Training is generally something direct sales consultants either love or hate. One of the reasons you might not look forward to training is that it can take away from the time you might be selling. It’s all a matter of perspective really. When you provide your recruits with great training you are growing your business. The more successful they are, the more successful you are.

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.

Without regular communication with your direct sales team it’s almost impossible to build a successful team. Communication helps keep your team motivated to build their own businesses which in turn helps build yours.

Begin with a commitment to regular, consistent contact with your team. Make communication a part of your daily routine. You can use email, phone calls, and mail to check in with your team and to send company news, tips and resources, success quotes, motivational thoughts, or reminders of deadlines. Consistent communication might include a weekly newsletter, a blog that is updated regularly, note cards, or text messages. Your messages don’t have to be long or profound; the idea is to stay in touch so your team knows you’re available and are committed to communicating with them.

Make notes to yourself on your planner or set up an automated system on your computer so you will remember to send out birthday or anniversary cards to team members. Call your consultants to congratulate them on their first party, sales goal, recruit, or any other important milestone.

Your messages don’t have to be perfect, but try to communicate clearly. Team members need to know that you have valuable information to share with them, and that you can help them succeed. This is much simpler when you can express yourself well and communicate your message clearly, whether on the phone or in writing. If your communications are hard to understand, poorly written, sloppy or simply disorganized, they won’t be nearly effective as clear, concise communication with your team. When writing, keep your sentences short, use spelling and grammar checkers, and proofread before sending. These simple task will take only minutes, but will pay off greatly in building rapport with your team. If writing and grammar are not your strong points, enlist the help of a proof reader.

With so many communication tools and options at our disposal these days, there is no excuse for lack of communication with your team. Make sure you never have to apologize for being out of touch. Communicating with your team will help keep them interested and motivated.

Do you ever feel like your head might explode from information overload? I do.

The beauty of the Internet is that it’s an infinite source of information on pretty much any topic you can think of. Type a few words into a search engine and you’ll get the who, what, where, when, and why on any question you have. You can find out where to buy it or sell it. You’ll find pictures and videos of it. You can review it, argue it, praise it, debunk it, meet it, friend it, follow it, date it, block it, and report it.

By the time you’re done with it, the information overloaded beast may rise up and scare you into shutting off the Internet and crawling under the covers.

If you’re fairly new to the Internet, you might be completely lost – not knowing where to turn in your search for useful, accurate information. You’re probably confronted with conflicting advice on almost everything you look up and so confused you can’t take the next step.

And if you’ve been online for any length of time, you likely follow so many people and resources that you’re bombarded with emails, RSS feeds, social media notifications, and chat requests all day long.

Like many things in life, we have to take the bad with the good. But there are ways to minimize the negative and use the positive to our advantage. Here are some tips for coping with the beast:

1 – One. No matter what you’re doing, take it one step at a time. Whether it’s research on the best washing machine, looking for a home business, or seeking medical advice, if you look long enough you can find completely opposing viewpoints. At some point you have to stop looking.

Start with trusted sources and well-known names and brands. Consumer reviews and testimonials can be very useful, but be careful about the source and motivation. It’s often the case that those with negative experiences are more vocal than those with positive experiences.

Be especially careful when dealing with serious issues like health and safety. Always consultant your own professionals.

2 – Use your common sense. A lot of what you find on the Internet is marketing material, well-designed marketing material. Carefully consider whether it makes sense for you at this time. If it doesn’t, move on.

3 – Focus. Count the number of distractions surrounding you. If you’re like me, when you log on, you’re connected to email, Facebook, Twitter, an RSS reader, Skype, and live chat. (And I’m probably somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to online connections.) No wonder it’s hard to get anything done. There’s nothing wrong with being social online, just don’t let it interfere when you need to focus on something else.

4 – Make a plan. Before you plug in, have a plan and a to-do list. It will help you focus. Prioritize.

5 – Take a break. Stretch often and exercise daily. Just because you can take it along on your laptop, phone, or i-something, doesn’t mean you have to. Disconnect for some period of time everyday.

6 – Use tools. Planners, schedulers, timers, filters, and other tools can help you reduce and organize incoming and stored information. Learn how to use search tools effectively to narrow results to the most relevant information.

7 – Scan. Learn to scan information to quickly evaluate its relevance.

8 – Take the pressure off. No one knows everything about anything. Don’t try to get it all.

9 – What goes around comes around. Consider what you’re putting out there. The more you send out, the more you’re likely to get back.

The beauty of the Internet is the many doors it can help open. The beast is all the doors that stay open. Tame it.

This is the last post in this series on communication with customers and prospects: It All Adds Up To Great Customer Service.

Communication is the core component to providing top notch customer service. From the first moment a customer or prospect visits your website, meets you at a home sales party, or calls on the phone, until their last order is delivered, good communication is the best customer service.

It’s not too hard.
Providing great customer service is not difficult nor does it require a lot of effort. What good customer service requires is a belief in the philosophy that the business is dependent on the customers, and that their needs are important.

One of the most important customer service skills is the ability to understand and effectively respond to the customer’s needs and concerns. Excellent customer service starts by first taking the time to get to know the customer and her needs. Customers want to buy from businesses who demonstrate a sincere desire to help them with anything they need, and they are willing to pay for it. Yes, they want quality products to work. More importantly though, they want someone to provide good service and to care when something goes wrong.

Everything discussed thus far in this series leads up to this point. By following the communication tips you are essentially creating the manual for a customer service plan. Making the customers feel appreciated and listened to will keep them coming back for more and make team members loyal and hard-working.

Looking over this article it’s easy to sense a general theme. Communication is key!

Communication is the most important tool that a direct sales business has to establish, grow and maintain a customer base and productive team Communication is found in every aspect of business. In fact it is not just in every aspect of day to day operations; it is the core of them. We are never more than a click or number away from talking to someone about what is needed and how it is going to be provided.

Technology provides the necessary functions of phone and email. These tools are used daily to make first contacts, follow up, and provide ongoing updates.

With customers looking to get the best for their money, it behooves consultants to focus on continually evaluating and improving communication as needed. The tips in this series are a good starting point. Not only do they outline the importance of communication, but they create a basic protocol, that if followed, will help consultants firm up a strategy for customer and team communication and training.

Good communication can be one of the most important tools you have.

Missed the other communication tips? Here they are:
Tip one – Listen
Tip two – Email Etiquette
Bonus – Mailing List PLR
Tip three – Phone Etiquette
Tip Four – No One is Perfect

No matter how successful you and your company are, and no matter how well you communicate, mistakes and misunderstanding will happen. How you handle those times is probably the true measure of your communication and customer service skills. When things go amiss, placing blame is not productive, but it makes good business sense to take the time to review what went wrong and why.

There are going to be times the ‘why’ is because the business made an error. Never be afraid let your customer or team member know an error was made, and more importantly, that it is being corrected immediately. Communicating issues makes it clear that your customers are dealing with someone that recognizes mistakes and doesn’t try to cover them up. It isn’t the occasional error that will hurt your relationship. Mistakes happen. However, an attempted cover-up, denial, or lie will have negative and far-reaching consequences.

Other times the “why” will be because of a customer’s miscommunication or mistake. Whenever possible, apply the old adage, “The customer is always right.” Remember, even if it costs you a bit to correct their error, it’s can be far more costly to lose a good customer. Making the customer “right” doesn’t mean you have to pretend the error was your fault. A skillful consultant will listen to a customer and communicate the desire to fix the problem. Taking steps to rectify the situation without admitting fault or placing blame is great communication and customer service.

It can be difficult to deal with a customer or team member who is upset over an issue, but it’s the time when a professional, calm approach is most needed. Even if the customer becomes unreasonable and insulting stay focused on solving the problem. How you handle the whole situation can result in gaining one of your most loyal customers. Mishandle an upset customer and you’re likely to end up with a very vocal, unsatisfied ex-customer.

No matter what you do, there will be situations when there’s nothing you can do to please your customers or team. When you’ve exhausted all attempts, you’ll have to accept the consequences and move on. Exit with an apology, follow-up with one last offer, and let it go.

Always remember, no one is perfect. Admit your mistakes, forgive others’ mistakes, and let criticism roll of your back. You’ll be less stressed and more successful.

What’s the biggest mistake you or your customer made recently and how did you handle it?

Next in the series (later this week):
It All Adds Up To…
Subscribe to our email notifications so you won’t miss it.

Missed the other communication tips? Here they are:
Tip one – Listen
Tip two – Email Etiquette
Bonus – Mailing List PLR
Tip three – Phone Etiquette

In direct sales you are likely to have telephone contact with your customers fairly often, particularly if you regularly hold home sales parties. Many people still like the immediate response they get in a telephone conversation.

Talking on the phone is second nature to most of us, but making a plan for business phone calls can improve relations with your customers and prospects. Here are a few tips to make sure things go smoothly on the phone.

1. Minimize interruptions and background noise. If you have small children it can be challenging to find a quiet time to make phone calls, but it is worth the effort. If you have call waiting you might want to disable it before you call customers. Customers appreciate your undivided attention.

2. Stay focused and on topic. It’s easy for a conversation to go off track so make an effort to stay focused on the purpose of your call. Everyone is busy and while your customer will definitely appreciate the customer service, she will also appreciate taking care of business in a relatively short amount of time. Of course you also don’t want to seem like you’re cutting her off if she has additional questions or needs. Find the balance.

3. Follow-up. A follow-up email or postcard summarizing or confirming the conversation can keep misunderstandings to a minimum. It also shows customers that you really listened and understood their needs.

A little common courtesy and focused attention will make your customer feel important and appreciated, and help assure customer loyalty.

Next in the series (later this week):
No One is Perfect
Subscribe to our email notifications so you won’t miss it.

Missed the other communication tips? Here they are:
Tip one – Listen
Tip two – Email Etiquette
Bonus – Mailing List PLR

Do you have any tips to add? Leave them in a comment below. Thanks!

A good deal of business communication takes place through email, especially if you do business online. Customers and prospects will expect to be able to reach you by email and will expect a timely reply. Making the effort to deliver the business image you wish to portray will pay off in customer satisfaction.

Of course all of your email communication must comply with the law and your email service company’s terms of use, but also be aware of your customers’ perceptions of unsolicited email (spam). With so much spam already coming to our inboxes, people are intolerant of anything they define as spam, even it doesn’t meet the legal definition. Adhere to a privacy policy regarding contact information, always use permission based email marketing, and include opt out instructions in every mailing.

Written communication is more easily misinterpreted than face-to-face communication because all the non-verbal cues we use to communicate in person are missing in email. Choose your words carefully, use the appropriate tone, and use proper spelling and grammar to help make sure your meaning is clear.

One of the most common complaints about email communications is the lack of timely response. While it used to be acceptable to take up to three days to reply, now most people expect a response within a day. If you are unable to regularly respond within 24 hours, consider using an autoresponder to acknowledge receipt of email and to indicate when you expect to be able to respond. It might be wise to provide an alternate means of reaching you for more immediate response. To help reduce email inquiries provide an FAQ section on your website to answer the most commonly asked questions.

Another problem with email communication is that messages don’t always get through. Be certain that the filters you use and those used by your email service aren’t filtering out legitimate email. Additionally, avoid words and practices that trigger spam filters so that your messages aren’t blocked on the receiving end. Always ask for an alternate method of contacting customers and prospects, so if it becomes clear that your email isn’t getting through, you can still make contact.

Customers and prospects often may not even notice the extra effort taken to deliver the perfect email. But they will be quick to react negatively to errors and poorly written emails. Taking the time to carefully develop your email protocol will result in a more professional appearance, higher customer satisfaction, and better relationships with your team.

Resources:

• My favorite email spam filter is MailWasher Pro because it works really well, gives me a great deal of control, and adds an extra layer of protection by filtering email before it’s downloaded.
• My favorite autoresponder service is AWeber because it’s affordable, full-featured, and the company works diligently on deliverability.
• And my favorite email client is Mozilla Thunderbird because it’s easy to use and supports multiple email addresses.

Next in the series (in a few days):
Phone Etiquette
Subscribe to our email notifications so you won’t miss it.

Missed tip one? It’s here.

Communication is key to business success, especially in a relationship based business like direct sales. Effective communication will help you establish, grow, and maintain a customer base and a productive direct sales team.

Today’s savvy customers are looking to get the best products and services for their money. They have loads of information at their fingertips and can easily research companies and products. Your ability to communicate how you can meet their needs will determine whether or not they make that first purchase, and you must keep communicating to retain them as customers.

This is the first post in a short series about communicating in which we’ll talk about some of the many components of communication, and provide tips for effectively communicating with your customers and prospects.

Thinking about communication most likely brings to mind all the methods you use to provide information about your business and market it to customers and potential team members. But one of the first things to keep in mind when communicating is this:

Sometimes the best way to reach out to people is simply by listening to them. Customers and prospects will never be shy about expressing their needs and concerns. But often we spend so much time developing our information delivery strategy that we forget to really listed to what our customers have to say. It’s also important to remember that customer relationships are dynamic and needs and wants change.

Of course it’s important to follow a well developed sales and marketing approach, but an essential part of that strategy should involve regularly listening to what customers and prospects have to say. Good listening skills not only allow you to collect valuable information necessary to assist them and answer their needs, but it also demonstrates sensitivity and understanding.

“The best salespeople are great listeners – that’s how you find out what the buyer wants.”
~ Larry Wilson and Spencer Johnson, authors of
The One Minute Salesperson

Listening sets the tone for the rest of your communication. It will direct your efforts. By actively listening you’ll know the best way to communicate. Whether face-to-face or through email or phone, listening skills will foster the next steps in customer and team relations. This can not only help you fine tune your sales and marketing techniques, but it will also help to create long term relationships and increase visibility, referrals and market share.

Taking the time to improve listening skills and really paying attention to what customers and prospects are saying will improve customers satisfaction and team productivity. Perhaps we’d all be better communicators if we practiced what Greek philosopher Epictetus noted, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

Next in the series (later this week):
Email Etiquette
Subscribe to our email notifications so you won’t miss it.