Chapter 12
The Power of One-on-One Selling
In This Chapter
Getting the importance of one-on-one selling
Securing appointments
Finding the right service for your customers
Selling one-on-one while out and about
The power of one-on-one selling is ideal for anyone in direct sales — Party Plan, Network Marketing, and Hybrid representatives. One-on-one selling is about the customer experience and customer service. One-on-one appointments are commonly used in the Network Marketing industry as a primary means for product sales and recruiting. However, many Party Plan companies are finding that one-on-one appointments are a great option for people who may never consider hosting a party.
Home parties (discussed in Chapter 9) are an ideal way to reach a group of people at one time, especially in the Party Plan model, but one-on-one appointments are another kind of asset in your arsenal. They create a personal shopping experience for your clients.
Just because someone isn’t interested in a hosting a party doesn’t mean they’re not interested in your product or your service. For example, I once overheard a conversation between a customer and a representative. The woman mentioned she was interested in purchasing a product that the other woman sold. The representative offered the woman the option of hosting a party so she could earn free and discounted items. The woman replied that she wasn’t interested in having a party, as she only wanted to purchase a particular item. Instead of listening to her customer, the representative continued to offer the benefits of hosting a home party. Eventually, the other woman just walked away.
The representative missed the opportunity for a sale. She didn’t understand that even though the woman didn’t want to hold a party, she still wanted to make a purchase — just in a different fashion.
Your one-on-one clients or prospects can become very profitable and sometimes lead to referrals of other people who may have turned down the idea of a party, too.
When my son was in college he sold a high-end product line that focused on bedroom linens and decor. Because of the price point of the products and the type of person the product attracted, he found it difficult to find people who wanted to have a home party.
He found his niche in people who wanted to completely redo their bedrooms. With these potential customers, he would share the benefits of a one-on-one consultation, rather than the benefits of a home party. He would bring samples, swatches, and other decorating ideas to show his client. Most of the time he would enjoy a healthy sale equal to that of a home party. However, by entering the order as a home party, he was able to offer his client an amazing deal with free credits and half-priced items. He would show them what it would have been at retail, and how much they saved.
Instead of pushing a party or the idea of host credit, he reworked it so that his clients felt like they were getting a personal shopping experience with an amazing deal. His clients were always happy with their experience and often referred someone else who wanted to redo their bedroom or asked him to come design another bedroom or bathroom in their house.
One-on-one selling is an excellent way to gain new clients, party hosts, and recruits. It gives you the opportunity to discover your prospects’ needs and cater your presentation to offer them a specific solution. Again, this is very commonly done in Network Marketing and Hybrid (as Hybrid is a combination of both models).
As a direct seller, it is important to offer value to your customers. One way to do that is to personalize their experience with you, meeting a need or solving a problem they have, so that they appreciate your effort. This creates loyalty, excitement, and ultimately, profitability.
Selling with One-on-One Appointments
Selling through one-on-one appointments is a great way to achieve sales. One-on-one is where you offer a personalized service to an individual client. Say, for example, you sell beauty products. At a one-on-one appointment, you would sit down with a client to present your make-up line. You could give your client a makeover, give tutorials, and/or update her current make-up selection.
Although one-on-one appointments aren’t as efficient as selling to a group of people, they nevertheless can be an important profit center for your business. And although it’s true that one-on-one appointments don’t yield the same total sales as a home party, you can get a higher per-person sale because the presentation is completely catered to the individual. You can reach a different clientele than you might otherwise service, as well as building your business network.
At a home party, you present your products to a group of people, so you don’t have much opportunity to only discuss the products that each guest is most interested in, although you can give a brief personalized service as you total the personal orders and offer further services during that final phase of the party.
During your one-on-one appointments, you explore the precise needs of your client (for example, perhaps they’re most interested in your skincare line) and focus on the products that will solve their challenges. You still up-sell and show other products that you think may benefit them from the line, but the customized presentation begins with addressing an expressed need or desire (see Chapter 9 for more on upselling).
This personal experience is the perfect situation for relationship-building, so it also helps set you up for re-servicing. When you call to offer other products or refill the existing order, you’re already familiar with her priorities (because you’ll have made several notes on her immediately following the appointment, so that you can remember what she talked about).
Always ask for referrals! Ask your one-on-one clients if they have any friends who would enjoy the same service. You can also ask if they have any friends who would enjoy hosting a party. You can even suggest she host one herself to share the products with her family and friends.
In Network Marketing, one-on-one appointments focus more on the opportunity than the product. The main goal of one-on-ones in Network Marketing is to sign representatives who are interested in the income potential of building a business. Key to success is not only signing up a new representative but also helping them choose the right amount of product for personal consumption on an automatic shipping program (auto-ship).
The Party Plan model focuses on continually gaining and servicing new customers. For the Network Marketing model, the typical goal is to have approximately six customers on auto-ship and to focus on continually gaining and serving new representatives to help them build their businesses. Of course, Hybrid models encompass both of these.
Getting One-on-One Appointments
Being ready for business wherever you go is important, and that’s especially true when it comes to securing one-on-one appointments. You should be equipped with business cards or promo cards and catalogs at all times, of course. But more importantly, you should be upbeat and ready to engage in conversations that can lead to business opportunities.
Engaging in conversations with potential clients is fundamental to your success. During these conversations, the most important thing you will 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?”
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 30-second commercial into the conversation. Your 30-second commercial is the answer you give when someone asks what you do or where you’re working. It should always tell people what you do, not who you are. For example, instead of saying, “I’m a jewelry representative,” you might say, “I help women create personalized looks with great accessories.” Your 30-second commercial should paint a picture of your product or service, create an interest/wow factor, and meet a need. (Chapter 6 talks more about 30-second commercials.)
Then, before the conversation turns, simply ask for the appointment:
- “I’d love to get together with you and show you those 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.
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.”
Perfecting the Details: What to Do and Say
For a Party Plan representative, your one-on-one appointments may focus on one of two things (a Network Marketing representative typically focuses more on just the second one, and of course, Hybrid can focus on both):
- Sharing the product: This is where the main purpose of your appointment is to sell product. In this situation, you do a mini-presentation of the products that your client/customer is most interested in. You cater the selling experience to solve a problem for them. You will have learned what their challenge or priority is during your initial conversation. And you’ll take time during this appointment to learn more.
- Sharing the business: This is where the main focus is to gain a new recruit or representative. You still want to build a desire for the product because that is one of the factors that drive people to join a direct sales company — they need to believe that the product is something that is marketable, easy to sell, and in demand. But the focus of this appointment will be to share the benefits of the business opportunity.
To help you with your one-on-one appointments, follow this format:
- 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.
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Find out more about their needs and wants. Focus on them. Ask again what their needs and wants are. If it is 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 solutions 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?”
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Share your story and offer a solution. It is important to let your client share her story first — that way, you have the opportunity to make your story relatable to theirs. For example, maybe she wishes her job was more flexible because she has 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.
The key to successful one-on-ones is relationship-building. Take time to find out about your client’s life, challenges, and hopes. 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 she may be drawn to it because it is 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 she may be initially interested in just an extra $400 a month.
By listening, you can focus on her 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 will create an experience that is unique and enjoyable.
Additionally, as mentioned earlier, because of the time you spend learning about your clients, you’ll be able to continue meeting her needs and priorities in the future. For example, if she tells you that her son is graduating high school next month, when you call to re-service, mention that in the conversation. If you sell cosmetics, ask whether she would be interested in a fresh look for the event, using the new spring colors.
Selling While Out and About
Meeting new people — or networking — is important because you never know where you will find business. So always be prepared to talk to the people around you.
Being prepared means being ready mentally and physically. You want to look professional, have your 30-second commercial prepared and rehearsed, and be sure your marketing items are on hand. If someone asks you what you do, you want to be able to follow up with marketing materials such as promo cards, catalogs, and business cards.
Of course, if you carry a very popular item that’s priced reasonably, you can always have that available on hand as well.
Selling while out and about is a great way to boost your sales every month as well as take of advantage of the day-to-day situations you find yourself in. For example, many nail and cosmetics representatives carry additional product with them while out and about because of the interest their products create. For example, when nail reps are complimented on their unique nail wraps, having product on hand gives them the opportunity to sell a set right on the spot, without any real effort. So even if you don’t run your business full-time, it’s important to always be ready to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.
Executing a show-on-the-go
Your mini show-on-the-go is an excellent opportunity to sell your product one-on-one while you’re out running errands. An afternoon out at the mall can quickly turn into a sale, a booking, or a new recruit for your team.
Chapter 6 talks in detail about your show-on-the-go, but in a nutshell, I’m talking about a mini-kit that you carry with you in a tote bag that contains some items that you can throw a mini-party with. Carrying around your large kit that you take to your parties is unrealistic, but having some items in a small bag is an easy way to show off some of your products while you’re out.
You can quickly create a show-on-the-go kit by putting three catalogs (or mini-catalogs or product brochures) into a tote bag with five to eight product samples, a host packet, and an opportunity packet (see Chapter 6). If you sell jewelry or items that you usually display on a black tablecloth, then you may want to put a small piece of black fabric in the tote bag, also. Choose something that won’t wrinkle easily when rolled up.
Keep your show-on-the-go tote bag in your car so that it’s always ready. When you’re prepared for business, you’ll discover that opportunities arise more frequently. For example, you may be sitting at the pool watching your kids when you and several of the moms begin chatting about what they do. When you mention what you do, if they express interest, offer to show them a few samples. Suddenly, an outing at the pool turns into potential sales and bookings.
Starting conversations
Starting a conversation can help you meet new prospective customers, hosts, or recruits.
It’s important to learn how to network and to engage yourself in conversations. The easiest way to start a conversation with people is by complimenting them, perhaps on something that they are wearing. This is especially important if they’re wearing something that you sell — like jewelry, make-up, 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. It is perfectly appropriate and friendly to say, “I’ve been wanting to try that. Is this the first time you’ve bought it?”
Be sure to choose a conversation starter that is positive. It can be tempting to mention long lines or a terrible call by an umpire at a little league game, but it’s important to 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 on it as well as 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, before and after results, and so on.
Promo cards are given out to people in place of a business card and 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 a party, but they may also direct prospects toward your website where they can purchase the product line or choose to join your company.
Using wear-to-share and other promotables
If you sell a product you can wear, this is something you should be doing 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 make-up or nail art, you should 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 wear-to-share apparel along with marketing materials and other business tools.
There are also other ways you can share your products even if you can’t wear them:
- Cleaning products: Always have samples of your cleaning product in your purse. If you’re picking up your son from daycare, at a restaurant, or even at work, and you notice a spill — that could be the perfect opportunity to show how quickly 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 could share your product line.
Having product handy
In some cases, it’s a good idea to have product on hand. If the direct selling company you work with has a single product that is in high demand, and it is 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 party hosts.
When you first start out, it’s next to impossible to predict what your future customers will want, so it’s often wiser to simply let customers order from you and let them know when to expect their products to arrive. Amazon.com has used this e-commerce model with incredible success, so don’t feel as if you need to purchase inventory up front 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 business page on Facebook, to let friends know that you have inventory you’d like to move quickly.
It’s also a good idea to 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 toasted flutes on hand, because neighbors and friends would often call on me to see if I had a wedding gift for them.
Be sure to check your company’s policies and procedures with concerns to ordering product to keep as inventory for re-sale.
Enhancing the Personal Shopping Experience
You don’t only offer home parties. You offer a magnitude of ways that clients and customers can purchase from you. Recall my anecdote from Chapter 7 about the woman who complimented the necklace I was wearing? She loved it but didn’t want to host a party. Instead of accepting defeat, I let her know that I also offered one-on-one appointments. I would bring my jewelry to her house and help her match the selections to her outfits.
When you’re booking one-on-one appointments to sell product, you want your client to feel as if it is personal to her. Find out her interests and needs and create an experience for her that really is unique.
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 are looking for a quick weight loss. These are great 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 will utilize in your business. You have to know and understand your customer in order to sell to her effectively, and the only way you can do that is to listen to her. Listening is especially important in one-on-one appointments. So ask the relevant questions, and then listen.
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, discussed in Chapter 13.
Finding the right service to introduce your product
Earlier, I mentioned the benefits of offering personal shopping experiences as part of your one-on-one selling. For some products, it’s easy to 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 could offer to come in for a fee and help update someone’s kitchen, pantry, closet, make-up 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 produce:
- Cosmetics: Offer makeovers, or even “makeunders,” where you share how she can look her best in five minutes. This could be a consultation where you come over to teach her new make-up tricks or even assess her current make-up bag and recommend products that would be best for her.
- Jewelry: Offer a service of visiting clients in their homes and accessorizing several outfits. If your client wasn’t interested in a home party, but still had an occasion where she and friends would be attending (like a wedding, gala, and so on), you could plan to go to her house and pair jewelry to each of their dresses 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. Offer a kitchen tool review, going through drawers and cabinets to pare down 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 could offer an organization service for the kitchen, bedroom, laundry room, office, and so on.
- Clothing: Clients may prefer a private fitting. Bring over 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 could 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 towards 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 could 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.
When it comes to your business, it is up to you to be creative and to listen to your customers to determine exactly what service they are most interested in. Never forget, there are many ways for you to work your business other than a home party.