Direct sales have gotten themselves a bad name over the years, with many people cringing at the very thought. To be honest, up until a couple of months ago, I was one of those people. Direct sales was something I enjoyed shopping from occasionally if the product was something I liked, but there was never going to be a day when I would get involved with one.
But then Jamberry came along and I signed up in record time.
What I quickly learned is that the right product creates the right opportunity for each of us and in my case, this was the time when the opportunity was right. Although even then I expected it to be a hobby that scored me a personal discount on a product I loved and maybe with the potential to earn a little extra spending money for our household.
What I didn’t expect was my entry into direct sales with Jamberry would result in much more than some fun and spare change. Instead I started bringing in more money in my first month of Jamberry than I had done since quitting my employment as a psychologist more than a year earlier. $1000 in a month, working a couple of hours a week and having a blast? Amazing!
This taught me two things:
- It is possible to be successful with direct sales
- To be successful in direct sales you need to work for it
Like anything, to be successful in direct sales and in Jamberry, you need to put in the effort. Nothing comes from doing nothing. If we want something enough, we need to reach for it. This means starting off on the right foot, setting goals, obtaining the tools we need and putting ourselves out there… right from the start.
Join Jamberry with the intention to succeed and it is very possible you will find yourself in a position of financial gain. But it is also just as possible you will see little return on your initial investment. Thankfully you are almost guaranteed to earn back your starter kit in that first year, no matter how much of a flop your business is.
But if you want to build an actual business out of your Jamberry start up, here’s the keys to Jamberry and all direct sales success:
GOALS
Right from the start work out what you want from Jamberry. Do you want to earn an extra $200 a month? An extra $500 a month? Maybe you want an extra $3000 a month. Each of these is possible. So decide how you are going to get there. Set achievable goals towards your major goal.
Decide how many parties or sales you need to make in a month to reach your goal? If it’s 5 parties, how are you going to book those parties? Set goals on how many people you will contact to ask each week to host a party or to consider joining your team.
HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS
A starter kit is most of what you will need to have a successful Jamberry business, but there are other tools that can help support you into growing to higher potential. Business cards, personal thank you cards, hostess letters, recruitment packs. Sure, Jamberry provides all the basic materials to host, sell and recruit, but sometimes it can make all the difference to go that extra step.
Personally I have my own letters for each purpose – one to describe the benefits and basic summary of joining Jamberry, another to describe how an online party works, plus one to thank my hostess for choosing to party. I even have short notes to go with every sample request with helpful info that adds to the customer service experience.
BE ORGANISED
A disorganised consultant does not give anyone confidence. You need to be organised, confident and ready to take on the world… at least on the outside. Set yourself up a system to support your business. This may be as simple as keeping a diary or calendar with your parties and other important dates. Or you may need a digital reminder, such as phone alerts.
I’m a big fan of spreadsheets and created one even before I joined Jamberry at the request of my Jamberry Australia team. This simple tool allows me to track parties, earnings, customer details, follow ups and expenditures all in one simple place. it is available for purchase on Etsy.
When you are organised, you are also saving time that could be spent booking your next party or interviewing your future team member… instead of trying to remember where you put that important document or work out how much you have spent on business expenses come tax time.
PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE
This is the scary one that many people struggle with. I’m an introvert though, so I totally get it. I have avoided talking on the phone as often as possible for most of my adult life. I always said I would never host an in home party… that my business would consist of Jamberry parties online only. But things changed when I realised if I wanted to have a successful Jamberry business, I needed to move out of my comfort zone.
Asking for business has a successful result more often than you would realise. Some people are on the fence about buying, hosting or joining until you start the conversation with them. I have had parties that looked like they would not even make the minimum qualifying sales suddenly turn into highly successful parties online, simply because I followed up.
As a rule of thumb, use the 2, 2, 2 method for follow ups with all customers, enquiries and hosts. 2 days after initial contact or purchase, 2 weeks and again at 2 months. It could be as simple as checking in to see if they received their order, or asking if they needed tips for application.
By putting yourself out there, you also have the opportunity to move out of your warm market (friends and family) and keep filling that booking calendar, rather than having your activity dry up.
If someone compliments your fabulous nails, don’t just say thank you. This is an opportunity. Say “Thank you, I did them myself at home. They are Jamberry and they are awesome”. When they get interested, tell them you’re a consultant, offer them a sample (yes, keep them on you always) or at least grab their details so you can send them one.
You may have just scored a customer, a hostess or even a new team member.
POWER HOUR
Never pass up an opportunity to build you business and make each day count. Ensure you spend at least 10 minutes a day, 6 days a week, doing something to actively grow your business. That’s at least an hour a week spent phoning, emailing or sending mail outs to potential customers. Or having in person conversations about the opportunity. It’s time you are setting up parties, following up with hostesses or past customers. It can be time you contact vendors and organisations to plan vendor stalls or fundraisers.
Make every day a successful day in your direct sales business! The sky is the limit, so jump on board now and make it happen! If you are still contemplating Jamberry, now is the time… a new company in a new market here in Australia and New Zealand.
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
This is the most important of all these steps. Relationships are everything in any business, but especially in a direct sales business. People could go to the shop and buy a similar product to what you sell. Instead they purchase from you. Why? Because they are not just buying what you have on offer. They are buying into an experience and essentially you are part of that package.
People will buy from a person because of how that person makes them feel so if you are building relationships and being authentic and genuine in everything you do, this is going to show in the success of your direct sales business.
Relationships are key to longevity and growth!