Marketing

Vendor Event Mistakes

19 June 2016 By LA Leave a Comment

Not all vendor events are good for your business.

Yesterday I manned a booth for a charity event at a local festival. Across the street from me was a direct sales vendor. I had all afternoon to reflect on the mistakes this consultant made.

I’m not criticizing, but rather pointing out some of the mistakes so that you don’t make them in the future.

Target Market – This was the biggest mistake. The average attendee for this event was younger (some not even 18) and lower income. The visitors to the booths were mainly there for the service information and freebies. There was only one other direct seller there. It just wasn’t the right market for DS.

Weather – It was 90 degrees in the bright sunshine. Vendors were under canopies but it was still sweltering. It was not conducive for soft candle wax.

Set Up -The candle bars that were for sale were on the side of the booth space. The vendors were placed very close together and I saw no others who used the side to display anything, but rather all faced forward. Point being, wax is Scentsy’s biggest seller. Even if most attendees were there for freebies, someone may have easily spent $5 to get more wax – but it was almost hidden, until you got right on top of the booth. [Read more…] about Vendor Event Mistakes

Are You Customer Focused?

6 May 2016 By LA Leave a Comment

Your Call to Action – this means what do you want your audience to do? If you want them to buy, host, or join, you need to invite them to take some action.

The call to action is never about you. If you lead with “I’ve been challenged” or “I only need x-more to promote, earn, etc.” it may work temporarily but you won’t be able to keep going back to that well if they were only buying, hosting or joining to help you.

Your call to action is about your customers, hosts and potential team members.

Are you customer focused?

What’s In It For Me (WIIFM)? That’s what your audience wants to know.

How can you best serve those you want to do business with? How can you make their lives better? Now think about all we have to offer – our products, our host rewards and our business opportunity – what suits their needs? What do they need most from you?

This mindset should be in the forefront of every communication you have about Scentsy.

How to Approach Realtors

4 September 2015 By LA Leave a Comment

Marketing to realtors can prove fruitful in your Scentsy business. However if not approached properly your efforts will not produce any favorable results.

So how do you approach realtors?

This is a frequently asked question when it comes to this particular niche. Another FAQ is What kind of letter do you send? I’ll answer the second question first – as this is a quick and easy answer: I don’t send letters to realtors. Working with realtors requires building rapports. Firing off a cold call letter will only cost you time and postage and will mostly likely end up in the trash.

It’s all about building relationships.

If you’re going to try to convince other sales professionals – the realtors, that they can trust their closing gifts to you and scents to make their open houses warm and welcoming, you’re going to need to take some time building that trust.

The ideal situation in working with realtors is to start with a realtor you know. If you don’t know any then ask friends or associates for referrals. Almost everyone knows at least one realtor or knows someone who does. Remember that you are not trying to sell a product. You’re offering a service and you’re solving a problem. [Read more…] about How to Approach Realtors

Changing Business Requires Changing Language

30 July 2015 By LA Leave a Comment

A paradigm shift is defined as a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions. Let me give you few examples.

Wickless vs. Wicked

One of Scentsy’s product offerings are our wickless candles. That means there is no smoke, no wick, no flame and no soot. If you think about a traditional wicked candle, when the candle burns down and there is nothing left, you would not expect the candle to keep scenting your home. Yet with a wickless candle because only the fragrance oil evaporates and the wax does not, new customers tend to think their wickless candle should scent their area longer.

However if they had a votive candle which burned for 8 hours and then was gone, that’d be expected. Yet a wickless candle warming for 24 hours should still have the same scent as when first melted (in their minds). However that’s not how wickless candles work. This is a situation that requires a paradigm shift.

Over time, when the wickless concept is no longer new to anyone, there should no longer be the misunderstanding of how long wickless scents last. For now, it’s a matter of patience and education to create the shift. Some experts suggest it can take ten or more years to complete a paradigm shift.

Host vs. Hostess [Read more…] about Changing Business Requires Changing Language

Professional Pay Isn’t Available If You Look Like a Hobbyist

27 April 2015 By LA Leave a Comment

“If you want to earn professional pay you need to do professional work.” – Orville Thompson, Fmr Direct Selling Association Chairman

direct sales quotes Human Resources professionals give interview advice to dress for the part you want. The same holds true for your direct sales business as it relates to your marketing collateral. Your business cards, flyers and brochures would be the equivalent of you dressing for the part you want.

The best way to ensure your new direct selling business never gets off the ground is to create your own marketing material. There are exceptions to every rule and I have seen some very professional looking home made business cards, fliers, brochures, etc. Yet those rare cases are not the norm. For the most part, homemade marketing collateral screams amateur and hobbyist.

Conversely the marketing materials your direct sales parent company provides are valuable tools available for independent consultants. Use the professional design and printing to portray an image of professionalism. Poor marketing causes more damage than no marketing at all, so take advantage of the pre-designed marketing material provided by your home office. [Read more…] about Professional Pay Isn’t Available If You Look Like a Hobbyist