This question has been on my mind quite a bit lately. How much online success is possible if you aren’t one of the movers and shakers? Can someone who isn’t usually among the first marketers to promote a new product or service or who isn’t using the latest tool make it in the fast paced online world?
Admittedly, I don’t have the answer, but I do have some thoughts. Please comment and let me know what you think.
Like everything else, I think the answer depends in part on your market. If you sell technology you better be up-to-date with the latest gadgets and gizmos every day. You probably aren’t going to be highly successful if you don’t know what an iPad is or if “Droid” brings to mind a movie robot. When most customers are in the market for a computer, T.V. or cell phone, they want the latest technology. If you can’t keep up with that demand, your customers will likely shop elsewhere.
But I know of a text-based website that sells fountain pens where you email the owner to reserve a pen, and then you send a check by snail mail. The company is well-known and highly recommended by pen aficionados. While I’m not an expert, I’d venture a guess that fountain pen technology doesn’t change very rapidly and there’s probably a viable market for older versions. So someone who sells pens can afford to take a little time to stock and market the latest pen.
In party plan companies, even through your company may update products regularly, the primary sales method really hasn’t changed that much. A home sales party today is based on many of the same techniques of the original Tupperware parties of the 1950s. Sure, companies have added online ordering, social networking, and other new marketing techniques and tools, but you can still be successful yourself, and train a profitable team, using the sales party as your primary marketing technique.
Another “old-fashioned” technique I think party plan consultants can use to a huge advantage is great customer service. With big box stores, self-checkout at the supermarket, online shopping, ATMs and telephone customer service, many people crave the personalized, individual attention they can get from a direct sales consultant. A great deal of success can be built from knowing your customer’s name and needs.
Are you a mover and shaker or are you succeeding at a slower pace? How important is it to be up-to-date on the latest tools and marketing methods? What other factors contribute to your point of view? Please leave your comments and questions.
I’m probably not a mover and shaker, but rather I tend to use and teach more of the “tried and true” methods of marketing and sales. But I also try to provide my audience with trusted resources for new tools or methods that I may not be up to speed on yet.
