It’s Not Rocket Science

A couple of weeks ago at VideoPlus University and SUCCESS University, over two dozen speakers from around the industry talked about their own businesses—their successes, failures, best practices, etc. The speakers ranged from young companies working toward making big waves in the industry to global giants that were the envy of every other company in the room. It was nothing short of phenomenal. If you missed it, you REALLY missed something. To me, the most interesting thing that came of the event was that ALL the companies that are really doing GREAT right now have a few common threads. No. 1—FOCUS: It goes without saying, and if you’ve read anything I’ve written you know that I think this is THE biggest challenge for companies. You and your team have so many ideas and great opportunities that you can often confuse yourselves AND the field. Find what you do best and DO IT! No. 2—SIMPLICITY: Every company that spoke about record growth talked at some point about how they have simplified their messaging and made it easy and repeatable. When you think you’ve simplified your message, your tools, your training, etc., as much as you can, SIMPLIFY IT MORE! No. 3—LEADERSHIP: Clearly, every

VideoPlus

Build a Special Company

I had an interview with a prospective new employee this week. It became clear to me that she wasn’t looking for a job. She was looking for a “place” to belong to. Of course, other things mattered—work hours, travel requirements, money, etc. But it was clear to me that she would sacrifice in some ways if she could be a part

VideoPlus

What Technology is Right for You?

Every day, we hear a similar list of questions: “Can we use YouTube and Facebook instead of having all the physical tools?” “Do I need a DVD?” “Are magazines still working?” “Does anyone still use CD?” It’s confusing, isn’t it? Oh, I forgot the biggest question: “Can we finally go ‘virtual’ with everything and let the technology of today drive my business?” It’s true; some new technologies have made some aspects of business easier, more effective and more affordable. iPads and other tablet devices are here to stay and you MUST use them. Almost no other technology allows the quality of presentation that they do. Show someone a presentation and then “click” to sign up or place an order—right here, right now! All in one! Mobile phones—of course you should have tools so that the phone can do the talking for you. Almost everyone has a phone. In fact, in some developing countries, people have smartphones but NO computers and NO DVD players and probably no TVs. Perhaps they don’t even have a physical address, but they do have a phone. And direct selling is growing there. It’s a mobile world and the technologies and bandwidth will continue to grow, bringing the business world closer together. The Internet—old news, right!? Everyone uses it for their business. Some actually make it work for them; others, frankly, stink at it. Be different, engaging, relevant, effective, fresh. It’s not easy. People are now experts on the Internet, just like they are experts on television. They know what they like, they know what excites them—they know…! You better know more than they do or you are simply clutter in their world. But if you can be all of the things listed above, you can be something special—for now! You get the idea. Know and embrace the technologies of today and be a student of the technologies of tomorrow. Invest properly and widely to make sure your story is ready to show no matter what technology is available or preferred. And, like all other previous tools, make sure you have a systematic way of using each of them. TEACH and reinforce the systems. Over and over and over! But when it comes to your prospecting and recruiting efforts, technology has not replaced all the other tried and proven techniques. In fact, what technology has done is force you to provide your message in more ways than ever. It’s hard to believe, but here at VideoPlus, we are producing more audio CDs now than we have in years. A LOT MORE! While the music industry has totally turned its back on the CD, the direct selling world has not. Easy, affordable and ubiquitous messaging is and always will be useful. Think about it: I can have a brief conversation with a prospect at a Starbucks, show that person my iPad app presentation or video on my smartphone, and feel rather certain that I can get that person to pop a CD into his or her car to listen to on the way home, after our meeting ends. However, I cannot feel certain

VideoPlus

When is good enough good enough?

First, a question…. Do you know what they call the person who graduates last from medical school? The answer: Doctor. On paper, the one who graduates first is the same as the one who graduates last. But, I suspect, you can tell the difference. One is good enough to earn the title; the other is good enough to command a different level of respect and earning power. When making decisions about your company, do you decide to be good enough or do you decide to try to be the best? Too often, companies simply try to be better than they are now. But I sense they aren’t trying to be the best. Good enough is good enough. It’s fine to take

VideoPlus

Learn From Others!

Almost every day someone asks about “the secret” to someone else’s success — you know, the ONE THING that makes the company so successful. Most of the information about a company’s plan for growth is readily available. It’s information that is shared with the IBOs, the prospects, the customers, etc. If you can’t find it, sign up and become an IBO. The company will SEND you the information and they will even have someone follow up with you to make sure you understand it. For some reason, it seems that “the secret” must be something done behind closed doors. Surely, it cannot be what is being explained to the IBOs. There MUST be something else. So, you keep searching and trying to learn. When you went to college or high school or even a seminar, do you think the instructor told you the information you needed

VideoPlus

Who’s in Charge of Your Company?

Here’s the scenario… A company executive tells me they have a “GREAT rep.” He is killing it. Making lots of money and bringing lots of people into the organization. Then, in the next sentence, the exec tells me the company just isn’t growing as they would like or have expected, and they can’t figure out why. OK, I’m no genius, but something doesn’t seem connected between those two things. Almost always, the reason for slow or no growth when there is a

VideoPlus

Be Different

I attended a conference a few weeks ago with several business thought leaders who provided insights on a variety of topics. I believe we all need to be students…. Pick a topic. Just continue learning. In a day and half, I took about 20 pages of notes. At some point, I may dig some of it out and share it. For now, one person really grabbed my attention—and it wasn’t the one I expected. Youngme Moon, author and professor at Harvard Business School, provided great insight and a couple of case studies on what it means to “be different” in marketing. Her key point was that we often create a product or business with the idea that “we are different,” when in reality

VideoPlus

Only brush the teeth you want to keep.

A couple of weeks ago, a large client hosted their annual convention. As a direct selling executive, you KNOW how big this is. The effort that goes into an event is all-consuming. Every detail is analyzed. The scripts are tweaked and re-tweaked right up until it’s time to go onstage. Every new video is critiqued. The event crew is on edge, convincing you that “everything will be OK.” Your

VideoPlus

Check Your Ego at the Door!

Success is great. If you’re not trying to succeed, why are you doing what you are doing? Of course, success is defined by the individual. What I think of as “successful” may be a simple steppingstone for someone else. Surely, Donald Trump wouldn’t think I’m successful. But my family and I do. That’s good enough for me. A funny thing happens on the way to success for some people. They start believing their own press. They start thinking they achieved success all by themselves. They start thinking they are the ONLY reason they are where they are. Instead of celebrating the success of a team, they are toasting themselves for all they have achieved. Perhaps the most shining example of this is Tiger Woods. He has undeniable talent. He has done things that many people thought to be almost impossible. For the

VideoPlus

Celebrate!

We talk a lot about how all direct selling companies are unique. While many companies may look “the same” on the outside, there is something special about every company (leadership, product, compensation, etc.) that sets it apart from the competition. However, all successful direct selling companies have ONE THING in common.

VideoPlus