What’s Most Important… For Succeeding in Direct Marketing Today?
People wonder if they can be successful in direct marketing… it sounds like a good idea… but can it work for me and if so… how?
Before I get into the how to’s… I want to mention that direct marketing is made up of network marketing, being a brand advocate, social influencer, working in a party plan company and more…
I can honestly say… that I don’t think there has never been more confusion in the direct marketing… as there is today. I’ll explain why!
I built a large network marketing business about 35 years ago… and it’s still strong today. That business is made up us happy consumers ordering directly from warehouses… and Independent Business Owners earning a good living. If built correctly… it can last for decades or life, like in my case.
Building that business is clearly the best thing I ever did… but to build it and keep it… I had to learn a few things… and update my knowledge on several occasions.
Today we are inundated with marketing messages on everything… and I feel sorry for people in this industry… who are trying to figure out what they should be doing… to build a successful business.
Let’s start with a lesson… that made the biggest impact on me in the beginning.
Note: There is a training video attached, at the end of this episode!
Point One – The sales type… vs the non sales type
Let’s look at these two definitions
1)Network marketing… is networking… and marketing to that network.
2)Network marketing… is a method of distribution that requires a lot of people doing a little bit… and where most people confuse the business with sales.
The first definition sounds like sales… and the second sounds like two people having a conversation… and several of these interactions happening within a business or organization.
What’s the truth? It’s what ever you decide it should be!
The difference in opinions is what causes one of the main problems in this industry. Some see it as a sales business… while others see it as an asset that they are building.
One is about speaking to groups of people, home parties, online parties …
The other slower and steady… by speaking one on one, small groups and educating as you go and trying to achieve duplication.
To help make my point… let me ask you this question. What percentage of the population do you think… actually likes to sell?
It’s roughly 5%
The rest of the population… (95%) are who we refer to as the non sales types.
Yes I know… everyone can sell to some degree…
-people sell the bank on a business idea they need financing for
-they sell themselves as a good choice to their future husband or wife
But to the non sales types… sales would be their last choice for a career but note… they usually have no problem educating others about a good movie they watched, restaurant they visited, product they use etc… as long as they don’t look or feel… like a salesperson.
Let’s look at the Psychology of it
What happens when you get invited to a product education event… it could be at someone’s home, hotel, conference centre etc. It could be fun, interesting… lot’s of food etc.
The sales type – At the end of the presentation they are excited about the possibilities of the product and maybe the business!
The non sales type – At the end of the presentation… they leave there thinking that was fun… but I could never do that… and nothing will change your mind after! (The idea is locked in stone)
Why is this so significant?
Most people who enter direct marketing are looking to leverage themselves by finding others to do what they do.
Marketability is everything! The people being approached need to be able to say… “I could do that!”
If they don’t say that… you will keep adding customers.. but no business builders. Without gaining leverage… the business may start to lose its appeal. Leverage is where the money is as well as longevity!
I built my business with a teaching style as that fit my personality… and I also knew… that if I connected with and educated people about my product and business… there was a great chance of them being long term consumers… and possibly… successful business builders.
I tried it all over the last 35 years building this business… and I found early on… that working with people one on one and in small groups… worked better for retention and business.
If what you are doing… doesn’t look marketable to the non sales types… you will likely find yourself having customers and very few business builders. Your approach needs to appeal to the majority of the population… which is the non sales types.
The interesting thing that I have always observed with this… is that people who love sales… tend to make the most noise and wind up as trainers for most companies or the ones selling programs online etc.
Now I understand that some products work better being sold at online or at home parties and often… these products may only be purchased once because they last. For this reason a sales strategy works best.
But if you have non sales types involved in a sales focused program… they usually get burnt out as their income is dependent on how much they are selling. Remember what they fear the most… looking like a sales person.
This subject shows up several times in my course ‘Why Can’t I sell my Stuff… and what to do about it!’
There is a section that specifically targets it called marketability and the salesman syndrome… where I use an exercise to really drive this idea home.
Point Two – When people start a new business… it usually takes a lot of time to plan, create systems, get financing etc.. When people choose direct marketing… they often assume that it will be turn key… with all the bugs worked out… but that is rarely the case!
One of my favourite sayings is… “If direct or network marketing was perfect… it would be a franchise… and you’d pay big dollars for it.
But it’s not perfect and for that reason… you pay $100 – $200.”
You are going to have to figure a few things out like the points in this episode… but it’s so worth it. You can create something amazing out of almost nothing… and it can pay you for life!
There is more information in the attached video… but the next point is even more important than the last two.
Point Three – In my last episode… #3, I spoke about how in general… people today have never been more:
-distracted
-overloaded
-oversold
You can have the best intentions, have a great product… but as soon as people realize you are selling something… they put you on mute.
Yes I know…
-You are the nicest person
-You are not pushy
-Your product is life changing
Does it mean that people don’t want what you have? No!
They just don’t have time or the mental space… to go through it with you… unless it solves a problem they are already trying to solve.
A simple solution
–Choose one area that you are going to specialize in… instead of being a Jack of all trades
-Learn to quickly explain what you do in a way that gets attention
-Learn to quickly determine if they have a problem they are trying to solve… that’s your specialty
-If so… the rest is easy
A story of one of my students.
Early in 2022 a friend called me. He was working through my course that I just mentioned above and was working on creating his niche and the statement to go with it. (This is something I cover in my course.)
People in general use too many words when explaining what they do. The reason they do this… is they are usually trying to impress… but people don’t care. They just care if you can help them solve a problem!
He had a very successful business in network marketing but had become outdated in his approach. With his success… he could have said almost anything to new people… but what he came up with was “I help people work part time from home, earn extra money etc….”
That never works because everyone says that… and there is no problem mentioned!
I asked him… what is the problem that he solved for himself… and what was the frustration he had before he solved it?
That’s all that is important at that moment. It’s like calling a name into a crowd… the ones who recognize it… will respond.
We came up with “I help men who feel demoralized… because they can’t earn enough income in this economy… like I used to!”
Now does that say enough to determine whether the person is looking or not? If this applied to them… do you think they would ask for more information? Yes!
The details of how he does it come later… when an appointment is set to discuss it further.
In summary
When I started this episode… I mentioned that people wonder what the most important thing is to succeeding in direct marketing.
I would say…
-Understanding the business you are in
-Understanding your personality, what you will do… and what you won’t
-Knowing what to say
-Knowing the difference between someone who is looking and someone who isn’t
-Knowing where to focus your energy
There are many other mechanics… but first you need new clients!
I created a Free Report titled “11 Facts That Could Change Everything” that is pretty amazing! There are a lot of great tips in it.
I took my 35 years of experience and created a course titled “Why Can’t I Sell My Stuff… and What To Do About It”
It’s made up of the lessons and how to’s… that made the biggest impact on building and keeping my business in network marketing… and being a professional at it. It also includes all the new strategies that work today.
The course modules apply to the strategies needed to succeed at network marketing… but also apply to any type of product marketing or sales in general.
You can find both the free report and the course on the blog at www.jimpendree.com
You can also access the course directly at www.maxoutpro.com.
Here is the video that goes with this episode https://youtu.be/tF__JUbGX7I
Until next time…
Jim Pendree
