How to organize a workshop

A workshop doesn't usually last longer than 3 hours, and it can be divided into various workshops that are conducted in different blocks, separated by no less than 20 minutes each, so that participants can relax, talk and drink something in between activities.

The big difference with events such as conferences, seminars or symposia is that they are prepared precisely in order to assistants to participate actively coordinated by an expert or representative of the theme that connects them. The role of the coordinator is essential in the workshop as he will be in charge all the participants interactions, the products and the techniques used.

The organization of a workshop can be set to make demonstrations of products and their use supporting the theoretical presentation in order to enable participants to experience the products and usage in a real context, being also able to ask questions to the coordinator.

The 10 Commandments of Sales

1. Think - The sale is in your mind;
2. Believe - Develop a belief system that can't be penetrated;
3. Get Involved - Develop compatibility and personal involvement before starting the sale;
4. Find out - People buy for their own reasons, not for yours. Discover their motives first;
5. Ask - If you ask the wrong questions, you will get the wrong answers;
6. Observe - your ability to observe must be as powerful as your ability to sell and your ability to listen;
7. Dare - Dare to take risks;
8. Assume - Know who is to blame when the sale is made;
9. Deserve - Sell for the relationship, not for the commission;
10. Prove - A testimony is worth a hundred sales presentations;

You don't become a great salesman in just one day. But you can become an excellent salesman day by day.

Grow your Client List With a Giveaway

If you're a direct seller and you own a blog or Facebook page (or both!), one of the best ways to increase your client list and get people to know about your brand and products is to host a Giveaway.

Select one of your products, or create a bundle and start spreading the word. If you have a blog in Wordpress there are multiple of plugins that will help you, for example: "And the winner is" is one of the plugins that, once installed, will randomly select one of the comments left in your post. But there are other alternatives that work with all blogging platforms, like Random.org .

Usually the giveaway consists in a couple of rules: like the page, comment the post and share through the social media accounts. If you're giving away a bundle from Younique, for example, you will make a post explaining the contest rules, ask for the participants to like Younique's Facebook page, leave a comment in the Giveaway post's comments section and share the post's link through their Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. You should define a time span for the contest so you can gather as much as new followers and prospective clients as possible, usually one week or two is enough. And take a picture of the prize, so the clients know exactly what they are trying to win.

At the end of the giveaway, use the tools (plugin or Random.org) to select the winner, and make a post with the name of who won.

Close your deal faster

Working with sales requires that the seller has many skills, such as communication, charisma, understanding, patience and persuasiveness. 

There are some sales techniques that help the seller to make a satisfactory commercial representation and make their exports more quickly:

• Anticipate

The sooner you start planning your method of sale, the more success you will have. It is very important to consider how you approach your customer .

• Create a bond with the customer

The proximity will now help you in the sales process and increase your chances of business to be successful, because by trusting you, the client also trusts the product you represent.

• Be understanding

Understand what your customer is willing and offer him exactly what he looks for in good condition for payment.

• Collaborate

If the client isn't satisfied with the conditions, give him some other alternatives .

• Learn to listen

Listen to what your customer has to say. It is important that everyone agrees with the decision to be made for the sale to be closed in the most transparent way possible .

• Inspire confidence

If the client is in doubt, give as much information as possible to make him feel safe. Introduce him actual results of other successful sales and customer satisfaction surveys .

• Provide clear and objective responses

Demonstrate safety when responding to customer inquiries. An unsecured vendor demonstrates a lack of training and distrust. If you show that you know deeply what is selling, the customer will also have confidence in you and the product you offer .

The representative who is prepared and prepare an effective plan of sales can make all the difference at the time of sale.

Promoting your business site / blog

Promoting on social media helps the clients getting to know your sales site or blog. They provide a contact with the audience and draw attention and interest to those who have no knowledge of the product / service / brand you are publishing about.

Social media tools, like Twitter ( RT ) and Facebook ( Share and Like ) help in spreading the idea and help to increase the popularity of the web site and/or blog. But for a successful promotion, it must be done in a creative and well - structured manner.

SEO , SMM and SMO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization), SMM (Social Media Marketing) and SMO (Social Media Optimization) are factors that can't be excluded when creating a social network for any product / service / brand. They aid in the achievement of increased online traffic, attracting the target audience, expanding content and generating a market recognition. In practice: this means that the more your site or blog is shaped and structured with an online marketing goal - attract the target audience - the more the ranking in the search engines (like Google and Bing) will increase, and more prospective clients will see your site or blog. 

The SEO analyzes the behavior of the target audience and helps the site's improvement. As for the SMM, it checks the performing marketing and creates quality content. SMO, increases the amount of visitors in social media.

If you are a Younique presenter, and you have your own blog, these are the three main areas of online marketing you should focus on: analyze your audience and its behavior when visiting your blog; create quality content to engage your audience and promote it through the social media channels. 

Encourage your staff to sell more and better

Some simple sales techniques are critical to the performance of the team, which is reversed in profit and growth for both parties :

Most customers do not know exactly what they need. So take the opportunity to discover the appropriate times to offer their solutions (and how to offer in order to emphasize the value they deliver to the customer);
In this sense: price is not everything. Show the customer the advantages that your product offers . Who sells makeup does not offer lip glosses, but beauty, self confidence, comfort and even social status.

Keep in touch: the customer doesn't always buy the product at first, so be courteous and leave open doors to a new opportunity .
Encourage the use of software and social media: many direct sales businesses are still in the past in this regard and do not see the importance of using the social media. This software and social media use needs to be aligned to a personalized sales routine, favoring the management of the customers , orders, and providing all the tools so that they best meet the customer and sell more.

What is on the rise today is the ability to exhibit products and issue orders on the tablet or Smartphone, since they will give more agility and value the products sold, and create a more modern impact on the client himself.

Direct sells: What not to do

In the last post we spoke about Direct Sellers To Do List, a list of tips to do with your sales parties and events.
Today, we're providing you a list of tips of what not to do for your sales events:

• Don't talk on the phone while your potential clients are browsing around your table. It is highly unprofessional to look disinterested and it will make people lose their interest as well, and eventually your sales will suffer.

• Being behind the table or the stall with your head down (reading, texting...) or staring at the floor. This will refrain your clients to feel open to ask you questions and will make them uncomfortable picking up some of your products you have for sale. 

•  If you're organizing the sale with someone else, or some other sellers, don't talk about organizational issues in front of your clients: they will think they are actually disturbing the event, or think they came to a bad sale, especially if they are new clients. Keep those issues to discuss after the sale or, if really needed, do it discretely and with a smile on your face. 

•  The previous don't also applies if you have a helper at your table or booth. Talking to each other constantly will give an idea that you are preoccupied and busy with something else and could discourage potential clients from buying.