Direct Sales vs. Corporate America

I recently introduced my new business venture to a friend of mine.  To give you some context to his situation, he is an individual contributor working in Corporate America.  In other words, he has a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss, who has a boss.  Now I’m not sure how many layers of management there are from the c-suite to the front line in his company, but in most organizations I’ve seen, you have a President, Officers, VPs, Directors, Managers and the Front Line (or something to that degree).

His response to me of why he didn’t want to get involved was because he said “It seems like a pyramid.”  Pyramid, I thought to myself, that’s what you’re in!  Not sure if you work in a pyramid or not?  Take a look at the photo below.  Does that resemble your organization?  That’s what I thought!

A pyramid scheme is where individuals put money in without doing any work and expecting an increase in return.  Those are illegal!

Now I’m not sure why my friend said what he did, but either he isn’t educated about direct sales or he didn’t want to hurt my feelings for not partnering with me.  Either way, I’m OK with that.  If he got in and didn’t produce, neither of us wouldn’t get paid anyway. 

What I am not OK with is why Corporate America is looked at differently from Direct Sales.  In most standard jobs, if you produce, you get paid.  In my first blog post, Direct Sales - Insanity or Genius, I shared a PDF for download of an article that further explained how in 2010 the Direct Sales Industry produced $125 Billion in revenue and provided a business opportunity to 75 million people in 150 countries.

In Direct Sales, if you produce and/or your team produces you get paid.  If you produce alot, you get paid ...very well!  For example, at Enhance International, there are 3 ways to earn an income:

1.) when you sell products direct to your clients

2.) when your team purchases or sells products to their clients

3.) when you purchase products from yourself

All 3 methods are added together to create your total sales volume and you get paid a commission.  For me, that makes more sense than most corporate jobs!

Do you want to learn more about making a second income or starting a business?  Watch our video on the Enhance Business Overview.  Are you interested in learning more about the products available?  Look at the other tabs on this site for our initial products: ID Nutrition, In a Snap - Sleep and In a Snap - Energy.

Would you like more information?  If so, let’s connect!

Enhancing lives one person at a time,

John Vakidis

Cell - 972-786-6800

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

5 Steps to Mentoring in Direct Sales

My friend, Mike Unclebach, once said that Direct Sales is a personal development program with a paycheck.  I like this comment for a couple of reasons.  I have been into personal development since I was around 12 years old.  I also like the thought process of getting paid to grow!

When I was 12, I went to work for my father’s pizzeria business.  I worked my tail off that summer with my brother, Kevin, and from that experience, we both learned the value that “hard work always pays off.”  It was a little bit later that year that I began studying martial arts.  For nearly 17 years, I studied various styles and was mentored by some great instructors.  I have also worked for a leading training and development company for 5.5 years.  I have received mentoring by some of the best in the business.

I am now at a point in my life where I want to “pay it forward.”  I will still continue to receive mentoring, but I am also ready to mentor and lead.  I recently read an article in Inc. Magazine titled, 5 Things Great Mentors Do.  Below are my takeaways….

1.) Mentor the entire company/team

Spend 15-30 minutes a week to get everyone together for a little sharpening.  Here you might share updates on products and services, get top performers to share recent success stories or share best practices. 

2.) Open door policy (open phone line policy)

Setting appointments and maintaining structure in your calendar is key to balance, but allowing for occasional interruptions for a quick question is also important.  You want to encourage your directors to be able to come to you with a new thought now and then.  They should also do the same with their downline and so on.  By allowing team members to call you with an idea and brainstorm, you encourage creativity and your business to flourish.

3.) Set the tone for your managers (leaders)

Meet regularly with your top performers that have teams.  Set goals, activities and hold them accountable to the results.  Instituting a process will help them with goal achievement.  Also, you want them to do the same with their teams.  Getting an entire downline to focus and execute regularly will help you build a high performing organization that can yield sustainable results.

4.) Ask questions, don’t give answers

If you always respond to questions with the answer, you will never teach your team members to think for themselves.  By answering with a question, you allow them to process their thoughts in front of you.  If you get them to think through the challenge, they will often have a good idea to overcome it.  Overtime, you will create teams that can overcome obstacles on their own which allows you more freedom to work on the big picture.

5.) Make mentorship part of your DNA

When you mentor others and encourage them to do the same with your teams, you will be teaching them the Japanese principle of Kaizen, aka, “Continuous Improvement.”  If you can instill this in your teams, when you suggest a book to read, a class to attend or call to jump on, they will be anxious to follow your suggestions.  You want people on your teams that are hungry to learn.  Inside them, you will find people that are hungry to earn!

If you are ready to make some changes in your life that will allow you to grow and make more money than you think is possible, watch this video and then send me an email or give me a call. I’d like to spend 15 minutes with you to better understand your dreams and see if it Enhance International and I can help you achieve them.  You can also learn more about the business opportunity here.

Enhancing lives one at a time,

John Vakidis

Cell - 972-786-6800

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Direct Sales - Insanity or Genius?

Why would I title this post, “Direct Sales - Insanity or Genius?” Well, first of all today marks Einstein’s birthday, March 14, 1879. Einstein also said, “Insanity defined is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

So let me ask you two questions:

· “Are you getting different results working a standard job, getting standard pay?”
· “Would you be interested in making more money even if it required a different business model or new set of behaviors?

If you are open to trying something new, keep reading. Otherwise, you might be a little insane.

In 2011 Katherine Ponder, journalist with the Wall Street Journal wrote an article (photo below) titled, “The Ultimate Social Business Model.” She goes on to write about the billions of dollars made in 2010 ($125B to be exact) and gives a great overview to the business known as Direct Sales.

Companies and representatives selling makeup, travel, green household products and hundreds of others of items are making a ton or cash. The question is, “Shouldn’t YOU be a part of that?”

In Direct Sales, representatives run their own business for a fraction of the cost compared to what it takes to run a franchise or even start a new company from scratch. I am newly aligned with Enhance International, where representatives are paid on moving product (volume).

You can build a team, find partners to help you move product or simply sell retail direct to customers. Regardless of HOW you do it, if you move a lot of product, you can make a lot of money.

I know people personally who have made 5 & 6-figure checks monthly. Yes, that’s monthly, not yearly. I know other people in the business that simply want a little extra cash for their family. Some make a few hundred dollars a month for a car payment, some make a few thousand dollars a month for vacations, retirement or to invest. Regardless of where you are on the spectrum ($100 - $100,000 extra per month), you should consider doing something on the side. It’s always nice to have some extra cash!

Let me ask you a question... If you go to a good movie or restaurant, do you tell people about it? Do you even put it on Facebook? So why wouldn’t you consider telling people about products or services that you use that can save them money and offer higher quality products? That’s all this is. If you don’t feel comfortable building teams, then just sell retail. Cost is minimal to nothing to get started.

So let’s say now you have made your mind up to give direct sales a shot. Would you like to be on the ground floor (literally) of a new company about to explode? Well, I’m here to say that your time has come. Enhance International is launching the company with a great product line in March of 2012.

Consider joining me on my team. I will be working directly under one of the top producers in this industry. We are looking to develop leaders who want to make an impact in peoples’ lives and who want to make a substantial income while having fun. Are you interested?

Click on the links below to learn more:

· ID Nutrition
· Business Overview
· Upcoming Events
· Contact John

Lastly, if you want to read the article mentioned above, click here to download your copy today!

Enhancing lives one at a time,

John Vakidis
Cell - 972-786-6800

Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter