An interview with Let’s Do Tea CEO, Meredith Tieszen 1. How long has your company been in business? We incorporated in 2003, had our soft launch in early 2004, and officially opened in the summer of 2004. 2. What types of products or services do you sell? We sell loose leaf tea, teapots, and teaware….
Ask Victoria: How Do Direct Selling Company Owners Communicate Their Vision to Staff and Independent Representatives?
Walt’s nephew, Roy Disney, said, “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” As the owner of a network marketing or party plan company, you probably want everyone to share the vision you have for your company. How do you do that? It’s best to start by defining your values. …
Ask Victoria: How Long Should the Qualification Period Be for a Trip Incentive?
People are motivated not only by money. Trip incentives encourage representatives to work hard for the recognition earned for achieving a specific goal. Even in today’s economy, trip incentives are vital to keeping your most productive representatives excited and focused. Trip incentives can be great motivation tools and often a company will see a measurable…
How Are Direct Selling Executives Just Like Airline Pilots?
Just like an airplane pilot, operators of direct selling businesses need to have an accurate set of gauges. Do you have all the information you need to run your business? If not, you’re flying partly in the dark!
Retail Customers Anyone?
Party plan companies have always generated a large percentage of their sales from purchases by retail customers. Retail customers, by definition, are non-participants in the income opportunity. Network marketing companies, on the other hand, traditionally have sold their products mostly to distributors. In fact, some network marketing companies don’t even have retail customer prices. Others…
Is Your Direct Selling Website Working Well For You?
According to Wikipedia, a website is a “collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are hosted on one web server, usually accessible via the Internet.” That’s the simple definition, but a website is really much more than that. For direct selling companies, a website is also your front door for current and…
Recruiting at the Party
When and How to Do It At home parties, we want consultants to sell products, obtain bookings for future parties, and introduce the income opportunity to others. Here are some tips you can share with your sales force on how to recruit at parties. 1. Before you arrive, be sure you are “dressed for success.”
Ask Victoria: When Is The Best Time To Acquire MLM Software?
As you move forward to build your network marketing or party plan company, you’re probably thinking about sourcing MLM software. Your choice of a software provider is one of those big and important decisions that you need to make carefully and at the right time. So, when is the best time to acquire your MLM…
Ask Victoria: Should I Be in the Trenches?
When I consult with direct selling businesses and they tell me that their recruiting and sales are down, the first questions I ask are, “Have you gone to a party with any consultants lately?” and “Have you scheduled any parties yourself?” I am amazed at how often I hear an owner say, “No.” To me,…
Direct Selling – The Big Event
Where can you experience… Presentations for direct selling companies on sales, recruiting, field leadership, and financial management? Keynote speakers Suze Orman, Maya Angelou, Andrea Jung, and John Maxwell? An exhibit hall with 140 suppliers to the direct selling industry? All of these and more will be found at the largest event of the year for…
Ask Victoria: Is My Product Good for Direct Sales?
Not every type of product is ideal for the direct selling channel. Some are clearly better than others. If you’re going to introduce a new product, let it be a good one for direct selling. To find out, ask yourself these questions: Can your independent representatives easily learn the benefits and features of your product?…
Ask Victoria: When can I use another company’s compensation plan?
If you are considering using another company’s compensation plan, exactly the same or with a few changes, I would ask you these questions: Are your 1. total budget for field compensation 2. understanding of different types of compensation plans identical as compared to those of the other company? Are your 3. products…