While you are a direct sales professional one of the hurdles you will likely have to climb over is how to sell to people who aren’t in your general area. One of the most basic concepts of direct sales business organizations is the home party strategy, nevertheless you can extend to a much wider amount of people and expand your earnings if you take your online business online and present your social in a chatroom. How’s that work, you ask. Let us show you how to host a direct sales party online!

Step-By-Step Plan To Throwing A Direct Sales Party Through the Internet

1) Attendance – Create a listing of individuals who attend your party. Similar to a home party, you may likely desire to go with a coordinator and allow her choose the attendees.

2) Online Webinar – Opt for a chat room to host the party on or an online conference room. A chat room will allow you and your partygoers the option to remain at their desktop computer and type to be a part of the conversation while an online conference offers people the option to listen in and take part with the help of their home phone, Skype, or by computer typing according to the webinar room features and functions. Likewise, there are outfits that specialize in hosting online direct sales parties.

3) Pick A Date – Mark well the time zones your party guests live in to plan when hosting the party will be the most convenient for all guests.

4) Send Out Invitations – You can post your party invitations via e-mail and make sure to add instructions on how to get access to the chat room or online meeting room.

5) Before the Party Preparation – Ahead of the party ensure you’re prepared with links to your products and product descriptions. If you’re employing an internet conference room relatively often you will be able to include photographs, PowerPoint slides and provide clickable website links right on the screen throughout the demonstration. You may also mail materials to all your attendees prior to the party so they have easy access to the material you are presenting.

You may likewise wish to generate a script for what you are going to point out and what you would like to do throughout the party. This will help you stay on the subject and keep the party to the elected amount of time.

6) Party Time. – Make certain you log into your party ahead of your program. You won’t want other people to get there before you show up. Once almost all of the people have turned up, you will have to introduce yourself, thank your guests for coming and you can even play a game to get each person prepared. A basic game to play on the web is a search the product directory game. Give prizes to the winners.

7) Give Your Presentation. – In addition to offering your products, make sure to speak about special deals you have taking place like cost-free shipping for purchases over a specified amount or a free product with every purchase. Consumers relish special prices and giveaways, use this and make your party attendees feel important and valued simultaneously.

Finish the Party On Schedule. – It’s important to keep the party to a stipulated period of time. For many, an hour or so with the computer and/or phone is plenty of time. Say thanks to everyone for coming, let folks know how they can get involved and develop into direct sales consultants themselves and be sure to give your contact details and web site address once more. also beneficial if you let people know they have a day or two to place their order and still receive your special promotion.

9) Continual Follow Up. – It’s definitely helpful to send a thank you to people who go to your online party. In your thank you make sure to include your web site address, your contact details and a reminder about particular product offers they can benefit from.

Hosting an internet party is much the same as hosting a house party except they are generally a bit more cost effective for you, you do not have to purchase products to demonstrate with, and you do not need to get cleaned up to attend. Indeed, you can host an online party in your underwear. Ultimately, they are an excellent way to broaden your customer base and connect with friends and family everywhere throughout the world.

And now I would like to invite you to visit my online marketing success blog, The Project Marketer! Visit our Direct Sales section and learn even more about throwing successful online direct sales parties: http://www.ProjectMarketer.com

A very cute poem my child’s teach shared with me on Friday:

Dear Lord, it’s such a hectic day
With little time to stop and pray
For life’s been anything but calm
Since You called on me to be a mom
Running errands, matching socks
Building dreams with building blocks
Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes
And other stuff that children lose
Fitting lids on bottled bugs
Wiping tears and giving hugs
A stack of last weeks mail to read
So where’s the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of Your grace
I see then, in my small one’s face
That you have blessed me
All the while
And I stop to kiss
That precious smile

Wishing all of our Sales MOMS a Very Happy Mother’s Day!  To celebrate Mother’s Day we are offering all of our advertising 30% OFF TODAY ONLY!  Simply use coupon code:  MOM when reserving advertising on any of the following websites:

http://www.salesmoms.com
http://www.salesmomsnetwork.com
http://www.directsalesparty.com
http://www.directsalesworks.org
http://www.partyplanyellowpages.com

With summer behind us and kids back in school, women entrepreneurs are flocking to conferences and events to connect with other entrepreneurs and discover new ways to grow their business. Whether you’re in a startup phase or you’ve been in business a few years, getting out from behind your desk and showing up at events is one of the most effective “offline” marketing tools you can use.

One of the “pitfalls” I see in my work with women entrepreneurs is they spend a lot of time marketing online and they let their “offline” strategies fall away. Let’s face it, having an online business sounds fun and exciting and it sure does feel like it’s a lot less work—right? There’s no travel involved, it’s cost effective and you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas! Online marketing should definitely be one of the tools you use to grow your business. I love online marketing as it’s a wonderful way to reach your ideal client (you are most likely reading this article online right now!), but it’s not enough. After being an entrepreneur myself for over two decades, I will share with you that having both an online and offline marketing plan is essential to reaching your goals and milestones.

Making a conscious choice to attend conferences and events is key to creating the momentum and visibility that your business needs. As I look back over the years that I’ve been in business, most of the big “wins” for me came out of attending events. Here are a few smart solutions to use when you attend your next event to grow your business:

1. Dress with Intention – Think about the impression you want to make with the people you meet at the event. Many times, I see people show up dressed in a way that does not resonate with the image they are attempting to create. This does not mean that you need to have expensive clothes or jewelry, but you need to dress professionally in order to attract your ideal client. Put some thought into how you want to show up and be remembered.

2. Arrive on time – or even a few minutes early – This is a must if you feel a little uncomfortable going to events where larger groups feel a little overwhelming. This will allow you to select the seat where you feel most confident and you can greet people as they trickle in. It’s also a great way to meet the organizers of the event who are typically centers of influence.

3. Find your “tribe” – As you move around the room, listen to conversations and join in where you find like-minded people. I never try to meet everyone in the room when I go to large events. My intention is to meet like-minded entrepreneurs with whom I can form a relationship. (“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”)

4. Prepare to share – This is where you need to have your marketing message well-honed. Make sure you have your ideal client defined. Share exactly what the benefits or transformation people receive when they work with you. Be prepared with business cards or other marketing materials. Don’t forget to ask people for their cards as well so you can follow-up.

5. Follow-up after the event – This is the main key to success but often the one that’s most overlooked. When you get back to the office, spend some time following up with the people where there was a real connection. It’s important to take this action step 24-48 hours after the event. This one step can create momentum for potential joint ventures, referrals and partnerships in the future.

Getting out of the office and attending events that attract your ideal client is a smart solution. It allows you to interact in person and give people a feel of who you are and how you can help them. It has been an effective marketing strategy for my business and it can be for yours as well. I invite you to get a date on the calendar today to attend your next event and use the solutions above to increase your visibility which translates into more clients and more income.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

 Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at Profits With Passion .

As a direct sales business owner, you know that recruiting new consultants is an important part of building your business. If you’ve been recruiting out in the real world for any amount of time, you also know that many times it’s not an easy task. You post flyers around town, talk to party hosts and guests, yet still you don’t have the team in place you’d like to have so you can sit back and relax a bit. Do you find yourself asking “Now what?” or “Where can I possibly go next?” Have you ever thought about recruiting for your direct sales business online?

Creating a website dedicated to your direct sales business can bring in more sales, but can also be set up to help you recruit those interested in joining your team. Setting up a website can cost as little as $20 a year and recouping that cost can easily be done. One recruit will more than likely bring you more than enough commission to cover the annual cost of hosting and domain registration.

Designing your website to accommodate those interested in becoming consultants. Set up a specific section of your site dedicated to visitors who want to learn more. Be sure to include contact information so they can get in touch with you to talk about the opportunity and receive answers to any questions they have. Once you have a team in place you can even conduct training sessions online, offer training material to them right on your website and more.

Taking your recruiting efforts to the Internet opens the door for serious growth and income potential in your business. It also affords you more time to enjoy life, instead of working it away with home party after home party, in order to reach your income goals.

Why limit yourself and miss out on possible top of the line recruits just because they aren’t in your reachable area offline? The potential in direct sales recruiting online is huge, don’t miss out.

How Do I Generate More Online Leads for My Direct Sales Business?

Here’s a question I recently received from a subscriber who was looking for more leads for his direct sales business. He wrote:

*Question*: My wife and I have been an associate for a particular company for several months now and we are indeed very happy with the products and support training.

Our problem is getting other people to view our link or getting them to open it at all, I suppose. We need to expand our effort to new associate recruiting and would like your input as to how we might do this.

Thank you for reply to this letter.

*Answer*: Thanks for the question. I know that the problem you face is what many direct sales reps face as well. Right now, you are using the website that the company provided to you. It’s the same site that the other reps are using and it really doesn’t say much about the two of you as unique people.

Your site also makes people enter a code before even viewing it. I understand that this is so you can get credit for any referrals, but you’re creating an extra step for your users. People have to remember the code, type it in or even copy and paste it, which unfortunately, is something a lot of people won’t bother to do.

People use the Internet because it’s easy and they want to surf around quickly, without having to jump through hoops. You want your information right in front of your prospect when they get to the site.

Obviously, this is the way the company has set up the website and they probably aren’t going to change that…but honestly…I don’t think that matters. The two of you need your own unique online presence and need to generate your own leads.

Here’s why:

Who knows what will happen with your relationship with your company. They are a highly reputable company that’s been around for well over 100 years, but you have no idea what the future holds. If the company decided to no longer offer the direct sales opportunity or one day, the two of you decide you just don’t want to work with the company…what happens?

Your business is gone!

That’s no good. I recommend that you keep your online presence separate from the company you are working with, so it really is your OWN business and you can maximize your income. You can generate leads that might be interested in your opportunity and you can make them other offers through affiliate programs or you might even want to create your own information products down the line.

Think of what unique perspective you give to your business. Are you great cooks who can show people how to make delicious meals with those products? From the recruiting side, you can also figure out a unique perspective, but make it a product focused one. Your best recruits will be people who have the same interests as you…not just people who want to make money online.

You can start by creating a list to promote your products and another to find recruits. I’d create two separate websites for this because some of your best customers will never be interested in the opportunity, so don’t confuse your visitors.

For the product list, you can share recipes, information about using the right herbs and spices, etc.

For the recruiting one, you can give information about starting a home business, show how fun it is to sell these types of products, etc….all from your own perspective. All these subscribers you gather now belong to you. If you decide to move in a new direction with your business, you still have these subscribers and you can continue to deliver quality information to them…and earn an income too.

Just remember, this is your business and you want to have complete control AND maximize your income.

Alice Seba is a full-time Internet marketer that helps direct sales reps maximize the performance of their online presence. Claim your free online direct sales lead generation tips at www.onlinedirectsalesleads.com

I’m sure while you have seen many tips on advertising, many that talk about testing and tracking your ads, I’m sure that this one important tip is rarely mentioned: Running more than one ad at a time isn’t the greatest idea.

While it seems like a good idea to spend your monthly advertising budget all at once at the first of the month, is it really gaining you the best exposure? Even if you are running ads on various websites and networks, there is a pretty good chance many of those that see your ad on one site are going to see them on another.

Rather than having several ads running at the same time, try to space out your ads a bit and run only one at a time. Why? Well think of it this way. Say a visitor seeing your ad on one site and thinking “interesting, I may have to buy something later”. Later that same day if they are on another website I’m sure they’ll think, “there it is again, but I’ll buy later”.

Now think if you would have waited a week or two before advertising at that second site in which this visitor comes to daily, and then seeing it saying, “oh wow that site! I forgot I was going to buy there last week, so I’d better do it now”.

See the difference? Rather than one person seeing your site several times in one day or week and it still being the bad time, if you space your ads out you have a better chance of catching them when it IS a better time…or at least taking a closer look at your site and getting them subscribed to your newsletter or other free offers you have on your website.

Another reason it’s good to spread your advertising dollars as far as they will go is for constant exposure. If you are seen constantly in several places at all times, the easier you are going to be remembered. Not to mention like we said before, always be seen by someone who IS ready to buy.

Now of course, when you do choose to advertise on several sites at the same time, there is the chance you will reach more of your target audience. Plus if you have the funds to constantly advertise on several sites at once, go for it! Just remember to keep the ads going, so you have a constant flow of visitors.

Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank, owners of DirectSalesHelpers.com strive to help women succeed in direct sales. For additional help with your direct sales business, visit http://www.directsaleshelpers.com/newsletter.html

Here is a list of many free advertising ideas:

• 1. Offer a contest. Whenever I offer a no purchase required contest, I see hundreds of additional hits to my website. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that not all traffic received in this manner is targeted traffic; however for the price of one product as my prize, I do indeed find some new customers. I usually give away a scrapbook kit as my prize. The cost to me is about $25. If I can get just 5 new customers from this contest I’m a very happy camper.
• 2. Write an ebook and give it away. If you write an ebook not only can you give it away to those who visit your site, but if the book is of value, meaning it contains great information you will get others who also want to give away your ebook.
• 3. Participate on message boards. I visit and participate in about 8 communities daily. I then have another dozen or so communities that I visit on a weekly basis. Most communities offer an assortment of message boards. One of my favorite boards is a current events board. I was so active on that board, I soon became a moderator. If a participant in this community wants what I sell, who do you think they will buy from?
• 4. Interview someone in your field. If you interview someone in your field, you’ll have the opportunity to advertise using their name and they in return will be sending folks to your site to read the interview. Very recently, I read two interviews that Chris Knight from ezinearticles.com wrote about. These interviews allowed Chris to promote the sites of the folks that interviewed him and it also allowed the two interviewers to promote Chris’s site. I personally visited two sites I would not have visited if Chris had not promoted them.
• 5. Create a newsletter. I subscribe to a few really wonderful newsletters. The folks who publish these newsletters have their own sites, and are selling something. Every week, or every month, by offering quality content, these newsletter owners generate traffic to their website. The folks who subscribe are interested in what is being sold, or they would not have opted in to receive this newsletter. Provide them with great content and they’ll stay subscribed. How wonderful to have several hundred or several thousand people asking to read your newsletter and every one of them has an interest in what you sell.

Try a few of these forms of free advertising and watch both your web hits and your sales go up.

About the author:
Audrey Okaneko has been in business since 1983. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com