebook believed that they had to include their "full name" when they created their page, and as such you'll see people with really long names on their profile. So if your name was Janet Hills Baker Smith, you can now opt for Janet Smith, or Janet Baker and people can still find you. '
Plus for the Horowicz's and the Yvnegafney's of the world, you might opt to become "JanetH"or "BillY" if the name is otherwise difficult to spell or is frequently misspelled.
Whatever you choose, make sure it's consistent with how you're promoting yourself in other places. Lisa Young is a common name, so I opted to brand myself as Lisa Robbin Young. Everywhere you look, I'm branded as LisaRobbinYoung as much as possible. Consistency makes it easier for your clients and potential clients to do business with you.
So if you haven't already grabbed your profile vanity URL, get crackin. ESPECIALLY if you have a comon name, your window of opportunity may already have dwindled.
SHAMEFUL Self Promotions & Predictions
Okay, I'm a little miffed here, and I'm calling people on the carpet today...
I have it set up to feed my blog posts to my page on facebook.
So in a recent post, I posed a question - and the answer, with a redirect to additional resources.
And wouldn't you know it? The VA of a very prominent direct sales coach posted on my facebook page with a pitch for HER products and services.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for sharing relevant content and cooperation in the industry.
But this was using social media the WRONG way.
I deleted the post.
Not because I think poorly of the coach. On the contrary, I've used her products and services myself and recommend some of them to others.
I deleted the post because it was off topic. Completely. I was talking about using online marketing to grow your business, and this person posted back with a recommendation for something that she ADMITTED wasn't related.
That's the equivalent of SPAM in social media circles, folks.
So, to help her save face, I deleted the post, rather than call her and her VA on the carpet in front of God and everyone on my facebook page.
Here's another GEM:
A different, well known direct sales trainer was promoting her upcoming teleclass on twitter. Nothing wrong with that. I think it's important to let people know what you're doing and how they can connect with you. Sending occasional tweets like that is great.
Then I posted something that she saw and she tweeted to me PERSONALLY with the same teleclass message - and asked me to retweet it for her.
So, because I was feeling snarky, I tweeted HER personally and asked her to retweet MY message as well.
Needless to say, neither of us retweeted the other.
Sadly, this so-called industry expert is also copy-catting other coaches, refuses to "play nicely with others" and hasn't learned her lesson on twitter yet.
I could go on about this kind of unprofessional behavior from several BIG NAME trainers that have decades of experience in the industry - and frankly, they should know better.
But they refuse to seek out professional help to navigate social media properly and provide VALUE to their followers, instead of just advertising their services.
*sigh*
I predicted this trouble MONTHS ago.
"Watch, as 'old school' direct sales trainers, and so-called coaches start jumping on the social media 'me too!' bandwagon", I said.
Consultants are watching these women to see how THEY use social media, and will imitate what they see. Sadly, I've already seen some great facebook groups get spammed by this kind of shameful self promotion. Anyone who tries this in my facebook group or online community gets their post deleted (the first time) or gets booted (repeat offenders).
There's a right way and a wrong way to connect with people on twitter, facebook, linked in and other social media spheres.
It doesn't begin by creating a page and plastering your links on every friend's wall or Auto DM'ing everyone that follows you to try your products and services.
When I was a teenager, I got a piece of junkmail from AARP.
Yes, the retirement mag - for "old folks".
Hey, I was 13 and had no idea why I was on their mailing list!
So I took their Subscription card, tore it into teeny weeny itty bitty pieces, placed it in an envelope with a note explaining that I was 13 and used their postage paid reply envelope to send it back to them.
I never heard from them again.
That's what I'd like to do with these insensitive 'coaches' (and I'm using that term LOOSELY) who ask me to retweet all their promotions, but don't have the common sense to have a conversation with me to connect with me as a person before asking me to help promote their regurgitated, "same old, same old" stuff.
And I know if they're doing it with me, they MUST be doing it to their followers - whom they see as nothing more than "sheep with wallets." To quote another direct sales trainer I spoke with.
It turns my stomach, and makes me wonder why I feel called to serve in this profession. I don't want to be lumped in their category. It makes me want to create an entirely new category of direct sales educational professionals - ones that believe in providing value and truly serving consultants.
There are honest, genuine, authentic, REAL coaches out there that serve direct sales reps with value. I've had the pleasue to work with some of them. I've also had the disdain of working with some of the other "industry leaders" that are so catty, and selfish that frankly, it makes me want to vomit.
And I just might piss a few of them off in this post.
*Tough.*
If you're mad, then you know who you are, and what category you belong in.
The reason these trainers are still seeing success is because they've ingratiated themselves with top income earners that see their teachings as comfortable. It's safe to recommend these trainers to their teams because the message is the same every single time you hear them speak.
And yet, it's the number one complaint I hear from direct sellers: "these trainers keep saying the same stuff over and over again. They don't understand that the industry has changed, and doing business today is different than it was 10 or 20 years ago when they were consultants."
Now, in defense of sesoned trainers (I won't even use the word "coach" because I don't want to offend the real ones), they are doing what they know works - because it worked for them.
In that respect, there's nothing wrong with that.
But just because it worked like gangbusters in 1974 doesn't mean it will be as effective in 2009 and beyond. Yes, it may still work, but there are dozens more effective ways of writing than quill and ink. Quill and ink still works, but I like blogging - it's faster, more efficient and economical in terms of scale and reach.
And now you see these arcane 'leaders' trudging (Some are even begrudging it!) into the online marketing/social media world. And they're clumsily leading their 'tribes' like the blind leading the blind.
I feel bad for all the consultants saying "I want to learn how to use facebook, twitter, and online marketing to grow my business just like [insert direct sales trainer's name here]"
There are answers out there that the so-called leaders aren't embracing.
What's my next prediction?
Watch for direct sales trainers to align themselves with social media people in new teaching programs that they can offer to their lists - even before they know what they're doing themselves. Then they'll start trying to jockey for being "the first" to offer a program like this in the industry to establish themselves as "the expert" in direct sales and online marketing/social media.
There arent very many of us in the industry right now - so be looking for a surge of so-called direct sales marketing "experts" to appear over the next 6-18 months. We've been quietly coaching and training for the past 2 years now, and after the DSA event in DC, more companies are looking for people to help them understand this perplexing 'new medium' for spreading the word about their business.
I also predict that you're going to see the companies that serve the direct selling industry looking for ways to capitalize on this trend and market to direct sales companies with a social media angle.
And in the meantime, there's going to be a flood of spam traffic to facebook groups and other social media sites that were once considered valueable networking arenas, just because people don't know better. The great groups will consider becoming private groups, and some may just dry up altogether.
All because of ignorant, shameful self promotion.
I have it set up to feed my blog posts to my page on facebook.
So in a recent post, I posed a question - and the answer, with a redirect to additional resources.
And wouldn't you know it? The VA of a very prominent direct sales coach posted on my facebook page with a pitch for HER products and services.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for sharing relevant content and cooperation in the industry.
But this was using social media the WRONG way.
I deleted the post.
Not because I think poorly of the coach. On the contrary, I've used her products and services myself and recommend some of them to others.
I deleted the post because it was off topic. Completely. I was talking about using online marketing to grow your business, and this person posted back with a recommendation for something that she ADMITTED wasn't related.
That's the equivalent of SPAM in social media circles, folks.
So, to help her save face, I deleted the post, rather than call her and her VA on the carpet in front of God and everyone on my facebook page.
Here's another GEM:
A different, well known direct sales trainer was promoting her upcoming teleclass on twitter. Nothing wrong with that. I think it's important to let people know what you're doing and how they can connect with you. Sending occasional tweets like that is great.
Then I posted something that she saw and she tweeted to me PERSONALLY with the same teleclass message - and asked me to retweet it for her.
So, because I was feeling snarky, I tweeted HER personally and asked her to retweet MY message as well.
Needless to say, neither of us retweeted the other.
Sadly, this so-called industry expert is also copy-catting other coaches, refuses to "play nicely with others" and hasn't learned her lesson on twitter yet.
I could go on about this kind of unprofessional behavior from several BIG NAME trainers that have decades of experience in the industry - and frankly, they should know better.
But they refuse to seek out professional help to navigate social media properly and provide VALUE to their followers, instead of just advertising their services.
*sigh*
I predicted this trouble MONTHS ago.
"Watch, as 'old school' direct sales trainers, and so-called coaches start jumping on the social media 'me too!' bandwagon", I said.
Consultants are watching these women to see how THEY use social media, and will imitate what they see. Sadly, I've already seen some great facebook groups get spammed by this kind of shameful self promotion. Anyone who tries this in my facebook group or online community gets their post deleted (the first time) or gets booted (repeat offenders).
There's a right way and a wrong way to connect with people on twitter, facebook, linked in and other social media spheres.
It doesn't begin by creating a page and plastering your links on every friend's wall or Auto DM'ing everyone that follows you to try your products and services.
When I was a teenager, I got a piece of junkmail from AARP.
Yes, the retirement mag - for "old folks".
Hey, I was 13 and had no idea why I was on their mailing list!
So I took their Subscription card, tore it into teeny weeny itty bitty pieces, placed it in an envelope with a note explaining that I was 13 and used their postage paid reply envelope to send it back to them.
I never heard from them again.
That's what I'd like to do with these insensitive 'coaches' (and I'm using that term LOOSELY) who ask me to retweet all their promotions, but don't have the common sense to have a conversation with me to connect with me as a person before asking me to help promote their regurgitated, "same old, same old" stuff.
And I know if they're doing it with me, they MUST be doing it to their followers - whom they see as nothing more than "sheep with wallets." To quote another direct sales trainer I spoke with.
It turns my stomach, and makes me wonder why I feel called to serve in this profession. I don't want to be lumped in their category. It makes me want to create an entirely new category of direct sales educational professionals - ones that believe in providing value and truly serving consultants.
There are honest, genuine, authentic, REAL coaches out there that serve direct sales reps with value. I've had the pleasue to work with some of them. I've also had the disdain of working with some of the other "industry leaders" that are so catty, and selfish that frankly, it makes me want to vomit.
And I just might piss a few of them off in this post.
*Tough.*
If you're mad, then you know who you are, and what category you belong in.
The reason these trainers are still seeing success is because they've ingratiated themselves with top income earners that see their teachings as comfortable. It's safe to recommend these trainers to their teams because the message is the same every single time you hear them speak.
And yet, it's the number one complaint I hear from direct sellers: "these trainers keep saying the same stuff over and over again. They don't understand that the industry has changed, and doing business today is different than it was 10 or 20 years ago when they were consultants."
Now, in defense of sesoned trainers (I won't even use the word "coach" because I don't want to offend the real ones), they are doing what they know works - because it worked for them.
In that respect, there's nothing wrong with that.
But just because it worked like gangbusters in 1974 doesn't mean it will be as effective in 2009 and beyond. Yes, it may still work, but there are dozens more effective ways of writing than quill and ink. Quill and ink still works, but I like blogging - it's faster, more efficient and economical in terms of scale and reach.
And now you see these arcane 'leaders' trudging (Some are even begrudging it!) into the online marketing/social media world. And they're clumsily leading their 'tribes' like the blind leading the blind.
I feel bad for all the consultants saying "I want to learn how to use facebook, twitter, and online marketing to grow my business just like [insert direct sales trainer's name here]"
There are answers out there that the so-called leaders aren't embracing.
What's my next prediction?
Watch for direct sales trainers to align themselves with social media people in new teaching programs that they can offer to their lists - even before they know what they're doing themselves. Then they'll start trying to jockey for being "the first" to offer a program like this in the industry to establish themselves as "the expert" in direct sales and online marketing/social media.
There arent very many of us in the industry right now - so be looking for a surge of so-called direct sales marketing "experts" to appear over the next 6-18 months. We've been quietly coaching and training for the past 2 years now, and after the DSA event in DC, more companies are looking for people to help them understand this perplexing 'new medium' for spreading the word about their business.
I also predict that you're going to see the companies that serve the direct selling industry looking for ways to capitalize on this trend and market to direct sales companies with a social media angle.
And in the meantime, there's going to be a flood of spam traffic to facebook groups and other social media sites that were once considered valueable networking arenas, just because people don't know better. The great groups will consider becoming private groups, and some may just dry up altogether.
All because of ignorant, shameful self promotion.
Direct Sales Brand Democratization: Social Media Style
Jen did it to me again. Here's another post re: social media, democratization and the power of the people:
Kate Newlin’s new book, “Passion Brands”, talks about the power of democratizing the brand – and the fear so many larger companies have over “giving over” to the masses the presumed power of the identity of the brand. She also outlines an amazingly simple formula to take your brand from "blah" to "bravo" that EVERY company owner should read.
In reality, the brand belongs to the people anyway. Why not try to encourage and persuade use that’s in line with the company’s objctives, rather than throwing down a blanket of fear, and essentially stifling the growth of a company?
With over 12 years in the industry, I’ve seen all KINDS of restrictions, as well as a very lassiez faire approach, to online promotion. I think there needs to be a middle ground.
Rather than a no-holds-barred approach to online promotion, companies need to set ground rules and guidelines that enhance the marketing and top of mind awareness for the brand, and balance that with the needs of the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of consultants on the payroll. Many companies provide “approved” ad copy for local publications – there’s really no difference here, except that there's a fear that the brand will "get away from them" in terms of corporate ownership.
If brand owners were enlisting the help of real "passionistas" in their sales force, this would be a non-issue, because the consultants would be so passionate about the product and the service that the message COULDN'T be dilluted.
Instead we have companies with "zero tolerance" for online marketing of any kind putting the fear of being kicked out of the company firmly in the face of every consultant. Except for their top income earners. Those people can seemingly get away with murder sometimes and not even get a slap on the wrist form the very same home office that says "no online advertising of any kind". Yes, it happens, I see it more than I care to count. And the reps and leaders not as high up on the food chain see it too - and it creates serious derision in the ranks whether you care about it or not.
The bad news is that I've personally experienced the decline of a company because their top income earners ultimately had the LEAST amount of loyalty to the brand - still shopping around for the best income opportunity to pad their own bottom line even after years with a company. The leader leaves, taking half the organizaton with them, and a company is crippled, because they put all their eggs in the baskets of their leaders, instead of allowing the most passionate people (regardless of rank) market and promote the company in a positive light.
On the other side of that coin, consultants need to remember that they are the owners of “You, Inc”, not your Direct Sales business, and as we’ve seen all to often in the last few years, a company can go ‘belly up’ and consultants are left holding the bag with a now defunct consultant web site – having to start all over again to rebuild with new company. For advanced leaders, they can bring some of their recrutis with them to the new company, but for young leaders or even new recruits, it's painful, difficult, and sometimes exasperting to have to make a transition, explain it to your customers, and not really have any solid information to give them abotu what really happened.
I teach consultants that if they start embracing the idea of running a real business, then they will see that they are just using their direct sales company as the vehicle to build their own “you inc” PERSONAL brand. A company can’t prohibit you from marketing yourself – just from using their company marks, products, names, etc. Real business owners promote themeselves FIRST anyway. The rest comes secondary.
When we democratize a brand, we naturally give some control over to the people that embrace that brand. It’s important to remember that brands are ultimately nothing more than a perception. Yes, we can shape that perception - but as we've learned since childhood, ACTIONS speak louder than words.
What kind of perception do you (company owners) want to have in the arena? How are you conveying that to your sales force?
What kind of perception do you (direct sellers) want to hav in the marketplace? How are you conveying that to your customers?
The kind of action you need to take to bring a brand closer to the hearts of your passionistas is to get involved with them. Stop distancing yourselves from them, and don't rely on your leaders to communicate everything to the home office - very often they don't. Take time to connect on a personal level with people at ALL levels in your organization. THEN communicate the brand.
Remember, people don't care what you know until they know that you care.
The same holds true for your brand.
Kate Newlin’s new book, “Passion Brands”, talks about the power of democratizing the brand – and the fear so many larger companies have over “giving over” to the masses the presumed power of the identity of the brand. She also outlines an amazingly simple formula to take your brand from "blah" to "bravo" that EVERY company owner should read.
In reality, the brand belongs to the people anyway. Why not try to encourage and persuade use that’s in line with the company’s objctives, rather than throwing down a blanket of fear, and essentially stifling the growth of a company?
With over 12 years in the industry, I’ve seen all KINDS of restrictions, as well as a very lassiez faire approach, to online promotion. I think there needs to be a middle ground.
Rather than a no-holds-barred approach to online promotion, companies need to set ground rules and guidelines that enhance the marketing and top of mind awareness for the brand, and balance that with the needs of the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of consultants on the payroll. Many companies provide “approved” ad copy for local publications – there’s really no difference here, except that there's a fear that the brand will "get away from them" in terms of corporate ownership.
If brand owners were enlisting the help of real "passionistas" in their sales force, this would be a non-issue, because the consultants would be so passionate about the product and the service that the message COULDN'T be dilluted.
Instead we have companies with "zero tolerance" for online marketing of any kind putting the fear of being kicked out of the company firmly in the face of every consultant. Except for their top income earners. Those people can seemingly get away with murder sometimes and not even get a slap on the wrist form the very same home office that says "no online advertising of any kind". Yes, it happens, I see it more than I care to count. And the reps and leaders not as high up on the food chain see it too - and it creates serious derision in the ranks whether you care about it or not.
The bad news is that I've personally experienced the decline of a company because their top income earners ultimately had the LEAST amount of loyalty to the brand - still shopping around for the best income opportunity to pad their own bottom line even after years with a company. The leader leaves, taking half the organizaton with them, and a company is crippled, because they put all their eggs in the baskets of their leaders, instead of allowing the most passionate people (regardless of rank) market and promote the company in a positive light.
On the other side of that coin, consultants need to remember that they are the owners of “You, Inc”, not your Direct Sales business, and as we’ve seen all to often in the last few years, a company can go ‘belly up’ and consultants are left holding the bag with a now defunct consultant web site – having to start all over again to rebuild with new company. For advanced leaders, they can bring some of their recrutis with them to the new company, but for young leaders or even new recruits, it's painful, difficult, and sometimes exasperting to have to make a transition, explain it to your customers, and not really have any solid information to give them abotu what really happened.
I teach consultants that if they start embracing the idea of running a real business, then they will see that they are just using their direct sales company as the vehicle to build their own “you inc” PERSONAL brand. A company can’t prohibit you from marketing yourself – just from using their company marks, products, names, etc. Real business owners promote themeselves FIRST anyway. The rest comes secondary.
When we democratize a brand, we naturally give some control over to the people that embrace that brand. It’s important to remember that brands are ultimately nothing more than a perception. Yes, we can shape that perception - but as we've learned since childhood, ACTIONS speak louder than words.
What kind of perception do you (company owners) want to have in the arena? How are you conveying that to your sales force?
What kind of perception do you (direct sellers) want to hav in the marketplace? How are you conveying that to your customers?
The kind of action you need to take to bring a brand closer to the hearts of your passionistas is to get involved with them. Stop distancing yourselves from them, and don't rely on your leaders to communicate everything to the home office - very often they don't. Take time to connect on a personal level with people at ALL levels in your organization. THEN communicate the brand.
Remember, people don't care what you know until they know that you care.
The same holds true for your brand.
Direct Sellers Need a Social Media Strategy
This is the extended version of a reply to Jennifer Fong's blog post on Software v. Social Media
Pretending that facebook or twitter or other social media contexts do not exists will not make them go away – NOR will it make them less relvant to your company. Companies large and small need a social media strategy.
This includes individual direct sellers. Slapping up a facebook page and posting monthly specials in your status doesn’t not count as a strategy – unless your strategy is to annoy the few who continue to follow you.
Social Media requires interaction – give AND take – not a one-sided “down your throat” approach to brand communication.
Companies (including “you, Inc” direct sellers) need to find ways to engage their prospects/customers/clients where they are at already.
In V. Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”, he comments on this very idea. Instead of trying to drag, coerce or force people into your worldview, you need to meet them where they are, introduce them to yoru world view and continue to invite them to take the next step in doing business with you.
Gone are the days of hitting people over the head with the “my company is better than the rest” diatribe. There’s far too many voices beating their chests with the same message now. People are far more savvy then they were even just a few decades ago – and they KNOW that you need them. Without them, you fail to exist.
So make it easy for them to connect and get excited about what you have to offer in the world. Don’t just tell them what to think (it doesnt work anymore anyway). Tell them you care about what they’re ALREADY thinking, and help them share it with you!
How do you do that?
Several famous marketers say "join the conversation alredy going on in your prospect's mind". In this case, it means get involved where they'er already 'hanging out'. In the past, that was at home parties, sales meetings and other "get togethers" in person, in real time.
Now, it means there's a 24 hour GLOBAL get together going on in social media networks around the world. You need to establish a presence, maybe even 'lurk' a bit to monitor the conversation. You don't want to be seen as one of those nerdy wannabes that hangout near the watercooler and interject completely irrelevant stuff just to sound like they're part of the group. You have to BE part of the group. Undertand the dynamic, and then get involved. Ask questions, participate and provide VALUE to those that are talking about you.
That doesn't mean being on every social network on the planet. It DOES mean starting somewhere, building a reputation and growing your audience by being part of the audience from time to time. Oprah rarely interacts with her followers on twitter - but then she doesn't follow very many herself. She can't possibly know what the pulse of her audience is if she's not interacting (note: she DOES have other people on her team that DO interact on twitter. SMART Strategy on her part).
If Oprah can do it, so can any Direct Sales company (or any other company) out there. Get involved in the brand you're creating, don't just hold it up like a shield. I believe it was the Spartans that said something abotu coming home with your shield held high or ON it.
Dying for the brand. What a concept! Being so committed that you're personally involved, passionately involved in the livelihoods you're creating for others. That kind of give provides a LOT more in return for you to take.
Plan your entry into social media - but get there, sooner rather than later.
Pretending that facebook or twitter or other social media contexts do not exists will not make them go away – NOR will it make them less relvant to your company. Companies large and small need a social media strategy.
This includes individual direct sellers. Slapping up a facebook page and posting monthly specials in your status doesn’t not count as a strategy – unless your strategy is to annoy the few who continue to follow you.
Social Media requires interaction – give AND take – not a one-sided “down your throat” approach to brand communication.
Companies (including “you, Inc” direct sellers) need to find ways to engage their prospects/customers/clients where they are at already.
In V. Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”, he comments on this very idea. Instead of trying to drag, coerce or force people into your worldview, you need to meet them where they are, introduce them to yoru world view and continue to invite them to take the next step in doing business with you.
Gone are the days of hitting people over the head with the “my company is better than the rest” diatribe. There’s far too many voices beating their chests with the same message now. People are far more savvy then they were even just a few decades ago – and they KNOW that you need them. Without them, you fail to exist.
So make it easy for them to connect and get excited about what you have to offer in the world. Don’t just tell them what to think (it doesnt work anymore anyway). Tell them you care about what they’re ALREADY thinking, and help them share it with you!
How do you do that?
Several famous marketers say "join the conversation alredy going on in your prospect's mind". In this case, it means get involved where they'er already 'hanging out'. In the past, that was at home parties, sales meetings and other "get togethers" in person, in real time.
Now, it means there's a 24 hour GLOBAL get together going on in social media networks around the world. You need to establish a presence, maybe even 'lurk' a bit to monitor the conversation. You don't want to be seen as one of those nerdy wannabes that hangout near the watercooler and interject completely irrelevant stuff just to sound like they're part of the group. You have to BE part of the group. Undertand the dynamic, and then get involved. Ask questions, participate and provide VALUE to those that are talking about you.
That doesn't mean being on every social network on the planet. It DOES mean starting somewhere, building a reputation and growing your audience by being part of the audience from time to time. Oprah rarely interacts with her followers on twitter - but then she doesn't follow very many herself. She can't possibly know what the pulse of her audience is if she's not interacting (note: she DOES have other people on her team that DO interact on twitter. SMART Strategy on her part).
If Oprah can do it, so can any Direct Sales company (or any other company) out there. Get involved in the brand you're creating, don't just hold it up like a shield. I believe it was the Spartans that said something abotu coming home with your shield held high or ON it.
Dying for the brand. What a concept! Being so committed that you're personally involved, passionately involved in the livelihoods you're creating for others. That kind of give provides a LOT more in return for you to take.
Plan your entry into social media - but get there, sooner rather than later.
The Single Most Important factor in Direct Sales Success
Can you guess what it is?
In Direct Sales, your mindset is CRUCIAL to your success. If you're ready to grow the power of your network and create some momentum around the product that is you, take a peek at the STAR Power direct sales leadership program.
In Direct Sales, your mindset is CRUCIAL to your success. If you're ready to grow the power of your network and create some momentum around the product that is you, take a peek at the STAR Power direct sales leadership program.
Direct Sales Success: The Time for Social Networking is Now
Sitting at my desk yesterday, I checked my tweetdeck and found a message from one of my tweeps saying that social networking is the future of direct sales. I tweeted back saying that, in fact, social networking is the now of direct sales. We had a great conversation discussing the various issues that consultants face trying to make a name for themselves in a wired world.
If you're not familiar with social media sites like myspace, facebook and twitter, chances are good you didn't understand half of that last paragraph.
That's no excuse to stick your head in the sand. Social media is here to stay, and it's a powerful tool to add to your direct sales arsenal. Professional marketers are reaping the rewards of online connections on a daily basis. They've taken the art of networking and building relationships from the offline world to the online marketplace, and cashed in on the revolution in the process.
But before you jump headlong into social networking, there are a few concepts you need to understand. These caveats can turn your social networking into a lead generating machine - filling your inbox with leads and building your business in unprecedented ways.
1. Social Networks are not a PITCH fest. You can't just join a social network and start telling everyone how great your company or product is. That's the online equivalent of shoving your business card into the hand of everyone you meet without saying 'hello' first. Depending on the social networking site, you can share about yourself, your company and your products to varying degrees - but only AFTER you've established a relationship with your audience. Who is your audience? Anyone that's following your page, signing up for your updates or trying to become your 'friend'. The term is different for each service, but the idea is the same: people want to get to know who you are before they want to learn about what you have to offer.
Just like in the offline world, you need to show people you can provide value to them before you start talking about your company. Social networks essentially force you to share a bit of yourself with your audience before they're going to respond to any offers you try to make. If you don't, you'll come off as pushy and people will stop following you - or worse yet, block you all together.
2. Brand YOURSELF First. It bears repeating, so I'll say it again. YOU are the most important product your company has to offer. Successful consultants make a name for themselves even while they're promoting their company's products and services. It is up to YOU to promote yourself. No direct selling company is going to do that for you.
People have to know, like and trust you before they're going to do business with you. It is your responsibility to provide the information your audience needs in order to build a lasting relationship with you.
Let your company handle the marketing and promotions for your products and services. You need to worry about making a name for yourself. Your company can't stop you from creating your own website that is about your interests and your life. They CAN (and usually will) prevent you from using their product names, descriptions, images and trademarks. They have every right to do so. It dillutes their brand. It's also a sign of a weak marketer to tie your marketing back to your company.
Some companies will let you use their content - but what happens if you leave that company? You have to start all over again. If instead, you promote yourself, then no matter what company you're with, you've got a consistent social networking strategy that's built around your reputation, rather than your company.
3. Don't Do It All In One Day. Social networking sites are designed to be "sticky". That means once you visit, they entice you with lots of content to suck up your time and get you to stick around for a while. You need to view social networking as a piece of your marketing puzzle - not the whole enchilada. Start with ONE site that appeals to you. Strictly limit your time, and be sure you're using it for networking activities, not for mindlessly playing games or adding "apps" to enhance your page. Your time is best spent building and creating relationships with others on the site - not playing games with the computer!
Once you've "gotten the hang of it", then consider other social networks, but realize that each site requires a bit of time to navigate and participate. Don't commit to more groups than yuo can handle. Only YOU know your time availability and building marketing relationships takes time.
4. Social Networking Is Like Offline Networking. Just like offline networking groups, they are NOT the backbone of your direct sales business. Booking, selling and recruitng are the staples of a successful home party business, and nothing will ever replace that. Social Networking is a marketing tool that you can use to move beyond yuor family and friends and reach out to a global audience. The global audience can help establish yourself as an expert, but it doesn't always help you get a show on your calendar for next week. Like all networking functions, building relationships takes time.
Social Networking should be considered as a way to enhance your traditional book, sell, recruit activities - not as a replacement for them. Just like you wouldn't rely only on live networking events to build your business, neither should you rely completely on online social media to build your business. The Internet can speed the relationship building process along, but it still takes time.
5. Don't Expect Miracles. You get what you give in social media. The more you interact, the more people will interact with you. The better content you provide, the more people will want to hear from you. Unless you're already a celebrity, don't expect that you'll have overnight success with any social networking site. Miracles do happen, but to expect them would be social networking suicide. Often times, you can connect with other direct sellers, coaches, and trainers, and find yourself hob-knobbing with the rich and famous - people you might not otherwise have ever met - through social media. But this should not be your expectation or purpose for social networking. Connect and share with "regular Joes" like you and watch your network grow.
Twitter is a great place to start. With only 140 characters, there are no lengthy pages to read, and it's easy to start. Plus it can work with some other social media sites as well. If you sign up, follow me and I'll follow you!
6. Stories Sell. The best way to connect and build an online network is to share yourself - via stories and videos - and let your audience know more about you. A word of caution, though: don't share anything you wouldn't feel comfortable having the whole world know. This is the internet, after all, and anyone could see those pictures, that video or hear those stories. Transparency is one of the great qualities of the internet - it's also one of the curses. It only takes a second for everyone in your social network (friends, family and business associates) to see those compromising details. Be sure you're sharing quality information that builds your reputation.
It can be challenging for direct sellers that aren't very tech savvy to get connected to social networks. Take your time, start slowly, and do what you can. Don't get sucked into the time vacuum, and get distracted from your core business building activities. Great business relationships can be cultivated online, but you need to enter the fray in a controlled and meaningful way. Otherwise, you're just spinning in circles.
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Lisa Robbin Young teaches direct sellers how to be a superstar in the eyes of their customers. As Founder of HomePartySolution.com, Ms. Young has garnered the attention of thousands of direct sales consultants around the world looking for ways to integrate online marketing with their offline businesses to achieve greater success while working from home. Sign up for her free ezine at HomePartySolution.com
If you're not familiar with social media sites like myspace, facebook and twitter, chances are good you didn't understand half of that last paragraph.
That's no excuse to stick your head in the sand. Social media is here to stay, and it's a powerful tool to add to your direct sales arsenal. Professional marketers are reaping the rewards of online connections on a daily basis. They've taken the art of networking and building relationships from the offline world to the online marketplace, and cashed in on the revolution in the process.
But before you jump headlong into social networking, there are a few concepts you need to understand. These caveats can turn your social networking into a lead generating machine - filling your inbox with leads and building your business in unprecedented ways.
1. Social Networks are not a PITCH fest. You can't just join a social network and start telling everyone how great your company or product is. That's the online equivalent of shoving your business card into the hand of everyone you meet without saying 'hello' first. Depending on the social networking site, you can share about yourself, your company and your products to varying degrees - but only AFTER you've established a relationship with your audience. Who is your audience? Anyone that's following your page, signing up for your updates or trying to become your 'friend'. The term is different for each service, but the idea is the same: people want to get to know who you are before they want to learn about what you have to offer.
Just like in the offline world, you need to show people you can provide value to them before you start talking about your company. Social networks essentially force you to share a bit of yourself with your audience before they're going to respond to any offers you try to make. If you don't, you'll come off as pushy and people will stop following you - or worse yet, block you all together.
2. Brand YOURSELF First. It bears repeating, so I'll say it again. YOU are the most important product your company has to offer. Successful consultants make a name for themselves even while they're promoting their company's products and services. It is up to YOU to promote yourself. No direct selling company is going to do that for you.
People have to know, like and trust you before they're going to do business with you. It is your responsibility to provide the information your audience needs in order to build a lasting relationship with you.
Let your company handle the marketing and promotions for your products and services. You need to worry about making a name for yourself. Your company can't stop you from creating your own website that is about your interests and your life. They CAN (and usually will) prevent you from using their product names, descriptions, images and trademarks. They have every right to do so. It dillutes their brand. It's also a sign of a weak marketer to tie your marketing back to your company.
Some companies will let you use their content - but what happens if you leave that company? You have to start all over again. If instead, you promote yourself, then no matter what company you're with, you've got a consistent social networking strategy that's built around your reputation, rather than your company.
3. Don't Do It All In One Day. Social networking sites are designed to be "sticky". That means once you visit, they entice you with lots of content to suck up your time and get you to stick around for a while. You need to view social networking as a piece of your marketing puzzle - not the whole enchilada. Start with ONE site that appeals to you. Strictly limit your time, and be sure you're using it for networking activities, not for mindlessly playing games or adding "apps" to enhance your page. Your time is best spent building and creating relationships with others on the site - not playing games with the computer!
Once you've "gotten the hang of it", then consider other social networks, but realize that each site requires a bit of time to navigate and participate. Don't commit to more groups than yuo can handle. Only YOU know your time availability and building marketing relationships takes time.
4. Social Networking Is Like Offline Networking. Just like offline networking groups, they are NOT the backbone of your direct sales business. Booking, selling and recruitng are the staples of a successful home party business, and nothing will ever replace that. Social Networking is a marketing tool that you can use to move beyond yuor family and friends and reach out to a global audience. The global audience can help establish yourself as an expert, but it doesn't always help you get a show on your calendar for next week. Like all networking functions, building relationships takes time.
Social Networking should be considered as a way to enhance your traditional book, sell, recruit activities - not as a replacement for them. Just like you wouldn't rely only on live networking events to build your business, neither should you rely completely on online social media to build your business. The Internet can speed the relationship building process along, but it still takes time.
5. Don't Expect Miracles. You get what you give in social media. The more you interact, the more people will interact with you. The better content you provide, the more people will want to hear from you. Unless you're already a celebrity, don't expect that you'll have overnight success with any social networking site. Miracles do happen, but to expect them would be social networking suicide. Often times, you can connect with other direct sellers, coaches, and trainers, and find yourself hob-knobbing with the rich and famous - people you might not otherwise have ever met - through social media. But this should not be your expectation or purpose for social networking. Connect and share with "regular Joes" like you and watch your network grow.
Twitter is a great place to start. With only 140 characters, there are no lengthy pages to read, and it's easy to start. Plus it can work with some other social media sites as well. If you sign up, follow me and I'll follow you!
6. Stories Sell. The best way to connect and build an online network is to share yourself - via stories and videos - and let your audience know more about you. A word of caution, though: don't share anything you wouldn't feel comfortable having the whole world know. This is the internet, after all, and anyone could see those pictures, that video or hear those stories. Transparency is one of the great qualities of the internet - it's also one of the curses. It only takes a second for everyone in your social network (friends, family and business associates) to see those compromising details. Be sure you're sharing quality information that builds your reputation.
It can be challenging for direct sellers that aren't very tech savvy to get connected to social networks. Take your time, start slowly, and do what you can. Don't get sucked into the time vacuum, and get distracted from your core business building activities. Great business relationships can be cultivated online, but you need to enter the fray in a controlled and meaningful way. Otherwise, you're just spinning in circles.
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Lisa Robbin Young teaches direct sellers how to be a superstar in the eyes of their customers. As Founder of HomePartySolution.com, Ms. Young has garnered the attention of thousands of direct sales consultants around the world looking for ways to integrate online marketing with their offline businesses to achieve greater success while working from home. Sign up for her free ezine at HomePartySolution.com
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