eNews

June 2008

June 2008 Updates from Direct Selling News

In This Issue
Executive Connection with Jim Coover of Isagenix
Direct Selling News June Issue Online
Direct Selling News Europe Now Available to U.S. Subscribers
Content: The Key to Customer Connection
Tell YOUR Story with the Direct Selling News Reprint Program
Update Your Contact Information Online
Executive Connection with Jim Coover
of Isagenix

In this month's Executive Connection, Direct Selling News Publisher and Editor in Chief John Fleming spoke to Jim Coover, President and CEO, Isagenix, about Isagenix's products, associates and much more.
Read interview >>
June Issue of Direct Selling News Now Online
Direct Selling News June 2008 Cover

Get to the heart of the matter and discover the importance of corporate social responsibility with the June issue of Direct Selling News, online now.

Also in the June issue:
India Holds Incredible Appeal for Direct Sellers
Young Company Focus: Jockey Person to Person
Industry with Heart: The Pampered Chef
Company Spotlight: Isagenix
Top Desk with David Holl
Direct Selling News Europe Now Available to U.S. Subscribers
Direct Selling News Europe

Direct Selling News Europe keeps you informed about direct selling companies, people and news in today’s global marketplace. Subscribe today for US $50 (US, Canada and other non-European residents).

European direct selling executives and suppliers are eligible for a complimentary subscription. Please contact Chris Vernon at to find out if you qualify!
Click here to bring Europe to your mailbox!
Content: The Key to Customer Connection
by Michelle Larter, IMN

The close relationship between a direct selling corporation and its salesforce can be summed up in one word—communication. And new technologies empower corporations to take a giant step in how they communicate with their salesforce and their customers.

Downloaded training manuals and business forms, online ordering and tracking of sales and training through webinars have already streamlined the back end of the business. It’s time to transform the front line.

E-newsletters are the latest high-tech, high-touch tool to revolutionize communications and transform representatives’ attitudes, actions and results. “Younger representatives are not the only ones driving innovation,” says Mary Christensen, speaker, author, consultant and coach for the direct selling industry. “Mature representatives are embracing new technologies because they see results.”

Internal e-newsletters enable companies to communicate directly with representatives. Simple reports show when the newsletter is opened and what parts of it representatives visit.

Customer e-newsletters sent on a representative’s behalf encourage your salesforce to reach out to their customers more consistently. The dynamics of servicing change when customers can check out specials and promotions before their representative calls. Regular reports alert representatives to which topics their customers are clicking on so they know where to focus when they follow up.

In the competition for the hearts and minds of your customers, e-newsletters take the pressure off your salesforce by encouraging them to become the messenger rather than the message. If your representatives are proud of the communications you send to customers on their behalf, they will be less likely to create their own.

“The best e-newsletters rely on a combination of engaging content and a soft-sell approach to ensure recipients read, rather than delete them,” says Jo Ellen Collins, Vice President of Marketing, IMN. “With distinct information, consistent distribution and a diverse format, such as podcasts and surveys, e-newsletters make it easy to communicate consistently with your audience in a way that keeps them engaged and coming back for more.”

The greatest challenge in producing an effective newsletter is content! Great content attracts readership and builds customer loyalty. While every e-newsletter includes company news, product information, promotions and incentives, this is no longer enough to capture and engage representatives or customers. Savvy corporations will weave interesting stories, features and articles throughout their e-newsletters, increasing the likelihood they will be read.

It is always a good time to rethink and, if necessary, reinvent, your content to keep it fresh and engaging.

Will your content instantly capture their attention? Your representatives and customers are busier, and have more choices and distractions than ever before. Competing publications are vying for their attention. Your e-newsletter has just seconds to win the race for their attention… and business. Captivating headlines and attention-grabbing bullet point summaries on the home page that tempt readers to delve into the topic will be worth the time it takes to create them.

Does the content address the issues customers and representatives care about? They are more knowledgeable, more informed and more discerning than ever. They know what they want, and they are increasingly skilled at blocking out irrelevant or outdated messages. Young people are especially talented at blocking out messages they perceive as spam. To win their attention, give them what they want.

Is your content fresh? A relevant, interesting story that creates a need or desire to purchase is a subtle way to drive sales, especially if the story is tied to a new product or a price promotion. Customers will always respond to articles promising simple solutions to their concerns. Well-targeted articles that address their issues directly will inspire them to make a purchase.

Marketers of personal care products can offer fresh perspectives on how to look a little younger, a little more attractive.

Marketers of personal care products can offer fresh perspectives on how to look a little younger, a little more attractive.
Nutritional consumers will respond to new ways to gain energy, lose weight or eliminate stress.
New looks, colors and combinations will work for jewelry, clothing and accessories lines.
Travel providers could alternately feature trend-setting and undiscovered destinations to appeal to a wider range of readers.
Representatives and customers of gourmet food lines are unlikely to lose their hunger for innovative recipes, or new twists on family favorites.

Is your content topical? Lifestyle features are a quick and effective way to capture the attention of readers. Every new season brings an opportunity to feature seasonal tips, techniques and ideas—how to set a summer table, plan a perfect barbecue, theme a room for a special celebration or plan a summer herb garden.

Does your content build and strengthen bonds? Nancy Bogart, Founder of Jordan Essentials, a family-owned, grassroots business, introduced consultant and customer e-newsletters simultaneously to maximize impact.

Her consultant e-newsletter, Essential News, allows her to maintain a personal connection with her growing salesforce “without losing the connection with my family.” Essential News is not only an efficient and effective way to disseminate company news, it enables her to maintain a strong personal connection with her consultants.

“I want them to feel they know me on a personal as well as a business level,” she says. A feature of every e-newsletter is a personal message that Bogart hopes will inspire her consultants, as it strengthens the bonds she has with them.

Her customer e-newsletter follows the same philosophy. “Our consultants want to maintain the same personal relationship with their customers I have with them, so I write newsy articles on their behalf,” says Bogart. “Because the e-newsletter is customized with consultants’ names and contact details, customers feel a personal connection to them.”

Does your content engage your readers? Consumers value interaction as much as information. The more involved they are, the more likely it is they will read your e-newsletter. Asking for feedback is a sure-fire way to strengthen relationships and build loyalty. A forum page and simple surveys make your subscribers feel connected and engaged.

E-newsletters can even transform a company’s growth. “It is unbelievable what e-newsletters have done for us. Now we can take the most important events and pull them together in one neat package,” says Terry Fingerhut, Vice President of Sales for Private Quarters. “We look for the one big thing we want to hit folks with and that becomes our lead story on both our customer and our consultant e-newsletters.”

One successful fundraising campaign being promoted through their e-newsletter is “Share the Comfort”—a drive to provide much needed support to local battered women’s shelters. “Our consultants were invited to give us the names of shelters in their area,” says Fingerhut. “We then contacted the shelters and asked them to give us a wish list of what they needed. In April, we donated 15 percent of all party sales in product to the shelter chosen by the consultant and her hostess.”

The promotion is working because everyone is engaged. Guests are purchasing more when they learn that 15 percent of sales will be donated; hostesses are excited about fundraising for a worthwhile cause; and consultants are enthusiastically embracing the promotion. The final results aren’t in, but Private Quarters already sees more bookings, more sales and a greater sense of community among customers, consultants and corporate.

Is the content relevant to their lives? Including podcasts in e-newsletters makes it easy for busy representatives to download news and information to their MP3 players and listen to them while driving between appointments or walking the dog. Even monthly training calls can be recorded and included.

“Expecting all representatives to be on a training call at the same time is unrealistic when you factor in time zone differences, work and family commitments,” says Christensen, “Representatives appreciate the flexibility of being able to access training at a time and place convenient to them.”

Are your articles short? This is the age of information overload and the longer your feature, the less likely it is your audience will read, remember or act on it. While they are hungry for information, they want to access it fast. Young people especially have become skilled at blocking out uninteresting, irrelevant or repetitive messages—if the message doesn’t immediately capture their attention chances are they will not open it.

Cater to your audience and address the issues they’re talking about. If you’re not connecting, you’re not communicating. Great content keeps your customers and representatives opening, reading and acting on your e-newsletter. The only way to keep them coming back for more is to deliver great content in every issue.

E-newsletters go a step further by taking the guesswork out of communications. You know when you are hitting the right hot spots and when you’re not. Selling and recruiting—it all becomes a lot easier when you know who’s really interested!

Michelle Larter is Market Manager with IMN, a company specializing in e-communications services that enable direct selling companies to support their field sales organizations with multimedia capable e-mail and e-newsletters. To learn more, go to http://www.imninc.com.
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