Learning to Talk Again: 5 Tips to Help Improve Your Dems

Greetings,
            Running a Dem for your products is a huge part of any Direct Salesperson’s job. Some companies call them parties, but we know the truth. They can be fairly stressful ordeals. Their unpredictable nature has sent more than one Direct Salesperson back to their day job. There are so many things that are simply out of our control: the Host/Hostess, the Guests, the weather, the strange odor coming from the couch in the corner, etc. There is, however, one specific thing that we CAN control: the quality of our Sales Presentation during the Dem. Below you will see 5 tips on how to make sure your presentation is top notch and pull in more sales.

1. Ask questions and listen to the answers. In general we all arrive early to set everything up. During that time it’s a great idea to chat it up with the Host/Hostess. Ask them about who is coming (You’ll notice I didn’t say how many people… but Who… people like professionals who are less focused on numbers than on the people behind them) and what they are like. Listen to the answers and take them to heart. If the Hostess mentions that she invited some real party animals you can expect a pretty loud bunch and you can prepare yourself for that.
2. Mirror your audience. You want the guests to feel comfortable and at home. If they are relatively quiet and you shout out half of your presentation it might go poorly. Humor is a good example. Prim and proper church ladies might not really want to know ALL of the uses for that non toxic Almond lotion ya know? Watch how they act initially and feed off of that. Sometimes people can be tough to read, but its better to miss an opportunity at a good joke than push away a room full of credit cards.
3. Be Animated. No matter what group of people you are with no one wants to buy from a monotone robot that stands still arms to their sides every time they speak to a small group of people. Smile. Even if you aren’t feeling particularly cheerful that day: SMILE. That will help set the tone for the discussion. Making eye contact with different people in the room will also help keep you moving. You’ll be making a lasting impression on the guests. The goal is to make sure that they remember a vibrant and confidant sales person as opposed to a cold and mechanical robot.
4. Be careful with your body language and make sure it is conveying the right message. You don’t want to appear too rigid or too relaxed for your environment and the guests. Your actual words only account for approximately 40% of what you are saying, the rest is all non verbal and body language is a major part of that.
5. Pace yourself carefully. You should know how long your Dems should last. Pace your speaking so that you don’t fill it ALL up with just you speaking. You definitely want to give people a chance to ask their own questions and (even better) add their own positive feedback regarding the product. They will have several decisions to make by the end, and you want to make sure they have time to soak up all the information they need to make an informed decision.

     I know I’m not the only one with advice on this topic. Do any of you folks on the front lines have any suggestions/thoughts/ideas to share?

Stay Savvy,

Stephen Duetzmann

www.thesavvysolution.net

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What’s the Big Deal With LinkedIn? 3 Ways It Will Help Grow Your Business

 

 

Greetings,

     The other day I referenced LinkedIn  as one of the Social Networking sites that you should use as part of your “base camp.” Some of my readers questioned me on What LinkedIn did that really set it apart and how this was worth the added time spent on it.

      The following is a quick list of three ways that a complete LinkedIn profile can help you.

1. A complete profile is essentially an online resume with added bonus features. It gives you the opportunity to present to any of your potential clients/contacts what your professional background is. It also allows you to present them with a virtual cover letter that talks about your goals/ambitions regarding your business.
2. Once your profile is complete you can begin gathering recommendations and endorsements from previous customers and colleagues.  There is really nothing like having a website that encourages people to recommend you and your business. Testimonials are a GREAT way to grow your business and really… any way you can get them is a win.
3. It provides almost constant networking opportunities. We’ve talked about it before, but the more contacts you have the more people you can potentially have discussing your products and services, which leads to more business. I really can’t emphasize enough the important of using every tool you have to make people start talking and stay that way.

     LinkedIn will continuously prompt you as to your completion percentage. Follow its directions and you’ll have a complete profile in no time flat.

Stay Savvy,

Stephen Duetzmann

www.thesavvysolution.net

Making Facebook Work For You in Four Easy Steps

 

Greetings,

     First off, before you read this: If you aren’t on Facebook. Go Register. NOW. I’m not kidding. Go register. You’ll be happier.

   For those of you who already have registered… here is a fun video to watch instead:

Facebook Hilarity

    Now that you are registered for Facebook I’ve got some pretty simple advice to help make use of your new profile so you can utilize it to grow your business.

1. Manage your profile. make sure that your Privacy Settings prevent any of your random connections from tagging you in pictures you may not want anyone else to see. Do this by selecting “Only Me” for Photos and videos tagged of you. This way you see the pictures first and can decide if you want to post them to your profile. Its like prescreening.
2. Finish the Profile. Fill out ALL of the sections in your profile. The more information that you share the more of a potential connection you will make with the people you friend. Make sure to link to your business website, email and any other Social Networking pages you may have.
3. Sign up for Groups and Fan Pages. This will introduce you to and give you opportunities to interact with people outside your immediate circle of friends and family.
4. Look for Connections, and never stop looking. Constantly review the find a friend section in Facebook to build your network. Chat people up on their walls. Like/Comment on their status updates and the things they say.

Following those steps will help your Facebook profile work for you, as opposed to just being a time sink.

 

       Do any of you folks out there have some tips on how to  make Facebook work for you? I’d love to hear what you have to say about it.

Stay Savvy!

Stephen Duetzmann

www.thesavvysolution.net 

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Setting Yourself Apart: Differentiating Yourself From The Rest of ‘Em

 

Greetings,

     The other day I threw up a pretty general post encouraging people to establish their own Personal Brand.  I really can’t stress enough how important this is. Even more interestingly this concept applies to people who aren’t even in business for themselves. Everyone who is attempting to advance themselves professionally is the master of their own Personal Brand as well.

     Before I go much further in my post I want to define the word “Different.”

dif⋅fer⋅ent

–adjective

1.  not alike in character or quality; differing; dissimilar: The two are different.

2.  not identical; separate or distinct: three different answers.

3.  various; several: Different people told me the same story.

4. not ordinary; unusual.

      You may be asking why I linked that definition. The reason is this: I think it is important to understand what being different really means in all senses of the word. Standing apart from the crowd is not only a HUGE part of Personal Branding but it is also a hugely difficult task. You need to prepared to use a lot of different tactics to do so.

     Here are some tips to help you and your business meet that definition. 

1. Focus on bringing your unique point of view to your business. You are clearly a unique individual to begin with (why else would you be in business for yourself?) Why not show it? Feel free to express that individuality in everything you do. Build stories about your experiences into your Dems and Sales Pitches. Come up with your own catchy turns of phrase regarding your companies best selling products, Etc.
2. Focus on and build off of your Passion for the product you sell or represent. If you work for a cosmetics company, but are really more passionate about spa and relaxation products go for it. Don’t focus on products that don’t excite you because that lack of excitement will show… and guess what? They won’t sell. (Funny how that works huh?)
3. Work your talents. You know what you do well. Are you a great public speaker? Are you an amazing writer?  Do you make awesome gift baskets? Whatever your talents are you need to find a way to work them into your routine. If you are a great public speaker then you should feel comfortable building longer sections of you speaking into your dems. If you really prefer writing over speaking then perhaps a Blog or customer newsletter to keep people interested and build up reorder business.
4. Be an expert. This may sound easy, but its harder than it looks. Know your product inside and out and keep on top of trends in the industry. The bottom line is that most people won’t do that. At best they’ll know their own stuff.. so knowing the marketplace and the competition automatically sets you apart.

      Well there you have it folks. Some reasonable advice on how to work on establishing your Personal Brand. None of these are quick,  but establishing a brand isn’t exactly like throwing a switch. It takes time and effort.

      Does anyone else out there have any advice on this one? I’d love to have you put a comment in and share your advice and experiences. 

Stay Savvy,

Stephen Duetzmann

www.thesavvysolution.net

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Quick Quote for Your Thoughts

 

     I saw this quote today and I thought it would be a good one to post for discussion:

“As you begin to take action toward the fulfillment of your goals and dreams, you must realize that not every action will be perfect. Not every action will produce the desired result. Not every action will work. Making mistakes, getting it almost right, and experimenting to see what happens are all part of the process of eventually getting it right.”

Jack Canfield

     What do you guys think? I think Jack has it 100% right. Most of us aren’t Marketing Majors… and a lot of us took on our businesses as second jobs to squeeze in between our day jobs and our time with our families. We can’t really afford to expect perfection, but we just have to go for it.

      I’d love to hear what you folks think about it.

Stay Savvy,

Stephen Duetzmann

The Savvy Solution

 

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Leaving Your Mark: Personal Branding

 

 

Greetings,

     I work, quite frequently, with Direct Salespeople who aren’t selling their own products (I’m in the same boat). They represent companies with their own established brands and marketing methods. A lot of these great salespeople fall into the rut of assuming that the companies branding will be enough. They assume that:

“Hey, everyone has heard about Tastefully Simple… there is no real value in putting my own spin on anything.”

     The truth is that they are at least partially wrong. Direct Sales especially is all about standing out from the crowd. In order to successfully sell Jafra Cosmetics (for example) you need to not only stand apart from Mary Kay, Avon and dozens of other companies out there, but you need to watch out for other Jafra business owners as well.

     Here are some quick tips on establishing your own personal brand through your Direct Sales Business (we’ll talk more about them in greater detail as the week goes on):

• Be yourself. The easiest way to brand your business is by standing out as the individual that you already are. Don’t focus so hard on “doing it like the other guys.” Take the best practices of the people around you and mold the stuff that will work for you into your own sales routine. (We’ll talk more about the Sales Routine in the coming week)
• Know yourself and your interests. Many direct sales companies in today’s marketplace have very broad product lines. Don’t be afraid to focus on what works for you. Maybe you are more comfortable with Spa products than Color? Its fine to be the Spa product expert.
• Sell yourself. First off… No that’s not what I meant. That is a completely different kind of blog. What I am referring to is one simple fact: a good amount of what people are buying when they purchase product/services from you is… you. Your customer service, your knowledge of the product, your unique perspective on the product. Don’t be shy about expressing yourself through your demos.

      Throughout the rest of the week we’ll explore how to execute some of those tips and really make yourself stand out.  Anyone out there with any suggestions of their own on establishing their personal brand? I’d love to hear it. (I might even quote ya!)

 

Stay Savvy!

Stephen Duetzmann

The Savvy Solution

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It’s All About You… Tube: YouTube as a Personal Marketing Tool

 

      

    The playing field has officially been leveled folks. In order to compete with the big boys in the past you needed a big budget and a team of seasoned marketing executives working amazingly long hours. Now all you need is some video editing software and some way to record video. If you are looking to promote yourself and your products then YouTube should be your new best friend.

Here are just a FEW examples of people who have found success using YouTube as a component of their own personal marketing compaigns:

•  Robin Good – I highly recommend review this man’s work. High channel has well over 300 videos in it and he has countless people who has subscribed to it (myself included) who get immediate updates when he posts.

• Bruce Brown  -  This is a man who I consider to be a personal mentor. He’s a Real Estate Agent based out of NC and writes his own blog. He makes use of videos to show off the properties he is representing and FTR (meaning “for the record” for the internet challenged) he is wearing a clean shirt.

• Susan Boyle – Admittedly she didn’t really do it herself… BUT 26,000,000 hits later she is an internet sensation. Say what you want about her talent, but if only 10% buy a CD of hers or download a single on Itunes she’d be competing with Leona Lewis and Coldplay. I’ll call that a win.

 

• Nyhm – I’ll admit that I’m outing myself as a geek here. BUT, 3 million hits  on his various Machinima videos have made him a celebrity among World of Warcraft players.  I won’t be posting links to his work, because in general his lyrics are NSFW. But, if you have any interest in Machinima, WoW or humorous parodies please go ahead and search for his stuff on YouTube.

So I’ve given some examples of people who have used YouTube Videos to leverage for success. But, how do you do it? It’s simple. Absurdly simple. Make a profile on YouTube.com. Select Upload Videos and hop to it. You can even record videos directly from a Webcam.

My Savvy Solutions Youtube Premier!!

     I’d love to hear from you guys out there. Does anyone know of any YouTube success stories? Are YOU a YouTube Success Story? Let me know.

Stay Savvy,

Stephen Duetzmann

The Savvy Solution

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Saturday: Official Shameless Plug Day

 

Greetings,

     As I’m sure you can imagine, I lack the administrative power to declare a true holiday.  HOWEVER, in Savvy Solution land Saturday is the day of the Shameless Plug.  I mean I do write a business built around supporting other small businesses. So I might as well put my blog space where my mouth is.

     Shameless plugs will work as follows: If you have a product/service that you would like me to plug for you please do one of the following:

1. Post a comment on a Shameless plug blog posting
2. Send me a message on Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter
3. Send an email to me at thesavvysolution@gmail.com
4. Tell me in person if you happen to know me IRL (That’s In Real Life for the internet impaired)

     Each week I’ll post three or four links for my readers to take a look at. (I might even through one of my own in occasionally) So there you have it. Shameless Plug day. Have at it folks. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve got.

Stay Savvy,

Stephen Duetzmann

The Savvy Solution

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Getting to Work: Building a Strong Social Networking Foundation

 

     It is easy in today's world to get caught up and overwhelmed in a virtual ocean of Social Networking sites. Everywhere you turn you see references to sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others. The urge is always there to just sign up for all of it, but the reality is that this is just not productive. Most of us simply do not have time every day to dedicate to all of these sites. Today, and over the coming weeks, I intend to take a look at some of the options and provide solid advice on how to build a social network that will help you grow your business (whatever it may be).

     The first thing you need to do is establish what I like to call a Base Camp. This is a set of Social Media Sites that you are familiar with and comfortable with that you will be able to maintain every day. The size of this Base Camp will vary according to the amount of time that you have, but I would like to share a list of the sites that should be a part of yours.

1. Facebook

     Facebook is consistently growing and is a near endless source of contacts. Just filling out your profile information will likely cause dozens of people to find YOU based on your school, occupation etc. If you do nothing else, sign up for a Facebook account and start making connections. Be sure to list your personal website in your profile!

2. LinkedIn

     LinkedIn is a Social Networking site that you may not have heard of, but you should have. This site is designed for professionals looking to build professional networks and move along on career pathways.  It is also an excellent place to discuss and show off the business you are in and your experience with it. The profile is a bit more time consuming to complete than Facebook’s but once complete it is a very great way to publish your background information. I look at it as a constant way to sell myself and my business to other people.

3. Twitter

        Twitter is an excellent way to get your voice heard. It is a site that allows its members to sent out a limitless number of “tweets” or 180 character or less micro-blog messages. Just a few messages sent out every day regarding what is happening with you and your business will amass a pretty significant number of followers. This is a great way to get your message out there.

     There you have it folks. That is my personal Base Camp. I update and maintain those three sites every day. Every day I broaden my connections and reach new people who are interested in hearing my what I have to say and possibly even buying my products!)

     Tomorrow we’ll take a look at further increasing your web presence using some other sites you may not have thought would be useful to you.

      Before I sign off though… I’d love to hear from you. What’s in your Base Camp?

Stay Savvy!

Stephen

The Savvy Solution

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Getting By With a Little Help From My Friends

Greetings,

A friend of mine who only recently came into my life (a friendship that I value more than she is likely aware of) posted something on her Facebook the other day that quite literally moved me. I was intending to wait a little bit and post this next week or so... but I couldn't wait. Take a read. I'm sure you'll see what I mean.

Persist... Persist...

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are -
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.


Author Unknown

Wow.

We all hit hard times. We all have moments where we think it would be best to just let it go and try something new. Bookmark this post. When you feel that way Please come back and take a look at it.

I know I will.

Now I know this isn't the only thing that can inspire people. Share with me here people. What do you turn to when you are feeling down and need a boost?

Stay Savvy,

Stephen Duetzmann

The Savvy Solution

3 Weeks? Yeah... About That.

Greetings,

About 2 months ago on March 15th 2009 I threw up a post entitled "Ready! Fire! AIM!!" It was intended to be a brief sign off for three weeks to allow me to reconfigure my Blog site and do some other housekeeping for my business to help launch it a bit more. Here I am almost three months later coming back full circle. You may have been asking yourself...

Self? Where did that masked man go? He was giving me all sort of
guidance... and then POOF! Gone in an instant.

Wonder no more. I'll tell you where I was. I was right here. I was saying to myself: "It'll be fine. Just push it back one more day." Those days turned to weeks which ultimately turned into three months. I am taking some time today to reflect on these past few months. There has to be a lesson in here somewhere. I can't have gone through this experience without having something to share. Suddenly it hit me... this unintended Leave of Absence could not have been the first. I cant be the first person to fall into the "I'll do it tomorrow" trap.

Here is my lesson for today: Do it now. Don't wait for tomorrow, or next week, or the first of the month. Get up, make the calls, do the writing and do it today. Even if it is something simple. Humans are creatures of habit... so establishing good habits to help build and grow your business each and every day is very important.

Lets talk about it what are you going to do TODAY to help grow your business? I'd love to hear from you.

Stay Savvy,

Stephen