Direct Marketing

Selling straight to the consumer

By Nora Spero

There’s no mystery about direct marketing: it means selling directly to the consumer. But it’s not the same as retail sales where one receives an hourly wage, perhaps with bonuses.

There are a variety of direct marketing avenues, depending on what you are selling. For example, direct selling can take the form of old-fashioned door-to-door selling. Today’s direct marketers are among the most sophisticated selling professionals around, for one simple reason: they don’t eat unless they are successful. That’s the downside. Generally speaking, there’s no safety net with direct marketing, so you need to know what you are doing.

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But don’t let that scare you. The good news is that today your direct marketing business can use all the advantages that big businesses use to stay alive. These include the “safety in numbers” strategy, afforded to the direct marketer by joining direct marketing associations or by hiring direct marketing agencies or direct marketing services with proven track records.

Direct Marketing Online

You can locate these associations and service agencies online with a click of your mouse. Simply typing in “direct marketing” will put you in touch with all sorts of resources. From there, you can find subheadings in the field you are interested in, which can lead you to the agencies, associations or other affiliated services.

You may choose to do your direct marketing online through eBay or some of the other online shopping sites. You can buy email addresses and sell via direct email marketing, or you can buy mailing lists and use regular mail to market your product or service. Again, the Internet is a rich resource for these prospects. You can access both the help you need to get started and the actual names and addresses of potential buyers. In that sense, direct marketing has never been easier.

The options and advice you choose to use will be determined by the type of products or services you are trading in. Whether it’s automotive markets, cookware, cosmetics, health products, appliances, real estate, insurance, vacations or vocational training, you can sell it directly – but you may need special licensing, training or educational requirements to do so.

Where to Start?

1. Start with the field you are interested in – is it a product or service? You must believe in its value to have a chance of being successful at convincing others to buy it! Does it require training, certification or licensing? What about the costs or time investment?

2. Look at those who are successful in selling whatever it is you want to sell. Contact them, let them show you their sales pitch (if appropriate), or study their literature and advertising. Learn from them, but be careful to avoid using trademarked or copyrighted materials. Learn from those who are doing it successfully, then model your approach after them.

3. Estimate start-up costs, including fees for association membership, education and licensing as needed, as well as the cost of inventory and a projected timeline for when you can expect sales to generate income.

4. Crawl before you leap! Try out your direct marketing on a small scale first, if you can. Start by trying to sell to associates, acquaintances and those in your circle of influence. You will generally be able to get feedback that strangers won’t take the time to give.

5. Never stop reading, listening and learning. By joining an appropriate direct marketing association, you can network and learn at conventions and similar gatherings of direct marketers.

As technology changes, it offers those of us who seek the freedom of being our own boss a myriad of opportunities in direct marketing. But these are just the tools of the trade. The real art of being a successful direct sales professional comes from within you. It’s your entrepreneurial spirit and your faith in what you are selling that will give you the sense of confidence, which, regardless of the methods you employ, will attract the success you seek. Good luck and good selling!