Tweet

10 Tips For Choosing The Right Direct Sales Business

Written by: Chris Simpson

Article Overview: There are many different types of direct sales companies who want you to join their team. Considering the different kinds of products and services these direct sales businesses have to offer, it is important to select the right one for your lifestyle, schedule and personality.

10 Tips For Choosing The Right Direct Sales Business

There are many different types of direct sales companies who want you to join their team. Considering the different kinds of products and services these direct sales businesses have to offer, it is important to select the right one for your lifestyle, schedule and personality.

In order to begin narrowing down your direct sales business choices, ask yourself the following questions. As you answer them, you can start crossing off those on your list that don't align with your wants and needs in a direct sales business.

1. Do you have passion for the product?

If you're thinking of selling cat products but loathe cats, how can you enjoy it? Trying to convince someone else to believe in what you're selling will prove to be difficult in this case. Find a company who offers items you can be enthusiastic about selling.

2. Are the items consumable?

Will your sale be one time only or can you obtain regular customers due to the need for replacements? A consumable product is more likely to have repeat customers. This in turn, can easily increase sales.

3. Is the product or service practical?

If what you're selling is more efficient than an older, similar product, people may be more likely to purchase it. Efficiency can be very important, especially in this day and age where saving time and money has become a necessity.

4. Is a demand present?

If you are selling home insurance protection from hurricanes, then you'll probably get more sales in Florida than you would in Nebraska. Stop and think about whether or not the product is practical in the area you'll be soliciting sales from.

Also, take into consideration whether or not the product is something people will actually want to buy. If it is not a popular item to more than a few people, your sales will suffer. Try finding a direct sales company who offers more desirable items.

5. What competition, if any, will you have?

Consider if the area you're offering the items in is already oversaturated with representatives.

Competition can be a good thing, but depending on what you are selling and the area you are doing so, it might be a smarter idea to choose a complimentary product for those overly represented companies versus opening another of the same.

6. Is the compensation plan enough?

If the company's commission structure will not accommodate your monetary needs, you're probably better off taking your business elsewhere.

7. Will the product or service conflict with your morals?

For example, if you are an extremely devout Christian and your company is selling adult romance toys, you may find that presents a problem.

8. What, if any, costs are associated with starting or maintaining your business?

Many direct sales companies do require an initial start-up fee to cover inventory, marketing material or demonstration items. If you find these costs too steep for your budget consider other options.

9. Does the company have a good reputation with its customers?

Talk with those who have bought from the company. Find out their opinion of the products, customer service, and the company in general. Search for customer reviews online. Buyers are not shy about sharing their feelings when it comes to purchasing a product they ended up hating.

10. How does the company treat their agents?

You'll also want to find out how a company stacks up when it comes to how they take care of their representatives. One way to determine this is to chat with those who already work with them or have in the past. Keep in mind that some will be trying to very hard to recruit you, but all in all you should be able to get a sense of the true relationship between company and agents by preparing your questions ahead of time.

You don't want to get stuck selling a product you dislike or don't believe it. You also don't want a business that you have to work from sun up to sun down in order for it to be successful. Take your time and be very selective when choosing which direct sales organization you'll work for.

Related Articles
  7 Direct Sales Tips
  7 Direct Sales & Home Party Marketing Tips
  Using direct sales incentives to reward and retain
  Home Business Expert: Direct Sales Is An Economic & Recession Proof Business
  Women in direct sales – Five Reasons I Love It!

Article Tags: business choices, cat products, cats, consumable product, different kinds, direct sales company, efficiency, home insurance, hurricanes, insurance, insurance protection, lifestyle, many different types, nebraska, passion, personality, replacements, sales business, saving time, time and money



Related Forum Posts
Hello From Marietta GA! - Hello All! My name is Tim Naylor and I am in Direct Sales! I am glad I have found EC's sites and I hope to learn and share a lot!
Top 19 Copywriting books - 1. Ogilvy on Advertising. David Ogilvy. Wiley. 2. Positioning: The Battle for your Mind. Al Ries and Jack Trout. Warner. 3. The New Positioning. Jack Trout. McGraw-Hill. 4. Tested Advertising Methods. John Caples. Prentice-Hall. 5. How to Make your Advertising Make Money. John Caples. Prentice-Hall. 6. Guerrilla Advertising. Jay Conrad Levinson. Houghton Mifflin. 7. Direct Mail Copy that Sells. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall. 8. Sales Letters that Sizzle. Herschell Gordon Lewis. NTC Business Books. 9. Herschell Gordon Lewis on the Art of Writing Copy. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall. 10. Romancing the Brand. David Martin. American Management Association. 11. The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations with William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy, Rosser Reeves. NTC Business Books. 12. Confessions of an Advertising Man. David Ogilvy. NTC Business Books. 13. My Life in Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books. 14. Scientific Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books. 15. How to Become an Advertising Man. James Webb Young. NTC Business Books. 16. The Lasker Story as He Told It. NTC Business Books. 17. Advertising Concept and Copy. George Felton. Prentice Hall. 18. The Copy WorkShop Workbook. Bruce Bendinger. The Copy Workshop. 19. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads. Luke Sullivan. Wiley. This should keep you busy for at least a year. Enjoy!
Business Tips - How about: Tips for managers to handle employees more effectively? Tips on how to deal with difficult customers? Tips on how to deal more effectively with suppliers? The only three I have in mind right now, but will try to come up with something else. Chris
New Small Business Topic - Hello everyone, I'm on the lookout for new topics to add to my site. We just launched a Franchising section and are planning Human Resources section. Do you have any thoughts for a new section? Here's a list of what we currently have: Angel Investors Branding Bank Loans Business Coaching Business Plan Franchises (New) Insurance Legal Marketing Public Relations Sales Small Biz Loans Venture Capital
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How To Become A Member of the Paparazzi

Common Sense Stress Management

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.