Ten years ago, Meredith Berkich, Chief Growth Officer at Jenkon, attended a DSA event that made a massive impact on her. The speaker gave a presentation on technology and said, “The reality is that direct selling companies need to be technology companies first if they intend to survive and thrive.” This was a significant “light bulb” moment for Meredith, and the quote has stuck with her to this day. In this episode of the Direct Sales Masterclass, Meredith and I discuss how technology decisions can either hinder your company’s vision or drive your successful momentum.
When I attended my first direct sales event in 1991, I helped my dad sell cassette tapes and training tools in the back of the room. We sold different titles that helped distributors introduce the company’s opportunity to their prospects. You could buy a pack of 50 tapes and ten training workbooks for $50. The titles included: “Leverage, Opportunity, and Timing,” “The Right Place. The Right Time. The Right Opportunity.”, and “If Not Now, When?” The industry focused on the opportunity pathway and the tools reflected that. Fast forward 30 years and most things about the direct sales journey have changed. Everything from the tools and the back-office to the customer journey and prospecting techniques. This edition of the Direct Sales Masterclass features a conversation with Jim Marks, the Chief Revenue Officer and Co-founder of DirectScale.
2021 was an exciting year for the direct sales industry. In-person meetings resumed, large industry gatherings were held, and the industry moved forward in new and innovative ways. The Direct Sales Masterclass had several guests from diverse backgrounds. We covered topics ranging from how to formulate the right products to maximize the use of your back office.
When Social Selling News opened its doors in 2018, their goal was to become the eyes and ears of the direct selling industry. Over the last few years, they have become just that.
The direct sales industry has always been about relationships. It’s the power of a successful network. And that network is established by creating a connection with someone and building a relationship. The most successful distributors successfully enroll customers and team members after establishing a connection. The same is true for successful direct sales companies: their success is built on making strong connections and relationships with their distributors and their customers. At the end of the day, it boils down to creating a connection that builds a lasting relationship and then fostering that over the life-cycle of the journey. This episode of the Direct Sales Masterclass features a conversation with the CEO of Chalk Couture, Kristine Widtfeldt. We discuss the importance of connections and how you can provide the right tools to the field to help them create and maintain those connections.
A couple of years ago, a friend of mine recommended that I read the book: Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller. Immediately it became one of my favorite books. I have since read it a few times and recommended it to several clients. The principles it teaches have great application for direct sales companies. The subtitle of the book states: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. With the recent shifts in direct sales focusing on the customer journey, this messaging is more important than ever. In my experience, the companies that implement this concept effectively are the ones who are experiencing dramatic growth. This episode of the Direct Sales Masterclass focuses on Building a Story Brand and implementing key growth accelerators to help them achieve massive success. The guests on this episode are Terrel Transtrum, the CEO of ServiceQuest and Alex Schauer, Partner at ServiceQuest.
Recently, Verb was ranked as the number one app in the direct sales space. This is something that our team is very proud of, and something that took a collective effort to achieve. What started as a simple solution for a handful of clients has become a platform with more than 100 clients and over 1.6 million app downloads. To support this growth, we have a full team of experts who handle everything from onboarding to special projects for our clients. This edition of the Direct Sales Masterclass features a conversation with Michelle Lee, Director of Client Success, and Alan Anderson, Director of Sales Ops.
A few years ago, I attended a DSA meeting that was held at the Origami Owl Headquarters, called “the Nest” internally by their corporate team and field. I was immediately impressed by the company culture at the Nest. You could literally feel it—it permeated throughout every meeting. Hearing their story firsthand from their executive team was so impressive. The passion of their team was palpable. Now, I have been to hundreds of companies headquarters over the years, but this one was different. Shortly after that meeting, we started working with Origami Owl and our teams have worked closely together for a few years now. My brother, JJ, has worked with their executive team to help them execute the use of the Verb platform. This Masterclass features a conversation with Chrissy Weems, Origami Owl’s CEO and Co-Founder. JJ and I discussed with Chrissy how to develop a strong culture, the importance of developing a connection with your customers, and how Origami Owl uses the Verb platform to provide a digital tools platform for their field.
Historically, Japan has been a top three market in the direct sales industry. When launched and supported correctly, success in Japan can lead to major growth and global momentum. On the flip side, when launched incorrectly it can mean failure to produce in one of the key direct sales markets. Verb is committed to supporting our clients as they enter Japan or continue to develop their existing business in Japan. To that end, Verb has a team in Japan that helps to launch, support, and develop the Verb platform with our clients. This Masterclass features a discussion with members of our Verb Japan Team: Lon Combs, Ken Kurokawa, and Nick Hoggan, Verb’s Chief Revenue Officer.
