Direct sales is a tool-driven business. Kinda.
It’s actually a people-driven business. The tools just help the people share the message consistently and confidently.
As you can imagine, much of my career working on the corporate side for direct sales companies has been spent focused on all kinds of tools. Magazines, mail-outs, emails, websites, social media, video, flyers, etc. I’ve done ‘em all.
Sure, I’ve launched some really bad tools. But I’ve also watched some great tools get so misused and misunderstood that they never get the credit they deserve.
If you’re a direct seller, you need to read this article I recently posted at Jen Fong’s blog, titled “6 Reasons Your Online Tools Don’t Work (and How to Fix Them)”. I go into great detail as to the reasons I typically see a distributor failing at using their tools. The great news is you can easily fix it.
Read the post now, and subscribe to Jen’s blog while you’re at it. It’s one of the best for direct sellers.
“The interesting thing about averages is that they hide the truth very effectively.”
- Avinash Kaushik (quoted here).
My take: I’m a big fan of data. But data is not the key to your success. Your insights into that data is what leads to success. Your testing and validation of that data is what leads to success. Your understanding of what’s driving the data is what leads to success.
One report is never the answer. It should actually prompt more questions. Sure, take some actions, make some changes. But accept the truth that every action should always prompt more questions.
The innovators and entrepreneurs among us know that a great idea for a product sometimes fails to realize its potential. Anyone who has come up with, designed, or developed new products knows this only too well. The product may function precisely the way it is supposed to; it might look great and fulfill a useful purpose; but if the marketing campaign used to promote the product is flawed, the product may as well be relegated to the dustbin — or to an advertising museum dedicated to fabulous flops.
You may say that this hardly seems fair, and you’d be right. Why should a great product fail simply because the advertisements used to market it fail to resonate with consumers? Are faulty packaging and promotion really enough to derail an otherwise superior product?
You bet they are. Just ask the people behind Betamax.
Why Product Launches Fail
It’s easy enough to visualize a small company having this kind of difficulty. Smaller companies generally do not have the deep pockets of larger organizations. As a result, their advertising and marketing budgets are smaller and they are less able to saturate the market with news of their brilliant innovation. Maybe they don’t have the funds to do adequate market research before launching their product. Perhaps they skipped earning a marketing degree for other, much less educational exploits. Whatever the case, smaller companies should never shy away from their innovative ideas. The product they develop may very well become the next big thing, and if it doesn’t they will be in very good company.
As you and your company make your plans to take over the world via social media and whatnot, tap the brakes just a quick second. Realize something:
Social media isn’t good at taking over the world.
We all love seeing our Facebook Likes increase by the hour. Who doesn’t like having Twitter followers in the thousands? And you aren’t really anybody until that “500+ connections” shows up on LinkedIn.
All impressive. And mostly useless.
The key to social media for businesses is that you get a chance to be social with those you otherwise would have a very professional, very guarded relationship with.
As I briefly mentioned in a post last week, I won an iPad from Verifone at the DSA Annual Meeting back in June. AND I LOVE IT!! I’ve been wanting one forever, so this was a major score for me (esp. since it only “cost” me a $10 donation to the DSEF).
Naturally, I’ve been noodling around with some apps since then. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface with this thing, so I welcome your feedback and ideas on apps I should check out. In the meantime, read this guest post I wrote for YoRanter.com describing what I like about these 7 apps. In short, they are:
This week’s collection of good reading doesn’t easily fall into any one category. We cover marriage, digital generations and lots of other stuff. So take it for what it’s worth, but know you’ll be smarter for reading it. Enjoy. Practicing Marriage, by Jon Swanson: If there’s one thing I’ve personally learned in my almost 7 [...]
Social media has become one of the most important and effective tools for marketing today. With millions of users following these websites everyday, the task of marketing proves to be fairly easy and effortless. A social media promotion strategy is a good way to connect with people and at the same time make them aware of your services and products. It spreads faster than conventional website generated leads. Two of the best examples of social media are Facebook and Twitter.
Let’s talk about Twitter first. In Twitter, you just have to create an account and find followers. If you start to follow someone (even if you do not know that person) he/she will start following you as well. This way that person would be informed about any updates you make. At the same time your marketing purpose would be fulfilled. It is definitely one of the fastest ways of connecting to a larger audience isn’t it? And think it is for free.
It’s great being a goofball. It’s even better being a goofball with a guitar. But it’s completely AWESOME when you can be a goofball with a guitar with a friend and business colleague at an industry event.
As I recently wrote about, my summer has been a busy one, and it started with the Direct Selling Association annual conference in Miami. Many of you already know of Jen Fong, the social media expert of the direct selling industry (as well as frequent commenter and guest poster here at MiP). But did you know she’s got the ghost of Pat Benatar hiding deep within her soul, and it came rushing out at the DSA’s Got Talent event at the convention this year?
This is the first post written here at MarketingInProgress.com since May 31.
For those of you keeping score, you know that’s not normal. I typically pump out at least three posts a week. Even during “slow” times, I’m getting at least one new post out the door a week.
But I went 0 for June and July, and I loved it.
As much as I love what social media has brought to the table in terms of publishing, marketing, communicating, connecting and all that implies, I have to admit: sometimes I just get sick of it. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is check my Twitter account, or write a new post. There are times to forge ahead and still make it happen, no doubt. But there are other times, like June and July for me, when you should just let it go.
