Episode 25 Transcript

Hey everyone, it is me Lisa and I’m back with another episode of the other 99%. Today I decided to talk about something that is really near and dear to me because when I was considering direct sales, I went through all the questions. When I joined my first company, I’m not saying that it was a mistake by joining the company that I joined, but I went in not knowing what to ask, what to look for and all those things. Nowadays, especially with the economy the way it is, there might be many people trying to determine if direct sales is maybe a direction in their life that they want to pursue. Or you know, you yourself might be considering another direct sales opportunity, either to work in conjunction with the one you’re with already, or to replace it. And I wanted to put together this podcast episode just to help you go through a few things that I think that you need to consider when looking at another direct sales company or a direct sales company to determine if it is right for you. So first thing I want you to do is you need to know whether or not you’re considering direct sales as a side hustle, a full-time career, and there’s really a lot to consider before jumping in and making that change or…jumping in for the first time. So let’s start our conversation and talk about, you know, what is direct sales? I’m sure that if you’re listening to this podcast, you know what direct sales is. Either somebody has referred you to this podcast to have a listen or you’re in direct sales yourself. And we all know that direct sales is basically a business model that where we sell products or provide services from the company directly to consumers. And we do it basically through in-person demonstrations or using on online platforms, right? I mean, the best thing about direct sales, it offers flexibility in our schedule. It offers potential for income. You know, you have opportunities for personal growth. And I do have to say if I didn’t find direct sales 18 years ago, I don’t think that I would be the person I am today. There was definitely a lot of personal growth that has happened for me in the last 18 years.

So let’s take a look at what do you want to achieve when you start a direct sales business? Are you looking to make a part-time income? Are you looking for a full-time career? Are you just looking to get the personal development or the networking opportunities? We need to know our goals in order to find the company that best suits us. And the one thing that I will say is when you’re looking at direct sales, I want you to remember this. It is not easy. There is no easy button out there. It is a business and you need to work in order to get what you want out of it. So if you’re looking to make a decent income, you need to work to make that income happen because contrary to beliefs, I mean, a lot, you see a lot of posts out there where they’re just saying, all you have to do is scroll social and post and all the money will roll in. Well, typically that does not happen. And if it is happening, truly, it’s like an anomaly. And I would really love to know how these people are getting that to come in side of direct sales now, when you have like a good social selling, a social circle on social media, I should say, and you know, you have those people watching your demos and stuff, but those people are putting a lot of work into their social presence in order to get that return from their business. So just think of it that way. Yes, there, when it comes to posting on social media. There’s a lot more that’s involved than just like copy paste post. That typically doesn’t bring in your income. So, sorry I went off on that little tangent, but I honestly feel like you really need to know this in order to make an informed decision because there are some really icky, for lack of a better word, icky sales tactics out there direct sellers posting. And I just want you to be clear that, you know, it does take some work. So now let’s dive into what I did when I transferred from my first company to my current company Epicure. I researched as much as I could. I already knew that I loved the business model. I loved sharing the products with people. What I didn’t love about that company that I was first with was the inventory talk when you first joined. So, I mean, I knew that there were some things that I wanted to do. So what you wanna do when you’re researching the company, you wanna make sure that you’re picking a company with a good reputation, a good track record, great products, you know, products that you most likely are using and love and you feel that everyone else should use as well. And make sure that they’re very transparent about their commission structure, how much you make. Because let’s face it, if we’re starting a business, typically we are starting a business to make some money. So we don’t wanna have to have an MBA to understand the comp plan because I know for a fact that there are many comp plans out there that are very, very hard to interpret, but you’re looking for something that is easy for you to understand.

Okay. So let’s talk about the products. Let’s go back and talk about the products and the services. Are these products that the company that you’re looking at, are they in high demand? You know, are they quality products? Do they align with your interests? Could you see yourself representing that company? Could you see yourself holding your head high as you walk into a room full of people that you have shared your products with? If the answer is yes, then most likely that company is something that you wanna consider, goes along with your values, and you know that you’re passionate about the product. Now, I always say that if I wasn’t in direct sales, or if I wasn’t with my current company, I would be making somebody else really rich because I use my product every day, my home. So I use it probably, you know, breakfast, lunch and dinner in some way or another, there’s one, whether it’s a cookware item or a seasoning, but I am using it in my day-to-day life. So if I wasn’t selling it and getting my ambassador discount, then I would be giving that money. to someone else and making them very happy and very rich. So that’s why I really, that’s why I stick around with my company. If you find a direct sales company that you know, like, oh my God, I just have to have it, or I love this, I love the cleanser, I love the smell of that scent, then you know that you’re going in the right direction, okay?

Another thing that you have to ask about, and you could be asking the person that you are talking to about the business opportunity, but you wanna know what kind of training and support are included in the company that you’re joining. Like, does your upline provide you with support? Does the company provide you with support? Even though I will say that there are tons of things out there on the World Wide Web, lots of training from other companies because I always say direct sales is direct sales. All you have to do is sub your product for their product and you can most likely adjust the training that someone is offering online to a training that you can use in your business. So, but you also want to make sure that the company is there to support you. Are they providing you training or, you know, Maybe ask like why, like where do you get your information from? How do you learn all this stuff? Because especially if you’re very new to direct sales, coming into the business is not like a turnkey opportunity. I mean, there’s things that you need to know. You need to know how to talk to people without being salesy. You need to know how to provide value. You don’t need to know not how, not…how to just like, you know, post and pray if you’re dealing with online situations. So you really want to have that support behind you. So make sure that you you know, what kind of support Hey, even ask the person that you’re chatting with, can you jump on a zoom and maybe show me your your back office? Like what kind of support do you guys have in your back office? Or what kind of support does your upline give you? There’s no no harm in asking. Like you can always ask. I mean, I always say if you don’t ask the answer is always no. So what’s gonna hurt if you ask?

Now the last thing that I really wanna talk about is red flags. So things that you want to be cautious of or almost avoid when it comes to picking your direct sales company. Now, I cringe when I hear this term, but it’s true. There are some out there and it makes me sad that a lot of people think that all direct sales companies are pyramid schemes. And that just truly isn’t fact. I mean, you can compare a direct sales company to like a big box store. There is always someone at the top and then there is the next level, the next level. So every business is shaped like a pyramid. A true pyramid scheme is when you have a company that’s, and their sole way to get income is by bringing people into the business. They don’t technically have a product to sell. They may have one product really, but they don’t technically have a line of products to sell. They just bring people in on the hopes of making that big money. And in order to make that big money, you have to keep bringing people in underneath you. And most direct sales companies, you don’t actually get paid to bring someone in. You only get paid once you help that person start earning an income themselves. So really consider, you know, what kind of product line do they have, you know, and if you’re if you have a question, like, ask them, you know, explain, tell me more. And you’ll usually get the answer, like they’ll tell you, no, like I have to sell products in order to make money. And my team, I make a small kickback on my team for helping them, you know, work their business. But typically a true direct sales company, you make the majority of your money by selling products.

Another red flag to look out for are companies who feel the need to toss around how much money they’re making. So you’ll have leaders or consultants out there saying, oh, I just had a five figure month. Yeah, that’s great. Am I saying that that doesn’t exist? Absolutely not. There are many people out there making five figures a month, some even six figures a month. But there shouldn’t be a need to flaunt that. Once you have the conversation with the person, you can absolutely tell them the potential how it’s there for them. But to go out on social media saying, oh, I would love to make that money. Yes, I would love to make that money too, but chances are there’s a lot of work behind that to get to that point. And a true business person, I personally, and this is my own opinion, I don’t personally feel like they need to be out there flaunting how much money they’re making. And also watch for companies that require you to make a large inventory purchase in order to start your business or look for companies who make you have to make like large purchases monthly in order to get paid because I personally like in my business model, I earn more if I sell but I don’t have to sell or sorry. I earn more the more I sell, of course, but I don’t technically have to buy anything personally in order to earn compensation. So when you think about that, it’s like, oh, well, I have to do X number of personal volume, then just know that you’re gonna have to make a monthly commitment to your company in terms of buying products, and it might even be like product that you’re not gonna be using. So that’s what goes back to like make sure you are a product of your product and you love the product because some companies require you to make big monthly purchases. And if you’re not using it, then that could just be a cash grab or, you know, not necessarily a cash grab, but it’s just gonna be like a large sum of cash out of your pocket in order to make some income.

So finally, you know, when you’re making the decision, make sure you evaluate all the information and trust your instinct. You know, even survey a few of your friends and family. Don’t say, hey, I’m thinking of starting a business. Just ask them truly, like, what do you think of this product? Like, is this something that you would ever consider purchasing? Because you don’t want to go into, oh, I’m starting a business because they might go, oh, don’t do it, right? You don’t want someone else’s opinion. hindering you from doing what you wanna do. You just wanna sort of get the feel of if the products that you’re looking at representing is something that your circle will already love, right? And then just take your time. Take your time to make the choice. Talk to a few different people, research online. I mean, I’ve even gone as far as going and looking at the Better Business Bureau. I don’t know if that’s in Canada and the US, but like that’s what we call it up here, the Better Business Bureau on Google. And I search companies and it’s surprising that, it’s surprising what you see when it comes to some companies out there. And it’s scary. So just make sure that you cover all your bases and that you don’t jump in just truly on the promise of making money because chances are if you’re being, if you’re being romanced with the idea of, oh, there’s big money to be made, yes, I agree. There is big money to be made, but typically somebody starting out isn’t gonna jump right into that big money. And really you wanna have the support of the person that is sponsoring you and their upline. So don’t be, don’t. be afraid to ask your sponsor if you can have a three-way conversation with them and their upline. It’s a good way to get to know the support structure that you’re going into. All right, everyone. So I hope that this information has been helpful, whether you’re considering direct sales for the first time, or whether you are considering adding another business or replacing your current business. It’s always some things to consider. Don’t, please, please, please don’t let, don’t look at things through rose colored glasses. Like look at things realistically. Chances are if you’re not successful in one company, it’s, and I’m gonna say this, but you know, don’t be offended if this is you, but if you’re not successful in one company, chances are you’re not gonna be successful in another company unless you change the way you are doing things. But if you go into that company with the same old routines and things like that, you’re not gonna see any more success. It doesn’t matter what company you’re in because in order to see success, you need to put the work behind it. So I hope, again, I hope you enjoyed this episode and please join me on the next episode of The Other 99%. Until next time, take care, everyone.