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I think we would all agree that a solid foundation and track record are extremely important for success, especially in the direct sales industry. Like many of you, we at ACN are especially proud of our past our 15-year track record, our commitment to global expansion, our steady growth, our outstanding product lines and even our somewhat humble beginnings. We share these stories with new representatives at each of our International Training Events, providing us with an opportunity to reflect on just how far we’ve come. Because just as childhood can help shape us as adults, at ACN, we know that we’re who we are today because of our rich history.
I’m sure each of you has fond memories of your company’s history sprinkled with funny times and, probably, some tough times, too. I would encourage you also to share these stories with your salesforce, no matter how humbling or silly they may seem. These are the stories that show our salesforces everything we went through to provide them with the outstanding business opportunities they take advantage of today; these are the stories that make us who we are. Remember, for people to support our future, they have to believe in our past.
And while our history books hold some of our most precious, cherished moments, I’ve found that it’s even more important to keep focused on the future where your company is headed, how it will get there, and how this will be communicated and implemented within your salesforce.
The bottom line is that it’s critical for our salesforces to feel as if we always seek out ways to enhance their business opportunities. It’s up to us to cast the vision within our organizations, to give our salesforces the power to think even bigger. To do that, we’ve got to constantly find ways to reinvent ourselves and, in turn, reinvent the opportunities for our representatives. In typical corporate America, employees always want to know what a company is doing to make their job better what are the long-term goals; can I feel secure in my job; will my company be able to compete in a changing economy?
While we are certainly far from corporate America, our salesforces ask many of these same questions, just in a different way. At times, we are faced with an even more difficult challenge a volunteer workforce. As owners and executives of our companies, it is our job to motivate and inspire our salesforces and to seek out new products, compensation, and opportunities to make their opportunities even better than they are today. Our salesforces need confidence in our leadership teams and confidence that we are the right company to help them rewrite their futures.
At ACN, the past several years have been a period of rebirth for us. We were extremely pleased with where we were as a company and with the success we had experienced in the telecommunications market. We had a strong product lineup, loyal representatives, countless success stories and millions of satisfied customers. We had certainly mastered our distribution model, finding a new way to deliver not only the products our customers want but also the products they depend on day in and day out. And we were proud to be the No. 1 direct seller of telecommunications services in the world. That’s not a title we take lightly. But we also understood that to remain at the top and to compete in an ever-changing, high-tech world, we had to focus on the future. For us, that meant delivering tomorrow’s technologies… today. We couldn’t afford to wait for new opportunities to find us. We had to go out and find them; our future depended on it. And, just as important, we knew what our limitations were. We certainly didn’t know everything, so we attracted the right people to help get us where we needed to be, building a strong infrastructure and taking our company to the next level.
We started by asking ourselves, “What is the next big thing in telecom, and how do we position ourselves to get there first?” We live in an ever-changing world where schedules are pushed to the max, even our children are overcommitted, people feel less and less connected to their loved ones, and we all seem to be addicted to our BlackBerrys and PDAs. So we asked ourselves, “What could ACN do to bring people closer together without compromising their high-tech lifestyles?” For us, the solution was video communication.
We developed our own digital phone service network and launched one of the world’s first video phones, combining video and voice for a unique, totally personal communication experience. Within the product’s first year, ACN became the largest distributor of video phones in the world. And while this new technology brought great success to us as a company, the real winners are our representatives and customers. Imagine being a part of something that allows you to market breakthrough technology first… technology that you couldn’t just walk into your favorite store and purchase… technology available only here. It doesn’t get more exciting than that for our representatives.
How did our video phone technology become such an overnight success? We followed a simple formula: We saw a need for this technology in the marketplace, we acted quickly upon that need and we met it head on.
But we didn’t stop there. Again, part of being an industry leader and developing lasting success means having a vision for the future. Remember, however, that the future never endsit just becomes the present. So we have to keep searching for new ways to redefine our products and ourselves. We could have been satisfied with our video phone, but to truly compete in a high-tech world, we had to come up with something even bigger and better. Granted, we took some time to celebrate our successes, but we didn’t think the journey was over for one second. In fact, it was just beginning.
We knew that we had to come up with a product that would top what we had already done… or someone else would. So we took our experience, feedback from our representatives and lessons learned, and began work on a new video phone—slated to hit the marketplace this summer. Again, to remain a competitor we can never just rest on our laurels or our products will become stagnant. And even worse, in turn our representatives and customers will become stagnant, too.
While certainly our video and voice technology is specific to us, our model is one that can be implemented industrywide, regardless of the products or services your company markets. Every time we launch a new product we have to realize that someone is already out there looking for a way to do it bigger and better. The needs of our consumers are constantly changing, and we have to meet their needs before they even know what those are. Consumers are overwhelmed with media advertising, and while advertising certainly influences and sells, our person-to-person, face-to-face salesforces have proven to be even more effective. Together we have perfected a more efficient means of distributing products to consumers. We’ve given a face and a personality to the products people use and depend on every day. We just have to get our representatives the products they need, because if we don’t, someone else will. So, start by asking yourself, “What’s the next big thing in my industry?” Don’t wait for someone else to get there first!
To keep our companies growing and thriving, it’s critical that we look to the future and find a way to beat the competition there. We have to be pioneers in our industries, or someone else will beat us to the punch. While it may not always be easy, we can’t let someone else test the waters. Instead, we have to jump in with both feet. There will be challenges and obstacles along the way, and mistakes will, no doubt, be made. But that’s when the rewards are greatest. You can’t become the best swimmer in the pool without getting wet.
As we reach the midpoint of 2008, it’s a great time to take stock of our progress for the year. Yes, take some time to reflect on the past, but remember… it’s never too early to focus on the future. It will be here before we know it.
Greg Provenzano is the President and Co-Founder of ACN Inc., the world’s largest direct seller of communications services. ACN is based in Concord, N.C., with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit http://www.acninc.com.
