In the direct sales industry, the key to success is building and maintaining relationships. In this people-centric business, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool can be a game-changer.
We’ve developed Scentsy Connect, a free app just to help Scentsy Consultants. Here’s why we know it will have a big positive impact on their businesses.
Follow up
Any good sales professional will share this bottom line: It’s easier to make additional sales to an existing customer than to find and sell to new customers. The key to success is follow up. Studies show that you have up to a 70% chance of selling to an existing customer and as little as 5% for new prospects. A third of consumers say they need to make three purchases to develop brand loyalty.
Experts say you should follow up with prospective customers at least five times. Follow-up failures mean missed sales and losing out on the most straightforward way to grow your business. With a CRM, follow up doesn’t need to be overwhelming for you or your customers.
Follow up also shows your loyalty, a reciprocal emotion. If a customer is thinking about buying more products, following up makes it more likely you’ll make a sale.
Also, in the world of direct sales, personalization is paramount. Customers want to feel noticed, feel special. Follow up helps you give attention to you customers. And most consumers report a positive customer service experience influences them to buy again.
A good CRM will also help you retain customers, which is crucial. Your best customers, the top 10%, will spend three times as much as the other 90%. Great service and effective follow up will keep your best customers coming back.
It sounds like a lot of work but follow up and personalization don’t have to be time consuming or intimidating with a good CRM.
Direct benefits of a CRM
- Efficient management: Direct sales Consultants juggle multiple clients, parties and sales platforms at different stages of the sales funnel. A CRM platform helps organize and manage customer data, ensuring no customer falls through the cracks. Scentsy Connect seamlessly integrates with the same data Consultants use in their workstations.
- Personalize interaction: Effective CRM tools store detailed customer information, including purchase history and preferences. Using customer data allows consultants to tailor interactions and information, making them more personal and effective.
- Streamline communication: Keeping track of emails, calls, parties and online sales can be overwhelming, especially if you have a full-time job and a family. A CRM centralizes all communication — from texts to social outreach — making it easy to follow up and keep track of conversations.
- Time management: Direct sales requires a serious to-do list, like sending follow-ups, dropping off orders, shipping samples, training teams and more. A good CRM helps efficiently manage these tasks, helping consultants be more productive and focus their time where it has the most impact.
Important features of a CRM
- Customer retention: A detailed record of customer preferences and interactions lead to better service, which in turn creates satisfied, repeat customers.
- Better sales: A CRM provides data and insights into your customers’ behaviors, product preferences and buying patterns, so consultants can strategize and improve sales techniques.
- Automated workflows: An effective CRM automates routine tasks, such as sending emails, updating records, listing tasks and offering follow up reminders. Automation and reminders free up time to focus on critical business tasks.
- Data decisions: Choose a CRM with analytic and reporting features that allows informed decision-making on real-time data and trends.
Direct sales consultants can use a CRM to efficiently manage customer relationships, make data-driven decisions, improve productivity and create sustained growth and sales.
Scentsy Connect is Scentsy’s own CRM app, available for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Consultants who tested the app say it has revolutionized their business, and nearly 90% of Consultants who use Scentsy Connect say they’re now confident with their customer follow up. That’s proof a CRM makes a difference!
What are your best tips and techniques for customer follow up? Have you downloaded and tried Scentsy Connect? Tell us in the comments!
