Jewelry is a very popular gift so be sure to market for all the gift giving holidays. You can specialize in a particular style or teach customers how to change the look of an outfit just by changing the jewelry or accessories that go along with it.

Two of the main marketing techniques use for makeup and skin care sales are hands-on demonstration and free sample marketing.

While it would be ideal, it’s almost impossible to give personal attention to every guest at a home party. Involve the entire group by having people pair up and make up each others’ faces using techniques that you demonstrate. Or you may want to offer parties that focus on training in the art of color.

Cosmetics and skin care lend themselves well to specialty parties such as “all natural” beauty, makeovers, anti-aging, skin repair, relaxation and stress relief, pampered feet, baby care, and much more. Choose one of your company’s product lines and build a specialty party around it.

For online marketing, use those same themes to put together “kits” and instruction sheets for “time for myself” indulgences or for gifts suggestions. Use before and after pictures to demonstrate the transformations and offer lots of tips and “tricks of the trade.”

As with any direct sales business, personal attention and a unique approach will go far to gain and keep customers. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Become known as the person who sells the best gemstone jewelry or the one who will customize a great skin care regimen, pull together a mix and match wardrobe, or offer a cosmetics makeover. You want to be the “go to” person for your area of expertise.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
Market by Looking Good

Put yourself in the shoes of the customer. As a business owner we sometimes forget that we are also a consumer. We look at selling our products from the standpoint of the company and their marketing materials. Consider what you would look for in a product? What questions would you ask before purchasing your products from someone else? Use this information to direct what you say during your parties or as website content to gain the trust of your audience. Trust translates into sales when done well.

Turn your own home into a showplace that advertises the beauty and necessity of your products. If customers see that they can have a living room or kitchen like yours by purchasing your products, they are more likely to buy. It is one thing to see a group of products in a catalog and another thing to be able to see how they actually will look. Use before and after pictures of your home on your website to further showcase products.

Holiday decorating provides another opportunity to show customers how to transform their home. Be sure to have holiday tips and catalogs available in plenty of time to get products delivered for your customer’s decorating schedule.

When you are having success with a particular strategy or sales method, develop training tools for your team so they can begin to use the same or similar techniques. And be sure to market your training series is an added benefit when recruiting team members.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
How to Market a Home Decor Business

Direct sales consultants have the opportunity to provide customers with the individual attention and customer support that is missing from the big chain stores many of us shop at now. Go the extra mile for your customers by offering special services like a personalized reminder service for special dates, gift wrapping, and gift giving suggestions.

You can market locally to women’s groups and offer a seminars about gifts and your business or topics like putting together gift baskets. Some of the groups that you may want to approach are mother’s groups, red hat society groups, and ladies auxiliary groups.

Market employee recognition gifts to other small businesses.

Offering gift certificates has the potential to get two for one customers. You gain the gift giver and if the receiver likes your products and service she just may become a loyal customer too.

There are many way to promote your gift business. The key to making your business stand out from the rest is going above and beyond what everyone else is doing. By doing this, you will give your gift business the edge that it needs to succeed today and in the future.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
Marketing Tips for Gift Consultants

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
3 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Direct Sales Company

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
What is Direct Selling?

Here are two recent mainstream media articles about direct sales:

• The current issue of Women’s Day Magazine features three direct sales companies – Initials Inc., Clever Container, and Celadon Road. The article is summarized on their website: 3 New Ways To Make Money From Home. I haven’t seen the actual article yet. If you have, please leave a comment with your impressions of it.
• Family Circle recently featured four moms who are enjoying a good deal of success in their direct sales businesses: How 4 Moms Made Money from Direct Sales.

This type of attention, plus the recent announcement of a Direct Selling Certificate being offered through community colleges will certainly help promote direct sales as a viable home business.

Discover the many different direct sales opportunities available to you by visiting the InternetBasedMoms.com direct sales directory.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
Magazine Articles Featuring Direct Sales Companies and Consultants

A new Direct Selling Certificate program will be available to community colleges across the country in the spring of 2012. Even more exciting is that direct sellers can participate in the pilot program for free. It’s being offered at three Community Colleges starting on October 17 or 18, 2011.

Get the details now by clicking the link >>> DSEF Direct Selling Entrepreneur Certificate.

The Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) partnered with the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship to offer this program. According to DSEF Program Director Robin Diamond, “This new educational program will help direct selling entrepreneurs build their businesses by combining strong entrepreneurship skill training with direct selling-specific learning.”

Some of the reasons why I find this program so exciting :

• A certificate program further legitimizes direct selling as a serious, professional business.
• Many direct sellers start with little or no business experience and a strong desire to succeed. Additional education will certainly go a long way towards achieving success.
• Offering the program through community colleges will help keep it affordable and accessible for many more direct sellers.

Check it out today. The free pilot program starts in in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York in mid-October on a first-come first-served basis. It will be available to community colleges across the country in the Spring of 2012.

Get the details now by clicking the link >>> DSEF Direct Selling Entrepreneur Certificate.

Thank you @JenFongSpeaks for bringing the program to my attention.

Image courtesy of sidewalk flying

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
Direct Selling Certificate Now Available at Community Colleges

I’m know many other direct sales companies support worthy causes. Does your company have and ongoing charitable cause and was it a factor in your decision to join the company?

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
How Charitable is Your Direct Sales Company?

That doesn’t mean training has to eat up all of your time. You can connect with and train your direct sales consultants online. Let’s take a look at a few tips and success strategies.

1. Webinars
   A webinar is an online seminar. You can find free conferencing programs, online services that start around $50/month, or you can set up your own online video conferencing or Skype system. Webinar services make it easy for your trainees to connect. They simply have to get online, click a link and they’re there.

   You can hold monthly webinars to answer questions, present materials, and motivate your team. Webinars can be fun too. You can play games, acknowledge profitable teammates and explain new products and promotions. It’s a great way to connect with your team on a monthly basis and to offer them the training and support they need.

2. Online discussions
   Another useful tool is an online discussion group for your team. You can set up a private forum, chat room, or Facebook group. Regularly upload training materials and connect with your direct sales team on an as needed basis.
3. Private Blog
   If you have a blog you can create training materials including videos and downloadable print materials and deliver them privately to your team. WordPress for example, offers plug-ins that gives you the ability to set up memberships and private access pages.
   Blogging Resources

   How to Create a Blog
   How to Choose Blog Web Hosting

4. Email training
   Using an autoresponder service you can set up a series of email messages to be delivered on a schedule to train a new team member and also send broadcasts when you have new information to share with the entire team. Since email training is not interactive you probably want to use it in conjunction with one of the other more conversational methods.

There are also many other ways you can use the internet to train your direct sales team. Before you decide on a system consider how you want to train your direct sales team. What materials will you provide? How often do you want to meet? Also consider the technical ability and comfort level of your direct sales recruits.

Create a plan. Choose a tool or system that supports your plan and get started. Save time, grow your business and use the internet to train your direct sales team.

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
Take Your Direct Sales Team Training Online

Whatever the reason behind your decision to become a direct sales consultant, there often comes a time when you question your path. Your direct sales business may not meet your needs.

How Do You Know if Your Direct Sales Business is Meeting Your Needs?

It can be difficult to answer this question. However, there are a few key indicators. Take a look at the following questions and answer them honestly.

• Are you excited to get to work when you wake in the morning? If you’re not excited about your business when you get up in the morning that’s okay. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve made the wrong decision. It may simply mean a few changes are in order to help you find that excitement and motivation.
• Are you successful? Everyone has their own definition of success. For many people success has a dollar sign. You’re successful when you make a desirable income. Others define success by having the free time they want while also being able to make a living. For example, you’re successful when you only work one day a week and make the money you want or need.
• Still others define success by how they impact others. They’re successful when they help someone else. How do you define success and are you achieving it? Again, if you’re not that’s okay. It simply means you may need to make some adjustments to your business so that they support your definition of success.
• Is direct sales providing you with what you need or want? You became a direct sales consultant for a reason. For example, to make extra money. Is your business providing you with that extra money? If not, it’s time to make a few changes.

Changing Your Business So It Meets Your Needs

If your business isn’t meeting your needs then it’s time to take that metaphorical bull by the horns and change things. You’re in control here. The first step is to evaluate what isn’t working and why. For example, if you’re not making the money you thought you would make then why isn’t that happening? Maybe it’s a matter of simply selling more or maybe it’s because you’re not excited about your products.

Once you know what isn’t working and why, the second step is to create a plan. If you’re not making the money you want to make because you’re simply not motivated or excited by the products, you can change your mindset and research the benefits your products offer. If that doesn’t renew your enthusiasm for the products, you can find a new company to represent that does excite you. In either case, be sure to include goals in your plan. Include what you want to change, how you’re going to change it and how you’re going to know when you’re successful.

Direct Sales is a challenging business. It can also be extremely rewarding. Consider how your business is meeting your needs and what needs to change to improve your business and your lifestyle. Then, because you are in control, make the necessary changes to live the life you want.

Image courtesy of EvelynGiggles

Originally posted at Linda Stacy's Business Opportunity Connection. Please click the link below to read the complete post, add your comments, and find similar articles.
Is Your Direct Sales Business Meeting Your Needs?