You send out messages about your business and hear crickets. You post on social media and barely even get a like! That’s the moment when it hits you: You need to expand your network and reach new customers! But when you’ve legitimately explored all the corners of your personal network and can’t get any bites, how do you break out of your circle?
As an online party platform built by direct sales professionals specifically for direct sales consultants, Sqweee is here to help! We’ve put together a list of our top tips for growing your business organically so that you can reach new customers faster than ever!
Know Your Customer
The first step to growing your direct sales business is to know your market. This may take a little bit of introspection as you ask yourself:
- Who is my ideal customer?
- What are their demographics?
- How would you describe them?
- What are the pain points and needs in their daily life?
- What complementary interests are they likely to have?
Once you have a good understanding of the type of person who’s most likely to respond to your products, it’s easier to think about where they might spend their time — and that’s where you want to target your marketing!
Make New Friends
You’ve likely heard the phrase “you are your own best customer.” In some ways, this is true in your direct sales business! This doesn’t mean you are the one who purchases from yourself, but that you are likely the one who is most passionate about your products.
Chances are, if your product attracted you enough that you joined the company, people who are similar to you are likely to be attracted to your product, too!
If you are looking to reach new customers who connect with your product, it can be helpful for you to focus on making new friends who share interests similar to yours. This is especially important if you feel your network has been overworked in the past.
Start by looking for online or in-person groups for hobbies or other interests of yours, even if they have nothing to do with your products. As you join these groups and begin to interact with its members, you will naturally be able to expand your network. Keep in mind that your main goal here is to make new friends, not make a sale. It’s important to take your time and build up these new friendships organically, by showing interest in them, commenting with meaningful responses, and developing a solid relationship and trust before you ever broach the topic of business. Friends first, then business.
This particular strategy for reaching new customers can take the most patience but it can also be the most rewarding!
Looking for more ways to take your direct sales business to the next level?
Download our "5 Tips to Reach New Customers" Checklist!
Provide Value
No matter whether a customer is new in your network or an “old faithful,” they are most likely to stick around when you provide quality content that meets a need for them. This is where it becomes helpful to really know your customer because you can focus on helping them connect the dots between a problem they face and how your products can solve it.
It’s a good idea to follow the 80-20 rule, where 80% of the content you post should be informative or driving engagement, while only 20% should be focused on your products or business. We’re exposed to so much advertising on any given day that we naturally tune out most sales pitches, but helpful tips are always welcome!
For example, let’s imagine that you sell cleaning products, and your average customer is looking for ways to make cleaning faster and more simple. Instead of posting simply about a product and sharing how quickly it cuts through grease, offer instead to provide a “spring cleaning checklist” that you will email to them to help them whip through their spring cleaning tasks. Once you’ve collected their email address, you now have a new lead in your network and new potential for a future sale!
Walk the Walk
Many direct sales companies sell or provide branded logo gear to their consultants, and this is an easy way to provide a conversation starter for yourself as you go about your daily business! While this may sound like a humorous approach to growing your business, this is a simple act that can actually make an impact. When you wear logo gear, you give others the opportunity to start a conversation about your business — whether they are already familiar with the brand or have never heard of it before. If they do, you’ll know that they’re a true fan of your company or have a deeper curiosity about your products than the average person. Just the fact that they’ve started the conversation for you can help you to feel more comfortable in sharing about your products or even inviting them to join one of your direct sales parties to learn more!
