Editor’s note: Guest blogger Chris Carroll runs a successful direct sales business and helps others do the same. In this article she explains how her business model has helped her achieve success.

Are you a sales based direct seller or a recruiting based direct seller? Is there a difference, really? Allow me to explain.

I am a sales based direct seller. I am of the belief that sales is the basis of our business in direct sales and by using customer sales and the growth of your business through sales as the main basis of your income, than you will have a stronger business overall. This can be seen in the customer base and the $ in my pocket from sales. I am also of the belief that strong sales will lead to strong recruits who also use sales based business model.

One other reason that I use a sales based model is that you actually make more money in recruiting as you are getting paid on sales not just bringing in the recruit. Sales drive the whole system of getting paid, bringing in recruits, who also sell and make money and start recruiting. And the circle continues.
Recruit based selling is a hard concept for me sometimes. By putting the most eggs in your basket based on recruits and hoping that you will build your team that will support you is tough. How do you make a living in the mean time, while you are building your team?
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Not everyone who visits a website is ready to make a purchase or join your opportunity. Most of the time, customers and prospects will comparison shop, visiting several times before making a decision. So even for sites that are primarily sales oriented, an equally important purpose of the website is to generate leads.

Everyone loves getting something for free. Giving something away is a great way to generate website traffic and qualified leads.

Creating an ezine or newsletter is a common “freebie”. Subscribers opt in, which means they provide minimal personal information in order to receive the newsletter. Each new subscriber becomes another lead. The result over time is a large mailing list of qualified prospects. In addition to the newsletter, business owners email announcements of new products or services to this custom-made pool of potential buyers.
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As a leader in your direct sales company, you know that your work is only beginning when a prospect becomes a new consultant on your team. One of your tasks is to assist her in getting set up right so she’ll have a greater chance of succeeding.

Here are some tips to help your new team member launch and build their business and team: Continue Reading

By Jane Deuber of the DSWA

Do you know how to row a boat? That’s right…row a boat. If you answered yes to this question, then congratulations, you also know one of the greatest secrets to creating lasting success in Direct Sales.

Growing your business the “smart” way is very much like rowing a boat. Let me explain. Continue Reading

Whether you’re building your direct sales business offline or online, networking is a very powerful prospecting tool. Effective networking will help you gain customers and build your team.

When you set out to network, you may be thinking about the benefits you will receive, such as new clients and increased business. To get the most out of your networking, however, you need to build trust and relationships between the people you are networking with. The following are some tips to help you in this process. Continue Reading

Increasing your circle of influence offline can help you expand your client base. Your circle of influence is the group of people that make up your friends, family, current clients, acquaintances, etc. It’s the group that is often referred to as your warm market by direct sales and party plan business consultants and mentors.

When you increase your circle of influence offline, this opens up new possibilities for your business. You may meet someone in need of your services, or someone who will recommend your services to others.

Here are some things you can do to expand your circle of influence or warm market. Continue Reading

Marketing your business online requires more than putting up a website. You need to build relationships and establish yourself as a trusted source.

To grow your business you will want to consider widening your circle of influence online. You have certainly heard how important ‘word of mouth’ marketing is. That is because almost half of all Americans will ask their friends and family for advice when they shop for anything, including a new business. Continue Reading

When a potential team member inquires about joining your business opportunity, do you always encourage her to join, or do you sometimes discourage her?

There seems to be two schools of thought on successful sponsoring….
1 – Some network marketers think it’s a numbers game. The attrition rate in the industry is 80-90% per year —- 80-90% of the people who join a MLM business will quit within the first year. Some sponsors believe that given the attrition rate, the key to success is to recruit large numbers of people into your downline so that you’ll have a good sized team with the 10-20% that stick it out.

2 – Others believe they can improve on the attrition rate by being more selective in their recruiting. They use a screening process to build a team with more similar goals and a commitment to sticking it out for the long term.

Do you fall more or less in one of those categories of recruiting? If you use a screening process, how do you determine who might be a better match for your team?

When looking for a network marketing sponsor, look for someone who shares your goals. She doesn’t have to already be where you want to go, but if she’s moving in the same direction she can share her successes and failures with you to help you get there. If you have a common goal it will be easier to work together and stay motivated.

And find out what your sponsor does to help her downline meet their goals. Does she provide any special training or hold team meetings? Ask about her team� how many other people has she sponsored; how many are still active; how many have reached higher sales levels or build their own teams?

Finding a mentor who shares your goals will help keep you motivated and successful.