10 STEPS TO SUCCESS IN DIRECT SALES

John DeLellis

Every year thousands of men and women across America sign on with
direct selling firm-Tupperware, Amway, or a cosmetic
company-hoping to make money enough for new draperies, a new
davenport, or some new clothes. They sell a little merchandise to
a few relatives and close friends. Then they are through. They
quit before they give themselves a chance to learn the basics of
success in sales. "I am simply not a born salesperson," they
often say.

No one is born a salesperson, any more than one is born a doctor
or born a lawyer. Sales is a profession. To be successful in any
profession one must learn not only the basic techniques, but also
how to apply those techniques. Success in sales makes use of all
the abilities one is born with, plus all those acquired through
education and experience.

If you are looking for a career opportunity or "extra income" to
help with the family budget, direct selling offers you
dream-fulfilling possibilities. However, you must give yourself
time to learn the techniques of sales. Ask yourself. "How long
does a doctor to be study? A lawyer to be study?"

WHAT IS DIRECT SELLING?

Direct selling is marketing a product directly to the consumer
with no middleman involved. Most reliable firms are members of
the National Association of Direct Selling
Companies. They bring to the public fine products that are
modestly priced in order to insure mass consumption.

Most direct selling companies furnish their representatives with
a starter kit and essential supplies below-cost prices. In many
instances the investment is under $100.

There is an old adage which says "Give a man a fish and you feed
him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a
lifetime."

Many of them were able to change their lives for the better. They
took their families on nice vacations. They purchased a piano or
an organ and provided music lessons for their children. They
saved money for college education. They redecorated their homes,
bought needed furniture. One highly successful saleslady built a
new home.

The rewards of direct selling are many

1. You can be your own boss.
2. You can set your own hours.
3. You can own your own businesses with little or no investment.
4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay you.
5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business grows.

It is only fair to tell you that there are failures, too. There
are people who will not work for themselves. When working for a
boss, they rise early, are well-groomed, and get to the office on
time. However, when they are their own boss, they are still in a
bathrobe, drinking one more cup of coffee at 11:00 A.M.

If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do what
has to be done when it has to be done, direct selling offers a
most unusual earning opportunity.

THE TEN STEPS

Here are ten steps that will assure your success:

1. BE A GOAL SETTER. What do you want to accomplish? Do you want
to save for college education for your children? A new car? A
new home? You can have whatever you want, but you must want it
enough to do the things that have to be done to get it. Whatever
your goal, write it down and set a target date for reaching it.
Divide the time period into blocks of achievement that are
reachable. Work consistently toward accomplishing each day, each
week, each month what you set out to do. Goal-setting is a must
in every area of life. Little is ever accomplished without
definite goals.

2. BE A LIST MAKER. Each evening list all the things you want to
get done the following day. That gives you an organized approach
to each day. As each task is finished, mark it off your list. It
is amazing how much gets done when one works with a
"things-to-do" list. Also, have a notebook listing appointments,
potential clients, repeat clients, and referrals, and keep it
with you at all times. You will be adding to it constantly.

3. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. Enthusiasm is the high-octane "fuel" that
salespeople run on. Enthusiasm generates its own energy. Energy
and good health are synonymous with busy, happy people, people
who are achieving.

4. RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAGIC WORD IN SALES IS "ASK." In direct
sales we don't have to wait for business to come to us. We create
our own business by asking for it. Ask for appointments, then you
can do business. Ask for business, then you will close sales. Ask
for referrals, then you always have a full list of potential
clients. Be quietly, yet firmly aggressive.

5. EXPECT NO'S. Realize that no's are not personal. In sales, as
perhaps nowhere else, the law of averages works. Every no gets
you closer to a yes. Keep track of your ratio. It will help
improve your techniques. Are you getting ten no's to one yes? Is
your ratio five to one? Remember, the yes's are your income. Also
remember that "no" does not necessarily mean "no." Often a "no"
is simply a stall for more time to think. It may be a request for
more information about your product or your service. What your
client is actually buying is assurance. Assure here by your
helpful attitude and your complete honesty, that you want what is
best for her. She will most likely respect you and do business
with you.

6. SCHEDULE TIME WISELY. A schedule is the roadmap by which
salespeople travel. It takes the frustration out of the day. It
assures that the necessary things get done and get done on time.
Plan your work then work your plan.

7. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR ATTITUDE. Success in sales, as in all
areas of life is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent aptitude. All
of us must work at developing habits of constructive thinking. I
am proud to be a salesperson. Sales make the wheels of our
economy turn. Bernard Baruch, advisor to several presidents, is
quoted as saying, "If every salesperson sat down and took no
orders for twenty-four hours, it would bankrupt our country!"
Every company that manufactures any kind of product depends upon
salespeople to move that product. Without salespeople business
would be paralyzed.

Remember, sales is one of the highest paid of all professions.
Statistics show that good salespeople enjoy incomes far above the
average.

8. HAVE AN OFFICE AREA. Most direct salespeople work from their
own homes, but it is essential to have a place where you can work
in a organized and efficient manner. An office plus a strict
working schedule gives you dignity. Both are absolutely essential
for efficient operation and accurate record keeping, so important
to the success of any business.

9. BE INVOLVED. Most sales organization offer contests to
stimulate production. Include winning contests as part of your
business goals. Contests make your business fun as well as adding
considerable dollar value to your income.

10. LEARN TO HANDLE MONEY INTELLIGENTLY. A regular nine-to-five
job usually means a paycheck at the end of the second week.
Direct sales "reps" handle money constantly. Direct sales is
instant income and constant income. Therefore. it is absolutely
necessary to become an efficient money manager.

Deposit every penny collected from
clients into a checking account set up especially for its
business. Since bank statements show an exact record of all
monies collected, and business expenses can be verified by
canceled checks, record keeping becomes simple and accurate.
Everything except a few "petty cash" transactions can be directly
taken from bank statements.

Money saved regularly and put at interest, soon develops a second
income in addition to earned income. A long-term goal, which is
realistic in direct sales, is to be able to live in retirement
off the interest earned on savings.

Would financial security mean a lot to you? If so, ask yourself
these questions:

* Am I honest?
* Do I really like people?
* Am I willing to learn?
* Am I willing to work?
* Am I capable of being my own boss?

If your answers are yes, to find a good product
for the direct sales market, one that you like, one that fills
the need of a lot of people, and go to work for yourself! .You
can turn dreams into reality.

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