Even though I’ve been doing this for close to a year, I feel like a bit of a newbie in the direct sales arena. That’s because I know or have heard of people doing it for 20+ years. Of course 20 years ago (not that I would have any idea but a “friend” told me) there was no online selling right? Now it’s a big thing and we would be silly not to take advantage of it.
First I want to stress that I don’t think it’s a good idea to base your whole business on virtual selling because of the whole “all of your eggs in one basket” thing and the “you can’t replace face to face” talking thing. This is especially true in my business because I’m an independent stylist for Color Street nail polish strips and it’s so important for us to be able to physically put a sample on someone. But done well, honestly, and ethically, with a sprinkle of fun and personality, you can certainly do a chunk of your business online if you choose to.
The problem is that it can be overwhelming. Where do I start? Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter? Is one better than the other when it comes to direct sales? Should I make a separate Facebook business page? Should I keep my Facebook personal and business pages far far apart or mix them together? What about Facebook groups?
Oh I can think of a million more questions you might have if you are a newbie too but that will just make things worse. Keep reading, there is hope!
What I want to do is offer a suggestion to make things much better or easier or less confusing. It’s what I did and am still doing. Because I am still learning 6 months later. I attended a social media training class back in January given by Brenda Ster. In the short period of time that we had for the training she was able to touch on all of the relevant social media topics. She was engaging, fun, and I could tell she was super knowledgeable and experienced. I also could tell that I was pretty much clueless when it came to social media even though I’ve had a Facebook account since the beginning of time, a new Facebook VIP Group for my shiny new direct sales business and am also on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. I knew I had much more to learn so I sought out Brenda’s Facebook Groups.
The first one I joined was The Socialite Suite. I admit, I joined because it was free. Seriously why not? There I found a pretty large community of super friendly, fun (mostly women) who want nothing more than to support each other and help each other out. How cool is that? No spam, no selling, no bullying, no being mean allowed. Mix in the training and tips of Brenda and her wonderful staff of helpers and bam! It’s a pretty good deal.
But after a little while I felt like I needed to dig a little deeper into the Social Marketing thing. So I joined The Elite Suite (formerly known as Suite Sassy Pants) also administered by Brenda and her staff. This is not free but well worth any associated costs.
This is daily social coaching for any home based business. It also includes printables (I love printables, don’t you?) challenges (they might send you off to go do something that you learned that day-I like this because I learn by doing not reading) and then of course there’s the community. Since this is paid coaching it’s a smaller group which makes it even more supportive, fun, and empowering.
Whether you’re a representative of a brand selling jewelry, clothing, oils, skin care or you have your own online business, if you join The Elite Suite, you’ll find the community to help you succeed online. You’ll get daily tips, live coaching, and a sales strategy to help you reach your goals. Oh and here’s one of my favorites. Each month you get a free graphics pack (digital papers) to play with and make your own. Love, love, love this. Note there happens to be a special going on right now where you can get your first month of coaching for $1.00. Not sure how long that will last.
There are a lot of other courses I want to take and when I do I want to blog about them. When I think about how far I have come and how much I’ve learned that I didn’t know I didn’t know in just the first 6 months because of the Socialite Suite and the Elite Suite, I’m pretty amazed. I also cringe at the mistakes I made in the beginning when I thought I was doing it right. But you’re supposed to make mistakes, learn from them and move on right?
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Please comment below any thoughts or questions. I would love to hear them.
