DISRUPTION = OPPORTUNITY
There is a disruption going on in the industry and it is our responsibility to ensure our brand is on the right side of the disruption. There are multiple initiatives needed to pull this off that are all connected together. When positioning our Brand in an evolving marketplace, we need to consider and put a plan in place around the following 5 points of disruption.
Below the 5 points are defined, taking advantage of the opportunity at hand.
1. Channel Consolidation
Goal: Create a sales channel that provides a frictionless, simple way for referral based selling that is aligned with the way sales naturally occur today.
Affiliate Marketing, Network Marketing, Direct Sales, Customer Referrals, Social Selling. It all essentially needs to appear as the same thing by consolidating it into one channel. Remove the complexity. Remove the enrollment friction. Take the best from each and make it accessible to all.
Affiliate marketing has entered the space because retailers are learning something that the Network Marketing industry has known forever – there is nothing more powerful than a REFERRAL.
Affiliate marketers are not drawn to MLM for the following reasons.
- enrollment fees / renewal fees
- requirement to purchase packs
- long signup processes
- higher retails
- the push for autoship / recurring orders
- opportunity pitch
Tradition MLMers are not drawn to Affiliate Marketing for the following reasons:
- low percentage payout on sales
- no tiered commissions
- customer not connected to you on repeat purchases
- competing with the company for sales
Customers don’t refer products because:
- they don’t want to be an influencer/affiliate/distributor
- they don’t see the value to share it
- there is no incentive to share
- It’s too hard to share
- feels gimmicky
2. Offer Real Value
Goal: provide products that offer REAL value to our consumers.
SEQUENCE matters more today than ever. PRODUCT comes first.
Be authentic, transparent and LOUD about our customer value proposition.
In a time when product option are virtually endless regardless of the Product Category you sell in, it is imperative that your product offers REAL VALUE. Gone are the days of getting a premium on your products because of some proprietary formula. That formula can and will be duplicated if the consumer wants it for a lesser price. Things to think with
- Shopping experience
- Simple to shop
- Simple to checkout
- Speed of shopping
- Customer Service
- Community
- Costs
3. Product Innovation Velocity
Goal: always give our sellers a new reason to share and our customers a new reason to buy.
Most people are selling to a fixed audience. We need to give our sellers something new to share OR a reason to share.
This will get them outflowing more and expanding their network without even realizing it. OUTFLOW = INFLOW. While teaching them to expand their network is useful (and we will do more of this), better is getting them to outflow and expand their network without any training!
Incremental Innovation (new products or new ways to present your product) creates energy, which creates momentum!
- More conversations
- More frequency
- More attraction
- More momentum
4. Our Brand as the Platform
Goal: be a business model that creates value by facilitating frictionless exchange between our referral partners and their customers
Be a platform that partners with your community to share and sell our products.
Offer your community tools and systems to allow them to easily refer others. Create these tools and systems WITH your community, elevating and amplify a variety of voices and personalities.
5. Community as Currency
Goal: highlight our community in what we do
Community is more important than ever before – people will come for this and seek this out
People are looking for a community that comes together to build each other up and make a difference in our world by helping ourselves and others.
Final Thoughts
The important thing to do at this point is examine your company and determine where you fall in each of the 5 points and put together a gameplan to advance any and all efforts to excel in all 5 of these areas. There are many changes that are occurring in the Direct Sales space and they are happening quicker then anyone would have predicted, it’s critical that you and your company are on the right side of disruption
If you have any questions, or like to schedule a private demo with Claire of VP of Sales, click here