And so my journey begins. After doing some research I decided on the company, Do You Bake? They are less than a year old and it just seemed like the perfect fit for me. I paid for my initial new consultant kit. I also have been in contact with my sponsor, who so far has been great and very responsive (I ask a lot of questions).
Researching online for direct selling is very overwhelming! There is so much information, it is exhausting and at times I feel as though my brain might explode. :) I really do not know where to begin, so I am going to take it slow. My kit should take a week to arrive anyway and my website/email is not even set up yet. I know a lot of people start off with parties, but I think that I am going to start off with fairs and events. It is the perfect time of year for them - I have already been thinking of participating in 7 of them in the next 2 months. This is more my speed and I think it will give me a good start, especially getting involved with a compnay so new. I have lived in Philadelphia for a few years, but I have to say - there is not many people I know that would want to have a party. So that makes me a little nervous, but after researching - these fairs and quarter auctions seem to work out well. So now, I am making a list of places that I have to register for - because then I need to have the product to back me up! I know this is only the beginning, but I am very nervous and I am sure once my first event comes around, it will get worse! lol
My goals for now are to have this as a part-time job. In a year, I am hoping this can become a full-time job, but that lays in the future and what kind of decisions I make. I do not know anyone that is direct sales, so right now I am relying on books and the internet. I will let you know if I find any good reads or websites, because I am sure there are lots of people out there starting out as well. We can take the journey together :)
So right now, it seems to be more of a waiting game - waiting to get my kit, website and materials. I hope they arrive in a few days. (I tend to get impatient). I ordered 3 books from Amazon and hope they arrive in a few days - plus I will continue on my website trolling for more info.
Well this is more or less a welcome post.... I hope that this turns out to be a success and I hope you enjoy the ride. I am ready to make a change. I will be updating my daily (or every other day) activities and see what I find! I am excited :) Until next time...
Melissa
Hi Melissa -
ReplyDeleteWe at Do You Bake? wish you all the success in the world and we look forward to watching you grow and build your business. We will try and pop in to your blog from time to time and give your readers additional tips and tricks regarding building direct sales businesses.
A few to start:
Quarter Auctions: Fantastic way to meet new people. This will give you an opportunity to develop a customer base and it will also help you solicit for parties. Growing a successful sales business not only depends on the work you do and the sales you develop personally but also depends on the amount of time you devote to learning how to develop your sales team (downline).
A few tips on QAs:
1. Don't get Discouraged. It will take some time for you to find the right quarter auctions. You need to find those that have many different types of consultants (more than 10) that attend each event. You also want to make sure that the QA gets at least 30 people to attend.
2. Price your auctions at 1 and 2 quarter bids. Most people do not like spending more than that per paddle. Many attendees will buy more than one paddle for bidding, and will bid with all of their paddles, but only if you keep the value low.
3. Make it look pretty -- the prettier the package, the more bids you will get
4. Be happy for break even. Remember - a Quarter auction should be there to help you develop your consumer base, and help you to generate parties.
5. Have a raffle at your table. Remember - emails are king! Develop your email list by giving something away to one lucky winner if they enter your raffle. Collect email, phone and find out if they would like to have a party or if they would like information on becoming a consultant.
6. Try, Try again. Win some - lose some. You will find the right QAs only by trial and error.
7. Sample, Sample, Sample. Pretend this is a party. Make some fresh yummy treats and let them eat away at your table!
8. Advertise, advertise,advertise. In order to pay for your table fee, you need to have attendees come and give your flyer so you get credit. Advertise on Facebook, on your blog, with your friends, family, craigslist etc..
Last but not least -- HAVE FUN!! If your job is fun, it is less of a job or not a job at all!