Here's another example of what to do during a sales call, also from the Selling 101 series of online courses on The Learning Center. This IBO used a different approach with this customer than in the first example. Can you tell the difference?     

Now that you've seen a video example from the Selling 101 online series of courses on what not to do on a sales call, here is a video that shows what to do.  Do you think these video examples are helpful for learning?  

In the previous post I wrote about how Training & Education worked to make the online Selling 101 course realistic, simple, and fun. One of the ways we did this was to include video examples of both what to do and what not to do.  These scenarios were based on real IBO sales pitches videotaped across the country. 

Here is a video example of  "what not to do" when calling a potential

I asked Char Griffin, Manager of Instructional Design, to explain why IBOs would want to take the brand new Selling 101 series of online courses. 

In a nutshell, she responded, "Tested in the field. Proven results from both IBO satisfaction and sales results. Realistic scenarios. Fun. Simple steps that are limited to only what the IBO absolutely needs to get their first few sales."

How was Selling 101 tested, you might ask?  According to Char, Selling 101 is the result of testing the original online Selling course in the field, getting feedback from IBOs, and tracking the sales results of the participants who took both versions. One of her team's major findings was that the initial course tried to do too much.  So, they decided to break  the original curriculum into three series of courses, the first being Selling 101.

Selling 101 is targeted to the new IBO, or anyone who has never sold before. But, this series of courses is also great for sponsors to use to coach their new IBOs so both can qualify for the Fast Track incentives.

"People join this business to make money and the fastest way to earn money in this business is to sell. And with the new Fast Track program there is a double incentive to find and keep customers. These courses give IBOs who have never sold before both the confidence and skills to get started," says Char.

If you are curious about your own selling confidence, the course offers a survey both  before and after you complete the series that evaluates how confident you are in your selling skills.

Other feedback from IBOs on the  earlier Selling course was that the dialogue and interactions in many of the scenarios did not seem authentic ("bad acting", said some). To address this issue, sales pitches of IBOs all over the country were filmed and used to create the video examples in the course. According to Brian Wrest, Instructional Designer on Char's team, "They have been IBO tested and we have been told they ring true."

In order to keep Selling 101 simple, the course focuses on 3 groups of product that are both easy to sell and a good foundation for moving those initial customers into other products in the same product line. For IBOs interested in health, the course features an energy bundle consisting of XS Energy Drinks, NUTRILITE Rhodiola, and NUTRILITE Energy Bars. For those interested in beauty, the course features The ARTISTRY essentials Skin Care Systems and ARTISTRY TIME DEFIANCE Skin Refinishing Lotion. As a third choice, the course uses Ribbon Gift Collections as a selling example. 

Another difference with the new Selling 101 series, according to Brian,  are the job aids: both product guides for the product featured in the course  and the action plan are provided.

"The product guides will support them in each step of the selling method. The action plan is immediately actionable, helping them create everything they need from their list of customers to their appointment-making script, to information useful for closing the sale and then following-up," says Brian.

Try Selling 101 yourself, and let us know whether or not you find it simple, realistic and fun. And, most of all, let us know whether or not the course gives your group the confidence and skills they need to make money by selling product.
       

Need help explaining Fast Track to your group? Want to know how to use Amway Global advertising and sponsorships to market your business? We've got the courses for you.

Your group can learn about Fast Track from two new online courses, Fast Track Overview and Fast Track Maximize Results.  Available in both English and Spanish, these courses are must haves for those who want to take advantage of this exciting incentive program.

For those who want ideas on how to market their business, the online presentation, Tips for Marketing Your Business, is the place to go.  Developed due to popular demand (this topicwas first choice in a survey sent to business leaders last fall), this presentation shows you how to take advantage of the many Amway Global marketing programs and materials to market your own business and products.

Let us know if these courses hit the mark.  And as always, let us know what other kinds of learning you need in order to achieve true success in your business. 

To experience these courses yourself, login to The Learning Center on the Education page within Manage My Business at amwayglobal.com.

Several of us in the Amway Global Training & Education group are trying to (re)discover slim for ourselves. We’ve formed a weekly support group to help us lose weight using the new Trim Body System program. One of our secret weapons is Julianne Downes, a Registered Dietician and Certified Weight Management Trainer. Many of you have heard Julianne speak at health training sessions across the country. She has been a key consultant in putting together the Trim Body System.    

Today is our group’s first official day on the program, and I did pretty well waiting for my lunch, having eaten a Nutrilite Snack Bar at around 10 am (I’m usually famished by then). Bruce Whyard came by at noon to give our support group tips on sticking to the program. Bruce, a supervisor in Customer Support, experienced great personal success with the Trim Body System last year. He also led a support group in Customer Support.   We’re hoping some of Bruce’s success rubs off on us.

For those of you who want to learn how you can market the new Nutrilite Diet & Nutrition products and help others (re)discover slim, check out the two new online courses on The Learning Center:  (re)discover slim – Introduction (15 min) and (re)discover slim – Putting it All Together (10 min). These courses feature the voice of Julianne.

To take the online courses, go to Manage My Business > Education > Choose your name and language then click on the Login link > Online Courses > Product Training.

To access free campaign downloads, go to Manage My Business > Imagine. True Success > Retail Selling System (on left navigation).  You can also purchase campaign materials in Resource Center >Retailing Support > Nutrilite > Literature, DVDs, & CDs.

According to Julianne, the top two New Year resolutions are losing weight and making money. Let’s do our part to make those resolutions come true.
 

As a Mom, I know hard it is to make sure kids eat right. Lucky for me, my kids love taking NUTRILITE Kids Food Supplements.  My son especially likes the Chewable Vitamin C, and given that he's prone to getting colds, this is a good thing. BRAINIUMS were a big hit with my kids when they first came out, but as my kids have gotten older I have graduated them up to OCEAN ESSENTIALS Softgels. Not so for multivitamins, however. Even my husband still prefers the new Kids Chewable MultiTarts.  

Knowing that kids like the taste of these products is just one reason why they are easy to sell.  And now, you have additional selling support with the brand new online course that shows how simple it is to share these products with others.   

Check out the resources section of the course. You will find four Product Guide downloads  that give you at-a-glance information on the target customer, product features, sample benefit, sample testimonials, price- value information, use instructions and use-up rate, plus FAQs, for each product.  

Within the course itself you will complete role plays with three different customers:  an existing customer, a referral, and a new customer.

Look for the Children's Nutrition course, found in the Online Courses:Product Training section of The Learning Center.  Kids (and their parents) will thank you.

There are many people at Amway Global who contribute to the training and education support being developed for you and your organizations, some of whom you have heard of and others whose names may not be as familiar.

Today I'd like to introduce you to someone on my team who is responsible for the Amway Global online learning experience, Eric Van den Berg. If you haven't met Eric, he is the Learning Management System Administrator who helped implement the new look, feel, and user experience of The Learning Center (formerly Quixtar University). Eric has done a masterful job taking what is a complex system and simplifying it to meet learners' needs.

If you have not yet seen the new interface, go to Manage My Business > Education and login to The Learning Center. For your convenience, the login is now placed right on the Education page.

Once at The Learning Center, you may want to use a quick link to take you on a virtual tour, developed by Eric. The virtual tour is a great way to introduce your new IBOs to The Learning Center.

Click on the Online Courses navigation and you will notice that many new courses have been introduced in the last month, in both Product Training and Business Skills.  (More on these courses later).  Although Eric is not responsible for creating the content of these courses, he is integral in the back-end process of preparing and loading them for use on The Learning Center.

You will be hearing from Eric himself in future blog posts on the Learning Curve.  In the meantime, stay tuned for more information about the updated Learning Center and new online and instructor-led courses on this blog (see Learning Curve links on the Learning Center homepage) or the What's New section of the website.

Let us know what your Learning Center experience is like, and whether it supports The Learning Center goals: knowledge for you, growth for your business.  

Last week was a great personal learning experience. I had the privilege of serving my country and community on a jury.  While the rest of the country was watching the presidential inauguration, I and 13 other people were listening to the judge explain why being on a jury is such an important civic duty. In that respect, it did seem more than appropriate to spend inauguration week at the courthouse. That every accused individual gets to exercise the right of a trial by a jury of his or her peers is one of our country's core democratic values.

I was awed by the way the judge and attorneys treated the jury members, the defendants, and each other with such respect and how the judge explained everything with great clarity. It was like a civics lesson, only better, as we had the opportunity to apply our learning to the task on hand.  

After the trial, I was one of two alternates excused from deliberation. Although this did get me back to my life one day sooner, I was sorry to miss the opportunity to interact with my peers in experiencing democracy in action.   

Overall, I came away feeling that, imperfect as the judicial system is, it can work.  As long as people are willing to step up and do their part, work together, and stick to founding principles, we can move closer to our ideals.  

Working together and sticking with founding principles is also a good recipe for Amway Global's Training & Education partnership with you in the field. The founders' fundamentals of Freedom, Family, Hope, and Reward have guided our collective success for nearly 50 years, and will continue to guide our actions this year and for many years to come.

Stay tuned! We'll soon be announcing new online courses and other resources in the Learning Center that will help you achieve the fruits of  freedom, family, hope and reward.  

Happy 2009!  Ready to start a new year? I am, and I'm ready to start a new blog as well. I'll be a contributing blogger to the Learning Curve. As part of the training group at Amway Global, I'll be blogging about our training experiences and asking for your input on your training challenges and successes.   

First topic of the years is Sellling at Health & Beauty Events. If you attended Achievers last December, you might have taken part in the the Selling at Booths and Expos workshop.  I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to facilitate this workshop and interact with successful IBOs. There was definitely lots of energy in the room, and many learnings to share.

Several Achievers asked me where they could go to get and share information on selling at health & beauty events.  I suggested using the Opportunity Zone as a community of practice. That way, others with success stories or questions can  join the conversation.    Here are a few highlights from the workshop. Although the Sales Event Rule is relatively new, there is already good evidence that event sales have great potential for making sales and getting leads.    

Workshop highlights

Thanks to IBOs Dirk and Laura Taylor and Todd and Stacy West for joining me on stage at Achievers to share best practices learned from their and their groups' event sales. We'll be making a more concerted effort here at Amway Global to learn from successful IBOs in the field, and to pass on these best practices to you.  

The ideas shared for keeping booth costs down were great. Sharing and lending booth banners, posters, etc. was common. And since the entry fee is often the most expensive budget item, finding creative ways to negotiate a lower entry cost with the exhibitor made a lot of sense.  

Participants in the workshop learned how to use the How to Sell at Health & Beauty Events Leader Guide and Participant Guide, materials that can be downloaded from the Leader Toolkit CD/DVD given out to Achievers. This simple mini-lesson was developed for leaders to use in teaching their groups best practices for setting up a booth at an event. Look for an online version at the Learning Center soon.  

Ron Mitchell and Karen O'Neill from the Rules Department were also on hand to answer questions. One common question was whether a specific event qualified for a sales event. Ron and Karen talked about how an event must be related in some way to health or beauty, and reminded participants that even if an event did not quality for a sales event, it would likely qualify for a display event.

Join the conversation!  

What more do you want to know about booths and events? What best practices can you share? What do you need in order to help your group successfully use this selling method as a way to jumpstart their business?