Motivation Mondays-get those last minute shoppers

The end of the year can be a really hard time for many businesses.  The Christmas rush slows down, and people start holding on to their money very tightly.  It can spell disaster if you’re not prepared for a decline in sales.  This is the time of year when last minute shoppers are your bread and butter.  How is a direct seller supposed to get in front of a last-minute shopper when they are probably just going to dash in the nearest store and pick out something that they know their gift receiver will probably not like?

Being creative in the final push for Christmas is going to set you apart from everyone else.  You know as well as I do that our last-minute shopper is on Facebook trying to figure out what to get their gift receivers right now, and think about what they see.

500 things that have been copied and pasted, 200 advertisements from every other business, pictures of kids, and funny videos.

People get on social media to be entertained.  It’s the great American time suck, and most of that entertainment comes in the form of videos.  I’m not talking about just sitting in front of your camera and babbling on Facebook live for twenty minutes, I’m talking about hilarious entertaining videos or live feeds.

How do you get this shopper’s attention?  Be silly and think Christmas.  Decorate yourself like a Christmas tree and sing a song about how amazing they are and how much you want to help them purchase your product.  Create an online character, click that Go Live button, and have some fun. 

Here are some tips to making great Facebook videos:

•         Keep them under 2 minutes.  Social media has created a civilization of people with finger
  
  swiping ADHD. 
•        Plan out what you’re going to say and do before you start.
•         Make sure it’s relevant to what your viewers are looking for.  Don’t dress like a vampire the week before Christmas and try to sell Halloween, unless you’re selling blinky green and red vampire teeth.
•         Find blinky red and green vampire teeth and send them to me, because I need that in my life.
•         Don’t live feed everyone to death.  One good live feed per day is great.  Contact some of your biggest cheerleaders and ask them if they will share it on their pages and give you a plug, but contact them in person.
•         Don’t spam.  Facebook jail is a real thing.  Don’t go there.  I hear the food is terrible and there aren’t any mojitos. 
•         Most important, be clear and concise in what you’re trying to communicate and HAVE FUN!

Trust me, you’re gonna’ love it!

Let's talk about our direct sales friends

Hi blog family, I hope this post finds you well today.

Two things have been bothering me for about a week now, and that usually means I need to sit down and write about it.  What could they be?  They both boil down to how we treat our friends in other direct sales companies.

This particular blog post was brought on by a complaint that was posted publicly on Facebook by a girl we'll call Suzie Q.  You see, Suzie Q was feeling jealous last week because one of her friends signed on with a different direct sales company than she was in.

The first bothersome moment was a complaint post went something like this:

"I just don't understand why someone would join another company when they have seen how much I have made with my company."

While it is okay to wonder about the answer to that question, it's only okay to do it alone, and in your head.  I feel like this is obvious, but let's be honest, Captain Obvious wouldn't be a character in a major media campaign if there weren't enough people who lacked the ability to know when something is obvious, and this isn't the first time I've seen someone post something similar.

The second thing is a constant bother.

I am a cheerleader.  I don't care what direct sales company you're in, or even if it isn't a direct sales company at all, I love cheering people on, even if it's hard.  I have a rule of thumb that I live by.  That rule is, if you're feeling jealous or upset at someone, that is when you need to force yourself to cheer them on.  I hardly ever have to force myself because of those reasons, but sometimes I do find myself having a Facebook like fest, and I have to stop and actually slow down and comment.

I want my time on Facebook to be actually building relationships and caring about what the people I have accepted in my life are doing, whether they are struggling or succeeding.

Here's the bother, and I know some people do this out of excitement for their own businesses, but when I comment on another direct seller's post and five minutes later I get this message:

"Hey, I saw that you liked my post about promoting to yadda yadda.  If you join my team, you can yadda yadda too."

Hmmmmm.......does anyone else see the problem with that?

I chalk it up to people not knowing because maybe it is their first rodeo or something, and I'm always gracious about declining, but then I stay on their "lead" list and get the algorithm of contacts.  Once a week for a month, then once every two weeks for two months, then once a month until they either give up or I tell them for the ten thousandth time,

"Thank you, but I'm focusing on my Damsel business.  I wish you nothing but success in [enter business here]"

So, here's a golden nugget of direct sales advice, and I promise you, it will grow your business ten thousand times more strong than head hunting your direct sales friends.

Are you ready?

Here it is:

Don't head hunt your other direct sales friends. Invest in the relationship instead.

Whaaaaaaaat?

Yes.  Let me set up a scenario:

I have a friend who sells a makeup line.  Let's call her Sally.  Sally is growing her business and jumping up the ranks, and is posting about how she gets to go on this amazing all expense paid trip to somewhere with palm trees and umbrella drinks that you need a passport to go to.

I congratulate her or tell her how awesome she is on every photo she posts, because I genuinely love seeing people succeed.

Sally knows that I'm not trying to join her team, because she's also blessed me with gushes of congratulations on every achievement I make too, because she genuinely cares about people doing what they love and loving what they do.

She has never once, in more than a year of knowing her, asked me to join her team.

Instead, she has sent people to me by saying,

"Girl, I know this amazing Damsel, she will hook you up!  Just tell her I sent you!"  

Why?  Because she knows that safety is important, and I have invested in a relationship with her.

At the same time, whenever someone asks what makeup to try or if I have a friend selling her specific line, what do you think I say?

"Girl, I know this amazing makeup girl!  She will hook you up!  Just tell her I sent you!"

I know she will take excellent care of my referral, and I know she will send referrals my way.

Some of those people just buy, some join her team, some join mine, but the point is, we have each other's backs.

As a matter of fact, I have a referral program that is a win-win for everyone.  If a person refers someone to me and they join my team,

I pay the person who referred them $25 if my new team member reaches their first promotion within 60 days, which is a cake walk.  

That's twenty five smakeroos just for realizing someone would benefit from owning their own Damsel in Defense company.  

On the same hand, if I don't feel like someone will soar with Damsel but I know they would probably be amazing at another direct sales company, I connect them with a mentor from that company that I have a relationship with.

Think about it, do you want someone to join your team who isn't passionate about what you do?  It won't work!  If I have a person looking to join a direct sales team who just isn't feeling Damsel but LOVES makeup, where do you think they are going to succeed?

I'll tell you one thing, I definitely would support them in their choice rather than shame them for not choosing me.

So, there it is.  Two things, off my chest and out in the universe.  I hope it helps you in your business practices, and remember, there are two kinds of people.  You're either a fountain or a siphon.  Which one are you today?

Have a blessed day,