If you’re considering a career in direct sales but are unsure which company you want to represent, keep reading.
There are many factors to consider before you join a direct selling company. A key area to research is the products’ selling potential. One debatable consideration is whether or not you should pick a company based on your passions.
On a work at home forum, I recently followed a thread where a potential recruit narrowed her decision down to two companies. She was asking for feedback on which to select. One consultant suggested:
“Ask yourself which product you like better yourself and you could probably “sell” that product more passionately, and there is your answer.”
Seems like reasonable advice, doesn’t it? Or is it?
Clearly you need to have some interest in the product offerings if you want to excel. Manufacturing widgets or technology based products may be breaking sales records and are in high demand, yet they are nothing I would ever have any interest in selling, no matter how high the income potential. My personal interest level is a zero in those types of products.
With which company do you think you’d have more success – one where you were passionate about the product or one that carried a product that sold well? I love crossword puzzles; one might even say I’m addicted to them. I’m so passionate about the word puzzles that not a day goes by when I’m not engrossed in one. But I can’t see selling crossword puzzles as a viable business venture.
I’m assuming that if you’re researching and pondering which company to go with it’s because you’re considering it as a business or at least as a platform to earn extra income. If this was not the case, you’d just sign up for whatever you wanted to purchase for personal use.
I’m also passionate about avocados. I love everything about that fruit. Cooking, tasting and eating the little green grenades just make me happy. That fits the criteria of selecting a product that I like and am passionate about. But it’s not something that I’d consider selling.
Consider this: You’ve narrowed it down to two companies.
Company A has a great product line and you’d likely be your own best customer. Their products are fantastic. The compensation plan isn’t that great, topping out at 23% commissions; the company is pretty young to the point where very few people have ever heard of it; and they don’t carry a product you’d need to replace frequently. But you love, love the products. They are awesome!
Company B has a product line that’s nice. You’re not all ga-ga over it, but their comp plan nears 50% commission with extra incentives and bonuses; their primary product line is something customers would reorder every 30-90 days; and there is still of room to grow with this company. They’ve been around for over five years, having a proven track record and a nice blend of brand recognition and many untapped customers. The products are obviously selling as they’ve earned many awards from the Direct Selling Association as well as broken a number of direct sales industry records. They have quality products and you like them; you’re just not personally head over heels passionate about them.
Are you starting to see the light between selling what sells and selling what is based on your own personal passions? The advice given that you’d know what company to go with once you decide your passion wasn’t the best advice after all.
If you’re passionate about a particular product, see if there isn’t a preferred buyer program or a low minimum that you could still sign up as a personal use customer but forget working it as a business unless it meets all the other factors necessary for success. Personal passions don’t always mix with business.
Sell what sells.
About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and soon Deutschland and the UK. You can find Laurie at https://la.Scentsy.us or https://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com
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