Today, we’re joined on the Modern Direct Seller Podcast by Rachel Perry, a direct sales business coach, who chatted with us about making the leap from network marketing to entrepreneurship. Her insider advice about email marketing, avoiding burnout, and taking your business ideas to the next level is just what you need to keep your momentum up through the fourth quarter and into the new year!

Get the Freebie: 10 Simple Ways to Make More Money in Your Network Marketing Business

Join Rachel’s Direct Seller to CEO program: www.RachelAPerry.com/CEO

Time based notes:

• 1:31 Rachel Perry introduction
• 2:37 “Making the leap”
• 3:29 Using email marketing
• 7:28 Direct sales burnout solutions
• 12:00 Tips for the fourth quarter
• 13:58 Direct seller to CEO
• 18:38 Finding your team

A Sustainable Path from Direct Seller to CEO

Recently on The Modern Direct Seller Podcast, we hosted Rachel Perry, a coach who has helped thousands of direct sellers build and scale their businesses so that they can “discover their worth and step into their wealth.” Previously a member of the Tag Team, where she taught sellers how to party on Facebook in 30 minutes, Rachel is now teaching others how to keep their businesses consistent, profitable, and sustainable, as well as helping entrepreneurs jump from network marketing into building brands of their own.

 Her insider advice about email marketing, avoiding burnout, and taking your business ideas to the next level is just what you need to keep your momentum up through the fourth quarter and into the new year!

I know we are both superfans of systems, specifically email marketing, and I know that’s something that you do a lot of training on. Tell us about that—and why a direct seller would even want to think about email marketing. Because so many are like, “Isn’t that old-school?”

I know! When I was with the Tag Team, I remember someone saying, “You need to have an email list.” And we were like, “What? We hate email.” But the reality is, that email? You own that list. Right? So, think of all of your customers, all of your prospects, everybody. And, if you just have them on social media, what if social media goes down one day, and suddenly you can’t get in touch with your followers? That would be awful, right? So, you want to keep that list; you want to build a list. That’s the first reason I think email marketing is so important.

The second is—and I’m sure you’ve shared this before. But, a very small percentage of your social media following actually sees your posts. Like, 2% to 5% of your audience.

Isn’t that depressing? And it seems like people don’t even know that. They’re like, “I don’t understand. Why aren’t people commenting?” It’s because they’re not even seeing it.

They’re just not seeing it. And, I think the reason why email is so great is because, on average, 20% to 25% of your audience will see it.

Now, I think it has to be done the right way. I don’t think you should be just sending out a newsletter each week; I don’t think you should be forwarding your company newsletter. That’s not the email I’m talking about. I’m talking about the emails that add value to people’s lives, that share really great information, and that build that connection between you and your customer. For example, think about ways that you connect with someone in person, or how you connect with someone on social media. You can do the same in email. It needs to be real and conversational, and it’s a place where you can let your personal brand shine through. People want to know what’s happening in your life.

I also think an interesting thing about email that we don’t talk about much is that, yes, 25%, 35%, whatever your numbers are on your open rate—those are pretty good. But, that doesn’t mean everyone’s going to respond to you.

You’ll get some responses from these emails, but you get a small percentage of responses. And that’s okay, because people are reading them! Maybe not everyone. But, people are reading them.

I have a student who recently came to me to discuss high open rates vs. conversions, and I think that’s something else worth noting. Because, you can sell in your emails. You just have to do it at the right time. It has to make sense. It has to flow. I think oftentimes there’s this fear of selling, right? Like, “I don’t want to be that direct seller.” Nobody wants to be that direct seller. But, it’s not a bad thing to sell your product. You just have to build up the need and the desire for it, and that’s absolutely something you can do in emails.

I want to talk a little bit more about your Direct Seller to CEO program, because I think we have a lot of listeners—maybe more than we even realize—that have a business idea in the back of their head. And oftentimes, it’ll come from their direct sales business. They see a need, and they’ll start to brainstorm ways to fill it. So, when some of those ideas are starting to come into your head as a direct seller about what’s next for you, or what kind of business you could create, where do you recommend they get started?

This is my favorite thing to talk about! When you start having these ideas, let yourself continue to go down that path in your mind. Start figuring out what you really want to do. Where do you excel? What lights you up? Where do you feel like you could help other people? What is your superpower? I believe that every listener here, if they get to a point where they’re saying, “Okay, I think I’m ready for more,” then it’s time for you to take that leap and start looking into, “What is the more here? What is the next step?” When we acknowledge that we want more, it’s almost like we start seeing little signs that are pushing us in that direction. So, open your eyes to that. Be aware of it. And then, recognize that you have something to offer, and start thinking how you can serve your audience.

I’ve been there, right? Like, I’ve had those ideas. And my business has zigged and zagged and gone a million different directions. And it can feel really scary. So, I think just acknowledging that is a big deal, that it can be scary to make that leap, matters. Do you have tips on how to overcome that fear and step into things with confidence?

It’s such a big part of the process to feel all these things. So, when you start having that fear, when you start having a little bit of anxiety, allow yourself to feel it. And then, the thing that I’m going to encourage you to do is to not let that fear stop you from continuing down your path.

I have zigged and zagged so many times, because it’s just part of the process. It’s part of the journey. You, thinking right now, “Could I do something else? Is there something more for me out there?” That’s part of this journey.

And it’s a personal growth journey, as well. It’s natural for your Inner Mean Girl to try and keep you in your comfort zone. But the reality is, you’re not going to grow if you stay in that comfort zone. Recognize that inner voice for what it is, and don’t let it tell you lies about where you can go next—because those lies will get really loud. And that’s when you have to, like, find positive quotes on Pinterest. Look up people, follow people, who are going to speak to that mindset piece, because so much of this process is mindset more than anything else.

I love that you have a group program for people that are in that same place, too, because every leap that I’ve made in my business has been with a group of like-minded people saying, “You got this.” Or, “What I’m hearing you say is that you really want to go do this thing. So, you should go do that thing.” Or, “What’s holding you back? Okay, let’s help you work through that.” And, I think there’s power in bringing people together that can cheer each other on and can fight for each other.

 I mean, even in direct sales, you have a team, right? Your team is there to be like, “Go do that party,” or “Go ask that person for the sale.” It’s no different in this space. It’s just having some people to be on that journey with you, because it can feel really daunting by yourself.

There’s so much power in having a group of people who are going through something similar. Because, there comes a time for all of us where we’re just feeling discouraged or frustrated, and where we’re like, “This is stupid. I just want to quit.” But we don’t. Because we’re surrounded by other people who are in similar situations and can talk us through the hard times.

Speaking of that feeling, let’s switch gears a little bit and talk about direct sales leaders that are feeling the burnout right now. Because, I mean, the struggle is real, right? We all have that feeling of needing to be in 24/7 hustle mode, constantly on. “Gotta respond to that message. Gotta post that Reel. Gotta do all the things.” What’s your best advice for direct sales leaders to scale their business in a sustainable way without feeling exhausted all the time?

I love this question. Because, it’s such an epidemic right now with this hustle.

Here’s what I think you need to do. You gotta be okay with setting boundaries. Because, it’s easy to fall into this, “I have to be on all the time, because if my team isn’t motivated, then they’re not going to do the work, and then I’m…” You know? But, you have to set boundaries, and you have to be okay with that. And, I think that is probably the hardest thing to do for anyone who works from home, especially if you love what you’re doing.

Setting those boundaries is something that I’ve learned as an online business owner—and it goes for anyone, really—because it’s so much healthier. So, decide what you want. Like, what would your dream business look like? Would it be that people could only reach out to you between 12:00 and 4:00? Whatever it is, start figuring out what it is that you need to do to get you there. It has to feel good.

And then, I think the second piece of advice is to audit yourself, and look and see, what activities are you doing? What do you have to work on? Because, you need to do the activities that are moving the needle, not the activities that don’t necessarily move the needle, right? I’m sure you’ve heard “working in the business versus working on the business,” right? You’ve really got to be aware of the things that you’re doing that will move that needle in the right direction.

Right. Recognize that, even though you have this feeling of, “I gotta do it all. I have to keep up with the to-do list…” In reality, some things don’t even belong on the to-do list.

And, it’s easy for that to-do list to grow longer and longer, because there are people out there who look like they’re doing more than you, and they’re going to be recommending that you do this or that to match their success. Block out that noise, and just decide, “What do you want?” And do that, and go from there.

I think that really speaks to being able to set your own pace, and knowing that you don’t have to have the pedal to the metal 24/7 to see success. There are definitely seasons and times to push. But, it’s not sustainable to do that all the time.

 With that in mind, and the holiday season right around the corner, what are your best tips for direct sellers to hit the numbers they want, finish the year strong, and still take care of themselves?

Well, Number One: Have fun. Like, have so much fun with this season, because this is the best time! When I was a direct seller, and I hosted a lot of home parties, it was really fun to make everything festive. So, whatever you’re doing, first and foremost, take the time to celebrate and enjoy it.

Also, remember the value that you add to your customers’ experiences. You are more than your product; you’re more than your company. So, what impact are you making? What is your message, your overall message, about how you can help your audience? What problems can you solve for them that will bring a little more enjoyment to their season, too?

And, more practically, start thinking about your January. It’s really important to start setting yourself up for next year. So, what do you want to do? What do you need to do? How can you leverage the sales and the people that are finding you and purchasing from you right now? How can you leverage that right now to give you momentum into January?

Yes! I think oftentimes we kind of check out around that holiday shipping cutoff date in December, and then coming back into things after the holidays and waking up to a January calendar that doesn’t have anything on it can feel a little depressing. So, planning ahead, thinking about that now, I love that!

 If you’re ready to start thinking past the holiday shopping season and into January, check out our 2023 Workshop: Dream it! Plan it! Make it happen! to map out your strategies for the new year.

 To learn more about Rachel Perry and the work she’s doing, visit her website, connect with her on Instagram, or check out The Direct Seller’s Podcast.

Get ready for January today at ModernDirectSeller.com/2023Plan.

Take Action: What’s one way that you can keep up the momentum during the fourth quarter?