10 Super Star Tips For Network Marketers To Increase Customer Sales
Launching and growing a successful network marketing business is a two sided revenue generating coin. On one side you have recruiting where you are building a team of people who are also interested in running a home based business of their own and on the other you have income generated by customers who don’t necessarily want to build a business but who love the products and contribute to your monthly residual revenue.
Today I want to dive deeper into the customer sales aspect of your business and give you some super start tips that will help you increase your customer sales and your income!
1. Be A Product Of The Product. In order to attract more customers into your business, it’s crucial that you use and love the products too. Using the products means you are educated about them, can answer questions like an expert and you will have a personal testimony to share about the products. Over the years, I have heard people say “I don’t need to use the products or like the in order to grow a successful business.” While there are a select few out there who just have a natural ability to sell ice to Eskimos, I am here to tell you that it’s not a strategy that will work for most people.
As you talk to potential customers, you are going to find that most are going to ask questions like “how has it worked for you? What has been your experience with the products? What is your favorite product to use?” If you aren’t using the products, these kinds of questions are not only going to be difficult to navigate, it will be even harder to convince others why they should be using the products too.
I’m not saying you have to love every product your company sells or use every single product, but find ones that you do love, use on a regular basis and can share a great testimony with.
{One of my favorite testimonials to share of the anti-aging hair care products I have been using for 6 years!}
2. Share Testimonials. To expand on my points above, testimonials are one of the most important marketing tools you can use to increase customer sales. Did you know according to Boast, 92% of customers read online reviews before buying and 72% say positive reviews increase their trust? Those are numbers that can not be argued, testimonials matter and it all boils down to facts tell but stories sell. So it’s important to share your personal experience with your products and to gather testimonials from your customers.
If you are just getting started, ask your friends and family to help. Offer them free samples if they agree to use the products for a week and provide you with their feedback. As you use the products, take to social media to share your experience. On Facebook you could go live and share some tips of how to use the product and why you have found it beneficial. On Instagram you could do a fun reel by sharing something fun about the product and why you love it. One of my favorite ways to share testimonials from customers on social media is to create graphics that grab attention and stand out. I use Canva to create them.
Be sure you are creating graphics that are aligned with your style and brand. Anyone who knows me knows I am all about the color, glitz and glitter so my graphics reflect that. Make it a point to share 1 or 2 testimonials each week so you can build trust with your audience.
3. Know Your Value Proposition. I know this sounds like a fancy marketing term but it just basically means a statement that answers the 'why' someone should do business with you. It should convince a potential customer why your service or product will be of more value to them than similar offerings from somewhere else.
Why is this important? Because the online space is a competitive one and your audience needs to understand what you offer that sets you apart. Maybe your online space is one where they can always find a valuable tip or resource or maybe you are the person who sends handwritten thank you notes to your customers or you offer free samples to try before they buy.
4. Build Relationships. You’ve probably heard this before but yet it’s an art that is getting so lost in our noisy online space. I get it that you are busy with life, family, responsibilities and now trying to build a business but if you want to increase your customer sales you’ll need to invest in building relationships with your audience. To take the time to nurture the like, know and trust factor.
Think about it, when you go to your doctor’s office for example, you don’t want to be treated like just a number. How much of a difference does it make for you to walk in and the receptionist greets you by name, the nurse calls you back and takes the time to ask how you are doing and when your doctor comes in they make you feel like you are the only patient there because they don’t rush through the appointment.
Your audience is no different. They don’t want to feel like just another quick sale. Yes this takes time but believe me, it pays off to the tune of a residual monthly income.
5. Utilize Social Media. Increasing customer sales means you need to reach more people and there is no better way to do that than through social media but how you share can make or break your efforts. Being spammy is never a good strategy but sharing stories is what builds trust with your audience. Make how you share fun and valuable. Create a strategy that is creative, aligns with your personality and helps you to stand apart from the competition but most importantly you need to be consistent to see results. I have put together a FREE 30 Day Content Calendar that can help you utilize social media like a true pro!
6. Offer Samples. If your company offers samples it can be a huge advantage in your business. People like to try before they buy but it’s important to have a strategy in place when offering samples or you can spend a lot of money with little return. Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of offering samples:
• Lead with clear expectations. Gifting samples while a business expense that you can write off is still an expense so be up front about what your expectations are. For example, when you read out to someone don’t just ask if they want a sample and get their address. More than likely they will receive it and it will sit on their counter for weeks until they can get around to trying it so it’s important to set the expectations up front. My company has a lot of great samples that we can use for marketing tools.
Here is how I approach someone to gift a sample to: “Hey Susie, I have a select few samples to gift this month and totally thought of you. Could I drop a sample of our Revive anti-aging shampoo in the mail to you in exchange for your feedback?” If they respond and let me know yes then I say something like: “That would be great, I would really value your opinion. I only have a few of these to give out so just need to know that you have time in your schedule to give it a try as soon as you get it. I am making a note on my calendar to get it in the mail to you today and will follow up with you in a week. I really appreciate this!”.
This gives them a timeline for when I will be following up with them and they have agreed to not let it sit on their counter for a month before trying it. It also lets them know that I value their opinion and appreciate them taking the time to do it.
7. Ask For Referrals. You can do this with your current customers and leverage samples. With your current customers, offer a discount or a free sample of a product they haven’t tried yet when they refer you to someone they know. Ask them for a testimonial so you can use that when you reach out to a new prospective customer.
For example, if Susie has referred you to her friend Jessie you can message Jessie and say something like “Hi Jessie, your friend Susie referred me to you. She is a loyal customer of mine and has had a great testimonial ________________ {insert quick testimonial}. She thought you may be interested in trying the products too. I have a free sample I can send you.”
People are much more likely to be open to this when you can offer them something. If you don’t have free samples you can gift them, think of a loyalty program, sale or discount offer to entice them. Sending a message like “Hey Shelley, your friend Susie referred me and so I am reaching out to see if you are interested in becoming a customer” You will more than likely get a “not right now, maybe later” kind of response. It’s important to share a testimonial and to have something you can offer them so they are open to trying a product they probably have not heard of and don’t know much about.
8. Provide Great Customer Service. Taking care of your current customers is so important in keeping them as a customer. There is nothing worse than to invest time to earn a new customer and take the time to set up a their account just to have them cancel their account the next month. In network marketing, auto ship sales equals residual income so be sure to check in with your current customers as it can organically increase your monthly sales. Here are some tips to help you provide your current customers with great service:
• Share monthly sales and specials by messaging them directly or creating a customer email list.
• Tell them about new product launches and why you are excited about a new product being rolled out.
• Share a testimony with them about a product you are using so they can get excited about adding it to their next order.
• Run a contest for the month or a giveaway. Every customer who places a $100+ order will receive a FREE ____________ {insert free product}
• Remind them to follow your company on social media. My company does an AMZING job with marketing so I am always excited for my customers to follow along on social media. When your customers can see product highlights, photography and information organically in their newsfeed, it prompts them to want to try new products and add them to their next monthly order. (If your company is not doing a good job with marketing on social media, you may need to pick up the slack and create an IG or FB page where you are sharing graphics, photos and information and invite your customers to follow along).
9. Connect with people locally. In the age of online everything, we can forget about the value of seeing people face to face but in person relationships are usually accelerated over virtual ones. Find ways that you can get active in your local community and build a network for yourself as a trusted resource.
Host a monthly workshop or a coffee meet up, attend local networking events where you can meet like minded people who you can support and people who will want to support you. Get creative and think outside the box with ways that you can serve the people in your community that will in turn lead them to learn more about what you do and the products you offer. There is still great value to be found in face to face connections and marketing.
10. Follow-Up. They say the fortune is in the follow-up and it’s 1000% true. Most people will not be excited about something the first time you share it but by dripping on them with information and testimonials you can gain a wealth of new customers. Remember above when we talked about gifting samples and I mentioned the importance of letting people know when you would be following up with them? If you are gifting samples and reaching out to people on a consistent basis, you should have a consistent pipeline of people to follow up with and a consistent stream of new customers.
The network marketing model is a popular work-at-home business opportunity because it doesn’t involve selling out of a physical location. You can differentiate yourself by focusing on user-experience and passion.
To recap, make sure you focus on developing a good user experience, building a community, providing exceptional customer service, nurturing strong relationships and have your online presence translate into a powerful story. It makes the sales process work for you rather than you working for sales.
Never lost sight of the important to make every customer feel valued. It fosters loyalty, builds a connection, and creates trust which leads you to increase your customer sales!
