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Author: Eunice Coughlin Article source: http://hombyz.com/. Used with author's permission.
I am not here to trash direct sale home based businesses. No, I am here as a "war-scarred" direct sales veteran to reveal some things you should consider before making that plunge into direct sales. You might call me an "mlm failure". But who better to advise up and coming multi-level marketers than someone who has failed. Learn from my mistakes!
First of all, I have been involved in 3 different companies. The products were all very different but mainly sold in the same way…home parties.
Yes, you've probably been invited to one by one of your friends (or family members) whose friend has roped her into having a party. Now, these parties can be lots of fun if you have the time to go and the money to spend. That brings me to the first thing you should consider: Do you know lots of people who have the time or money to spend on these products? If not, you will quickly run out of customers…and friends!
Many of these direct-sales home based businesses pitch their products and opportunity to the working mom who wants to quit her job and come home to take care of her children while making money on the side or even replacing her income. As a mom, you should be aware of some specific issues that could affect your success. Check out www.healthy-living-for-mos.com/working-moms.html.
One of these issues is to consider your competition before committing to a product. I am not talking about the other salesperson selling their similar product down the street from yuo. I am talking about what other products in the marketplace are just as good-but cheaper- than yours? Whatever your selling, it better be excellent. Better yet, an exclusive product or collectible will get your friends and family begging for your products.
The first products I sold in the "party plan" were spices and gourmet food items. Unfortunately, most people can go to a grocery store and find some great spices and gourmet food items that are on sale! Yeah, my products were of higher than average quality but most people don't care. You have to be a pretty good salesperson to convince people to buy a product that they can get for less at their local grocery store.
Do you like to attend meetings? That's a big part of a lot of company's success plan. They want you to come to meetings and bring your friends with you so they can hear about the "opportunity".
These meetings are actually very motivating and can keep you going when you're discouraged about your progress. In fact, I believe that attending company meetings is critical to your success in any company.
Unfortunately, the last company I joined did not have a vibrant local network so I had to drive 2 hours to go to my company's meetings. Most people have difficulty committing to a meeting that's 15 minutes away, much less 2 hours. So that is something to consider: Does your "upline" have a significant local presence? You will need their support to develop your downline.
I am still using the products of my last Direct Sales company venture. I love them; they really work. Unfortunately, my lifestyle right now does not lend itself to the requirements of building a successful direct sales downline.
However, I believe in these opportunities. I have seen many successful distributorships of many different products. If you are willing to make the sacrifices and devote the time and energy it requires, you can be successful too. I think that everyone who is thinking about any direct sales opportunity should carefully consider the same things that other traditional business owners think about before committing their time, money and energy to a direct sales business. Eunice Coughlin is currently the webmaster for http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com/about.html She has been involved in 3 prominent direct sales companies and still loves and uses ALL of their products!
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