The Death of the Direct Sales Party
Posted on September 23, 2019 by dragonspitapothecary
In many direct sales training there is a large topic about hosting a party or teaching a class. The more classes you have on your calendar the more momentum you can have in your business. This is the traditional way direct sales success was known to occur. The more people you presented this information to the more likely you would see positive sales volume. Securing future hosts from your current class was the best way to keep this cycle going. This continues to be one of the most foundational ways new direct sales people are taught to start their business but unfortunately as many will tell you it is simply not as easy as it sounds and is the number one reason people quit their business.
These days it’s very difficult to get people to attend a class in person or even online. There have been many tactics used to draw people to a class by calling them parties, giving the message that it was a no pressure presentation, having “fun” games, offering incentives and prizes and so on. Sometimes these tactics are fruitful and you secure a group to attend but most of the time after inviting everyone you know you see less than 5 people actually show up. It’s so frustrating after spending a lot of time preparing, working with your host and gearing up for that class. For me inviting 20 to 30 people and seeing less than 5 show up was just not a solid return of my time and effort or a stellar formula for success.
If you’re an introvert or someone who does not enjoy presenting to a group this can also be extremely stressful to you and not at all fun. Let’s face it not all of us are natural born teachers that enjoy public speaking and demonstrating to a group. This was after all a dream business where you were supposed to be having some fun right? If you don’t enjoy doing those things how are you having fun?
The Party is Over
Unless your direct marketing company is new and has some innovative product that doesn’t exist or isn’t widely known the interest and attendance to learn about it is probably going to be low. At this point, the majority of people know what an essential oil is at least in general and they have been to or heard about a basic natural health class. They’ve seen and experienced these presentations and know in the end they will be asked to open their wallets and purchase your oils. The gig is up.
Having a specific topic or activity as your class is a way you can get pass the traditional product demonstration aspect of a party. Hosting a make-and-take customer appreciation class or teaching on a trending topic people are talking about can draw their attention and interest in attending. This is where knowing your ideal customer is so crucial. You also have to know how they like to shop and what process they go through before they open their wallets. You have to be on top of what is of need and interest and what attracts them to click or attend your class.
The real key is teaching on a topic that is giving value to the audience. This should be done without direct focus to your natural health products but rather touches a direct nerve with your attendees that they see you thoroughly understand what they are dealing with every day. Your approach is on the topic not your product. You can still provide basic information if someone is new to the subject but it should not be your whole presentation.
Having a theme isn’t a guarantee of attendance but it can help reduce the pressure of purchasing when they attend and makes them feel there is value to them by hearing this information. You have to make the switch from making it about buying your product. Get creative based on what your ideal customer is most interested in and build it from there.
Not Calling it a Party is Trickery
When I started to see class attendance dwindle in my natural product business I quickly realized replacing the word party with class was the cause. People figured out that label was just a new way of saying I was going to present products to them and then give them a sales form to purchase. It didn’t work anymore for me because my ideal customer doesn’t shop that way.
Getting specific on your topics and telling your story is what is going to ultimately sell your
products. You have to connect more and more with people where they are. That means online through social media posts about your journey, blogging or podcasting or creating a forum people feel connected to you on. They have to see you as their go-to for help, information and support. All of this needs to be done in the spirit of connection and not because you are pushing a product on them.
For me this looked like starting a blog where I describe my family’s journey and what I have found works. It has included how I’ve figured out how to budget for living natural and savings I have realized along the way. It’s been about speaking to specific topics I think people want to hear about because I care about those topics too. You have to figure out what those topics are for your audience and then work to connect with them in the ways they like to communicate. Perhaps its a a mom-meet up group, library workshop, online course or even an online community. Get connected and get people talking. Join the conversations where they are already happening and tell your story.
When someone asks how you have overcome your problem then you can introduce your solution (i.e., products). You have an invitation from them to learn more and start the conversation more focused on specific things that work and could work for them.
Closing
The closing is where you are directly asking people if they are ready to get a solution that works to fix their problem. Since you’ve spent your class and connection focusing on the problem, giving real examples of your own experience and listening to your audience this is where you can tie in your products.
You will need to develop your own approach to closing that works best for your style. I find when I have led a group through a topic and have their interest I can then show them what I personally use and how. I can provide samples if they seem on the fence or I can show them options for purchasing if they are ready. You have to speak individually to a person at this point because not everyone will be ready to purchase when you get to the closing.
Interested in more?
I won’t say parties don’t work because sometimes they do but for the vast majority of us we are seeing the downward turn in attendance. That trend doesn’t have to spell the end of your business! You don’t have to build your direct sales business doing classes or parties. You do however have to get specific about who your audience is and meet them where they are.
Check out my Customer Avatar Worksheet and Choose Your Path sets that contain the tools and templates you need to have a successful direct sales business in natural health at dragonspitapothecary.com . These sets combined with the beautiful pure products at doTERRA mean you have a direct sales business that can flourish and be truly one of a kind. Click here to join me!