Discover the client’s priorities

Engaging in conversations with potential clients is fundamental to your success. During these conversations, the most important thing you’ll do is find out the priorities of the potential client. The best way to do that is to make a friendly observation, followed by a question. For example:

“That’s a great necklace. Where did you get it?”

Provide a solution

The second most important thing is to be ready to offer a way to help them meet that priority with your service or business, because that’s how you’ll get the appointment:

“I help women expand their wardrobes by creating new looks with accessories. I think there are several pieces that are just your style in this season’s line.”

This particular example incorporates a positioning statement into the conversation. Your positioning statement, also known as your 30-second commercial, is the answer you give when someone asks what you do or where you’re working. Chapter 8 talks more about positioning statements.

Then, before the conversation turns, simply ask for the appointment:

“I’d love to get together with you and show you some of the pieces that are just your style! I would love to come by and bring my jewelry and help you accessorize your wardrobe with our newest selections.”

You want to make sure you get clients excited about the appointment and the product. Pique their interest and get them looking forward to meeting with you.

You can also do this online. I recently had a colleague do an accessorizing session on Zoom with a client.

Seal the deal

The one-on-one appointment is the time where you secure the potential client as a customer or even as a representative. So be sure to build a desire for the product during this conversation.

When securing an appointment, always be sure to build credibility for yourself by sharing how the product and business has worked for you, often called a testimonial or success story. Your testimonial may mention either how the product has improved your life or how the opportunity has impacted your family and your financial situation:

“I see how much you love our products, and you know that’s what really attracted me to the business in the beginning. I can’t begin to tell you how many awesome things this business has done for my family financially, when I really joined just to get my product at a discount.”

Holding a one-on-one: The how-to

To help you with your one-on-one appointments, follow this format:

1. Introduce you and your product or opportunity.

   At the beginning of your appointment, thank your client for meeting you. Briefly remind them of what got them excited about the product or business in the first place.

2. Find out more about their needs and wants.

   Focus on them. Ask again what their needs and wants are. If it’s product and sales based, ask specific questions that deal with your product type. For example, if you sell cleaning products, ask things like this:

   • “What type of cleaning products do you currently use? What are your biggest issues or concerns with your current household cleaners? Do you have any problem areas in your home that you need a solution for?”

   If you’re focused on the opportunity, you would ask things like the following:

   • “What do you want from a job? What is your favorite part of your current position? If you could change anything about your career, what would it be?”

3. Share your story and offer a solution.

   Let your client share their story first — that way, you have the opportunity to make your story relatable to theirs. For example, maybe they wish their job was more flexible because they have small children at home. If you also have children, you could say something like this:

   • “Carol, I completely understand. When I was working at the bank, it was difficult for me to juggle the kids and the demands of a job with different shifts. When I started my own business, it gave me the opportunity to stay home with my kids and work around my existing priorities.”

   Such a statement not only shows off the benefits of your business, it also helps you appear more relatable. That, in turn, can boost their confidence that this opportunity is right for them.

Building a relationship

The key to successful one-on-ones is relationship-building. Take time to find out about your client’s life, challenges, and needs. Your role during one-on-one appointments is to listen and learn how you can best serve the client.

Even if the two of you seem to be very similar, don’t assume you have the same priorities. For example, you may love the product because of the overall luxury experience of textures and scents, but your customer may be drawn to it because it’s environmentally friendly and not tested on animals. Or perhaps you love that you can work the business full time on a schedule you love, but they may be initially interested in just an extra $400 a month.

By listening, you can focus on their interests and priorities and learn more about them. You can share things about yourself as appropriate, but keep the focus on them. Just by doing that, you’ll create an experience that is unique and enjoyable.

Because of the time you spend learning about your clients, you’ll be able to continue meeting their needs and priorities in the future. For example, they tell you that their son is graduating high school next month, when you call to reservice, mention that in the conversation. If you sell cosmetics, ask whether they’d be interested in a fresh look for the event, using the new spring colors.

Marketing your business

Creating interest in your products online is a smart way to build your client base and increase your sales. On your personal page, you can share both your experience with your products and what you love about your business through lifestyle posts.

For example, take a picture of something new you bought for your home and say, “Love this new air fryer! My extra income helped me to get this — I’m so excited to make healthier choices for my family.” Or, you might also make a post of you and your kids at the pool in the afternoon and say something like, “I love the flexibility my business provides so I can have these special moments with my kids!” You can always invite those interested to join your customer community to learn more.

On your business page or Instagram, you can make product posts or short videos. You can also advertise any promotions you have going on. Invite people to learn more in your VIP customer community. There you can build trust, friendships, and loyalty and develop a community where it’s not just all business, and where others feel comfortable sharing. Offer value to your customers there by posting nonbusiness-related information the community members want — if you’re a cookware representative, offer recipes or tips for healthy cooking or if a fashion rep, share tips for dressing for various body types. You can offer one-on-one appointments via phone or Zoom.

Starting conversations

Beginning a conversation can help you meet new prospective customers, hosts, or recruits. Discovering how to network and to engage yourself in conversations is important. The easiest way to start a conversation with people is by complimenting them, perhaps on something that they’re wearing. That’s especially important if they’re wearing something that you sell — like jewelry, makeup, clothing, and so on.

Shared experience and interests are also great conversation starters. Perhaps the person next to you in line has in their shopping cart a product you like or are interested in trying. Saying, “I’ve been wanting to try that. Is this the first time you’ve bought it?” is perfectly appropriate and friendly.

Be sure to choose a conversation starter that’s positive. Mentioning the long lines or a terrible call by an umpire at a Little League game can be tempting, but start a relationship the way you want to continue it. Be someone who is enjoyable to interact with.

Distributing promo cards

A promo card is a combination of a postcard and a business card. Promo cards are often made available through the direct sales company as selling tools. A promo card should have your contact information, your website, and any key information about the product.

Promo cards work best for direct sales companies that have a major line of products or a very popular product. They often feature a photo of the product with benefits, best ways to use it, and so on.

You give out promo cards to people in place of a business card and/or catalog (though you can still give these to potential clients who are interested in more of the product line). They typically have an offer, such as a special price on a product when hosting an event, but they may also direct prospects toward your website where they can purchase the product or join your company.

Using wear-to-share and other promotables

If you sell a product you can wear, make sure you wear it every time you go out or as often as you can. Wearing your products or using them for personal use is a great way to market yourself and your business.

For example, if you sell beauty products like makeup or nail art, use these items as a part of your own daily routine. That also goes for clothing companies and ones that carry accessories like bags, purses, and jewelry.

One of the best ways to get a conversation started while on the go is wear-to-share apparel. Effective wear-to-share is more than just a polo with a logo. In fact, unless your company’s logo is particularly intriguing, the polo won’t help you share your products at all. Great wear-to-share apparel fits well and is flattering — but most of all, it has a conversation-starting factor. Many representatives have shirts, hats, and sweaters made that feature catchy phrases, cute sayings, or even jokes.

Wear-to-share conversation starters also include things like logo stickers to apply to the back of your tablet or the top of your laptop, a reusable water bottle, phone cases, or car magnets. Many direct selling companies offer apparel along with marketing materials and other business tools.

Here are other ways you can share your products even if you can’t wear them:

• Cleaning products: Always have samples of your cleaning product with you. If you’re picking up your son from day care, are at a restaurant, or are at work, and you notice a spill, you can show how quick and easy your company’s cloth or favorite cleaning spray works.
• Food and beverage: Use products from your line when making your lunch or your spouse’s lunch for work. And always bring extra for people to sample in the lunchroom.
• Spa products: Bring a few samples of your soaps or lotions to work, your daughter’s dance studio, your hairdresser’s salon, and so on. Ask the owner if you can leave the products in the bathroom with copies of your business card or promo card.
• Decor items: Have a desk or an office at work? Decorate your space with the products you sell. When people compliment you, let them know you offer those products as part of a line you represent.

Think outside the box. Grab a notebook and pen and brainstorm all the different ways and places where you can share your product line.

Having product handy

In some cases, keeping some product on hand is a good idea. If the direct selling company you work with has a single product that’s in high demand, and it’s affordably priced, then investing in a small stock of product may be beneficial, even if it isn’t necessary. It enhances your opportunity to sell while out and about, especially if you’re meeting people who are only interested in that product, and hence are one-on-one prospects rather than potential event hosts.

When you first start out, predicting what your future customers will want is next to impossible, so letting customers order from you and telling them when to expect their products to arrive is often wiser. Amazon has used this e-commerce model with incredible success, so don’t feel as if you need to purchase inventory upfront to be successful.

Although your sponsor and upline leaders may encourage you to purchase a certain amount of inventory, keep in mind that other than your company’s business starter kit, there is no inventory requirement. That’s one of the benefits of working with a direct sales company.

When you have product on hand, you may want to take some with you when you’re out driving around, especially when you’re handing out promo cards. You can also take a photo of the stock you have on hand and post a photo on your Facebook Business Page to let friends know that you have inventory you’d like to move quickly.

I suggest that you also keep product on hand during seasons where your products are extremely popular. For example, for several years I sold a line of crystal products and I rarely carried any inventory at all, except during the summer at wedding season. I always kept crystal vases, picture frames, and toasting flutes on hand because neighbors and friends would often call on me to see if I had something for the perfect wedding gift.

Be sure to check your company’s policies and procedures with concerns to ordering product to keep as inventory for re-sale.

Identifying the target audience

Your job is to find people who are interested in your industry and your products. For example, if you sell health products, you may get many people who buy once from you because they’re looking for a quick weight loss — they’re a great way to top off your sales every month. But to get consistent monthly customers, your primary goal will be to find the people who are interested in their health on an ongoing basis and already spend money on their health every month (such as on gym memberships, nutritional programs, vitamins, supplements, and so on). These people can be your best profit centers and most loyal customers because they’re already interested in your type of products.

One of the best ways to identify people who may be interested is by listening to them. In fact, listening is one of the most helpful skills you’ll utilize in your business. Refer to the section, “Building a relationship,” earlier in this chapter for more about listening to your customers.

Don’t write off the people who initially were looking for a quick fix. Instead, use the opportunity as a way to teach them about the benefits and continue to re-service them every month using my 2+2+2 follow-up method that I discuss in Chapter 17.

Finding the right service to introduce your product

For some products, you can easily imagine a service you can offer, but others may take a little bit of creativity.

Another way to effectively sell in a one-on-one situation is to charge for your service or consultation. You can offer to come in for a fee and help update someone’s kitchen, pantry, closet, makeup bag, and so on.

Spend a bit of time brainstorming about the ways people use your products and the challenges they may have associated with similar types of products. Here are some examples or ways you can introduce your products:

• Cosmetics: Offer makeovers, or even “makeunders,” where you share how they can look their best in five minutes. This could be a consultation where you come over to teach new makeup tricks or even assess the current makeup bag and recommend products that would be best.
• Jewelry: Offer a service of visiting clients in their homes and accessorizing several outfits. If your client wasn’t interested in an in-person event, but still had an occasion where they and their friends would be attending (like a wedding, gala, and so on), you could plan to go to the customer’s house and pair jewelry to each of their outfits for that specific occasion.
• Kitchenware: Think about your average customers. They probably have at least two jumbled drawers full of kitchen tools, most of which don’t get used. Provide a kitchen tool review, paring down drawers and cabinets and offering tools that fill in the gaps or replace worn ones.
• Organizational products: Speaking of overflowing drawers and cabinets, those who sell storage products can offer an organization service for the kitchen, bedroom, laundry room, office, and so on.
• Clothing: Clients may prefer a private fitting. Bring sample sizes for them to try and order the specific styles or patterns they want.
• Food and beverage: You could offer one-on-one cooking lessons, fridge or freezer overhauls, as well as freezer meals.

Bottom line, be creative. Figure out what service you can offer that will meet a need or priority your prospective clients have. It may be something no one ever thought of before. Remember, you can charge a flat fee for your service, and let the fee apply toward any purchases they make.

Get referrals. Always close your one-on-one selling appointment by asking “Who do you know who …” — that is, who your client knows who would appreciate your service. And of course, when you get to service one of the referred clients, be sure to send a thank-you note to your original client. You can also offer a referral gift: Offer a certain amount for a referral that ends in a sale, another amount for a referral that ends in a booking, and another amount for a referral that ends in a new team member joining.