The high-stakes world of direct selling is a world where intermediaries are out of the picture and entrepreneurs step in. However, products don’t guarantee success – it’s about mastering networking and the art of marketing. Your connections and individual skills as a seller and marketer are key to succeeding in the industry.
The Indian direct selling industry holds a lot of promise, emerging as a gateway to self-employment and business expansion. However, not every budding entrepreneur has a knack for selling or the ability to connect with their target audience. Networking becomes all the more important in the direct selling business model because your market is defined by your reach.
At the forefront of this dynamic ecosystem, QNET India offers a diverse portfolio of top-notch products. It doesn’t just sell products; it sells a vision for businesses. Here, your network isn’t just a group of contacts—it’s your strength, an arsenal of collaborative relationships vital for mutual success.
But how do you go about making a robust network in direct selling? Join us as we unravel the blueprint to build a thriving network, from refining your product to establishing a powerful presence on social media, forging connections that aren’t just about numbers but enduring, trust-based partnerships.
What Does Direct Selling Entail?
In the direct selling model, there are no middlemen. As the name suggests, goods are directly sold by vendors and are bought directly by consumers, either through an online platform or are directly sold to the consumers without a traditional retail environment. If you are an entrepreneur looking to set up your business using a commercial platform such as QNET, you’ll not have to overcome any starting barriers such as costs etc., unlike the traditional retail model.
For instance, QNET in India offers a home to a vast range of products across wellness and nutrition, personal care, home and living, watches and jewellery, to name a few categories.
Why Networking Skills Matter in Direct Selling
In the direct selling context, networking and marketing is everything. To thrive in such a business, the quality of your relationships with like-minded people who share your business interests and profit motivations is as vital as the quality of your goods. In other words, the success of your entrepreneurial dream depends on the power of your network and how consistently you keep them motivated.
While there may be little or no barriers to putting up your business today, it does not mean the rest of your entrepreneurial journey will be a cakewalk. With no middlemen to do your selling, you must rely on your own networking skills to find and cultivate a strong community of like-minded business aspirants who buy into your business idea. The challenges do not stop there. You must continuously improve it to ensure your business does not saturate or slow down. Through your network, you can then tap into the infinite opportunities it offers to fulfil your entrepreneurial vision and become a profitable venture.
For example, if you have newly ventured into the QNET business, you might struggle to find your feet and establish your network. Or your communication, management, marketing skills may not be ready enough to deal with real-world business situations. But these are teething problems that can be sorted and addressed with experience, persistence, learning and polishing those business skills to make that network your own and not miss any business opportunities that come your way.
Direct selling in the Indian Landscape
According to the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), the global direct selling industry generated $172.8 billion in 2022. Approximately 114 million people globally are direct sellers in both part-time and full-time capacity. With a supportive ecosystem providing a strong base, India has become one of the top start-up destinations in the world. At the same time, its consumer market is exploding. The direct selling model is therefore ideal for start-ups and fledgling businesses.
The direct selling industry can potentially open up sustainable self-employment and business avenues to India’s vast population of entrepreneurial dreamers. Another encouraging sign is that despite the strained economic and social conditions of recent years, India ranks 11th in the direct selling market with retail sales reaching $3.23 billion in 2022 and boasting 40% female independent distributors in the industry.
There are also a lot more active direct sellers now with the number crossing 84 lakhs. India witnessed an impressive 5.4% increase in Year-on-Year (YOY) growth. This growth trajectory is further highlighted by India’s exceptional Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of over 13.3% in constant dollars over the last three years.
While this is definitely a great development for the Indian economy, these direct sellers will have to face their share of challenges in being able to survive and thrive in such a competitive climate. Not every budding entrepreneur has the ability to sell, identify the right opportunity, or even reach the kind of consumers they want to attract. Hence the network becomes all-important in the direct selling model.
At the forefront of direct selling in the country with its diverse portfolio of top-notch products, QNET is playing a prominent role in this growing market. QNET’s influence will continue to shape the industry in the future as it adapts to suit the changing needs of its vast customer and distributor networks. For those entrepreneurs on-board its direct selling platform, they have a huge competitive advantage. They can readily capitalise on QNET’s first-hand insights into changing end-user preferences, emerging technologies, and e-commerce trends.
Networking Your Way to Success
In the QNET model, you are not just selling your product but also your vision for business. Therefore, your customer could also lead you to your next sales recruit.
Your network becomes your biggest strength. The reason we emphasise a strong network of people who share your business interests is that it gives ample opportunity for knowledge sharing and collaborative relationships that can be mutually relevant and profitable for all participants.
Hence, it is very important to learn from your mentors and be on top of your business priorities, day in and day out. So, do you have a dream that you are ready to live for?
Having established that a strong network can make or break your business venture, let us talk about the different ways in which you can actually build one for yourself:
- Ensure you have a solid product, which is commercially viable
Without a product of reliable quality or concrete business prospects, you cannot get too far. To grow your network, you need these two areas to be properly established, based on which you can build a reputation and branding with assurance.
If you get into direct selling with QNET, your prospects are sure to improve as the compensation and rewards you receive here for direct selling are highly competitive. Know everything about the company and stay abreast about the QNET product offering.
- Pick the right team
Having a team behind your business venture is important. But ensuring it’s the right one for you is even more significant for success. While you need the support of others to drive your business, choose your team with careful thought and groundwork. Ideally, those who can help you carry your vision forward should be able to match it with passion and collaborative spirit and ensure the messages are reinforced across the network you are building together.
- Become the go-to expert for your product
You don’t just market your product, you’re its brand ambassador. Educate yourself on different aspects of your product and business area and keep refreshing your knowledge. This will help especially when prospective customers or sales recruits or other members of the network engage with you, so that they get a comprehensive idea of your product and its potential and not just a vague idea. They will automatically reach out to you the next time they are on the verge of making a buying decision and have queries because they believe you have that ready knowledge at your fingertips.
- Connect to your target audience with a strong business presentation
Once you have enrolled into the direct selling model, you will need to engage with the target audience by making the right impression with your sales pitch/business presentation. This will greatly influence the future of your business. So, it must reflect your commitment to the business by showing the amount of thought, attention to detail, and preparation that has gone into it and then delivering it clearly.
- Establish yourself on social media but do not neglect traditional modes
A sure-shot way to build a strong network is to find wider, more diverse audiences for your product and interested parties who are likely to share your business vision. Today, no platform can do that better than social media. To find new business aspirants on social media, you will need to establish your business account, build your online content there that constantly talks about your products, vision etc. in an interesting manner. The idea is to make it easier for those prospects to find you, become curious about your business, and reach out to you to establish a connection or start an engagement.
However, networking through telephonic conversations still works as a great mode for direct selling, lead generation, and identifying business prospects, and it can save you a lot of time and effort too. This is because talking to them directly will help you gauge their interest levels and filter out those who are really keen to join your network.
And nothing beats meeting them in person to establish a strong connection and develop your network. Do not miss the opportunity for face-to-face networking.
Conclusion
All the other methods and strategies will become ineffective if you are unable to establish a connection with your target audience for direct selling. So, it is crucial that you keep up the networking and building connections with your target audience.
Having a large number of contacts is important but maintaining strong business relationships will go a long way in unlocking new business opportunities that are based on trust and longevity. These are the attributes of a strong network. Even if your contacts may or may not immediately join your team, having a long-standing connection with them will ensure they can approach you at a later point in time to explore the idea of working with you.
FAQs
Q. What is direct selling?
Direct selling involves goods being marketed, directly by vendors and bought by consumers, either through an online platform specifically meant for qualified direct sellers or are sold directly to the consumers. There are no physical shops or stores involved in the direct selling environment.
Q. Why does networking skills matter for direct selling?
To thrive in such a business, the quality of your relationships with like-minded people who share your business interests and profit motivations is as vital as the quality of your goods.
Q. Is India a good market for direct selling?
With a supportive ecosystem, India ranks among the top start-up destinations in the world. At the same time, its consumer market is exploding. The direct selling model is ideal for gig workers and for entrepreneurs who are willing to work hard and invest time!
Q. Can direct selling be done through the phone?
Even today, networking through telephonic conversations works as a great mode for direct selling, lead generation, and identifying business prospects, and it can save you a lot of time and effort too. This is because talking to them directly will help you gauge their interest levels and filter out those who are really keen to join your network.
