Direct Sales 101 - My journey from "Once."

I was the biggest skeptic when it came to these "direct sales," "multi-level marketing" companies that seem to be taking the nation by storm. I thought they were all a scam and I rarely ever considered buying anything, much less joining one as a consultant. The words, "pyramid scheme" and "not even worth the discount" were frequently part of my vocabulary. However, my friends would occasionally dabble in these opportunities either by hosting or joining one and, trying to be a good and supportive friend, I developed a policy for myself: I'll buy ONE thing from ONE party to help each friend who hosts. Once. That was all. I thought this was a fantastic way to keep my house from being overrun with colorful bags I don't use, weight-loss products that would work wonders if I could stop paying back my college loans and put the money toward their supplements, cosmetics that cause my skin to blemish instead of beam, and smells that linger to make one big, invisible scent stew that will never seem to go away. Besides, these people were EVERYWHERE, so if I ever REALLY needed what they had to offer, I could probably just blast a request on social media and have at least 5 consultants begging for my business...

For many years, this rule/ideology served me well, and I convinced myself that I was faithfully helping out my friends while keeping my checkbook in check. I never really listened to the pitches given at home parties. Sure, I sat there, eyes fixated on the presenter as if I was going to die if I didn't hear how THEIR company could benefit ME and make MY life easier, but I was only playing the role of an eager client with the intent of playing it once to avoid being hounded for the next several months and worrying about getting "caught" buying similar products from another consultant three weeks later to help another friend and, in turn, possibly having to explain my disloyalty as a customer. I was the epitome of what direct sales trainers call "opposition."

In April of 2013, one of my friends who hadn't been scratched off the list of "once's" invited me to an online party. I ignored the invitation for a good week, and on the last day, she posted that she was THIS close to her party goal to get x-amount of products for free or half price. Oh, and there was a deal for new customers. Inevitably a bargain shopper, I took the bait. I bought a "set" of vinyl wraps that were supposed to give me a cheap and easy manicure or pedicure and it was supposed to last for 2-4 weeks.

Words can't describe how duped I felt when I opened up that package 5 days later and pulled out 4 flimsy sheets of "stickers," but, knowing this friend and trusting her well-established credibility with product reviews, I tried them out. I read something about a 7-day challenge and how these wraps will change your life (Where have we heard that before???) and figured, "why not? I've got them, might as well try them." So I went to the website where the application video was and followed the directions to a T. They were more impressive than I had originally thought, and, having been challenged, I promptly went outside and did some yard work with them on. Then I gave my dogs a bath... and taught my students clay sculpting... and used tempera paint with my kindergartners... and cleaned my bathrooms... It seemed like no matter what I did, my nails still looked amazing. This was completely bizarre to me, because while I was trying to destroy these things, I was getting more compliments on my nails than ever before. I found that just wearing them caught the attention of just about everyone I encountered. This is brilliant! I thought. I wouldn't even have to work to sell these things!

That's when it hit me: A direct sales company finally got to me. There was no turning back.

I joined as a consultant at the end of May. I ate from the once forbidden fruit, and my nails looked amazing while I did it. I resigned from my teaching job with no other position lined up so I could "stay at home" with my 2 year old son, and I sold a whopping 8 sheets in June and July. Ouch. Talk about a kick in the teeth. But you know what was weird? During those two months without much success, I was working on putting my business supplies together, making connections, and researching the differences between my product and the competition. I faithfully posted pictures of my nails and talked about my new endeavor on social media even though I didn't get much feedback. Once August hit, an estranged friend requested a party. Then another one did the same, and several others inquired about it and made small purchases to try them out. I sent out samples and attended vendor events and met new people and by October, I had a team of 5 people "under" me, my commissions covered the cost of my house payment, AND I was already working toward joining ANOTHER direct sales company.

What?!?! You really CAN make money in direct sales?!?!

Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are. But here's the deal: over the past 8 months I have found the following statement to be true beyond my understanding:

The best and most reliable type of business I've found is... wait for it... Person-to-person.

But what does that mean? Can't I just email people and let them buy if they want to or ignore me without having to actually talk to them and be rejected?

Well, yes, but you'll get better results if you swallow your fear of being shot down and just ask them. Face-to-face. One-on-one. Person-to-person. Notice I didn't say, "Consultant-to-customer" or "Representative-to-stranger." If you're one of those skeptics like I described myself earlier, you had better make sure you're sitting down because this next sentence may surprise you: Direct Sales ISN'T all about quotas and recruiting and marketing your products. Let me say that again: Direct Sales is NOT about selling stuff. Direct Sales is about CONNECTING people. It's like a real-life social network. Sure, it may have been designed to get company products out to the public and to make the CEO's and executives rich, but here's what really happens:

1. I join a company as an independent consultant/distributor/representative/etc. 
2. I tell you about it, and you decide that what I have to offer would be cool to have yourself so you agree to "host a show." 
3. You invite all of your friends on social media or your email list so you can get the most "bang for your buck" back in host rewards or incentives given by me or the company I "work for." (remember, I'm independent so I get to be my own boss, I'm just helping distribute their products.)
4. Let's say a handful of them show up, listen to my pitch, and a few sales are made.
5. You get free and discounted stuff, and say 2 of those friends of yours decide they liked me well enough, had fun, and got some cool stuff, so they're going to have their own show. (which you'll probably attend because, well, they came to your show to help you out, so why wouldn't you go to theirs?)
6. They repeat the process above just like you did and as I'm building new relationships with your friends and THEIR friends (and getting to see you more at the same time--double bonus!), my "selling tree" starts spreading it's branches and turning into more of a "relationship tree" where I become the common denominator connecting groups of people that wouldn't have ever been introduced otherwise.
7. My frequent customers become comrades seemingly overnight and my support system builds itself as I take care of my clients as though they were family. I get to the point where I have one host that needs just a little more help, so I call my "regulars" (by now known as "my friends") and they are just as excited to hear from me as they are to help out this new person, who, whether they know it or not, is being inducted into my family of happy and supportive customers.
8. As I weave this beautiful, intricate social tapestry together, some of these connections decide they want to be even closer and join my team, which integrates new people, groups, and builds new ties into what once was simply a friendship between you and me.

Boy, that escalated fast, didn't it? Now, I'm not going to let you leave here thinking ALL independent [fill in the blanks] work this way, because I know for a fact that they don't. Some are so driven by numbers and deadlines that they will always need that last product sold to get this raise or one more recruit to get this incentive or achieve that higher rank and that is perfectly fine. That's what they're SUPPOSED to do. That's what this marketing strategy was made for, however, no matter how they're run or what drives them to keep on trying, none of them will be able to find success without the PRESENCE of PEOPLE.

Through this transition in my life, I have learned that my previous attitude kept me from enjoying a LOT of opportunities that I automatically rejected. I'm still that person that will buy once, but I understand now that that ONE time could make a HUGE difference in the grand scheme of things and it has directly affected the way I go about my business management and leadership. And for the record, those products I mentioned earlier have grown on me because I was honest with the people who believed in them and learned that it wasn't the product that left something to be desired, it was the user's attitude.

I am not typical. My independent businesses are driven by connections. My independent success depends on the people I recruit as family. My goals are not based on how much money I make, how many products I sell, or how many people I have in my "downline" (I really hate that term by the way, but I can address that in another blog post on another day) and how successful they are. I value people and their presence in my life. I want to be connected to you.

If you take nothing else from this narrative, please at the very least take a moment more to consider this: It is very difficult to make connections and/or build relationships if you don't show up.

I believe that everyone we meet has some significance and we can't find out what it is unless we invest in time with them. So when someone invites you to a show or a party or a chat over coffee, let your curiosity lead you and just go if you're available. Yes, you will probably be asked or persuaded to buy something. Yes, you will probably be asked to host a show of your own. Yes, you might even have to say no...and you might have to say it more than once. But you might just find that "Once" that really makes a difference in your life, and the question is not whether or not it was worth your time, but whether or not you were there to decide.



Did you like this piece? Let me know your thoughts! Subscribe, share it on facebook, and stay tuned. The next topic will be "How to be present when you just can't make it."