Direct sales is a powerful means of connecting directly with a consumer, and actively guiding them through a buying process. It’s personal, and it’s effective. In fact, direct sales has become a crucial element in certain industries. (Like Telecommunications.)
But what if you don’t sell cable service? Is direct sales an industry-dependent niche?
Not at all. In fact, there are several industries and products that could use direct sales firms to their advantage. In this post, we’re going to talk a little about what makes direct sales special… and how it can be applied to all sorts of fields.
First off, why direct sales?
When it comes to selling directly to the consumer, you have a few different options.
You can set up a brick and mortar sales floor, so customers to come to you. You can spearhead email and telemarketing campaigns in order to reach your target market. You can rely on ecommerce and hope that your website will bring in enough leads on it’s own.
Some of these approaches have high overhead costs. Others fail to provide reliable results. Your product, and your market penetration, suffers for it.
Direct sales is different. With direct sales, you have a team that is actually meeting the customer where they are at, and where your products are most likely to impact them: their home. It’s personal.
Direct sales reps know how their customers live. They know how to highlight specific, relevant features of their product and tailor their sales pitch to the specific customer. The process happens in a natural, relational way.
Which is why the industries in which it’s the most popular tend to be industries that have to do with the customer’s experience in their home. Telecom, Green Power, and home improvement services all have made direct sales a crucial part of their sales model. And they’ve found great success with it.
But is direct sales limited to those particular industries?
Direct Sales is great for complex solutions.
Direct sales is, by nature, personal. It’s tailored to a particular community, and to the needs of a particular customer.
You don’t sell commodities using direct sales. If you’re selling bags of sugar, you don’t need to send out a highly specialized sales force to really make a strong pitch for the features and benefits that this particular bag of sugar can provide. It’s sugar. It makes things sweet.
But if you are offering a solution to a problem that has complex benefits, a product or service that can’t easily be summarized in 30 seconds? That is a perfect candidate for a personalized direct sales pitch.
Which industries could benefit from Direct Sales?
Think of industries with solutions that vary wildly from customer to customer.
Insurance is a great example of this. Every solution in insurance is complex. Every solution needs to be targeted to a customer’s needs. Every factor is impacted by the customer’s family situation and lifestyle.
Setting insurance over the phone can be a challenge. Over the internet is even harder. How can you make that personal touch, to see where customers are at and meet them there with a personalized solution? Direct sales is an ideal method to accomplish just that.
Today’s shifting health care market is another industry that is highly personalized. Health care service providers could use direct sales to make inroads in offering the best service to their prospective customers.
Home automation products are ideal products for this sales method. Organic and specialty food providers could also make huge inroads.
Really, any product that requires a personal touch is a great candidate for a qualified direct sales campaign.
When to hire a direct sales firm:
A direct sales firm specializes in taking a personalized product and tailoring it to their target market.
There are plenty of great reasons to hire a direct sales firm to represent your product. It’s more cost-effective and scalable than deploying an in-house sales force. The direct sales firm knows their market, so they provide better results and take on a lot of the logistical headaches.
Most importantly, a great direct sales firm can learn your product and partner with you to achieve your sales goals.
If your industry requires a personalized approach to your customer base, you should talk to Solcomm.
Solcomm is a direct sales leader that is always looking to connect consumers with great products that serve their needs. We have a tested system, and a gangbusters team with thoroughly trained and well-supported subdealers to expand your reach into several communities. And we partner with you every step of the way to get you great sales results quickly and professionally.
Learn more about how to partner with Solcomm today!