How To Stand Out From The Competition In The Direct Sales / MLM Business

If you're just starting out with a new direct sales business or are new to online marketing, you were undoubtedly giddy with excitement when you signed the dotted line and became a rep for your chosen opportunity. You couldn't wait to start spreading the news about your wonderful products and business opportunity. You start placing ads, set up a Twitter and Facebook, create your own website, start a blog, etc. These are all wonderful ways to get the word out about your business...if you use them the right way.

There is tremendous competition throughout the Internet with people and companies selling what seems like endless online business opportunities and products. We've all seen hundreds of thousands of ads online by people stating their product or opportunity is the "best!" In fact, the company that you've chosen to represent most likely has hundreds or thousands of distributors online all selling the exact same opportunity/products. Your goal is to find a way to stand out from all the rest. How will you do that?

Let's take a look at this from a potential prospect's point of view. Let's say they're interested in becoming a representative for a company that sells beauty products, for example. They know the company has great products, a great compensation plan, and is pretty much everything they were looking for in a direct sales company. They're sold on the company itself, and now they must choose a sponsor. Who will they choose?

A prospect who is serious about building a successful online business will be looking to partner with a sponsor who exhibits knowledge and leadership and will help them become a leader as well. Of note: Any prospect not looking for this is indicative of someone who isn't serious about success, who won't last long in this business, and is really not worth your time as a serious entrepreneur.

You need to stand out amongst the competition by showing potential prospects you're a leader who can help them rise to the top as well, and you can do this even if you're new to your company or even to this business.

You've probably heard this before, but it's worth repeating again and again that what you have to sell to prospects is not your company or its products, but YOU. By learning how to do this and teaching your business partners to do the same, you'll create a successful, profitable direct sales business by building a strong team of leaders. After all, their success is your success, and so on.

I'd like to offer some suggestions about how you can stand out from the others by presenting yourself as a knowledgeable leader, even if you're just getting started.

As an entrepreneur in the skin care direct sales business, I've learned that online marketing strategies such as blogging, Twitter, Facebook and the like are excellent ways to achieve exposure to my target audience. These social media tools are very important to your business and will attract interested customers and business partners searching for what you have to offer, but you have to use them in the right way.

Don't spam. Let me ask you this ... Do you like spam? It definitely doesn't take a mind reader to know that just about everyone would answer "no" to that question. You know this, I know this, and just about everyone in the free world knows this. Yet we continue to see it all the time. Ongoing, relentless posts and tweets about your "amazing" product or business opportunity will more than likely lead you to eventually being deleted from many of your friends' lists. Don't do it.

Offer information that's helpful to others. A far superior way to use social media is to offer your readers information of value. For example, let's say you're a consultant for a company that sells skin care products. Rather than all that spamming, you could blog or tweet information on how a healthy lifestyle affects the skin, how the skin changes with age, the benefits of sunscreen on the skin, beauty tips, testimonials, etc. This is valuable information for those who seek it, and you'll be attracting a warm market of potential buyers and business partners by sharing your knowledge.

Networking with others. Twitter: Actually read the tweets made by those you follow and re-tweet or comment on any that are of interest to you.

Blogging: Subscribe to others' blogs and leave comments on the posts that interest you (no spamming!).

Forums: Become a part of an online community and actively participate in a variety of discussions that interest you (without spamming). If the forum allows signature lines, place your website link or contact info there. As you gain trust in the community, more people will be willing to look at your products or opportunity.

Standing out from your competition is something that can be achieved by anyone in the direct sales / MLM business through attraction marketing. This means attracting customers and business partners searching for what YOU have to offer. Sharing information of value attracts those who seek it, giving you a warm market of potential buyers and prospective business partners.