Note from Jen: In this article I discuss ways to use Pinterest as a direct seller. If you don’t know what Pinterest is, you may want to do a little pre-reading. Start here.

Pinterest is making big waves in the social media world. A quiet little startup that is suddenly one of the top 10 social networks in the world. And it’s growing quickly. The site is especially popular with females and people interested in arts and crafts between the ages of 25 and 44. And retailers are finding that it’s driving big traffic. (Source) I actually identified Pinterest as one of the top 6 media trends for 2012 for direct sales.

So what does this mean for you, the direct seller? Should you run out and set up your own Pinterest account immediately?

The answer is, maybe.

How Does All This Sharing on Pinterest Work?

First, let’s take a look at how Pinterest actually works. It’s not so face-driven as Facebook. Even though a lot of sharing of content is going on, it’s not typically shared because of my relationship with someone else. Rather, I share something just because I like it; it reflects my personality. And while we often see things shared by our friends on Pinterest by default, if you’re looking for something specific like recipes or decorating ideas, it’s easy to switch to what everyone on the site is sharing.

This of course means that you have an opportunity to share your content beyond your circle. But you have to do it in the right way if you want to have success on Pinterest.

Getting Started

When you first set up your Pinterest account, you have a handful of boards by default. You can begin loading content onto these, or create your own boards. I personally have created my own boards, with things like Fabulous (for clothing), Fabulous Shoes, Recipes, Causes I Love, Feed Your Head, etc.

I do not recommend that the first boards you set up have anything to do with your business, but rather focus on your passions. This will help you to get into the spirit of the tool, rather than just look at it for marketing (and the true purpose of any social network is the social aspect. Use them to help people get to know you as a person first.) So build boards using content you already love. If you love to cook, share recipes. If you love fashion, share outfits. If you love fitness or decorating, create boards for that. The point is, approach the tool as a user first, and get used to how others use it.

Direct selling companies have an opportunity here to craft a personality for their brand. By choosing content that helps to define the brand (not just the products) you can give a more human face to your company. It might be words of inspiration, tools to help grow a business (content from The DSEF could be a good place to start), it might be food related, it might be causes your company supports. Whatever you choose, remember that you have the opportunity to create a personality for your brand, based on the passions of the organization beyond just your product line.

The point is that both individual consultants and companies can use Pinterest successfully.

Moving into Business

Once you’ve used Pinterest for a few weeks, you’ll have a better idea of the types of content that people share. You will probably have figured out that content that is an outright sales pitch is probably not going to do as well as content that fits into the context of other people’s passions. So then you can start thinking about how to package content in ways that will appeal to the average Pinterest user.

So let’s say you sell home decor products. You may want to create a “Decorating” board. On this board you can place photos of products you sell (probably in lifestyle shots that show them in the context of a decorated room). Make sure they link to your website, where people can purchase the products. Categorize your board as “Home Decor” and it will be available to Pinterest users that search this category.

Also be sure to include descriptive keywords in the comments you include with your individual pins, so people searching for specific items (like “Picture Frames”) will be able to find your item if it applies. So for example you might include the comment “I love the black picture frames in this room. They really stand out against the yellow paint. I’ll keep this in mind when I decorate my living room.”  Then people who are searching for yellow rooms, black frames, and living rooms will be able to find your pin.

You can do the same thing with topics like fitness, arts and crafts or scrapbooking, cooking, etc. Create lifestyle boards related to your content and share both your own content as well as other content that’s applicable. Creative Memories does this through creating boards like “Paper Crafts” and even cute ones like “Scrappin’ Snacks.” Private Quarters does this through creating boards like “Beautiful Spaces” and “Comfort Food.” Note that both brands are making sure to include content that is frequently shared on Pinterest, and is of interest to the user base.

Does Pinterest Work for My Product Line?

This is an important question to ask yourself. Pinterest works best when your product line is highly visual, and of interest to the main user group on Pinterest (females between the ages of 25 and 44.) Cookware, recipes, crafts, decorating, fitness, books, and other items that fall into the main categories that Pinterest offers are probably going to do best. If you sell energy or insurance, Pinterest may not be your best social tool of choice. You can see a list of all the main Pinterest categories on the right.

Pinterest, Your Website, and SEO

I have personally noticed that Pinterest is generating incoming traffic to my blog. The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) benefits of Pinterest are certainly something to think about. Every time someone repins your item on Pinterest, it becomes an incoming link to your website. This is one of the reasons it’s important to make sure that your website pages are easily “Pin-able.”

It’s very important if you’re pinning to your own content to make sure it links to a place where people can buy the item. This is usually your personal website provided by your company. Each of your product pages should have a “Pin it” button that makes it easy to share that product on Pinterest.

You need to make sure that the picture of the product can be captured by Pinterest as well. If you house your pictures in a Flash movie, for example, Pinterest may be unable to post your photo. There are ways around this (upload the picture individually, then edit the picture by providing  a link to the page) but that’s difficult, and the average person won’t pin your content that way.

I recently saw a cute home decor item posted by a direct selling company that I wanted to pin. I went to the company’s website, but I was forced to go through a process of connecting with a consultant before I could pin the item, and then could only pin to that individual consultant’s website. While on the surface you may think that’s great, it’s actually a big hassle for the end consumer that could prevent your content from being shared. While you may want to make it mandatory for the final purchase to go through a consultant, people should be able to pin without that hassle if you want maximum exposure for your product line.

Final Thoughts

This article has only scratched the surface of Pinterest, and focused on products. I have also seen consultants using Pinterest for things like team support (sharing links to training and support tools), etc. You can also share videos and music on Pinterest, which means that you could put your opportunity videos and other items on Pinterest. The trick will be getting other people to want to share them, which could be harder on a tool that primarily focuses on the passions of others. I’ll be exploring more on this, and would love to hear your thoughts as well.

Are you using Pinterest? Is your company? Would love to hear your thoughts on Pinterest in the comments below.

I’m in Nevada this week for the DSA’s Be Connected conference. I got in a day early because of client meetings, and so had a quiet morning to myself (a rare treat.) After spending some time catching up on work, I wandered down to the hotel restaurant for some breakfast. I don’t normally go to the restaurant for breakfast, choosing instead to pack my own oatmeal, protein powder, dried fruit and nuts to save money and calories. But I wanted to get out of my room and explore the hotel a bit, so I decided to have breakfast in the restaurant.

When I arrived, they asked for my last name at the front desk. I figured it was because if I wanted to bill my breakfast to my room, they could verify it was me. No problem. But then when I sat down, the waiter immediately greeted me as “Ms. Fong,” and used my name throughout the service. A very nice personal touch that made me feel welcome.

The breakfast was made with simple ingredients, but they were fresh and delicious. Extremely well prepared. The view was beautiful and the room peaceful. My coffee cup was kept filled. And as I was presented with the bill, the waiter (calling me by name again) told me that if I’d like to take a cup of coffee to go, I should just let him know. Good service.

Even though I normally balk at paying $13 for eggs, I caught myself thinking that this breakfast was worth it. And I have never thought that about an overpriced hotel breakfast before. But the service was exceptional and personalized, and the food was good. I felt like I got good value.

And it got me to thinking about our businesses, and how we can leave people thinking they got their money’s worth, no matter the cost.

This is, of course, where the independent consultant comes in. Because you have the opportunity with every customer, every day, to give that personal level of service that they simply cannot get in a big box store. You make them feel “high end.”

So how do you do it? Here are some tips to get you started:

• Call each guest by name at the party. Use whatever memory technique you need to so that you remember everyone’s name.
• Call each guest once they’ve received their order to make sure they are satisfied, and to find out if they have any questions.
• Write thank you cards.
• Offer little “extras” when people shop with you. One of my favorite consultants always sends me a little something extra when I place an order with her…a product sample, something new to try. She has taken the time to understand the scents I like, my skin type, etc, and she keeps track of it. Now when I call her with my order, I tell her to just add one more product to the order to surprise me. Because I know she knows what I love, and she takes care of me.

Imagine that you work at a high end department store. What would you do for guests? Extend that same level of service to your clients. It will make a big difference in your reorder and referral business.

And every customer will walk away from their experience with you knowing that it was worth it.

Your thoughts?

Recently I’ve been evaluating the new consultant training program for a client company. They put me into the system as a new consultant (so I’d receive all the communication they send out), sent me a kit, and I scheduled my launch party. Since I was evaluating the effectiveness of company-provided materials and support, I did it without the help of an “upline.” I wanted to see if I could pull off a launch party using just what the company provided.

Throughout the process, I’ve been documenting experiences and ways to tighten up the program that I will provide in my final report to the company.

But it really got me to thinking about that 3rd party view into our business. Sometimes when we’re so in the thick of things, and have our operations down to a science, we fail to see what the experience looks like for a newbie. Sure, we can ask our existing salesforce what would make things easier, but they’ve got their own way of doing things, and usually they already have a ton of experience. It’s the new people who we really need to ask, but they don’t always know what they need or what should be there. They blame themselves instead, and feel like a failure.

For the client I’m working with, the benefit of 3rd party eyes that know what SHOULD be in place to make it easier will make a world of difference for the new consultant experience.

So when was the last time you had an outsider evaluate YOUR new consultant program? Whether you’re a company or a leader, it’s important. How easy is it to find the right information they need at the right time? Is information delivered in a variety of learning styles? It content available 24/7? Could they figure out how to do a party if no upline was available?

Do your business a favor. Take a look at the new consultant program and see how easy it is for someone to get started in your business. What should be changed? What would make it easier? Get a third party opinion from someone who knows the business, but not necessarily your business. (We can help with that if you need it.) Now is the busiest time of the year, when you may be recruiting a lot of people. Yet you’re busy. Can they get the information they need to get started successfully and feel confident in the business without a lot of hand holding? It dramatically affects your retention rates.

Don’t neglect this. It’s important for your company’s success.

Your thoughts?

Nothing drives me crazier than consultants in direct selling companies who whine. “I want to build a business but no one will book a party.” or “In this economy no one is buying anything.” or “No one wants to join my team.” All the while they’re spending more time playing Angry Birds than working their business.

Seriously? No one? Then how come the top earners (and even the non top earners) are booking parties, making sales, and recruiting new consultants into the business?

Get this through your head: Success in your business starts and ends with YOU and what you decide.

• You decide whether or not to make one more phone call.
• You decide whether or not to present the opportunity to every single person at the party.
• You decide whether or not to do the follow up calls you know you should do.
• You DECIDE.

So are you in it to succeed or not?

My favorite kind of people to hang around with are the people who are ALL IN. They’re the ones who do what it takes to make it work (and are thoroughly jazzed about it!) They work harder than anyone else in the room, and they are committed to achieving what they want. They are ALL IN.

Are you?

As I’ve mentioned before, my company provides community management services for direct selling companies. What this means is that we manage the day to day of a company’s social media presence, from writing and posting content to responding to comments on Facebook, Twitter, etc. (to monitoring and reporting as well.) And it gives me a very up close and personal view on the way that consultants treat their companies on the company Facebook Page.

And the conclusion that I’ve come to is that some consultants feel exceptionally entitled, and think the company Facebook Page is the place to “stick it to the company” if they don’t get exactly what they want, when they want it. Which is of course damaging not just to that consultant’s own business, but to the business of every consultant in the company.

For example, I recently saw a consultant complain about difficulty with inputting an order. The Facebook Page admin directed her to the proper path to report the problem. She responded by saying that she had tried that but didn’t want to wait on hold and so came to the Page instead. And nothing the company posted in response made any difference. She just continued to complain. Repeatedly.

The problem with that approach is that the people administering the Page could do nothing about the problem. So all she did was damage the credibility of the company with her complaints. What a foolish thing to do! Plus, she was trying to jump over all the consultants who WERE using the proper channels and waiting their turn, hoping she was noisy enough that she would get taken care of first.

How amazingly inappropriate.

When you become a direct seller, you become part of a team. And that means working to build up your company, and all the people in it. You do this because you know that by building up everyone, your own business prospers. It’s how the model works. So when we see behaviors like the one I just described, it’s destructive. It breaks down the model. Which can lead to irreparable damage to the company, and by extension, your business.

Why on earth would you want to do that?

Direct sales companies, train your salesforce on the consequences of complaining on the company Page, and direct your folks to the appropriate channels. Leaders, make sure you’re providing this same training, and not tolerating even one instance of inappropriate behavior. Consultants, counter every negative you see online with a positive, and contact your friends offline about their posts if necessary.

The health and well-being of your company, and your business, is at stake.

Your thoughts?

Are you a direct seller in the US that’s ready to take your business to the next level? Then you need to know about this amazing new program that the Direct Selling Education Foundation is launching in cooperation with the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE).

You will soon be able to earn a Direct Selling Entrepreneur Certificate at your local community college, starting in the late spring of 2012. Sessions in this remarkable program, which is endorsed by companies throughout the industry, include:

• Overview of the Direct Selling Industry
• Selling Skills
• Basic Technical Skills Needed for Business
• Organization in a Direct Sales Business
• Financial Management
• Communication Skills
• Marketing
• Legal Issues
• Business Planning

These are skills that are essential for entrepreneurs, and if you’re serious about taking your business to the next level this could be just what you’re looking for.

Participate in the Pilot Program
If you live in NY, MN, or MA you have an exciting opportunity. A pilot of this curriculum is beginning the week of October 17, 2011, and full scholarships are provided for all participants. You can take part in this program at NO COST as part of the pilot. Pilot locations include:

• Quinsigamond Community College Worcester, Massachusetts
• Dakota County Technical College, Rosemount, Minnesota
• Cayuga Community College, Auburn, New York

To learn more about this program, and to sign up to take part in the pilot, click this link: http://bit.ly/qsJwoP

What do you think about a program like this for direct sellers? How would it benefit your team? How will the 3rd party validation of direct selling as a legitimate entrepreneurial option benefit the industry, and your business? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below!

p.s. An extra big shout-out to the direct sales folks who have helped us spread the word about this program, including Linda Stacy, Andrea Waltz (Go for No), Deb Bixler, CAHPA, Sarah Robinson, Danny Fortes, Pat Zahn, Yusuf Chowdhury, The Golden Rule VA and Brett Duncan. These are folks who have shared this program, without any compensation, because they truly believe in the benefits it can bring to direct sellers, and the industry as a whole. I encourage you to check out what each of these folks has to offer. They clearly are in it for the right reasons…to help others!

Have you shared with your network yet? We invite you to also help us spread the word, and then share your link to your post below in the comments!

Recently a direct seller mentioned to me that she’d been approached by someone in her downline about joining that person’s “secondary” business. In other words, the direct seller in question was working two businesses, and was soliciting people in one business to join the other. The leader who had been approached was annoyed. She was very dedicated to her business. She also didn’t want to lose the effort and attention of her existing team by having them pulled in another direction.

And I completely agree with her. After all, this leader has put a lot of time and effort into building and training her team. And now she has someone who is effectively acting like a cancer within her organization, siphoning the efforts of people off and into another direction. It’s unfair and completely unethical, in my opinion.

There are a couple of issues here:

1. Most direct sellers find that they make more money when focusing on one business. When you split your time between multiple businesses, it’s harder to have the focus necessary to really build strong. It also sends the message to anyone you recruit that you’re not completely dedicated to the company, and so why should they be?
2. If you want to grow a second business, your first business is not the place to do it. Grow it the way it’s intended to be grown…doing parties, networking, etc. But tapping into another downline is lame and downright unethical. How do you think your company would feel about it if they find out? How do you think your upline would feel? (probably betrayed). This is not just about what you technically can and cannot do. It’s about people’s level of trust in you. It’s about ethics. It’s about doing the right thing always. Because relationships are on the line in this business.

It’s up to you whether or not you want to run more than one business (although I never recommend it.) But if you do run another business, the team in your first business should be off limits. At the very least, you should never approach them about your 2nd business. It sends the wrong message. It de-motivates your team and affects their productivity. And it can make a lot of people really mad at you.

Your thoughts?

Every Friday I invite the members of my Facebook Page community to share their favorite product and a link in the comments of a specific post. It’s a way for folks to promote their businesses to one another. And when I have a need for a product, I often turn to that list first, and place orders from consultants who are members of the community.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a need for two different types of products. So I went through the list, selected 2 particularly active members of the community (my way of giving back), and placed an online order from both of them. Both orders were placed the same day, and both were delivered the same day. But the level of service I received was very different. Take a look.

Consultant 1′s messages:

Day of Order: I had mentioned to the consultant that I was trying to find something my husband would like. After placing my order, I got this message.

Thanks again, Jennifer,
I do hope you’ll let me know if he/you doesn’t/don’t (lol) love everything.

A Couple of Days After the Order: 

Hi Jennifer!

‘hope you are having a fabulous day.  I just wanted you to know that I should have a delivery date for you tomorrow. 

The Next Day:

Tomorrow! 

The Day the Order Was Delivered:

Well?  Happy?  (I hope.) 

Brown guy/gal wrote cute confirmation:

Left At:

Met Customer Girl

Then I got a card in the mail (snail mail) thanking me for my order, along with a small product sample. When I sent a note of thanks she wrote back:

My pleasure!  Its fun for me to (try to) show customers how much I appreciate them; that I want a relationship, not just a sale (can’t have too many friends, you know?)  

So that was order 1. Pretty impressive, huh?

Consultant 2′s messages:

So now let’s take a look at order #2. An order placed the same day on the consultant’s website.

Day of Order:

I received a form email that looked like an invoice. It contained a link for tracking the order, name of the consultant, my payment information, and my shipping address. Basically an automatic order confirmation.

Last Night (a few days after the order was delivered):

I received an “e-card” that looked as though it was generated through the e-tools section of the consultant website that said:

Hi Jennifer, Thank you for your recent order. I hope that everything was satisfactory. Please let me know how I can help in the future.

And that was it.

Who do you think I will be more excited about shopping with in the future? Who will I be more loyal to?

How do you treat the customers who show up as unsolicited online orders? How connected do they feel to you?

Would love to read your thoughts in the comments.

It never ceases to amaze me. Direct sales companies share ideas, tips, etc. on their Facebook Pages, and certain consultants bad-mouth it. I’ve seen consultants complain about the incentive trip destination, recipes, fabric colors, and more.

Didn’t your mother ever teach you that if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything?

When a company shares excitement about its upcoming incentive trip (which they don’t have to offer, by the way) do you HAVE to jump in because you’d rather go somewhere else?

When a company shares a recipe that may not particularly appeal to you, do you have to tell the world that it doesn’t match your palate?

When a company offers a new fabric pattern, do you HAVE to tell people that it’s not your taste?

Or could you, perhaps, keep your negative thoughts to yourself?

Stop spreading negativity around, people. What would your mom think of that negative post?

You know better.

Remember what your momma said…if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything.

It goes for Facebook, too.

Your thoughts?

Too many of us have been guilty of selling the opportunity as something you can do “in your spare time.” Then we’re surprised when people take us at our word, join, and aren’t successful. The fact is, it takes intentional, planned action to succeed in direct selling.

If you’re simply saying “I’ll plan parties when I have time” or “I’ll recruit someone when the opportunity presents itself” you’ll never hold a party or recruit anyone.

You must:

• Schedule your work time and stick to it. Block out the times in your calendar for parties/sales appointments, opportunity interviews, phone calls, team meetings, and office work, and then fill those times with business activities. Nothing else goes in there. Just your business.
• Hold yourself accountable for filling those dates with the types of activities you’ve designated. If you have 3 slots per week designated for parties, get on the phone and don’t stop until those slots are filled. It gives you a goal, on paper, that you can work towards. And you’ll know when you’ve achieved your goal…when the slots are full.
• If you don’t fill a slot with the type of activity you’ve designated, work anyway. If a time is slotted for parties, get on the phone and get reorders until you have 10 orders (the amount of orders you would get at a party.) This also says to your family that this is work time, and getting them used to that routine will help them understand that work time is not spare time that they can fill with their activities.
• Take advantage of the business education your company provides. It astounds me how many direct sellers have not taken advantage of the training their company provides. Not taking training is like saying “I don’t want to succeed.” In your schedule, plan time to take every training module available to you. You must constantly be learning if you want to grow.

The big question you need to ask yourself is, are you committed to your business or not? If you are, then go to work just like people with regular 9-5 jobs. It takes more discipline with a home business. But when you commit to your schedule, you’re a lot more likely to succeed.

How do you schedule yourself to success? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.