Though direct selling has been around for over a hundred years, it continues to be an effective way to sell products and services. People are driven to buy things through word of mouth marketing, and that’s basically what you do as a direct seller – you spread the word about your products by letting other people know how these can help them and how these can be useful in their lives.
As a direct seller, it’s all about being personable, friendly, and putting yourself out there. You won’t succeed if you’re not going to work at it – whether it’s hosting a party, going door-to-door, or establishing an online presence, you really need to put yourself in front of consumers and convince them to buy from you. Of course, there’s such a thing as overselling, which you really don’t want to do. As a direct seller, you need to be intuitive enough to know when to push and when to pull back. Because if you continue to push when it’s time to pull back, you may end up alienating the person altogether. And that will result in the loss of a sale.
For example, you’ve already convinced a prospect that the product is good. He’s primed and ready to buy. But because you didn’t prompt him, and continued to just blather on about the product, he eventually loses interest. He just wants you out of there because you’re boring him to tears.
Most of the time, less is more when it comes to direct selling. The pushier you are, the more you act desperate about making a sale, the less likely you end up getting it. Whereas if you say your pitch and let your prospect consider it for a while, and then try to get the sale, you may actually have more chance of getting it.
Direct selling is all about balance. If you get a sale, then great, but if not, then you can always try again another time. The key here is building a relationship with the person and establishing trust.
People are a lot smarter these days, and most people only buy from those they trust. When you oversell, you tend to sound rather insincere and fake – instead of letting the products speak for themselves after you’ve made your pitch, you keep pushing until your attitude becomes the focal point, not the products, which is very unattractive.
I remember a friend telling me about one of her experiences. She and her husband won a free stay at a nice hotel, but they were required to attend a seminar during the stay. The seminar turned out to be a direct selling scheme where the sellers tried very hard to sell them some expensive properties. When my friend and her husband weren’t convinced, it came to the point that the sellers became very rude and insulting, insinuating that my friend and her husband probably couldn’t afford the properties. The experience really left a bad taste in my friend's and her husband’s mouths.
I believe the ambush idea is a really bad one. Tricking your customers isn’t a good way to gain their trust. And when your audience says no or politely refuses, then it’s really best to back off. The more you try to oversell, the more you may end up offending your audience and appearing incredibly rude.
So what are some of the things you should remember as a direct seller?
1. Less is more – it’s actually better to undersell than to oversell a product.
2. When you believe in your products, then that’s the time you can really convince your customers to buy. People know when you’re sincere and when you’re just trying to sell them something.
3. Always be honest. Don’t oversell, don’t make promises that you can’t deliver on, and don’t ever lie. You may get that sale, but if your products don’t deliver, then you’re just going to end up embarrassing yourself and ruining your personal brand as well as your company’s.
4. Don’t be all about selling your product. Take the time to get to know your consumers, to build a relationship and establish trust. It can also help you gain insight into how your products can really add value to their lives, which you can add to your pitch.
5. Don’t monopolize the conversation. Remember to listen to your audience as well, and answer their questions the best you could.
For direct sellers, it’s really all about balance. So make sure you strike a healthy balance so you can get that sale and not appear rude and overbearing.