Social Selling Sisterhood Podcast Episode 10: "I don't have anyone to sell to!" How to Use Your Warm and Cold Markets In Direct Sales

This blog post was transcribed using AI.

Hi, friend. Welcome to the social selling sisterhood podcast. I am Lindsay Dahling ER and I have many titles High school, Spanish teacher, dog Mom, world traveler and direct seller. I empower women to run your direct sales businesses the right way. You can earn the money. You deserve to live the life of your dreams and travel the world. Now we got that out of the way. Let's get started. Hey, girl. Hey, welcome back to the podcast. I hope you're having a fab day or be listening to this first thing in the morning. I know your day is gonna be fabulous. I really friend. So today I want to talk about the question I get a lot or I guess maybe it's not even a question. It's I can't be successful because I don't have many friends and family or because I don't have a big network. So people ask, you know, can I be successful in direct sales without a big network? The answer is a resounding yes. Okay, So before we get started on this, I really want Teoh explain the difference between to terms. You're going to hear me talk about your warm market and you're cold market. Your warm market are gonna be people who you actually know. They're your friends or your family. Um, you probably have their phone number in your phone. You might text them. Okay, Caesar, these air, your close friends and family, your warm market. The people who know you, you're cold market are going to be people who you don't know thes. They're going to be like brand spanking new people. Thes might be people that you meet through your party. That one of your friends adds to your Facebook group. That's your cold market. So when you very first get started, you're gonna hear a lot of people in direct sales talk about a Frank's list. And when I got started, that's what everyone was doing. Was your Frank's list, and I don't think it's a bad idea. So what Frank stands for is your friends, relatives, acquaintances, and you'll hear you know you'll hear people say they stand for different things. So, like one of the things I saw that they would stand for was associates. To me, that doesn't mean anything, So acquaintances end stands for your neighborhood, or I like to think of it as maybe your network. Yeah, The K is kids s is for spouse. Or if you're not married, other family connections. Okay, So the idea behind a Frank's list when you get started is you will kind of like brain dump your list of your friends. So pretty much everyone in your phone, your relatives, people that you've met, like your haired, your hairstylist, maybe the woman at the doctors office who you've talked to seize. There also people you've talked to before people in your neighborhood. I live out in the country. So this one doesn't really pertain to me, however, that so I kind of put in here like your network. So, like people who live around you maybe for not actually in a neighborhood, um and I would also include in network, some work people. There are some people in work that I would feel comfortable talking to about my business. Okay, I don't have any kids, but if you have kids, thes would be, you know, the parents of your kids friends, Maybe they your friends with or maybe your kid's teacher coaches different things I have to do with your kids and then s would be your spouse's connections or or, if you don't have a spouse, other family connections. So for me, the estate for sister my sister's connections, um, so drop those people down those air. Some people, those would be people in your warm market, and those were people who might want to support you, starting right out. Now I want to give a little disclaimer here. Even if you have a big network, a big network of your warm market. You have a ton of friends Nanthana family. Please do not go into your direct sales business expecting all those people to support you, Um, and to support you financially, meaning that they're going to buy your products because you're gonna be very disappointed. I have. And it took me a lot to get over this. I know I've mentioned this on a previous podcast episode. I was really hurt my first business when I honestly even my second business, when I would be selling things, I would have a party for a friend and they weren't supportive, and it's it's really hurtful. The guy even I was so excited about learning about Facebook and the algorithm and how it worked, and I was sharing it with a girl who was my best friend at the time I considered. And I was telling her that when she commented on my posts. It really helps the algorithm, and that's kind of high. Why I have been posting so much lately. And yes, so when you comment on it, it helps you see more of my stuff. And that was the last day she commented on my posts. Eso um, you know, it takes a lot. You build up that thick skin, it can be really painful. Um, there were times that I thought about quitting because my some of my friends and some of my family wouldn't support me. But then I got over that mindset. You know, that's why personal development is so important. So I do really wanna to preface all this by saying, Please don't expect your friends and family to buy your products. To be as excited about this is you are, and you will hear a lot of people say that it's probably it's probably even in your best interest that you don't have a huge war market are friends list that you can sell with because then it is gonna It's gonna kind of force you to get into your cold market. So let's talk about what you're cold markets can look like. So you're cold market. These were people that you don't necessarily know they're not your bust ease. They don't belong in that Frank's list anywhere. And my easiest way for cold market people for my business, the way my my company and my, um I guess compensation structure and everything is set up. So you guys know I sell dry nail polish, so we are part of a party playing companies. So we have parties. So this has been an amazing way for me to grow my cold market. I would say in my my clothes to be I peek group. Um, I think there's about 450 women in there. I would say I probably actually know and have met in person, probably 50 to 100 of them. The majority of them are cold market, and the majority of them have come from Facebook parties. So how I got started with Facebook parties when I very first signed up, I got my kid. I was super excited. I went live on my personal wall. I invited my friends and family to my clothes V i p Group, Um, and I still postal ing to my VP group on my posts every once in a while on my personal wall. So, you know, I'll show a picture of me drinking coffee and you can see my nails in it. And at the bottom, I will tag my group nails on point V. I. P's with Lindsay Da Linger, and I would say, maybe once a week, twice a week, I do that and I usually get one person clicking to join that group. Maybe not every post, but most post I get at least one new person and ends that comes from, you know, my war market. So when I very first got started, I was doing that. And I have a couple of my like rider die girls, and this sounds really bad. I don't remember who I heard this from, but these people are your dirt people. These air people. Ah, what I mean by dirt is these are your people who if you were selling dirt, they would be like, Oh, yeah, I'll take £3 of that dirt because they're going to support you no matter what. Okay, so you need to find out who your dirt people are. Maybe it's your sister, maybe. Like my friend and coworker Jessica. She has bought for me every single company I've been at. When I was with Beachbody, she bought the psychology. When I did Lula Rose, she bought the little around. When I did color street, she had a party for me. She bites, That's from you know? So she's one of my dirt people. She will help me, no matter whether I am selling dirt. So I guarantee that you have a dirt person, even if it's only one you know, you don't need tender people. You need one. So you have one person who would buy your dirt. All right, so you have your dirt person Now they're gonna hold a party for you And honestly, guys, even if you're not party plan, even if you do Beachbody, for example, you could come up with your own way to do a party with Beachbody. Okay? It doesn't have to be a party plan company, but for us, it's a party plan. So dirt person my dirt friend. She's gonna have a party for me and she's gonna invite her people So she's gonna invite. I encourage people to invite 50 50 to 60 people. Does that usually happen? New. So say she invites. Anyone gets 10 people in this group, so I do a party for them and let's say three of them by no. Let let's be more optimistic. Let's say like seven or eight of them by and I have a post in my party actually have several posts in my party template that directs people to my V I. P Group. And then, if they don't click those posts, guess what I'm doing. I'm also going to send every guest in that party a private message and invite them to continue the party over in my V I. P Group. I say, You know, we had post daily tips and tricks. I post specials. I gold live. We have a girls night in every week. It's so fun. I really would love you to join, and I still do this with all my parties. I follow up and I send every gas and invite. Now if we're not Facebook friends, a lot of those invites go, you know, to there they're, like, other message folder, so not everyone sees them. But I still get people joining my V i p Group from that. Okay. And that's how you slowly build organically. That's how you build naturally. That's how you build without being sales. Okay, Because once those people are in that group, you are you know, your party group and your your do your party with them, they're not still your cold market. You are slowly warming them up and then there in your V i P group, and then you can keep nurturing those relationships. It's so important. So find your dirt, people. Why do people that will start out having parties from you? Another thing that you can ask, uh, your dirt people to do? And I don't mean anything Negative guys pipe by calling on my dirt people. You know, I hope you know that. Um, but you can ask them or ask your teammates even Hey, can you comment on my posts? They're not getting any traction. And if you help, help me out by commenting on them, um, I'll give you a free to Z accent. nail sample or you know, something like that. You don't even have to give them anything here. Dirt people, they don't eat anything. But, um, ask people to help, you know, boost your post up comment on him, like on it, post a picture of their nails on on your on your wall. Those people will do anything for you. Okay? So don't be afraid to just ask for a little bit of help to get the mo mentum going in your groups and on your personal wall. Social media. So let's talk just a little bit more about social media, some things that you could dio. So if you listen to, um, the podcast episode, I just did it, but I don't know what order I'm posting them. So But the podcast episode I just did about your vibe attracting your tribe. I talked about your brand pillars and things that you could be posting definitely up that, you know, up here, social media game, show up. So if you haven't been been posting on your Facebook wall or you post maybe once a day or maybe once a week, let's work on that. And as you're doing that I want you to start peppering in your products, but you using the products? I don't want to see the stock photos. I don't want to see the posts that say, If you can lose £30 in 30 days, would you do it? And that's all it says. No, that you know, no one likes that. You might get a couple people commenting on it right off the bat. But I will tell you, General, any time I see those I'm like, that's like the 50th 1 I've seen today. Like, do people really really fall for that? No, they don't want to see that. Okay, they want to see pictures. I want to hear stories. I want to see someone's transformation story. How was that person actually able to lose the £30? Did they keep it off? What did that mean for them? Do that mean that they could start playing with their kids? Did that mean that they were finally able to run that five K race that they wanted to dio? So you need to connect with people, tell the stories, don't do those spammy. Um, drop. I've been seeing these a lot lately on social media, and I don't know what company it is, and I don't know where it started coming from, but it seems like it's been going on since you know everything with business is being shut down. And not that people are posting like comment below and someone's gonna win a $500 gift card. Like what? Like what does that even do? So I'm just really confused by those. I don't know what company like I said is telling people to do those, but they're weird and their spammy and stop. Okay, just up. So on your social media, I want you, Teoh, work on what we call attraction marketing. So you want to attract people to you by posting about your brand. So if you're a fitness person, you're posting maybe your meals, your eating, Maybe you're sharing recipes for the day. Me, I like to go live and show people how easy it is to apply the dry nail polish trips I'm doing. I like to post pictures of my team when we get together and go to Panera and make vision boards because those air fun things that people would like to feel a part of you want people to kind of like, like, have a little bit of foam. Oh, like Oh, what are they doing? What are those nail strips really all about? You know, you kind of went Teoh to attract people to you, toe want to learn more. So as you're doing that and, um, as you're hopefully tagging, you know, your group and them or even every once in a while you can put a call to action. Hey, I love I'm, like, really loving these nail strips. If you want to check him out, head over to my VP group or tonight we're doing the girls and in party I definitely wanted. But you The theme is I just saw one for, like, the big bang theory. Okay, so you can post that in there, um, on your personal wall and and kind of start driving people naturally that way. A really fun place to do this without it going on. Your personal profile for people to see is in your stories. So I find that it's much more acceptable to be posting. I'm what? I still don't even do stock photos. But like I post a lot of pictures of manicures in my stories, I post other things as well, but I find myself posting way more about my business in my Facebook and Instagram stories than I actually do on the wall. So definitely up your social media game and start gradually getting people that way. Another thing with social media before we move on from that is start sending private messages to people on your friends list. But I do not want you to talk about your product, your business right off the bat. OK, it should not be in your 1st 2nd or probably really even third or fourth message to people, and this drives me bonkers. So I've been getting a lot of friend request lately from women and other direct sales companies, and I will usually send them a message once I accept it and determine that. Hopefully they're not like a serial killer, and I will say, like, Hey, Anna, thank you so much for the Facebook friend. Add, I really love meeting new people. I'd love to hear more about you. Hope you have a great day in nine times out of 10. The personal respond and just like send me there like I am a blank consultant. Here's my link like, No, that's not what I asked, right? I asked more about you, so I actually responded to a message yesterday of someone who did that. And I said, Um oh, that's great. Yeah, I've heard of them. But I would really like to know more about you. What do you dio What are your interests? And, um, I'm pretty sure she sent me, like, her live video of her selling your product, and I just I just kind of stopped responding at that point because I'm like, I'm you know, I'm not gonna buy something from someone I don't know anything about. So keep that in mind, guys, if that's what you're doing, if you are just Facebook friending people in sending people your link, they're not going to buy stuff from you because they don't have a relationship with you. You have to take that time to build those relationships with people. So if you're in this in this spot and you're like I have no one to sell to you, I have no new clients. I guarantee you you have not sent a private message to everyone in your Facebook friends lists and just said, Hey, Natalie, I was just thinking of you. How are things going? How's your summer going? Hope you have a great day and have a little conversation show. Respond and say, Hey, Lindsay, thanks so much for thinking of me. Summer is going great. Um, you know, I we're going to Hilton Head Island next week or whatever. How's your summer? And just have a short conversation. Do not at the end of that conversation, send your product link. You know, if my company never comes up, if my work never comes up, then it doesn't come up. Then it comes up in a different conversation on a different day. But while a quick sale might be awesome, it's gonna be so much better for you if you're able. Teoh, get a customer in your group who you have a general genuine relationship with and who really wants to support you. Okay, at the end of the day, it's the long run, right? It's not the immediate gratification that you're looking for. Okay, so that's it for that. Um, another thing to find people is go to events so this can look like you either setting up a booth at an event to sell your product. I love doing that. I love meeting new people vendor events for me or usually really successful people of my product. People love when they can. I can slap a sample on their fingernails. They're like, Oh, my gosh. Is that it? Oh, my gosh, this is fabulous. It's so great. It's like, literally every time. And I love it. Um, so it's great for you to actually work events if you can find them or attend events, you know, Say you couldn't get in at the at the bands show Christmas event because there was already ah, a vendor that sold whatever you sell but still go, go talk, talk to those people, get their cards, connect with them on social media, you know, buy their products if you can if you can. And you've been looking to buy some essential oils and there's an essential oil girl there. Okay, Network. That's how you meet people. And you never know. Maybe that person is not even loving their company, and they're interested in yours. And maybe that girl selling your product at that event didn't have time to go round and meet people. So that's where it could be really great for you to come into the, you know, come into the picture and be like, Hey, I I was thinking anyway, of joining your company. I love toe learn more about you because you actually build a relationship with that people that people with that person. All right, So events go to them, attend to them when you can. And the next point that I had was networking, which kind of goes along with events but get out of network with people. If there's a networking event in your company, um, they're not your company, but in your town, your city. Go do it, guys, you know, don't not go out and meet people. I know it can be really hard, and it can be intimidating, but I have met some really amazing people at networking events. I don't go to them a time because, you know, obviously I work full time and try to get in workouts in the home, time and business time and all the things. But there's a networking event that sounds really fun on a weekend or something. I try to go another thing. If, um, the place where you can find some new people might be your workplace And this is gonna vary for everyone because, like, I prefer as a teacher not to bring that up in my work place. Like, you know, if you work it out, I'm gonna give examples, and then someone's gonna be like, actually, no, you can't do that. But like I'm thinking, if you work in like, a hospital with, like, lots of different divisions and things like that, you could totally network and meet people of other floors, and it just naturally come up that you sell the product that you sell, So don't be afraid to mention it if it comes up, okay, you can kind of steer it that way as well. But this is one thing that's really nice. Um, about the company that I with or even with my clothing company, I would wear the clothing and people would compliment me, and I'd say, Oh, I'm, uh what? What do we even call herself? Consultant? I don't remember. Now a consultant for this company. Let me give you my business card. It's like, now, with my fingernails. I get so many compliments, guys. On my nails now, like all I did it myself. Have you ever heard of Color Street? And I give them? I caught my card. Okay, so now those are all the ways, guys, you can be new people once you have them. As I've mentioned before, you need to nurture those relationships, provide good customer service, treat those women that are in your group and that are your customers like V I. P's. This means good customer service. If there's a problem, you need to do everything you can to make their their issue right. Okay. The customer is always right. If there's a launch or a product restock coming up or you know that the holiday sets air coming out and you have a customer that buys every single lunch from you, you need to be sent in the mail message. Say, Hey, I wanted to let let you know very first that we have some beautiful holiday now sets coming out. And I know you love them. Let me know what you think or let me know if you want me to place an order for my bulk order things like that. Okay, So make them feel like the eyepiece. Do some giveaways in your group. If you can financially swing it, make them feel loved in there, and then they're going to do the same. They're you know, they're gonna to send that good energy back to you by referring people and referrals or the lifeline of our business and last thing. Well, we already kind of talked about it, but send those private messages to those people in your friends list. OK, guys, that should be part of your daily method of operations each day. So I have a trail aboard, and I keep track of who I have talked to and who I haven't. Um, but whether it's someone that you talked to all the time, someone that you look quite literally don't know someone you haven't talked to since college. Okay, send them some sort of message. And if you feel uncomfortable reaching out with a private message because remember, we are not selling in this message. We're saying like, Hey, how are you? I hope you have a great day. Um, but you can also go to their Facebook walls and comment on a recent post, but making a genuine comment. Don't say something that you don't really mean. Don't say something fake, but, you know, start building those relationships naturally, and I promise you people will start seeing your post then, because you are posting on your personal law, right, you are posting on your personal wall. You are not overly posting about your business or your product. But people know that you sell whatever people know that I am their nail girl. So people need to know that you are there. Whatever girl that you you sell, whatever you offer in very lasting that you can do is you can ask your friends to connect you with people who might be interested in the business opportunity or who might be interested in dry nail polish trips. Because I have lots of friends who have said, you know, I don't wear now polish, but my mom does, but my mom gets her nails done, but my best friend does X y z. We're, um you know, I'm not interested in the business opportunity, but I have a friend who's leaving this company. She might be Let me put you in touch. You never know about those things If you don't ask. So reach out to people and ask. And also guys, when I have asked like Hey, do you know anyone who might be interested in joining a direct sales team? I send out that message to quite a few people at the end of last month, as I was trying to hit a goal and one of the girls who I sent it to was like actually me. I have been thinking about joining your company anyway. I'd love Teoh get started, and I was like, Wow, that's awesome, right? So don't always expect something like that, but it's really nice when it does happen. So those are my tips. Yes, you can absolutely build a successful company whether you have a network of one or network of 1000 right, you just need one person to help you get started, and then it can all spiral out from there. So I hope you found this helpful. Please send this to anyone on your team who is feeling frustrated. Who needs some new ideas, where to find some new people? Because guys thes tips can help everyone, no matter how big your businesses thes can be helpful. Feel free also to send this Teoh people who have been considering joining your team, who are like, Yeah, I don't have anyone to sell to because I think just hearing all of the places that you can find people on how you can do it the right way is going to be really helpful for those people. Our guys. I hope you loved this episode. I had a few tackling Just go out there, so I hope it wasn't too bad. Um, and as always, please leave me a rating and review on iTunes or wherever you were listening to this. Please take a screenshot share in your stories and give me a tag and I will definitely don't forget the social selling sisterhood slot is on Facebook Safe, free, closed group all you have to do his request to join, and I holding sat up in the show notes as well. You guys have a great day. Go build those relationships. So go make the sale. Do all the things that you need to do to move your business forward and having a fabulous day by.