Everywhere you look online there’s a sleuth of how to make money at home. But are these online opportunities legitimate? Especially the ones that promise easy money without any effort. There’s no such thing as easy money for doing nothing.
The good news is that there is an abundance of business opportunities for women, stay-at-home moms, or anyone who is interested in starting a part-time or full-time business from home. There are jewelry, candles, skin care, health and wellness, education, and so much more.
Which one is right for you? Think about what you already enjoy doing and choose a business that matches your enthusiasm.
Benefits of a direct sales business
#1 Low cost and you can start selling and sponsoring immediately.
#2 Flexibility. You can work part-time to start off and increase the hours as your schedule permits.
#3 It’s literally risk-free. With just a couple hundred dollars you can get your business off the ground. The potential to make hundreds and even thousands is entirely up to you.
#4 There are a lot of options to choose from depending on what interests you.
#5 If you have a computer and access to the internet you can operate your business anywhere and anytime. The internet never sleeps and it’s on 24/7.
Will you make money in direct sales?
Absolutely but it will be up to YOU. This is your business. The company you choose to represent is only a vehicle to sell the products and build the business. No one company will generate sales for you on its own because it’s up to you to sell the products.
But if you start a direct sales business with this understanding – adopt the right mindset as an entrepreneur – and be willing to learn new skills such as marketing. Then there’s no stopping you and the income potential that you can realistically earn.
Direct sales is a powerful business model. BUT it’s not a get-rich-quick business. It will require work and re-learning new skills. With the right mindset and training… direct sales is one of the best options for women to start a home-based business because you can work it alongside raising your children, while working a full-time job, as it’s adaptable to any lifestyle.
The direct sales industry has come a long way by adapting to the new economy and embracing the internet. You no longer have to sell to your friends, family, or limited to the people in your local community.
**If you are interested in starting a direct sales business and using t
Have you been scratching your head wondering why your sales team is not hitting revenue goals? Do you feel like you’re doing everything you can and giving it your all a manager but are not getting consistent results? Read on to determine if you are a product of these 7 reasons sales managers fail:
1. Inability to Transfer Skills
Sales managers often move into a sales management role because of their ability to identify and win business. Unfortunately, your great selling skills are of no use or value to the organization if you can’t transfer these selling skills to your team.
In the words of Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, “When you take on a leadership role, it’s no longer about you, it’s about them.” In other words, it doesn’t matter how good you are, it only matters how good you can make the individuals on your sales team.
2. White House Syndrome
It’s easy for sales managers to catch this disease and lose touch with reality. (How much is a carton of milk?) Sales managers start camping out in the “white house” (the corporate office), getting caught up in the minutia of reports, meetings and firefighting. They forget the real reason they were hired as a sales manager: to train and coach their sales team to the highest level of performance. This isn’t accomplished in the “white house.”
Training and coaching are accomplished by riding with your sales team and calling on the real world – your prospects and clients. The cushy chair in corporate is more comfortable; the car seat is always more profitable.
3. Field manager, Corporate Manager, All-Around Manager
In my former corporate world, I had seven sales managers reporting to me and quickly figured out there were three types: field manager, corporate manager and all-around manager.
Field managers stand staunchly by their team, defend all actions and refuse to understand or endorse corporate objectives. The corporate manager is interested only in moving up the corporate ladder, leaving their sales team without a voice in the corporation. The all-around manager gets it. They achieve the hard balance of presenting the sales team’s issues to senior management while communicating and enforcing corporate objectives to their sales team.
The field manager enjoys a lot of love and limited growth, the corporate manager builds a sales culture of distrust, and the all-around manager grows leaders, profits and companies.
4. No Tough Love
When you accept the role of sales manager, you accept the responsibility of growing people as well as profits. A great sales manager is similar to a great parent. Good parents set expectations of behavior and character for their children, and hold their kids accountable to those expectations. They understand they’re not in a popularity contest and refuse to accept excuses or cave in to comments such as, “none of the other kids’ moms expect them to…..”
Great sales managers set clear expectations for their sales team and don’t cave when the sales team pushes back on standards of excellence. They put aside their need to be liked for the need to be respected. They understand that tough love creates high-performance sales cultures.
5. No Duplicable Sales Process
The example I use is of an athletic coach and their playbook. An NFL coach always has a playbook and requires each player to study, learn and execute the plays.
The professional football player isn’t allowed to run their own playbook, regardless of the number of years they’ve been playing ball. Sales managers, on the other hand, often lack a playbook and give the excuse, “Well, I hire people with sales experience.” The result is a sales manager trying to manage 20 different playbooks filled with old and ineffective plays.
6. Lack of Prospecting
Sales managers must prospect; however, the target changes. Instead of prospecting for business, sales managers must be consistently prospecting for top sales talent. A mistake often made by sales managers is looking for top talent in crisis mode, after someone on their team has been fired, resigns or moves.
The pressure of hitting a sales quota results in sales managers settling for a second-best candidate and expecting first-rate sales results. Great sales managers prospect monthly for top talent to keep their people pipeline full.
7. Sales Team is Stroke-Deprived and Fun-Deprived
High-driving types often land in the position of sales manager because of their ability to achieve goals. They don’t need a lot of strokes and are very results-oriented. The problem is that high-driving sales managers are managing salespeople who have a high need for recognition, interaction and fun.
The unsuccessful sales manager doesn’t realize their new sales activity plan includes giving strokes and pats on the back, creating recognition programs and setting up events to hit the fun quota.
Good Selling!
Colleen Stanley is the founder and president of SalesLeadership, Inc. She is a monthly columnist for national Business Journals, author of ‘Growing Great Sales Teams’ and co-author of ‘Motivational Selling.’ Prior to starting SalesLeadership, Colleen was vice president of sales and marketing for Varsity Spirit Corporation. During her 10 years at Varsity, sales increased from 8M to 90M.
She is the creator of the EI Selling System, a unique and powerful sales program that integrates emotional intelligence skills with consultative sales skills. Training and consulting services offered are:
Benchmarking, Selection and Hiring of Top Sales Talent
Consultative Sales Training
Leadership Training for Sales Managers
Major Account Sales
Prospecting and Referral Training
Sales Compensation
The following job promotion ritual is repeated in numerous sales organizations every year:
Step 1: A sales management position is vacant due to growth, attrition, or the dismissal of an existing sales manager; Step 2: The top sales representative in the organization (or department) is selected to fill the vacancy; Step 3: The top salesperson doesn’t like to (or is unable to) manage the sales performance of other individuals, so he keeps focused on personal selling initiatives, but in doing so, is failing in his role as sales manager; Step 4: The cycle repeats itself.
Although sales representatives and sales managers both work within the realm of selling, many of the strengths required for success in the roles of sales manager differ than the strengths required for success in the role of sales person. Therefore, few top-performing salespeople will become top-performing sales managers. This is important to know if you’re looking to hire a new sales manager in your company, and you expect this individual to be successful filling that role.
This isn’t a phenomenon that’s unique to selling. There are many highly-skilled and successful physicians, for example who are unable to effectively manage a staff of other physicians. There are many prized athletes who are not able to successfully coach a team of other athletes. There are skilled kitchen designers, plumbers, and attorneys who are unable to manage respective groups of other kitchen designers, plumbers, and attorneys.
Before I offer support for my thesis, allow me to confess that there are two situations where I will not argue with the individual who says the top salesperson in an organization will become a successful sales manager:
(1) The first is where where the new sales manager retains the responsibility for personally generating sales revenue. This individual is, in effect, either a part-time sales manager, or a sales manager in title only; (2) The second is when the sales manager’s role is to be almost exclusively a rain-maker (a generator of new business opportunities). That is a selling role that some sales managers play, but it is not a management role per se.
The following is a list of strengths (skills) that are required to achieve phenomenal success as the manager of a sales team (or any team, for that matter). However, none of these skills are substantially required for phenomenal success in front-line selling. This doesn’t mean that a top sales performer will never be a top sales management performer, but it means that the strengths required to fill the two roles are substantially different.
Strength #1. Delegating.
The sales manager certainly cannot do the front-line sales activity for his entire sales group himself. Meeting a sales quota requires the contribution of all members of the sales team. The successful sales manager must possess the ability to delegate responsibility to others so the group can achieve its goals. Delegating is quite a different skill than, say, closing skill, which is required of top sales performers, but the skill of delegation is not a skill which is typically required for top sales performance.
Strength #2. Willing to give up the top spot.
Top sales performers who become sales managers must be entirely willing to give up the position of top performer in a sales organization. For those who can’t, disaster awaits. Sales managers must be willing and able to put their top salespeople on pedestals so their egos can be adequately fed, while also keeping their own egos in check for the sake of the advancement of their team. In a larger organization there is still opportunity for competition between several or many sales managers, but a top sales manager has to be able to point to his top performer and give her credit for being the top salesperson in his group. He also has to encourage other non-top-performers to become top-performers. Since many salespeople have been ego-driven in their successful sales careers, this transition from achiever to encourager is critical. The skill of allowing someone else to be the top dog is not a skill required for success in selling, and in fact, can be antithetical to it. Many sales managers who have previously been a top sales performer who have been driven throughout his entire career to achieve “pedestal” status will not work tirelessly to put another individual on this same pedestal.
Strength #3. Focusing on others.
Sales management requires an outward focus on others’ sales performance, whereas successful selling requires an inward focus on one’s own sales performance. Being in control of your own sales is one thing; but it’s impossible to be in control of an entire team’s sales. Therefore, a loss of direct control of the sale is required in favor of a focus on the sales manager’s team members.
Strength #4. Supervising.
Sale managers must possess front-line supervisory skills. They need to know how and when to step in to discipline or change behaviors in an employee. They must possess wisdom about when to support subordinates versus when to discipline them. Top sales performers do not need supervisory skills to achieve top dog status.
Strength #5. Managing.
The key skill of the manager is to utilize every subordinate’s special strengths to achieve the goals of the sales group. Weaknesses in employees exist, but assembling a group of team members who have strengths in the right areas, and knowing how to put those strengths to work, is not required of top sales performers. It is, however, required of sales managers who wish to achieve top sales performance. These management concepts are described by Marcus Buckingham in his book “The One Thing You Need to Know About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success” (Simon & Schuster, 2005).
Strength #6. Coaching, training, mentoring.
Successful sales managers should be able to coax salespeople to improved performance, both in one-on-one coaching events and in classroom training environments. Although there may be some of these elements present in all selling top performers, these elements are crucial for top sales management performance.
Strength #7. Leading.
According to Marcus Buckingham, again in “The One Thing You Need to Know,” successful leaders have two key attributes: (1) They have the ability to create a vision for the future; and (2) They have the ability to get subordinates lined up within this vision, so that individuals’ efforts will support, and not hamper, the group’s progress. Successful sales managers have these leadership attributes. Leadership skill is not required of top sales performers.
Strength #8. Filtering directives.
The sales manager will receive many directives from her superiors. To be effective, she must know when to filter out or adjust these directives, and when to take them on with reckless abandon. This is a delicate balance, and not knowing when to do which one can wreak havoc in a sales organization. The wisdom to know when to embrace upper-management directives, and when to subtly give them secondary attention, will help determine the success of the sales manager’s team, and therefore, the success of the sales manager.
Strength #9. Hiring and Firing.
Top-performing sales managers must make be able to accurately predict sales performance during the interviewing process, and must leverage that ability in their hiring of subordinates. Without this ability, sales performance will suffer. Top sales performers do not need this predictive skill. Successful sales manager must also know how and when to remove an employee from their team so that negative repercussions are minimized.
Strength #10. Deciding.
There’s no question that making good decisions is important in successful selling. But in a sales management role, all decisions are magnified because each decision affects more than one individual. The sales manager’s decisions affect an entire staff of sales professionals and their customers. This means decision-making skills are vital for the sales manager.
There are many skills required for sales success. Among them are the ability to prospect and create business opportunities, the ability to identify prospects’ needs, and ability to close the sale. But the sales management qualities listed above are not substantially required for individual selling success.
While there’s some overlap between the required skill of the peak-performing sales manager and the peak-performing sales person, here’s my advice: if you’re looking for a sales manager who will succeed, hire one that possesses the strengths of a sales manager (those listed strengths above). Many peak-performing salespeople don’t possess those strengths.
“A Sales manager’s job is to move sales people to do what works.” This is Part III of the key elements – “Move” (I), “Do” (II), and “What Works” (III)
A very wise sales guru once told me, “If a sales person is unruly, not conforming to policy, etc., but really selling well, keep him (or her) and deal with it.” Whatever this bad apple is doing is working and you want to keep him going. The point: Don’t mess with what’s working well.
Strange at it may sound great sales people (the 10% or less in you sales force) are far more open to suggestions and help than the other 90%. These people are aware times and conditions are ever changing and they know they have to keep improving to compete successfully. That’s why they are all ears when it comes to training, coaching, new ideas and other suggestions.
However, managing great sales people is not why you are reading this. So let’s concentrate on getting the other 90% of your sales team to a point where they can repeatedly do “What Works” well.
What Works
“What Works” means the skills, techniques, strategies, and tactics of actually selling and managing a sales territory or product segment. “What Works” means actually implementing those skills to close business. But “What Works” means more than just closing sales. “What Works” means walking away and avoiding wasted time and resources. It means managing large accounts so they continue to buy more. It means cross selling, up-selling and pursuing referrals. “What Works” means promoting the company’s brand and maintaining the company’s goodwill.
A Selling Process Makes “What”… “Work”
Every sales person and sales manager has a selling process, a system, an approach. The question is how well does it work? Is it efficient? Are sales taking too long to close? Could there be up-sells, cross-sells or add-on’s while the customer is buying? Is it effective? When he’s there, is he selling or is the customer buying? Is he cultivating new prospects and closing them?
Then do the processes of the sales people align with the manager’s. If they don’t, the manager is constantly trying to corral cats. He’s always managing chaos because each sales person is doing what he feels comfortable, which for 90% is probably not working so great.
If your process is not effective and efficient and/or not aligned, you as the manager are constantly listening to all the stories, rationalization and rambling status reports. You probably throw in a few interrogative questions to see if the sales person is on track, but then listen to reasons of why not or, “It’s been tried and probably won’t work.” Finally, they wear you down. You hope for the best and let the sales person go. The sales person leaves relieved because he has survived another review.
Gain Control
A sales process that Works give sales people the map for success; the leverage elements that make sales happen; and the realization of an attempt that won’t close. A sales process gives the manager the visibility to inspect what’s to be accomplished before sales calls; analyze and strategize sales opportunities as quality information is delivered and; have assurance that sales people are doing what you want them to do.
Sales process provides a common language so you can eliminate the fluffy stories and get to the meat of the sales criteria, i.e. are you dealing with the decision makers, when will this deal close, and what problems (red flags) are holding it back from closing immediately? Sales process eliminates all the excuses, rationalizations, and flack. Sales process makes expectations clear so that everyone knows what they have to do, what they have to report, how they will be measured, and what happens if all goes well, and not so well. Sales process is repeatable. Everyone can do it over and over again and it works efficiently. Sales process is predictable. It provides metrics that can accurately predict successes or failures.
Proactive CRMs
Since the “What Works” of selling involves many aspects – closing, upselling, large accounts, etc., the sales process has sub processes -sales strategies, sales calls, getting to the right people, managing relationships, prospecting and territory management. All of these must have language, rules, order, expectations, reports, metrics, etc. CRMs can be very helpful, but must incorporate the selling process and be proactive rather than a story collector. In other words, if your CRM prompts the sales person to do the process and informs the manager ahead of sales calls, quotes, presentations, etc. of what the sales person plans to do, then the CRM can assist in the implementation of the sales process which is what makes the “What”… “Work”.
Knowing You’re on the Right Path
If your sales process is working, your sales people will come to your sales reviews saying,
“Boss, I know what you’re going to ask. So before you say a thing, let me explain the problems and these are the actions I’m doing and going to do and this is when each action will be completed. Now boss, what other suggestions or advice do you have?”
When your team reports to reviews like this, your life will be much easier and successful. Sale process can do this for you. That’s the good news. However, it requires you making it happen and this requires patience, focus, discipline, and stamina – one-piece-at-a-time.
One Piece at a Time
There are a lot of good selling processes (possibly your own) and each has many elements. Everyone on the team needs to know the elements and how to implement them. Therefore, as the manager you must train (teach him and her “What Works”), coach (tell him and her “What” to “Do”), mentor (show him and her how to do “What Works” if he’s struggling), and hold all accountable for the effective selling behaviors. Metrics are the indicators that they are doing “What Works”. Sales people must “Do” what they’ve learned and been told to “Do” and measure up. If not, the manager must determine how to “Move” (See Part I) the sales person to “Do” (See Part II) “What Works”, or recruit a new sales person.
The key to training, coaching, mentoring and holding each accountable is to do a little at a time.
Every element of the sales process, or what you expect your people to do, must be taught, coached, mentored, and reviewed for accountability. Stick to one element at a time with each individual until s/he has got it. Never assume when he nods his head he’s got it. He may understand it, but usually he’s a long way from being able to do it. So always ask him to repeat back to you what you said, or better yet role-play. Get him or her to commit that it will be done. You have to confirm he has it before you can hold him accountable.
Have faith. It is not as daunting as it sounds from the above example. Many already do some elements well. You may just have to make the sales person vividly aware of what s/he is doing correctly per your process, and what needs changing and/or improving. A sales person with potential and desire can learn quickly (See “Move” Part I). Believe it or not, sales people want to please their boss. So as long as you keep asking for what you want (managing your expectations), they will all eventually give it to you – even the renegades.
Putting a selling process that “Works” into place will make your sales skyrocket.